Saturday, March 24, 2012

Gone Fishin' (Again!)

These fishing excursions are amazing adventures. Not much involves fishing, really. I learned what an ember bundle was today as the first graders decided to try their hand at fire building. With sticks for matches.

Photos: http://jf2.com/120324/

Monday, March 12, 2012

Kitchens and Kittens: All Doing Well

The kitchen is in its second week of work, and it looks like it's just in time as the Compound population has grown. Grown by 6 kittens born last night. Mom and brood are doing well (once we got Hershey blocked off).

Always good to get pictures of where the pipes and wires go!



P.S. We've had about 20 people here for dinner the past two Monday evenings with the kitchen in this shape. Nuts, I know. It's amazing what can be done...

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Kitchen Remodel: Days Zero and Two

The big kitchen remodel began March 1st. Pictured first at left is the kitchen as it looked the night before (Feb 29). By the end of the second work day, most of the kitchen was gone (second picture). Amazing! I think we should turn the area into a dance floor. More photos of Day Zero and Day Two are here: http://JF2.com/120304/

You may be wondering why we felt the need to remodel such a cool kitchen. Well, it was a good looking kitchen, but there were some definitely illogical things about it operationally. Like, only 2 burners for a family of nine, no way to open the fridge if there was someone cooking at those 2 ranges, cabinet space that was half useless as you couldn't get to the back without unloading the front, and lighting that looked really cool but didn't actually illuminate anything. There was a list of stuff like that...

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Nine People on Four Food Paths

You may not have thought it possible... But at the moment we have four food paths ("diets") going on here at the Compound. It became noticeable when Matt and Nana started a detox-raw-foods thing a week or so ago. That put Tracy and Jamie on a separate path, the kids on their path, and Robob stayed, of course, on his unique path. There is overlap now and then, but that doesn't seem to make the logistics any easier. What's really going to make all this very interesting is that the kitchen gets demolished this coming week and will be "out of service" for three weeks during the remodel. Veggies and dairy and fruit, oh my!...

And please, don't leave the internet connection unplugged when you use the blender. (We network over the AC electrical system.)

The kitchen did get a mega food processor out of the deal.

I think Robob will be moving up the schedule on his kitchen installation, too.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Flying Truer

Under Dad's watchful eye, Sam and Serafina got some archery practice in this afternoon. And they are getting much better - the arrows are flying much truer!

Photos: http://jf2.com/120225/

Using Your Resources...

It was about a month before two boat racing events that the kids would be doing, and Tracy had a brainstorm...

What if we got Uncle Trevor, the engineer, to help with a boat?! So, beyond the Compound walls we reached to other resources. Actually, it wasn't that far. He lives in the area. And oh my gosh, the boat he came up with! It was the talk of the town at both events. "Serafina didn't make that, did she?" Uh, no. But she and Sam sure enjoyed racing it. She received a first place award at one event, and Sam clearly outpaced the herd at another.



For all the photos:

Awana Yacht Races, 2/21/12
Children's Center Rain Gutter Regatta, 2/24/12