Giving it a try

David had great success on the tube.

After watching the adults ski David decided he wanted to give it a try. He was up! For a second.
I give him two thumbs up for trying.

Not as Strong

When I was sixteen I used to water ski three or four times a week. During the summer three or four of us would get together after work and head out on the Essex river to test our skills.
After graduating from high school the water skiing stopped. The reason, I got to big for the boat to tow and the kid with the good "ski" boat sold it.
We took a mini vacation this weekend to a lake house in Maine, it was great, the house was perfect and the company was terrific. It seems every lake house ought to have a "ski" boat and this house was no exception. So I gave it a go, twenty years without trying and BAM I am up and skiing.
I opted to get up on two ski's and drop one. Unheard of twenty years ago but I figured better safe than sorry.
Not five minutes into the adventure my arms began to burn and my grip began to loosen. I was experiencing total muscle failure, or TMF, as we used to call it at military school. By the time I got back to the dock not only were my arms ready to explode, it felt as though the blood vessels in the side of my head might pop too. Not Good.
I went again on Sunday and it was a little better. Until I woke up Monday morning. I could barely move my arms and had to bail on my morning bicycle ride.
Today I feel much better and am thinking I had better add push-ups to my morning exercise routine, clearly I am not as strong as I used to be.

Merry Can Ride

Merry can ride a two wheeler! The training wheels are off and she is flying. She still needs a little help getting started, but with one quick push she is off. Remember when you learned to ride a bike? The feelings of freedom and flying.

So cool!

BIANCHI FORZA

This is my bicycle, I got it on 7/30/2008, I have ridden 5 of the first 7 days and traveled just over 65 miles. Every day I get stronger and more comfortable. The route I have been riding is 13.9 miles, my fastest time is 51 minutes. My speed has increased each day out. The last ride averaged just over 16 mph. It has been a good start, here's to the future.

Soccer

Heidi signed David up for youth soccer, while she was at it, she signed me up to be the coach.
Makes me a little nervous. I have no other details at this time.

Jesse Ventura!

Go get a SIRIUS satellite radio!

Howard Stern interviewed the former Governor and SEAL on his show this morning and I have to tell you, the man is riveting. Ventura that is.

His take on Government is spell binding. There is no other logical explanation than Jesse"s. He speaks with conviction from an informed point of view.

Today Howard asked question's of Mr Ventura that lead us down a fascinating path.

Jesse Ventura's conspiracy theories just might be true. He asks good questions "Why did the World Trade Center Towers fall at the speed of gravity? In his estimation, speaking from the point of view of one of the worlds best trained demolitions expert, the collapse should have experienced some friction. Slowing its decent. I can't argue the point, sounds plausible and I do not know the answer.

Mr. Ventura's story leads to antidotes ranging from secret summits of the top of the Republican Party in 19992 to a call for Solidarity amongst Pro Wrestlers in a failed uprising of Vince McMahon's WWF empire.

The former Governor speaks his truths passionately, his logic is sound and his message is scary. He is also selling a book. Don't Start The Revolution With Out Me! I am going to read it.

Bicycle

It is the dawn of a new era in exercise, I had a second knee operation in April and during my follow up appointment I asked the surgeon when I could start jogging again, he said never, go buy a bike. I got one and plan on using it. I had a road bike in high school and really enjoyed the time I spent on it. I traded it in for a mountain bike when I went to college which I road a ton. After I got married the cycling stopped, now it is going to start back up. If you see a fat guy, in goofy pants, riding a red bike, please do not run me off the road.

SDS

Sudden Deceleration Syndrome has been a serious problem for me my entire life. I never got hurt falling, it has always been the stopping that left the scars, tears, concussions, dislocations and broken bones. I was born without the mechanism that says "you probably shouldn't try that" when other kids were backing off the ledge I alway stepped up, much to the chagrin of my body.
Now at 38 all of these sudden stops are starting to catch up with me. My wrists and shoulders ache chronically, but worst of all, my right knee is junk. It was about 16 years ago that I severed my posterior cruciate ligament, I fell asleep at the wheel of my pick up truck and came to an abrupt stop at the base of a cliff, on a dark, quiet, back road in Vermont. The dashboard of the truck hit me just below my knee tearing my PCL in two.
Unlike your anterior cruciate ligament the PCL does not need to be fixed, strong quadracept muscles can hold your leg in place, with just a bit of wiggle. That bit of wiggle ruined my meniscus cartilage and 3 years ago I had it fixed, the meniscus and PCL, it was a terrible experience. I slowly recovered and eventually got back to jogging. Jogging was not a good idea, after a year of jogging my meniscus began to tear again and eventually, like before the big operation, I found it hard to get through the day with out my knee swelling up.
Two months ago I went back and had my meniscus trimmed again, this time I walked out of the hospital the same day and with in six weeks was playing golf and chasing kids. I did not even need crutches, I used a cane for about three days and then dropped that. The arthroscopic surgery was simple and my knee felt better almost immediately.
I had one follow up visit with the surgeon about a month after the procedure. During this visit I asked him if and when it would be possible for me to start lumbering again. It was obvious by the look on his face that he had no idea what I was talking about so I explained, "Lumbering is one speed slower than jogging."
His response was not what I wanted to hear, "You only have thirty percent of the meniscus cartilage you were born with in your right knee and you should not waste it lumbering." "Go by a bike" was his advice.
Sudden Deceleration Syndrome has finally caught up with me and it makes me feel old.

