Strange Attitude

I figured that if I write my goals for the summer in this blog I will be forced to do them. And I will have a great place to post all the pictures of the process!

Here are my goals for the summer not in any particular order.

• Build a Toolbox (done 6/12/08) and a Bird House with Jack
• Change the brakes on the Jag myself.
• Replace the damn fog light on the Jag
• Finish the Indiana Jones Lego Game with Jack (done 7/15/08)
• Take the boys fishing and actually catch something. Even a carp would be fine.
• Camp in the Boundry Waters(done 8/17/08)
  
• Drive my Corvette to Galena and have some Mushroom/Parmesan Stuffed Ravioli.
• Cut the grass using an unpowered mower all summer long. (done 7/27/08)
• Add a 4 Season Room, large pressed concrete patio and knock out the living room wall.
• Hang 32″ plasma on remaining wall.
• Stain the deck before the Pig Roast
• Have a pig roast (Done 6/21/08)
  
• go camping in Door County (Done 7/4/08)
  
• backpack into Kettle Moraine for the weekend
• continue to exercise

I’m sure that I’ll add quite a few things to this list as they come up but for now this is it. When I finish one I will create another page turn the bullet point into a link leading to that page.  The ones written in red are complete.

This here list will remain at the top of the site until I am damn well good and ready to consider it pwned!!

John and Laura finally in the Boundary Waters

After two years of excuses, John and I finally rented a canoe and joined the Musiches in Northern Minnesota for a weekend of paddling, swimming and good eating.

Our trip started out Friday morning.  We drove to Grandma Linda’s house in Minneapolis to drop off the boys.  They had tickets to see the Star Wars exhibit at the Science Museum and would be well spoiled and entertained while we frolicked in the woods for the weekend.  On the way we stopped off at the new humongous Gander Mountain outside of Madison, Wisconsin to pick up a Katadyn Vario water filter.  This enabled John to pump up cool, clean drinking water all weekend long.

After dinner with Mom, John and I said goodbye to the boys and drove up to Cloquet, Minnesota.  We stopped there and set up camp in the dark at the KOA.  The plan was to meet the Musiches at the Kishwishiwi Ranger Station in Ely to pick up the entry permit at 10:30 the next morning.  It seemed like a reasonable time, but we managed to miss it by about an hour.  Still, not too bad for two people who had no idea how to load a rental canoe on top of a Jaguar.

The Jaguar sporting a new look.

In addition to a canoe the outfitters at LaTourell’s set us up with a sleeping bag for John.  Apparently someone in charge of getting the gear together, packed Jack’s sleeping bag instead of his.

On the way back to meet the Musiches and pick up the permit, we spotted a Black Bear on the side of the road.  Black Bear sightings are always cool, unless the bear is dead.  Unfortunately our other Black Bear sighting of the trip was one that had been hit and was dead on the side of the interstate.

At the permit station, Ranger Tom clued us in on the rules for canoeing and camping in The Boundary Waters Canoe Area.  It was the usual talk, centering around the general idea of “don’t be a jerk while you’re in the woods”.

Another short car trip and then we were in the water.  But not really.  First we had to unload the cars and then portage the canoes and all the gear and food 19 rods(about 100 yards) to the entry point.  Then we were on the water.

Canoeing on Slim Lake

The Musiches chose to set up camp on Slim Lake, so it was a nice, easy, fairly short paddle to the absolute best camping site in the whole entire world.  We set up camp and settled into a couple days of gourmet dining, leisurely canoeing and swimming.  All in all it was a truly relaxing vacation.

Our list of wildlife spotted grew to include 2 bald eagles, a beaver, a couple bats and numerous loons, frogs and turtles.  Our gear wish list grew to include the Sven Saw.

Relaxing and cooking at camp.

We packed up Monday morning to head back to civilization.  Bummer.  We paddled back and loaded up the cars.  The Musiches headed off to Virginia, Minnesota to pick up their boy, and John and I set off to return the canoe rental.  On the way back to LaTourell’s a Grey Wolf ran across the road in front of our car.  It was an awesome ending to a really great trip.

We can’t thank the Musiches for  the picture perfect weather, that was just beginner’s luck.  And we can’t thank them enough for all the effort they put into making our first trip to The Boundary Waters so enjoyable.

