This is me in my office wearing my new shirt from Elaine. Kumie took this shot after I had to explain to her how to take a picture. Not bad really. I really like the shirt and got a bunch of compliments on it today. This is the week Nicole and I would have been in New Orleans for the AARP Member Event. We just got done watching "Street Car Named Desire" in honor of the fine city. So we have a weekend with nothing really planned instead. I think we'll enjoy the fall weather and do a lot of nothing. More soon... 

Here are some shots from the baseball game on Sunday. They are wearing their Mickey Mouse hats here but uncle Brandt bought them Nationals hats later in the game. I really think they were watching this game while last year when we saw the O's and Twins, they were mostly not paying attention. Baseball is fine, as long as it doesn't distract them from football.

More soon...

Here are a few shots from a great weekend with the Carpentandys. We got a lot in in a short amount of time but still missed a some monuments and museums they will have to visit during the next trip. Nicole and I are back to work and the boys have sinus infections. This is the week we were suppose to be in New Orleans for the AARP Member Event. You would think we would have big blocks of time open on our calendars but we don't. The days seem to have been filled up with new meetings and appointments.

We took the boys to a Nationals game on Sunday and they made a whole 7 and a half innings. Sam told me that he wanted to see another baseball game someday. He and Dylan liked the fireworks that blew off behind the stadium at the beginning of the game and at the 7th inning stretch. I also explained that if the ball went over the outfield fence, the fireworks would go off again. He really wanted to see that home run and kept telling the batter to hit it there. I have a few pictures of the boys at the game I will try to post tomorrow.

More soon.....

Yesterday we went to Ft. Hunt Park and had a little picnic. The boys ran and ran until they couldn't run anymore. It was an overcast day with some drizzle so we all napped a little in the afternoon and then went out again to a playground and for pizza. The grown-ups watched the new smash hit on MTV, Sweet Sixteen. Yes, its all about really rich 16 year olds getting $200,000 sweet sixteen parties. It's messed up. Baseball game today. 

We had a successful trip to the Air and Space Museum Annex up near Dulles. The boys loved all the airplanes and the space to run. I took a lot of shots and will post some later.. I think they are all taking naps now. Much needed rest..  

This is old Bill posing next to his space on the wall at the Palm Restaurant in Boston yesterday. Bill, runs the E-business Executive Council I have participated in for the last few years. I went up to Boston on Wednesday night for the council dinner and met with the crew on Thursday. Got home last night right when Rachel, Brandt and the kids showed up. We are heading out to the Dulles Air and Space Museum. Big planes for little boys. Should wear the triplets our a tad...

My favorite new site is del.icio.us It is a social bookmark manager site that allows you to tag your sites with keywords and share bookmarks between my multiple machines and with others. Try it out, it's good stuff.

Sam, Dylan and I watched some home movies from the past couple years that I have stored in my media center pc. I switched around a bunch but we saw some of the Chinese New Year parade we went to in February, some film of my mom and the boys in the baby pool last month, some of their second birthday and some film from the nicu when they were born. It's really easy to view this stuff with the media center and a big digital tv attached. It's just a few clicks of the remote and you can watch hours of home video. Sam really seemed to like it and had a big smile on his face the whole time. I wonder if seeing these film early and often will effect their childhood memories in adulthood. Like will they actually remember the parade they saw when they were two if they see it a couple dozen times in the next few years. I don't know but with as much still photography and video I'm taking of these boys, they should have a rich bunch of data about themselves.

Rachel, Brandt and the kids are coming this weekend so I should have some good pictures this weekend.

I need some cool shades from the boys here to protect myself from the corporate world discovering the power of web 2.0. Wish me luck.....

Flying

Flying
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Dylan

Flying

Flying
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Sam

Wow, it's been a few days since I posted so I'm giving you the boys in sunglasses fun shot. It's been a long week and we are looking forward to seeing Rachel, Brandt, Finn and Mae next week and will be getting things ready for the visit this weekend. Not like we have a lot to do but we have a few chores to do to prepare for guests. The boys and I listened to the Black Eyed Peas as we modeled the latest in eyewear this evening. The first song on that album rules and Sam is a big fan but Dylan still seems to prefer Green Day. Rock on...... 

