Hands down, I believe we have one of the most beautiful campuses in Virginia. And, it's hard to believe that 19 years ago I interviewed for a position here at St. Christopher's School. I remember when I drove up to the school how incredibly beautiful the campus was. It was but one of the many reasons I decided to accept the offer to teach here and to this date, the grounds are still spectacular.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Day 106: A Cruel Lesson
Spring is often viewed as a gentle season. If one can survive the cold old man winter put into place, it just makes sense that spring should be easy by comparison. For weeks now we've watched "momma" bird create a nest in the bottom of an outdoor light fixture. She came and went without a hitch but today for some reason, she was unable to escape. Concern for her and the safety of her eggs became a top priority for our family and we went to work. I managed to remove the base of the light fixture which allowed momma bird to escape without damaging the nest. When we peered into the nest, here is what we found-4 newly hatched baby birds.
My bride and I were quite concerned with our discovery-we're both bio majors and teachers. We knew that the likelihood of survival would be remote unless momma bird returned. My daughter made a few calls to pet stores, animal rescue centers, and my sister who happens to be a vet but their news was less than promising. These birds seemed to be to young to survive without momma's care.
We kept the nest inside for the night because it was going to drop into the 30s(just above 0 C for my aussie friends) and then we placed the nest on a ladder near the lamp in hopes that momma would return.
Well, the day went by and despite the newness spring provides, these baby birds were not meant to be. It was a sad time for my family. :(
My bride and I were quite concerned with our discovery-we're both bio majors and teachers. We knew that the likelihood of survival would be remote unless momma bird returned. My daughter made a few calls to pet stores, animal rescue centers, and my sister who happens to be a vet but their news was less than promising. These birds seemed to be to young to survive without momma's care.
We kept the nest inside for the night because it was going to drop into the 30s(just above 0 C for my aussie friends) and then we placed the nest on a ladder near the lamp in hopes that momma would return.
Well, the day went by and despite the newness spring provides, these baby birds were not meant to be. It was a sad time for my family. :(
Monday, April 19, 2010
Day 105: A day at Deep Run Park
Spent the whole day with the wee one while mom was out of town at our son's baseball game. A good chunk of our day was spent at Deep Run Park. We played on the playground, had a snack, feed the ducks, and told stories. This photo was taken just after she threw her last piece of bread. She sat and watched the duck swim away.
Day 104: The Ice Bucket
Our track team is finally using ice buckets as a means to stem injury and today was no different. As we were walking by the icing session, Coach Bruner commented that his boys were unable to handle the ice bucket very long. My eldest daughter on the other hand has been using this method for quite some time as part of her training and she has developed a threshold for the cold. Let's just say that she put the boys to shame.
That's my girl!
That's my girl!
Day 103: Running to Dad
It doesn't happen everyday, but when my daughter runs to greet me after a long and strenuous work day, it is certainly the best part of my day. When she runs into my arms and squeezes me tight, I feel the stress of the day wither away.
Day 102: A missed day!
Today I really let myself down. I went 101 days without missing a photo op of sorts but for some reason day 102 slipped right past me. I never thought it would bother me as much as it is but if anything comes out of this project, it is a promise to myself that this will be the 1 and only photo I will forget this year.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Day 101: Pitching
My son was so excited to hear that he would be the opening pitcher in today's game. He did a nice job despite the cold drizzle and light wind but let's just say the parents didn't fair as well.
As for the quality of the photo, I was stunned that the resolution was quite good using a BB at 5x from this distance.
As for the quality of the photo, I was stunned that the resolution was quite good using a BB at 5x from this distance.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Day 100: Highlighting Passages
After a quick shower, it was time to finish up homework for the evening. After crossing out the completed assignments, it was time to do a little reading and highlighting. As one can see, my son is busy at work discerning which passages require some additional attention.
Day 99: Rock Climbing and Happy Birthday
Today was my daughter's birthday and we opted to take her and a friend climbing at Peak Experience-an indoor climbing facility. My son and I were lucky enough to climb too.
It was a great day that started with Chipotle for lunch, followed by rock climbing, Sushi for dinner, and then an incredibly rich chocolate cake for dessert.
Happy Birthday Pea!
It was a great day that started with Chipotle for lunch, followed by rock climbing, Sushi for dinner, and then an incredibly rich chocolate cake for dessert.
Happy Birthday Pea!
Day 98: Costco Gas and the Memory Game
For some reason, I am unable to remember the hours of operation for Costco's Gasoline. I checked their website and I even called but the information could not be found. So in an effort to burn this info into my mind, I decided to take a photo of the hours of operation and I plan on keeping it in my Blackberry.
Am I getting old?!
Am I getting old?!
Day 97: Charlie Brown Xmas Tree
I was walking towards my car in the parking lot when I stumbled upon this baby pine tree in the shadows of this telephone pole. Over time however, this tiny little tree will dwarf this pole but before that happens one of them will have to come down.
I know which one I want, how about you?
I know which one I want, how about you?
Day 96: Ubuntu
This laptop is like an old shoe. It's about 7 years old but this Gateway has been running Ubuntu for at least 2 years and works great as a web based machine in our kitchen. What I like most about this laptop is that everyone in the family uses it and has found that Ubuntu is a snappy OS and is not that difficult to use when the destination is the web. I can only imagine how snappy this OS would be if it were on loaded machine.
So as a result, our home has 4 OSes-OSX, XP pro, Win 7, and Ubuntu.
So as a result, our home has 4 OSes-OSX, XP pro, Win 7, and Ubuntu.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Day 95: Pollen, Pollen, Pollen...
The quantity of pollen in the air and on the surfaces of just about everything is just phenomenal. I'm one of the lucky ones who does not have severe allergies.
Now what I find so astonishing, from a science perspective, is the amount of energy plants dedicate towards reproduction.
On a side note, I wonder if forensics would consider using pollen to check for fingerprints? As one can see, my prints are visible on the surface of my car and the clarity of the print is quite good.
Now what I find so astonishing, from a science perspective, is the amount of energy plants dedicate towards reproduction.
On a side note, I wonder if forensics would consider using pollen to check for fingerprints? As one can see, my prints are visible on the surface of my car and the clarity of the print is quite good.
Day 94: It was a close game
It was a great baseball game. Both teams had wonderful pitching and fantastic fielding. Despite the final score, it would be fair to say that the game could have gone the otherway just as easily. My son was on the losing team but I convinced his Giants will be able to redeem themselves the next time these two teams meet up.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Day 93: Keens
It must be spring! I broke out the Keens this weekend when I went out for my morning bike ride and they stayed on while I plowed through a few hours of yard work. What are your favorite outdoor shoes?
Day 92: Easter Parade on Monument Ave
Easter is my favorite holiday of all times. The Easter Parade is but one facet of this glorious holiday season but when the weather is nice, it a wonderful way to end the weekend. There were thousands of people walking around enjoying the sunshine, flowers, music, and food. It's also a great place to do some people watching.
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Day 91: Red Caboose
It was a busy morning today but a trip to the playground led to this little treasure. The Red Caboose is located on the grounds of this elementary school and along with the playground, a child's imagination can run wild.
Day 90: Dyeing Easter Eggs
Today the kids dyed Easter Eggs. As one can see, we had quite a few eggs and some happy children in the process. It's a tradition I hope that continues for many years to come
Day 89: Playball
The day started off sunny and warm but a 6:30 game caught players and parents by surprise. Winds gusts close to 30 mph and a drop in temperature was enough to skip the slurpees and go for hot cocoa. Let's just say we are looking forward to some warmer days.
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