Rain Gutter Cleaning

One of Bruce’s projects this weekend was cleaning out the rain gutters, something that desperately needed to be done but is an intimidating job. I am not at all comfortable with the process.

Eek

But I do like this cool Instagram photo I took of the ladder!

Instagram ladder

Bruce’s Morning at Cottage

While Ezra and I were at Aveson, Bruce and Finn were at Cottage for one of our scheduled parent-teacher days. I knew it was going to be a good day because the kids love having Bruce in the classroom. Jerri concurred via text after dropping off Charlie: “Dads are so much more fun.”

Apparently, there was lots of fun with string — a spider web, a zip line for the toy animals. And there was face painting; Finn got painted like Han Solo in warrier paint and Finn painted Bruce as Chewbacca. (He’s on quite the Star Wars kick right now.)

Face painting at Cottage

My friend Jen also sent me this very sweet picture of her son Kai with Bruce and Finn at music time.

Music time with Finn and Kai

Dads really are more fun.

JPL 2012 Olympics Promo

In 2008 Bruce had an idea to put on an Olympic competition for his Section at JPL during the time when the Summer Olympics were happening. He and his colleagues then organized a four-event (running, cycling, chess and Boggle), multi-day competition, complete with a torch relay, and opening and closing ceremonies. For the closing ceremony, he made a film showing highlights from the events. It was a huge hit.

Last week, the person organizing this year’s Section Christmas party asked him if he could do short promo film as a teaser for the 2012 Section Olympics. So, here is the fruit of his (and Aaron’s) weekend labor.

Birthday Date Night

Bruce and I had a lovely birthday dinner-and-a-movie date last night. And we had our server take a picture of us. So I thought I’d post it.

Birthday date night

First 4-H

We’ve been looking, along with some friends, for some activities for Ezra and his fellow first-graders to add to and broaden the academics they’re learning at school. Bruce, being a former 4-H-er immediately thought of this group. In fact, he went so far as to pull out his old 4-H hat (he was apparently quite a superstar).

4-H hat

4-H hat

The songs and motto recitals followed shortly.

He dialed down the crazy for the actual 4-H meeting. There’s an Altadena-Pasadena group already established, although it’s small and mostly filled with much older kids. For this meeting, there was a cooking activity. I can’t remember the name of the dish, but it was basically a meat filling inside little pastries. Ezra loves cooking and was happy to participate. Here he is assembling one.

Assembly

And here he is eating the final product.

The taste test

A Tale of Two Pumpkin Heads

Bruce in 2008 in JPL’s Halloween race.

Bruce Pumpkin Run 2008

Bruce in 2011 “carrying” Ezra’s pumpkin costume when Ezra got tired of wearing it because it was super heavy.

Halloween 2011

(Photo credit to Gary for the 2011 photo; no idea who took the 2008 one!)

Happy Birthday, Papa!

We celebrated Bruce’s birthday first thing this morning with a coffee cake. While I was making the cake, Bruce and the boys were making a pirate ship, complete with a cannon and a pirate flag. Nothing says happy birthday like a little swordplay.

Sword fighting pirats

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Make a wish ...

Bruce’s Anza Borrego

Bruce and his friend Peter went on a two-day backpacking trip last weekend and he snapped some great pictures. Unfortunately, the camera’s memory card was almost filled up with the kids’ photos (he took the camera they’re allowed to use) and neither of us thought to erase them before he left. So, there are only a few shots, but they’re a good representation of his trip.

First up, this rattler. He saw three snakes. I’m glad I wasn’t there.

Bruce's friend

Several waterfalls early in their route.

Landscape

A well-camouflaged frog.

Well camouflaged frog

His little tent in the wilderness.

Camp

Their climb. Again, glad I wasn’t there.

Landscape

With all the rain earlier this year, the desert is in full bloom.

Desert flowers

Spider!

We were talking this evening about Halloween decorations, and I told Bruce I thought a giant spider web would look great on the front porch. Then I went to book club. When I got home, this is what he had done.

Bruce's awesome homemade Halloween decorations

Apparently, the pumpkin spider is on a pulley so the boys can raise and lower it. Totally awesome.

Happy Birthday, Bruce!

Yesterday was Bruce’s birthday and we decided to follow Ezra’s advice and go to La Grande Orange (because “they have cake there”). So we asked the Heffs to join us, hopped on the Metro and headed out. The boys like to look out the window on the train, especially when we’re in the middle of the freeway.

They like to look out the window

The kids were amazingly well-behaved, thanks in large part to Jerri and Bren bringing along a bunch of activity books to keep them busy. It allowed the adults to enjoy some pre-dinner cocktails — the Birthday Boy ordered a Manhattan.

The Birthday Boy! (Enjoying a Manhattan)

I’m not sure how we had the room for it, but dessert was consumed by all. Finn and Charlie tackled some chocolate cake and ice cream.

Finn and Charlie tackle dessert

Ezra and Lucy went for the red velvet cake and ice cream.

Lucy and Ezra had dessert too

And then it was time to head home. Everyone thought it was fun to make bird calls across the train tracks.

Calling out across the tracks

Here are the slackers on the other side.

The Heffs on the other side of the tracks

When we got to the end of the Gold Line, the boys took a while to watch the traffic go by on the freeway. Then home to bed. Happy Birthday to Papa!

Watching the traffic at the Sierra Madre Villa station

Ouch!

Words cannot express how much I was looking forward to yesterday morning. Both boys had school, and my plan was to head home after dropping off Finn at Cottage and enjoy a couple of hours of sheer solitude in my own home – a much-too-rare occurrence. I had a book to read and a nap to take.

However, just as I arrived at Cottage, I got a call from Bruce who said he had a serious stomach ache and hadn’t gone in to work (he’d tried to ride in, but quickly figured out he wasn’t going to make it). My first thought, selfishly, was “No! This is supposed to be my alone time!” But, once I got home and saw his face I knew he was in some serious pain. I’ve been with him when he broke his leg and when he was in the ER for chest pain, and neither registered the kind of pain he seemed to be in yesterday. After a quick call to his regular doc, I took him to the ER.

He was miserable, but we were lucky enough to have arrived at the ER when it was uncharacteristically empty. We got right in to a room and the nurse started a work up. He was struggling so much with the pain that I was having a hard time keeping it together. We had read a bit online before going to the hospital (of course) and we thought he might have appendicitis. Thus, I was wondering WHY ISN’T THE DOCTOR IN HERE YET???!!!

Turns out, it was a kidney stone. Extremely painful, but not life threatening. Once we knew this (and once he had not one but TWO doses of morphine in his IV), we both calmed down a lot. He had a CT which found a 4 mm stone, and we were sent home with some Vicodin. He passed the stone later that evening with no pain (thanks to the aforementioned Vicodin).

Here’s a shot of the actual stone.

Bruce's kidney stone

Here’s what he said it felt like.

What it felt like