Porch

Porch
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Beautiful day

Of the season

Of the season
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

First round

Big shirts

Big shirts
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Monsters

Trolley Museum Video

I learned a lesson about uploading video footage to google. Don't compress to a Windows Media File format. The minute worth of video below is pretty low quality because I tried to compress it down a little more than the Alexandria Train video but it gives you an idea of what the trolley ride was like. The boys keep asking if they can go see the trolleys again but it's a long drive so I'm thinking no for a while.

They have both been wearing big boy underpants most of the day this week. Few accidents so far. Keeping our fingers crossed.

Spring in the air

It is starting to smell like spring out there. The dogwoods and cherry trees are coming out and the air is full of life. I realized this on a simple trip to the curb with the garbage and recycling for pick up tomorrow. Funny how if you just pay attention, you can get a completely different experience from what you expected performing a simple chore.

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

National Capital Trolley Museum

We had a busy morning today. Me and boys had a haircut with Patrick at 11am, but I thought it was 9:30 so we were a little early. We ended up finding a nice playground in Adams Morgan and got a little breakfast on 18th Street. We then headed up the National Capital Trolley Museum in Layhill Maryland. This museum is actually right next to the house Jud and I lived at together in for a few months in the early nineties. I never visited the museum back then, too busy going out to bars and stuff like that. The museum has a dozen trolleys in their collection and had a newer one donated by the Netherlands running on the track today. The boys loved it and their are some really cool shots of the two of them getting their tickets stamped by the motorman. Pure wonder in the whole process..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/homerclees/sets/72057594090566581/

Dylan's class picture. He's seems to be behaving.  

Sam's class picture, he's looking kind of tough. 

First Video Post

If I haven't annoyed you enough, I'm now going to start to add video to this blog. I've uploaded a couple videos to Google Video over the past few months and will now link to them in this blog so you to can enjoy these fine creations. The boys, particularily Dylan, love watching train video and Google Video has a ton of home movie quality train video available for free. Some people just love to watch and video tape trains and have uploaded them to Google. Since I have a computer attached to big plasma in the basement, we can watch these videos while hanging out on the beanbags.

A couple weeks ago we went down to Alexandria for a little trains watching and I filmed a couple Amtraks and a CSX. I edited the footage a little to keep the focus on the trains, not the boys and added titles. I uploaded it so that other mothers and fathers with trains obsessed children can watch the trains that we see, kind of paying into the train community in a way. Go to google video www.video.google.com and search trains and see all the options. You can also search Alexandria trains to get to a smaller return or search Chicago trains for see Dylans favorite video with Amtraks, Metras, subway and freight trains.
Enjoy

So I had a hard time getting them to hold the sign but you you get the picture. Happy Birthday Grandma Carolyn. The boys are looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks. 

Oxon Hill Farm

In case you are wondering, Dylan left, Sam right.

We went over to Oxon Hill Maryland again today. This time to the Oxon Hill Farm http://www.nps.gov/nace/oxhi/ where we saw a bunch of animals and ancient farm equipment. This was originally the home of Samuel Debutts and his family. They lived their about the same time Washington built Mt. Vernon. From 1890 to 1960 is was worked by and fed the nearby St. Elizabeths Hospital, now home to John Hinkley Jr. and many other slightly crazy people. The boys loved being outside on this crisp Sunday and had good naps after all the excitement. What I really love, is that this place is literally 5 miles from the house. Should be fun in hay ride and milking season.

I loaded a bunch of pictures up on flickr and I'm sending the link to the Park Ranger who said they needed some shots for the new web site they are building. Enjoy http://www.flickr.com/photos/homerclees/sets/72057594085817607/

So I made it home with Jay Jay the Jet Plane around 5:30 and found Nicole and boys cleaning up the yard. We had some big branches fall over the past few weeks and Wendy accross the street is doing all sorts of things to her yard so we can dump our branches there. It's good to be home.  

Up early again

On a plane bound for Dulles and looking forward to seeing Nicole and the boys. Don't tell them but I bought two Jay Jay Jet planes at the airport gift shop. I don't want them to think they get a present everytime I leave town but its hard to come home empty handed. I still remember a fire engine my dad brought me from some trip over seas. He use to travel to Germany and Japan a lot and to me, that fire engine was exotic. Possibly coming from a foriegn land or an airport gift shop. I don't remember how many times he brought me something after a trip but I remember that fire engine.

Maybe the boys will recall one of the presents in 40 years and look back at it as proof that papa loves them.

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

Going home

Going home
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Moon over sfo

I also got an extra added bonus for being in the bay area yesterday and today. It turned out that Adam was playing a private show in San Jose. I took a cab down after the reception at Stanford and caught the show with Gil. They were performing for the VON Conference at the Civic Auditorium in San Jose. VON is the Voice Over Network group run by Pulver Media. They obviously have too much money but the crowd of 2000 of so loved the show. The CEO of Pulver Media somehow conviced Adam to allow him to sing Mustang Sally as the last song. He wasn't that bad but it was a little annoying and I'm pretty sure the crowd was not all that impressed. I'm going to bed now... 

I had to stop in Denver on the way out west yesterday. I don't like stopping all that much but it did offer a better view of the Rocky's after takeoff. Usually, you see the mountains from 35,000 feet but after takeoff from Denver, you get a look at them at less than 20,000 feet for a while. Some spectacular views.  

Go bears

Go bears
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Happy st pats day

Media x

Media x
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Stanford

San jose

San jose
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Counting crows