Peter Hitchens is always fun to listen to:
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Google+ Stream Book
A man named Sandesh Kumar made a nifty web site that converts your Google Plus stream into a book. Here is mine JeStoneIV Stream Book
Don't forget to enter for a chance to win $5.00!
Don't forget to enter for a chance to win $5.00!
Instrument
After watching a video the other day on 22 Words (not the one below but one like it), I commented on Facebook that glasses would be a cheap instrument to play or something like that. The today while using Google Reader's recommended items, I found this little charm: Set of Musical Glasses. How awesome are these things?
Adventures of John V
I wasn't sure how much biking and hiking John boy could handle, so I pushed him to his limit (probably a hair farther than his limit on Monday because he started to say his leg hurt when we were little more than half way home).
We did all kinds of things. We hiked along the fields around our house, we looked for good spots to sit where there were no ants or spiders and that would be comfortable so we could drink water (I had a "survival backpack", we could have survived 3 days at least if we had too). He learned which trees provided the best shade to sit under. He learned how to clear a spot for a tiny fire in case we had to make food. He learned how to put out a fire by burying it with sand and then stomping on it just to be sure. He learned how to point to north using a compass. He knew, most of the time, which way home was even when he couldn't see it.
Below is a map of our travels. Green area is area hiked. Red lines are the roads (and dirt path) we biked on. The fire symbol is places we practiced fire safety. Blue markers are things we saw along the way. If you bookmark the map you can come back every so often to see what other adventures John boy and I (and soon Bethany and Matthew) went on.
View Hiking and Stuff in a larger map
Double Chocolate Chunk
Yummy Double Chocolate Chunk cookies for mommy. John boy helped me make them, and we spilled a little more water in them then it called for. That's why they are so big. John boy had a half, I had one and mommy had one and a half. They were yummy! The bag says that it makes 3 dozen 2-inch cookies, but we ended up making 1 dozen 4 to 6 inch cookies.
Camping
Need a vacation? Have a two or more person family? Have a tight budget? Then camping is for you! For $12.00 a night (or $24.00 if you need more room), you can set your tent up at a lovely spot for the evening and work on your survival skills and relax with nature.
December 31st, Bethany John boy and I will be heading due north (from where I sit) almost to Caloosahatchee Regional Park with a tent, some food, a kayak and perhaps some bikes. We will be joining friends (some we know, some who we will meet) and family doing whatever we want.
Some might ask, "what is so great about camping?" Camping is great! It brings out the man in men and boys and the relaxation in ladies. The men get there and immediately their instincts kick in. They survey the land, looking for a flat spot for their tent that will meet their most basic needs of storage, closeness to the fire, distance from trees that look like they will drop large branches in the smallest breeze and so on. Then they begin pitching the tent. A work of art every time. Pulling the tent inches at a time until in the perfect spot, they begin beating the stakes into the ground.
Next, after the shelter has been erected, the man's instincts remind him that he will need food. The food is already near or in the tent waiting, but there needs something. That something is fire. Mans second best friend. Fire needs fuel. Trees are fuel, but the park ranger said "no cutting down trees". The man must hunt for fallen logs, branches, kindling. Looking quickly for firewood as the sun begins its decent, the man quickly searches around his site. Then, a strike of flint, a puff of air, FIRE.
Where are the ladies, you ask? In the chairs set up around the campfire by their husbands. Reading, talking, watching the wood turn to ash, taking sips of their iced tea. Isn't that a ladies dream?
All this for two ten dollar bills and a five. There will most likely be pictures of this adventure sometime in January. Stay tuned.
Today on Groupon, you can see the Southwest Florida Symphony's A Very Merry Pops at the Barbara B. Mann on the 18th or 19th of this month for $20.00 a ticket. They are usually $60.00.
December 31st, Bethany John boy and I will be heading due north (from where I sit) almost to Caloosahatchee Regional Park with a tent, some food, a kayak and perhaps some bikes. We will be joining friends (some we know, some who we will meet) and family doing whatever we want.
Some might ask, "what is so great about camping?" Camping is great! It brings out the man in men and boys and the relaxation in ladies. The men get there and immediately their instincts kick in. They survey the land, looking for a flat spot for their tent that will meet their most basic needs of storage, closeness to the fire, distance from trees that look like they will drop large branches in the smallest breeze and so on. Then they begin pitching the tent. A work of art every time. Pulling the tent inches at a time until in the perfect spot, they begin beating the stakes into the ground.
Next, after the shelter has been erected, the man's instincts remind him that he will need food. The food is already near or in the tent waiting, but there needs something. That something is fire. Mans second best friend. Fire needs fuel. Trees are fuel, but the park ranger said "no cutting down trees". The man must hunt for fallen logs, branches, kindling. Looking quickly for firewood as the sun begins its decent, the man quickly searches around his site. Then, a strike of flint, a puff of air, FIRE.
Where are the ladies, you ask? In the chairs set up around the campfire by their husbands. Reading, talking, watching the wood turn to ash, taking sips of their iced tea. Isn't that a ladies dream?
All this for two ten dollar bills and a five. There will most likely be pictures of this adventure sometime in January. Stay tuned.
Today on Groupon, you can see the Southwest Florida Symphony's A Very Merry Pops at the Barbara B. Mann on the 18th or 19th of this month for $20.00 a ticket. They are usually $60.00.
Been Busy
As you certainly know, our Habitat for Humanity home has Chinese Drywall. The last some weeks or so, we have been looking for places to rent, waiting for information, packing, rearranging, and saying goodbye to our house. During that time we have also done some fun things that I could have written about, I just haven't felt like it. However, today, I will.
