Project Play Set

PROJECT PLAY SET has FINALLY been completed!
It's taken about two months (which seems like ten years for impatient ME!) to complete, but we're finally done.

It's always fun to have "before", "during", and "after" pictures of projects so we can actually see our progress and what we've done.  I wish we would have taken more pictures for other projects!

Here's how the play set looked when I purchased it (from Connor's Mom).  It was in Aberdeen, in a friend's yard.  The cute little guy in the picture is Connor's other little brother, Bridger.

 Here's our yard, before we started moving dirt.  The dirt spot there is from an old apple tree stump that we had removed.

 Our neighbor, Pat, started to level the ground for us.  We were going to do this project ourselves!  Oh yes, what grandeur ideas I have.   Murphy's Law struck once again; as the pad was being leveled, the skid steer hit an old well or cistern that was underground.   We had to move the location of the pad back to accommodate, making the retaining wall much more complex to build (a much larger wall, particularly outer wall, would be necessary).   DIY notions for completing the pad and retaining wall came to a halt.  I had to call in a handful of contractors to bid the project.

After receiving two bids back (one was RIDICULOUSLY priced), we accepted our fate, pulled the trigger and approved the work to be done by a local skilled crew.

Here's the play-by-play:

 They're almost done!

 DONE!   We were impressed, as it took a 3-man crew only one full day!  It would have taken us... months!!

Then, the following Sunday afternoon in July, we drove to Aberdeen to fetch the play set.  We took it apart and hauled it home.  We joked that we looked like a cross between the Clampetts and some gypsies, with this huge set hanging out of the GMC pick-up.  When we pulled into our yard, we pondered how we were going to unload it, having a toddler with us and no one to watch him.  We took the plunge.  Leaving Ramsey in the back seat (content), Eric and I [unbelievably] unloaded it ourselves and placed it on the pad.   I won't begin to tell you how heavy that main tower was... uh...muh...gawd!

Over the next few days, I put it together (I needed some help from Eric to get the A-frame carried over and stood up - that darn thing was heavy and awkward) and then power-washed every crevice to revitalize the wood.

 Here's a partially-completed pic of the new tunnel deck that I built.  It doesn't look like much, but it took me HOURS to assemble.  I love puzzles and building things, but I didn't dream it would take as long as it did (I estimate 8 hours).

After that, on another evening, I attached the deck of the tunnel to the main tower, installed the green tunnel hood, added the new slide, plus the new red glider (which also needed assembly!) and the two swings.  Voila!  Done.  Well, almost.  The pad still needed pea gravel.

 I ordered 10 tons of pea gravel from the local rock and gravel business and contracted a truck driver to haul it in with his pup truck.  He said he'd give us a few hours notice before he would come, depending on his schedule for the week. 

The day the driver had called to set up the delivery, I had to decide whether or not I was going to stain it this year.  Truthfully, I was bushed and burned out from the project and just wanted it to be over.  But, if I didn't get the legs stained now, I would have to deal with trying to stain it in pea gravel next year.  So, I decided to start staining (*groan*).  I got the legs done, plus anything that was within 6" from the ground.

Back to the delivery... it was quite... uh... "interesting".  The (super nice) truck driver was masterful, weaving around and between our trees, backing in, missing the culverts and other obstructions, etc.  We (to include the driver) were all worried that his truck was going to tip over, so I didn't have time to get any pictures.  That was a little stressful.  :-)   And, unfortunately, he couldn't dump it directly into our retained pad and had to leave it in a huge pile on one end.  Rats!   

I got the rest of the darn thing stained.  That took a few days.  I felt like a monkey most of the time, balancing on beams, reaching for odd places on the roof, crouching and contorting in weird little spaces, etc.  I did have one little accident and spilled stain on the plastic and part of the wall (the bucket I was standing on wasn't exactly sitting on level ground and I lost my balance - in true Kara non-ballerina form).  OOPS.  Oh well, the rest of the retaining wall (and the new tunnel) gets stained next summer anyway (the treated lumber has to breathe for a year).  :-)  

Our neighbors saw our pile and offered to move the rock onto the pad for us in a few areas.  The skid steer tore up the grass, but moving 20,000 lbs of rock by hand, or even with a wheel barrow, would have taken eons!

