Contact Lens Hunting

Our week started with the celebrated holiday, Memorial Day. Nathan and I left at 9:30 on Monday morning in search for a parade. Unfortunately, our local town's parade started earlier than advertised and Nathan and I missed it. But I always have a plan B readily available.... so we jumped in the Rogue, climbed on the highway and flew to our neighboring town, Westlake, to gate crash their parade. We were not disappointed as soon the flashing lights and the sounds of drums and horns approached us! Nathan and I had a great time watching the parade, and Nathan scored well in the candy department too!

This weekend was a low key one! The weather was beautifully mild! Clouds were rare, and there was very little evidence of wind. So we spent a considerable amount of time in the garden. I pulled out my weedeater (trimmer) and got rid of the long grass that congregated around Nathan's play gym. Next, I hauled out the mower, and gave my yard a much needed cut - as the grass had grown substantially after the rainfall we had this past week! Liesel and Nathan also go their hands dirty (literally) in the garden.... but they also found time to dirty up some dishes and baked some delicious double chocolate chip cookies!


That evening, Liesel relaxed with a DVD while I was took my contact lenses out. One of them slipped off my finger, slid down the basin walls and into the drain! This is never good! So I went under the counter and managed to remove the U bend with all the water intact, and carried it to the laundry. To strain the water, I placed a washcloth over the drain hole in the laundry basin, and I poured the water onto the washcloth - but nothing showed up. It had to be somewhere so I went back upstairs and flushed the drainpipe with a lot more water and took that water to be strained too - still nada! Finally, I got hold of a pipe-cleaner and cleaned out the drain as best as I could in the hopes of dislodging the hidden lens. However, the only thing that was accomplished, was that the water now flows much faster out of the bathroom basin! Plan B = wear older, backup lens!

On Sunday - another beautiful day - had a pretty average day, with Church in the morning, and bible study in the evening. Throw in some Lego building fun with Nathan, cookie snacking, a walk around the neighborhood and family video calls and you have the McCarthy's weekend!

Memorial Day Weekend!

Finally, after watching South African family and friends enjoying 5 public holidays in as many weeks, we get to celebrate Memorial Day here in the USA on Monday. Memorial Day is unofficially recognized as the start of summer. Summer in the USA, means two things: cookouts and garden work! We partook in both activities starting on Friday evening. We had our friends over for a salmon and drumstick barbecue. The Talmage's have two daughters Nathan's age and they had so much fun together, from playing hide and seek, to making my driveway the most colorful in Avon with their chalk drawings! The adults also enjoyed ourselves outside on the patio, watching the children wearing themselves out!

On Saturday, Liesel did a quick grocery shop while I hung out with the boys and spent most of the time building things for Nathan out of his Lego! That afternoon, Nathan and I went outside to play some baseball. He has a T-Ball system, where you place the baseball on a "tee" and hit it. I was very impressed with his ability to fire the ball at me!! In the evening - I was the official Family Fun Night decider - and I chose to go have ice-cream at a local ice cream shop, Whistler's. The weather we have been experiencing lately makes going to an ice-cream shop a no brainer. Nathan even proclaimed that these family fun nights are his favorite!


On Sunday, I was on the worship team again so I spent my entire morning at the Church. It is always great to come home and have the aroma of a roast chicken waft into your nostrils! After lunch, Nathan accompanied me to Home Depot, so I could get some topsoil for the new plants that Liesel is planting in our garden. Later on, we all went for a walk around the neighborhood, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to use my bike! Unfortunately, Nathan tripped and fell on the side walk about a quarter of the way around. Liesel tried to carry him on her side, while pushing Josh in his stroller, but for obvious reasons, was struggling. So I put Nathan on my shoulders, and pushed my bike the other three-quarters of the way! So that was my weight and aerobic workout for the weekend! After we got home I bathed Josh, and then Liesel and Nathan headed into the garden to take advantage of the cooler temperatures, as the sun sunk toward the horizon. They added the soil that we bought earlier, planted seeds and watered. Afterward, Liesel rewarded Nathan for helping her and they sat outside and enjoyed an ice cream together!! I love the summers in Cleveland!

The Recital and the Rogue!

On Tuesday, Liesel and I were privileged enough to go to Nathan's first music recital. He had been going to a music class for half an hour each Tuesday after school and this was his opportunity to show us what he had learned! It was very cute with all students seated at one side of the the room, with their instruments beneath their chairs. First up, their teacher played various composers which the children instantly recognized! They also made up a story, and each child had a couple of lines to recite - which Nathan nailed :) Then it was time to play Hot Cross Buns on the keyboards. That was followed by a demonstration of their percussion skills! It was a fun thirty minutes, and we were so proud of Nath!



Unfortunately, the next day, Nathan picked up a dose of the flu, and was running a fever for the next few days. He still has the remnants of a cough, and it was because of that, that we had a low key weekend at home. I did manage to get out of the house long enough on Saturday to get a new car! My Honda CR-V lease is in its final days, and I needed to replace it or start biking to work! Now I have a brand new, shiny Nissan Rogue parked in my garage. I let Liesel take it for a drive that evening, and I think she fell in love with it. She took it to church on Sunday (as I was stayed at home with Nath who was still coughing and Josh). On her way there, she called me and told me she has a new favorite car, and she absolutely LOVES the sound of the indicator (blinker). Go figure! If it had a leather interior (which it doesn't), I would consider letting Liesel use it full time! (No really, I would!) But since it is leased, and need to be returned after 39 months in a good condition, I will keep it and look after it as best as I can. Having two boys under the age of five kind of guarantees that the seats will be stained with something! That is why Liesel's Buick (with leather seats) is the vehicle of choice to transport the boys in! Liesel obviously is free to drive my Rogue whenever she wants, as long as she doesn't dirty my upholstery ;)

Happy Mother's Day Liesel!

