Happy Easter

Happy Easter
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The bunny found the boys down here in Charlottesville.

You're in the Army Now

You're in the Army Now a video by homerclees on Flickr.

Appomattox Court House

Appomattox Court House
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The boys are now in the Army of the Potomac. We are doing our Easter history march today and tomorrow. Appomattox today, Monticello tomorrow.

Back Splash

Back Splash
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The final phase of the project is under way. The back splash is around a bunch of the kitchen but not yet mortared. It looks good.

Wineo

Wineo
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

So the wine fridge showed up today and I finally found a prep sink faucet that works for the space. The fridge fits 46 bottles of happiness.

The glass back splash install has started and should be on this wall tomorrow.

Imagination Stage

Imagination Stage
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

We are back at Imagination Stage for the production of When John Henry Came to School. Perseus Bayou was really good a month ago so hopefully this will be entertaining as well. The boys are going to buy us Linner at Rustico after the show with a gift certificate Grandma Carolyn sent them a couple weeks ago.

2001 Posts and Going Strong

It's been over 6 years and now over 2000 posts but the homerclees blog is still going strong. This isn't my picture but just seems to fit the occasion. I guess I'm surprised as this little critter that I'm still at it. I do hope that at least some of you enjoy this little sliver of the web. I suppose you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't find something entertaining on these pages. Now to start working on the next 2000 posts.

School Pictures

Dylan in the spring of 2011. Learning how to smile naturally at 8 years old.

School Pictures

Sam in the Spring of 2011. An 8 year old little man.

Game Ball

Game Ball
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Dylan showing off the game ball after stopping three shots to second and connecting with first for a third out of the inning with bases loaded. It was quite exciting.

Tough Win

Tough Win
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Sam had two doubles, a single and a k in a tough 9-6 win over the Red Sox. Dylan struggled at the plate with just a single but made some impressive defensive plays at second to stop a comeback rally and seal the game. He got the game ball for it as well.

Fresh Floor

Fresh Floor
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The floor was sanded down yesterday and stained and sealed today. One more sealing coat tomorrow and we will be done with that phase. This looking in from the dining room. The new wine fridge and prep sink will go in to the left, where the laundry closet used to be. The work crew decided that the fridge should occupy the passway between the family room and kitchen to make it nearly possible to get in and out if that room. Not a great idea. Hopefully it will be back in place tomorrow in the new space that will fit the much larger fridge I ordered last week.

Counter tops, backsplash and painting should happen early next week Little by little, it's all getting done.

Croc Problems

Croc Problems
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

National Geographic has a huge crocodile in their courtyard. Hope it doesn't terrorize the entire neighborhood.

Big Win

The little Orioles built up a 9-0 lead going into the bottom of the 6th and watched as the A's hammered in 8 runs before they were stopped and the game ended. It was quite tense in that last inning. Sam had a K, single, double with 2 RBI's. Dylan had two K's but didn't give up and had what turned out to be the winning RBI with a single in top of the 6th. The little O's are 2-1 now on the season and starting to get their bats going. They still need some work on defense.

I'm exhausted and need sleep after that heart stopper.

Sent from my iPad

Getting There

Getting There
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

So we have most of the cabinets in and some if the appliances back but we still have a bunch of stuff that needs to be done. I ordered the new, much bigger fridge and the 50 bottle wine fridge this weekend and Bernardo has promised to finish the cabinets, redo the floor and finish the new laundry room in the basement this week. The countertops should be in in a couple weeks and we may be back up and running by May.

Scoring Duty

Scoring Duty
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

It's a cold morning for baseball but I'm keeping warm by keeping score. I have to do the book and the scoreboard.

Opening Day

Opening Day
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

It's a cold and slightly wet opening day here at Nationals Park and the Nats are already down 2-0. Sitting in a sky suite with a bunch of other tech geeks makes it much warmer.

Dylan Art

Dylan Art
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

A Dylan creation. Interesting new type of plane.

Sam Art

Sam Art
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

A little something Sam created and is hanging at school. It's good to be home.

Grand Californian

Grand Californian
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

I've spent the last 6 days in Disneyland and haven't ridden a single ride. The hotel is beautiful, it mimics the great lodges built by the railroads up in yellowstone and glacier. I was arranging a car with the concierge this afternoon and someone came over and said the giant fireplace was broken. I was going to suggest they throw another log on, but remembered it's Disney, gas fireplace.

Another national meeting is almost over and I'm on a 6am flight out of LAX tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing the family and what I'm hoping is great progress on the new kitchen.

