Christmas house in OBX - Center house

This is a picture of the house from the front.

There was more off to the right but the battery on my phone gave out and I wasn't able to get more pictures. It was also why they didn't get posted at the time as I somewhat forgot about needing to upload them.

It was a really cool display and the couple was out front greating everyone. They start putting things up in September and they have it on from Thanksgiving 'til New Years. They said that they usually have it all taken down by the 10th of January. When they started it they were able to store everything in the area under the house (houses in OBX are on stilts with sheds built under them due to the chance of high water) but a few years ago they had to start renting a storage unit to keep it all. They had no idea how many lights there are but they encourage anyone that wants to count them to come out and have fun. They also don't have a map of the layout as it changes every year based on their mood and a bit on what items might have been damaged during storage, use or transport. They also give out candy canes and other treats for the kids and while they don't charge anything for the display they appreciate any donations they get. I can understand that as I am sure their electric meter probably looks about like the one on the Griswald house in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

Christmas house in OBX - Center

This is mostly the center view of the house just to the left of the right side picture. It shows the wrap around deck that people can walk on to view the interior decorations as well as the large 'Love' heart on the hill.

Christmas house in OBX - Right side

This picture is from "The Christmas House" in the Outerbanks of North Carolina. They have one of the largest and most complex light shows I have seen in a private home. They even have it set up so that people can walk through sections of it. You can even walk on their deck and look in the windows of the house because they decorate the inside too. We actualy wondered where they could find a place with a bit of privacy and decided that they must pretty much have the bedroom and bathroom upstairs and then the kitchen in the back as their only private spaces.

This picture is the right side of the yard and is down a bit of a hill. The house in the back of the picture is a small guest house with a single room.

Happy Halloween

So I was slow on making the post part of this entry but atleast the picture got put up. Conner had a great time collecting the treats and general explaining the difference between a Transformer and Power Rangers/SpaceMen.

Still we have way too much candy as there were many places that gave out full bars not just the little snack ones. I had to empty the candy basket before we put the new stuff in because we still had candy from last Halloween. Hopefully we have the same problem next year or else we are eating way too much candy.

Zen

Sometimes you have to climb to the top of the mountain to find enlightenment... other times you can find it in the mall.

Tasha English Glam

Ed had his annual party and the theme this year was English Pub. We went with ideas for people you would see in the pub. I was an America college student complete with bandanna, long hair and a backpack. Jackie was some real person from the royal family. Josh came as a tourist with goofy hat, flower shirt, camera, and little umbrellas in his drinks. Tasha went with the archtype of a Brit Glam Girl. She looked awesome even if the poorly lit camera phone picture doesn't show it as well.

Conner's First Day of School

We were all very excited because it was Conner's very first day at his new kindergarten. He had his new backpack on and was ready to go.

Pirates game

After the VMware event we got to take in a Pirates game. They won so it was cool to make it to one of the few games of the season.

Awesome Seats

We had great seats. They were all of 20 feet from the first base line. Though it would have been nice to have a ball glove just in case.

Princess

Just an update on how princess is doing in the office. There are these long limbs that have sprouted out that are a few feet long. At this point they have been wrapped back around the main plant just to not take over the office.

At Starbucks with Tasha

We took Monday off as a vacation day. We slept in then went to Panara for a late breakfast. We were going to try to go to Oakland to see the Cathedral of learning but decided we didn't want to drive that far and then decided to check out HellBoy 2. The first showing was at 1:10 and it was a good bit before noon at that point so we went to Starbucks to get cool blended drinks and sit in the comfy chairs. That is where this picture was taken. Tasha ended up on the phone for a couple of minutes and I was sitting there looking at how cute she was and decided I should have a picture of it on my phone. And now you have it too.

After the movie we went to Pearl Vision and both got our eyes checked and I am now again the happy wearer of contacts. I had forgotten how awesome it was to not wear glasses as I had fallen off the wagon a few years back during a change up in my insurance and while looking at laser options and never got a new refill of lenses. Tasha got new silver and purple frames and there will be pictures as soon as they come in because she looks amazing in them.

Princess with extra limbs

There is a new limb that got to be about 3 feet long and a few others that are new that are a bit shorter still.

You can also see the orange tree starting to the left. It came from a seed that I jokingly planted in Princess's pot last winter and it sprouted so I moved it to a pot of its' own.

