Heading out ... nearly.
Stone and I will depart in the morning on the way to Texas. We have a long first day planned attempting a ten-ish hour trip to WV. As long as the roads are not too busy and the weather is wet as opposed to ice, it should not be an issue. The schedule as it stands is three to four days to Vernon Texas for a family event, then the trip down to Central Texas for the holiday festivities.
While there is not much more to update (as there are still boxes that need to be dealt with in the house) I will provide a link to a few photos of Stone. The first few represent him exploring a wet back yard and flinging mud about his general person. The next few are from a get together across the street where Santa made an appearance - and as we saw last year - he was less than impressed.
I'll try to get some updates during the holidays to the site; however, should I not, please enjoy your festivities with all of the peace, love and mind numbing beverages that they require ;).
Link
Jeff
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
November 27, 2012
Another entry on another day of snow. While I do not think that we will get much accumulation, I am still new enough to the northern climate that I get a bit excited about the fluffy white stuff. I also realized that I am not writing as much (on this blog) as I did while in Japan - and perhaps that is because we are not getting a few feet of snow a day! Of course, there are the still seemingly endless boxes of stuff and projects around the house that keep me otherwise occupied when not chasing Stone around. While he is very adept at keeping himself entertained, if you are not paying attention he might just do things you might not want him to do. While the image below is not that great you can see some of the additional color he thought the floor needed.
We spent the Thanksgiving break at Ellen and Steve's place in Rhode Island. The weather was pleasant allowing quite a bit of outside time for each of us; which, please Stone to no end. As usual he adapted quickly to the new surroundings and acted as though the place was his once he knew where all the rooms where. We extended our stay an extra day after exploring a bit and picking up a few fresh off of the boat lobsters. It was my first time cooking the critters and with some help and guidance from those more experienced in getting to through the shells they were quite the tasty treat to contrast the traditional meal the day before. I must admit I did have to complete a wardrobe change halfway through the meal as I was slimed from nearly head to toe by a vengeful crustacean.
The trip to and from Rhode Island was fairly uneventful despite the usual clueless ignorant horribly stupid and impatient drivers that obviously paid for and own all of the roads they travel on. I really do not understand how there are so many people up here based on how poorly they drive. OK, rant over for now ...
I was able to explore a mountain bike trail system in one of the neighboring towns and it was quite a fun network of singletrack trails in a wildlife conservation area. It is hunting season and there were a few folks out with various weapons - fortunately I was not mistaken for anything worth putting lead into. This tract of land has been recently approved for additional trails, so I look forward to finding out more details so add labor to increasing the network of riding options in that location. In speaking with a few others after the ride (as they were about to begin) there are evidently trails a couple of miles from the house in another town. So, I now have another set of trails to go find and explore and these will most likely be the trails that I can most easily access directly from the house. Everything else will seemingly require a vehicle to get to.
Till the next entry, enjoy.
We spent the Thanksgiving break at Ellen and Steve's place in Rhode Island. The weather was pleasant allowing quite a bit of outside time for each of us; which, please Stone to no end. As usual he adapted quickly to the new surroundings and acted as though the place was his once he knew where all the rooms where. We extended our stay an extra day after exploring a bit and picking up a few fresh off of the boat lobsters. It was my first time cooking the critters and with some help and guidance from those more experienced in getting to through the shells they were quite the tasty treat to contrast the traditional meal the day before. I must admit I did have to complete a wardrobe change halfway through the meal as I was slimed from nearly head to toe by a vengeful crustacean.
The trip to and from Rhode Island was fairly uneventful despite the usual clueless ignorant horribly stupid and impatient drivers that obviously paid for and own all of the roads they travel on. I really do not understand how there are so many people up here based on how poorly they drive. OK, rant over for now ...
I was able to explore a mountain bike trail system in one of the neighboring towns and it was quite a fun network of singletrack trails in a wildlife conservation area. It is hunting season and there were a few folks out with various weapons - fortunately I was not mistaken for anything worth putting lead into. This tract of land has been recently approved for additional trails, so I look forward to finding out more details so add labor to increasing the network of riding options in that location. In speaking with a few others after the ride (as they were about to begin) there are evidently trails a couple of miles from the house in another town. So, I now have another set of trails to go find and explore and these will most likely be the trails that I can most easily access directly from the house. Everything else will seemingly require a vehicle to get to.
