Peach Picking 2022

WOW! The peach tree came through. Thanks to a larger population of foxes, the squirrels were held at bay until the last 4 days before harvest. Three squirrels were relocated.

The tree was so full of peaches, we had to prop it with a makeshift scaffold

 

Scoreboard

This year there was no June drop, so we got lots of smaller peaches. Next year we may thin a bit so we get some bigger ones. 

2022 Peach Bowl Doug       750   Final  Squirrels    30

2022 Apple Bowl Doug         5  3rd Squirrels    30

Although not on the scoreboard, the Peach Bowl had a third participant which we will call "bugs, worms, and other vermin." Lack of spraying chemicals earned us organic status, but resulted in 25% of the crop having holes and rot that needed to be cut out of the final product.

About 500 of the peaches on the back porch

Kids setup a peach stand since we had plenty of peaches

Head Scratchers

Sanitary Door Opener

Covid-19 was full of head scratchers. My favorite one was the installation of metal plates at the base of all bathroom and locker-room doors in my office building. As you can see in the video, this is really preventing the spread of germs.

Dishwasher Remote

While staying in a swanky up-scale Cleveland Apartment, I was introduced to a new must-have feature for every dishwasher ... the remote starter.

This is very convenient because after you load all your dishes and put in the detergent, you go find the remote, walk to the other side of the room, and start your dishes from a distance. Man, what will they think of next?

I wonder if the remote can be used to put away the dishes automatically?

Vacation: ND State Fair

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Heading back to Minot for the flight back to DC enabled a trip to the North Dakota State Fair.

Game and Fish Department had plenty of activities

Too bad they didn't have a squirrel to shoot at

Kids shooting pellet guns

Darrel's Racing Pigs - Fast Food!

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Vacation: North Dakota, Killdeer

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On to the next farm ... Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Kelly, and too many cousins to list.

Grace and Julia feeding the chickens

RJ gathers fresh eggs

George, the latest addition to the Fritel family

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Golf outing, Andrew 51, RJ 69 ... darn native grass

The show at Medora, ND - always a hit!

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Vacation: North Dakota, Wolford

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A short stop in Rugby / Wolford to visit the Funny Farm.

This looks almost identical to RJ's State Project!

Maybe just drive the convertible home?

Inspecting the crops

I'm sure Grandpa is thrilled to see the trains back

The Farm Museum

Drying clothes before electricity

Prehistoric communication

Vacation: South Dakota

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First attraction: StoryBook Land

The Johnsons and Martins headed to the Germans from Russia conference in Aberdeen, SD. Before arriving, the team needed to kill some time in Target.

Hopefully Target doesn't have a national banned for life list

The Wizard of Oz was featured

RJ looks like a Peanuts character

Plenty of outdoor activities

Julia was mad that she DIDN'T get wet from waterfall and water guns

Turns out that the car wash is almost as much fun as amusement parks

Second attraction: Germans from Russia Conference

Anna leads the dance

Polka: Julia and Grandpa Farmer Bob

Polka: Claire and RJ

Hotel pool looks pretty awesome

Vacation: Buffalo, MN

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Next stop: Martin's house in Buffalo, MN (near Minneapolis).

Not as crazy as the card game in Iowa (or maybe it was)

 

Shooting pool in the barn

Low tide at the lake?

Vacation: Iowa

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After a night in Chicago, Sara took the kids and the trusty 2007 Honda Accord to its final destination in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Doug flew back to McLean for a week of cleaning, biking, and working.

Unicorn cookies with Aunt Trina

Safety rules change when you get to the Midwest

Wow. Here is an unexpected picture!

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Water ski practice - Cecelia, Lydia, and Caiden

Vacation: South Bend

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Phase 1: College Tours

We visited St. Mary's college and Notre Dame. We saw Cousin Larry (with Marlene and Luke) and Allyson (with Sarah and Kate) at Notre Dame.

Touchdown Jesus

Motivational messages on sidewalk (we needed to look like engineers)

Phase 2: Detour

An unlabeled 'corn' muffin turned out to be a banana nut muffin ... so Sara and RJ spent 3 hours at urgent care. RJ got to use an EpiPen.

While that was happening, Doug, Aunt Debbie, and Julia played mini-golf. Doug was on-fire until an announcement was made about winning scratch-off tickets.

Same mini-golf course as last family reunion

Phase 3: Family Reunion

Friday night we had pizza, pool time, Track and Field video game, and a chance to hang out with a smaller crowd. After the allergy incident on Saturday we went to Cousin Larry's and swam, played tennis, and hung out until we had to leave for Chicago.

Doug with Cousin Kathy and Cousin Joe

Vacation: Cleveland

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Phase 1: July 4

We arrived in Cleveland on the July 4th. From the 16th floor, we could see 180 degrees of fireworks from over 50 different displays.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

 

 

Submarine tour was interesting and fun

Lookout - torpedo

Phase 2: Parks and Museums

Doug worked from the apartment and the Acumatica Columbus office while the gang explored!

Sunset Steps after Dinner

Cleveland Rocks! At the park on Lake Erie

Science Museum with Ian - a full day of hands-on activities

Largest candy store (in Cleveland)

Parents Room at Aunt Donna's Apartment (Why did RJ have to erase the 'T' in donut?)