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AJ, in attempting to prove either that he was a superior football player or that he had a hard head, ran into the belt buckle of an opponent in a pickup game of tackle football (banned by school officials for obvious reason). Pictured here are the results. A scalp wound (although it bleeds profusely) is not usually serious, and AJ experienced a full physical recovery. However, the fact that he still participates in these "underground" games suggests that there may have been permanently brain damaged...
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David Ellis, a friend and neighbor (and AJ's Scout Master for four years) recently re-did a portion of his sidewalk. Being an artist as well as a world-renowned scientist, David constructed this Gila Monster out of 1500-year-old pottery chards. I know "art is in the eye of the beholder" but I was impressed.
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Dave is also one of those people who refuse to grow older. He retired from government service but continues his research anyway. One of the tasks he has undertaken (just for the sheer joy of doing it) is to traverse the United States from border to border (as opposed to coast to coast) without using a motor (or engine to those of you who demand exactness in the use of the English language). To this point he has hiked northward from the Mexican border to Cascabel following the San Pedro watershed, bicycled and hiked the Blue River from Alpine to Clifton, and Canoed some distance in Colorado. I ferried him to the starting point of a seven-mile bicycle ride through the lower end of Redfield Canyon to connect his San Pedro hike with a hike made through the Galiero Mountains. I listen to his tales, and feel cheated because my idea of a major hike has been reduced to a nighttime traversing of the distance between the bedroom and the bathroom.
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AJ seems to be popular (perhaps too popular ?) with the fairer sex. Here are the results of a "heart attack" on the truck he drives, perpetrated by some of his friends (?). Not shown is the multitude of hearts taped on the outside. What is the message being communicated here?
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For some reason, I doubt this was conceived of and carried out by the guys with whom AJ hangs out.
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Nathen, et. al. visited last Sunday, and after a major effort (involving phone calls to both Braxton and MSN technical service [the later terminated when they hung up in disgust]), finally got the two computers that live at this house on line at the same time. I am reluctant to admit it, but this feat was probably beyond my technical capability (and certainly beyond my desire to persevere). Barbara (who is into decorating babies) shot this photo of Kyle Vader. It seem somehow wrong to take advantage of someone so young and so trusting...
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Well, if no news is good news, I must be leading the good life. |
AJ was somewhat of a late bloomer when it came to phone usage, but he is trying diligently to atone for his earlier deficiency. Having a phone that roams makes it at times difficult to locate, and past searches have frustrated me to the point that when I had to replace ours recently, I decided to choose a model that was tied to the wall. AJ (with a subtleness in stark contrast to his usual character) talked me into a combined model that has both a fixed base and a cordless receiver. If you study this photo for a few nanoseconds, his motivation becomes clear.
AJ claims he was "playing Dad's game" when he ran out of fuel on the way to school last week. After a frenzied phone call (courtesy of a cell phone toting, Good Samaritan), Barbara rescued him and brought two gallons of gasoline. I think I resent the implication of that remark. It has been quite a number of years since "playing Dad's game" has given me reason to hike anywhere, but then I have (and religiously use) a trip odometer. How likely is it that someone who wears square sun glasses ("because they make me look good") and his hat on sideways ("because it's cool") can actually figure out the significance of the markings on a gas gauge?