LEGO Still Life
June 4, 2023Emmett just loves to build trucks and trailers and overland rigs and anything else he can come up with that has 4 wheels. Or more. He gets really creative on suspension, and it’s really quite impressive.
Sometimes it just doesn’t work out
June 3, 2023This weekend we had a quick overnight and all-day play-at-the-beach campout with some friends. The plans were to get there Friday after work, set up, have dinner, chit-chat and then go to bed. Saturday was supposed to be beach and water-play all day.
Except it wasn’t. There were a lot of bugs. There were a lot of prickly things from weeds. Nobody was really very comfortable. And so Saturday kinda … didn’t really happen. We had a good breakfast, but shortly after that the packing started and by noon we were all gone.
Sometimes, your fun times just don’t work out.
Playing at the Park with a View
May 31, 2023Timpanogos is such a fantastic presence in my town. I’ll never tire of this view.
Land Cruiser Heritage Museum
May 20, 2023I’ve been a huge fan of Land Cruisers (and Toyota) since I was a teenager. In high school I drove an FJ40, I’ve also owned an FJ60, an FJ Cruiser, and now a Lexus GX470 (AKA Land Cruiser Prado 120). I’ve toured the Toyota factory in Aichi, Japan (twice)… yeah, I’m a fan. So is Greg Miller, the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group – and he has the money to really do something about it.
The Land Cruiser Heritage Museum is the largest collection of Cruisers in the world, and it’s 45 minutes from my house in Salt Lake City. It’s a really cool place to visit.
Roller Coaster
May 19, 2023This really awesome roller-coaster was in my parents basement for many years, entertaining all the little grandkids as they grew up. When my dad sold the house a few years back, the coaster made its way to my backyard where it was enjoyed for a short season. Then I got chickens. And they destroyed my backyard, for now it is a barren wasteland of dirt and chicken poop. Today I relocated the coaster to the front yard and now I am the envy of the neighborhood!
Dinosaur Footprints and Arches National Park
April 23, 2023Imagine stepping in some mud, and being the last person to step in the mud, and then having people 165,000,000 years later find your steps in the now-stone mud. Well, we did that but it was from Dinosaur feet instead of Nike’s. Pretty fun! These footprints are a few miles down Willow Springs road just outside Arches, and if you continue going down Willow Springs road, you end up in Arches – but don’t need to pay! Pretty sweet, eh? The full road is about 8 miles and will take you 45-60 minutes to complete. You’ll need a 4 Wheel Drive as some spots are fun (rocky ledges) and your Camry just won’t do it. Eventually you’ll pop out by Balance Rock in Arches National Park.
Micro Machines
April 20, 2023Thirty-four years ago my family packed up everything and left Texas, heading to Utah where we’d end up settling ever since. We left on my birthday. That same day, my best-friend Jordan gave me a 20 car Micro Machines collection. I loved those cars! Over the years my collection grew and I played with them all the time; sometimes I’d be able to buy some, other times they would be prizes for practicing the piano. Beyond the cars, I ended up with a carrying case and a few little play area cities to enjoy. Sadly, one of them is more or less destroyed because I gave it to Emmett too soon in his life, and the other one is not in the best condition, but it’s is still playable. I recently brought them all back out for the kids to play and they’ve had fun all playing together.
Emmett’s Off Road Recovery
April 13, 2023A few days ago Emmett was playing with a tie-down trying to use it as a recovery strap. It was a bit too heavy and cumbersome for his RC cars. This morning the idea popped in my head to give him a few of the small bungee-cords I had in the camper. Voila! Emmett’s Off Road Recovery was born.