Matt and Steffanie, you guys rock!.  We will definitely be back soon.

Alright I’ll admit that I’m not the one cutting the grass all the time but I do sometimes.  This reel mower kicks ass!!!  It’s so convenient to just get up and cut the grass at 6 AM or just to do half of it since it’s not a big production.  Enjoyable is never a word I used to describe cutting the grass until now.  Plus with my new found love for exercise it’s a perfect excuse for walking a mile or two.

For those of you have never considered using a Reel Mower of know what one is here’s a learnin’ for you.

1. You just push it and it mows – you do not have to worry about starting up the lawn mower or having it break down on you.
2. Super Quiet
3. You can mow at any time of the day or night without worrying about waking up your neighbors. You can hear your cell phone ringing and other sounds that you can not hear when pushing a rotary mower.  Children screaming as you run over their toes.
4. Mowing your lawn becomes less of a task and more of an enjoyment.
5. They cost less to purchase and less to maintain, and you do not have to pay for gas to fuel them.
6. Low maintenance – you just need to periodically oil your lawn mower and sharpen the blade.
7. You can get a bit of exercise when you are out mowing the lawn! Reel mowers of today are much easier to push and use than those that your grandfather owned. They are lighter and easier to maintain than those of the past, as well.
8. A reel mower is light enough and small enough to lift up and stow away on a wall in your garage.
9. Because the blades of a reel mower spin at an angle perpendicular to the ground (the blades of a rotary mower spin parallel to the ground), they actually cut the grass rather than simply smashing the ends of the grass.
10. They do not pollute!

It may be premature but I am going out on a limb and I’m gonna say we are going to use this thing for the rest of the summer.  I highly recommend getting one if your yard is not too big.

One of the simple but tedious goals of this summer was to finish the much anticipated Indiana Jones Lego game for Xbox360.  Anyone in my family tree knows that I’m a big fan of video games so it’s only a natural fit that my spawn has that same addiction.  Actually Jack is pretty good about the amount of video gaming that he does.  We set a timer and when the timer goes off, he’s done.  The timer was his idea too.  But if it’s sunny outside, no gaming for us.  Video games are for rainy days, winter and when it’s dark.

Indiana Jones Lego as a present for Jack (and Daddy) from Grandma Kaufmann.  She preordered cause she knew how much we loved the Star Wars Series Lego games.  Both of which we STILL play on a daily basis.  We finished the game in about 1 month playing it on and off but always playing as a team.  There were a few very frustrating moments but all of which we because we were over thinking the game.

But now in Sept.  Lego is launching the new Batman Lego Series!!!!!!  We are awaiting the release date for that one.  Here’s the trailer.

When Laura and I first met we did quite a bit of “recreational camping” as some of the more pretentious campers will call it. This is basically drive to a camp site with all your stuff and unload a mini version of your house on to the site. Water is readily available and firewood can be delivered to your site. It’s fun and really the only good option if you have little kids (under 4). Some of our destinations were -

• Yellowstone
• Glacier
• Sleeping Giant
• Gooseberry Falls
• Duluth
• Kettle Moraine
• many many other places

Another big difference is the there is a lot more walking (hiking if you’re in the woods) when you do the more rugged type of camping.

Anyway we stayed at Newport Park in Door County WI.

View Larger Map

On Friday afternoon we arrived ready to get strap on the packs and see if we (Jack had a pack too) could handle it. One of the challenges with this sort of thing is bringing in your own water, it’s really heavy. So I was the water mule for the majority of the trip. Not because I’m Mr.Tough Guy but because I’m Mr. Obsessive Compulsive Workout Guy. Getting the water (3.4 mile round trip) would feed the monkey on my back.

We made it to camp the first night without a problem.  Some of us were a little disappointed that the beach was not sandy or even rocky for that matter.  It had more of a “tons of algae washed up on the shore and was rotting” kind of look.  It didn’t really bother me too much…  until later.

Right when we arrived Laura began putting the tent up and Jacknut and I started gathering firewood.  Mostly sticks and a couple nice thick branches were around.  I had my eye on an old dried up (aged) stump but left it for later.  We had a great meal and cleaned the dishes using our precious water.

