Sunday, January 27, 2013

Viola

Sam has been practicing his viola a bit more these days. Maybe he and I could do a duet in the future. I'm just not sure how long his viola phase will last but it's good he's trying stuff. I'm home now and enjoying the family and a nice warm fire.

Clean the window

On a plane home. United needs to get a squigy on this window.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Bleak

I've been in Dallas for 28 hours with 19 to go and man is it bleak and dreary out their. Not that I've been outside but the view out my window is one of flatness, grey sky, rain and un-inspiring buildings. I missed a mini snowstorm at home last night which would have been nice to see but work calls. I hear the boys played hard today in their basketball game losing by two points. Sam had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. Dylan came in with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 6 steals. They are a two man wrecking crew out there. I should be around for next weekends game, I don't like missing them play much.

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

A Little Snow

Well, it's turned wintery around here finally with temps below freezing and a little snow. Not enough for a snow day but enough to delay school for a couple hours. It's a start.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Cold, Cold Night

We are back home to the coldest nights of the year here in DC, in fact it's the coldest it's been in 4 years around here.  It's only getting down to around 10 degrees but that's pretty cold for these parts. I created a set of pictures from our trip to Colorado on Flickr and have a link to them here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/homerclees/sets/72157632586030203/

Monday, January 21, 2013

Winging it Home

Sam noticed this sunset out the window of the plane this evening. He pointed out the window and said "that's really pretty, take a picture of it". I was happy to see him looking around and noticing things like this. He has a lot to appreciate in life and it warms my heart to see him noticing the little things. We all had a great time in Breckinridge and I love showing the boys new things and seeing them discover new joys like skiing down a beautiful mountainside or rolling around in the snow on the continental divide. We are home now and need to start planning our next adventure.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Last Run

Dylan and I were a little tired and came in before Nicole and Sam. We had three great days on the slopes but my knee was starting to show the strain, even with a day off yesterday. We couldn't have asked for better weather, a little fresh snow would have been fun but 33 and sunny is pretty awesome. The place we stayed had a ski locker room on the slopes and ski butlers to carry your skies. They even returned them to the rental shop which was a huge benefit after a long day of skiing. I would stay here again.

Top o the mountain

We hit the slopes right when they opened and took the Colorado Super Chair to the top of peak 9. This was the boys first trip up that high and to the more difficult blue trails. They did great and we had a great morning of skiing some nicely groomed trails. Having lunch in the condo now then a few more runs before we watch some football.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Continental Divide

We took the day off of skiing and rode snowmobiles to the Georgia pass and the continental divide. It was a chilly 9am start but warmed up quickly as we climbed out of the trees and got some sun. The boys spent the afternoon on the Gold Coaster which is right outside our condo. More skiing tomorrow.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Faces of Breck

We all had another great day of skiing. The boys had Tom the instructor again and he had them going down some more difficult slopes and Nicole and I joined them for a couple runs which was nice. My knee is starting to feel the strain but its holding up fairly well. Just need to take some breaks and stay away from bumps. Like anything, you need to push it a little to keep the ability to ski at all. We are taking the day off the slopes tomorrow and doing a morning snowmobile trip to see the continental divide. Back on the slopes Sunday.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Home for a While

This is where we are living and what we are looking the next few days. Nicole and I had a great day on the slopes and the boys had a great private instructor that really got them skiing today. They had a weak base of skills but spent the whole day getting better. They have the same instructor tomorrow and I would imagine they will hit a blue run or two.

I took a nice spill today and hurt my shoulder a bit. It was the first real fall I've had in a decade and hurt more than I remember falls hurting in the past. I'm getting brittle in my old age. Sam, Nicole and I soaked some of the pain away in the outdoor hot tub a bit ago and I'm the light fade on the mountains with Dylan. I could get used to his.

Morning from Breck

Our balcony overlooks the ski school where Dylan and Sam will be spending much of the day.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Breckinridge

We had a slow but an un-eventful flight and a beautiful drive to town. We love the place we are staying at and are in town for dinner before a full two days of ski school for the boys and kidless skiing for the parents. We are taking a day off from the slopes on Saturday and back on them Sunday.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Runnin Hard

The boys do two practices a week on Mondays and Tuesdays. The practice with their 3rd and 4th grade team Monday and the coaches 5th and 6th grade team on Tuesdays. They start slowing down after a while on Tuesday. Lots of running is good for them but even those little dynamos get winded.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Dreary

It's been a wet, foggy and generally dreary day and to top it off, we took the Christmas tree down. I hate when the tree comes down but I can keep the outdoor lights lit for another couple weeks. It gets a little embarrassing to have them up in February but I may stretch it this year because colored lights make me happy. Yes, I'm that simple.

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Saturday, January 12, 2013

Back to .500

After losing the first game of the season by 15 points and the second by a point the boys have won two blowouts in a row. Sam had 13 with 12 rebounds and Dylan had 4 with 10 steals. They both could have had more but the coached slowed things down and made them pass a bunch before shooting. The other team was having all sorts of difficulty. We have next week off then the sprit to the playoffs. Go Bombers!!!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Three Knocks

This is a much better picture of a happy Nicole waiting for entry into the speakeasy than the one of her below inside it. The blue light marks the spot. No signs but lets face it, booze has been legal for many years now.

The boys have a basketball game in the morning then I'm watching football. I love the playoffs.

PX


Dinner at Majestic and drinks at the swanky speakeasy PX in Old Town with the Lorengers.  Nicole is trying to get all sorts of stuff in during her sabbatical.  

 


Thursday, January 10, 2013

Like Father

Sam got his new reading glasses today to make me feel better. He also has spiky hair, but I don't think I can pull that off.

Progressives

Me, my new haircut and my first pair of real glasses. Yes, progressives for aging eyes.

Saturday, January 05, 2013

Playoffs

This is how the boys watch NFL Playoff Football, with their noses in their iPads.

Winning Ways

Dylan and Sam really settled down in the 4th quarter in a nice 28-9 win against the Blue Devils today. Sam had 12 points and 11 rebounds while Dylan score 10 points and had 10 steals. They both slowed it down a bit and made better decisions with the ball. The whole team passed a little better and had a little more ball control as well.

I spent my third game keeping the book which I'm getting better at doing. Keeps me occupied but I don't get to see as much of the game. I think it's my job for the rest of the season.

Thursday, January 03, 2013

New Years Flu

Opened the new year with probably the nastiest flu I've had as long as I can remember. I had a flu shot this year but whatever I got was a doozy. I don't have any pictures, just this update.

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