December 31, 2011
The little guy is just over a year old. Already he is using swords and guns, just like his older brothers. Larsyn is just one of grandpa's 16 buddies. When I walk in, here he comes. Won't be long til he can use the bathroom by himself and spend the night with grandpa.
Happy New Year. My daughter called and I ran over for supper. They have a couple over with 3 small sons. Nice cozy fire in the fireplace but it is nice and warm outside too.
So, what are you thinking on the last day of this year? Do you have any regrets? I hope not. Are you counting your blessings? I hope you are. Looking forward to what the new year will bring? I hope so. I think 2012 will be easier to write than 2011. I seemed to have a lot of trouble getting that on my checks.
I can not think of any regrets from this year. Teri and I have been blessed more than most. We have 16 little guys who call us their grandparents. What could be better. I am glad that we were young parents. That allows us to be young grandparents and roll in the floor with the kids. Sorry about all of the "I"'s but it is so easy for me to count my blessings. Looking forward to what the new year brings. Certainly we will add to our friend's list. Hoping we don't lose any. We can never have too many friends.
I was able to wash both cars and get the window back in the Vdub. It was a booger. Those window regulators in a Volkswagen bug are difficult to handle. After a couple of hours it was in with the window rolling up and down once again.
Tomorrow night Teri flies into St Louis Lambert Field at 930 pm. Can hardly wait. Hope to leave in time to grab a couple of geocaches if I can find my flashlight. Been looking all week for the thing.
Life has been good this year, praying for more of the same in 2012.
Catch up with you next year.
Dan
Merry Christmas
I am telling you, this cache was getting under my skin. I hate the ones on trains. They can be anywhere. I kept bugging the owner, April, for clues. She was pretty tight lipped.
I was there last night and almost got stuck. This train was coming and I was afraid they might call the cops on an old man stuck under the caboose. I got out just before it went by and took a picture so they think I am just a normal guy. The engineer waved. As soon as he passed back under I went. Was my third time and still did not find it.
I came in from church and April gave me one more clue. Today is not only Christmas but Sunday. That meant the pool hall across the street would be closed. Once a guy saw me and came over nosing around trying to get me to tell him why I was so dumb as to crawl around under a caboose, so I left. He won't be there today so I don't have to worry about anyone seeing me.
Ah ha. Look what I found. Thought I had looked in this spot but if I did I did not look close enough. Am not telling you where it is. Call April. Whew, glad to get this one logged. Was on my mind for 3 days and nights.
Christmas Eve morning. This little guy enjoyed tearing into his packages. Larsyn and grandpa are buddies.
Tearing up the pancakes that dad made for breakfast.
This one loves breakfast too.
Full of pancakes and happy.
Saturday afternoon a knock on my door. My little elf was there with goodies for grandpa. I feel special to have such great grandkids. Wish I could have seen all 16.
I do believe Santa was here.
Hope everyone enjoyed your Christmas with family. I was with family yesterday morning and again last night. Visited more today. Just wish Teri had been here too.
Teri will be home in a week, life is good.
Merry Christmas to all.
Dan
A Grandpa's Christmas
What better gift for Christmas could a grandfather have than to have one of his grandkids spend time with him? I can think of nothing. Geocaching with Marci Claire, who will turn 7 years old next week, was my partner today. She came and spent the night. Up early, breakfast at Burger King, and off we went. That caboose is in Dexter and has a cache located on it. Was placed there Wednesday. I hate these things. We can't find it. Been there twice in 2 days. Well, it is not going anywhere, we will find it.
Now you see it.
Now you don't. I broke it. Dog gone I was aggrivated. It is a good thing one of our friends owns it. April repaired it as soon as she got off of work. I was really ticked.
Marci Claire with our first Jackson cache this morning. It was a nippy morning, 38 degrees. there were two in this hole.
2nd one in a cemetary in Jackson. I believe 10 of our 12 today were in Jackson. We wiped that town clean.
Always good for the numbers. A fast grab.
I loved this one. Do you see it? Had to slide the plastic pipe off the fence post. Thanks April for the hint.
Loved washing the car on this low water bridge.
Stonewall Jackson. We had to go back to the car and warm up before we grabbed this one. So many places it can hide. We got it though.
3 stooges was the name of this one in a park in Jackson. We got quite a workout walking up a very steep hill to get this one. MC saw it right away, before I got to it.
This is a Methodist church building built in 1809. Wow. See how they covered it? We loved getting out here. Geocaching takes us to some very neat places.
Right off I-55. A travel bug hotel in the woods.
MC loved the peacocks. Thanks for taking us there via geocaching.
Here is one hidden at a nice memorial to fallen policemen.
Very nice.
One of these guys was a friend of mine. We used to fly together. I really enjoyed clocking speeders with him. Thank you for the memorial. Would not have known it was here if not for geocaching.
Home and out for some spring water just before dark. This was after I fed MC some Moose Tracks ice cream.
Check out those nails. Now, how many grandpas have a manicurist for a grandaughter? I love getting my pinky nails done. It causes folks to ask questions and I get to tell them about Marci Claire.
