There's a hole in the carpet, dear Jeffrey, dear Jeffrey!

If you know the song "There's a Hole in the Bucket," then you'll get the title reference. If not, just look at the photo. Dear Jeffrey decided to get a loudly chirping cricket out of the snake's terrarium (intending to feed it to the bluegill or bass), so he set the heat lamp (which was temporarily off because it's on a timer but was still hot) on the carpet. He failed to catch the noisy cricket but did put the screen top back on the terrarium. What he did not put back was the heat lamp. Did I mention that it's on a timer? A half hour later, after coming out of the shower, he smelled something burning and accused Elizabeth of burning some food. That was when he noticed the heat lamp. And the smoldering carpet beneath it. After he and Elizabeth applied ice to cool the area down, she made him phone me. You know it's never good when a kid opens with "Da-a-ad" and then launches into a long story. And the kid always underplays the damage ("it's kind of melted"). Thank goodness the carpet, foam padding, and/or wood flooring didn't catch on fire.

It's been over a month since I've posted to this blog. School/work has a way of intruding and taking up lots of time. September seemed very busy, getting back to school for all of us. Jeffrey started high school and Andrew moved up to middle school; both are doing great. The boys also played soccer, Jeffrey for the Eagan HS freshman team and Andrew in the Eagan Athletic Assoc. We just finished this past week. I coached Andrew's team (my last year of coaching soccer!) which was fun because we had so many of his friends/classmates on the team. And it was enjoyable to watch Jeffrey's team, since I had coached 5 of the players when they were younger. Elizabeth has a busy junior's schedule with 3 AP classes and other activities. I can hardly believe that college is on the horizon. She went to a college fair last week and is prepping to take the PSAT this week. Because she's so busy, she is taking the fall season off from her climbing team, but she did participate in a bouldering competition last weekend and finished 2nd in her division. She also had a dozen friends over for a fun homecoming get-together this past weekend, so she's not just hitting the books.

Taylor's Falls Canoeing and Climbing

The boys and I picked the wrong day to canoe on the St. Croix River. I envisioned a leisurely paddle with the boys catching a couple of smallmouth bass and all of us enjoying a picnic lunch along the way. The gusty winds (better than 20 mph) that blew upstream made the 7 mile trip a hard paddle. There was no time to sit back and let the current take us; we had to paddle or get blown sideways. Jeffrey and Andrew split the first hour of paddling, but Andrew's arm was still bothering him. Over the second hour of the trip, when the wind really picked up, Jeffrey was a beast paddler, really pushing himself. We'll both be sore tomorrow.
Though canoes can hold more, I am constantly amazed that anyone can favor them over kayaks which are so much more stable and easy to handle, especially in windy conditions.


While we were canoeing, Elizabeth was rock climbing with a group from Vertical Endeavors. The pictures are of her doing an "easy" climb, one that Andrew also made earlier this summer during his rock climbing camp. I'm glad that the 3 kids didn't get my fear of heights; I still get nervous when they clamber around the rocks.

Last Days of Summer 2010

On my last Friday of summer, the kids and I enjoyed a nice summer day in Cannon Falls. We grabbed lunch to go from Old Market Deli with desserts from High Quality Bakery, then Elizabeth and Jeffrey kayaked 7 miles down to Miesville Ravine. Meanwhile, Andrew and I headed to the river to fish. With Andrew wearing his lucky Iolani cap, we caught 4 smallmouth and 5 freshwater drum (all released) in an hour and a half. The largest smallmouth was a healthy 15", much bigger than smallmouth we had caught earlier in the year.

Tomorrow, Elizabeth will be joining the Vertical Endeavors climbing team for an outdoor climb at Interstate Park in Taylor's Falls (about an hour from home). While Elizabeth climbs, Jeffrey, Andrew, and I will canoe down the St. Croix River to Osceola, Wisconsin, about a 7 mile trip. Andrew is hoping to catch more smallmouth bass.