This is the ceiling of the Aztec Room where we had our meetings the last couple days at the Arizona Biltmore. I'm home now and happy to have received a couple new gifts for my birthday. A Taylor Made hybrid golf club from my parents and a couple of bottles of nice wine from Brandt and Rachel. Looking forward to hitting the wine and opening the club. You know what I mean. I now have the same cold that Nicole, Dylan then Sam got. This should be fun.  

Had a wonderful time at the AARP National Advertising Sales Confernece at the Biltmore in Arizona. These people know how to have a good time. The hotel is fantastic and designed by Frank lloyd Wright. I have a ton of photos that I'll post later this week if I get a chance but right now, I'm looking forward to getting back to the boys. More soon.......... 

Pool break

Pool break
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Arizona biltmore

Dylan really enjoyed the cup cakes yesterday. My birthday weekend was a bunch of fun. Had drinks with a bunch of my staff on Thursday night and had dinner with the Euro guys later. Played golf on Friday morning and hit an 82 which was good enough to beat Terry for hte first time this year. Had dinner with Kumie, Joseph, Micheal, Pattay and Steve at Vermillion. I also opened a bunch of cool gifts, including: wine glasses from Linda and Gil, a great shirt and pullover from Aunt Elaine, some candy from the boys and Blanca, a PC programmable universal remote from Kumie, a fantastic brief case and overcoat from Nicole and I know I have a few more gifts on the way. Good times... thanks to everyone. I just loaded 55 pictures to www.durpenters.org from Labor Day in Minnesota. Enjoy.

We had dinner last night at Vermillion, a funky Alexandria eating and drinking establishment. Kumie, Joe, Micheal, Pattay and Modean met us there. Good times but I was ready to sleep after a late night  

First Day of School



They were so excited we couldn't get them to sit still for a real portrait but I got the top one of them walking into class. I chopped off the tops of their heads but this is the best shot I could get. Nicole has already picked them up and they did fine. I'm sure in high school they will be whining about having to get up early and go to school like I did, so we should be happy they are so excited right now. Next week they will start going for the full 3-4 hours.

I'm going out tonight for a pre-birthday drink or two. Golf tomorrow and dinner with a few folks in Alexandria after that. I'm getting old and my joints hurt.

More soon.

The boys waiting for a train in Wayzata Minnesota. The track runs along Wayzata Bay of Lake Minnetonka, home of many teen age boating stories. In fact, this is where I kept my boat when I owned one in my early twenties. Good times...  

We are on our way home and going back to work tomorrow. We had lots of fun in Minnesota with grandparents and all. The top shots are on the car ride at the Mall of America and the bottom ones are on the old street trolley on Lake Harriet. More soon...

Saturday we went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and walked around the grounds. It was pretty rainy most of the day and 6 inches last night with thunder and lighting for 5 straight hours. We went to the Mall of America today and rode rides at camp snoopy then went on old trolly car ride at Lake Harriet. I have pictures of these events I'll post tomorrow. Heading to dinner right now, gotta run.

These are the first of many photos I'll put up on Durpenters.org when I get home. Lots of good pics of Dylan, Finn and Sam having a good time at the fair.

Park

Park
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Big red car

Minnesota get together

I took close to 150 pictures today and if I get time later I'll put a few up on the blog and in flickr. We did tons of fun stuff today including eating cheese on a stick, sitting on big farm machinery, going to the little farm, riding airplanes and race cars on the kiddie midway and taking a plunge down the giant slide.

We also stopped by the AARP event in front of the grandstand to listen to some oldies and talk to some AARP Minnesota colleages. Good times.

I've also decided that all people selling tickets to Merry Go Rounds hate life. We had this woman today that looked completely stoned which reminded me of the person in central park who had a hard time pulling herself away from a cell phone to complain about me using a 20 dollar bill to pay 12 bucks in carosel fees.

They are suppose to be happy rides.

Mark Carpenter
General Manager
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
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State fair

Minnesota's great get together. I should have some good pictures later today. The flight to Minnesota yesterday was pretty smooth and the boys are loving grandma's and grandpa's toy filled basement. More soon.

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