Phase one of #5 of 5’s Aquarium Plan is now complete.
A suitable aquarium stand has been located, painted white and “splatter painted” with her favorite colors (which all happen to be pastel!)
She did a large portion of the work of preparing this stand on her own (or with adult supervision). She did most of the sanding, most of the primer coat, and most of the final coat. She also did most of the splatter painting all on her own too!!
I’m so proud of her!! Check out these results!
Now with phase I complete it’s on to phase II… Aquascaping!!
Aquascaping is the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cavework, or driftwood, in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium.
Now that you have seen what her ideal tank stand looks like, I’ll let the guesses commence on what the interior decoration (or “Aquascaping”) she is planning!
Leave your thoughts as a comment!
If you haven't seen the start of this project, be sure to check out Part 1!
With all the shooting #3 of 5 did between April and June, using our Groupon was the last thing on our minds, but with the season now well in our rear view mirror and the Groupon’s expiration date looming – we set a date and planned for a day on the range.
Since #3 of 5 shoots Trap (as opposed to Skeet or Sporting Clays) I called the Horse & Hunt club ahead of time and inquired about substituting Trap for Sporting Clays. They were happy to accommodate our request. (Trap is less expensive than Sporting Clays).
We arrived at the Horse and Hunt Club and checked in at the Clubhouse. The clubhouse staff were very friendly and helpful. I again explained that we wished to substitute Trap for the Sporting Clays, and without a blink, got us set up, provided us a score card, gave us directions to the Trap ranges and wished us luck!
Both of their trap ranges were open, so we selected the “Lower” range (since it was at the end of the road). The range overlooked a beautiful slew!
With only two of us (and no “official” to judge and keep score) we decided to each shoot a full round (individually) while the other kept score, then alternate.
#3 of 5 shot first and scored 17/25.
I shot next and ALSO scored 17/25.
#3 of 5 shot his second round and scored a 22/25.
And now the pressure was on! We tied the first round, then #3 of 5 amped up his game and pulled off a 22! There was a lot of “smack talk” back and forth as I took to the first shooting stand!
I was going to “SCHOOL” this youngin’ and remind him who’s boss! That was, until…
I shot my second round and… Scored a (measly) 14/25… (sigh)
I suspected that I would not hear the end of it – and I was NOT disappointed. Now all filled with the machismo of victory, #3 of 5 was all smack talk …
By the way and for the record…
I “let” him win by throwing the round. It’s all about his… uh… Self esteem building – yeah, that’s it!! Self esteem!! That’s what a good father would do… Right?RIGHT??!?!
We headed back up to the clubhouse and were given our voucher for lunch at Trgger’s Saloon and Supper Club. We headed upstairs and seated ourselves.
#3 of 5 chose the “California Burger” (no mayo). I on the other hand wanted to go a little more “exotic”. I enjoy trying less “common” meats, so I selected the “Elk Camp, No Bull” burger – It’s 1/3 lb ground Elk and Bison (with no beef) garnished with Bleu Cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and thinly sliced sautéed onion strings.
When the waitress brought us our food, I could not believe my eyes! These burgers were HUGE and there was a heaping helping of perfectly seasoned fries as well! I had intended on taking photographs, but in the end – my hunger and the DELICIOUS aroma distracted me.
The Elk Camp, No Bull burger was AMAZING!! It had the distinctive Bison flavor, the bite of the bleu cheese came through and of course the mushrooms! I LOVE mushrooms!! I would not only recommend it, I would order it again!!
Like I previously stated, the portions were HUGE – and by the time I was finished I was feeling more than full – in fact about thirty minutes after I finished eating I started feeling ill from having eaten so much. I should have split my lunch into two portions and brought the rest home!
I found the staff at Trigger’s (just like at the clubhouse) to be equally kind and friendly! My overall experience with the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club was a very positive one! I am so glad I purchased the Groupon – and I sure hope they do it again this winter!! Groupon or not, we will be back! Back for some shooting time, and back for Dinner at Trigger’s!
When we left the Horse and Hunt club I really felt like I had to get out and walk a little of my lunch off… What better way to do that then a little GeoCaching on my way home. Since the following Saturday would be INTERNATIONAL GEOCACHING DAY, I wanted to get a little “warm up caching” in beforehand. It was the perfect solution!
#3 of 5 and I found two quick GeoCaches on our way home – one of which surprised me a little when I first stumbled upon it! It almost looked like it was being guarded!
It was the perfect ending to a great afternoon with #3 of 5!