Andrew did have his elbow checked out this week and the orthopedist said there was no fracture this year. He strained his elbow a couple of weeks ago when he slipped on an algae-covered rock while fishing. The initial x-rays were inconclusive, so he had a splint on until Wednesday's thumb's up diagnosis. He's very happy to have his casting arm available again for fishing.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey is hobbling around with sore knees from freshman soccer practices. The long lazy summer did not prepare him well for training, but he's hanging in there. I'm looking forward to seeing them play, since there are 5 or 6 players on the team that I coached in EAA.

Artemis' New Home

Artemis the Green Snake moved into a 37 gallon terrarium today, a significant upgrade from her old 5 gallon tank. The tall new tank gives her lots of room to climb, a good habitat for an arboreal snake. In the first few hours, Jeffrey and I have enjoyed watching her explore her new home. It's amazing how far Artemis can stretch out her body, how strong snakes are.

Andrew's Hotel Birthday Party

Andrew had his birthday party at the Saratoga Inn in Cannon Falls. We had three poolside rooms (the rooms you see in the pool pics are ours) and the swimming pool to ourselves. The kids had a great time; they'd have a Nerf gun battle, go swimming, come in to play Risk, then jump back in the pool. The boys also headed to the park to play disc golf and to wade in the Cannon River, looking for minnows or crayfish. It was a fun time for all.

The (Fishing) Kids Are Alright

On Thursday afternoon, I went fishing at Lions Park in St. Paul Park for the first time. The park is on the shore of the Mississippi River, a few miles downstream from Pig's Eye Lake. It's not the nicest part of the Mississippi, a bit of an industrial area. Since I was coming from karate, I brought my lunch along. While sitting at a picnic table, eating my ham and turkey sandwich, 3 young men (late teens, one Hispanic, an African-American, and one white) came to fish and grill a lunch. We chatted briefly and I offered them the picnic table since it was by the grill. I went to the beach area to continue fishing while they grilled. After a few minutes, they called over and offered me a hot dog. Very nice. I declined but it sure made me smile. And farther down the shoreline, another pair of teens were peacefully fishing the day away.

Later, I saw another group of youths, probably early 20's, sitting in the middle of the park. Looked like a study group of some kind, maybe practicing a reading for a play. Good to see all of these kids enjoying a warm summer day out in the park.

The Kids Are Alright

Fun week with the kids; lots of hanging out with friends, a couple of sleepovers, some good meals (slow-cooked pork, quiches, BLTs with heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella on French bread), and some nice chats.

Elizabeth, Jeffrey, and I stayed up late on Friday and Saturday nights, part of the time watching the one and only season of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I loved that show when it came out, then Elizabeth got hooked on it from my Netflix rentals. The kids gave me the dvd set for Father's Day, so Jeffrey started watching it with Elizabeth this week, and he couldn't stop watching it. We talked about the show, then moved on to chatting about their experiences with Destination Imagination. Elizabeth loved her 4 years of participation, Jeffrey detested his one. He's still mad at me for not letting him quit, but the 3 of us enjoyed sharing the stories.

I like how the kids influence each other, especially when it comes to sharing reading interests. Elizabeth and Jeffrey have been tipping each other to good reads for a number of years, and now Andrew has been guided to some good books. The latest is the Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce, four books about a young girl who becomes a knight. Andrew could barely put down the third book, Squire, this week, reading the last 300 pages in two days. He intends to finish the last book this coming week.

Don't think that Andrew and I don't get to chat; we talk all the time because he loves coming on errands or playing games (cribbage and Tripoley are our current favorites). On Friday, we went shopping for guppies for his aquarium. We visited 3 pet stores, finally ending up at Twin Cities Reptiles. This store is a herpetologist's dream with so many kinds of lizards, turtles, and snakes (as well as fish). This is where I had bought my green snake (now renamed Artemis) and where Andrew found a nice pair of guppies. We also just like visiting the store because of their zoo-sized monitor lizards and snakes. There are a few 8' or longer boas and pythons; one massive python is 16 feet long!