Meet the Orioles

Meet the Orioles
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The boys team this year is a local favorite. Opening ceremonies were yesterday and their first game is today. I'm going to miss the game but I'm sure I'll get a score to post later today.

Soho Snow

Soho Snow
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Woke up to a dusting of snow in New York. Got the Acela home and I'm at batting practice again.

Bar Reflections

Bar Reflections
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Listening to some cool Jazz at the Jazz Standard in NYC. It's still early.

Jazz Standard

Jazz Standard
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Great food and a little Jazz on East 27th street.

Batting Practice

Batting Practice
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

They had a birthday party from 1 to 3 at Shadowland, then batting practice from 4-5, now swimming from 6 to 7. Busy day shuttling kids around and doing some kitchen stuff shopping. We bought faucets, drawer pulls, dimmer switches and receptacles. The cabinets arrive on Tuesday and the big construction begins. We will probably be mostly kitchenless for 4 weeks. That should be fun.

Happy St. Patricks Day

Happy St. Patricks Day
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The boys gettin in the groove.

Mountain Retreat

We are back from the mountain retreat and smack dab in the middle of a busy week at work. Tomorrow is St. Patricks Day so that will give some relief but then all sorts of work activity till the 1st of April. The kitchen re-modeling project has begun by finishing of the utility room in the basement so we can put the washer and dryer down there. Bernardo is basically tiling the back room in the basement that we didn't tile a few years ago when we re-did main basement rooms and is getting all the plumbing, gas and electric put in to house the washer and dryer that are currently on the first floor. The new laundry room will allow us to utilize the space where we currently have the washer and dryer and put in a giant refrigerator, a wine fridge, a prep sink, more counter space and of course cabinets. I wasn't so sure of this strategy since we have to walk down an extra flight of stairs to do laundry but I will have a 50 bottle wine fridge on the first floor, thus saving me from walking downstairs as often to get wine out of the basement wine fridges. It should all work out.

Anyway, happy St. Patrick's Day everyone and I've posted a bunch of pictures from the weekend on my flickr account. Enjoy.

Peter Pan

IMG_5146
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The boys did some bungee ballet yesterday afternoon at the Big Top up here. No flips but Sam did his impression of Peter Pan.

Snow Machine

IMG_5163
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

We went on a nice twilight snowmobile tour last night, the boys first. They liked it but it went up and down some big hills and I think they were a little nervous hanging on back. It was a nice end to the weekend up here in the mountains. We head home to work and school today.

Here Comes the Sun

Here Comes the Sun
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

We stayed off the slopes today and tried some tubing and swimming. We also have a snowmobile tour in about an hour, which should be fun. The snow stopped and the sun came out this morning and starting the spring thaw again. Lots of relaxing fun.

Winter Soak

IMG_5122
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Great day of skiing at Snowshoe with fantastic snow all day long. It just kept coming and coming out there. The boys had a good time learning to snowboard and spent a little time with them as they fell down the hill. I believe I heard one of them say that they think skiing may be easier and what they should do next time. Watching the snowboarding lesson, I think skiing is easier too.

We got off slopes at 4pm and hit the outdoor hot tub to soak that sore knee. It's about 25 degrees, snowing with a 10mph wind out there. It was a tough run to the condo when we got out. All is well now and we are warming up by the fire before we head out to dinner.

Snow Bunny

Snow Bunny
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

We rode with the boys on their first chairlift ride, they both fell getting off. They seem to be having a great time in school and learning the basics anyway. The runs on the Mountain are in great shape and the lift lines are short. Nicole and I are taking a little noon break then we will get back on the slopes for a few more runs.

Snow Ninjas

Snow Ninjas
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Getting ready for some serious snow thrashing.

Check out my HipstaPrint

Check out my HipstaPrint
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Kaimal Mark II
Flash: Off
Film: Kodot XGrizzled

Snowshoe

Snowshoe
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

It's snowing like mad up here. It rained most of the drive then turned to snow as we went up the mountain. It's supposed to snow tonight and most of tomorrow. That should be good for skiing.

Shake for Two

Shake for Two
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

In Moorefield WV. Snowshoe here we come.

Baseball Begins

Baseball Begins
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

It gets cold when the sun goes down but the season has to begin. Three weeks till season opening and the boys are a little rough in the fielding department.

Sweet Messages

Sweet Messages
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Desert at Eve includes a little message for us. Nice touch.

End of Season Party

End of Season Party
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Big team party last night to celebrate a great season for the little Blue Devils. We came a basket short of the championship but nobody has the talent these kids had. They just needed a basket worth of luck. On to baseball.

