Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Building our House
It all started with some chickens. My son had always wanted them, and in a Randy Pausch moment, I relented. What could go wrong? About a year passed, and our brood grew to six chickens (give or take -- chickens are subject to all sorts of natural predators, even in one's own backyard, so the beak count was always fluctuating a bit). It was a family affair; chicks were raised, they'd run around the yard, they'd eat all sorts of bugs, and generally surprised me by each having distinct personalities. Once my wife Sharon called me in a panic, convinced she had fed the chicks food that was intended for full-grown chickens. The chicks were convulsing on the floor of the cage and Sharon was convinced she had somehow poisoned them. She was in tears, until I suggested that maybe the chicks were just dust-bathing. Sharon stopped crying. It was one of many teachable moments -- we were not raised on farms, so what did we know? The chicks were perfectly healthy and grew into fine chickens.
The beginning of this particular journey started when one of the chickens turned out to be a rooster. Roosters are loud. There was one particular episode where I was in my pajamas at three o'clock in the morning, on a cold January night, standing shirtless and shivering in the coop and yelling at the rooster to "just shut up already." The rooster cocked its head and stared at me, but did not shut up. Had I been raised on a farm, that might have been the end of the rooster, but he continued to crow proudly day after day, until we finally got a letter from our homeowners' association. The letter was polite but made it quite clear that section 3 of our HOA policies specifically prohibited the keeping of "poultry" in the neighborhood. I checked, and it was pretty clear to me too. We'd been ratted out, probably by some poor neighbor who had similar feelings towards our rooster as I.
Undeterred, my wife set about eliminating the problem -- not the rooster, but having an HOA. She began looking for land, where we could build a house and have chickens, dammit. We were going to become frontier people (although we decided to stay in the same school district). This is where our story begins.
In September of 2012, Sharon finally found the property: a five-acre horse "farm", with a small house, a barn, and some fencing. The land was in good shape, fairly flat, and plans were laid -- the house was solid but too small for a family with six kids, so we were going to have to expand it. We bought the property in December, hired an architect, hired a builder, and in the Summer of 2013, work began.
This will be the story of the building of our new home. One with chickens, and maybe a horse or two, and some room for the kids to run around, and, of course, a tractor for me (there had to be something in it for me).
The beginning of this particular journey started when one of the chickens turned out to be a rooster. Roosters are loud. There was one particular episode where I was in my pajamas at three o'clock in the morning, on a cold January night, standing shirtless and shivering in the coop and yelling at the rooster to "just shut up already." The rooster cocked its head and stared at me, but did not shut up. Had I been raised on a farm, that might have been the end of the rooster, but he continued to crow proudly day after day, until we finally got a letter from our homeowners' association. The letter was polite but made it quite clear that section 3 of our HOA policies specifically prohibited the keeping of "poultry" in the neighborhood. I checked, and it was pretty clear to me too. We'd been ratted out, probably by some poor neighbor who had similar feelings towards our rooster as I.
Undeterred, my wife set about eliminating the problem -- not the rooster, but having an HOA. She began looking for land, where we could build a house and have chickens, dammit. We were going to become frontier people (although we decided to stay in the same school district). This is where our story begins.
In September of 2012, Sharon finally found the property: a five-acre horse "farm", with a small house, a barn, and some fencing. The land was in good shape, fairly flat, and plans were laid -- the house was solid but too small for a family with six kids, so we were going to have to expand it. We bought the property in December, hired an architect, hired a builder, and in the Summer of 2013, work began.
This will be the story of the building of our new home. One with chickens, and maybe a horse or two, and some room for the kids to run around, and, of course, a tractor for me (there had to be something in it for me).
Monday, August 15, 2011
Days 22-23: Last Day in Paris, and Coming Home
Sunday was our last day in Paris. We were sad to say goodbye to our apartment, which turned out to be in a great location just across the street from Place des Vosges (although it took us two days to figure that out). It was centrally located, and with three bedrooms -- and a working washer dryer -- was perfect for us. Plus, I lucked out and found a parking space where I could fit our (huge) van on the street two blocks away... parking on the street is free in Paris during the month of August so this was convenient!
