A few weeks ago we went to the Rodenbaugh's for a cookout on Dipper's fancy new grill (a Father's Day present).
He was mighty proud of his grill but his daughter, Shayna, was even more proud of her brand spankin' new sandbox. She and Emma played and played... and then played some more. The light was just right and I took gobs of pictures - are you surprised?
Emma couldn't stop talking about the sandbox for days afterwards, so we ended up buying her one of her own. It's now the focal point of our patio and Emma never grows tired of playing in it. If only all toys could be this captivating!
I also slapped together a few more IR photos taken out behind the GameSpy on Skypark Circle. I was kind of bummed with the brownish sky that the Hoya R72 was producing when color balanced so I went crazy with Photoshop this time.
Lastly, today is the 35th anniversary of the moon landing. I heard a great story on NPR this morning about the near disaster during the first landing. The landing site was strewn with boulders and Armstrong took manual control of the Eagle to steer it to safer ground. They landed with approximately 16 seconds of fuel left. Listen to the full audio feed - it's good stuff.
@ 10:22 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (0)
I put up two new sets of pictures tonight, the last of those from our trip to Atlanta in June.
In the first set there are some cute shots of Emma swinging with Grandpa and Uncle Paul in this gallery, but the real fun starts in the shots of her second second birthday party.
Grandma and Grandpa Northcutt couldn't make it for the real party in May, so they held their own, with Baby Cakes from McEntyre's Bakery in Smyrna. As you can see, she quite enjoyed them!
The second set were from our last day in Atlanta. We paid a visit to the new downtown area called "The Village Green" in Smyrna, Georgia.
This area looks nothing like it did when I was a child. The mayor, Max Bacon, has done a superb job in turning a run-down city into an exciting and vibrant downtown area. Someone should give him an award. (Oh, wait... they already did.)
But enough about Smryna... the real story here is just how much Emma enjoyed playing in the fountain. I love the way that you can see her going from skeptical of the water to having absolutely no fear in the span of just a few images. Enjoy the show!
The last bit of this gallery shows Emma playing with Grandpa outside, searching for lightning bugs. (You Yankees may have called them fireflies.) She loved them! It's too bad that there are none in California. I weep a small tear for all the kids growing up here who can only read about them.
@ 10:17 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (0)
Our little family of three will be expanding soon.
You know what I'm getting at, right? Yep, I thought so.
Emma will soon be a big sister come January/February. (There's a little bit of disagreement on the due date... Estimates range between Jan 26 and Feb 6.)
We are excited and so is she!
Marla is 10 or 11 weeks along right now and feeling fine. We went in for a test this past week and came home with an awesome video of the sonogram. You can see The Baby squirming around and trying to get comfortable, mugging for the camera and, toward the end, growing irritated at the technicians pokes.
We teased Aunt Jessica earlier in the week with a cryptic message to check our website this weekend. We hope the wait was worth it, Jessica!
@ 5:03 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (5)
Marla's grandmother, Helen Schubert, passed away on the morning of July 04, 2004. The funeral was held today, Sunday, July 11, at the Beth Abraham Cemetery in E. Brunswick, NJ.
Grandma was one of the sweetest ladies I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. She was quick with a smile and a laugh and a delight to be around.
Emma was lucky enough to be able to meet two of her great grandparents before they passed away. She likely won't remember meeting Grandma or her first visit with Papa, but we've got a few photos to share when she can understand her good fortune.
@ 11:42 AM by TNorthcutt | Comments (2)
Is a first doughnut a momentus occassion, like a first step or first word?
I'm not entirely sure, but the pictures are sure as cute as can be! Grandpa Northcutt had the great idea for a chocolate-covered doughnut on a lazy, uh, Tuesday morning and Emma certainly wasn't going to disagree! She attacked the doughnut with gusto and downed it with a frosty glass of chocolate milk.
We ended the day with some yummy chicken from my brother Paul Northcutt's grill at their new mansion in Bufford, GA. (Mansion by California standards, at least!)
@ 10:05 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (5)
At the end of May, while still back in Georgia, we took a trip down to the family farm. Papa O.N. grew up here along with all of his brothers and sisters. Great Aunt Ruth and her husband, Forest Peeples, still live (and work) on the farm.
Emma had been a few times before, but this was really the first time that she was able to run around and really play, as a child should on a farm. She just loved running alongside the garden with their dog, Pickle. ("Goway, Pickle!" was The Phrase of The Day for her.)
I have a crazy dream that one day I'll move back to this place and raise cattle "naturally." I really believe that you could make a good, honest living raising cattle that roamed in the fields and grew fat on grass.
With demand for organic fruits and veggies these days, I think there's probably a boutique market for beef, too. (Reading "Fast Food Nation" and its account of the beef industry did nothing but reaffirm my belief.)
I say this, of course, as I add this entry from my laptop while sitting on the patio in the warm California sun - courtesy of my wireless network.
Do they have broadband on the farm?
@ 4:57 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (0)
My grandfather, O.N. Williams, passed away early on the morning of May 28, 2004. We held the funeral on Memorial Day, Sunday, May 30.
The cemetery was covered with American flags for Memorial Day, which was a fitting backdrop for eight aging World War II veterans who honored Papa with a 21-gun salute and Taps. It left me wondering, "Who will honor them when their time comes?"
These photos were taken late in the afternoon when our family went back to visit the grave.
@ 9:58 PM by TNorthcutt | Comments (0)