Ten Years



It's been ten years since this photo was taken and I still pretty much recognize the people in this photo. I actually wore that suit until about a year ago when it pretty much fell apart. It's been a fun trip and we added a couple little miracle children to the mix a little more than 8 years ago that has made it even more fun. Here's to ten more.

Rough Day

Rough Day
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The little Blue Devils fought hard today but came up short in a double overtime game against the Cavs. Sam went down in the second overtime with a rolled ankle and was not able to return to the game. A pretty disappointing outcome for the strongest team in the league. Losing the league MVP was a tough blow but the the little blue devils worked together and just lost by a basket. Dylan and Sam played great all year and will be back to do it again next winter. Go Blue Devils!

Semi's

Semi's
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

A 20-5 win over the Tigers and a 26-13 win over the Hokies earlier in the day have put the little Blue Devils in the semi-finals with the 2-0 Cavs. Tip off at 1:30 tomorrow. We split the regular season with the Cavs and they were the only team to beat us. This time it's personal. ;-)

Score Keeping

Score Keeping
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

These tense games are easier when I keep score.

Kitchen Office

Kitchen Office
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Sam was home sick today and Nicole is in Nashville si the kitchen table was my office for a bunch of the day. Here I am using the Go To Meeting app on the iPad and listening to the conference via blackberry and Bluetooth while I do employee reviews on my mac. Multitasking at it's grandest.

Sam is feeling better and will be going to school tomorrow.

Co Pay

So, Sam is sick today and Nicole is out of town so I've taken him to the doctors office. Not my favorite thing to do but does remind me how ridiculous these places can be. In fact, before we left I got a call from one of my doctors about a past due amount of co pay of $5. Yes, it cost more to call me and ask about it than just letting me know the next time I came in. Not to mention the 2 minutes of my life I will never get back.

Sam's doctor also wanted $5 from a previous visit when we got here. Now, we have had the same insurance and co pay amounts for at least two years now. It says it right on the card I hand them. Why can they not seem to do the simple thing and charge us consistently. In fact, sams file says the co pay is $20 while it has clearly been $25 for years. Yet she looked at me as if I was a criminal for their lack of ability to do basic book keeping. I crossed out the $20 and wrote $25. She looked annoyed. Will health reform fix this?

Btw, sam has pink eye.

74 degrees to Snow

It looks like a little winter storm is heading this way for tonight and tomorrow morning. Not a ton of snow but some sleet, ice and snow that will no doubt put the kibosh on tomorrow's school day. It was a very nice 4 day weekend and I'm ready to go back to work but a canceled school day will mean me staying home and watching the kids one more day. The wood guys delivered another truckload of timber so we can handle some more cold weeks ahead. Not that the big storm is out to the question but I would say our winter is coming to an end. I was some tulips starting to struggle out of the group today. Basketball season ends this weekend and baseball practice is only a few weeks away. Spring is coming fast.

#1 Seed

The little Blue Devils finished off the regular season with a 23-20 victory over the Eagles. It was a nice come back from last weeks mistake laden loss and secured a league best 8-1 record and a #1 seed in next weeks double elimination tournament. The easy baskets starting falling again in the second half and Sam was lighting it up under the basket. He was also 5 for 6 in foul shooting. That's important because the other team starts hacking him when they realize he's getting every rebound and going back up. He had 15 total points and seemed to be settling down a bit and getting in a groove.

Dylan was playing mad defense again and had 4 points. He definitely had the most exciting basket when he drove the lane, spun around a defender and pulled up for a 10 foot jumper. Impressive stuff. Saturday nights are always so much better when they bring home a victory. Next weekend will be full of stress with what could turn out to be 2 or as many as 5 games in two days.

Sent from my iPad

70 Degree Day

70 Degree Day
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Got an early round in today and played pretty well. 3 birds and a 91 overall. It was good to get outside a little. In sure the cold is coming back soon.

Dog Face

Dog Face
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

It was dress like an animal day in Sam's class so he went as a dog. He wouldn't bark for me.

Happy Valentines

Happy Valentines
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

We went out to dinner at Rustico last night and the boys brought money to help me pay. I let them think they actually did puck up the bill.

Imagination Stage

Imagination Stage
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Dylan and Sam imagining that they are slaying each other at Imagination Stage in Bethesda. We are here to see Perseus Bayou thanks to Linda and Gil's holiday gift of season tickets to the theater. It's a nice new theater and occupies a spot that used to be a bar I once frequented when I lived in Bethesda. Seems like a long time ago.

A Wake-up Call

The boys played hard yesterday but were not able to pull out a victory. This was the same team they beat at the beginning of the season by a dozen points but the blue devils couldn't get the ball to drop most of the game. Sam had 8 and Dylan had 2 but the other team was making everything. In all honesty, they needed this loss to remind them to play hard as we head to the playoffs. The team has already locked up the regular season but have another regular season game next week, then will need to win three for the championship.