Here are the kids from the window of the apartment before we closed it up for good:
We decided to go to the Sunday market at Bastille, which was huge... At least five or six blocks long. Luck was on our side again as we found a parking spot right next to the market. They had foods of all kinds, clothes, you name it. The kids decided to have crepes again for breakfast (Nutella being the favorite, followed by cinnamon sugar).
Dylan also decided to have paella for breakfast!
This guy was pretty amazing and worked the crowds hard. He could juggle and dance while balancing a vase full of water on his head... and, if you look closely, you'll see there are live goldfish in the vase!
We then drove up Champs Élysées just so we could drive around the Arc de Triomphe (which we did twice, for fun). Traffic isn't so bad in Paris in August, especially if you have a sense of where you're going. Then we drove down to the Eiffel Tower so Addy could get one more shot of it out the car window.
Next stop, the Louvre! We had a couple hours to kill, and Emma (our budding artist) really wanted to see the La Joconde (the Mona Lisa). So, we parked and went in.
Here's a little Michelangelo, too:
We then had lunch in the lark by the Louvre. It was pretty good, but I got tourist sticker shock when I got the bill -- €42 for eight sodas! That's about $60, and was the only time I felt royally screwed. Oh well... We can say we did our part to keep Europe out of recession!
We then tried to drive up to Montmartre, but couldn't get up to the top because the streets were blocked off for pedestrians and cyclists. That turned out to be a good thing, because traffic and confusion at the airport meant we actually didn't end up with much of a margin for error for our flight out.
We wound our way north out of Paris though the only bad traffic we encountered, only to find the entrance to the A1 shut down for repairs. After being lost for a little while, we finally got to Charles de Gaulle airport.
I tried to return the van at terminal 1, but found the van was too high for the garage (followed by some dicey reversing through CDG's on ramps), so had to bail at terminal 2 and shlep the whole family through the terminal and transfer train. Luckily, Wyatt was well-prepared to guard us during this process, albeit as a London Bobby versus a Parisian gendarme.
The line to check in at Aer Lingus was tortuously long, and then the baggage loading carousel broke down (naturally, right when we put our bags on it). You can see Sharon doing the "discount airline baggage shuffle" as she moved contents around so we wouldn't incur those ridiculous overage fees. "Like hell if they think I'm paying them," she said. She was a hero for the folks in line behind us...
We finally got on our plane to Dublin, whereupon Wyatt promptly collapsed before takeoff.
We stayed overnight at the Radisson Dublin Airport, which was actually pretty nice, and then had an awesome "full Irish breakfast" (sausage, ham egg, toast, black and white pudding, etc.). Dylan loved it. I'm glad we got one before we left Europe.
Why Dublin on the return? Simple -- the cost to fly from Raleigh to Dublin was half that of flying into London or Paris, and even when we factored in using Ryanair and Aer Lingus to get around Europe (and trains), it was dramatically cheaper when you account for having to get eight tickets.
Anyway, that's it. We had our layover in Atlanta, and landed in Raleigh at about 9pm. I had parked the car at work to avoid parking fees (would have been $300 for three weeks!), so I took a taxi to work to get the car, then picked up the kids and took 'em home. Kramer (the dog) was so happy to see the kids.
All in all, we managed to pull off a pretty flawless trip -- five countries, three weeks, six kids, six different hotels/apartments, two rental vans, one flat tire (ok, there was that flaw), one wedding... and one unforgettable trip of a lifetime!
Here are the kids from the window of the apartment before we closed it up for good:
We decided to go to the Sunday market at Bastille, which was huge... At least five or six blocks long. Luck was on our side again as we found a parking spot right next to the market. They had foods of all kinds, clothes, you name it. The kids decided to have crepes again for breakfast (Nutella being the favorite, followed by cinnamon sugar).
Dylan also decided to have paella for breakfast!
This guy was pretty amazing and worked the crowds hard. He could juggle and dance while balancing a vase full of water on his head... and, if you look closely, you'll see there are live goldfish in the vase!
