Tahoe Images

We spent three days up in South Lake Tahoe with Aaron, Kaarli, Kaleb, and Logan for some relaxation away and of course some added adventures.  The whole crew hiked down to Vikingsholm Castle on Emerald Bay and enjoyed collecting rocks, wading out into the frigid water, and viewing little waterfalls along the path.  Later we drove the crazy back road to Upper and Lower Angora Lake.  We won't mention all of the objections (spoken and unspoken) to the winding road that seemed to be going nowhere and the ridgeline road that had a steep dropoff on both sides of a one-lane road.  We enjoyed the challenge of playing frisbee golf at one of the local courses.  Some great BBQ food was eaten and the place we stayed at was amazing, providing a great place to relax and take in the disappointing conclusion to the Giants season with a bullpen implosion.

There is a connection when you have five boys all two years apart, from 11 to 3.

The beautiful three story cabin we stayed at. 

Angora Lake, it was beautiful, but very cold.

Dad had to go in to retrieve a frisbee thrown awry.

Kaleb and Bryce finding common ground coloring.

Sit on the log in order of age, ready go!

I spy a waterfall!

Hiking down hill was easy...

On the way back, we stopped at some scenic spots to gather and take pictures to break the hike up...

A view of Emerald Bay before hiking down to it.

Playing in the sand isn't cold...

...but jumping in led to a quick exit!

Playing king of the rock pile.

Mickey Mouse ears on our Pilot!

Men's Adult Baseball Game

Due to the tie in the August game and the coming of Joy's brother, Aaron, Brett was inspired to put on another Men's Adult Baseball Game.  Eddie and Nate stepped up and helped make the game a great success by taking some of the responsibilities off of Brett's shoulders.  We had another great turnout.  The game was close until we broke the game open with a nine run scoring inning.  Brett's highlights were scoring the first run of the game, catching for Aaron who pitched two innings, ripping a (I don't care that it was a blooper that fell) two-run double, getting to play baseball with Eric who made the trip from the Bay Area, and pitching the final inning to seal the victory, 10-1.  The best part is getting to play ball with a bunch of friends and have a whole new collection of stories to tell and share with one another until the next time we do it again.

Back Row:  Eric, Aaron, Paul P, Shawn, Scott M, Nate, Daniel C, Josh K, Jeff, Jeremy B, Darren,  Luke, Daniel O
Front Row:  Tim, Adam, Jeremy N, Brett, Danny, Nick, Dave C

Official scorekeeper, Garrett, with Logan and Bryce keeping him company.

Garrett and Logan after the game hanging out in the dugout.

Brett up to bat.

Aaron stroking the ball for one of his three hits.

Brett sets up on the inside corner for a fastball in on Tim.

Aaron delivers a strike from the mound.

Look out Scott, that is a nasty breaking ball that Aaron just threw for strike 3.

Brett caught Aaron for two strong innings with four strikeouts.

Logan says:  Buy me some peanuts or CRACKER JACKS.

It was a blessing to have Eric come out for the game and he proved to himself he could play:  made some great catches in the field and had a sweet line drive single to right-center.  Next time, pitch an inning?

Reach Out and Read Grant Award

We attended the annual Carole Stinson Literacy Foundation banquet in San Carlos.  Two days before the event, Joy was asked to speak in front of the whole gathering and share a little about where some of the money raised by the banquet goes.  She has been a grant winner for a number of years which provides books for the kids that she sees in her clinic.  However, with the influx of refugees, she has been seeing less kids, so she asked the new pediatrician in her clinic to share some stories too.  They both gave dynamic stories that gave many attendees a true story of the benefits to Reach out and Read programs.  Putting a little additional pressure on her, Joy's brother and sister-in-law attended with us as they had just arrived at SFO one hour prior.  The kids all stayed with our old babysitter, Kaitlynn, who is currently attending San Francisco State.

The dinner was well attended by Joy's clinic

Fall Science: Physics

We renewed our commitment to meet for science this year with Rex and Alli.  The topic is physics and chemistry.  We meet for dinner and then divide up the demonstrations among the adults who each take a few kids and then we come together and teach and demonstrate our topic to the rest of the group.  Here is a collection of pictures from two different nights we met this month.

Sitting down for our dinner together.

What will happen if you pull the tin pie plate away?  The egg will drop straight down into the cup of water, right?  Griffin with Chad and Regan.

Hovercraft demonstration:  Garrett and Jack.

Mouse trap car:  Sailor, Ben, Bryce, Molly.  Potential to kinetic energy.

Working together on projects inside with better lighting.

Measuring the amount of gas generated when pop rocks are combined with soda.

Does air really occupy space underwater?

While you may want to have this experiment done in your mouth, we are going to perform it here in a bottle.

Which of these jars is most likely to explode?

What is the best design for a boat to float that holds the most cargo?

This looks like a dangerous table filled with lots of chemicals that we are going to create reactions with...

Does a diet soda or regular soda can sink or float in water?  The one that has less ingredients actually floats...

Corn Hole Tournament

Our Sunday School Class, peer ministry group, had an after church lunch and Corn Hole Tournament.  We were randomly assigned a teammate of the opposite sex and given a team name with a corn theme.  Then we were placed in the complex bracket and given ten minutes to accumulate as many points as we could against another team.  Joy was teamed with Seth, while Brett was teamed with Kara.  Both of our teams performed well, but Brett and Kara made it into the final four.  There were a total of over a hundred people who attended the party which created many memories and bonding for the group.  Brett came away with a "Best Form" award for his method of tossing corn hole.

The final four:  Kara, Brett, David, Sarah, Jill, Frank, Chris, Suzi.

Raeleigh shows her form, with Rebecca, Scott, Jen, Dave, Jill looking on in background.  Stephanie prepares to switch after tossing her bag.

Brett demonstrates the award winning form.

October Highlights 2016

October was highlighted by the first visit to California of the boys cousins, Kaleb and Logan.  We got to take them to many different local venues including a Monster Truck Rally and Del Osso Farms.  In addition we spent three days up in South Lake Tahoe after Aaron and Kaarli became California citizens..does that mean they get to become Giants, A's, Sharks, Warriors, Raiders, and 49er fans?  Only time will tell, but we have an early convert in Logan, who couldn't stop sporting his Giants shirt and shorts.  Brett put together another men's adult baseball game during which he got to play with Aaron and Eric.