August 2024

August has not been very eventful, and that's not always a bad thing. Also a bit cooler than the average on many days. Here are all photos and videos from the month, and below is what we've been up to:

Anniversary No. 9

Rob: August 15 marked 9 years since we tied the knot on that incredibly hot day in Mesa, AZ. It's been an eventful 9 years to say the least, as we've gone from 2 to 3, lived in 2 different states, 5 different cities/towns along with 5 different places to call home, and several employers and church callings along the way. It worked out that our babysitter could come on the 15th, and so we just went out to a Mexican restaurant here in our town of Montgomery and walked the town a bit (which doesn't take very long). We enjoyed having our babysitter this summer so we could get in some quality pickleball time and a couple date nights, and we hope to see her again next summer.

New Appliances

Rob: Earlier in the month, we noticed the milk was going bad quickly, which was the first clue that the fridge wasn't getting very cold anymore. The second clue was the fridge thermometer, showing only down to 50 F. I tried vacuuming all the gross black dust from the coils, and also replacing the thermostat (a $10 part and easy job thanks to YouTube). But it was to no avail. So I talked to our landlords and they put in an order for a replacement. There was a delay on the delivery, so in the meantime we used a cooler with ice for the critical things (fortunately the freezer was still working fine). And we go the new fridge delivered on our anniversary, as an unofficial gift. It's pretty much the same as the old one, just cleaner and also more quiet. We also invested in a water cooler for dispensing drinking water from a 5-gallon jug (rather than putting smaller jugs in the fridge that take up space). We have well water, which has a lot of sulfur in it and sometimes sediment, so it seems best to drink bottled water here.

New York Air Show and Other Entertainment

Rob: The annual air show for the state was once again held at the little airport in our town. We didn't get tickets to it, but as per usual we could see a lot of it from our porch. Always fun to watch the F16s fly around and hear how loud they are as the speed of sound lags behind them. Alex surprisingly only has mild interest, I think he likes slow airplanes a lot more. Most of the rest of our outings and entertainment have been the usual things and places. I did get Alex to do a ~3 mile hike around a nearby lake again, which he's done before but it's always a slow accomplishment. We enjoyed spending more time in the yard this month than we usually do, playing bocce ball and hide and seek with Alex which is a new game for him. He likes to be scared when we jump out from behind a bush even when he knows we are there. Also, I (Rob) made a trip to the temple in Connecticut along with another guy from church, and we got burgers after. It's about a 2 hour drive.

What Else Is New

Rob: There is a documentary worth checking out on Netflix that I enjoyed called 'Mountain Queen.' It's about a Sherpa was was the first woman to summit Everest, did it many times, came to the U.S. with her husband, and then the film follows her journey back to Nepal to climb Everest again after many years. 

Alex: Eric Carle books seem to be Alex's favorite lately, along with YouTube videos of people reading Eric Carle books. It's funny how recognizable those paintings of Hungry Caterpillar and Quiet Cricket are to pretty much everyone. We found him an Eric Carle book with buttons for all the corresponding animal sounds, and he really likes that, as you'll see in some videos this month.

Becky:  "The Thursday Murder Club"- that's my favorite thing this month.  It's a great book.  I recommend it if you like murder mysteries and dry, British humor.  I also enjoyed doing some canvassing for Harris/Walz as well as the down ballot races (Yvette Smith for state senator and Pat Ryan for our Rep in the House).