Hockey in Hershey

The CHA3 team started the season with a tourney in Hershey, PA. Won 2 (big), lost 1 (big), lost a close one to CHA2. 

We missed the first game due to work and high school. In the third game RJ pulled up lame with a hip injury that but him out of the tournament. No contact, no fall, no explanation ... he cannot lift his leg without pain.

Friday, night late night travel. Free scrap sourdough bread from Panera

RJ takes a face off

Bachelor night dinner

Yum Dinner

 What's better than a delicious dinner? Answer: a dinner that you don't have to make, don't have to clean up, and don't have to pay more than the cost of groceries.

RJ and Julia prepare steak and potatoes

First Day of School

RJ started high school at Gonzaga this year. There was NO first day of high-school picture, but Sara did manage take a picture of RJ coming back to get his soccer clothes that he left at home.

RJ - too cool for pictures, Aug 21

Julia's first day of school started the following Monday. We almost forgot the first day of school picture, but Doug remembered! Julia acted annoyed but I don't think she minded the attention. 

Doug's first appearance in a first-day-of-school pic.

Julia and Sara with a more traditional look

Julia and friends with the Nationals presidents

Day at Upton Park

With summer winding down, Sara took the kids to Upton park to take advantage of discounted passes from summer reading.

Everyone had lots of fun in the batting cage, at the swimming pool, and on the ropes course.

Julia connects with a softball (great timing on the pic Sara!)

RJ in the batting cage

Based on his smile, RJ must have been aiming at Julia

Julia on the ropes course.

Sara said that the ropes course was as challenging at the one in Miami. She also mentioned that there was an area where you had to walk off a cliff. See video below. It was probably scarier than the video portrays it. 

Girls Garage

Sara decided it was time for Julia to learn something about maintaining cars. 

Sara and Julia replace the air filter on the mini-van

 

Garden, But

Too much time away equals not a lot of production from the garden.

Doug got some lettuce in the early going BUT it quickly got bitter. RJ planted radishes BUT forgot to pick them. Sara had some cucumbers BUT they got bitter. We are getting cherry tomatoes BUT nobody is eating them. Doug planted some sunflowers BUT the rabbits ate the good ones and the deer ate the rest. BUT the sunflowers the deer ate sprouted two flowers ... so there is still a chance.

RJ got some volunteer tomatoes and 2-3 cantaloupes. We got about 20-30 peaches (the squirrels got the rest)

Julia planted corn. She got about 10 ears (we overcooked the first batch), Doug's corm is still growing

Garage Door - snap

Sara and the kids were coming home ... the garage door opened a few inches and slammed back down. Spring broke. Luckily they were outside so they didn't hear the BANG. Once the spring broke the part the holds the door along the rail was stripped. 

So in addition to a new garage door, we needed a new garage door opener ... or do we?

Broken part - the guide in the middle was stripped

Garage door guy somehow clamped the spring ... so we could open the door manually.

$15 later we installed the new part and have a temp solution until the new door arrives

Of course the new part was slightly different than the old one. So you could not lock in the guide. As a result I had to take apart both parts and use parts of both to construct a working part.