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March 31, 2005

Montecristo Bonanza

So Jeremy calls me up and tells me I have to order a box of Montecristo Whites (a very fine smoke) from J and R Cigars. The reason why follows in a lovely pictoral...

The Cigars (#3's)

The Ashtray (BTW, I really needed one if these. It beats the flower pot I usually use.)

The Espresso Beans

The Air-tight Ceramic Coffee Container

The Espresso Cups and Saucer

The Lifetime Supply of Colongne? (Good Lord! It's Even in a Bottle shaped like a Bundle of Cigars!)

Posted by Rich at 10:49 AM | Comments (3)

March 29, 2005

Easter Egg Hunt

The girls had an Easter egg hunt at school on Good Friday. Karen went armed with the camera...

Sophia Shares(The blue lips are not a color mistake or Photoshop trick. They are REAL!)

Sophia with a Full Basket

Francesca Wins "Most Dirt on a Face" Award

Enjoying the Spoils!

Posted by Rich at 8:10 PM | Comments (2)

March 23, 2005

Barton Creek - Part 2

While we were in Austin the Kids enjoyed the pool and the nature trail. It rained late Saturday, but we got the chance to see an incredible rainbow.

Francesca with Mommy

In the Pool

One Half of a Full Rainbow

Posted by Rich at 1:59 PM | Comments (2)

March 21, 2005

Barton Creek 2005 - Part 1

So Mother A is having a yearly event this week at Barton Creek outside of Austin, Texas. So like last year we loaded up the girls and drove down to spend a long weekend together prior to the event. This allows us to make a mini vacation out of one of Karen's business trips. (We also get a really good room rate!)

This year Grammy and Papa came down Friday evening and spent part of the day Saturday with us. The girls had a great time with their grandparents...as follows:

Sophia with Grammy

Look at the Camera Francesca!

Papa says, "Look at me Sophia." and she complies.

The Girls with Papa - The Final Picture

Posted by Rich at 6:55 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2005

The New Digital Camera

So I finally bought a digital camera:

Canon Powershot SD300 Digital Elph Camera

It's a 4MP camera that takes really nice pictures. It has some great features as well. So what was my logic? I went with Canon because I've had excellent luck with other Canon products both personally and professionally. I wanted a compact camera that could be inconspicuous and easy to tote around. This thing is tiny and very discreet. (Which is good for doing recon in a store a.k.a. researching something for a client, or candid photos.)

I also didn't want to replace my film camera, and this camera won't. Good for the blog, but not for life. JD recently had some thoughts on a digital cameras that echoed mine. (Of course I can't seem to locate exactly where he said it. Sorry.) Eventually I want a digital camera that will allow me to use the compliment of lenses I currently own (which is for a Cannon SLR). Unfortunately the level of digital SLR I'm looking for is a little too pricey at the moment.


Canon EOS 20D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera

When I'm actually ready to do it, I should be able to get the quality of camera I want for a slightly better price...maybe.

Posted by Rich at 11:34 AM | Comments (2)

March 15, 2005

Garage Sale Etiquette

Last weekend Karen and I worked at garage sale that benefits the girls' school. Lots of the parents donated clothes and other items. All of the money goes to the parents group, which is responsible for all sorts of things including playground improvements.

Now it has been quite a while since I have worked at a garage sale, the last one was in 1998. So I really was unsure how it still worked. I was happy to see that the cantankerous old guy who shows up at every garage sale I have ever seen and asks, "Do you have any old watches or jewelry?" is still around.

I also appreciate the bargaining dance that each shopper has in their repertoire. Sadly I would cut this dance short:

CUSTOMER: How much is this?
RICH: How much do you want it to be?
CUSTOMER: Fifty cents.
RICH: How about a dollar?

This was usually followed by money being handed to me and a smile. The other hard rule of the garage sale is the relationship between price and time. At 3pm a complete set of dishes is sold for $7, when it was priced at $25 when the sale started. Children's clothes which were selling for $1 an outfit at 10am are sold at $5 for as much as you can carry at 2:30pm.

The good news is that we raised over $1400! The amazing part is that by 10:30am, we had made $1100. The last $300 came between 10:30am and 3pm.

On Sunday I spent from 9:30am to 4pm working with 3 other dads fixing the fence on one of the school playgrounds. I am obviously ready for a break from school work!

Garage Sale Heaven

Whose Garage Sale Exploded Here

As a side note, I recently got a digital camera (they'll be an entry on this later), but didn't have it when the sale started, so I shot a photo with my phone. Thus the marked difference in the overall quality of these 2 pictures.

Posted by Rich at 12:41 PM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2005

Grandpa and Grandma's Spring Visit

Grandpa and Grandma were down for a visit. The girls had a fantastic time, playing all sort of games (including the fear-inducing "Crocodile Dentist")! The girls kept their grandparents quite busy, as you can see below.

Grandpa and Sophia Play the Piano

Grandpa and Francesca Feed Birds

Grandma Paints Sophia's Nails

Posted by Rich at 6:45 PM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2005

Barrett's Birthday

Last weekend, we went to a birthday party for Sophia's friend Barrett. There was an incredible bounce house. After most of the kids had gone, I managed to sustain several minor injuries and break my glasses...guess I should have read the clearly posted directions on the front mentioning not wearing glasses and something about impairments...

Sophia and Barrett in Front of the Bounce House

Francesca and Grandpa Blow Bubbles

Barrett Makes a Wish

Sophia Liked the Ice Cream

Posted by Rich at 3:59 PM | Comments (0)

March 3, 2005

Making Pizza with Friends

While we were getting ready for dinner, Sophia, Francesca, and friends played and made their own pizzas. Sophia and Bailey had a great time putting together all of the right ingredients.

Posted by Rich at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

March 1, 2005

Intimate Gatherings

Jennifer and Jeremy gave Karen and I a cook book for Christmas in 1998 called Intimate Gatherings - Great Food for Good Friends by Ellen Rose and Jessica Strand. I don't use it as often as I should but the times I have pulled it off the shelf, the recipes inside have yet to disappoint.

The book is laid out in an interesting way. Like many cooks, the authors emphasize the importance of seasonal ingredients, therefore the book is broken into Summer, Spring, Fall, and Winter sections. Each section contains three sets of full menus that depend on the number in your party (two, four, and six persons).

Saturday night we had an old friend from college and her family over for dinner. I prepared the Winter Dinner for four persons (page 110), minus the Martini's with Caperberries and the Caramelized Banana Pudding for dessert (Ginger and Mike brought a fruit tart).

Cheese Torta

Fennel Soup with Roasted Garlic Croutons

Describing the above as a soup is a bit misleading (or maybe it is the description of the croutons). You take a slice of toasted rustic bread, slather it with roasted garlic paste, place it in the bottom of the bowl, and ladle the soup on top. The bread becomes soft after soaking up almost all of the liquid. While the constancy is not very soup-like, the tast is exceptional.

Bistro Skillet Steak with Reduced Burgundy Sauce
Hot Potato and Frisee Salad

A good night with plenty of wine and even well-behaved kids- but more on that later...

Posted by Rich at 10:15 AM | Comments (2)