Father of Six

I had the fortunate opportunity to visit the historic district of Philadelphia - primarily Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center - this past week while I was traveling on business.

Here is a view of Independence Hall.

And this is the Liberty Bell Center.

Why is it that every time I go to see some famous relic, that I’m surrounded by Japanese tourists? When Tami and I saw the Rosetta Stone in London, we couldn’t get a single picture without some Japanese tourist in the shot.

Same thing here with the Liberty Bell. And they all had to have their picture taken with the Liberty Bell.

So I waited. For about 25 minutes. And the light was all wrong from the front anyway. You can barely see the face, the famous crack, and in the background is the bell tower of Independence Hall where the bell once hung.

From the back the light was much better.

If you ever wondered about that Louisiana dish,”Red Beans and Rice,” this is what it looks like whilst cooking - and the corn bread muffins too.

Tami will be home on Sunday from a extended weekend retreat in Fairplay. Things have gone well around the house while she’s been away. I even managed to run the dishwasher and do a few loads of laundry - with the help of Amanda and Rebecca.

I went to my little league football banquet tonight. The guys got me a framed roster with our motto, and they each signed it. Very thoughtful. I actually can’t wait for the next season to begin.

What’s to be, they say will be.

3. “The Lemon Song” - Led Zeppelin. Just how much more risqué can you get? “Squeeze my lemon, baby.”
2. “Rave On” - Buddy Holly. It’s a crazy feeling. Any Crickets tune, really.
1. “Cotton Fields” - Creedence Clearwater Revival. ‘Boom-Boom’ on the top of your guitar.

There’s plenty more where that came from. And I dig the Elton John list. Little Pink Houses just missed the cut.

Tami, Boomer and I got dressed and went for a walk on a portion of the Highline Canal this morning. We parked near the County Line Road access point, made our way through snow and ice to the trail, then meandered south along the dirt portion of the trail. Soon into our walk, closer to C-470, the trail becomes paved and much easier to traverse (no snow or ice.) We didn’t see much wildlife - a few birds and some squirrels - and no rabbits as I had hoped. Boomer took a turn on my shoulders, and one on Tami’s too, but I’d say of the 45 minutes or so of the total time that this walk was, he did 30 to 35 minutes on his own. He especially liked crunching through the crusty snow, and demonstrating his sense of balance through the icy portions.

Here are some photos, as always, click to enlarge.

At the Trailhead access point.

Holding Mom’s hand through the snow and ice.

On his own.

On Dad’s shoulders.

View of the Front Range to the west.

On Mom’s shoulders.