Stopping for dinner at a Chinese restaurant.

Outside the Chinese restaurant.

Graci stairing down the lion.

Michelle offered me a prawn, Mmmm!

Chowing down.

Christmas dinner is the Lord's will.

You know Christmas dinner is the Lord's will, when the turkeys line up along the road to volunteer! 

Blustery Christmas drive.

Blustery drive to the Ownbey's house for Christmas dinner.

Heading to the Ownbey's for Christmas!

Heading to the Ownbey's for Christmas!

Getting ready to go to Christmas dinner!

Pretty silly to go out to start the car and realize that it snowed again last night and that I have to do some snow removal before we can leave.

OK, the snow is off the front of the car, now I can start it up and get it warming for the family. 

Michelle had to go back in to send out a few straglers, when we see Jennie coming out to get in the van we know that we are about to go. Now here come Michelle to get in and we're off.

Christmas dance.

It Christmas Eve and Bed time and Jennie comes out doing the Christmas dance.

Going Christmas Shopping.

Here it is Christmas Eve's Eve and Michelle and I are out fueling up before doing a little Christmas shopping. Ever year it seems like Christmas shopping gets harder and harder. This year I would have to say the food was the best part. 

Shoveling snow!

Last night I was out at midnight shoveling snow so I could take my Dodge to work today. I should have taken a picture before I started, it was just a hump on the side of our street.

Merry Christmas!

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas. If it keeps this up I may have to put snow tires on my Dodge. It's not really my preferred winter vehicle, it has a loose front end and needs a new battery. Other than that it's a real peach.

Gospel Bells!

Gospel Bells. Graci gets to ring those bells! She's in the middle wearing the light clothes.

Brass

Brass

Christmas at the church!

Christmas at the church! Children's signing choir.

97 Ford E-350 Van

Getting ready to take the van to church for the first time. 

Before we can drive this van we have to put a new battery in it. It took a few days to get it done. The bolt that holds the battery in was corroded so I sprayed it with WD-40 to get it to loosen but no dice. After waiting for a week and even buying a new 6 point 5/16" socket to get a good grip on it, it still wouldn't budge. Finaly I forced it and it snapped off at the base leaving the wedge in place. So I had to get a drill bit that would reach down behind the battery and drill out the wedge to release the battery.

Finaly all is well and I have a new 72(?) month battery in the van and it is ready to go!

Yum! Someday I am going to plant a fruitcake tree in my own back yard! :)

Fruitcakes remind me of my childhood, when I was a little kid my parrents would recieve two or three fruitcakes in the mail every Christmas. I remember picking at them and digging out the little peices of candied fruit, some of which I didn't like. I didn't realy love them so much at first but every time I get some I like it more.

Friday after work I received the first fruitcake in... maybe forty years and boy was it good!

GIRL MEETS BOY, IT DOESN'T LAST!

Graci making herself a snack.

97 Ford E-350 battery replacement. (Note to self)

Note for future reference: The nuts on the battery post are 5/16 and the one on the right is a little worn. The extended bolt on the battery wedge is 5/16 also but to corroded to be remved… I ended up not getting it this weekend.

Jennifer's daughter.

Jennifer's daughter.

The 94 Ford E350 Van.

The 94 Ford E350 Van takes a 1/2" end wrench and a 5/16 socket to remove the battery.

94 Ford E350 battery

94 Ford E350 battery post take a 1/2 end wrench.

Getting our tree up!

Getting our tree up!

Lewiston Christmas lights!

Lewiston Christmas lights!

Ami does cocoa.

Ami does everything her own way.

Winco at dusk.

Another fine afternoon safari. We bagged a trunk load.

Frosty night for a ride.

After I got home tonight I took this picture to illustrate jusy how nippy it is out. It was a nice night for a ride.  

A little side tracked!

Tonight before leaving work I called home and my wife didn't answer so I thought maybe I wouldn't be missed if I take a detour and drove up on the hilltop behind the house to look out across the city. I pulled my phone out and took this picture without taking off my gloves because if was a little cold out, about 24° and by the time I put my phone away my hands were still so cold I couldn't feel my fingers. I sent my wife this image with the message "A little side tracked!
Heading home now. " :) 

Coffee on the way to work!