When #5 of 5 expressed an interest in establishing an aquarium, I got pretty excited. I have kept at least one aquarium running for 22 of the past 27 years. With my current set up looking more swamp like, devoid of anything living (other than bacteria, and protozoa) I am hoping #5 of 5’s enthusiasm will rub off and will help inspire me to breath life back into my interest. (Actual photo of the current condition the FOF Swamp is in.)
#3 of 5 was given an aquarium a number of years back, and has since lost most interest. The aquarium has been sitting in “cold storage” for the past few years. He has graciously agreed to allow his little sister to use the aquarium if she wanted (what a great big brother he can (sometimes) be).
The only problem was not having a stand for the aquarium. We shopped around and shopped around and could not come up with a viable solution (that fit our budget) – so I started scouring craigslist. I located the perfect stand (used) and at a perfect price.
“Almost perfect” would be a better description. #5 of 5 had one request – that the stand be white with pastel colored “splatter paint” on it. What a perfect way to introduce her to the pleasures (and pains) of DIY!
We picked up the needed supplies and on a beautiful Saturday afternoon #5 of 5 and I started in on her project!
First up - Sanding the existing finish.
Now, before you admonish me for my faux pas, let me just say that I did catch my error which can be seen at the 1:50 second mark of the video. Yeah, I did let her finish, but will next time be more careful about that.
With the sanding complete, it was time to put a primer coat on the stand. I pained the first board of the door to show #5 of 5 how it’s done and what to look for – then handed her the brush and let her see what she could do.
What was I doing while she was sanding and painting you ask?
Well, SUPERVISING of course!
She finished the entire door and exterior of the whole stand before telling me that her “arm started hurting” from all the painting and asked if she could take a break. I told her what a fantastic job she has done already and that yes, she could take a break. I also asked her if I could “help” her paint. She agreed and both her and her “tired arm” went running out into the yard to play with #4 of 5.
The next day it was time for our first coat of paint! We donned our grubby paint clothes again and headed out. She did an amazing job once again!
Here you see the stand, with the first coat completely finished. I have to trim a couple of drip edges off the corners, and want to give it one more final coat before it’s ready for the “splatter painting”!
Do you have one of those days in your life that you can identify as an pivotal moment? One of those days that you can look back on and identify events as either “before” or “after”? Most of us do. I am no exception.
August 6, 1993.
Nineteen years ago today my life was forever changed when I joined with the most amazing woman I have ever met. She is beautiful, both inside and outside. She brings out the best (and, sometimes the worst) in me. She can make me laugh at times and cry at others (sometimes she can make me do them simultaneously).
She makes me love life but knows just how to can drive me crazy too. She tethers me to the ground when I am full of hot air, and knows how remind me to keep the important things in perspective.
She has provided me the five best aspects of my life (ahem… “Father of Five”) and although they may not always agree with me on this, she is the most amazing mother a kid could ask for. Various aspects of her personality show up as traits in each of my children – and I love seeing that so much!
God was truly kind and generous with me when he put this wonderful woman into my life! I truly cannot imagine my life without my love, my partner, my wife by my side!
Michele, the past nineteen years have been one helluva ride – ups and downs, curves and straight-aways, speedy and sluggish, smooth and bumpy – and I have loved every minute of it. To be completely honest with you - I can’t wait to see what the next nineteen are going to bring!!
Happy Anniversary Michele – I love you and our life together more than I could ever possibly express!
There is always so much chaos going on around me that my mind never rests. A mind that never rests often forgets some of the little details and sometimes even the bigger ones too.
I am often asking myself “Where did I put it”.
“It” can be keys, wallet, watch, iPod, cellular phone, etc. (my spouse, children and co-workers can all attest to my forgetfulness). Case in point – a little conversation I had with myself (in case you did not know, a mind that never rests often has conversations with itself) just yesterday.
Oooooo… Hey FOF, it's almost August. That means I have to remember to file my 2011 MN Property Tax refund... Hey, wait a minute… Did I ever get around to mailing in my 2010 MN Property Tax Refund??
(Sounds of paperwork and file folders being shuffled around)
You didn’t!! You fool – what is wrong with you?? Do you realize you just “forgot” about claiming a refund worth several hundred dollars??
(Sounds of some frantic internet searching – mixed with several frustrated sighs)
Well, it’s not looking good. How could you have possibly forgotten to claim that refund. You realize that you just cost your family over three hundre… Wait… What’s that?? Click that link there??
