"Isn't this so fun?"

We took the boys mini-golfing with Nana this evening. I know we have taken them in the past, but it has been years and neither boy could remember having been on a mini-golf course. They were extremely excited. By the third hole they were doing a kind of gallop/skip around as they moved from hole to hole and as they waited for their turn. K came up to me and excitedly inquired, "Mama! Isn't this so fun!?!"

This course was apparently destroyed in Hurricane Katrina and has been recently rebuilt and reopened. The owners were thrifty though, the course while neat and tidy is extremely basic. No animated windmill, no moving crocodile mouth. Just some indoor/outdoor grass arranged around a few small rocks. But if it is your first time mini-golfing the bar is not very high. The boys love, love, loved this. K marvelled, "This is getting complicated," as we stared down a lumpy 10 yard stretch of indoor/outdoor grass carpet with the hole arranged in a mound like a volcano at the end.

One thing I truly appreciate about the south is the sound of "Y'all." It has this smooth ring to it when delivered with the southern accent. Love it! You could say just about anything to a group of people when it is directed at "Y'all." We let a group of people play through, as we were permitting mulligans and generally taking our time. They all uttered, as only a southerner can, "Thanks y'all." It sounded so genuinely thankful. If this Yankee had tried the same it would have sounded harsh and nasally.

We did get passed by a group of serious golfers. In this shot we posed K so that we could covertly get them in the background.

Yes, they are carrying a real golf bag, and no they are not using the rubber putters provided by the mini-golf course. Oh no, no, they are all using real putters. And, gem, not sure if you can see it, but one among them does have real golf gloves hanging out of his pocket. In fairness, they could have lapped us on the golf course, the mini-volcano thing that took me 8 strokes was nailed by each of them in quick succession in just 2 strokes...no mulligans. And, as they passed they offered a friendly, "Y'all have a good night."

U.S.S. Alabama

We took a day trip to Mobile, Alabama today. It is just a short one-hour trip to the east on I-10. Battleship park sits on the gulf coast and the U.S.S. Alabama which began its career in WWII is docked there in the water. The park also features some static aircraft displays, and a submarine.

Our tour began outside the museum with an up close look at the B-52 Strato-fortress. This one had a position for a tail gunner and the bomb bay doors were open so that the boys could walk under the plane and view the bombs. The boys were so excited. They really are good museum tourists, they generally like you to read all the information that one might ordinarily be comfortable skipping past. B-52s are still around, but this one was configured circa Vietnam.

The day was hot and humid, as a good summer day in the south ought to be. Parts of the interior of the U.S.S. Alabama were air conditioned, but most of the boat was an oven. As a result of the very steep ladders on the ship, the temperatures, and my current condition I only lasted with the boys for about an hour. Their exuberance didn't wane with mine, so I left them with Johan and headed for the creature comforts of the gift shop.

Here are some shots of the boys manning the gun on board the U.S.S. Alabama.

I like this next little photo sequence of the boys because it is fairly typical of what we get when trying to pose them for a photo op. They start standing about 6 inches apart smugly looking in the general direction of the camera. We ask for a nice smile and suggest, "Put your arm around your brother." This results in a cheesy grin and a huge arm grab. The close proximity necessitated by the arm grab lasts for several seconds before quickly dissolving into a silly round of wrestling. The wrestling is usually good natured in a supremely boyish way. Note, these pictures are not staged. Johan had the camera set to very rapidly take one picture after another successively.

Step 1: Indulge your parents with a photo op.

Step 2: Cheesy smile

Step 3: Big grab



Step 4: Bigger grab

Step 5: Launch offensive punch

Step 6: Incoming punch

Step 7: Land the punch... with an overly dramatic response from K who is notably still smiling.

Step 8: More drama--Mission Accomplished!

When the boys were confident that they had seen every inch of the ship with Johan, I rejoined them for the aircraft displays, most of which were (thank goodness) to be found inside an air conditioned hangar. I marvelled at the WWII technology. The U.S.S. Alabama actually launched two airplanes off of its stern. The planes had floats and would land in the water near the boat to be reloaded by an on-board crane. One of these planes was on display in the hangar, however it apparently sustained more damage during Hurricane Katrina than during WWII.

While the boys were thrilled with the opportunity to sit in the gunners' seats on the battleship the star of the show was the static display of the SR-71 Blackbird. We did not know that the Blackbird would be there, but off and on all week the boys had been discussing this plane. It came up when one of them wanted to know what the fastest airplane is, and just last night we were talking about how the plane generates so much friction in the air as a result of its speed that the metal actually expands enough as it flies that gaps are left in the structure of the aircraft such that when the plane is on the ground it leaks gas. When we stepped into the hangar and spotted the SR-71 both boys gasped.

