Saturday, March 19, 2011

Minitrip


Friday I took off work and Nancy and I took the girls on a slow drive east and north. We enjoyed Heartland Acres, had lunch in Strawberry Point, walked McGregor, celebrating the birthday of a cat. We smelled too much at the fish place. We found a hotel, and then dinner where we were scared by polka music & octogenarian dancers. We hid in the cafe and still had a wonderful time at my first salad bar that had more kinds of cheeses on it than vegetables.

Saturday found us driving to LaCrosse via the slow road, then home again.

In a short two days we had a restful fun vacation that included too much driving and just enough fun, conversation, and sleep.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Monday, March 14, 2011

Computer's New Table

At Christmas Ryan brought home Computer, his Beta in a pitcher with a phelodendrin on top. We were going out of town and Computer needed a babysitter. Computer never made it back to work. He is a now working at home. We found he likes it warm so we put him on a table that Ryan made in High School shop class.  That table used to be used in our living room. It was the table that got moved around all over for holding cups, food, books, and computers by the couches.


One Saturday Ryan said he needed a table for his computer because Computer was using his table. He found a set of legs he took out of a neighbors trash 3 years ago. He grabbed some 1x4's & plywood from some past project and he and Anna set out to work.



They figured out how to make the sides work with the legs and sanded the top to make it smooth. Next came to painting. First, several layers of blue paint on the top and sides. Then the legs were sanded and painted black along with the rest of the table.

Now this table made out of trash is a treasure in our living room. It works great to hold mugs of cocoa, a computer, books, Junior Monopoly, and cribbage.  I have also found that it blocks Lilly from crawling to the stereo and is a tunnel for Anna.