(Sounds of a HUGE sigh of relief)
Thankfully, Minnesota is a very weird place at times. Our 2010 MN Property Tax refund is mailed the same year that our 2011 Income tax returns are filed (only later in the year (August). I was relieved to discover that they also allow for a one year “grace period” before no longer accepting returns.
That means that my 2010 Property Tax Return / Refund – which should have been mailed in by Aug. 15, 2011 is still acceptable (due to the 1 year grace period) until Aug. 15, 2012 – about three weeks out.
Talk about making it just under the wire!!
Wait… I have a year grace period?? That means I have PLENTY of time to get that 2011 Property Tax Return turned in!
It’s been twenty two years (give or take) since I last spent time in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and it has been eight years since my last camping trip (taken with Best Bud Ed) to the Voyagers National Park (adjacent to the BWCA). For many years prior to that, my annual trip to the BWCA for was the highlight of my year, and something I looked forward to on the bus ride home from the current year’s trip.
Needless to say, I was LONG overdue for a canoe trip!
Lucky for me, this year the boys’ Scout Troop decided to make a three day canoe trip along the Minnesota River! This was PERFECT in many ways. First, I have wanted to canoe the Minnesota River for a long time, and last year’s accusation has had a Minnesota River trip on the forefront of my mind. Secondly, I have not had a real “outing” with the Troop (other than summer camp) since the campout to Ft. Ridgley in 2010 (which was “cabin camping”) or the College of Wilderness Knowledge in 2008 (which was rustic tent camping). Third, I had all the days off from work!!
Unfortunately, it was also less than perfect in another way. I had some pre-existing plans for that weekend. A long time friend was getting married. Towards the tail end of the planning for the canoe trip, it became apparent that an added chaperone would be beneficial – and after speaking to the VERY UNDERSTANDING couple two days before their wedding, I was assured that they understood my desire to adjust my weekend plans and to help chaperone the canoe trip instead! Joe & Laura, you guys are the BEST! Thanks a ton!
Like I said, I was LONG overdue for this trip!
After two days of planning, preparing, and packing – #3 of 5 and I headed out to meet the rest of the Troop! Once the troop was gathered we headed out to our first destination – The Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area. There we set up camp for the night.
Once we finished setting up camp it was time to break out “Cracker Barrel” (Cracker Barrel is an after dinner snack – usually cheese, meats and crackers, but “Cracker Barrel” can mean all kinds of things). On tonight’s Cracker Barrel Menu was dutch oven Angel Food Cake with fresh strawberries!!
Well, as luck would have it, we forgot the dutch oven and instead tried to improvise (as any good Scout would do) and we tried to fry up some Angel Food patties in our mess kits. The results were mixed. There was some that got a little burned, and a few that were a little under done, but by in large – almost everyone had some amount of angel food cake that turned out great!
After “Cracker Barrel” the scouts cracked up a deck of cards and begged the Scoutmaster to play “Up and Down the River”. We played a series of 8 up and 8 down (sixteen hands). By the end of this long game our fire had gone out and it was time to hit the sack for some shuteye!
I was first up at 6:00am. I had my tent cleaned and was ready to start breakfast before the next person was up. On the menu this morning – Omelet in a bag. Only we forgot the bags, so they became “western scrambled eggs” fried up with green peppers and onions (we forgot about the mushrooms we had packed along with us).
After breakfast, motivating the scouts to get moving was a little challenging, but with the reminder that the sooner they finished cleaning the sooner we would be on the water – they eventually had everything cleaned and packed – and we headed out
Soon, we arrived at our entry point – Blakely, Minnesota. While the other leaders arranged the vehicles at our destination point, I helped the scouts get their gear down from the parking area to the river’s edge, then load up their gear in the canoes.
Once the work was done, it was time for a little R and R. Some of the boys went exploring, some of the boys hung around and visited, others found rocks and mud clumps to toss in the river.
One “boy” even found a few moments to put his feet up and really start to appreciate what was about to begin!
Before long, the other chaperones arrived and we slipped the canoes into the river and began our 19 mile journey home!
The weather forecast for the next two days – VERY hot and VERY humid.
We would have to keep a close eye on the boys and make sure they stay HYDRATED*
(* A little foreshadowing)
The Scoutmaster and I cast lines out and “troll fished” the river as we canoed. I caught NOTHING the whole weekend, but the Scoutmaster caught something that was a first for him (and the first time I saw one “in the wild”).
He had a strike on his line and as he reeled in his catch he announced he had a northern pike on the line – that was until he got it close enough to the canoe to realize that it was not a northern, it was a river Gar.
