Chasing Leaves Along Lake Michigan

The leaves are turning in Door County, so today we decided to take a walk along Cave Point. Alyssa and Nalani enjoyed the colors...



Everyone likes this area, but none more than our two oldest boys...



Because for David and Bret Jr., it's a place to climb and be dare devils...



The boys climbed the rock...



But Malia was just crushed she had to stay behind with her sister...



Bret Jr. found some purple flowers along the shore of Lake Michigan which he handed up to his sisters...



Here are Nalani and Alyssa from above...



And finally the whole family gathered in front of the explosion of color that is fall in Door County...



Fall has most definitely arrived!

Films by Malia

One of the nice things about our old little sailboat is that it has a modest cabin below deck. It's great because Malia can go below and we don't have to worry about where she is while we're sailing.



Little did I know that she had taken over one of our mobile phones and started making little films.

The pictures are a bit bumpy - she's only 6 after all - but it defintely is Malia's idea of fun!

David the Klingon

My son learning Klingon...



We're so proud.

The best part is the cat in the background. He's so excited by all that's going on around him.

Kekoa's Bobcats Take the Field

Our youngest son Kekoa isn't the biggest boy around.

Okay, let's just admit the obvious. He's probably the shortest, skinniest 5th grader in his class.

But that boy has spunk, and he wants to play football. So darn it, he's going to play football!

Good for you, Kekoa!

This was his first game of his first season, and he was pretty excited. He was picked as one of the co-captains for the Bobcats this week so out he went to mid-field for the coin toss.

Kekoa is number 22 below...



His 6th grade older brother Bret Jr. is a bruiser. He normally lines up at nose tackle in the heart of the defensive line.

Kekoa is a defensive back. He normally plays corner or safety. Here he is below (circled in red), lining up at safety...



Look at my boy run to the ball!



He had a lot of fun today...



My favorite part was when they called up a blitz and away he want, charging into the heart of the offensive line...



But before he got there, one of the Bobcat's lineman stripped the ball and it flew straight up in the air...



Kekoa's team recovered the fumble!

Don't ya just love football!? It's going to be a fun season!

He'd Rather Be Sailing...

Today marked the maiden sail of our new boat. Well, it's not really a new boat. She's actually an old boat. But like every hot woman, she'll be 29 forever!

Her name is Sewecane.



Sewecane is pronounced seh-wee-can-ee.

It is an Arapaho word which means "do this so all may eat."

That just seemed like the perfect name for our boat.

Well, that sounds like a great explanation, doesn't it?

But it's a complete lie.

"Sewecane" is actually a nickname we gave our daughter Alyssa when she was about 5 years old. We were going out to dinner, but we were late because Cari and Alyssa were waiting for me as usual.

Alyssa kept calling out to get me to hurry up. I teased her by saying, "why."

She yelled back as quickly as she could talk, "so we can eat."

But talking so fast, it came out sounding like "seh-wee-can-ee."

Henceforth that became Alyssa's Native American nickname.

And it's now the name of our new boat. Sewecane's a 21 foot sailboat with a swing keel.

We took her out last week under power to try out her engine, but we didn't raise the sails. Today, we let 'em all out and braved the tumultuous seas of Sturgeon Bay and her mighty 8 mph winds.

Here is the fearless crew as they get ready for their three hour tour...



I can't figure out which one of them is Gilligan.

It took a bit to get the sails set...



But we rigged them correctly and set underway...



You can see us here in the distance...



David even took the helm for a bit...



It was a fun first sail...



He dreams about one day, an island he'll find
Out lost in the ocean, just passing in time
He'd rather be sailing...

Marrying My Sister: A Mathematical Proof

Dear Rob,

Congratulations, you're marrying my sister Dawn.

As you can imagine, I'm rather fond of her, so I want to make sure everything works out just as it should. I thought the best way to ensure that you were fully prepared for the experience of spending the rest of your life with her is to fully disclose all that she truly is.

I thought about writing you a letter about all of her good traits - and her little oddities - so that there would be no surprises.

But then I remembered there is nothing cleaner or more pure than a mathematical proof.

So I've spend the last few weeks trying to distill the very essence of my sister into a simple and elegant equation. I'm pleased to report that I've finally accomplished this most difficult of tasks.

Here it is, my explanation of that which is at the very heart of my sister Dawn...

Unfair Football: Bret Jr. vs. Kekoa

Bret Jr. has been playing football for several years now.

His little brother, Kekoa, just started.

My lovely wife Cari decided that Kekoa's first tackle should be by his brother Bret Jr.

So they put on their new uniforms and went out in the front yard to see what happens.

Oh, and by the way, Bret Jr. is almost 2 years older than Kekoa and outweighs him by about 70 pounds.

Swagger Wagon

On Saturday I tried to convince my lovely wife that we should buy a new Macgregor 26 sailboat.

So on Sunday we bought a new Toyota Sienna minivan.

It's now official. Soccer moms rule the world.

But if I was going to be stuck buying a minivan, I wasn't going to buy just any minivan.

I bought a Swagger Wagon!