happy anniversary

as i alluded to the other day tabitha got a new show-pan for our anniversary. he is named fredrick as in Fredrick Chopin.

our actual anniversary date is the first day of spring. i am not really good at waiting. we gave it to her today.

the kids were so excited.

so was tabitha..








kassi is too enthralled in her multi-media art work to get too involved.

yes those are strawberry tops glued to paper.

i know it seems ridiculous that i should buy such a pricey pan while unemployed. we had one of those forty dollar versions and tabitha was very happy with it. in-fact she cherished it and treated it like fragile crystal. never was metal utensil used nor any abrasive cleansers. it lasted barely a year and the cheapo enamel coating thinned and started to expose the cast iron. this thing was made in china and once the cast was exposed we quit using it. we couldn't be sure that the cast iron didn't have lead in it. it was a sad day because it was integral to her daily routine.

i have never been one to buy knock off versions of tools. it always pays to buy a better quality of tool. this pan is a tool and i regret ever wasting my money on that old lodge version. you cannot afford that pan. it won't last. it likely contains lead under that enamel. if you use it often at all, you'll need to replace it in less than two years. don't buy the lodge!

my grandmother had an old le cruset pan that my sister inherited. it has to be over forty years old. the surface is still like new. i know that fredrick will last tabitha at least that long. in doing the math one lodge pan every year at $50 per year that means it will have paid for itself in six years. fredrick show-pan is also much larger and suits our family size better. a smaller comparable version le cruset would payoff much sooner.

mostly it is simply much more pleasurable to use something of this caliber. the smaller old lodge pan is significantly heavier than fredrick. not full of course but it is easy to see the quality difference once you touch it. mostly i want my wife to get as much enjoyment while cooking as she can. i know that it is easier to take pride in my work when i have good tools.

i love you tabitha and i would marry you again and again every year. happy anniversary.

christmas photos

making cookies


colored pencil holders, and pajamas by tabitha. i made the castle facade. the kids were up past two am. a reasonable person might think that they would sleep past the crack of dawn--but NO.


fairy princess outfit from my parents.


blurry dance.


tolys new cape by tabitha. yes it is magical and will make the wearer take flight.



the chin scruff is from a pre-cape landing.


kassi is dragging rome into the photo wearing his new pajamas. while kassi is sporting her new dress that tabitha also made.


redecorating the boxes was an attempt at extending the gift opening era.


father and son glued to the new zelda game.


rome really likes his plane.


it snowed indoors too..


sweet satisfaction.

waxing nostalgic

first let me say everything is going to be fine around here. i was in a bit of a panic.

the washer was in warranty they gave me a new brain for it--too bad i couldn't get one for me too. i just installed it. the replacement was different from the original but a phone call later and we figured it out.

my best friend called the other day and cheered me up. he sent me some pictures
of one of our excursions to mexico

papas and beer 1994

i still own those shorts btw.


several margaritas were consumed.


notice my groovy surfer necklace. those locals were acting too cocky on that volleyball court for matts taste.


here we are suiting up.


poised for battle


yes, i scored that point.


yes we kicked their butts--notice the anguished local leaning on the net.
victory, dislodging the local talent.


cleaning and cooling off.

birth stories

tabitha finished the birth story. she also created a blog that contains all four kids birth stories. it is a nice way to compartmentalize since she quit blogging.

damn damn dam

it is going to freeze pretty hard over the next three nights. we covered the beets.


we covered the cabbages and broccoli.


we covered the trees.

this might not work? i plan to light a candle in a bucket under the peach tree on the third night if it survives the first two. that night is supposed to be still--worst threat yet.


this is the thrift store where we got the sheets $1 each. toly said he needs a driving thingie like this. tristan always heads straight for the most gun like toy. what gives?


we are having a huge flood in the area right now.

this is what the local dam usually looks like. there is a huge one up stream and another huge one down stream from us.


here it was today. where those people took that photo from is under water.


this road drives right into the water--but not normally.


this is shadowrock park. they usually hold the forsyth fair here. all of the building are under water except the really tall arena--huge tractors usually fit under that roof.


the bridge to bobs is way above it's old high water line on the piers. more water to come.


another building peak on the high-ground side of the park.

this is one of those floods that they'll talk about for years to come.

matt should be here today

my best friend, matt, should be here this evening.


here he is in flagstaff, az on his way from santa barbara.

he is uncle matt to the kids. tristan remembers him but kassi was too young when we left california. it'll be fun to show him around the farmstead. we met as roommates when were attending school in santa barbara. we lived in isla vista, the city adjacent to U.C.S.B. i used to borrow his skateboard to get on campus until i got my own. i remember falling asleep listening to the waves crashing and the pungent smell of eucalyptus from the tree in the front yard. i ran on the beach every day and got tar on my shoes from the leaking offshore oilfields. it was a glorious time, halloween at U.C.S.B. was like nothing imaginable.

looking back it seems like a different life. one of many to follow. i wish my children a rich life like i have enjoyed. my current incarnation being the best--isn't it always? a good friend once said that i am like a chameleon embracing the changes that life presents. it is hard not to be nostalgic when a friend of many years turns up for the first time in my latest adventure.