Christmastime is Here

Emma dazzled the crowd at her annual Christmas concert last Friday evening. All were transported to Yuletide bliss with her stunning version of Christmastime is Here.

Enjoy. And Merry Christmas!

Holes

Here's a story from a few weeks ago that I'm just now getting to.

I asked Emma if she would like to learn about guns. She responded with an enthusiastic "Yes!"

For all things weapons, one calls the Gun Guru, Mr. Stevie. We talked and decided on the caliber and style of gun that would be a good first weapon.

Then off to the gun show! It was Emma's first time and she was a little overwhelmed. We tried several different models and she found the one - the Ruger SR22. Model 3600. This is a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol with a 10 shot capacity. And because we live in the great state of Texas, we completed the transaction in minutes and were soon on our way home, firearm in hand.

Before using the gun, Mr. Stevie went over all the safety issues with owning and using a firearm. When Emma passed the test, it was time to go to the range.

For Emma's first time, we selected the Athena Gun Club - "Houston's finest indoor shooting range." Or so they say. It is quite nice - well lit, well ventilated, good shooting stations.

Mr. Stevie worked with Emma to find the proper grip and stance. Then he loaded the gun with one bullet and handed it to Emma. She aimed and fired. Then he loaded another. Again, she aimed and fired. The results:

If you look at the upper target above her shoulder you can see two holes. The lower one was her first shot. The second was a bullseye.

Outstanding job, Emma!

And I can report that her first performance was not a fluke. We've been back several times and Emma can consistently hit the target. Mr. Stevie's already looking for her second pistol. Oh, brother.

Horses

Last Saturday, Claire and I ventured to that little slice of heaven known as Texas A&M to take in the equestrian meet at the beautiful Hildebrand Equine Complex.

The Aggies were facing the Bulldogs of Georgia.

Since we only like the equitation over fences portion, that is all we watched. Here are some of our favorite pictures:

The Aggies won this event, 3-2, and the overall meet 11-7. Whoop!

Gig 'em, until next time.

Claire in Concert

A recent Friday night found us in a our favorite concert venue as Claire, the world renowned pianist, dazzled the audience with her stirring rendition of Looby Loo.

Bravo, Claire. Bravo.

Roswell Mill

Our final stop in Georgia was to the old Roswell Mill. The site included a dam...

And a bypass structure.

There is also on old covered bridge.

Our tour guide doubled as Emma and Claire's uncle. Emma and Matthew pose without falling over the dam. Claire choose not to be in this picture.

And now we depart Georgia and head home.

Open Happiness

We took the short walk from the Georgia Aquarium to the World of Coca-Cola. First stop - a picture with the inventor of Coke. (He's the bearded dude).

Then the tour, which includes a trip to the vault to learn the secret formula for Coca-Cola.

We had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, so we can't reveal it to you Pepsi drinkers.

Then we experienced soft drinks from around the world. Some good, some not bad, and some downright terrible. 

Last stop was the freestyle area. Claire put on her evil scientist hat and made me drink whatever concoction she could fit in the serving cup.

Funny thing was, no matter what she put together, it was still better than 90% of the beverages from around the world. Are we a great country or what?

One last stop, then headed home...

Georgia Aquarium

Our tour through Atlanta continued at the Georgia Aquarium.

Emma was able to get up close to the wildlife.

Lots of colorful fish.

The fish loved this guy since he was feeding them. See the squirt bottle in his left hand.

Lots of exhibits where you can touch the animals. Claire was content to watch.

To be continued...

Stone Mountain

Leaving Destin, we headed north, using the back roads of Alabama to reach this wonderful spot:

Our first stop in this original colony was Stone Mountain Park, outside Atlanta. Here they commemorate the heroes of the War of Northern Aggression, also known as the Civil War.

Here's Stone Mountain itself:

And a closeup of the carving showing Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson.

If you've gone all this way, you might as well go to the top. To save time, we took the Swiss-made cable car instead of hiking.

On the mountain.

Since the mountain wasn't thrilling enough for the children, Emma decided to tackle the 40-ft high SkyHike. I tagged along to see what all the fuss was about. Cathy stayed behind to take pictures and drink all my Coke.

The climb was a little daunting for Claire, but she found a course more her style - and much closer to the ground.

To be continued...

Destin

Our summer travels found us heading east on the Eisenhower Interstate System. Our first stop - Destin, Florida and a little time on the beautiful white sand beaches.

We relaxed in the cool gulf water.

They even let me get in a picture.

Piano Recital

The 2013-2014 piano concert season ended with the debut of a new talent as Claire performed Butterfly Waltz on the grand stage.

Emma, one of the crowd's favorites, performed Ballade.

Spring Time at the Zoo

We had friends from the north in town, so to show them life without snow we took advantage of the beautiful weather and spent the day at the zoo. And it gave me an excuse to work with a new lens.

Here are the two domesticated animals. Disregard the blue lips - they just finished some blue icy drink.

Now back to the wild animals.

There are more pictures here.

The Great Ice Storm of 2014

Southeast Texas was devastated this morning by a huge ice storm, forcing schools to close and businesses to shutter in the nations's fourth largest city.

I braved the treacherous conditions to document the peril. Be warned - these pictures may be unsettling.

That's all it takes. Impressive, huh?

Claire's Christmas Song

Claire and her classmates celebrated the beginning of the holiday season with this performance at her school's Christmas Concert.