He pulled his canoe to shore and as I approached (camera in hand) the gar gave a big shake, unhooked himself, and splashed right back into the water. Apparently he was a little camera shy and did not want to make his debut here on the The Life of a Father of Five!
Before we knew it we had traveled roughly four miles and the boys were beginning to “share” the fact that they were hungry again. Lunch time had arrived. We watched for a good sand bar to pull off onto then started lunch.
Hot dogs, chili (chili dogs if you so desired), baked beans and potato chips. I took this opportunity to show off my super special “Spiral Cut Hot Dog” technique
Once lunch was complete, and clean up was finished it was time to let the boys blow off some steam. A quick dip in the shallows of the sand bar proved to be just the prescription.
It was time to head back on to the water. As we traveled the next eleven miles, we came upon several strange, but oddly beautiful (in their own way) sites.
Just some of the things we came across was a battered and smashed pontoon boat, an old bridge abutment, and a colony of swallow nests.
Time for another water break. By this time many of the boys water containers were empty and needing to be refilled from our potable water supply. This was a heavy five gallon container and to do so while in a canoe on the river would not have been safe. We pulled over and refilled everyone’s containers.
At mile 15 we floated up upon the perfect camping site. It was a GIANT sand bar created by the convergence of a small creek and the Minnesota River. The sand was clean, soft, and sturdy enough for camping on, and the creek proved to be a great place for the boys to play!
After setting up camp, and while the boys were cooling off by playing in the creek, the two Scoutmasters and myself prepared the special culinary surprise that the scoutmaster wanted to try.
Rouladen (link) - Rouladen is bacon, onions, mustard and pickles wrapped in thinly sliced beef (or a variant is onions, pickles, and mustard wrapped in thinly sliced beef which is then wrapped in bacon (as seen below)).
With no picnic table, seating or benches to work with, we improvised and created a camp kitchen out of our food bin, cooler, and an old tire that one of the scouts found on the sand bar.
The rouladen was very tasty, but unfortunately by the time I finished one of my two rouladen rolls the Scoutmaster (and several of the scouts) noticed that I was starting to look ill. In all honesty I was feeling horrible. I was beginning to succumb to the effects of some self inflected (yet accidental) dehydration. I was trying to conserve the potable water we brought with us and so throughout the day I had gone a little too sparingly with the water.
By dinnertime I was really starting to feel ill, and I knew what the problem was. I refilled my water bottle, took it and my bedroll into a shady area. There I began to slowly rehydrate myself and then laid down. A little over an hour (one quart of water and a short nap) later I was starting to feel a little better. At least well enough to get up and join the rest of the troop again.
Some were swimming, some were playing in the sand, and others were building a fire.
#3 of 5 floating down the creek on his back.
Another scout (face shrouded) was buried up to his neck in a hole that another scout dug after finding an old tire buried in the sand.
The tire was an Atlas Plycron Cushionaire tubeless Large White Wall Tire 7.10x15 – it looked pretty old and after checking on-line it appears that was a common tire in the 1940’s. I wonder how long it had been buried in this sandbar?
Despite my nap, once 9pm rolled by, the day had gotten the best of me. I said my goodnights and headed off to my tent where I fell asleep to the sounds of another rip-roaring game of “up and down the river”.
I awoke the next morning at 5:45 am. I quickly broke my tent, packed my gear, and packed my canoe while the rest of the troop still slept.
There, I noticed a little something that got forgotten that night. Cleaning up the camp kitchen! Nope, not this time! These boys needed to see this / and learn from this. I left this mess for them to clean up.
The boys (and the adults) were hot, tired, exhausted (and even one still feeling the effects of dehydration) so motivating them to clean up their tents, the camp kitchen mess from the night before, and breaking camp was not an easy thing to do.
Eventually, it was breakfast (which consisted of donuts and cantaloupe) that did the trick.
Once camp was broken breakfast was eaten and cleaned up – it was time to slip the canoes back into the river and finish the remainder of the journey.
Almost before we knew it, we came upon the landmark that signified the end of our canoe trip. We canoed up to, then under the Scott County Highway 9 / Carver County Highway 11 river bridge where, just on the other side, the boat landing was located.
I had a GREAT time (despite my bout with dehydration).
It was great to get back into a canoe and head out camping again! I remembered a number lessons I learned from my youth, and learned a few new lessons. I feel I will be better prepared for the next canoe / camping trip!
There was even talk of a future Isle Royale Hiking / Backpacking trip!! That would be a first for me (hiking/backpacking camping trip), and something I’d be really interested in!!
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