August 13, 2010 · filed under: Grace Evelyn, Trips by Geoff

With Grace’s fascination with animals growing by the day, we decided to take her to the zoo.  She loved her first visit to the zoo in Denver, so we brought her to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines.  For a small zoo, its quite good, and Grace had a great time!  She especially enjoyed “Kid’s Kingdom” where she got to see and feed lots of animals up close.

And a few additional videos of Grace feeding and watching the animals:

Then on a recent trip to Minneapolis, we made a point to swing by the zoo there.

And lots of videos of the action.  The first is Grace playing in the tunnel through the monkey house:

Next is Grace getting some close action of a Russian Grizzley Bear:

Grace getting a close encounter with a leapord:

And Grace’s first encounter with a shark:

And a short video of the sea dragons that Grace liked:

Subscribe No Comments »

August 11, 2010 · filed under: Events by Geoff

With the flooding in Ames came lake-front property for the Janes!  Course, along with lake-front property comes a few little issues.

#1 – the trail camera that I borrowed from a friend is now taking pictures of the water up-close-and-personal, unless its not submerge water proof… in which case I owe him a trail-cam.

On the upside, if its still alive under water it will probably have taken some really cool pictures of the flood water!

#2 – firewood floats.  I had a really nice stack of firewood, enough to last for a few winters of fires several nights a week.  Unfortunately, wood floats.  The neighbors said they got tired of counting when the water rose high enough that even the large pieces were floating in a nice even line.

#3 – my bridge across the creek is also wood.  So it also floats.  I hope its still around someplace…

#4 – grass doesn’t like this much water.  That means less mowing, but it also means re-seeding is probably going to be required.

#5 – mosquitoes like this extra water everywhere, and they also like Grace and her Dad.  This spells even more itchy bites for the both of us.

Here are a few additional videos of the current as well:

All is well with the house, no water in the basement and we can deal with boiling our drinking water for now.  Our thoughts go out to those who weren’t as lucky.

Subscribe No Comments »

August 9, 2010 · filed under: Family, Trips by Jill

Summer days seem to drift on by. It hardly seems that it’s already been six weeks since our first summer getaway. However, those weeks have flown by and we are finally getting the photos up from our June adventure.

It’s been said that one of the favorite things the Janes family does is sail. Chartering a sailboat and spending a few days out on the open water is both exciting and relaxing. It had been 3 years since the family had sailed, and six since both Janes boys had been aboard together.

So at the end of June, Gil & Donna, Geoff & Jill, and Greg & Kim set out for three days on Lake Superior. Boarding the Harmony at Port Superior near Bayfield, Wisconsin, our sail brought us three days of good wind for picking up speed. With this speed we were able to beat a thunderstorm into a protected cove, race out to Devil’s Island and the unprotected water, and enjoy a rousing sail back to port. Each day also brought periods of stillness when there seemed to be virtually no wind at all. This meant time for sunbathing on the deck, leisurely enjoying a book, and catching up as a family.  Additionally, our evenings at anchor allowed us time for delicious meals prepared by Donna and adventures to shore for collecting rocks and watching sunsets.

While the others sailed, though, the littlest Janes enjoyed an adventure of her own. Too young and too active to take in the confines of a sailboat, Grace spent four days enjoying the farm with Grandpa Paul, Grandma Darla, Sarah, Hannah, and Jake. With so many willing to partake in the spoiling, it seemed Grace never had a moment to misbehave. During her stay, she enjoyed watching Jake play baseball, splashing at the aquatic center, playing at Grandma Sally’s house, chasing the kitties, and winning the hearts of all her caretakers.

As always, there are a load of additional pictures available in the gallery.

Subscribe No Comments »