Old Man Skills

The masses have spoken, and they would like to see more of my old man skills. Ok just kidding no one asked for it, but you are getting it, and you will LIKE IT. I will admit that I have been teased for sharing a pastime with 70 and 80 year old men. Since this teasing I have been utterly ashamed to post. But last night I realized that I have nothing to be ashamed of, many family members have strange talents/hobbies/collections such as:

Quincy Beal: Rythmic Gymnastics

Chris Ericson: Doll making, and shoe decorating

Brandon Tolman: Slacklining/Circus Tricks

Aaron Tolman: Magic Cards

Bruce : Needlepoint

Marlon Mangus: Vacuuming

Taylor Redd: Fantasy Ice Dancing

Phil Sander: Neil Diamond Impersonator (Costumes and all)

Nick Santilli: The Goat Whisperer

I could go on but I will not. I did not make this list to tease or taunt anyone. It is more to applaud your talents. I wish you all the best in your endeavors.

These are some pens I made on the lathe for the Dads, and Grandpas for fathers day. The first pen was actually made out of a corn cob. The Sign is for my grandmas house. It seems like she always has company.

More Fun in VA

I stayed a few days after my Dad's birthday weekend adventure and just hung around with the family. It was fun to see Natalie and Porter while I was there too. I love Porter's expression in this second picture. I think he is trying to say, "Come on already are we gonna take this picture or what?" I don't know what do you think he is trying to say?

Well we went to the pool a couple times, played tennis, did some shopping, watched movies at home, and played games. It was a very fun trip. The craziest thing is seeing how grown up Dillon and Becca are. I know I just saw them a few months ago, but I swear they are growing up soooo fast. Well I loved my time with them and can't wait until the next time we all get to hang out together.

A State Champion

My mom and her tennis team came out first in their District tournament, which brought them to sectionals last week. Teams from West Virginia, Maryland, DC, and Virginia made it to sectionals this year. I just wanted to dedicate this post to my mom. I'm so proud of her playing her best even with a bum ankle and finger. They played great at District and at Sectionals. The came out second in he Mid Atlantic region! Who knows next year Nationals in Vegas, right mom? I don't really do the team justice, but I found this great article about their team in the Loudoun Connection for anyone who wants more info on their success. If you can't tell, my mom is the one second from the right end holding the banner.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Last week was my dad's 50th birthday. I was lucky enough to fly in and surprise him for a fun birthday weekend. I came in early Thursday morning; Mom, Becca and I made a banner, wrapped presents, and got ready for Dad to come home that afternoon.
That night we had a wonderful cake made by our friend Dannii and then opened presents. We wrapped up clues to what we were going to do that weekend. Here is what was in the box: a pencil, a sketch book, rocks, a picture of a fountain, and sunscreen. Can you guess what we did? Well I guess Dad has aquired a some wisdom over the last 50 years because it didn't take him long to figure out we were going to Ohiopyle, Penn to go kayaking and see Falling Water.
Friday morning we packed up, stopped at Chick-Fil-a, and then headed to Ohiopyle. Once we got there we got settled into the lodge that we were staying at and then went to see Falling Water.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of the inside of the building. The one picture of the living room is from a website I found. It is an amazing home and if you ever get the opportunity to go to Pennsylvania you have to make a stop at Falling Water. After Falling Water we grabbed our swimsuits and headed to the natural water slides. After dinner mom, dad, and dillon managed to squeeze in a bike ride before it was time to go back to the lodge. Mom really wanted to cross the bridge you see behind Trevor so they made it happen. Once we got back to the lodge we had to make this trip an official Redd Outing by Taylor beating us in Settlers of Catan. Sorry mom you were so close!

The next day we started our adventure in white water kayaking. We had a blast. It was really different than I was expecting. You use your lower body a lot in kayaking. We spent the morning learning and practicing different skills. After a surprisingly good meal provided by the company we were taking lessons from we stepped it up a little and headed to Class II rapids (with Class III consequences-instructor's words not mine). So I guess you could say we went through Class III rapids our first time kayaking. I wish I we would have bought a waterproof camera so I could show everyone how great we did. Everyone successfully went through the rapids and Mom even did it going backwards. She is such a show off! (just kidding mom) Trevor was also the little show off by almost mastering the advanced skill of barrell rolling. Well we had an amazing time on the water. After we got cleaned up we headed home, but first we had to stop at the outlets for shopping and load up on fish and steak. What a weekend. I hope through all our efforts my Dad forgot how old he is getting.

One last thing I just wanted to say how great my Dad is! Thanks for everyone who helped out with our list of 50 Nifty Things about Hugh Redd. It turned out great! We love you Dad!

La Jolla Shores

Yesterday I went down to San Diego to meet up with my Aunt, Uncle, and their two kids. They were here on vacation and I wanted to tag along for the day. I met them at the US Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. It was beautiful! We had lunch at Seaport Village and then headed to the beach! I had a lot of fun chasing my cousins, playing in the water, and enjoying the ocean breeze (something I wish we could feel in Redlands). I can't believe how big my little cousins are getting, they are growing up so fast.