Easter Sunday

 The big kids did not join us for most of the Easter festivities today, so Eli got almost all of the attention.  Here, the Easter Bunny (Max in disguise) is giving Eli pointers on how to scoop up the most eggs in the hunt.

 Eli has lined up here with the other kids his age.  He gathered a lot of eggs and didn't push any kids down doing it.  Good job, kid.

 Eli with his bestest girl, Sid.  She appears to have gathered a gaggle of eggs, herself.

 Max on the hunt for his eggs at Grandma's house.  It took him a while, as his eggs were hidden by one of the more devious aunts.  He found them, and there was money.

 Eli found his eggs rather quickly at Grandma's.  He is showing off his bounty.

It's a big birthday month around here, with Eli turning 7 and Denise hitting the big four/four.  There will be more to celebrate later the month, too.

Lots of Reading Material

My wonderful in-laws know how much I love old cars, so they picked up a few books for my birthday.  Isn't it awesome that I don't get neck ties for my birthday??  Thanks for the thoughtful gifts.

'merica

Apparently, McDonald's will make you a "Monster Mac" if you press them.  I wonder which states have the highest instance of Monster Mac orders?  It's 'merica, so it's wonderful that you have a choice to order such things, but----  WHY?

Hanna's hair

 Before:  This is Hanna getting her hair did.

After:  Hanna's hair is so long and luxurious!  Such a sweet heart.

The Big Shark Work Horse

This is a photo of the Big Shark van instrument panel that I took at a stoplight while driving it tonight.  You can't see the mileage (the flash flooded it out) but it's got 208,000 miles on it, and there is a nifty little "ABS" warning light there on the left.  I'm pretty sure that brightly lit orange "ABS" light is not brightly lit just to let me know that the anti-lock braking system is doing fine.

Over many years, I have driven the van occasionally.  Tonight, the beautiful Mrs K needed to have the van taken to a co-worker who will then drive it to the Tour of St.Louis time trial in the morning.  I flat out refused to let her drive the van, knowing that the unsuspecting Mrs K wouldn't be...prepared...for the treat that is the Big Shark van.

As the van lurched and wheezed it's way up Skinker, I marveled at the sheer decay that has beset this van.  The seats have foam and fabric still attached, but in such a way that they look to be molting.  The steering wheel in it's complete malaise, has no real association with the front tires.  The cacophony of noise that accompanies EVERY SINGLE MOVEMENT of the van is deafening at times.  Benny Hill  (and perhaps even the Three Stooges) could have an entire skit built around the noises alone.  And the brakes?  The right pedal has had the dubious distinction of being called "brake pedal" for a decade, yet now it is the single mechanical connection that works perfectly, ABS be damned.  Yes!!

Through all of this, it is necessary to know that if you attended bike races in the St. Louis area over the last 10 years, this vehicle delivered the hardware to put on those races.  Stuffed (literally) in the back of this thing are banners, cones, tents, tarps, zip-ties, tables, chairs, pens, consent forms, race bells, race numbers, bull horns, police tape, snow fencing...I can't even name it all.  If you attend a St. Louis area race, ride or event that is remotely associated with biking, the overwhelming chances are that this vehicle had something to do with the set-up.

Those who drive it always have a comedic story afterward.  But each one of those 208,000 miles has a story, too...stories from all of the racers and riders that have benefited from this old work horse and the job that it does.

Beef Stroganoff

I remember hating it as a young kid.  I would ask my mom what we were having for dinner, and she would say "George is making Beef Stroganoff".  George, of course, being my dad.  Beef Stroganoff, of course, being something that my young palette couldn't enjoy for a few more years.  And I remember it taking forever.  And all of that pounding of the beef on the cutting board with the cool little hammer.

Why all the pounding?  "To make it more tender", my mom would say.  My mom would say this because good ol' George would just look at me and half-way grin and go back to the all-day process of making the stuff.  Such a pity when we could have just had hamburgers, I thought.

By the time I was a teenager, I really loved the stuff.  Dad didn't always make it anymore, as he was slowing down a lot.  But my mom was learning to cook a lot of the things that Dad used to cook, and she was getting better at it. (A side note:  my mom was not what I called a good cook.  She would admit it, too.  But after my dad stopped cooking, she actually became much better.  Until, of course, she stopped putting in key ingredients that she thought were unhealthy, which is a completely different story.)  I really looked forward to Stroganoff as I aged.

Fast forward to now.  Sure, you can get the stuff when you dine out...sometimes.  And I think Noodles has it on the menu.  Not quite the same as home made, though.  Now my lovely wife makes it.  Not often, mind you, but it is awesome.  We had it for dinner tonight and I am engorged.

I never thought I would like Beef Stroganoff.  Or meat loaf.  Or Mom's stuffed peppers.  Oh, wait...I still hate those.  Sorry, Mom.

