Our Not-So-Little Drummer Boy

Here's Joseph in Seattle's version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.


Roger went with the band as a chaperone and took photos and video. It's a good thing. The parade was broadcast on the local TV channel, but they missed Joseph. He's on the wrong side of the band for good TV coverage, but he's there on purpose. It's the side of the band that marches nearest the judges and nobody in the band is better on the snare than Joseph.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving Day Celebration with our good friends, Scott & Beth Storm. We watched (and of course critiqued) the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and stuffed ourselves with Turkey and finger foods (pickles, olives, baby carrots, and cheese cubes with international flag toothpicks stuck in them.)

For some reason, the toothpicks are the most important part of our family's Thanksgiving celebration. When I announced that only the plastic sword toothpicks could be kept after dinner and only if they were washed with soap and water, I was met with protests of dissapointment. Apparently, several of my children have toothpick collections from Thanksgivings gone past. Thoughts of little sticks of wood (no matter how pretty) that were once stuck in pieces of ham, cheese or pickles lying for years in a child's bedroom has given me Thanksgiving misgivings. Oh well, at least they are no longer collecting Happy Meal Boxes.

787 Wing Test Successfully Completed

This last weekend, Boeing successfully completed a test of the 787 wingbox. The structure was subjected to over 1.5X the maximum stress it is designed to undergo in service. A nice video of the test is posted on the Boeing web site. The guy narrating is someone I work regularly with. Pretty cool - now to get the bird up in the air ...
Click HERE and then on "Wing Break Test" to see the video.

Preston's End of Season Soccer Party

Yesterday, Preston's soccer team, The Dragons, played their last game for the season. When I asked Preston how it went, he said, "We won, a lot to 2."

We had a party for the boys at Coach Dave's house. Coach Dave is a great coach, and he and his wife are some of the most gracious people I have ever met. I want to be like them.

Preston's team played so well this season, they caught the attention of the League President who said he had never seen 6 year olds play so well and pass to each other so much. One of the reasons for all the passing is that any one of the boys on the team could steal the ball and dribble all the way down the field and score. Coach Dave had to encourage lots of passing to keep them from running up the score.

So, here's my opinion on that topic. I have noticed that in kid soccer, the more a team gets ahead in the score the less the parents cheer when they make a goal. It's like there's a predetermined decible level that is considered polite for each point ahead your team is. If your team scores from behind or ties the score, you can clap and yell as loud and long as you want. If your team is one ahead you can still cheer pretty loud, but when you are two ahead then you can only cheer at 50%, then at three ahead you politely clap and say "yeah" quietly. Any more than that and it seems that your supposed to politely ignore the game. Well, if my child scores, no matter what the score is, I'm going to cheer as much as I feel like. He still did a good job; I feel just as much pride. The funny thing is, I also find myself cheering when I think a player on the other team does a good job too. I don't care who it is or what the score is, good plays should always be cheered. At least in kid soccer.

Perhaps that is why I'm a musician. I like to cheer whether it's the soprano that wins or the bass. I really like standing ovations and encores too. I like to think the audience can force performers to make more music by ceaseless clapping. It's nice to push people around with your own two hands. Makes me feel powerful. Ok, it's probably more like gratefully requesting more entertainment, but no matter how you look at it, it sure is fun.

Happy Halloween

For Halloween, Preston was Darth Vader.

Caitlin was not sure what she was, so all her friends decided she was an Irish Princess, much to her dismay. She didn't want to be a princess. Every year when I ask her what she wants to be for Halloween she says, "Not a princess."

Jacob was a Jedi Knight. Joseph was a mini black hole, from Switzerland, none the less. I insisted that he looked more like a stranglet, but he said I didn't know what I was talking about. I don't think Joseph can be a mini anything.

Caitlin got to go trick-or-treating with her girl friends and one boy. Oooo, a boy. I didn't ask her if he was cute or not.

Preston & Jacob went trick-or-treating with their dad. No animals were harmed.

I stayed home and threw up. Nice. It was a touch of the flu. It's over now. Thanks for your concern.

New Layout

Do you like my new layout? Is it too pink? Too Girly? Will Roger ever post again if our blog looks like this?