Anthony Bourdain inspired trip

so we're guilty of watching nearly every episode of No Reservations, the Anthony Bourdain travel and eating show.  in one episode he goes to Washington D.C....Season 3 Episode 6 I believe.  So today we drove up and went to Pollo Rico, as seen on that episode.  Absolutely the best chicken i have ever had....half chicken, 2 sides, 2 sodas, 11 bucks.  on the episode bourdain ends up there only because he kept hearing about the place...not because it was scheduled.  seriously awesome and well worth the 2 hour drive.

flying airplanes with my pops.

Soooo - we bought my dad a WWII Corsair remote control airplane.  But when he went to the RC shop the guy was like....that expensive plane will be destroyed if you've never flown an RC before. So my dad bought this plane, shipped it out to VA - and when they came to visit we put it together, and flew it, crashed it, broke  it, fixed it, flew it, crashed it, broke it. whatever happened....it was a good time.

The initial build.

adjusting some of the final screws.

these instructions aren't very good.

the first test.

in a better spot getting prepped

ready for liftoff.

not a smooth landing

the flying grounds

crashed again!

that piece down there goes where?

the great sinkhole challenge

we've had some sort of sinkhole thing going on in our backyard.  turns out that it was a ground hog burrow and tunnel system...or shall we say small village that collapsed and caused holes?  that's what they say.  we'll see - we've never seen ground hogs around here and have several cats hunting the birds around our place. at any rate - check it out.

This is the...well..i think..what - a back hoe?  heh heh. well any way - this is the machine after they cut through the railing...then built a ramp, this is the machine going by the house after the ramp.

so. apparently - to fix a series of large holes...you are to dig a BIGGER hole and then fill that hole in.

Ms. Utility came on out and spray painted the lawn where all the pipes are.  now we have fluorescent green striping.

the deepest part of the hole i guess.  right by where there's poison ivy.  dangerous yard.

the neighbors yard - i'm sure they appreciate looking out on a yard of straw now.  which is worse...un-mowed lawn because of porous ground or straw?  at any rate- the ground is flat and the dog likes to poop on the straw and not the grass cause he's kind of allergic to grass and pollen and crud.  go figure.

Sometimes you need to stand on a hill and scream about your love to the town

Mi amor.

Happy birthday.  Those two words just don’t seem to do justice to what really needs to be said.  Maybe a “Thank you”- or “I love you”, or “holy shit you’re so much more amazing than the amazing person you were when I first met you”….or how about – “that birthday suit looks dyn-O-mite”….

But seriously – how can I convey how much you mean to me?  there aren’t enough words in the English language.  Maybe I need to learn Chinese – rumor on the street is they have like 20,000 letters in their alphabet.  Surely that would assist me in my task.  I’ve told you before that you give the phrase “the better half” deeper meaning.  Saying “you complete me”, while true, really doesn’t get it right because not only do you complete me, but you make me a better me.  I’m 50% without you but 110% with you. 

I feel like our thoughts….our minds…our souls…are bonded at a deep level.  Deeper than a blown out oil well in the gulf of Mexico. 

you make me me but let me still be me.  I can’t thank you enough…I can’t love you enough…I can’t kiss you enough.  You are absolutely the perfect person on planet earth for me. out of 6 billion people I just happened to meet you on a starry night in Los Angeles.  It’s like having a shooting star of love crashing into me over and over….por que tu amor yo tengo mi te quiero ojos siempre.  Mi espanol es muy mal, parro tu saves como yo habla.

Since we first met, you have grown into an amazing woman.  Your strength to persevere in the face of adversity is heroic.  Your ability to put one foot in front of the other and keep plugging along towards your educational and career goals should be recorded as an example for all little girls.  So they can see what a strong, beautiful, educated, level headed woman looks like.   You are quite the example of how life should be lived.   I have learned so much from you.  You too, (along with my pops) have taught me how to be a better man.  My life is so much better as a result of “us” that it’s hard to put into one little note all the different ways that you make me better.

We’ve been through a lot together….we’ve moved from one end of the country to the other….we’ve loved and lost friends and family together.  We've laughed our asses off together....If I’m going to do this journey of life…I want it to be with you…forever and for eternity you’re my journey buddy. I  love road tripping through life with you – high on love and drunk on the hope that our future will bring.

Mi amor….i love you. ….i know this is a personal note…and it is meant just for you……but at the same time…sometimes you have to climb a hill and scream to everyone that you love someone…so let this be my e-hill and my e-scream.

I LOVE CAT MOLTER AND I WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH HER!!!!!!!  SHE RULES AND ALL YOU OTHER PUTAS CAN SUCK A LEMON!

Now everyone knows…..that I love you more than I can put into words….and that’s saying something.

I look forward to our tonight…I look forward to our tomorrow…and I will always….always, always, always cherish and hold very tight the memories of our past. 

Thank you so much……happy birthday….you deserve to be the happiest person on the planet today.

Love love love times a fillion billion gajillion.

Mi nombre es estaban, parro mi amigos diga mi Sven

road tripping through life.

I call it Queso Yum....

Turkey burger on the grill with chips and cheese sauce on top.  sinfully awesome.

An Awesome Fathers Day Weekend - Part 3 - Nationals Game

of course - the brewers will always be my number one team....Boston a very close second.  But when in Rome you cheer for the nationals...enjoyed a great day at the ballpark with the family.

Shark Week!

the long walk to the stadium....notice there is no tailgating.

3 of my favorite people on the planet.

shoppy shoppy gotta get that nats gear

great seats for the cheapest spot in the house.

it was hot.  red cheeks match a red shirt. GO NATS!

this man was sooo freaking stinky that if there were open seats we would have moved.  i liked his hat - and the dagger through a skull tattoo on his hand.

ripping off the brewers sausages by having racing presidents.  not as entertaining as brew city though.

enjoying the view after a great nats win.

Nats Win!  (and former brewer J.J. Hardy is the last out for the  Baltimore crew.

pretty scenic way to watch a ball game. (brewers could have learned a thing or two about stadium placement and what to do with the surrounding neighborhood)

first green ball park in the majors. Check out the lines shauna!

shiny balls!

Alexandria, Va Old towne....so fun...

who made you judge judy and executioner?

shoppy shoppy always shoppy

preppy people wear old people glasses holders.  DUDE ROCK ON

A kick ass motorcycle for a racist team name. still amazing art work though.

Didn't know The Flash had been hit with the "Little Kid Ray"

Yes...that's Obama kicking it on the board walk.  

An Awesome Fathers Day Weekend - Part 2 - Crabbing in Virginia Beach

Since i moved out here I've discovered the joy of Crabbing.   No license needed - just some Turkey Necks, some string and a dip net. An entire day of a lot of fun.  Seriously - awesome.

the crabbing spot - teaching moms how to roll

moms checking the string to see if she has a crab on.

moms netting her first crab

that's a crab in the net

Maryland Blue Crab

stocking up on Blue Crab

The Sultan being shaded by his attendees

two crabs in the trap.  that's a first for me.