Halloween 2017

I’ll try not to go overboard with the annual Halloween post write-up this year, but you do know how much my wife loves this holiday. We started things off with an evening outdoor event at one of Dylan’s classmate’s families properties in The Plains, VA, where all the parents and kids of this years Osprey Class enjoyed a bonfire, spooky hayrides through the woods and even an awesome food truck serving taco’s for dinner! Thank you for hosting Amy & Brian… this was a fantastic event! Next on the list would be the annual River School Halloween parade up and down MacArthur Blvd, followed by our normal neighborhood evening trick-or-treating adventure with Dylan and all his local friends. Happy Halloween everyone!

More Scouting for Dylan

Here are a couple more photos from Dylan’s first month in Scouting with Cub Scout Pack 1229, Falls Church, VA. He should have joined the Pack as a Wolf this year, but because his friend Liam was a grade level ahead (and he insisted on being in his friends Den), we let him join the Bear Den with the condition that he puts in twice the effort and tries to earn both his Wolf and Bear rank this year. Being the great dad and former Scout that I am, I told him that I would work with him one-on-one to make sure he accomplish the tasks and adventures that were required to make his ranks. It’s nice to see that he has taken to Scouting like a fish to water. Oh yeah, and he also earned his first belt loop this month too!

Dylan’s First Camp-out

I have to admit, ever since my son joined the ranks of Cub Scouting last month, I have been looking forward to getting back into the woods myself to help out on some of his camping trips There’s nothing better than pitching a tent in the middle of the woods and falling a sleep under the stars listening to the sounds of nature. However, it turns out that Dylan’s first camping trip with Pack 1229 would wind up being a little different than what we first expected… they call it “Cabin Camping”. Okay, so it didn’t turn out exactly as I had envisioned, but the event was a lot of fun and seeing how we were in bear country (and there had been several sightings), it was probably a better idea to start the ‘first timer’ out in a cabin sleeping on a somewhat comfortable raised cot. Next trip will be tent camping for sure!!

Dylan joins the Cub Scouts

Thanks to a friend who Dylan meet in summer camp, we have officially become a Cub Scout family. I was a Boy Scout myself when I was younger, and even though I never made Eagle Scout, I did learn a lot from the program. Being a Scout brought me closer to nature and helped to make me a better outdoors-men and survivalist. I hope that Dylan will stay active in Scouting long enough for me to teach him the ways of the woods. I’ve already been asked by several of the Scout Leaders if I would be interested in helping out with the program. My reply was a simple..”We’ll see how things go”.

Dylan’s First Day of 2nd Grade

I don’t know about everyone, but for myself as a father, there is nothing more gratifying than having your child tell you that they look forward to going back to school in the fall. I know that for Dylan, it’s mostly because he misses his friends and he also enjoys the organization the school day brings. It gives me a good feeling in my heart knowing that he truly enjoys his teachers and where he goes school and I hope that he continues to enjoy school and the journey of knowledge it takes him on for many years to come. I was once told that “there is no greater weapon than knowledge, but one must also spend the time in the real world making their own mistakes to obtain wisdom as well”. Always Remember… Knowledge is the tool, but wisdom is the treasure!

Burke Lake Park

Part two of our crazy weekend ended up being an outing to Burke Lake Park with the Grandparents. Dylan, like most boys, has always had an obsession with trains, and it just so happens that one of the main features of this park is their miniature gas powered passenger train, which takes riders for a tour around Burke Lake. As you can see from the pictures, Dylan could not be satisfied with just one ride. The good news is that the waiting line to ride does get shorter the later it gets in the day.

Downtown DC with Dylan

This past weekend Dylan asked if we could do the tourist thing and go downtown to one of his favorite places… the United States Botanical Garden which is located on the grounds of the US Capital in Washington, DC. It’s odd that this is one of my sons favorite places in DC… maybe it’s because they have dinosaurs mixed in with the plant life. Regardless of the reason, he truly enjoys exploring this beautiful exhibit and exploring the hidden spaces around the garden.

Being that we were already downtown, it made perfect since to extend our sightseeing adventure a bit by taking the short walk over to the National Museum of the American Indian just two blocks away. It’s one of my favorite museums in DC and the exhibits do a superb job of showing what Native American life was like both before and after the Europeans invaded. There are also exhibits that do great job of reminding visitors of how the original indigenous inhabitants of this great land were so badly treated over the years. My Great Grandmother was a full blooded native American Indian, so I get kind of emotional when I watch the videos and read some of the displays they have up on the top floor .

If you find yourself in Washington, DC and have some free time, I highly suggest checking out any of the wonderful museums the Nations Capital has to offer… they are all outstanding and well worth the price of admission! You can see more of my photos from this weekends excursion by clicking the view more link below. Enjoy!

Bermuda 2017 Part-2

As promised, here is the second installment of photos from our most recent family getaway to Bermuda. I’ve been doing a lot of landscape photography lately and trying to capture some different styles of both the sunset and seascape theme. I’ve also been working on using shadows more in my images, but that doesn’t always work out well when taking random photos with a cellphone. It might be time for a cellphone upgrade. Click the link below to see all the photos from the trip.

Bermuda 2017

This years annual family vacation to Bermuda turned out to be one of the great ones. First off, this year we opted to do our fall financial meetings on the island, so the entire family made the trip for the week. This was a real treat for Dylan because he doesn’t get to see his cousins who live in Toronto as much as he would like. Having them all together for the week was a really nice treat. There was good food, lots of beach and pool time and we even got to enjoy a good view of the major Solar Eclipse of 2017. Click on the link below to see the first batch of photos from the trip.

July 4th Holiday Parade

‘Dylan all decked out for our neighborhood July 4th Parade’ – Arlington, VA.

As we all know, Julie and Dylan are always up for decorating when it comes to a holiday… and the July 4th holiday celebration is one that we all enjoy! Here are some photos form our neighborhood July 4th Parade that our local Arlington fire station puts together every year. Dylan likes to ride his bike in the parade with his friends, so we try to get there early enough that he can get up on the front row for the start.