You can't handle the tooth!

Emma lost her first tooth the other night and I took a few pictures to commemorate the auspicious event. Two days later (which was tonight's swim lesson) she lost the second tooth. The newest picture was a better one and show the bigger gap.

Tooth Fairy is working overtime now because Carter discovered his first loose tooth a few days ago, too.

Ewww.........

(Michael blogging) Carter finally agreed to sit still long enough to have a mask made that involves plaster or paper mache or whatever applied to his face. He laid dilgently still while Den Mother, Delina Soon, applied the wet strips and let them dry. The picture you see is the from directly after the mask was taken off his face.

Needless to say, he was the first one in the shower tonight. And he will be again tomorrow.

Hey baby, is it hot in here, or is it ju...HOLY SHIT!!!

(Michael blogging...)A few nights ago, Laura and I decided to light-up the wood stove for the first time this fall. We had no kids this night and settled in for a movie (The Lost Boys) and some cozy warmth.

After the movie had ended, Laura and I were small-talking about the film and were about to go upstairs and to bed when Laura suddenly sat bolt upright on the couch, pointed her finger firmly across the room and announced, "FIRE!"

Sure enough - a decorative wicker basket full of pinecones had been set atop the wood stove during the summer months and it didn't occur to either of us that just maybe, sorta, kinda, we might want to move it elsewhere before using the stove. Nevertheless, flames were now licking their way up the basket and devouring the pinecones as well.

Laura quickly opened the door to the back patio and I (sans oven mitt) grabbed the half-gone basket and quickly chucked it out the door onto the concrete before the flames engulfed my hand. Wrong move....

Have you seen Iron Man? Remember the part at the very beginning where Tony Stark is demonstrating the Jericho missile? It was a missile that, after launched, broke apart into dozens of smaller missiles and then wreaked havoc. The pinecones were just like those smaller missiles.

So, now I had a dozen little fire-balls all rolling around the back patio — all with the predictability of a loose, bouncing football and all heading for the fence. The wood fence. So now the night has transformed from a calm, quite, romantic evening into an "I Love Lucy" skit.

Disaster was soon averted as I grabbed the nearby garden hose and sprayed them down quickly and left them all to smoulder in the cool night air. As we left the mess to be cleaned up the next day, we went to bed wondering if the neighbors were thinking, "What the hell are the Richters barbecuing now?" Ah well - Euell Gibbons would have been proud.

It's been real — It's been fun, but...

...I'm really glad the fun's over. (Not true in reality, though)

Last Friday I took my bike to work for what may be the last time in quite a while. With the onset of school next week and with the weather getting colder and darker quikly - it was time to put the bike in storage. I really enjoyed each of my rides in to work and the daunting prospects of riding home from the Zoo stop off of MAX.

Next summer I hope to get the bike out earlier and get on the program right away. Hey - only nine months to go, right?

California here we come....DAY TWO

Woke up this morning and got packed up in quick order and headed down to breakfast. Not sure what was on the menu - but I was anticipating the best and preparing for the worst. As son as I got to the bottom of the stairs I was greeted by a fairly large sized dog of unknown breed that had the utterly creepy charm of being blind as a bat. He (or she, perhaps) would simply lean his head into my thigh and just hold it there while waiting for a scratch behind the ears or a belly-rub or whatever form of affection would be offered. I complied and the dog went about his morning ordeals while Doug (I believe was his name) took requests for breakfast.

We were joined in short order by another couple who had stayed several nights here and we asked where they we traveling from. We were, of course, hoping to meet someone from a far-off land who could regale us with tales of adventure and nuance. Their home? Vancouver, Washington. I suppose when we told them we were from Beaverton they may have been equally underwhelmed.

Actually, it turned out that the woman was a teacher and she and Laura had a common friend in someone from our church - Karen "Whats-Key" (I know that's a terrible way to spell a name, but damn-it, sometimes you just have to rely on phonetics).

Breakfast consisted of blackberry pancakes, eggs, toast, coffee, and orange juice and it was, or course, delicious. We finished our meal; bade good-bye to our housemates, Doug, and the dog; packed up the Pilot and started out on the road.

Our first stop was only a few miles away and something that I've been to a few times - but Laura had yet to see: The Oregon Vortex.

California here we come....DAY ONE

Got off to our trip Saturday morning with a drive down I-5 South toward the Gold Hill area.

We dropped off Michael's kids with his Mom and Laura's with Robert (Justin is White Branch-bound!) and hit the road.

Our final destination is Oakland, California to tour the Bay area for a bit of the day on Monday. However, our first stop was in the Gold Hill area near Medford and a little B&B that Michael picked out called the Rouge River Guest House. Pictured is one of the main rooms in the house and Laura posing for me (after much cajoling) on the swing near the yard.


