Mini Bike Trip

It was a beautiful day here yesterday and we were gung-ho to get outside to do some much needed work in the garden & yard. Tom decided to tackle the garden project first and he went to start up the tiller. (We're working on building raised beds, so we don't have to till every year...they're also easier to weed). He couldn't do much until he went to town to get some gas...that's when he decided he was going to try out the flatbed trailer we got for the bike. As soon as the kids heard he was going to ride his bike they started jumping up and down wanting to ride their bikes with him. It's a 5 mile (by bike) trek to Hustler (nearest gas station). We have an alley-cat bike that will attach to a bike for Kyle to ride, BUT he INSISTED on being a "big boy" and riding his own bike. He also INSISTS on having training wheels...but they will be coming off soon.
We have to ride on the road for about 3 miles before we even get to the bike trail. Luckily we live on a very quiet rode and we only saw a couple of cars the whole trip. Both Reeve and Kyle did a super job, and Kyle only complained once. About 1.5 miles into the trip he said he wished he would have agreed to ride on the alley-cat.

Once we got to the bike trail we all had a blast.

The flatbed trailer worked great. Tom said he didn't even notice he was hauling anything. We bought the trailer in hopes of a summer biking camping trip. We plan to leave early on a Saturday and bike on the trail and just see how far we get. There are campgrounds along the way.

We could bike from our house all the way to the Mississippi River and use the bike trail most of the way. We'd only have to ride on the road from our house to the trail. For that trip Kyle will be riding the alley cat. Reeve does excellent on his bike and was biking circles around us.

When we arrived in Hustler. Tom went to get the gas (and some beer) and the kids and I went to the park.

On the way back Reeve was so far ahead he decided to get off his bike and explore the bridge. Kyle raced to catch up with him. He crashed his bike into Reeve's, knocking it over (didn't care) and ran to see what Reeve was doing.

He didn't hesitate and started to climb under the bridge.

He found Reeve and he was thrilled to explore under the bridge.

After a little break and 6 miles into the trip we were ready to hit the trail again...only 4 more miles left and one REALLY HUGE HILL.

Back on the road again...only 2 more miles left.

Kyle was a trooper, and really started to get into a rhythm.

Then we met the hill...the pic below really doesn't capture how steep this beast is. I get to about this point and I have to walk my bike up.

Kyle got a free ride in the flatbed with his bike (we were very careful).

Reeve was anxious to get home and eat some left over pizza.

Up, up, up now we're at the top section of the hill.

After we reach the crest of the hill we get a little ride downhill to our house.

The yard is torn up because our neighbors are going to plant organic feed corn on it this year. They were nice enough to have all the weed trees removed to get the land ready. Hopefully with the fields planted that will cut down the number of ticks we get.

Tom's Face on a Billboard...and 2" of SNOW

The kids love to drive by and say "hello" to Tommy. He'd rather be pushing solar power for the "go green" bit...he's not 100% convinced on the geothermal...it uses a lot of electricity.

Can you believe we had 2 inches of snow here yesterday? I put away all the snow pants! We all had to wear our thermals again yesterday.

I think my Irises (thanks Mom) will survive.

It's a good thing these guys are still indoors...

you can't see it very well, but my parsley did germinate (YAY!) and it's little seedlings are looking strong now. I went and checked on my outdoor spinach last night (it likes a little frost) and they looked teeny, but healthy. The seeds I used were old, so I'm just thrilled some spinach came up. I planted about a 10' row and I saw only 4 little plants pop up...hopefully there will be more. We're so desparate for some dark greens that we've taken to eating dandelion greens with our supper. They're actually pretty good right now, and the kids get a kick out of eating them. Our staple meal this past week has been Quinoa with Kidney Beans and Dandelion Greens...the kids made up a cute little catchy song about them...kinda gets stuck in your head.

Reeve's Solar kit & Lego Creations

Like father, like son... Reeve was super stoked to get a solar experiments kit for his birthday.

It coincided with Tom's recent Solar class beautifully. He ripped the box open, looked at the wiring diagram, and had a little solar operated fan working in no time.

It also runs a small radio and a 7watt light. One of the first things he did with the fan was to carry it outside and blow it on the clothes hanging from the clothes line to help them dry.

He likes to have it handy now in case he gets too hot...that kid is always hot!
Reeve also had some lego creations that he wanted me to post...here is his solar electric car...

and a motor boat...

and a little horse and rider...

They love to play with those legos. Always building, tearing down, and re-building.
We had a productive weekend. The snow has melted, the temps are warming, and it was the perfect time to go and clean the yard...before the weeds and haygrass become too overwhelming. How on earth did we accumulate so much stuff?

Tom's Solar Electric Class

This past week Tom spent in Marshfield, WI taking an Advanced II Photovoltaic Class provided by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association.
Tom was really inspired by the class. He said there were people there as far away as Massachusetts. There were 8 people in his class including the instructor.

It was a great way to celebrate Earth Day.

The class learned how to install two different types of PV panels...a fixed panel (above pic) and a tracking panel.

They installed these panels at the Marshfield Technical College.

This is a pic of a combining box...Tom says it's the PV electrical disconnect.

His teacher liked to call this the battery coffin...

He came home stoked and ready to install a couple of these in our backyard.