We then drove up Champs Élysées just so we could drive around the Arc de Triomphe (which we did twice, for fun). Traffic isn't so bad in Paris in August, especially if you have a sense of where you're going. Then we drove down to the Eiffel Tower so Addy could get one more shot of it out the car window.
Next stop, the Louvre! We had a couple hours to kill, and Emma (our budding artist) really wanted to see the La Joconde (the Mona Lisa). So, we parked and went in.
Here's a little Michelangelo, too:
We then had lunch in the lark by the Louvre. It was pretty good, but I got tourist sticker shock when I got the bill -- €42 for eight sodas! That's about $60, and was the only time I felt royally screwed. Oh well... We can say we did our part to keep Europe out of recession!
We then tried to drive up to Montmartre, but couldn't get up to the top because the streets were blocked off for pedestrians and cyclists. That turned out to be a good thing, because traffic and confusion at the airport meant we actually didn't end up with much of a margin for error for our flight out.
We wound our way north out of Paris though the only bad traffic we encountered, only to find the entrance to the A1 shut down for repairs. After being lost for a little while, we finally got to Charles de Gaulle airport.
I tried to return the van at terminal 1, but found the van was too high for the garage (followed by some dicey reversing through CDG's on ramps), so had to bail at terminal 2 and shlep the whole family through the terminal and transfer train. Luckily, Wyatt was well-prepared to guard us during this process, albeit as a London Bobby versus a Parisian gendarme.
The line to check in at Aer Lingus was tortuously long, and then the baggage loading carousel broke down (naturally, right when we put our bags on it). You can see Sharon doing the "discount airline baggage shuffle" as she moved contents around so we wouldn't incur those ridiculous overage fees. "Like hell if they think I'm paying them," she said. She was a hero for the folks in line behind us...
We finally got on our plane to Dublin, whereupon Wyatt promptly collapsed before takeoff.
We stayed overnight at the Radisson Dublin Airport, which was actually pretty nice, and then had an awesome "full Irish breakfast" (sausage, ham egg, toast, black and white pudding, etc.). Dylan loved it. I'm glad we got one before we left Europe.
Why Dublin on the return? Simple -- the cost to fly from Raleigh to Dublin was half that of flying into London or Paris, and even when we factored in using Ryanair and Aer Lingus to get around Europe (and trains), it was dramatically cheaper when you account for having to get eight tickets.
Anyway, that's it. We had our layover in Atlanta, and landed in Raleigh at about 9pm. I had parked the car at work to avoid parking fees (would have been $300 for three weeks!), so I took a taxi to work to get the car, then picked up the kids and took 'em home. Kramer (the dog) was so happy to see the kids.
All in all, we managed to pull off a pretty flawless trip -- five countries, three weeks, six kids, six different hotels/apartments, two rental vans, one flat tire (ok, there was that flaw), one wedding... and one unforgettable trip of a lifetime!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Day 21: Paris
On Saturday, some of the kids decided to break the croissant routine and go for crepes (Nutella being the preferred topping). After being up to half past one the night before, I can say this was a slow start to the day.
Serena and Wyatt suddenly became best friends.
Amongst my favorite trip photos... an unscripted walk down the streets of Paris:
Thierry poses at the Socialist Party HQ. I wonder if they have to pay rent??
The kids got a big kick out of the RER (aka tube aka subway) vents, as they blew air up quite forcefully. They liked to put leaves on them to see how high they'd shoot into the air (and they could go a good 30-40 up as it turns out). Here, they decided to stage an impromptu dance routine:
More posing, this time on the wait to Place Baudoyer for an open market that turned out to be, well, open but also empty. We ended up at Hotel de Ville, where we met up with Carolyn and Simon, who came up from Fontainebleau to join us for the day (as newlyweds, I might add).
We crossed a famous bridge named Pont des Arts. It's famous because people affirm their love by attaching padlocks to the sides of the bridge. As you can see, many people are in love in Paris. Carolyn and Simon tied a ribbon, as did Sharon and I. Thierry claimed he was too old for it...