The guy who runs the place met us on the patio as we walked up toward the house around 6:00ish Saturday night. He had a prosthetic leg and smelled of lots of alcohol. Nevertheless, he was kind and checked us in and led us to our room upstairs. I've (Michael) never stayed in many B&Bs - so I wasn't too sure what to expect. Laura assured me that it was much like some of the places she's been in while traveling in the UK and that it did, indeed, have a bit of charm to it. I was and continue to be confused about the choice of an open box of random screws and bolts for decor. We both, however, found it "peculiar" that it was physically impossible to shut the door to the shared bathroom. Thank God we didn't have neighbors!

We found a nice restaurant right on the Rouge River a few miles down the road and had a few beers (thanks to the recommendations of the local, yet earnest, barfly) and some good food while we watched the river roll by. Still not sure - but we think we may have been sitting next to a food critic who spent her time alternating between bites of food and tapping on her Blackberry.

After dinner, we drove back down the road to the house and after getting thoroughly confused and nearly lost for a moment, we settled in the for the night and began planning our next day's drive into Oakland.

Dad & Me Camp 2009

A few weekends ago, Harry and I went down to the Bend/Sisters area to Camp Suttle Lake for our last year of Dad & Me camp together. We've attended this camp together at Camp Magruder in 2007 and 2008 - but went to Suttle Lake this year.

We did some hiking and swimming and a little bit of boating, too. We ate s'mores and banana boats and - of course - went on a Guava hunt.

Harry will be old enough to attend Jr. camp next year at White Branch - but Emma and Carter will be old enough for their first year of Dad & Me Camp - so I'll be able to attend for another 3 years.

Can't wait!

The Lunatic is on the Grass

Last night I entertained Emma, Carter, and Brendan by - of all things - mowing the lawn. As I wove my mower through the thick patches of grass (umm...it had been while...) the three of them dashed back and forth - pretending to be "chased" by the mower. And as long as they kept a healthy distance from the mower - I was happy with that.

Each of them also wanted to take turns pushing the mower - which they did with aplomb and a modicum of success. However, the hilarity ensued when they each wanted to pull the ripcord to start the engine. I thought Carter was going to hyper-extend his arms yanking on that. No one got it started - so I had to "help" each of the turn the engine over. Alas...

One thing I did fine cute - if not a bit primal - was how they loved laying down in the long, grassy tussocks before they were eventually and inevitably trimmed back. There was something very cat-like in their natures as their eyes peeked over the tops of the blades of grass. Brendan stopped stalking prey long enough to mug for this photo.

Now - on to the front yard.

Singin' in the Rain

Well - it had to happen eventually because this is Oregon. It absolutely and completely poured down rain on my ride home. It was the strongest rainstorm we've had in months and I was totally unprepared for wet weather. Fortunately - Laura met me at the Zoo with fresh, dry clothes as we long ago made plans to see the B-52s.

Although the fairgrounds were soaked - Laura had planned out and fashioned a tarp-tent that kept us and the food dry until the rain finally abated, the clouds broke, and the B-52s took the stage!

Now - the lesson learned: pack a raincoat!

More biking...

Well - I spent some time at work yesterday "crunching the numbers" and the way I see it, I'll ride 12 mile on the bike each day that I ride it to work. Right now - my goal is to ride at least 2 days a week - so that's roughly 25 miles a week which rounds off nicely to 100 miles per month. Not too shabby.

The ride in this morning was a little more smooth. No problem with the chain and no problem with hot coffee splashing up my back. I did, however, forget to bring lunch - so I'll have to go the employee feed-bag at noon. Alas...

Definately need to get the bike tuned and make sure that it's in tip-top condition if I'm to keep this up.

Weather looks great for the ride home!

Michael and his bicycle

(Michael blogging...) Sorry, no pictures on this one.

I've been planning this for a week or so now and, today, I finally attempted it: I rode my bike and MAX into work. It wasn't a bad experience at all - but I definitely learned a few things about how to do it better.

I rode out of my garage at about 5:30 AM and headed for the 158th and Merlo station garage. I was barely across Farmington Boulevard when I attempted to shift gears and my chain became unrailed. I pulled off and messed around with it for about five minutes and eventually got it back on and working. I still have no idea why it did that nor if it's going to happen again - or worse - frequently. Despite that somewhat disconcerting prospect, I rode on to the MAX station. I suppose the most curious thing that happened to me was that a few minutes later, I espied a dirty, pink dildo on the ground near the side of the road. The only thing I could think of at the time was, "Gee - that's peculiar!"

I eventually made it to the MAX station and the train came about five minutes thereafter. The ride into town was quick and mostly uneventful as the train was populated with commuters for whom the novelty of mass transit had long-ago worn off. I listed to some podcasts on the iPod as the MAX wound its way through the west hills.

Eventually, the train stopped somewhere near Yamhill station and I hopped off and rode through the streets of downtown toward Madison Avenue and the Hawthorne bridge. The ride over the bridge was, in a word, awesome. A few other bikers were crossing with me and nearly all of them had iPods firmly planted in their ears. I think one of them rolled his eyes at me and thought to himself, "stupid newbie." I'm not yet brave (or dumb) enough to impede my hearing in the midst of other traffic which includes buses and other large vehicles which could crack my melon open and not break stride.