Following Battleship Park it was time for a late lunch. We headed downtown and discovered "A Spot of Tea." A local breakfast/diner that later morphs into a nightclub. They specialize in sweet tea, which is of course a southern treat, but theirs is strawberry sweet tea. Delicious! Because they also serve breakfast all day, K ordered a decadent lunch, Bananas Foster French Toast. With Johan's encouragement, C experienced his first Monte Cristo (a deep fried ham and cheese sandwich on what is essentially two slices of French toast). Johan was disappointed because the Monte Cristoes of his past are served with raspberry jam, C's came with honey mustard. Happily though it was also served with a large side of hash browns covered in (pure joy) cheese and bacon. Johan and I ordered more responsibly, hoping that we might be able to "help" the boys. Unfortunately, our boys can eat...they are way past kids meals now, and most of the time eat more than we do. Today was no exception.

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I

Our first full day in Mississippi, and the boys were eager to hit the beach. Temperatures at home were still not getting much past 50 degrees, so we felt fortunate to be enjoying the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This water is so very nice. Our first week here, it was extremely windy. We started to think that was just how it is here, but things have since calmed down.

On this day the wind proved too much for us. The boys were getting blown down the beach nearly as fast as I could walk after them. Not that I am moving at top speeds these days, but the thoughts of currents, sea creatures, and the the relentless wind led me to encourage the boys to return to the hotel for some pool time. Our condo is right across from the beach, it has two outdoor pools, two hot tubs, and one indoor pool.

The Air Force base has a Frisbee golf course and a regular golf course. We had already hit the Frisbee golf course when the boys spotted all the golf carts racing around. They were curious about real golf, and K announced, "I would like to get more into golf." We don't golf at all, so just looking at the course would translate to "more" golf. I inquired about the driving range, and golf lessons.

Johan and I took the boys to the driving range one evening as a primer for the lessons that they would soon be taking. What fun! Johan was really hitting the ball far, and I couldn't resist the competition. So I asked him for his club, and he looked at me curiously but obliged. For one glorious moment I wasn't pregnant, as I focused on the ball, sure that I could hit farther than Johan. Then reality came crashing back as the pain of my violent (not so graceful) swing reminded me of my unusual girth.

Here are some shots of Johan offering his wealth of golfing knowledge to the boys.

It should be noted that after the boys first lesson the first thing they both announced when they saw us was, "You taught us wrong Papa!" In Johan's defense, he doesn't golf much and hasn't played a single round of golf in years, and perhaps even more importantly he is left-handed.

On our first weekend here, we took a walk up the beach. There are jet ski rentals available up and down the beach. Needless to say the boys were more than a little interested. As we headed toward the jet ski rentals the boys found all sorts of treasures. This one was the greatest.

K instantly recognized it as the body of a horseshoe crab. He later saw a live one in the water. C missed it, and therefore doubts K's story.

Here they are getting ready to take off on the jet ski.

All three boys rode together on one jet ski. Johan let the boys take turns driving.

As part of our jet ski rental agreement I was permitted to use one of the cushioned lounge chairs owned by the rental company. The operator who patrolled for likely customers on his 4-wheeler came by after the boys had taken off. He lacked some teeth, wore a t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, and as a result of his occupation, his neck was literally red. He pulled up next to me on his 4-wheeler and shouted over the engine, "You 'bout to pop, ain't cha?" Southern charm :-). I could think of no good reply and merely affirmed his observation.

After a long, hard day at the beach, here is a shot of K relaxing on our patio enjoying some dessert. We are on the 13th floor, with a huge view of the beach. Roughing it...

On Our Way

We left Klamath Falls on May 4, bound for Gulfport, Mississippi. Johan took over as Communications Commander so some training at Keesler AFB is in order. Unfortunately the last 5 week training course that the Air Force will ever offer is right now, just as baby A is due to arrive. So we all headed south together. After this final 5 week course the training turns into a 6 month course! 5 weeks sounds much better.

We weren't very ambitious in planning our drive. Most days we only spent about 8 hours on the road. The boys were great! But, this was a 2010 style road trip. Many mornings they were asking, "Can we get in the car yet?" There were movies, audio books, and Nintendo DS waiting. Johan and I reminded them a few times that we didn't have movies or audio books for our road trips. The boys would marvel, "What did you do?" We fondly remembered making up games and singing. So we would try that with the boys for a while, until we all realized it wasn't as great as we remembered it.

Our Day 1 goal had originally been to make it to Reno, a short 4 hour drive. But we didn't make our planned Monday departure, so we had to get to Salt Lake City in order to play a little catch up. Here we are at our day one lunch stop in South Eastern Oregon. We pulled off at Warner Canyon Ski Resort which was closed for the season. I had made plenty of chicken curry for chicken sandwiches (thank you for the excellent recipe Andrea). The boys ate and wandered doing their best to adhere to my request to not get muddy.

I had lofty plans to stop and take a picture at every state line... and to do lots of blogging about our trip. But at the time it seemed like too much trouble to stop and unload. So many, many valuable photo ops were skipped. I regret it now, but at the time making more miles seemed the better option. Consequently what I had intended to have as a well documented cross-country trip is little more than a collection of a few random pictures.