Hello Boss;
I will be a little late to work today... ah.. Something has come up.
It's nice to be able to be a little late without causing a comotion.

Heading home!

Before heading home I installed my defroster! I was trying to stay warm. Sometimes I think that I am being a little wimpy, but it was below freezing and I am trying to get over a cold. 

X-treme XB-600 from the drivers seat.

Ever wondered what it's like to ride an X-treme XB-600 to work? I pulled out my phone on the way to my job and caught a few seconds. I can hear people talk in their yards and the sounds of tires. I can also smell everyones wood stoves smoldering, and now I realize that some people's cars lay down a trail of bad air for blocks. cough, cough!

Cave-dweller!

My XB-600 is in the garage and ready to go. I think I am going to have to get a set of skies for it before long. Actually I have hopes to drive it though the winter.

Home again, home again, clippedy clop!

Just about 12 hours later and here I am back at the house. Whatever happened to daylight? It was a cool dark day. I called it dank, and Jerry said it had been a while since he heard that word. Note that he didn't dissagree with me. 

It's supposed to clear off and get cold tonight. can't wait to get back on my bike and head to work again. Dis I tell you I love my X-treme XB-600! 

Now back to homework!

On the way.

x

Braving the Elements:

I have been riding my X-treme XB-600 to work now every day for about six months and think that I should send more accounts of my escapades. This morning it was warm, about 40* outside. The weatherman was forecasting rain but it wasn't raining when I left so I decided to brave it. In a couple of days it is supposed to be in the teens and I will be freezing my buns off.

Camera in w580i

I have been very disappointed with the camera in my Sony Erickson w580i. This weekend I spent some time and actually changed the camera out. Don't anybody try it without a service manual and actually it takes a special tool so I really don't even recommend it.
I searched online and was able to find a service manual. This image was taken after I changed the camera in my w580i; this is one of my first tries but I think that now my pictures are better!

Turkey Day!

Adina, Ben, and Adillia came down from Alaska and joined us for Thanksgiving!

After dinner we spent the rest of the day visiting, excep for Dennis. He tried very hard to get a nap in.

Oops! The things I have to do.

This was a hard thing for me to do. I have to scrape the University lalbels of the vehicles before they are sold, but this is one that my wife is bidding on and it felt like vandalizm.

One bloody knuckle and one cracked socke

One bloody knuckle and one cracked socket later, I'm getting it.

Defective 14mm Craftsmen socket.

I had to pull the hub apart to get off the old rotor. I tried to use this defective 14mm Craftsmen socket. 

All this for ten points!

All this for ten points!

Coffee at Bucers.

Pinini

Replacing brakes.

I put my Toyota up on blocks today. I just replaced my brake pads last fall. I didn't think they could possible need replacing. But last week I told Michelle to go ahead and use it and about ten minutes later she called me to come get her.

It seems she got down towm and the brakes went completely out.  Turns out that the rotor was dad enough that it ate up a (just one) pad. So I am back at it, taking it all apart.

 

I'm using a 17mm wrench on the bolts holding the disk pads in place. 

Next I had to order a rotor.

RE: Where is this?

I took this picture up on Shelby Ave. over looking our house. Out for a ride after running down to the coffee shop.

Out on the Xtreme XB-600.

Getting rained on, but what fun!

We're having fun, how bout you?

We're having fun, how bout you?

Lost in church.

Michelle lost a Round Ball of yarn in church.
Round balls of yarn can roll all the way to the front of the church because our sancuary has a pretty steep slope.
One other thing that I found out was that I almost don't fit on the floor betreen the pews.
I wonder what the preacher thought?

Late on a Thursday night

Here is Dad late on a Thursday night! Friday I had a report that had to be done and also a test to take. So I ended up staying up till 6:00a and then getting up at 7:00a to go to work. As it was I ended up being an half of an hour late to work. What fun taking classes is! Or should I have said, "What fun is taking classes?)

Elise

Elise

Jennie

Jennie

Jennie and Kirsten

Jennie and Kirsten

Elise

Elise

Jennie and Sterling at Zeppos.

Jennie and Sterling at Zeppos.