Hot Summer Day at Cannon Falls

The kids and I played in Cannon Falls today. Jeffrey played the 9 hole disc golf course at Hannahs Bend Park, Andrew used the kayak to fish by the 9th Street bridge, and Elizabeth and Jeffrey kayaked down from the 9th Street Bridge to Riverside Park. As usual, we bought lunch at Old Market Deli where we were recognized by a couple of the friendly waitstaff. I told them that the difficult part was making a choice from the many delectable items (sandwiches, soups, pastries, ice creams). Because it was so hot and humid, we enjoyed dining in the comfort of the air-conditioned room.

Andrew had lost a smallmouth bass earlier in the day, so he wanted to continue fishing. The older kids chose the coolness of the library while Andrew and I headed back to the river to fish. In the 40 minutes of fishing, I caught a white sucker and Andrew caught his first white bass ever (and lost another smallmouth bass). He gave his fish to a couple who were fishing near us. They already had a nice flathead catfish on their stringer.


In the evening, Elizabeth went to climbing team practice at Vertical Endeavors, while I went to karate (where my gi was soaked through in the un-air-conditioned dojo).

Artemis the Green Snake

We discovered that Artemis is a female because of the two eggs she laid a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I don't think the eggs are fertilized. How cool would that be to have baby green snakes. You can see that Artemis is gentle when being held.

Cannon Kayaking ... Again

Al Kramer and I kayaked the Cannon Falls to Miesville Ravine route today. What a difference a rainstorm makes! On Wednesday, when I was on the river, the water was stained but pretty clear and its level was getting shallow with lots of riffles and more exposed rocks. Today, after heavy thunderstorms hit the area last night, the river was muddy and running fast. That made for bad fishing but a pretty easy paddle that took only 90 minutes. Afterwards we lunched at Old Market Deli, then Al bought a bottle of wine at Cannon River Winery.

Another Fun Day on Cannon River

Kayaked the Cannon River again, this time by myself. Because I went solo, I started at Riverside Park and headed upstream. I did have to wade a couple of stretches of riffles with the kayak in tow, but it felt good to be in the water on the warm sunny day. The route was only a half a mile to Hannah's Bend Park, but it was a good workout fighting the current. The fishing was lots of fun. I caught a dozen smallmouth bass and missed a bunch more. They were small, 8-12 inches, but feisty, often jumping out of the water. The area is beautiful with lots of activities. There's a community pool, a nice disc golf course, and the Cannon bike trail.

"That's baseball."

Andrew's baseball team lost a tough playoff elimination game today, the other team scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the last inning to take the game. Andrew pitched the last two innings. He went from the high of striking out the side in the 5th inning to the low of giving up the winning runs in the 6th. After the game, I, as the concerned father, asked Andrew how he was feeling. His reply: "That's baseball."
The kid has a pretty good perspective, don't you think?

Cannon River Fun

Elizabeth, Andrew, and I had a fun day on the Cannon River. Elizabeth kayaked, while Andrew and I canoed on the 7 mile stretch from Cannon Falls to Miesville. We didn't know what to expect in the way of fishing this stretch of river; Andrew was just hoping to catch a fish or two. Turns out, the fishing was terrific. Andrew ended up catching 13 smallmouth bass (and losing 2 or 3 others), while I caught 3 bass. The fish were on the smaller side but a couple hit 13". And, as Andrew said, "They were all good fighters." He considered this a great pre-birthday activity. Click here to see more photos.

Jeffrey was busy at Summer Stretch, a program at church where middle schoolers perform a service project in the morning, then do a fun activity in the afternoon (this week they went to Brunswick Zone for bowling and laser tag). We did bring him an awesome apple turnover from the Cannon Falls bakery.

Sixlets and Co.