For day 2 we left Salt Lake City (after enjoying the hotel pool) and headed for Colorado Springs. Johan and I had forgotten how incredibly dramatic the Rocky Mountains are. Interstate 70 from Salt Lake City to Denver took us through an absolutely amazing canyon in western Colorado. After leaving Rifle, Colorado the interstate winds through incredible terrain, not to mention the impressive engineering of the interstate itself. Sadly...no pictures.

We didn't get to Denver until it was already dark, but we were stunned by the growth. Although it seems like yesterday that we lived in Colorado, we realized that over 12 years have passed. From Denver we headed south on I-25 and could not believe how much has changed. If you are familiar with that part of the country you may remember that not so long ago Denver and Castle Rock were completely separate cities. Castle Rock being the sleepy little town between Denver and Colorado Springs. Not so anymore, the two are practically suburbs of one another. An eight lane freeway now connects Denver to Castle Rock and there are not more than 10 miles of undeveloped land on the outskirts of Castle Rock. Colorado Springs too has stretched north.

We decided to spend day 3 in Colorado Springs. We took the boys to visit the Air Force Academy and checked out the town. The boys were excited to see where Papa went to school. We felt our age however, as we realized that the kids attending the Air Force Academy today were born the year Johan graduated from high school. Post 9-11 security has reached the Air Force Academy so a lot of the areas that Johan wanted to share with the boys were off limits. We did visit the chapel, and hike around a bit. The static aircraft displays were exciting for the boys.

I was most impressed with how this picture, taken with a new lens and filter for our camera, turned out. The image is so crisp, it looks like a cartoon to me.

We were back on the road for day 4. This time we stopped at another of Johan's former schools. Wichita Falls, Texas is home to Sheppard Air Force Base, where Johan went to pilot training. We skipped the base, but did drive through some beautiful neighborhoods. We pulled a few real-estate fliers from what in Klamath Falls would be million dollar homes, selling in Texas for just under $400,000. How is that even possible????

A favorite rest stop activity for the boys was playing football with Johan. Here they are at a Texas rest stop. Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of the actual football.

On day 5 we stopped in Fort Worth for lunch at this local treasure.

The only thing on the menu is fried chicken or chicken fried steak. Everything is served family style and your fried chicken comes with all the salad, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy and biscuits you can eat. I've already gained 50 pounds...so there was nothing to stop me. The chicken was delicious, the salad, and corn, well above average, the mashed potatoes were heavenly, but the biscuits! It should be illegal to offer a pregnant woman unlimited biscuits fresh from the oven with warm butter and honey. And mashed potatoes, really!?! Whoever first decided to mash up some roots, add in butter and cream, and top them with the fat drippings of chicken really was a genius. If you are ever in the Fort Worth area and have several thousand calories to spare please stop in at Babe's.

We spent the night in Shreveport, Louisiana. Our hotel was right on this newly constructed Riverwalk with a mall and quite a few restaurants. Here are the boys in front of the Mississippi river. Any mention of Mississippi the state or the river will now throw K into a lively sing-song spelling of M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I.

After Shreveport it was a short six hour drive to our condo in Gulfport. We made it in time to catch the evening mass on Sunday!

To the Bone Yard

Johan's jet was sent to the bone yard in Arizona last month. It is being replaced by a newer jet, newer is relative as this "new" jet is still circa 1980. The jet's tail number ends in 40, playing on that, and the fact that Johan's crew chief is one of the oldest, the jet was painted with an "Over the Hill" theme. Unlike the active duty Air Force, at Kingsley Field the jets get custom painted. Johan's crew chief designed this one when the jet was repainted for Johan. It is difficult to see in the picture, but the jet is painted with a skeleton riding a heater missile.

Spring Soccer

Our spring soccer season was unexpectedly cut short. We had to head south on our Mississippi expedition halfway through the season. Johan coached for the first time this year. Both boys were thrilled with this arrangement.

C loved the opportunity to play goal keeper, but he is really a great scorer, so we tried to gently steer him toward playing forward. C was a leading scorer for the team every game. K did a great job keeping up. As a first grader playing on a 3rd and 4th grade team, he was excellent.

Here are some shots from the boys' spring soccer season.

T-O-A-S-T

A lot has happened since my last post. I am going to try to play catch up this week. But first, a little anecdote from this evening. At dinner, Johan delighted the boys with this childhood gem... He asked C to spell bread. "B-R-E-A-D," C proudly responded. Then Johan asked him to spell toast. Again, C proudly spelled toast. Johan then asked C to spell it two more times. To which C accurately responded. Finally, Johan queried, "What do you put in a toaster?" To which C promptly and proudly answered, "Toast!" And then, immediately both boys erupted in nearly uncontainable laughter. C in the midst of his uproarious laughter, marvelled at Johan with genuine admiration, "How do you do that?" He was truly appalled.