We decided to buy some street art and fell upon this artist who was quite a hoot. She posed with Sharon after we bought a couple of her pieces.
Serena being elegant...
On the way to Jardins des Plantes, Dylan came across some bamboo. Dylan loves bamboo, so... picture!
The rain had been on-again, off-again (really the only real rain of our entire trip), so the €35 investment in umbrellas ended up paying off as we enjoyed lunch in Jardins des Plantes.
The zoo here was really pretty amazing -- I had never been and had no idea a zoo of this magnitude existed in the middle of Paris!
Simon and Wyatt hanging out (Simon remained impressively indefatigable despite multiple kids clamoring for his attention all day).
We finally ended up at a little brasserie for a drink before heading over to Place des Vosges.
Wyatt did some impromptu Fred Astaire type of dance with his umbrella. I'll post the video soon.
Waiting while the wives go antiquing...
We said our goodbyes to the family as they were heading back to Fontainebleau. It was great seeing everyone, but as always it goes way too quickly.
We ended our last night in Paris at Le Royal Torenne, beside Place des Vosges, where we received exceptional service. The waiter even cut the kids' steak so we wouldn't have to! This was a great meal and the perfect way to end an evening. I even had the pleasure of a drunk Frenchman coming up and hugging me ("my dear old friend!") before he was whisked off by the waitstaff. The kids got a kick out of that part. Anyway, I bought Sharon a rose, we lingered, and got home to prepare for our journey home.
The restaurant:
Tomorrow: last day in Paris, evening trip to Dublin, and Monday, home to Raleigh!
Serena and Wyatt suddenly became best friends.
Amongst my favorite trip photos... an unscripted walk down the streets of Paris:
Thierry poses at the Socialist Party HQ. I wonder if they have to pay rent??
The kids got a big kick out of the RER (aka tube aka subway) vents, as they blew air up quite forcefully. They liked to put leaves on them to see how high they'd shoot into the air (and they could go a good 30-40 up as it turns out). Here, they decided to stage an impromptu dance routine:
More posing, this time on the wait to Place Baudoyer for an open market that turned out to be, well, open but also empty. We ended up at Hotel de Ville, where we met up with Carolyn and Simon, who came up from Fontainebleau to join us for the day (as newlyweds, I might add).
We crossed a famous bridge named Pont des Arts. It's famous because people affirm their love by attaching padlocks to the sides of the bridge. As you can see, many people are in love in Paris. Carolyn and Simon tied a ribbon, as did Sharon and I. Thierry claimed he was too old for it...
We decided to buy some street art and fell upon this artist who was quite a hoot. She posed with Sharon after we bought a couple of her pieces.
Serena being elegant...
On the way to Jardins des Plantes, Dylan came across some bamboo. Dylan loves bamboo, so... picture!
The rain had been on-again, off-again (really the only real rain of our entire trip), so the €35 investment in umbrellas ended up paying off as we enjoyed lunch in Jardins des Plantes.
The zoo here was really pretty amazing -- I had never been and had no idea a zoo of this magnitude existed in the middle of Paris!
Simon and Wyatt hanging out (Simon remained impressively indefatigable despite multiple kids clamoring for his attention all day).
We finally ended up at a little brasserie for a drink before heading over to Place des Vosges.
Wyatt did some impromptu Fred Astaire type of dance with his umbrella. I'll post the video soon.
Waiting while the wives go antiquing...
We said our goodbyes to the family as they were heading back to Fontainebleau. It was great seeing everyone, but as always it goes way too quickly.
We ended our last night in Paris at Le Royal Torenne, beside Place des Vosges, where we received exceptional service. The waiter even cut the kids' steak so we wouldn't have to! This was a great meal and the perfect way to end an evening. I even had the pleasure of a drunk Frenchman coming up and hugging me ("my dear old friend!") before he was whisked off by the waitstaff. The kids got a kick out of that part. Anyway, I bought Sharon a rose, we lingered, and got home to prepare for our journey home.
The restaurant:
Tomorrow: last day in Paris, evening trip to Dublin, and Monday, home to Raleigh!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)