Piñata Time

12-31-2010 ~ Blog #363 ~ David

A few photos of the girls working on the piñata for tomorrow's Bash:

Meanwhile...

Farewell Uncle Dick

   Bill's younger brother, Richard Wilsterman, passed away on December 26th; he was 84.  He served in the US Army during the Occupation of Japan at the end of WWII.  He married Mary Harold in 1949; they had seven children; Barb, Don, Mike, Tim, Rick, David and Mark.  Dick was the computer technician for Yoder Brothers, a plant research and development company.  Dick was a lifelong musician who played guitar and banjo; he passed his musical talent on to his children.  Richard also passed on his green thumb; he was an avid gardener and had patents on a few tree species.  He was also known for baking and toy making.  Dick was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery yesterday.

I think I figured out why the outside light stopped working...

It Must be in the DNA

12-29-2010 ~ Blog #362 ~ David

   When I was in high school I skied on our cross country ski team for four years.  I didn't take it seriously, but it shaped who I am.  I often built ski jumps, went places I shouldn't have, wore all kinds of ridiculous outfits and generally had a blast.  Our ski-suits looked like superhero tights, so I usually wore a matching cape.  Yesterday Brigitta wore a cape and "Thief Lord" mask as she skied around the track; there was no prompting or suggestion from me.  As a parent there are moments when I see myself in my children.  Some of these moments are general, like when I see Brigitta 25 feet up in a tree, and some are very specific, like when I see her cross country skiing in a cape.

Night Skiing

   I installed seven flood lights around the house and ski track last night.  The girls and I skied for a half an hour, way past their bedtime.  Brigitta managed two miles or 3K without falling once.  Annika ran beside her sisters for about half a mile and then walked another half a mile.  It was quite a memorable experience.  The snow has been perfect and I've been able to ski every day for the past two weeks.  I'm quite bummed that a heat wave with rain is due to wipe everything out within the next two days.

Ice and Flag

I love icicles, but they had to go.  I took these shots a few minutes before I knocked all the ice off the house eaves.

Ski Doo Windscreen

I made a new windscreen for the Ski Doo

Christmas Morning

12-26-2010 ~ Blog #361 ~ David

Attempting to draw blood so I can try out my new Bacon Band-Aids

Christmas Caroling

12-26-2010 ~ Blog #360 ~ David

Svea organized a small Christmas caroling expedition for her sisters and friends. 

We visited nine houses on our block on Christmas Day; seven families were home.

Watch the girls four minute caroling session in 720p resolution from hallbuzz (320 MB), or in various resolutions on our channel.

(This is the 300th video featured on hallbuzz.com!)

Merry Christmas Eve

12-24-2010 ~ Blog #359 ~ David

Christmas Eve