Domino's

The living room is the domain of the children. The big tv is in there and that is the only tv that gets their channels. At the end of the day the living room is where they watch Max and Ruby, Dora and Diego before bed. I sit in the kitchen and watch the news and Heidi works.

Last night there was a commotion, things were happening around the corner, I got up went into the living room and discovered a new twist on an old game. The room was destroyed and when I say destroyed I mean that the the couch was stripped of its cushions, it looks worse than it really is. The couch getting stripped of its cushions happens all the time, how else would you build a fort?

To my surprise a fort was not being constructed, what I found when I came around the corner was the three children, lined up, each holding a cushion. Merry looked up, sensing my presence, and announced "Daddy look at us we have a new game, Dominoes!" and with that she fell into her brother, who fell into his brother, who landed on a strategically placed cushion. Everyone erupted into laughter and when I got to work I posted a story on the blog, which hasn't happened in a long time.

See ya soon.

Success

Tuesday night Merry and David had a great time at ski lessons and both declared that they loved to ski. Which is music to my ears. The only words that sound better are "Yes Daddy.'
The trip to Sunday River was a huge triumph, even Thomas got in on the action, riding up the magic carpet and skiing down between mom's legs. The entire trip down yelling "Look at me Daddy, I skiing FAST!"
David talked me into bringing him up the chair lift. I connected my poles at the handles, put him in between and off we went. Flying down the mountain, we only had one wipe out of consequence, Davids little ski's could not handle the speed and he face planted, I dropped the support poles, spread my legs and avoided the collision. When I stopped, ten feet down the hill, David looked up, blood dripping from his nose and declared, "I am alright Daddy!" I wiped the blood from his upper lip, near tears with joy and pride.
Everyone is looking forward to lessons on Tuesday night and we are going to bring Thomas along for the adventure as well.

Party

We are having a PARTY! We rented a hall, hired a DJ, and invited all our friends. If you are in the area Saturday 12/22 and want to dance, drink and be merry shoot me an email and I will fill you in on the details.

Summer '07 So Far

Father's Day Weekend

The weather was beautiful and we took advantage. When I go swimming with the kids it takes me right back to an age of innocence and fun. The worries of adulthood rinse off with the first plunge into the brisk water.

Merry is perfecting her "pencil jump" hands pinned to her side, toes pointed, eyes scrunched up. Before take off you wave to the spectators stand at attention and then proceed with the jump. Upon resurfacing one hand should be raised above your head in a fist that exclaims victory.

I am proud to report that she almost has it mastered, along with the butterfly jump and the ballerina jump she is developing a very impressive resume of tricks. It makes me very proud.

My son Thomas wants to and thinks that, he can fly. He jumps off the side of the pool into and under the water. I pull him up to the surface slowly and he smiles and yells, Again, Again, Again! He learned that from his sister. Sometimes I hold him in my arms, we run down the hill and leap into the pool. He likes it almost as much as I do.

David is far more reserved. Saturday he barely got wet,opting instead to watch and assist his Grandfather in digging a trench. Sunday he swam, but he does not enter the pool with the same abandon as his father and siblings. David makes sure his bubble is secure and lowers himself down the stairs with caution. He doggy paddles around in circles for hours happily swimming in a world of his own, only occasionally asking for the world to "look at me!"

The next ten or twelve years are going to be great fun. I love playing with my kids and I think that they like playing with me.

Here is to sunshine and summertime!

Melaleuca

I did it again, we signed up with another Direct Selling company. The income and and quality products we have enjoyed being involved with Arbonne made it much less stressful this time around.

I view this network marketing thing as the wave of the future. It cuts out huge marketing expenses for the companies involved. Tide spends $1,000,000 a day on advertising. Direct selling companies spend the money other places, quality of ingredients being the place that most of those freed up dollars go.

Direct selling allows the companies involved to skip another step that most consumable goods producers have to plan, pay and formulate for. Warehousing, products need to remain effective for longer periods of time due to the fact that they sit in warehouses. Preservatives are good for the bottom line, but in most cases are not so good for you. The time in the warehouse also costs money, remove that step and pay me or you or whomever passes it on.

