Saturday, May 21, 2016

The Derbies
 
Each year the Girl Scouts out here put on their Powder Puff Derby.
The girls are given balsa wood blocks with wheels to attach and told to make racing cars out of them.
 
 
Last year Maddie's car was a leprechaun riding on a rainbow--and won first place for original design
(Sam gave a bit of help on the construction).
 
 
 
This year it was Turbo the Snail (construction helped by Sam) which must have won the creativity prize  (Maddie and Sam had to leave before the awarding).
 
 
 
And this year Max too, now a Tiger--which leads up to being a Boy Scout--entered his car (styled on the Plants and Zombies video game, construction helped by Sam) into the Pinewood Derby and won a special award for best creativity.
 
These cars weren't quite the fastest but, in many minds, definitely the BEST!!




 
 
Sam's Amazing Project!
 
Building a Pergola in their backyard......
 
 
starting with digging up the old cement,
 
 
 
 
a dumpster-ful,
to create a channel for cable
 
 
like this to run electricity to the patio,

 
and holes for the pergola posts, hacking through maybe 6 inches of cement.

 
 
 
The steel beams arrived along with the gantry, a lifting machine--necessary because Sam is doing this project  by himself.
 
 
 
 
Then came the cement. 


 
 
to secure the steel posts in the holes--
 
 
 
 
all four of them. 

 
After cutting the top beams to the proper size, the welding started
(posted before, but love this welder's outfit).

 
 Sam spent a lot of time on a ladder, welding, getting the cross beams in.
Much of the time on super hot days!


 
Finally looking like this.


 
Now the sanding and painting of the beams, a messy job.
Next will be finishing filling in the post holes with cement and ordering, cutting, preparing and placing wood slats over the roof.  It'll be a grand, shady place when done.
 
I know I'm skipping important steps but kudos to Sam on this amazing project.
It's already great- truly a bunker or maybe a man-style pergola.




 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Friday, May 13, 2016

 Toby's 76th
 
Celebrated at our house with dinner, cake and candles
 
 
 
and then at Toby's old Peace Corps friends the Siegels (here--Suzanne and daughter-in-law Sahra)
 
 
 
Us!
 
 
 
 
Christina sent Toby a jigsaw puzzle (something we both like to do).  He's displaying the finished version with his good caretaker Judi. 

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Last Week
 
 
Lea and Toby just before Theo's 2nd cataract surgery.

 
Sam in his cool welding outfit.
 
 
The M's deep in IPad concentration
 
 
 
while the grown-ups kibitz in the living room (PKs with Judy Graff and Steve).
 
 
 
 
And a very sweet photo from Gamboa!.