Halloween 2006

For Halloween we were invited to a wonderful party in Cannon Farms. We didn't know the owners of the home, but since when has that stopped us from going to a good party? Jody and I went as Steve Irwin and the Stingray, complete with bloody barb and all. It may sound cruel and tasteless, and it probably was. Everybody got a good laugh and we walked away with first prize for most creative. The Homriches, Hites, Eardleys, Larsens, and many more were invited. The highlight of the night was Brett's pimp costume and all the lovely "ladies of the evening" that congregated around him. The ice luge was a ton of fun! Stephanie showed once again why she is the Queen of all Servers. Every time you turned around she was making you belly up to the luge. Hondo got so twisted he was hurtin' for 3 days. We just cant' party like we used to!

Quake on the Lake - July 2006

In late July on our way back from camping, we stopped off in West Bloomfield to visit my parents. By "visiting" I mean dropped the kids off so Jody and I could go see the Nickelback concert in Detroit and hit the Greektown Casino. We actually won enough money to pay for our night out! Anyway, on Sunday afternoon we went north a few miles to Pontiac Lake to watch the Quake on the Lake. It was a gorgeous day and there were thousands of people on hand to watch the power boats racing around the lake. For a few bucks more we purchased a pit crew pass and were able to walk among the boats and mechanics. Before and after each race the boats are lifted out of the water by cranes so there is always a lot of action in the pits. Stefan got a big kick out of some of the display cars they had on hand too. Stefan is posing next to a Saleen S7, which is the fastest production car in the United States. A $402,000 price tag gets you 550 horsepower, 223 mph top speed, and 0 - 100 mph in 7.3 seconds. The car is reported to have so much down force that you can drive it upside down in a tunnel at any speed over 160 mph. I don't know about you, but that sounds way cool!!

Sailing Lessons

Last year my dad picked up a small sailing dory for the kids to use. He figured it would be an easy way for them to learn the fundamentals of sailing in a nice secure environment (Woodpecker Lake). Not only do the kids enjoy using it, but Jody has shown herself to be quite nautically inclined. To be truthful, I wasn't sure how the kids were going to take to the sailboat. Like their mom, they tend to prefer the "go fast" boats that make lots of noise. But on her first time out, Elan was having such a good time that when I instructed her to come about for a tack she replied, "But dad! I'm just picking up a good gust!! Needless to say she didn't come about for a few more minutes and enjoyed her brief burst of speed.

Jody Goes Camping!!

I'm sure most of you never thought you'd see those words on our family blog, but it's true!! Well.....mostly true anyway. In July of '06 we travelled to Grand Bend, Ontario to meet some college friends at The Pinery, which is a beautiful provincial park located about an hour north of Sarnia. We spent our first day there visiting the beach at Grand Bend and then the next day we drove 15 miles to go hiking in Arkona. Rock Glen Conservation Area is jam packed with fossils and we spent a couple of hours hiking along the river bed and climbing the steep banks in search of fossils. On the way back Stefan found a small garter snake and couldn't resist posing for the camera.

Later on Friday we headed to the Pinery to visit with Jarvis and Jeanine Tersteege. I went to college with Jarvis and he's been a great friend ever since. They came up with their 3 kids and we met up with Ferlin and Beth and 4 of their kids. We had a fun time swimming at the beach, hanging out, and cooking smores. We also saw a bald eagle hanging out by the river, but it was a bit too far away to photograph.

On our last day in Grand Bend we went back to the big beach where they were having a volleyball tournament and giant party. Elan and Stefan both entered and won a kid's Hula-Hoop contest. Stefan, Elan, and I also entered a Tropican Twister chugging contest and ended up winning t-shirts, frisbees, and 3 cases of Tropicana Twister. Stefan also helped land a nice Northern Pike. Jody got a bit spooked when the fish decided to show her how much fight he still had in him.

Trip to Marquette, MI ( in da' UP)

In July of 2006 I had an appraisal that needed to be done in Iron Mountain, MI. I took the opportunity to do a bit of hiking during the few hours of free time before my flight back home. What a beautiful area! I hiked for a bit around Presque Isle and then took off on my own to try and locate some waterfalls that I'd read about. There is a website run by a guy named Steve called UPwaterfalls.com and he posts photos and directions on how to get to a bunch of waterfalls in the UP. While hiking I managed to slip off a few rocks and go in the water up to my shorts. Fortunately my camera stayed dry. (It was a bit embarassing having to go through the security checkpoint at the airport with wet shoes.)

Florida March '06

We started our Florida vacation in Orlando with the Hite family (AJ, Amanda, Aimee, and Allison). We decided to not go to Disney this year and give Universal a try. We had a great time. The Jurassic Park ride was fun as was the Jaws ride. Our favorite ride was the Revenge of the Mummy. While we were walking through the park one of the Mummy characters followed us around. He was pretty freaky looking. Ellen Degeneres was filming her show at Universal the day that we were there and we all got see my wife on tv for a brief moment in the background. Shakira was the musical guest that day and she sang Hips Don't Lie. Smokin' Hot!!

St. John Virgin Islands '06

In February of 2006 we took a vacation with my parents down to the island of St. John, in the US Virgin Islands. What a great trip! Jody is the queen of vacation deals, so she hooked us up with cheap airfare and rented an awesome 4 bedroom house overlooking Rendevous Bay and Fish Bay. The view from our deck was incredible. In the evening we'd kick back with a cocktail and watch the sea turtles swim below in the bay. Every day we would try out a different beach and we were never disappointed. While snorkeling we say sea turtles, nurse sharks, barracuda, sting rays, parrot fish, star fish, and much more. As you can see from the pictures we did some hiking, sightseeing, tennis, and a lot of hanging around at the beaches. If you ever get a chance to go to St. John you won't regret it.

St. John Virgin Islands '06