found the camera

I was a little nervous that I misplaced my camera and I would not be able to share scenes of my life with you. Then I found it.


Here is my first tree!!! The last two years I wanted to setup a tree and decorate for Christmas but I was moving and did not have the time. This year I did not have to move and have been able to enjoy the holiday's at my own house. Thank you Gayle for the tree, it looks great after I put the puzzle together. Take special note of the angel on the top -- this makes the tree complete. The tree skirt has a picture of Santa Clause which I am sure Mom would enjoy.


the outside of the house got some decorations too. It isn't a lot but the candles in the windows does help to spruce up the house for the holidays.

Merry Christmas!!!

PS. The snowmobile has been out and it is great to ride again.

Now this is Christmas

OK I know this is the start of a famous song, and I hope the tune is now trapped in your head. This last weekend we had our annual deer hunting, last night it snowed ~4", and my FIRST Christmas trip is up so NOW IS THE CHRISTMAS TIME OF YEAR.

The deer hunting was a successful trip again. Five of the 8 hunters got deer. Two members got their FIRST deer. It was a lot of fun even though it was COLD!

Last night it was snowing, making a PERFECT night for putting up Christmas decorations. There will be pictures to come. In the mean time just imagine/guess how a bachelor would decorate his house!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas before Thanksgiving

Last night put me in the mood for Christmas! Algona has a great annual tradition of "living store fronts". During this annual event the people of town get together on main street to see the local clubs put on Christmas scenes in the store front windows. This also included a glee club going store to store and singing carols. Down main street there were carriage rides behind two beautiful Clydesdale horses.

Needless to say this event along with our recent drop in temperature and covering of snow has put the Christmas spirit in me! This week I will get to celebrate Thanksgiving a couple of times with the family and take some time off of work. MAN I LOVE THE WINTER HOLIDAYS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!!!

Bob has multiplied!!!

IT IS A MIRACLE. Bob has multiplied! When I got home after a day of sleet and rain I found that Bob could not hold himself together (the small pile on the left). But in his place there are now two little ones and another big snowman/woman. This new snow person came complete with a face. Not sure how to identify the sex of the snow person so I will just call it Fred and the two little ones.

I can't say for sure who made these creations, but there are tracks leading directly to the neighbors house. Ahhh the fun of winter has STARTED!

LET IT SNOW!!

November 7th -- and it snows. It was a surprising snow because no one was expecting it to actually accumulate but after snowing all day and the temperature dropping to the upper 20s WE HAVE SNOW. Below is a look at the back door at 6:30 AM on Saturday.



Though most people are not wanting the cold yet, I decided to enjoy it. Check out my creation! I think I will call him Bob.


Bob -- Do you want to go fishing??? Maybe not, but next year I might try to get the boat winterized and covered a little earlier.

Can't wait for winter

As much as I love summer and fall I also LOVE winter. Right now is a busy time because harvest is going on and the daylight is getting shorter and shorter. To take advantage of the nice weather I finally finished some projects around the house.



Check out the new fire pit. The previous owners left me a pile of bricks which I used to create a nice fire pit to sit around and enjoy the warmth of a fire in the coming cold weather. It is also nice that it is near the camper so if anyone wants to crash at the house I can say I have a stocked and ready "guest" camper (besides the three empty beds). So come on over.



Here is a close-up of my mastery of masonry work. I am pretty proud of the final product considering it was made out of left-overs. I can't wait to fire it up!



Is it time to play yet! That is all I hear when I walk or drive into my garage. These toys are now cleaned and ready to rock. I know I should not be asking for snow yet, but I can't help it. I WANT SNOW - DRIFTS - ICE - etc......

The warm days are coming to a close

Sad to say that the warm months are coming to an end. That means it is time to make sure everything is winterized, seeds collected, and that you enjoy whatever is left. Last night I spend the night cleaning and winterizing the plumbing of the camper. It is now ready for the snow to fly and the snowmobiles to come out and play!