Till the next entry, enjoy.
Monday, November 12, 2012
November 12, 2012
Stone is trying to take me out ... we have always played the age old game of punch daddy in the face ... one of the best games ever. Today he took it to a different level.
We were in one of our usual giggle, tickle, wrestling sessions and per the normal routine I started getting a palm to the face which sends me great distances from Stone which brings him great pleasure. On one return trip he grabbed a wooden maraca. I let him know that we don't hit people with those (I could see the look in his eyes and the smirk on his face what he was planning). Sure enough once I was within striking distance, boom! Maraca to the top of the head. Now, he is not that strong yet, and it did not hurt too bad; however, he did manage to hit the same spot that I keep smashing my skull into on the range hood in the new house (which is another long story that I wont go into).
I grabbed my head and rolled over in pain (as it did hurt as that spot was bleeding a few nights ago). He got a very sullen look on his face and I said we DO NOT hit people with those. After a few seconds of being very unsure about what was going on he gave me a hug and patted me on the shoulder to let me know that it was ok.
He does care.
We were in one of our usual giggle, tickle, wrestling sessions and per the normal routine I started getting a palm to the face which sends me great distances from Stone which brings him great pleasure. On one return trip he grabbed a wooden maraca. I let him know that we don't hit people with those (I could see the look in his eyes and the smirk on his face what he was planning). Sure enough once I was within striking distance, boom! Maraca to the top of the head. Now, he is not that strong yet, and it did not hurt too bad; however, he did manage to hit the same spot that I keep smashing my skull into on the range hood in the new house (which is another long story that I wont go into).
I grabbed my head and rolled over in pain (as it did hurt as that spot was bleeding a few nights ago). He got a very sullen look on his face and I said we DO NOT hit people with those. After a few seconds of being very unsure about what was going on he gave me a hug and patted me on the shoulder to let me know that it was ok.
He does care.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
November 8, 2012
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ...
A new home, a new state and as we get settled in - the winter weather has arrived. Our only question is did we drag the weather from Japan's previous winter to the Northeast? Time will tell. As for the storm to begin the season: about 2" of accumulation overnight, and now a steady rain creating a nice slurry on unplowed surfaces. There are a large number of trucks with plows on the front - both public and private - so I do not think that will ever be a real issue here. Again, time will tell.
We closed on the house last week and have been steadily making progress in getting things operational, yet far from organized. With help (thanks Ellen and Steve) we have the kitchen, laundry, Stone's room and the master suite "up and running". As we are here for a good while, we are taking a bit longer to decide on what stays and what goes ... as the blending of the Texas and Japanese stuff has been interesting.
Stone has really taken to this house. Each time he has been in the house (the first being when it was simply framed and sided) he has run around in each space as if he had been there for years. Normally he is a bit apprehensive when entering a new space (especially if there are new people) yet, no matter who would come in and out of a room here, he simply smiled and engaged them. Joan and I were semi concerned for moving day as there were ~8 movers, us and lots of boxes. Stone found some toys he had not seen in a few months (from Japan) and played quietly in the room the duration of the unloading process.
About the only thing he asks for help with is going down the stairs as they are a little slippery with socks on ... and the house has rather open acoustics so his voice carries very nicely!
I'll continue to snap a few photos and publish them throughout the process. Thanks for reading and enjoy your day,
Jeff
A new home, a new state and as we get settled in - the winter weather has arrived. Our only question is did we drag the weather from Japan's previous winter to the Northeast? Time will tell. As for the storm to begin the season: about 2" of accumulation overnight, and now a steady rain creating a nice slurry on unplowed surfaces. There are a large number of trucks with plows on the front - both public and private - so I do not think that will ever be a real issue here. Again, time will tell.
We closed on the house last week and have been steadily making progress in getting things operational, yet far from organized. With help (thanks Ellen and Steve) we have the kitchen, laundry, Stone's room and the master suite "up and running". As we are here for a good while, we are taking a bit longer to decide on what stays and what goes ... as the blending of the Texas and Japanese stuff has been interesting.