The last few nights, I have just been leveling the rock, little by little.  There's still a bit to do, but I'd say "Project Play Set" is 95% DONE.

HOO-RAH!

National Night Out 2016

As usual, on the first Tuesday of August, the police department held its yearly National Night Out.  Eric was there with his colleagues to meet and greet citizens of all ages.  My Mom, the kids (to include Connor's buddy Jared), and I attended to support the PD and also have some fun!

In addition to the police department, local community service providers from the fire department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Guard, Army, the local hospitals, Chamber of Commerce, US Fish & Wildlife, etc, were all represented at the affair.  These departments had booths with games, door prizes, and informational material.  Some even brought their utility vehicles (the D.A.R.E. Camaro, a fire engine, the Care Flight helicopter, an ambulance, a cool track vehicle from the National Guard, the mobile jail from the BIA, etc) for citizens to see.

At the beginning of the event, the PD kicked it off by having all of the community departments turn on their lights and sirens.  Ramsey had fallen asleep on the way into town and was sleeping in his stroller.  Before I could wake him, the sirens were going off.  He didn't even flinch and remained asleep!

Next, the PD awarded a police officer, plus two civilians an award for their valiant efforts to save a fellow citizen back in February (who needed resuscitation after collapsing while playing league basketball at a local gymnasium).

 Most of the time, Eric was mingling and talking to citizens, but we did manage to snag him for a few pictures!

 Ramsey seemed to enjoy seeing Neko, the PD's drug dog, a highly-trained adolescent Belgian Malinois.

 Connor and Jared were more interested in going to the Army tent, where there was a competition to see who could do the most push-ups in one minute.   The leader (at the time we were there) had 60!  The boys didn't fare quite that well and were in the 20's.  They had great form though.   :-)

Connor, Ramsey, and I all won door prizes (gift certificates to local businesses).  Lucky!  We all enjoyed a free supper, provided by the Salvation Army, too.  There were bouncy tents/slides for the kids and they showed a movie in the park at dusk (we did leave before it started). 

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live.  

I may be a bit biased in my opinions, but I certainly appreciate our law enforcement officials, first responders, armed service men and women, and community service providers for all of their efforts, not only in our fair city, but also nationwide.   It's a tough time in the country right now, especially if you're in law enforcement, and I'm happy to give a big shout-out to those who dedicate themselves and risk their lives to our communities.  THANK YOU for your service!

The Rumble of Monster Trucks

I had never been to a monster truck show before, but Eric has been talking about taking the family to the local scheduled event for two months, knowing that the boys (especially) would love it.   Any kind of family outing is always something I look forward to and this would be another "first" for Ramsey.  Admittedly, I was not so sure about this whole "monster truck thing" and had some preconceived notions.  :-)

The local speedway had two shows; one on Saturday night and one on Sunday.  We chose the Sunday afternoon venue.   Knowing that they had a Meet & Greet planned before the show so kids could meet the drivers and see the trucks, we left the house extra early to ensure we could take everything in.    Beforehand, we had been joking about the names of the trucks and how Ramsey's name (and personality) was so apropos; the "Raminator" was one of the featured trucks!

Ramsey's eyes were like saucers when he saw the first monster truck and we were all interested to see them up close.  We got pictures with all of the trucks, their drivers, plus autographs on a white racing flag as a keepsake.

Here's "Snake Bite":

The incognito driver was wearing a hood that looked like a python.  Ramsey freaked out when he saw him; he was pretty scary.  :-) 

Then, on to see "Rammunition".

All of the drivers were very nice, greeting us all and thanking us for coming.

Below is the driver from Raminator.

And Venom....

At one point, one of the pit men came up to us and handed us a sheet that said "Bigfoot".  He had chosen Ramsey to be one of the children to compete in a team challenge.  He explained that Bigfoot was his teammate.  And, if Bigfoot was the big winner of the day, Ramsey would receive a "special prize", which would be revealed later.    Here's Ramsey with Larry Swim, Bigfoot's driver, giving him a high five.

