In less than a day, we have tenants in our new bird house. I have to say, watching these industrious birds has been fun. On another note, I attended the boys' baseball game this morning and they played really well. On the baseball field, there's no way you'd know they were Foreigns. They're swinging the bat very well and play the field like natives.
Our 13-year-old neighbor, Garrett, put up a birdhouse in our backyard. Ably assisted by his dad, Gregory, the G-Man dug a two-foot hole, slid in a six-foot post, and voila! Our spring birds, at least two of them, have a new home that faces our dining room window. Thanks, Garrett and Gregory! We'll keep you posted who moves in.
Next Tuesday, we fly out of Portland for a week on the road exploring the southwest. The following slide show provides a quick glimpse at our destinations--our own personal photos will be posted during the trip (I hope). Here's our itinerary: –Tuesday, May 10: Portland to Las Vegas, Nevada –Wednesday, May 11: Las Vegas to Hoover Dam, Williams Arizona (AZ), and the Grand Canyon for a quick look around sunset. –Thursday, May 12: Grand Canyon Hike on Bright Angel Trail into the canyon. Off to Sedona, Arizona. –Friday, May 13: Hike Doe Mountain in Sedona AZ and then drive to Blythe, California. –Saturday, May 14: Blythe to Joshua Tree National Park to climb Ryan Mountain and then a 2-hour drive to my brother Rob's home in Southern California's Newport Beach for sun, fun, and a hot tub (and a nap for the old guy). –Sunday, May 15: Hanging out in Southern California. –Monday, May 16: A little more Southern California comfort and then off to Las Vegas for a walk around Sin City. –Tuesday, May 17: Las Vegas to Newark NJ to Portland, Maine, landing at 6:18 pm. Home to Rumford by 8:30pm Every Wednesday, school begins one hour later than normal. That means the guys sleep in until 7:40am instead of 6:40am. In my eyes, that extra hour sure makes a difference. Some schools in America are beginning to have students arrive closer to 8:30am instead of 7:00 or 7:30am. I think a later start time makes good sense, and so do children's doctors and sleep experts in America. This morning, Soenke forgot about late arrival. He ate breakfast and then crawled back into bed. As for Bailey, he doesn't think much about time or school or arrival times--he just looks forward to his bowl of food and the two bones he receives afterwards.
The boys, Ian, and Connie ate at a restaurant in Boston where the wait staff made fun of and were rude to patrons. In addition, each dinner guest had to wear a hate with a saying on it...like Soenke's: "I scare girls..."
Connie, her son Ian, and the boys are in Boston today to watch the Boston Red Sox baseball team. It's a beautiful spring day in New England.
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