Stone has really taken to this house. Each time he has been in the house (the first being when it was simply framed and sided) he has run around in each space as if he had been there for years. Normally he is a bit apprehensive when entering a new space (especially if there are new people) yet, no matter who would come in and out of a room here, he simply smiled and engaged them. Joan and I were semi concerned for moving day as there were ~8 movers, us and lots of boxes. Stone found some toys he had not seen in a few months (from Japan) and played quietly in the room the duration of the unloading process.
About the only thing he asks for help with is going down the stairs as they are a little slippery with socks on ... and the house has rather open acoustics so his voice carries very nicely!
I'll continue to snap a few photos and publish them throughout the process. Thanks for reading and enjoy your day,
Jeff
Friday, October 12, 2012
Almost up and running
Hello to all,
As we are starting the next chapter of our experience, I decided that a new blog would be in order. I am still working out the kinks, so you might see a few changes to formatting over the coming weeks, soon enough it will be fully operational.
So where are we? As the title alludes to, we are located a few miles east of Derry, New Hampshire. A few fun facts: at just over 30k people, Derry is the fourth largest city in NH / it is known as the agricultural center for NH (read: they like to grow food and cows here and I can ride to a few local farms that sell their plant and animal parts to the public) / one fellow working on the house said welcome to "cowhampshire" / the first potato in the US was planted here / Derry includes two of the oldest continually operated private academies in the nation. While there are lots of people here (it is the North East - there are people everywhere) once you get out of the "city" you know you are in the tree covered hills of the area. Everyone we have met (with only a few exceptions) has been welcoming and seemingly glad to have new "southern" neighbors. Once the folks across the street from us found out that I cook and we are from Texas she exclaimed, "are you f*$%ing kidding me, real Texas BBQ across the street!" - they being from upstate NY and having travelled to Texas, were a bit excited.
We are in the final stages of seeing our home finished and should close and move in within the next few weeks. As with all things real estate related, there have been a few interesting "bumps" in the road, yet for all of the anxiety and stress we can see it coming together and look forward to planting for a bit. Thus any overseas travel will simply be short term adventure not permanent relocation ... unless of course we do move globally again!
As we are starting the next chapter of our experience, I decided that a new blog would be in order. I am still working out the kinks, so you might see a few changes to formatting over the coming weeks, soon enough it will be fully operational.
So where are we? As the title alludes to, we are located a few miles east of Derry, New Hampshire. A few fun facts: at just over 30k people, Derry is the fourth largest city in NH / it is known as the agricultural center for NH (read: they like to grow food and cows here and I can ride to a few local farms that sell their plant and animal parts to the public) / one fellow working on the house said welcome to "cowhampshire" / the first potato in the US was planted here / Derry includes two of the oldest continually operated private academies in the nation. While there are lots of people here (it is the North East - there are people everywhere) once you get out of the "city" you know you are in the tree covered hills of the area. Everyone we have met (with only a few exceptions) has been welcoming and seemingly glad to have new "southern" neighbors. Once the folks across the street from us found out that I cook and we are from Texas she exclaimed, "are you f*$%ing kidding me, real Texas BBQ across the street!" - they being from upstate NY and having travelled to Texas, were a bit excited.
We are in the final stages of seeing our home finished and should close and move in within the next few weeks. As with all things real estate related, there have been a few interesting "bumps" in the road, yet for all of the anxiety and stress we can see it coming together and look forward to planting for a bit. Thus any overseas travel will simply be short term adventure not permanent relocation ... unless of course we do move globally again!
Stone is a growing wonder device. He is off of the charts in two of the three standard metrics used on kids his age and as usual he is a hit wherever we go. We are currently staying in a friend's condo waiting on the house to be finished and there are lots of groups of kids around. So as I was following Stone as he was exploring the area we came upon a group of older boys (5-8 in age). I said hello and waved and a mom was there making sure things stayed under control. Turns out they are Russian (or at least that is the first language). So Stone tried to play with the boys, and they were nice and patient, but he is not quite old enough yet to know what to do when they throw a full size soccer ball at him - he just stood there and giggled and let the ball bounce off of him. They were not amused and ran off to go do other big boy stuff like wrestling ... I don't know that Stone would have picked up too much Russian in that short play time ... but you never know ;).
I am sure there are other updates, and we will get the posted soon. I simply wanted to send out the link so that we can continue the story.
Jeff
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)