Happy Birthday Grampa

While I was whining about how hard it is to travel with 2 year olds, I forgot to wish my Dad a happy birthday. Thank you dad for putting up with my crap, like the time I puked in hands on that car ferry on lake Michigan and the time in high school when my girlfriend puked in the back seat of your car (this may be the first time your heard that one).

You've been a fantastic father and you obviously have something I need to work on. Thanks for being patience (I don't know how to spell) with me all those years and feel free to help me learn how to be display more patience with these two beautiful (now sleeping) children.

Love you and again, Happy Birthday.

Mark

Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

Airplanes and 2 year olds

So, the plane is delayed for an hour. First a mechanical problem, then weather. The boys cannot handle the close proximity of air travel at this age. Dylan is still awake and kicking the seat in front of him, beating on the table or screaming at the top of his lungs. Sam was doing that until he puked on Nicole and fell a sleep.

I have no idea how we are going to get home. I don't think I can get on a plane with them again until they are four. We're over Colorado or one of those mountain states and I'm considering asking the pilot to drop us in Utah so we can catch a train.

Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

06-30-05_1648.jpg

06-30-05_1648.jpg
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Dylan

We are getting closer everyday to the completion of the basement remodeling project. The walls are now back in place, the painting is almost finished (navajo white walls and white trim) and we found some porcilin tile today that should work well. I also had an electrician out today to install some new outlets and circuits for the sump pumps (don't want them tripping in a storm) as well as a new ceiling fan in the guest room for all you sleepover guests.

The other fun thing I was able to do when the walls were torn up was have some catagory 5 ethernet cable and two jacks put in the walls and run to a router upstairs. This will allow the basement to have "wired" internet access which is faster than my "wireless" set-up around the rest of the house. I'm getting ready for digital convergence when voice, data, video and all served throught a common digital gateway. Basically every device in your home is networked and is interoperable with the others. Of course, entertainment will be the first application for this new world so a Media PC with a HD tv will show up down there before I start networking the stove or washing machine.

Oh yeah, one more thing, I hate Cox Cable. They used to be my hero's but they completely messed up a simple request for them to install a new outlet and digital services line in the basement. I'm looking at satellite in the near future...The only good thing is that they failed to either show up on time or at all four times resulting in a $19.99 credit per instance. An $80 credit will knock my cable bill down quite a bit this month. Those bastards....

New walls, paint and floor.. 

All grace with some nice form.. 

We played in the pool on the deck today and we learned how to run thru the sprinkler. Nicole has quite the form in the shot above this post. The boys tended to take the side of the water unless we forced them to run up the middle. More soon...

These are my playing partners for golf yesterday. Nice day but man was it windy out there. This course right on the water, accross he 65th street bridge from Ocean City. Very tough course with great views of the bay and OC but plays even harder with a 10-15 mile an hour breeze. From left to right, Dave, Mike and Modean. Nice shorts catfish... 

Modean

Modean
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

After golf

Bad t shirts

Bad t shirts
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Oc

Par 3

I played a little par 3 course today and hit a bucket of balls to prepare myself for Lighthouse Sound. It was all good but I worry about my game considering the number of strokes I took on that piddely little goat track. I just ordered some risotto and I'm hoping that will help my game tomorrow. Sam fell on his face this morning at the park so he has a new wounds just after his "running into an open drawer" wound healed. That boy has some face issues. He just runs hard at all times. He will probably be a linebacker or a really aggresive la cross player down the road. It appears Dylan will be the pretty boy.

The basement is coming along nicely. The workers just installed some cat 5 ethernet cables and a couple jacks down there to prepare it to be the digital media room, and of course a creative play space for the boys. More soon...

Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

This is a Kumie picture from last weekend. Here's a link to the rest of her shots. http://www.tighttrousers.com/gallery/AWF2005

The guys are still working the basement today. I'm looking forward to getting all that done. More soon...

I just found out we launched a re-modeled bulletin site last week. It looks nice and fits into the new main site design much better than the old bulletin site. I like it when things get done and I'm oblivious to it happening. Obviously a lot of work went into this from the designers and developers. Also, we found a contractor who is going to start on our basement remodeling job this week. I'm looking forward to that being done. More soon. 

Here are the boys, Mama and Kumie on an old tall ship in Alexandria. We went to the Waterfront Festival today with Kumie, Ashton and Joseph. Nice weather for an outing. I'll put a few more shots on flickr which you all know you can see by going to www.durpenters.org. More soon.

Petco

Petco
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Shopping

So, Fathers Day is apon us and they boys made me french toast and bought me lots of presents. They also able to say Happy Father Day. They also partnered up with Kumie to post some pictures of them selves on her blog http://www.icegrl.blogspot.com/ .

We are off the the Alexandria Waterfront Festival this afternoon for more boats and bands. http://www.waterfrontfestival.org/ Did you know that Alexandria was settled over 350 years ago as Belhaven and got it's current name over 250 years ago. The District is only a little over 200 years old. I'll have pictures later..

This is a transitional neighborhood in DC. 13th and Florida NW roughly. Laura Rossman's going away party was at Kathleen and Jim's house right accross the street from these row houses. 10 years ago you could have bought one of these skinny three story jobs for $150,000 and take your life into your own hands. Today, $700,000 and you still have a slight risk of getting involved in some gun play. Check out the tops of these two units. One has been painstakingly redone and the other hasn't been touched in 70 years. It was like that up and down the street. Some people can afford to live there, others are being forced out. More soon... 

Laura rossman going away

Laura rossman going away
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Party

Nothing to say today except you should check out Kumies blog for some good stuff from our resident artist\developer, Mark Jenkins. http://icegrl.blogspot.com/

Good stuff...

This is the Sofitel in Chicago from the sidewalk waiting for my car yesterday morning. It's a pretty cool hotel with real unique shape. Looking up at it with the clouds rolling by quickly made it look as if it was falling over. Very windy in the windy city yesterday morning.