Anyhow - I rolled onto campus about 6:45 AM - which made for a 1 hour and 15 minute commute, a far cry from my car-commute time of 30 minutes - but not as bad as I thought it could be. I suppose that once I get the hang of it I'll get a little faster and can hopefully get the time down to just under an hour.

Fortunately, my office has a gym with a shower facility and I had packed fresh skivvies and a towel. Another break went my way as I had a spare shirt hanging in my cube. This was greatly needed as my coffee travel mug didn't cooperate with the commute as seeped hot coffee onto my shirt for the entire commute. I'll either need to get a better mug or simply buy coffee at the office.

Anyhow - I'm only halfway there and the commute home this evening should be interesting. I hope to be able to do this several times each week and see how much I'm saving on gas money.

More to come...

I SWEAR we're not Mormon!

Okay - I don't have great excuse for not posting anything in several months, so I won't waste your time by coming up with a bad one.

A month or so ago - the weather finally looked stable enough to go ahead and assemble the trampoline that was a gift from Grandma and Grandpa Russell.

The kids have loved it - and Malcolm continues to be utterly perplexed by this craft that gobbles up the kids and emits shrieks of delight and peels of giddy laughter. Poor doggie just wants some love.

Here's a picture from a recent day when I asked all 6 of them to bounce together for the photo-op. It took a matter of mere seconds for an injury to occur and accusations to fly. Alas...now the rule is no more than 2 people on at one time

Greeting from South of the Border!

Sorry - no pics to share at the moment, but internet cafes do not like customers sharing their drives. Alas..

Laura and I are down in Mexico visiting the very beautiful city of Cuernavaca. We`ve seen some really cool old churches and other sites and taken in the local flavor. Tomorrow, we will go to a city that I can´t quite remember how to pronounce, let alone how to spell. Needless to say, though, we´ll have fun as we climb some old pyramids and drink some more cervaca.

We´re here with Laura´s mom and dad who are seasoned world travelers and they´re great traveling companions to boot!

Our new puppy, Malcolm, is being tended to by my Dad and Roddy - who´ve reported that he likes to crap and chew. Sounds like our doggie!

Weather is warm and the beer is cold. Still - can´t wait to come home and see everyone, especially the kids.

Malcolm in the Middle

(Michael blogging...) Okay - here is the original plan for last Thursday evening: meet at McMenamins for dinner and a pint. Then, we'd head home and watch "Shakespeare in Love" on DVD (We've been trying to find the time to do this since Valentine's Day).

Dinner at McMenamins went off without a hitch and we talked about our work-days and this and that and, then, decided to swing by Scamp's Pet Store to merely look at the puppies.

Now, we'd tempted fate about two weeks prior - but thanks to Laura's good sense - we managed to get out unscathed and without a puppy. However, this time the tables were turned against us: there was a beagle puppy in the store.

After a bit of discussion (read: Michael whining), debating (read: Michael pleading), and the unavoidable doe-eyed gaze of the puppy that longed to say, "Take me home - I'm all yours!" we took the puppy home (No more that thirty seconds into the car ride home - he pooped in his crate. Now he was really ours!).

Since we knew that we were undoubtedly forgoing our movie plans - we thought an appropriate and unique name for the puppy would be Shakespeare. However, later that evening, Laura thought we should pick a name with some English/Scottish heritage and suggested the name Malcolm. It stuck instantly. Ironically enough, the name Malcolm is a character in MacBeth, so there it is!

After a quick bath, lots of loving, and - of course - a few "accidents" here and there, he bedded down for the night and didn't cry a lick until abut 5:30 the next morning. Same story last night, as well.

Friday after school, Ethan, Harry, Emma, and Carter all met Malcolm and all love him bunches. Justin and Brendan will meet him on Wednesday when they come home, too.

I suppose there's lots more to tell - but there'll be lots of time for that, I suppose.

By the way - we watched "Shakespeare in Love" last night. Good movie!

Happy Birthday to...

(Michael blogging...) my sister-in-law, Rachel Richter!

I don't know exactly how old she is this year - and if I did, I doubt I'd be bold enough to publish it!

Happy Birthday, Rachel - I hope it's a great one for you!

Christmas pageant.....at last!

(Michael blogging...) We finally had our Christmas pageant last Wednesday at church. The snow had taken its toll on our plans and we've had to push the pageant back and back until we were well into 2009.

But we would not be stopped! With mild fanfare and aplomb, the kids did their best and actually had a lot of fun, too. Brendan, Emma, and Carter were an Angel, a lamb, and a tiger(?) in the play. They are very cute in their costumes and look much better than I did last night when I was forced to wear a coffee filter on my head. Don't ask.

We got movie sign!

(Michael blogging...) Ah yes - the battle-cry of the MST3K junkie! After thinking more about it, I've decided to create a movie review blog in addition to the book review blog. No real reason - other than an initial desire to rant about having to sit through Marley & Me. But for more on that...please check out the new blog!