Heritage Lake in Indiana

Well we've had a busy week, mixed with some really nice sun (and a lot of wind) and then a lot of rain. The kids and I tried to spend as much time outside as possible despite the 20-45mph winds we had. The kids helped me plant some spinach, salad mix, sugar snap peas, and scallions outside. We also started some seeds under lights inside: paste tomatoes (2 different varieties), cherry tomatoes, basil, marjoram, parsley (I have a really hard time getting parsley to germinate...so we'll see), marigolds, and cabbage.
The rain came Thursday...just in time to water our new seeds. On Friday we set a record for the most rain in a day in April since 1880...it rained ALL day. Friday we went to Tomah on our way to a benefit dinner for the Boys & Girls Club in Tomah. On our way the kids and I saw Tom's Billboard...I didn't have my camera. We're going back Monday for yoga class, so I'll take a pic then. Reeve and Kyle stayed with Tom's boss's son (14yr old) and two granddaughters (ages 3 & 7) while Tom and I went to the benefit with Tom's boss & his wife.
Tom left early Saturday morning to start a week long AdvII Photo Voltaics course. He said they're going to install 3 different types of PV systems in this course this week.
I wanted to share these earlier... They are the last of our pics of our visit to my parent's house in Indiana. We had so much fun. We were there to take the boat out of winter storage, get her cleaned up, and launch her into the water. The kids loved the ride around the lake.

After I read all 7 Harry Potter books to them (in 7 wks) they decided that they wanted to start reading book one on their own (with help). They're sharing the reading. Kyle reads one page in about 20 minutes, and Reeve reads two a day in about 15-20 minutes. Reading really helps Kyle focus and calm down, here he is reading a page to my Mom (Is my Mom flipping me off???) :-)

Kyle loves to pose. Reeve got a pirate kit with a spyglass for his birthday, and Kyle quickly latched on to the spyglass.

He was looking high and low

for what we don't know

I think he just like posing.

Latest Craft Projects

For his birthday Reeve got a small weaving loom for making pot holders. Kyle got one too, but he wasn't as enthused as Reeve. Reeve went to town and made the first pot holder before I even thought to get my camera out. It's the red & yellow one, and he thoughtfully gave that to my parents.

There's nothing like a good craft project to get you thinking.

We got to keep the blue and yellow one he's finishing in this pic.

My Dad had a surprise for me, he re-finished a leather clock that my Grandfather had made. Who says Dads can't be crafty! It's beautiful! I love it, and it works now too!

My Mom taught me how to knit :-). She had tried the last time we visited, but we didn't work on a pattern. This time we both started a scalloped round dish cloth. It was a lot of fun!

I had to call her to help me finish it off yesterday. The finishing part was easier than I thought. It's not perfect, there are holes, but I'm pretty pleased with the first thing I've ever knitted. Next I'll attempt a square dish cloth, then maybe a hat before I dive into some comfy socks!

I'm still working on the cross-stitch. This is not the greatest pic. I need to iron this and stretch it, but I'll save that for last. Spring is complete and I've finished the summer clouds (hard to see).

Back from Indiana

We made it back safely from our trip to Indiana. The Illinois roads were horrible! Filled with gigantic potholes on the Interstate...I thought for sure I was going to blow a tire. I tried to avoid them, but they came up out of nowhere. Luckily it was perfect driving conditions otherwise...a nice cloudy day with no rain. We left Indy with temps in the 60's and we came back to Wisconsin with fresh snow on the ground! As a matter of fact this morning we got about 2 more inches of snow...Hello! It's mid-April? Will it ever warm-up?

We had an excellent visit to my folks house in Indiana. Reeve and Kyle love to go to the zoo. It's hard to see the animals in tanks and behind bars, but this zoo does talk a lot about conservation and saving the animals.

Kyle tried to pet a shark, but couldn't quite reach one. He took a million pictures of this dolphin before the show...he's so excited to see them after they get developed.

At first we weren't sure if they really wanted us to see the dolphins...

I guess Indy likes to keep it simple...one door for entrance & exit.
We saw a new sign this time with Reeve's name on it

We had no idea that this little Muntjac was named after him.

They got a kick out of standing by this Laughing Turtle

I took this pic before we saw the movie "Nim's Island." Now when we look at it all we can think of is Fred from the movie. Reeve wanted to see the movie for his 8th Birthday. It was a very cute movie, but we all thought it was too short. Fred is a bearded lizard and a great friend of Nim.

More pics of the Indy visit to come. Also I'll post an updated pic of the Four Season's cross-stitch. I'm done with the Spring chair and I've started Summer. We got crafty in Indy and Reeve & Kyle started their own craft project. My Mom taught me how to knit and we're working on a project together. Now when I get tired of the cross-stitch project I can go knit. I'm going to start some seeds indoors today...

Indiana Trip & Spring Chair Week 2

The boys and I head out for Indiana today to visit my folks. The kids were up and ready to go at 5:30 this morning! I still have to pack :-). Tom's getting ready for work and can't make the trip. He's liking his new job, and he's the company's new poster boy. They took his picture just over a week ago and they've made it into a Billboard! When it goes up I'll take a picture of it, that's for sure.

I'm sooooo close to finishing the Spring Chair. I'll finish it in Indiana and start the Summer Chair there. We'll be there about a week, so I'll post again when we get back.

Four Seasons Chairs: Week 2 for the Spring Chair, almost done :-)