Two Big Birds

I wore my big bird outfit to walk with Suzanne and Harper this morning. I didn't have any idea that I'd be chasing another 'bird' this afternoon.

Ed got a drone for Christmas. We thought it would be fun to take an aerial picture of our house. On it's second flight, the drone took flight! It crossed the street and never looked back!

After an hour of searching, Ed was able to use the base unit to give him a hint where it was. We found it 1/2 a mile away on another street in our neighborhood. It was 40 feet up in a tree. It is actually about 10 feet higher than the picture of the tree!

We needed a bigger ladder!

With the help of our 22 foot ladder and three poles duct-taped together, I was able to hook it out of the tree! I was glad Ed and our new friend Al were down at the bottom keeping the ladder steady!

All in all, a very satisfying adventure with a happy ending!

Dinner with Tabitha

We had Tabitha, my friend from German class over for dinner yesterday. It was fun to have time outside class to talk (in English). We been together for 3 semesters, and I've really enjoyed getting to know her. She also lets me know what's going on behind the scenes at McDaniel College!

It was fun having Ed home to help clean house. He is an excellent vacuumer!

Tabitha even brought baked apples for dessert! Es hat uns gut geschmeckt!

Happy Retirement Day, Ed!

Ed officially retired yesterday! He came home from work to find his faithful dog (and wife) waiting for him.

We decided to celebrate by doing some things he'd never done before.

Ed took his first trip on the Baltimore subway! We picked up the subway in Owings Mills and got off about a block from the Inner Harbor. It was an easy ride, and saved traffic frustrations and parking money!

We got our 10,000 steps by walking around Harbor East, Pier 6 and the Inner Harbor. We don't often have time to just meander around the streets of Baltimore, so we really enjoyed our walk.

By the time we were ready to eat, we had worked up a healthy appetite.

We chose Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steak house for dinner. The pre-meat buffet was great, and we had a hard time saving room for the main course.

They had more cuts of beef than I knew existed! It just kept coming!

I wish I could make a Parmesan pork loin as tender as theirs! It was delicious!

We've decided the best course of action next time we come is to split every serving of meat so we can taste it all. We ended up surrendering before we even got to the Cornish hens!

Our last new experience of the day was stopping at the Fractured Prune in Owings Mills for doughnuts. They make each doughnut fresh and dip it in glazes and sprinkles to create any of a number of combinations. We got Black Forest, Margarita, Key Lime, and 9 more! (They were cheaper by the dozen.)

We were so full from dinner that we only managed to split one doughnut before bedtime. We wish we still had the whole family here with us so we could get some help finishing the box!

I hope Ed had a happy retirement day! I know I did!

Ed's Friends

Ed is retiring from Northrop Grumman tomorrow. We went out to lunch with some of his friends yesterday to celebrate. He is leaving a wonderful group of people he enjoys working with, and he will miss them tremendously. We is very appreciative of the time he has spent with them.

We have no idea exactly what our next steps will  be, but they will probably involve moving to Utah in the not too distant future. We hope Mabel can help fill the void of all the friends Ed will be missing!

It's a Wrap!

We wrapped up our recording session yesterday, finishing 11 songs in one week! It was a miracle!

Our recording went well with the help of Bina who came over to watch Mabel for a couple of hours. The only unwanted noise on the tapes was the dog barking to get out!

We celebrated by going out to Tony Hibachi grill for dinner. Mabel loved the fire (as did we).

They set us in a different table than the previous years. Although it was disconcerting, the background was very pretty for our picture.

When we got home we had an early birthday cake for Amanda. Nolan announced there is a new addition to their family coming. Amanda is getting a cat for her birthday!

We took everyone to the airport at 5:30 a.m. today. The party is over. It was a lot of fun, but some of us are now ready for a long nap!

Recording and Escaping

Mabel and John went for a walk with us yesterday. Brittany was trying to get a little extra morning sleep. Unfortunately, she and John have been sick, which is infringing on our recording abilities!

We did start recording yesterday. It went pretty well, except for the occasional cry from Mabel and Brittany's total lack of voice!

The recording went move smoothly after Ed switched chairs. Note to self: never sit on a plastic chair when you're working on a laptop. The static electricity kept closing the program!

We got a sitter in the evening and went to Escape this Live--Queen Anne's Revenge. It was fun being locked up in a room with strangers and try to find clues to get out of it. We escaped with 20 minutes to spare! If that is a monthly record we win a free trip back again. Next time we could try the Wild West theme!

We topped off the day at Yama, an Asian fusion restaurant. It had something for everyone, and was a great choice. Our new years goal is going to be stop eating at 8:30 at night!

What Were You Doing New Year's Eve?

The year ended with signs of spring--daffodils coming up along the fire trail. I hope this doesn't mean we won't have them in the spring, as well.

Ed and I ran into Harper, Suzanne, and Susan her daughter in law while we were walking yesterday. They were out running, trying to counteract some of the damage the holidays have done!

Whistling Prairie practiced our Christmas songs while Coda and Mabel rested on the couch. It was amazing they could sleep through all that noise.

In the afternoon the Pearl Strings had fun at their family and friends evening. The family and friends had a few surprises, as the talent is all around us! We sorely missed June, who was sick!

In the evening the band members permanently damaged their voices by screaming during our Pit game. That was poorly timed, as we're recording today!

We kept ourselves awake till midnight, which must mean we are still fun people! We try! Happy New Year!