Conner and Aunt Francie

Conner got to sit with Aunt Francie. She kept him entertained while we waited for our food.

Silver Diner on the way home from OBX

Tasha and I at the silver diner on the way home from the outer banks in June

People Chess

They have a giant chess board at the Southside works with chess tables around it in a little park. It is a pretty cool place. If only we had a few more people to actualy play some wizard chess.

You would be tired too

After a hard day playing at the zoo sleeping sitting up in the car is no problem.

A trip to the Zoo

No Zoo trip would be complete without atleast one visit to the snack bar. Today Conner got to have a snow cone. I will not debate the merits of having a snow cone on a day where it is barely into the 40s but that was the treat he wanted. He also got that awesome polar bear bottle. It seems to have been cut off a bit and is turned the wrong way but that white thing with a yellow top is the bottle. It had pink lemonade in it and it is reusable. We are always happy to find a cool new reusable bottle so that he has something to take drinks into his room with.

We got to the Zoo a bit late and only had 2 hours to spend there. With some warm coats we were able to enjoy the trip. We did have to cut our time in the aquarium short because it closes 15 minutes before the rest of the park. I could spend hours watching their 2 story saltwater tank with the sharks and large fish in it.

Princess a year later

This is a picture of Princess a year later. While not the prettiest of jasmin plants is growing alot. You may have trouble seeing the new growth but there are a half dozen new bits growing out and there is a whole new trunk growing up from the roots. That is that little one comming out of the dirt to the right of the main plant. it only has 6 little leaves at this point but is comming along.

Orange Plant

Back sometime in December or January (whenever clementines came into season) I had one in the office and it had a single seed in it. I decided to plant that seed in the same pot as Princess not really expecting it to grow but more on the idea that it would be really awesome to have an orange tree in my office so that when I got hungry I could just pick one off and eat it. This was an off the wall idea and I never expected it to take off but a couple weeks ago I found a new sprig growing in Princess's pot and thought at first that it was another shoot from her but after the leaves opened I wasn't sure what it was. So in the process of replanting Princess to a larger pot I dug around this new little sprig a bit and found my orange seed with a root out the bottom and the leafy bits out the top. I replanted it and it now has its' own pot. I read a bit about orange trees and it takes many years to ever grow and I would most likely need another tree to provide for polination but it is still pretty awesome and I hope that it will grow to be huge.

Easter Egg hunts in the cold

Conner and I went to Towanda for Easter weekend to visit family. Tasha had to work Saturday so she didn't get to go with us. Saturday morning they had an easter egg hunt in the park so Conner got to find even more eggs. He ended up with 20 of them and would have had more but while he was running through a muddy spot he lost a shoe and was hopping on one foot until I could help him put it back on.

Motorcycles are cool

Due to a car problem Josh had to pick up his bike a little before bike weather really sets in but Conner did get the chance to sit on it while it was running and even got to wear the helmet. Watch out Grandpa he will be after you for bike rides at the beach... Well maybe in a few years when it wouldn't freak his mom out so much.

Pittsburgh from LeMont

I had a lunch meeting on Thursday and it was at LeMont a restaurant on Mount Washington overlooking the point. It was difficult at times to keep focused on the presenters as this was pretty much the view that I had looking straight from my seat. I had to turn a bit to see the projector so I caught myself looking out at the city more often than I probably should have.

The food was wonderful. I would have taken a picture of the swordfish because the cut was larger than an entire Big Mac and this was all meat but I would have felt a bit silly explaining to the other people at my table that I was photo-blogging the meal. Not that the techy people would not have known what I was saying but more because they would have really known and I didn't want to be 'that guy'.

At the Mall in the kids play area

Saturday evening we went to the mall so that Conner could run off some of his excess energy. This was a fun picture to try out the pix to blog from the road. As it seems to work pretty well (other than the annoying advertisement it tacks on the bottom of the message) I will probably be posting more pictures as I go. If you see the Verizon stuff under a picture check back later as I will be removing it and putting in a bit about the picture.

Also with upgrades to the cell plan I have txt and funny enough IM on the phone so feel free to contact me that way if you see fit.

Princess

This is a picture of Princess the jasmine plant. It is somewhat old at this point as this was when I was nursing her back to health after an ill-fated stint in front of a cold window.

First Post

This is a first post to my blog. As I have recently gotten texting on my phone I am hoping that I can post pictures and such from where I am as something of a 'Look what I have been doing' forum.

Rob