So, there you have it, grandpa's xmas. Thanks for riding along with us. How did you like our lunch at Sam's in Cape? I love their pizza and so does Marci Claire.
Hoping everyone has a great Christmas. I did. Sunday, well I will be with some of the best at church. Teri is coming home on Jan. 1st. Been a long 8 weeks.
Dan
Geocaching Rural Arkansas, South of the Border
Here is where we start. The geocache map online. Click up the caches I want to locate and enter the coordinates into the little cheap gps. Did this last night when I found out my 8 year old grandson, Colsyn, wanted to head south of the border with me.
Our geocaching neighbor, April, helped me with the ones I put into the gps. She told me which ones were gone so we did not waste time on them. She cached this area yesterday. We are looking at a very rural area. Some of the caches I checked, online, have not been visited since February of this year.
All was cool, heading to our first cache just west of Greenway. this train was stopped on the only crossing in town. We sat there and so did it. time to move so we headed to Rector.
Guess what? Yep, same train. At least it was moving this time.
Over the tracks and out of the car. I had trouble keeping up with Colsyn.
Our first find of the day.
On to our second. I could see that Colsyn was having a little trouble with his direction so I helped him a bit.
Yep, right where I thought, at the base of the flag pole. Notice the color.
Check that smile. The boy had his first find, all on his own.
Colsyn is home schooled. Today was a history class. We were on the Chaulk Bluff Trail. I explained to him about the Civil War and what happened here 150 years ago.
This was a really neat hide. The container had a large piece of tree bark glued to the top. You could not see it. We knew it was there.
You see it? Look at the color.
Oh yea, you found it. A neat cemetary north of Rector.
Can you see the color? You can always tell when Colsyn finds one on his own. Look at the smile.
Have you figured out what the official color is in Arkansas yet? Yep, camoflauge and Colsyn fits right in. We talked hunting the entire 120 miles today.
Colsyn just could not see this one, can you? City park in Marmaduke.
A little help from grandpa made this one jump out for Colsyn.
There it is. Check the smile. A neat graveyard.
Today, first was last. We had to come back to this one after the train left. Going to let you in on a little secret. In Arkansas, just because there is a co. rd. marker, and the road is on the gps, that does not mean it is a public road. Colsyn and I jumped some ditches getting to this last one. We came in from the south and that almost turned into a mistake, but we made it. Will wash Teri's car before she gets home. It is a mess.
I realize that most of you are not interested in geocaching but it is a great way to hang out with your children or grandchildren. They love this stuff. We are planning a trip for Friday if the weather cooperates.
Hope Santa makes it to your house and thanks for riding with us today.
Dan
On A Sunny Sunday Afternoon
Oh, it was such a nice afternoon. I had to get out and grab the remaining caches in our county. This one is in a little cemetary out in the county.
See that little booger hiding in there?
Pretty area. I did not know we had a winery in Stoddard County. That is what this is. Up in the northwest part of the county. I drove almost 4 miles on gravel to get here. Found a shorter route back to pavement when I left.
There it is. Just hiding in the growth. It might be hard to spot in the summer.
This is a re-visit. When I was in Advance the last time someone had stolen this one. When I pulled in I could not believe my eyes. A telephone guy was napping in his truck parked just to the rear of the bug. I knew I was not going to let him stop me. Since I had been here before I spotted this one as soon as I jumped out of the bug. I went straight to it. The telephone guy never knew I was there, or at least he did not see what I was doing.
Here you can see my geo mobile is dirty. That came from the 4 miles of gravel.
It aggrivates me when folks don't take care of their caches. This one has been gone for at least 2 months and the guy won't replace it. Should be inside that solar light.
The last find of the day. I had been here before also but could not find this cache. A little remote cemetary just outside Advance, Mo.
Look at this. Should be against the law. I had to dig in this rotten stump to find it. Was almost ready to give up again when I dug it out. The stick to the right was my digging tool.
Teri and I have a goecaching neighbor just down the street, April. I got a text from her when I got back that she had also taken advantage of the nice sunny day and was in Arkansas grabbing a few caches.
This one is number 741 for us. Not bad for a couple of folks just out looking over God's creation. We don't take this too seriously, like many do. Our equipment is old and we just make do.
Teri texted me at the same time I dug this one out. Her dad is continuing to improve. Thanks to those who continue to ask. Maybe he will be released soon and Teri can come home. She has now been gone 6 weeks. Folks, that is a long time. I am not fond of doing the wash. Normally I throw my dirty clothes down the shute and the next thing I know they are folded nice and neat back in my drawer. I have figured out the "magic".
Dan
The little guy is just over a year old. Already he is using swords and guns, just like his older brothers. Larsyn is just one of grandpa's 16 buddies. When I walk in, here he comes. Won't be long til he can use the bathroom by himself and spend the night with grandpa.
Happy New Year. My daughter called and I ran over for supper. They have a couple over with 3 small sons. Nice cozy fire in the fireplace but it is nice and warm outside too.
