looking back at this blog, there have only been a few postings over the last year (last memorial day's post is still on the front page). i'll try to be more prolific going forward.
it's memorial day weekend already, which means parades, golf, bbq and a little r&r for the raynor family. charlie is getting ready to finish nursery school and start swim lessons again. joey is talking up a storm, and loves soccer and monster trucks. kim and i have joined the ranks of the "hip techster" people by getting iphones and an ipad. my most used iphone app is words with friends (scrabble). bri and i have been going back and forth - i've won a game, she's won a game, and the current rubber match game isn't looking real good for me (let's just say that she's the oil leak in the gulf and i'm BP - right now, i've got no answer to her game).
we had a weekend here in the beginning of may when it was just blistering hot for that time of year (90s). none of us were prepared for the heat, so we were all a bit uncomfortable as we had no time to adjust from springlike temps to late summer temps in the matter of days (maybe even hours). to make a long story short, we decided that joey didn't seem too comfortable in the heat - he was sweating and lethargic for most of the weekend - so that week, we went to the barber to get him his first buzz cut. he loves it, but there was also an important lesson learned - the #2 blade on the buzzer cuts a little too short for a child that isn't yet 2. i posted pics below.
nancy also hit a milestone since my last post (who hasn't) - her 60th birthday. dick made dinner reservations at a great place in spring lake (about 15 or so miles south of us), across the street from the beach. kim and i rented a stretch limo to take us there and bring us home. this was a surprise to everyone. the limo picked kim and i up first, then went to dick and nancy's to pick them up. the look and excitement on both of their faces was priceless. and since neither one had ever ridden in a limo before, it made it even more special. we had a terrific dinner, headed back to our neighborhood, picked up charlie and joey from my brother's house, and brought them on a ride for another 45 mintues or so. we then went back to our house, had cake, opened presents, and at the end of the night, the limo took dick and nancy back to their house. awesome night!
last weekend was opening day at monmouth park. our friends from new hampshire were visiting us for the weekend, so the 6 of us (4 raynors, 2 mcgondels) headed to the track for some fun in the sun. we stayed for 5 races and only had 1 person leave the track a winner - charlie. he picked a winner that paid $41.
i've been playing with my most recent camera lens as well - a fisheye lens. it's a real fun lens, not to be used all the time, but can give a pretty cool point of view.
have a great memorial day weekend and i'll be back with more soon.
Charlie's Winning Horse
fun with fisheye lens
Opening race at monmouth park, 2010 with fisheye
more fisheye
before
after
riding in style
