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| Saturday, 24-Oct-2009 03:09 |
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Fall walk with Nika
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It was a nice day for a walk.
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| Saturday, 17-Oct-2009 02:57 |
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Camping at Douglas Lake
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We went primitive camping at Douglas State Fishing Lake. It was kind of cold, so we were pretty much the only people out there. There was a camper down the way, but I don't know how much anyone was in it. The point is, it felt like we were alone, and that was nice. Because it's a primitive campground for hunters and fishermen, it's free with no amenities (other than a pit toilet). It's near Baldwin City, KS, and that weekend they had the Maple Leaf Festival. The Maple Leaf is kind of a big deal, I guess. They've got a big, fancy parade, and several streets blocked off for tent booths selling all kinds of things--food, photography, woodworking, glasswork, etc. They had carnival rides too. It was a good time with Chad and Kimberly. Oh yeah--and we played cards and bet chores. Shell and Kimberly both won . . .
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| Sunday, 11-Oct-2009 23:52 |
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Shawnee Mission Fest
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I don't know what this event is really called, but it happens every fall. A Catholic school was set up in our area years ago as a frontier mission to the Shawnee Indians. (That's why a road and the area is called Shawnee Mission.) Anyway, its a historical landmark of some kind, and every fall there is a festival that in a variety of ways links to the olden days. Covered wagon rides, tee-pees, archery, animal skins, old fashioned homemade root beer, lots of crafts, Boy Scout game booths, and a quilt show in the mission building are regular features. Last year Mom and Dad were here for it. This time we went with Nika and tried to practice her manners and socialization with people in a busy area. She did pretty good, I guess.
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| Saturday, 3-Oct-2009 04:06 |
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The Red Elvises in KC
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The Red Elvises played at Knuckleheads--the hardest venue to find. It is really frustrating trying to find that place. This was the second time I've seen them, and the first time for Shell. (She was out of town the first time--2 summers ago--that I saw them.) Only the drummer and lead singer were the same. The long-time bass player wasn't there for some reason. Man, these guys can play. The new girl with the mohawk has a big vocal range. We were impressed.
One thing that really stuck out to me this time, though. The Red Elvises are kind of trashy. The songs of theirs that I listen to aren't so bad, but that makes me forget what the other songs are like. We had a lot of fun, but I would not recommend them to everyone who reads this.
I didn't keep track of the songs they played, but I can tell you they did play a cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." They also did "I Want to See You Bellydance," at which point a few girls from the audience got up on the stage and put the "belly" in bellydance. It was funny and weird.
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| Friday, 2-Oct-2009 22:21 |
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Apple picking
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Mark and Lori came for a visit. It was great to hang out with them. It was also great to come home from work to find 2 new doors installed on our house and fresh, homemade apple pie, apple dumplings, apple crisp, and apple sauce waiting. These are Shell's pictures of the apple picking trip.
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| Saturday, 12-Sep-2009 18:27 |
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Nika
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Today we got a dog. Her name is Nika (pronounced Nee-ka). She's a year-old mutt. She's not much for licking and jumping on people, which was a good sign. She doesn't appear to shed much. We tried to use some Dog Whisperer moves on her by taking her for a walk and introducing her to the house in a way that lets her know she's not the alpha being. She's being really obedient and has already learned "sit," and "come," and she's pretty good with "stay" too. I think she recognizes her name. We're still working on "heel." Anyway, she made a great first impression.
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| Saturday, 5-Sep-2009 19:38 |
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Arboretum
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During Beth's visit, we went to the Arboretum (in Overland Park, I think). We attempted to find a geocache, but it was unsuccessful. It had been several months since my last time, and it took me a long time to figure out how to find the function I needed on the GPS. Beth took some of these pictures. She was practicing some "couple" photography.
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| Saturday, 5-Sep-2009 14:40 |
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=w=
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Last night I finally saw Weezer in concert. I originally planned on skipping it and hoping for a better day since this summer we've had a lot of extra expenses, so things are a little tight right now. Then my friend, Jeremy, won 2 free VIP tickets through a radio call in contest. He gave me one of the tickets, so I got to go after all. It was awesome. They sounded great. For some reason, Pat played guitar all night and some other guy played the drums. On some songs, Rivers didn't play guitar at all.
The set list:
1. Hashpipe
2. Troublemaker
3. Undone (The Sweater Song)
4. Surf Wax America
5. Perfect Situation
6. If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)
7. Say It Ain't So
8. My Name Is Jonas
9. Island In The Sun
10. Why Bother?
11. Pork and Beans
12. Beverly Hills
13. Buddy Holly
14. Should I Stay Or Should I Go (cover)
Thanks to Shell and Beth for letting me ditch them for the evening!
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| Saturday, 29-Aug-2009 20:53 |
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New Truck
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We finally got a new truck! It's a gold 2000 Ford Ranger, and it's in better shape than our old one. Now, if the girl who is at fault would stop avoiding the insurance agent and take the blame that is her due, we can get this mess cleared up.
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| Thursday, 13-Aug-2009 01:42 |
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The Wreck
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This afternoon, Shell got in an accident. Nobody was hurt--at least not badly. Shell did get a nice scrape, bruise, and swelling on her left forearm. It remains to be seen whether she got any whiplash, etc. Anyway, the story is this: As she approached an intersection, a girl coming the opposite direction thought she had a green arrow (but she didn't) and made a left hand turn in front of Shell. The guy at the body shop/dealership said it was totaled. All in all, there's a lot to be thankful for--everyone is alive and kicking.
So it looks like we'll be truck shopping for a bit.
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Wish I could've met her...