Being in the Pest Control Industry I am acutely aware of the toxins surrounding us. I know that every time we do a load of laundry our clothes are being cleaned with poisons. Chlorine and formaldehyde are bad for you, worse than the pesticides I use to solve your ant problem. Plus the exposure is much greater, every time you wash your dishes you are leaving deposits of corrosive chemical's on the utensils you use to feed yourself and your family. If you could save money , cut out your exposure to poisons and potentially earn a couple bucks would you do it?

I did.

Question

This question is for the six of you who read this blog.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?

Tuckerman's Ravine

9:00am
Ready to hike.
11:00
From Spring to Winter
The Hermit Lake Shelter

11:33am
The Ravine

Lunch Rocks

Assent into Heaven

Over The Headwall

View from the Top

Back to Lunch Rocks

Last trip up

Preparing for Take Off

Rendez Vous at the base of the Ravine

This is where the next adventure begins. I never skied off the mountain before and it was tons of fun. This however is enough for today, it is only one third of the story.
Maybe tomorrow I will write about the motorcycle wreck/car accident that happened on our way to the mountain.

What is Happening?

Thanks for asking, not a hell of a lot. Thomas is talking in paragraphs that only his mother understands. The kid goes on and on and on. If you can't actually here him you might think what he was saying made sense. It does not, his cadence is on but his pronunciation is terrible. All of his gestures and facial expressions let the listener know that the kid has conviction, he just doesn't make any sense. He is a lot of fun to talk to.

When David isn't crying he is singing about superheroes. He comes up with all types of lyrics about his favorite crime fighters, and when he comes across a phrase he likes he repeats it over and over and over.

Meredith has learned another important lesson at pre-school. She is now an expert teaser. "Na na nana na, you can't have it" has become her mantra and she is teaching it to her brother's. It is one of Thomas' most understandable phrases.

Me, I am heading to N.H. on Thursday night and then Friday morning Tuckerman's Ravine. Should be one heck of an adventure, I am bringing the camera and will post some photo's.

The jogging has been going well. I stopped keeping track of the time because , "My name is Peter and I am a ten minute miler" that felt good. At this stage in my life it is not about how fast I go but how long. Thirty-five minutes of jogging is about all I can take and some days, like yesterday, it is more.

I picked up Jackson's ashes at the vet's the other day and it feels good having him back in the living room. He is in a discreet little wooden box that looks fine on the book shelf. Maxwell is hanging with me now. We run or walk almost everyday and he comes to the office with me. We are partners.

Crash

Just like the rest of the eastern seaboard we had one heck of a snow storm Friday night into Saturday. This Nor'Easter made for some prime sledding conditions and we took advantage of them on Sunday.

There is one stump on the sledding hill, it is located about half way down the slope and it is off to the sledders right. The plan was to send Merry and David down in the first sled with Thomas and I chasing close behind.

I got them set and sent them off with a big push away from the stump. Like a long, arching putt they went out and curved back around. It was almost as if the stump was a magnet and Merry's nose was steel. They crashed into the stump with enough force to launch David over Merry's head and the stump. Merry was not so lucky, instead of going over she went into.

My heart stopped, I could see it coming, I could not believe it but I knew from the way the sled was coming around back towards the stump that it was going to be close. I put Thomas down and started running towards the impact zone. Merry was shaken up but a "blood check" revealed nothing. She complained about her nose and lip, neither of which swelled up. David ended up 100 feet down the hill with out a scratch.

Thankfully everyone was alright. We sledded for the rest of the morning without incident. That first run scared the hell out of me though, and Merry and David too!

I am a Lemming

Crouton Boy jumped! that is why I jumped too. Something about thirty thousand bloggers, I do not even know. I just followed his lead. You can't blame me.

Anticipation

I sit here on the eve of our first family ski trip filled with anxiety and anticipation. Our friends have a condo at SundayRiver ski resort in Maine, they have been last minute asking us to join them every weekend all season long. A month ago instead of not accepting another wonderful invitation we planned for this weekend.

A month ago this seemed like a great idea, today I am feeling a bit anxious. I am sitting at my desk and nothing has been done to prepare for the adventure. I, we, Heidi, needs to pack up winter clothes for three children, we need food. What about the dogs? I forgot about the dogs. Grampy!

I want everybody to have a good time, I do not want the kids to be scared off skiing, I do not want to argue with Heidi. Heidi and I will argue because I feel stressed and when I feel stressed and have expectation of Heidi she tells me to handle my business and get off her back.

My anxiety engulfs everyone in its sphere, everyone involved seems to be uncomfortable. Conversely, when I am relaxed and confident things go smoother. I am going to stop with the worrying and resign myself to the fact that it is going to be GREAT!

I need to move away from the time line and focus on the activities that need to be accomplished. When one task is complete I will move on to the next, simple really.

I got nothing to worry about we are going to have a blast!