After dinner Laura and Jack went for a walk.  Then I got to work on this huge stump.  Me being a male and quite a pigheaded one at that I was not going to let a stump get the best of me.  I reefed on that SOB until she popped out of the ground roots and all.  My grand plan - Burn this sucker.  It will burn all night long.

I threw the huge stump (cedar) onto the fire and started to burn off the roots and stuff so I could eventually get the whole stump into the pit and then we would have a sweet fire.  About 45 minutes into the trimming process we decided to go to bed.  I pulled the stump out and threw some dirt on it.  The flames were quenched and all we had was a smoking log.  We read a story and got ready for bed.

Just before bedding down for the evening I decided to check on the log.  As I peer out the window I see flames.  Orange and yellow flames just ripping through that dry stump.  I figured I’ll take out this fire once and for all and I just dumped our water on it.  As well as some well aimed urine from Jack.  There, that should surely take care of this pesky fire.  Back into the tent we go hoping to catch some shut eye.

About 20 minutes later that damn fire started again.  Since we had no more water I decided to take the ultimate approach to extinguishing this beast of a fire.  THROW THE STUMP INTO LAKE MICHIGAN.

I put on my new Rafters sandals and dragged that log through the nasty slimy algae and tossed it into about 18 inches of water.  Now we can rest in peace.  There is no way that fire can give us anymore trouble.

At about 1:30 AM that night Laura started hearing the crackling of a campfire.  She got out of the tent only to see the cursed log on fire while sitting there in 18 inches of water.  The inside of the stump was like a kiln!  The fire actually burned a hole all the way through the stump and formed a sort of Chimney that just would NOT give up.  Laura finally went out into the lake and splashed about 40 gallons of water on it until there was nothing left but a water logged, hollow log sitting there in the lake.

Here is a photo of the log.  It was about 12 inches in diameter

The next morning I ran back to the ranger station and scored some fresh water while Laura cooked up some great breakfast.

After breakfast we had a nice long hike to Sandy Beach about 6 clicks north of our campsite.  The algae attacked this part of the lake too but no biggie.  It’s too cool to swim here anyway.

The next day we drove into town and took in some of the sites and had some excellent chow at the Door County Deli.  We also drove over to another beach.

On the last night Jack and I planned on having the greatest fire in all of camping history.  We gathered tons of good sized branches so we could have a nice warm fire.  It gets pretty chilly at night.  Plus we needed some fire for smores.  In the process of breaking up some branches “Meathead John” took over my body.  He decided to smash a branch on a tree in order to break it into more manageable pieces.  After a good solid connection with the tree a small bit of shrapnel flew toward Laura’s new tent and ripped a hole in the rain fly.  I felt terrible.  Both astonished and ashamed at the same time.  How that hell does this happen???

It was a really nice fire and Laura read Jack and me Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh for quite a while.  It was a great night.

If we weren’t walking in the woods we were probably climbing the boulders along the lake shore.  This was Jack’s favorite part of the trip I think.   He really likes jumping from boulder to boulder.

The next morning we packed up and headed for Grandma and Grandpa Kaufmann’s.  All is good.

At 9:07 AM on June 21st we placed all for quarters of our 210 lb (hanging weight) porker on the grill.  At 10 PM it was all gone.

The End……

But seriously, this was a sweet party.  We had great weather and about 250  - 300 visitors throughout the day.  It seems we had a perfect mix of drunken clowns, tons of little rugrats, screaming 5 year olds and regular people who just can’t drink the way they used to.

Speaking of drunken clowns.  Here is the King for a Day, or Jackass for the Year.  Brad and Kevin were both competing like real gentlemen for this title.  Each started drinking the day before hoping to build up some momentum before the final determination was made.  In the end Kevin conceded the trophy to Brad.  Without a doubt he earned it with his insults and constant requests for two neighbor ladies to start making out on is deck.  Good form Brad, you do it for all of us who just have the sense not to.

An added bonus this year was to have Matt “I have the qualified Confidentials.” and Steffanie “I don’t know this guy.” came to visit.  Matt showed off his meticulous swine carving skills at the grease table and Steffanie played it smart and steered clear of the pig pickin’.

Like I mention earlier we had about 250 - 300 guests this year yet I can probably only name about 100 maybe less.  Our side of the party was mostly friends from work and their families.

All in all it was a great success but I don’t know if I can bear to do it another year.  Damn that’s a lotta work.

