High Falls

The outdoor fun continues here in North Carolina. We took the boys and Z to High Falls in Dupont State Park about forty miles or so outside of Asheville. It was a gorgeous day with beautiful blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Z and I got into the cool water and enjoyed some time outside. Shan came along for the ride and enjoyed some peace and tranquility. Ted and Jeff took in the natural beauty and spent some quality time in the water. Check it out...

French Broad River

So the first adventure we took with Uncle Ted and Jeff was the French Broad. It's one of the oldest rivers in the world and it runs right through Asheville and is less than two miles from our house! We went on canoes and kayaks and did a little stretch of the river to give both the boys and Zahra and introduction to one of the best things to do on a hot summer day in the mountains. We had a nice time floating and paddling. Z was happy for the first part of the trip but lost it after she realized she was wearing a life jacket and started freaking out. Overall it was a good start to what we hope will be many adventures on the river.

Summer, where do you think you're going?

Time is flying this summer. That's what happens when you work during the summer "break". I poured in four weeks of work from the end of June until recently on July 22nd. Prior to that I'd spent a week at home after school let out (for me at least) on June 14th. Now I'm finally reaping the benefits of some time off. What have we been doing?

Well, we've been to the pool, hung out at parks, had lots of food, napped, hung out with some friends in the neighborhood and taken lots of walks. We've also played at home with our toys and various other objects that can become toys. We haven't travelled much but that's OK. Why travel when people can come to you and you live in a such a great area? We have Uncle Ted in for a week, followed by Abuelita. Then we'll do a little visiting of our own to see Aunt Julie and Uncle Chris and some of mommy's side of the family. I just wish summer could hang out a little longer.

Soccer Pride

Every once in a while, I get inspired to make something around the house (or if my wife were to speak on this matter, almost NEVER). After watching the U.S. Women's soccer team move into the finals for the Women's World Cup, I was almost dumbfounded to realize that I hadn't yet gotten Z a soccer goal for the backyard! I went to the net and was horrified to see the price tags people were placing on a few pipes and some string! So I took matters into my own hands. I found some PVC pipe downstairs and some left over net from Shannon's garden and spent $1.69 on some little PVC elbows to help connect the pipes. After 30 minutes of labor, mostly tying the net onto the frame of the goal, we had an awesome little soccer goal for Z to kick at. If only I did this more often...

Spa Time

Spa Time from deadbrave on Vimeo.

Z and B

Best friends hanging out.

Z and B from deadbrave on Vimeo.

Fireworks!

Big Fourth Weekend

We have returned to the mountains of WNC after a mini vacation that may be our last one for the summer with the schedule we currently have hanging over us. We took a drive to ATL to visit Grammy Lanie and Grandpa Larry. We hit the Georgia Aquarium and had a blast. Z was loving the fish and the tanks and all of the cool exhibits. She did not care too much for the Dolphin Show which was less Miami Seaquarium and more Broadway with Mammals. It was loud and bright and scary for a two and a half year old but she soldiered on. She had her ears covered most of the show and kept saying "I want to get out of here!".

Then I made a trip to Jacksonville to DJ a wedding for my buddy Chris Caviedies. It was a small affair that turned out quite lovely. Ruben and Leslie made it as well as Logan so I got to connect with some good friends while I was there. I returned to ATL after the brief stint to FL and hung out with my family some more before we were paid a visit by the Raitt clan. Travis, Erin and the boys, Jackson and Gavin along with the bun in the oven spent the Fourth of July afternoon hanging out with us.

We made it safely back toe Asheville Monday and lit a few fireworks before bed time. I finished off the weekend by sneaking off to a late night movie with Marvin to see Transformers 3 (which was actually lots of fun).

Now Shannon and I are back to work. I have three weeks of summer school to teach and she begins her second summer semester of 2011 along with her internship at the city and some part time work with her dad. Zahra is just happy to be home and among her books and toys. Over the next few weeks we'll be holding down the fort here and taking Z to some adventures on a local scale. Enjoy the following pictures!