This afternoon Caleb was playing in the bathtub for a few minutes before his bath. I was reading posts on the Piano World forum when he came running into the room. In all seriousness, he said, "Daddy, Daddy, guess what? I had five little rocks and I sat on one and it went up my butt." He was obviously worried about it. I explained to him that the rock couldn't have gone up his butt from just sitting on it. He wanted to know where it went, and I told him it probably went down the drain. He seemed to relax visibly after that.

This afternoon we took a quick family trip over to Monahans Sandhills State Park to give Caleb the opportunity to climb and explore a few of the Sahara like dunes. Here's a quick pic of him shifting into four wheel drive in order to climb one of those dunes.



Caleb had a tough time climbing the dunes. He wanted to leave after less than an hour of exploring. Perhaps he will enjoy it more when he is a bit older.

This afternoon I took Caleb to the Sibley Nature Center to walk around the nature trail, and see what we could find that was interesting. Caleb saw a rabbit, some lizards, a lot of birds, a spider, some ants, some fish, turtles, and a pair of coots.

Here is a picture of an interesting plant we came across. It is some type of cactus or succulent that was often found growing intertwined in the branches of mesquite trees. This plant appears to have fruits that are similar to a prickly pear tuna.



The next picture is of a coot that was swimming about in the little pond. The coot got out onto a fallen piece of timber, and I shot this picture.



I also took this photo of a rather dramatic sky above a large tree next to the pond.



Finally, here is a shot of a bird on some cattails that are growing in the edge of the little pond. I'm not sure what kind of bird it is, though.



Caleb had a great time, but he was very tired by the time we got through.

Caleb and i went for a swim in his new pool today. We set it up on Saturday evening. He was so cute as he anticipated swimming in his new pool. It took until 2 am to fill it up, though, so he didn't get to swim Saturday. Sunday turned cool with a high in the mid 70s. The water was way too cold. Today, though, the high was 95, so we jumped in and splashed for awhile late this afternoon. It was still a bit chilly in the water, though. Caleb had a great time splashing around, and his Mom shot a few pictures. She didn't get in the water, though. Coward!

Feeling a bit bored at work this morning, I decided to take a vacation day. The boss approved it without hesitation, and I came drove home intending to work on my recital piece for the Piano World ABF Recital. The ABF has an online recital every quarter where members are encouraged to submit recordings for the enjoyment of all. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. Shortly after my arrival at home the phone rang. It was Caleb's preschool. He was throwing up, and I went to pick him up. I brought him home, and he has been suffering from the stomach virus all day. I know that means that I will probably have it in a couple of days from cleaning up after him.

Poor little guy is still feeling sick this evening, and spending a substantial amount of time in the bathroom. I hope he feels better soon. It really sucks when your kid is sick.

I have been reading the book, Simple Genius by David Baldacci. The book was given to me by a friend who had read it and thought that I would enjoy it. I have to say that it was an enjoyable read. It is entertaining in a non-stop action sort of way if a bit on the unbelievable side. Let's just say that a couple of private investigators taking on the CIA is a somewhat remote possibility at best. I appreciate Baldacci who writes without using gutter language. It is so difficult today to find a writer who doesn't litter his books with the "F-word" and other assorted vulgarities on every page. Thanks, David B, for a fun read without unnecessary garbage. I shall read other books of Baldacci's in the future, and I can definitely recommend him to anyone who likes action novels without the bad language.

Happy Birthday to me. Today I am 48. No special celebration, though. I just got up and went to work, then I came home, ate dinner, and relaxed for a bit. Caleb gave me a homemade card and his wallet for my birthday. Cute! He said, "you can have it because I don't want it anymore."

This morning I got a call from my sister wishing me Happy Birthday. I talked to her for a bit and then to her husband. Haven't seen them in awhile. Later my Dad and step mom stopped by work for a visit as well. Then it was home to my cranky wife and wonderful son. The in-laws stopped by for a few minutes. They brought Caleb a turtle in a box. He didn't know what to expect, and when he opened the box and saw the turtle, he jumped back pretty quickly. He decided to call the turtle Jimmy, and released it into the backyard where it can "play" with his other turtle, Timmy. All in all the day was pretty decent. After all, this is the day the Lord has made.