My first week of work in an office environment for my new company has come to an end, and I can honestly say that I have made the right decision! This is the first time in my 12 years in the workforce that I have been given my own office! Also, the proximity to my house means that I can have lunch at home every day, much to Nathan's delight. The annoying cell phone alarm has also not been heard in the bedroom, and I am no longer being ripped out of my peaceful sleep - and that alone makes one feel human again!



Anyone with a pulse knows that today (Sunday) is Mother's Day! But the McCarthy boys wanted to make their mom/wife's entire weekend special! So on Saturday morning, we allowed her to have the morning to herself. This gave her the opportunity to do what she wanted to do and shop where she wanted to shop!

When she returned, I made a quick trip to the store with Nathan and I found myself a bicycle! Now Nathan has somebody that will be able to keep up with him as he races around our neighborhood! That evening, Liesel's friend came over for dinner with us, and she brought her three boys who along with Nathan turned the basement into a pirate's den and the play-set outside into their ship! We all had a wonderful time, and had some delicious food cooked on my grill!



On Sunday, I volunteered to deal with Josh when he woke up - so that Liesel could get a long overdue lie in! After Josh had his breakfast, Liesel got a freshly brewed cup of coffee in bed :) Nathan, once awake, brought Liesel two cards which he made for her, which brought tears to her eyes :') There wasn't much time left because we were heading to the Original Pancake House for breakfast before church. The breakfast was divine, with Liesel having the pumpkin pancakes, and Nathan and I opting for chocolate chip pancakes! Liesel and I were stuffed after eating the 3 pancakes on our plates.... and we ordered HALF PORTIONS. I don't know how anyone could finish SIX pancakes in their regular portion!!!

After breakfast we headed to the second service at Church where all the mother's were treated to a mini-concert from the children. Nathan's class came in and sang a couple of songs which everyone enjoyed!


Later that afternoon, it was time for my weekly exercise regime, and I fired up my mower and cut the grass again. Afterward, Liesel decided to make use of her Mother's Day gift for the first time, and we all went outside and enjoyed a lovely supper on her new patio set! It was really a fitting way to end such an enjoyable weekend - outdoors, in the sunshine and enjoying some good food with family :)

California, the beautiful!

This past week I ventured to the West Coast of the USA. In fact, this is the farthest west I have ever been, beating my previous record of Dallas, TX by 2 time zones! My new company flew me into San Francisco on Monday to attend training at the legendary Google headquarters, better known as the Googleplex! Google, in my humble opinion, far exceeded my expectations and showed me why they have been regularly voted as employer of the year! This place is simply amazing, and I will try and sum up why everyone wants to work there!
Firstly, there are amazing cafeterias dotted around the numerous Google buildings in Mountain View. Now the word cafeteria, does not do these establishments any justice, as the dishes they offer is restaurant quality! Each cafeteria has a variety of different stations catering to different tastes. For example I saw Asian, Indian, American, Vegetarian stations, as well as Salad bars and dessert stations! Employees, get a tray, a plate and then pickup the food that they fancy. The one night we had dinner there, and I ate a delicious Thai Chicken Dish, and Sushi! For the various lunches, I had steak, spaghetti and meatballs, General Tso's chicken on brown rice,hamburgers and fish burgers. But now. the most difficult thing to swallow, is that Google offers this all to its thousands of employees for FREE!!! This includes access to hundreds of cold drink fridges, stocked with all the popular soft drinks, fruit juices and various iced teas. In the rest areas, coffee machines with various flavoring syrups, snacks, chips, candy, chocolate were all available to us to consume, whenever we wished! I guess I am grateful that I don't work for Google, as I would be 22lbs (10kg) heavier!

Next, due to the relatively large distances between buildings, Google thoughtfully provides numerous bicycles outside each building that is considered part of the Google community! This means that you can pick up any bicycle outside a building and ride it to another building and park it outside. That bicycle is then again free to be used by any other Google employee, and if you need to return, you pick up any other bicycle that is available outside that building! In addition to bicycles, Google also offers electric scooters and electric cars, but they aren't as common as the healthiest alternative, bicycle.

In addition to the free food, Google also offers its employees free laundry and free postage for any letters or parcels! A special mention also needs to be made of the fitness centers, with laps pools, and the beach volleyball court in the center of the main campus - guarded by the now famous T-Rex!

It was an honor to attend the training course at the Googleplex, and I learned so much, both technical and how a successful company can keep its employees morale continuously high! It was an eye-opening experience that I will never forget!

The remainder of my time in California was limited, and therefore carefully planned. I visited some beaches in the Half Moon Bay Region and can now say that I have been in each of the the world's major oceans: Indian, Atlantic, Mediterranean and now Pacific!

I also made two trips up to San Francisco. San Francisco has a very similar look and feel to that of Cape Town, although I feel that SF has a lot more to offer its visitors! The first time I got there at the end of a beautiful day, and managed to observe the amazing Golden gate Bridge illuminated by the final rays of the setting sun! The Bridge is truly magnificent and I understand why it makes so many guest appearances in numerous movies!

The next time I headed into San Francisco was on my final day in California. It was drizzling and overcast, yet the city still was vibrant and displayed the California spirit! I spent most of my time walking along the wharf, admiring a gigantic cruise liner and the architecture of the other bridges spanning the bay! Pier 39 offered crystal clear views of the infamous Alcatraz. Unfortunately, due to my tight schedule, I could not do any tours of San Francisco or Alcatraz. But I have told Liesel, that this is definitely one of my new holiday destinations! I would love to take my family back there to explore all the unique experiences that only California and San Francisco can offer!