More photos of my Buddy

Hanna emailed me three photos of Rosco that she found on her camera.  I'm pretty sure that they are a year, year and a half old at most.  Hanna is very beautiful in them, as well.  They made me and my heart smile. 

Strange Resurgence In BMX Stuff

Around Christmas time I bought a new BMX bike for myself, a Redline Proline Pro XL.  I had been threatening to do so for a while and finally did it.  Comparatively speaking, BMX bikes are cheap so it wasn't a stretch at all.  I have only been able to ride it sparingly, and it has been tough.  But I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Strangely, I have been selling some BMX bikes at work, too.  Mostly to old guys like me, as it turns out.  I guess people relive the days of their youth in different ways.  Some middle age guys buy Corvettes.  Other middle guys by little bikes.  Corvettes are slightly more expensive.

Although thoroughly modern under the skin, the very convincing SE Retro bikes really have hit a chord.  The mag wheels put them over the top.  I take one look at a PK Ripper and I instantly think of Feldon Wicks, the guy responsible for introducing me to BMX racing way back in 1979.  Funny, but his PK's and even his Quad Angle's were even more trick than these modern bikes.  I wish I could find a photo of his all blacked-out PK with Skyway Graphite Tuff Wheels.  Me and my friend Bob worshiped Feldon and the fact that he had bikes clean enough to eat off of made us crazy with envy.

Memory lane.  Sometimes it really is good, wholesome fun.

Funny dog

It will always make me laugh when I walk into a room and see this big dogs hind end sticking out from under the bed.  It makes me wonder if he knows he's not all of the way under, or if he just got tired half way through and stopped?

Powell Hall for some Culture

Grandma and Grandpa took Hanna and I to Powell Hall today for a little bit of culture.  It was a packed house, featuring a show that highlighted each of the instrumental groups.  Wood Wind, Brass, Percussion, and Strings.  Pretty cool.

Sickness, Wires, Rain, and Apologies

 I have been battling yet another sinus infection.  Indeed, I have fought a valiant fight.  But I again needed relief that just wasn't coming any other way and started taking antibiotics.  I slept about 4 hours in 4 nights, kept awake by coughing....that's enough tough-guy act....just give me the pills.

 I was fully prepared Friday to have the Giant TCR SL completely outfitted with the new Ultegra Di2 stuff.  But, alas, I flubbed the order and I'm missing a wiring harness.  It will be here on Wednesday and I can be electronically shifting up and down the cogs.  (A side note here:  it's funny that bicycle purists ask me why I would want to have electronic shifting...those same people who's lives are inundated with I-Pads, I-Phones, Blue Tooth, ANT+, GPS, etc.)  Try it for yourself, it's the finest damn shifting I have ever seen.

 I was volunteered by my beautiful wife to help with the Run for the Chocolate that Big Shark put on this past Sunday.  I was a bit wary, since there was a chance for rain and I'm suffering from this sinus thing (see sob story at top of this post), but I agreed.  Curiously, she placed me at a water station, handing out water to the runners, in the pouring rain for a solid hour.  I was soaked and pissed.  I gave her the stink eye the rest of the day, until.....

She surprised me by getting my favorite junk food at the grocery store.  This and other treats were her penance.  I love her again.

Snow? Seriously? At least the kids like it.

 Hanna flies down on the blow-up tube

I don't think anyone knew it was going to snow any more than an inch or so Saturday night.  I wasn't happy with the results when I got around on Sunday, but the kids were very pleased.  We went to a small hill close to the house and they had a blast. 

 Hanna and Tyson together on the tube

 Eli taking the belly-slide down the hill

Hanna on a collision course with Tyson

Birthday Kids

 Hanna just turned 13.  We had a get together at the Bucks house last night as we usually do for the January birthday kids.

 Max just turned 15.  He's almost too cool for these little parties.

 It's easy to get Hanna to laugh about something.  I'm not sure if Eli is dumbfounded by something or he has a corn chip caught in his throat.

 She's smiling because she just got a gift card.  Hanna likes gift cards.  And sparkly stuff.

 Must be another gift card.

 Tyson is inside that cardboard box.  Tyson likes cardboard.

The birthday kids.  Almost not kids anymore. 

A little lunch with the little ones

They're not so little anymore.  Hanna and Eli joined me pizza today at lunch.  Although I really wanted to spend time outside with the kids today, the weather was just too nasty.  Tyson was not with us this weekend, so we were short one of the Muskateers.  I think next weekend we will all be able to hang out together, and maybe, just maybe, the weather will be nice enough for us to get outside, breathe some fresh air and have some fun.

The Mohawk may be coming back into Style

Still being sub-seven years old, bath time for Eli is still quite an adventure.  His hair is way too long right now and he doesn't want to get it cut.  So I took advantage of his sloppy long hair and gave him a Mohawk, which he really seemed to enjoy.