After meeting all of the drivers, it was time for the boys to get a ride in the "Mighty Monster", a colorful jacked-up monster bus.  For $10 each, Connor and Ramsey went for a two-minute thrill ride!

I somehow must have deleted the video of it (but I am trying to retrieve it!).   Connor was a nice big brubby, taking good care of Ramsey, while he screamed his little butt off during the ride.  We won't talk about how this may not have been the best idea for a toddler.  Connor had fun.

Then, time for the show!  There were six events in all to entertain us; The Wheelie Competition, the Doughnut Competition, Time Trials, Racing Competition, Long Jump, and Freestyle.

Eric brought his shooting earphones from the PD for Ramsey to wear. He didn't love them, until he heard the noise and then realized it was a necessary evil!

Even with the earphones, it was LOUD!  Ramsey was OK when the trucks were far away, but up close, he wasn't loving it!

The day started off with the Wheelie Competition, then the time trials.

Here's Bigfoot, soaring through the air:

Snake Bite got so carried away (and out-of-control), that he ended up going off the track, through the outer fence, and into a ditch!  I didn't get that on camera.  It was awesome!

Embracing my inner redneck (that I didn't know I had), I admit that the jumps, spins, and air the trucks got was impressive!

And then there was Venom.... who also went a bit haywire and ended up flipping over.

Thankfully, the driver was not injured!  It took a while for them to clear the racetrack. 

With all of the excitement and noise, we were perplexed to see that Ramsey had dozed off!

 But, when "Transaurus" came out to breathe fire and eat a car, he was wide awake, watching the dino-bot chomp and spew flames!

After Transaurus' show and an intermission, it was time for the Freestyle event which Bigfoot won.

Ramsey's "teammate" Bigfoot did take the title, winning five out of the six competitions (all but the Doughnut Competition).

So, Ramsey won his prize too; a new red Huffy bicycle!

..which now proudly adorns our living room.  :-)

This Frog is No Prince!

Eric was out mowing on a recent Saturday afternoon and found a leopard frog.   Fun!  "Ramsey is going to get a kick out of this," he thought, so into the house came Mr. Froggy.

He showed it to Ramsey, but then the darn little bugger GOT AWAY!  (I don't remember how that part happened; I believe I blocked it from my memory.)  He hopped over against the wall, by the couch.   Now, let me preface this by saying that I like touching frogs about as much as Eric likes snakes (which is NOT AT ALL).  Eric had to corral this evasive little stinker (brilliantly - with a large flat piece of wood we had in the house from a project) and it was up to yours truly to crouch down by the couch and try to catch it, before he went into seclusion into a place we could not reach him!

I caught him.  I felt his slimy skin.  I freaked out!!  He got away.  @#$%%!!!
After taking a minute to recompose myself (and getting a little grumbling from Eric for my wimpish ways - he "thought I was a farm girl?!?"), I got back down on my hands and knees, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and grabbed the smarmy little fella.  Oh, the drama.  On one hand, I was proud of myself (stupidly so, I know) for hanging on to one of the handful of things that make me truly gag, but also ashamed that I let a teeny tiny frog [temporarily] get the best of me.

**In the pic, you can see him peeking out from behind the table leg.  (Pardon the dust back there; I have since taken care of that bit of grossness.)**

All of the commotion (by that, I mean me shrieking wildly and Daddy "encouraging me") had pushed Ramsey into tears, creating a freak-out moment of his own.   Way to go, Kara, you just ruined frogs for Ramsey forever.  *sigh*

But then, after a brief period of Eric and me trying to calm him down, petting the "nice little froggy", he came around, extended his pudgy little hand, and touched the little guy too.

Eric held it calmly while Ramsey petted it.  "ECH!!!!," cried Ramsey, repeatedly.   But, when Eric asked Ramsey if he wanted to go frog hunting soon, Ramsey excitedly told us "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!".
A new bug/frog net and colorful cage arrived at my doorstep from Amazon two days later.   Let the fun begin....Daddy.  :-)