Here is a picture of some of the last collections from my garden. The cherry tomatoes are the 5th harvest from the plant that grew in the flower bed. If it wasn't for the the neighbor asking me to keep it alive it would have been gone long ago. This Tupperware full of fresh tomatoes will make a co-workers night. (I am not a fan of tomatoes). The pile of brown stuff are seeds I collected form my moon flowers. This pile-o-seeds are what I collected from 5 seed pods. I though away about 20 more because I didn't need any more seeds. If you know of someone that would like to grow these amazing flowers that bloom at night and have a sweet scent just drop me a note and I will try to find a seed or two to spare. (the flower is pictured below).



This is the moon flower for 2008. It was a surprise to see it because I thought all the buds were used up. It is amazing how seeing the bright white color can really brighten up the day or evening as the moon flowers go! This picture was taken two days ago.

Thanks GAYLE

Check it out!! Gayle found me the perfect fitting wardrobe for my living room. This cupboard fills a dead spot on the wall. It may not look that large in the picture, but it is 8 foot tall! GAYLE YOU ROCK!!

September is a great Month

Ok ok ok, so I am a little late getting this post up. It is better late than never! September is Brent and I's Birthday month so we ALWAYS have to split a cake. This time we got to eat our cake with family and friends while out camping. It was a great weekend.


Pictured here is "Dan the Man", "Biker Brian", "Al", and Princess (yes that is left to right).


It wouldn't be a great weekend out camping if I didn't have my little angel. Here is Alley playing in the camper. This little girl would love to sell her house and live out of a camper! Some days I don't think that is a bad idea.

What to do with a box full of pork

HHHHmmmmm, got to love a grill full of PORK. I just picked up the meat I had processed at a local meat locker. On the way home I decided to call some friends and have a BBQ in the driveway.



This might be a little on the "red-neck" side with a table that use to be a wire spool and sitting in the middle of the driveway but I heard no complaints. Evenings like this make me feel like I really am getting established in "my town". Hopefully this isn't the last of these evening meals with friends. There are a few more friends that I look forward to have join. If you are in the area and see me grilling, stop on in.


The evening ended with a little fun infront of the TV with the Wii game. Take a look at Darla's first boxing experience. The good news is there was no black eyes but there were some sore muscles in the morning.

Its the end of the fair

It is a sad day when you learn that it is the last day of the fair. The good news is that means you are closer to the start of the next fair. The sad face on Alley was because she just learned she was heading home soon. But check out the new Hanna shirt (that we wear everyday) and pink cowgirl hat. Life is always better with new clothes.


Here is a great picture from my camper door while the fireworks go off for my last night of the fair. I think all parties should end with fireworks!

Jacobs at the fair

THEY MADE IT AGAIN. It has been a few years since the whole family made it to the Iowa State Fair, but it happened. Here is my close friends "the Transplanted Canadians".

This was my first chance to meet the new family member, Maizie. This was also Adli's first fair and camping trip and it was a great success.

In fact, just ask them what Adli learned from his Iowa Uncles.




As you can see the there was no fun to be found! I just love this picture because you must remember it is Iowa and most are not use to seeing two guys walking so so close while pulling a child in a wagon. Check out the nervous man in yellow behind the happy couple.



Here you can see Brent also substitutes for a jungle-gym. It may have been late for these little ones, but I guarantee they slept really really well.

Happy 70th BDay

Its Not A Fish Story. Dad Your 70 Years Old.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD. Can't believe you are 70 years old.

The family all came together to plan a "surprise" party for Dad at the fair. Dad knew we would be doing something for then big day but not this. There was a great gathering of family and close friends that met Dad at the campground for a potluck meal and cake.

The night continued with tons of stories and smiles.


Some people just can't wait to start a party so they met Dad on the fairgrounds for a margarita or two.


Then it was time to sing Happy Birthday at the campers! Some sang louder than others.


Check out the great food. There is few meals better than a potluck. Amazingly will all the healthy appetites there was still food remaining. They were cleaned up the next day as leftovers. hhhmm


Here is a picture of the family all sporting the "birthday boy" shirts. It was great to have everyone matching and focusing the attention on Dad.


