The canoe

Uncle Donnie owned a canoe... a beautiful wooden canoe.  Years ago, he rescued it from a neighbor's front yard, and a couple weeks ago, he passed it on to us. It needs a fair bit of work, but since our boys are budding outdoorsmen, Chris and I thought they might be up for the challenge!

The wooden behemoth is currently living in the workshop

where it waits for the bitter cold days of winter to chase the boys indoors.
And who knows? Perhaps by summer it'll be water-worthy! 

And because my youngest can't resist a silly face for the camera... these pics.

And my youngest with a few of her own :)

Yep, she's fitting in just fine!

Road trip!

Weeks ago, Pops and the boys started planning an overnight get-away... a quick trip to New Jersey to visit my grandmother, affectionately known as "Ginger Lady" by the boys.  I believe Bub coined that nickname when he was just a young'un.  After spending some time together, he couldn't remember her name, but he could remember her dog's name-- Ginger.  So he casually asked a  question regarding "Ginger Lady," and since that time, the name has stuck. Fortunately, she approves!  Anyhoo, Pops had made arrangements previously with "Ginger Lady"-- she knew he would be arriving on Saturday, but she had no idea the boys would be in tow :)

So Saturday finally rolled around-- the big departure day-- and the guys were ready to hit the road.  Pops came equipped with "driving hats" for each to wear, and before they even pulled out of the driveway, the stereo could be heard for blocks... "If You're Gonna Play in Texas," their mutual  favorite.  The men had miles to conquer, and Alabama provided the perfect inspiration.

The first snapshot below is one I took before the fellows left on their adventure; I cannot claim the rest.  Bub gladly volunteered to be the "men's town" photographer, so after he showed me his treasure trove of photos this morning, he decided which ones I should include in this post :)

So here you go... a few highlights from Men's Town: On the road~

When the guys arrived at Ginger Lady's house, the boys hid around the corner of the garage while Pops went in to greet her.  Bub took this shot as they jumped out in surprise!

The boys loved their tour of the basement, and they got a real kick out of the trains that still remain.  Believe it or not, Pops actually rode on these same trains back in the day...

 Later in the day, they took a quick trip to the Amish Market for ribs.  Here's a shot of some fresh baked goods~

And Big Man, enjoying a ride in the shopping cart (Bub especially liked the "angle" of this one).

Up in Pops's old bedroom, the boys played tons of shuffleboard.  Big Man took this picture so Bub thought it should be included...

And then he took another one himself.  "It's a better picture," Bub declared :)

A little Scrabble kept them busy...

And a late night movie, Star Wars.  

Before heading home on Sunday evening, the men caught up with Uncle Jim, Aunt Ruth Anne, and J.T. for pizza.  They were very glad to see them again, though they had trouble staying awake for long :)  Busy bodies== tired bodies!

Back in our driveway they landed just after 10 pm... exhausted but pumped!  They all had a fantastic time-- laughing and singing and joking and playing and staying up way too late together!  Of course, now the plans for trip #2 begin... I wonder if Pops knows what he's gotten himself in to :)

Evidence of a good time

An awesome swim meet and 4 NFL games== a prescription for a great weekend. Pops joined in the festivities, and together the guys polished off a lot of soda, a bunch of hot wings, mozzarella sticks & chicken nuggets, chips and queso sauce, and more. They chose their own menu and even helped prepare the bulk of it, and never once did one of them question whether or not a few fresh veggies should be added to the menu.  No, healthy eating wasn't the name of the game this weekend.  But you know what they say-- tomorrow's another day (and mom is in charge of the meal planning once again!).

Mancakes & Menstown

This is a Mancake.  The very last one, in fact... the latest and greatest creation to come out of "Menstown."  (What's "Menstown," you ask?  Well, let me see if I can offer a fair definition, seeing as how I am not a man!  To my understanding, Menstown is any gathering of the guys, both large and small, and its primary goal is to enjoy great time together with 1) good--often hot & spicy-- food, 2) quality programming on tv-- generally sports or war movies!, and/or 3) any other manly thing they can conjure up.)   This past weekend, while the ladies were away, Pops, Daddy, Bub, Noh-man and Big Man spent 50 hours in Menstown and had a fabulous time! 

 

As for the "mancakes"-- the  guys decided to try something new for breakfast on Saturday morning.  Pops made pancakes the usual way but then decided, with Bub's help, to add a secret ingredient.  Now for any of you who know my dad, you know that he is a hot sauce fanatic-- hot sauce usually tops most any meal he eats.  So naturally, I assumed it would be the secret ingredient.  Well I was close, but no cigar.  It was... are you ready for this?... crushed red peppers!  Have you ever heard of such a thing?? No, I hadn't either, but evidently, the experiment worked and the "Mancakes" received rave reviews from all.  Who'd a thunk it?!

Fortunately the men's weekend together was a huge success.  Of course, their time together is always great, but this weekend was an extra fun treat.  They did all sorts of neat things-- they spent an afternoon at an awesome children's museum, they watched the Olympics, they stayed up very late, and they dined on who-knows-what.  Curious as I was about what my children had consumed in my absence, I decided to ask about their meals... had they eaten any fruit while we were away?  Nope.  Any vegetables?? Bub: "Does macaroni and cheese count?"  How about beverages-- did you drink anything other than soda?  Bub again: "Um yeah-- I had a glass of orange juice yesterday."  Hmmm.  I'm not sure what they lived off of for 2 days and nights, but I did find an empty box of these on the counter:

Notice the weight on the box-- 3 lbs, 6 oz.  I'm sure that box was at least half full when we left.  Not anymore!  They also left us a few of these... evidence that they did eat something requiring utensils~

Anyhow, the guys apparently had a great time on their own, so who am I to complain?  As an added bonus, they all looked great when we returned and didn't have any horror stories to report. One never knows!  They even ran to greet us when we pulled up the drive.  Big Man offered Corrine a squeeze but refused to smile for the camera~

Noh-man and Pops were a bit more cooperative.

I'm very proud of my main men-- they did a super job while we were gone!  Now, does this mean the ladies will get to take more girls' weekends away??