Gary and Jan host a new Exchange Student.

              This is Gary and Jan's 2nd Exchange student. She is from France, her name is Suzanne.

Snake River Landing Fall Festival

The main reason we went was to see Julie compete in the Apple Athletic cooking competition. She took third place with her apple hand pies.

                                                         Thumbs up for Julie's Jazz

                                                    Only two left, yes they were delicious.

  

                             Tara flew home to get her children ready for the trip back to Georgia.

           Unfortunately Chad stayed home and worked under a friends truck for 4 pieces of silver.

                                                       He replaced an oil pan gasket.

Postal Jeep transformation # 3

                                                This is what was left of transformation # 2

                                        This is the latest and last transformation of the Postal Jeep.

                             A gas can and spare tire rack are yet to be built to fit on the back posts.

             A shovel and axe will be mounted on each side of the back panels, then it will be complete.

                                   The insignia on the front bumper was my military serial number.

THE FUN NEVER ENDS

                                                 The Fairy Princess eying the candy bowl.

                                                                        Bubble Machines

                                                             Ride in the T bucket

                                                   The girls liked this better than the Jeep

                  After Pizza Fran had 4 spoonfuls of Whipped Cream. She also has paint on her nose.

The Duck Race and more.

                                                Waiting for the Duck Race to begin.

                                             Waiting hours for the first duck to clear the falls.

                                                                     Still waiting!!!

                                Will had no interest in the Duck Race. He did find some ping pong balls.

                    The kids spent much of their time in and around the small pressed out plastic pool.

                                                 4 out of 5 of our fully grown children.

                                      Fran swinging at the park across from her granny's house.

                                              Gussy finally warmed up to us and fit right in.

                                                              Bath time for Barbies.

                                Gussy can play for an hour in her imaginary make believe world.

                                Fran is very spontaneous and you have to catch her in the moment.

                     Ami has a sense of humor. He is at that age where it is fun to just hang out with him.

         Grab bags from the Fair. The kids and granny got excited going through the plethora of  trinkets.

          Ami experiencing a lost art of entertainment. Playing with toys in the dirt and creating scenarios.

Ye merry men of Sherwood

If you asked any of my friends or coworkers about me, they'd probably tell you that I'm passionate about vintage steel (read street machines and hot rods).  Having recently relocated to Milwaukee and living under a lease agreement, I do not have the space or resources right now to work on any sort of restoration/modification project.  This left me looking for an alternative activity to get my fix.  Something for me to let off a little steam while at the same time providing self improvement.  I decided it had to be something that I had never considered before.  Such an activity would also have to have a relatively low capital cost and foot print, since those are currently luxuries I cannot afford at the moment.  I also decided that whatever hobby I wold pursue, I would like it to get me outside; added points if it would take me to remote locations.  So, I've taken up archery:

Mission Ballistic (by a company called Mathew's, local to Wisconsin)

I picked up a new compound bow from a  pro shop just down the street from work.  With the free range vouchers that I picked up with the purchase of my bow, I've been dialing my shots.

  Shots taken at 10 yards

The guy at the shop initially set me up at 10 yards to get all of my "stuff" dialed in correctly.  From there, I've been returning to the range myself to work on my form to 20 yards.  The following pictures detail my progress thus far:

This is one of my better groups when I first started shooting out to 20 yrds.

 By the end of my lunch break, my groups were getting a little better...

 At lunch the following day, I found that I was consistent, by my accuracy was off.  My 20 yrd. pin would need fine tuning...

 

Again, consistent but still low.

 Now we're getting somewhere!

 One more adjustment brought me here.  I didn't want to spoil the shot by shooting more arrows, so I snapped a picture.  Dead nuts on at 20 yards!  

At this point, my 20 yard pin is exactly where it needs to be, I just need to work on my form to improve my consistency.  Next stops will be 30 and 40 yards.  My buddy from work and I are currently in the planning stages for the fall hunting season.  This Thanksgiving, my goal is to put my very own turkey on the table, and by Christmas, we'll be eating venison!

 One more of the money shot...

I'll keep y'all posted as the season progresses.

Ben&Julie finish their 1st 26 mile Marathon

I am so proud of their efforts. They are truly making the best of this summer. Congratulations!