Here is a little inside joke. Dad got a little pink bike helmet. I just had to include the picture because the it just makes me smile.

The FAIR is HERE!!!

It seems that I was not the only guy to have the idea of heading to the fair for the day. This means there is prime people watching. The weather was great with uncommonly cool temperatures and a nice breeze.


This year I got to see the classic cars. I have been going to the fair as long as I can remember and have only seen the show cars a couple of times. This picture was taken while I was walking the fair with my sister and niece. I won't say they are motorheads, but we still had fun enjoying the sparkling cars, engines, and hosts.


I did walk some with my brother and the other niece too. This is the way to take in the fair. Brent did offer to let me ride in the wagon, but only when a large down hill slope nearby.


Here is some of the "free" entertainment that is available at the fair. This was a great show that the kids really enjoyed. Of course means that I enjoyed the show!


Another smile caught on film. This little "princess" is getting good at playing for the camera. When your that cute you can be a ham and get away with it.

Brent also knows how to be a ham for the camera.


The fair is never complete until there is a pony ride.


And don't forget the petting and feeding of the animals. Here I was with enjoying the fair with Dad, Patty, and her family. It was fun to see the fair through their eyes for the first time.


And finally the homes on wheels. One perk to camping beside friends and family is you can break the mold and setup your own "court yard". My toy is at the far end. The two "little" campers on the sides are my brother's and Dads. This is just a preamble of the many camping trips still to come.

the Gathering is about to begin

The Iowa State Fair is about to begin.


Tomorrow the fun begins. The campers (Dad's, Brent's, Mine) are all at the fair. I look forward to the fair because it is where the family and old friends always gather. And then we CELEBRATE!

Relay for life

It is time for the Relay for life. If you don't participate in this event you should find your local event and join in. This is a great support system for those that are fighting cancer and also for their family. Mom worked with this event when she was diagnosed with cancer and participated in the following years. The torch has been passed and now "we" (the family) carry on.



This Years Theme:



Camper1

This is an all night event so I brought my own bed!

Camper2

Brent also brought his bed, which is a little bigger. But as I have stated before, "Size does not matter".

Some walkers

As you can see here there was a pretty good turn out. Yes, little Alley was there too. She likes to "walk with Grandma Audrey". I know Mom was smiling the whole time.

Final Lap

Pictured here is the final lap. Brent was incredible again by walking for 12 continuous hours AGAIN. I believe this makes the 4th year in a row for him walking all 12 hours. If you think this is an easy task just try it. GREAT JOB Brent for raising the money and supporting the Relay for Life this much!

County Fair

Well the county fair has been here and gone already. The local fair is a great fair. There is no better place to meet friends and celebrate local talent. Don't forget the great food too.

Opening Day Parade

Now here is a group of guys having fun. Is this the perk to joining the "Zag-a-Zigs".


Parade Gathing

For the parade friends and neighbors gathered in the front yard of the neighbor's house. Ok, I'll be honest I invited myself and friends to the yard and made an impromptu party. Nothing tastes better on a hot day then lemonade (with some vodka). Funny how that will helps to get people to gather together.

Candy Candy Candy

Who says the candy at a parade is only for the kids. Here and the neighbor are out picking up the sweet morsels being thrown at us. The more we picked up the more they threw at us.

Is the parade over?

So the parade might have ended a few hours ago, but we didn't notice. In fact several of the floats stopped by see what was going on. It was a great party that mixed several groups of people. I look forward to next years parade.

New toy

This might be a little more than I really need, but who is judging. Found a sweet deal on an old camper in pretty good shape. Ends up it was an old friend's family camper. Right away the camper was initiated with a trip to Clear Lake with my brother's family. My goddaughter checked out each bed and said they are GREAT!!! So who is up for camping?


If you think that the camper looks like it is crammed into this spot and your right. In fact the neighbors came over to watch me try and back this thing into the drive.


Side two. Obviously the camper has a slide out. The bummer with the slide out is that it totally blocks the garage. I guess I don't need to park inside anyways.


Here is the mobile living room and kitchen.

Interested in a campfire? Tell me when and where and I will meet you there.