On the hottest, steamiest day of the year, Andrew entertained fellow Sixlets (derisive middle school term for the little 6th graders) Dallas, Patrick, Colin, and Luke. Morning thunderstorms kept them inside where they happily engaged in Nerf Wars; the downstairs area was turned into a battlefield of mini forts. After a pizza lunch, the kids (joined by Elizabeth and Jeffrey) headed outside and played a version of Handball in the cul-de-sac. They'd play for a bit, run inside to rehydrate and cool off, then head back out for more. Later, they switched over to soccer in the backyard. Click here to see more photos.

In the evening, Andrew and his Blue Jays baseball team won their playoff pool. Andrew pitched well, throwing 3 innings of scoreless, no-hit ball; he also added a single and a nice double that he drove over the right fielder's head.

Fun Days at Orchard Lake

We had two fun days at Orchard Lake in Lakeville. On Sunday, Jeffrey, Andrew, and I enjoyed a picnic lunch, then fished from shore. Jeffrey had fun targeting panfish while Andrew caught his first two bass of the season. Today, Elizabeth joined us at the lake. We kayaked, fished, and enjoyed another picnic. Andrew caught another 4 bass today, two from the kayak. Elizabeth also caught a bass (but didn't want to touch it so Andrew handled the release of the fish). Jeffrey spent some time trying to catch a small perch we spotted. He wanted to add this to our fish tank. I caught a nice 3 pound bass while kayaking. To see more photos, click here.

Green Snake Sheds Skin

Our rough green snake is bright green again after shedding her skin last night. Leading up to this, her color had become a dusty, darker green. Pretty amazing that she sloughs off the old skin in one piece.

Lesley Lunch

Had a fun lunch at El Loro with Janet (who had to take off before the photo op), Larry, Trista, and Amy. Just catching up with everyone's stories - kids, school, travels, and work (for those of us who aren't lucky enough to be enjoying retirement, Larry). Afterwards, everyone stopped by my house to relax and chat a bit more. We all agreed it's been too long between Lesley lunches.

Pardon My French: An Eagan Bistro

I had a pleasant dinner at Pardon My French, a casual bistro, new this year to Eagan. I enjoyed a roast beef sandwich with a cup of broccoli cheddar soup plus I brought home an apple turnover all for about $10. There's also a wine bar but I didn't sample that feature. The turnover turned out to be fair; tart apple filling in pastry crust but I prefer the flaky type of crust and sweeter filling. In the interest of exploration, I will have to try some of the other desserts in the future. I have a feeling Elizabeth and friends may have a new place to hangout.

Happy 4th of July

As the fireworks go off (from my bedroom window, I can see the bursts of light through the thicket of trees in the backyard), I'm celebrating this holiday by listening to an excellent MPR Midday interview with William Hogeland, author of Declaration: The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent, May 1-July 4, 1776. The June 25th interview was really interesting and so informative; I wish history could come alive like this more often. I'm so looking forward to getting a copy of this book.

Earlier in the day, I attended the annual 4th of July get-together at the Kramer's. Small but fun crowd (Chings, Kramers, Bowlings, and Zenkers). Talked stories: past 4th of July celebrations with Ross, fireworks, and the water balloon slingshot; the Twilight books and movies; parallels between Jeffrey and Chris and the calls home from school; Julie and Diane's NY adventure; Harry Potter vs Yoda; Kim's bad summer; Al's adventurous incidents; the neighborhood watch.

Kids Kayak from Cannon Falls to Miesville

Elizabeth and Jeffrey kayaked 7 miles on the Cannon River from Cannon Falls to Miesville. First they picked up delicious sandwiches from Old Market Deli as well as pastries from Hi Quality Bakery, both in Cannon Falls. The trip took them almost two hours and included a stop on a sandbar for lunch. They saw herons, muskrat, a snapping turtle, and a deer along the route. I was a bit nervous about letting them go on their own, but they did fine and enjoyed themselves.

Andrew at YMCA Fishing Camp

Andrew spent the week fishing with Y-Camp. He went to Lake Marion (Lakeville), Hidden Falls Park on the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Mille Lacs, and Lake Minnetonka and enjoyed himself.

(photo from 2009 fishing trip to Orchard Lake)