Storming the castle

James' Fall Break Inside Out class was called "Storming the Castle." 

This is the castle.

The students built all kinds of miniature war machines including onagers, trebuchets and ballistas. 

On the final day of class, there was a little presentation... 

followed by a battle! 

October 2011

Ryan in space

This year Ryan and James spent their Fall Break participating in the Cherry Creek School District's Inside Out program.  Ryan's class was called Wireless Technology.  He learned all about Morse code, built a Yagi antenna... 

and talked via amateur radio to NASA astronaut Mike Fossum on the International Space Station.  Here is a recording of that conversation.  Ryan's question comes at minute 7:19.

October 2011

The office

For the past eleven months, Seth has been working at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood, Colorado.  

His office is located in this building. 

Just follow the signs... 

and you can't miss it! 

This is Seth sitting at his desk. 

His desk has a name tag.

So proud of his Dada! 

Behind the desk is the model boat which used to live in our guest room. 

There is also a couch... 

and a huge whiteboard. 

No one can resist the whiteboard!  Ryan drew a Prairie Hawk and I sketched a quick portrait of Seth's favorite dog.  We're not going to discuss James' picture.   

Seth's professional certifications are displayed proudly on a bulletin board that's sitting on the floor.  Oh well.

After we'd toured the office, Seth showed us some of the other areas in his building. 

The magnetic poetry on the broken microwave reads: Remember to clean it you dirty companion of dog slobber. 

According to Seth, this is the longest hallway in the world. 

More... 

unique features!

Our visit to the USGS offices ended with a quick round of golf.  That smile on Ryan's face says that someday he wants to work at a place like this!

October 2011

Guanella Pass

Yesterday Seth and I decided take advantage of the beautiful fall weather by going for a long scenic drive in the mountains.  We chose a new-to-us route over Guanella Pass which connects the mountain towns of Grant and Georgetown.

This drive was number one on the Denver Channel's list of places to see Colorado's fall colors. Unfortunately, we were a couple weeks too late for that.  Most of the aspen stands looked like this. 

The lack of color combined with this bumpy dirt road was a cause for great concern among  the back seat Buxtons.  We were barely ten minutes outside of Grant and both boys were ready to call it quits.

It wasn't long, however, before the road turned back to pavement...

and everyone began to enjoy the scenery.

There may not have been a lot of fall color, but it was still beautiful!

We'd drive awhile... 

then pull over and wander a bit. 

This little stream had a lot of fish in it, but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of them! 

Ryan and James always bring their pocket knives on mountain adventures.  Ryan spent most of his out of the car time sharpening sticks.

Three Buxton men, each doing their own thing. 

Of course, I spent most of my time taking pictures.  These are my favorite subjects!

Views from the road! 

There are lots of campgrounds along this road.  We scouted a few and found a pair of pink sunglasses at one.   Seth picked them up and we were able to persuade James to model them.

Real men wear pink sunglasses. 

Finally, we reached the top. 

The elevation at the summit is 11,669.

We spent some time exploring... 

before heading down the other side of the mountain...

to Georgetown.

October 2011

Pick pockets

My dad is a picky eater, so we used to look forward to nights when he did not make it home in time for dinner.  On those occasions,  we'd dine on tv dinners or spaghetti with sauce that came from a can or pretty much anything with garlic in it!

Seth is not a picky eater, but it's still kind of fun to plan the occasional meal no Dada meal.  Tonight was one of those nights and we had Pick Pockets.

The recipe came from a kids' cookbook that was purchased for James after the "Brain Cookies" incident.

Here's how you make them: 

Nom nom nom! 

October 2011

No real reason

October 2011

Shiny, healthy Maggie

Every now and then, Ryan decides it's time to wash a dog.

Unlike Darcy, Maggie doesn't seem to mind this too much.

Once she's wet, it's time to apply the shampoo. 

Ryan is hoping to achieve the healthy, shiny look promised on the bottle.

Maggie is not convinced. 

The bath ends with a final rinse.

A clean dog in a dirty tub. 

Isn't she shiny? 

October 2011