What a great day!

June 15th started off with Jack tapping me on the shoulder at 7 am saying, “Can we play Indiana Jones?” After telling him to go play in his room for a little while, I got up. The next thing you know I had a little, delicately decorated white paper bag jammed in my face.

Contained within said baggie was a handcrafted “prize”.

After the grand awakening I called my Dad and left a message. Then we decided to go to Jessica’s for breakfast. This place is run by a couple of Greek dudes who really know how to throw down a hell of breakfast (and gyro). Upon a arrival we soon noticed this place was PACKED!!!! Kill that idea, let’s go to Sophia’s. This too is another very local and quite good diner. Really, it’s tough to screw up breakfast food. But it is easy to charge too much for it. Sophia’s and Jessica’s are both quite fair in the $$$ department. Anyway, that place was packed to the gills too. New plan needed….

So we decided to go back home and stop at the Hilander to get some fixins’ fer some Baby Back Ribs, some coffee/latte for me, a green tea latte for Laura and donuts for the Jack and Keegan at the Starbuck’s.

When we got back Keegan and I started on the ribs. He went with a dry ribs recipe and I went for the wet saucy ribs. While they were getting all delicious in the fridge I made up some corn bread and soaked some mesquite in Jack Daniels. We baked the ribs nice and slow and then tossed them on the grill. Laura made some awesome black bean hummus with some toasted pita bread wedges.

After gourging ourselves (Keegan did that’s for sure) we took a nice long bike ride around the neighborhood. We returned just in time for a nice long ride in the ‘Vette to Sugar River Campground to see the flooded river. Laura and I cruised for about 1.5 hours just taking it all in.

After that Jack and I played 1 new level in Indiana Jones - Lego on the Xbox 360.

Now I am here writing this post.

What a great day!!! My family rocks!

Goal #1 — COMPLETE!!!! Well not really it’s sort of a preliminary goal. I pledged that I would build a Bird House with Jack the other day. But to build a bird house a guy needs a set of tools. And where does a guy put his tools? In a toolbox!

Laura picked up a few “woodworking for kids” type books from the Roscoe / Rockton Library so we could find a few easy plans. Partially for Jack but mostly for me since I have zero woodworking skills.

Everything went along pretty well until I looked at the instructions. Low and behold I was building this thing completely wrong. I drilled the holes for the handle in the wrong boards. This would end up making a very tall toolbox with no sides to stop the tools from falling out. On top of that I did not have a 1″ drill bit (another reason Jack needs his OWN toolbox) for the handle. We had to trim down the ends of the dowel so it fit in the 7/8″ holes.

So in traditional Johnny K form I half-assed it and adjusted the plan. You guys would never even notice the difference.

Jack was very helpful and did a really great job. He was my sander/bammer (hammering) and gluer guy. That boy has lotsa skills.

For a few more pictures in a larger size please visit the Gallery.

The bird house is next…..

A few years ago I stumbled upon the website system called Geeklog.  I studied up on the system and implemented it.  It was pretty sweet, it allowed users to register themselves and make comments on stories etc.  But there were also some gaping holes in security that lead to my host (www.ixwebhosting.com) to send me a few love letters and shut me down temporarily.  Apparently some dirt bag hacked my site and put some very clever phishing sites on my domain. 

Now 5 years  later have come across another blog system called Wordpress.  That is what you are looking at right now.  This seems to be the next best thing.  Places like CNN, PS3 and countless others use Wordpress for their blogs.  So why not us?

Here are some of the strong features of wordpress that I am trying to get used to and customize for our needs.

• really nifty WYSIWYG writing tools.
  •  add video from youtube easily
  • add links easily
  • add photos from the Gallery and outside sites
  • add photos from your desktop
  • full formatting tools available
• integrated Gallery 2 plugin
• automatic draft wave function (I just used it as IE crashed on me)  works like a charm!!!

Now please bear with me while I try to setup this site so it has the same feeling as the old one, sans the gaping security holes.

If you want an account feel free to click on the register button and wait for me to give you permission to comment, write stories and add photos to the gallery.  If you just want to add photos to the Gallery just register here.  After I approve and give you permissions you will be able to add content.

I am also going to try to add instructions to this site so you can use them as a resource for editing and adding content to our site.

Thanks