Picked up a new Acura MDX yesterday. The boys were getting too big for the Infiniti's back seat. We still have the minivan but with boys going in all directions we need two vehicles with growing boy legroom and space for all the crap that they need to carry around with them.

Off to the Imagination Stage in Bethesda today to see Perseus Bayou. Should be fun.

Chinese New Year 2011

Chinese New Year

IMG_2014
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Dylan and Sam had participated in the school New Year celebration today and had some fancy outfits to wear. Dylan looked good to and I will post a video of one of the songs so you can see him as well. I'm glad this week is over. It was good but it wore me out a little. Going to go out and pick up a new vehicle tomorrow which will be fun and of course, a basketball game tomorrow night at 6:15. Can they keep the unbeaten streak going or will we come back down to earth and would it be a good thing so lose one before the tournament starts so they won't be so cocky going into it? I don't know, but we beat this team before and I like to see them win. Lessons in losing as well. Hmmm, I guess I'm not playing or coaching so it's out of my hands anyway.

Dance Showcase 2011

Dancin Fools

I seem to have cut off the heads on some of this video but it gives you basic idea of what's going on. This spring they are doing a singing showcase. That should be interesting.

Car Negotiations

Time to get a new car again so I took Sam with me to the Acura dealer yesterday. Surprisingly, one of the only dealers open on Sunday's. On the ride over I explained to Sam how I wanted him to help me negotiate a good price for the vehicle. We had gone to the auto show last week and sat in a bunch of different cars so Sam was well aware of the different vehicles we were considering. I asked Sam to wait a little while into the conversation with the sales guys to bring up the fact that he really likes the Volvo XC60. I explained to him the pressure that comment would put on the sales guy to give us a good deal and Sam agreed.

So we got to the dealership and found a sales guy that I had purchased two Acura's from before and really like. We went outside and jumped into a MDX and took it for a quick spin. About midway through the ride, Sam piped up from the backseat and says, "You know, this is a nice car but I really like that Volvo" Al, kind of looked at me and I kind of shrugged my shoulders and said, "well Volvo is nice and your Mom likes the Volvo too, but we need to agree on a car" Sam comes back with, "yeah, but the Volvo is pretty sweet"

Al and I talked about the Volvo compared to the MDX and then he went back to take a look at the numbers. The numbers he came back with were really competitive, more so than my research indicated. We talked some more and I explained that I was close to making a decision and we walked outside again where Sam says, "that Volvo is sweet, we should get that" Al looked at me again and asked what a couple questions, then said, you know I could probably take another thousand off the MDX.

Now to be fair, I did price out a Volvo and I did like it but I tend to the like the MDX more. We also had a couple of other vehicles in mind. That said, Sam played his role perfectly. I'm going to do this every time I get a new car. Nothing like the kid putting pressure on Dad to get something different that what the dealer is selling . I'm also willing to rent the boys out to anyone who wants help negotiating new car deals.

Rockin 7-0

Busy day today with the big dance showcase at 11am and then at late basketball game against the Wolfpack. The dance showcase was fun and guess what, all 17 squads got a trophy. They were all winners and some of them were pretty entertaining. The theme was dance through the last 100 years. 20's, 50's, 70's etc.. The boys squad did the 90's with the Back Street Boys Bye, Bye, Bye..

I was happy when it was over but the boys had a great time. Now the basketball game was tense. The Wolfpack was 4-2 and the only team in the league we had not beaten. They played smothering defense and had a great outside shooter. The little Blue Devils were definitely more alive this week and played great defense but the baskets were not falling. Lots of good shots from Dylan, Sam, Sam K., Sophia and Dalton but they were just not going down. Sam ended up with 11, Dylan, Sophia and Dalton had 2 a piece. This will be a tough team to beat if we see them in the playoffs. Fortunately, my coaching days are over for a while. Jasper and I filled in for coach Lance the last couple weeks but he is back next week and truth be told, he is a much better coach than I am. Jasper is good but Lance is a pretty intense guy and kids listen to him more than Jasper and I.

I've always been a competitive guy, I can't seem to help myself but I was happy I was able to keep it under control. It's a kids game and I've seen some parents completely lose their cool. My heart pounds, I sweat and yell a little but I didn't get negative and that's what I have to keep teaching the boys. They are competitive like me but so far, are not mean about it and that's the key. They are good little atheletes and this heavy dose of winning is fun but it won't last forever, they will lose again at something and being prepared for that is important too.

Bye, bye, bye