Weather extremes

I mentioned we had snow on 4/7. We also had an incredibly warm spell shortly thereafter. I had not yet unbolted the windows in the entry and study, so it was really stuffy for a couple of days in that part of the house. That area used to be a porch, and it was closed in on the cheap: no insulation we can find and hand-crank windows which don't do much other than keep the big drops out. So I finally got everything opened up in time for more moderate weather, and the long rainy spell we've have (rain on 22 out of the last 24 days or something amazing like that). But tonight Libby says the bolts have to go back in: it's supposed to be near 30 overnight for the next few weeks! I thought I was done with the kero-heater, but maybe not!

Easter

Faye and Greg and Kristen joined us for Easter. After church Kristen helped the boys dye the eggs and then hid them in the yard. Funny how something so simple kept them so entertained!

Wedded bliss

We celebrated 20 years on 4/8. The day of our wedding rehearsal it snowed in Eden, NC. Twenty years later to the day it snowed in Black Mountain. The flakes were bigger (above) back then, but you can the the gathering snow on the grill cover below. We think it's a good sign.

Getting in on the act

Not to be outdone, here is Calvin, all tricked out in Duke attire, having a go at one of Briggs' soccer practices. Blurry, but you get the idea.

Briggs and soccer

Briggs has always loved balls. Any kind of balls were fine; he loves them all. But he has a special fondness for tennis balls, basketballs, baseballs and soccer balls. We signed him up for soccer the first winter we were here. It was mostly lost on him. We signed him up this year and he had a blast. He was one of the best in his group; it didn't hurt that he was one of the oldest. But he had a blast. Here's a picure.

Two months?

I can't believe it's been better than two months since I posted. So herewith, a flurry of spinrg doings!

Fun Stuff

Here are a trio of shots from the past couple of weeks. The swing Calvin is in was a gift from Faye when Eli was a baby. Thus it is on its third "generation" of Barker boys. All of them have loved it, even without the Pooh tie-in. We went hiking on the Trestle Trail in Montreat last Saturday. The culmination was a breather at this shelter; Briggs really didn't like being "hung out to dry," but it was too obvious a stunt for me to resist. Eli earned his Tenderfoot rank at Scouts last Monday.