Firstly, my dad and brother are still putting together a few things to sell. There is no limit to what they can make within their limitations. Steve has made picture frames recently that are neato. There is always the Shoe Shine Box which is for sale at Etsy. Really, if you want something made, you oughta just ask them if they can do it, and how much it would cost.
Bethany and I bought a massive tent!
The floor on this puppy is 10' X 20'. If you were following this blogs Facebook Page, you would already know that ;). Steve, John boy and I slept in it last Friday night, the 5th. It was cold out, but John boy and I shared 4 or 5 blankets and Steve (who slept about 12' away from us!) had a sleeping bag and blanket. It was great. Steve and I kept a fire going in his little charcoal grill that sits on the ground. It was warm off and on. I didn't take pictures this time...
The floor on this puppy is 10' X 20'. If you were following this blogs Facebook Page, you would already know that ;). Steve, John boy and I slept in it last Friday night, the 5th. It was cold out, but John boy and I shared 4 or 5 blankets and Steve (who slept about 12' away from us!) had a sleeping bag and blanket. It was great. Steve and I kept a fire going in his little charcoal grill that sits on the ground. It was warm off and on. I didn't take pictures this time...
I am totally going to get Bethany to go camping with me soon. She said she would love to go, it just may be difficult while she is expecting. So it may be anywhere from 2 to 12 months from now. I really want to go to Fisheating Creek. Bethany really wants to go to the springs near Ocala. That's two trips right there! If you have a tent and want to go camping, raise your hand... and then comment below.
Hopefully we are moving out of our house this weekend. I'll let ya know.
Another useful link. I bought my uncle's CD "Night Jazzmen". You should listen to samples HERE.
Happy Leif Erikson Day
You heard it here first.
Do not forget to wish everybody a Happy Leif Erikson day this Saturday!
Another Fun Weekend
This week, I couldn't think of anything to write. Instead, I am just posting another weekend of pictures for you to see. At the end of this post will be a link to a secret video! All you have to do is answer 3 questions and you will find the link to a video that you will not want to miss out on. Do you realize how horrible it would be if all of your friends and family were tweeting and posting to Facebook their excitement about the video you didn't watch because you didn't want to answer 3 questions?
The order of the pictures is backwards. We went to the park Saturday morning, and slept in the tent Friday night.
The order of the pictures is backwards. We went to the park Saturday morning, and slept in the tent Friday night.
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| Steve's Tent. Setting it up. |
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| Had to get the chickens in. |
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| John boy and Tigger in John's sleeping bag from the bowlins |
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| Putting things away. |
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| Steve testing the best hard ground to sleep on. |
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| Coleman grill and coffee percolating. |
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| Waiting for coffee still. |
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| Still waiting. |
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| Yay! Coffee! He really had coffee. Half a mug. |
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| Where we slept. |
Weekend Fun - Lots of pictures
This Saturday, Bethany, John and I planted some flowers in our little garden next to our front door.
John boy and Bethany did the planting of the flowers.
Lake Quinn, PA
"Welcome to Lake Quinn. A private lake community in South Canaan, Pennsylvania."
I just discovered this morning that the lake community that my grandparents live in and that I used to visit often when I was but a child growing up in Pennsylvania, has a website (said website). I have many memories around that Lake Quinn. Had friends that Steve and I played with, went out in row boats, flipped a sailboat, lost glasses, lost fishing rods, caught frogs, found clay, built roadways in a sandbox that doubled as a cat litter box. Although my memory isn't exactly perfect, one thing I remember that was awesome was the COW FLOP.
Lake Quinn has a field across the street from my grandparents house, that is owned by my grandparents and their neighbors. If you look real hard at the aerial, you can almost kinda see the field. In this field, once a year, men (manly men) took paint and painted squares in part of the field. In one of these squares a borrowed cow would (for lack of a better word) poop. People put money down on one of the squares of their choice, and that is the excitement. Of course there were other activities to do as you waited on the digestion system of the cow, but the main even (to me, at least) was the cow. Plus, I was to young to gamble on darts and the other raffles and things and normally just road my bike around on the dirt road with Steve and then came back in time for the thrilling bathroom break of the cow.
It turns out that they stopped the cow flop several years ago, because they couldn't get people to help out with the festivities. As I expressed my disappointment to a coworker, he said that I should hold a cow flop in my area... and so began my thinking. How awesome would a "block party" be with all the activities centering around my yard, painted up with squares and a cow tied up in the center, walking around, eating grass and finally, relieving itself in the square? All proceeds will go to a non-profit organization. It would be awesome.
There could be prizes and games. I could cook up hundreds of hot dogs on the grill, while we wait in anticipation. All the neighbors we would reach would be incredible. Now, I have not looked into the permits and legality of all of this yet, but I'm just throwing the idea out there.
Would you go? Would you put a dollar on a square or two? Would you be able to eat a hot dog so close to cow poop?
Let me know, maybe this time next year I will be blogging about how the first annual Lehigh Acres community cow flow went.
There could be prizes and games. I could cook up hundreds of hot dogs on the grill, while we wait in anticipation. All the neighbors we would reach would be incredible. Now, I have not looked into the permits and legality of all of this yet, but I'm just throwing the idea out there.
Would you go? Would you put a dollar on a square or two? Would you be able to eat a hot dog so close to cow poop?
Let me know, maybe this time next year I will be blogging about how the first annual Lehigh Acres community cow flow went.
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