Hoopfest 2008

The annual Hoopfest 3-on-3 basketball tournament has come and gone, and as usual I had several children and numerous nieces and nephews playing on the streets of Spokane. Here are some action photos from the weekend. The picture on the left is Tom and his cousins and a friend. In the center I am coaching during one tight game. I had a poor 1-5 record coaching this season, a new low. At right is a picture of Eli and two other players. It was about 99 degrees all weekend, but we all came out OK.

The One that almost got me

Here's the pine tree that ate my chain saw and then ended up falling on the neighbor's power lines. Doesn't look so tough now, does it?

I've got to stop this Paul Bunyan act

Eli gets promoted

eli recently completed the sixth grade and will be attending junior high next year. That means for the first time since 1991, we dont have a kid in elementary school. that's a sure sign of aging. Here I am with Eli at his promotion ceremony.

As usual, we had an end of the school year party at our house. here are a bunch of the parents, horrified at what our children are doing

Update

It's been a busy week or so. Here are the details:

1, My efforts to buy a 1998 Mercedes-Benz sports car were crushed at the intersection of Fiscal Reality and Marital Bliss. The auto bling will have to wait.

2, Last weekend I tried to cut down a 100-foot pine tree in my backyard and ended up dropping it on the neighbor's power and cable TV lines. But at least the power lines were sheared completely from the pole, so live wires did not hit the dry pine needles on the ground. Also, the falling tree missed all structures and people, and also did not cut off my cable. Still, the fire department and utility were a little pissed.

3, Two new band names: Me Love You Long Time and Vile Competent People (that one from Linda) .

4, As always, I look to the future: Only 4 more months till the Buffett concert and nine more months until Nickfest.

Nickfest continues

This is a belated thanks to co-worker Carey Williams for particpating in the year long celebration leading to my 50th birthday, which I call Nickfest.

As you know, I am soliciting gifts all year long. Carey gave me this fine DVD of my favorite singer, Jimmy Buffett, performing in one of my favorite venues, Wrigley Field. It was epically thoughtful of him to give me this, and I hope it will be just the latest in an escalating cascade of gifts that so far has been slow to materialize.

FYI, I will be seeing Buffett perform at the MGM Grand in Vegas in mid-October.

Spokane's biggest pimp

After a cross-state search that took me from The Leroy Store in Seattle to Ross in Spokane, I received this perfect Panama hat for Father's Day.

It's my goal to wear this Panama all summer long, part of the master plan to morph into a Mexican padron for the next stage of life.

Here I am posing in my back yard, which Ann has meticulously landscaped all spring. That's our firepit on the left, and the tennis court in the background. We spend a lot of hours on the lawn.