Nathan, and Father's Day Part III

Nathan called me up on Saturday and told me he owed me a dinner. I couldn't remember that, but when Nathan says he'll grill me some steaks I think I'd be foolish to argue. He reminded me that he had promised me dinner for Father's Day and hadn't delivered yet.

So, I went over there tonight for a wonderful New York strip and Mary put together a great pasta salad (with enough for take-home) and there were shrimp to eat and what could be better. The Sox were on the tube, too (that part could have been better). So, besides Father's Day with Becky and her clan (steaks too) and a Father's Day/Ammon/Ben birthday at Sarah's I think I've extracted all I can reasonably expect to get from the holiday this year.

That was on top of a great opera night dinner at the Hale's on Sunday. There was lamb and tabuli and ham meatballs and I made a great feta-cucumber salad. Dot Hale completed the feast with a rhubarb pie, which was enough to put me on Cloud 9. We watched Aida, which was impressive and beautiful. Tomorrow I'm on my own for dinner and I doubt things will be as great.

Sam's Birthday

Sam will be 11 on the 24th, so we took the opportunity to do a ball game on the 23rd. It was a great day for a game, and for a birthday present the Red Sox not only gave us extra innings, but also a win on the road. Sam and Ammon survived hot dogs, garlic fries, soda, kettle corn and a huge dish of shaved ice. Being grandpa, I told the boys that when we left the ballpark we would have to pay for the extra innings, since those weren't part of our ticket, and I asked them for some money to help me pay. Sam didn't bite, but Ammon was a bit worried. Oh, Grandpaaaaaa!

Emelia, being Emelia

The amazing thing is that this is the same cute little girl shown in the pictures below in her beautiful dress.

Carrie's Wedding

Becky's good, long-time friend Carrie got married today, and Lukas and Emelia were part of the ceremony.

Lukas was dressed in a suit and vest and he was the ring bearer. Lukas has done this often enough that he has his own ring-carrying pillow. He may be ready to go pro. He looks so dapper and smooth, almost like he is posing in the suit.

Emelia was a flower girl. She has wanted to wear this dress since the first time she saw it. Becky has had to hide it. She loved wearing the crown, at least for a while. By the end of the reception, she was tired of it, and enjoyed putting it on Lukas, or one of Becky's friends, or even grandpa. Sadly, there are no pictures, as far as I know, of me with the cute flower crown.

Ammon's birthday

Ammon turned 8 on June 23rd, and we all gathered at Sarah's house the day before for fun and food. That was also Ben's birthday (the 22nd), so we had a dual celebration. Notice the nifty toy helicopter Ben is launching in the top photo. Sam found two of those for $1 each at a garage sale. They really fly and they're great toys and Sam did a great job shopping for them.

Baseball stuff

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, May 12, 2010. A luxury box suite--pretty cool!

Wrigley Field

Safeco Field

Turner Field, Atlanta

Like I said, baseball is big in my family. I love to go to ball games all over and I've been to a few ballparks around the country. Here are some pictures of me and/or my friends and family at various ballparks or baseball venues.

My family: Becky

My youngest daughter is Becky, who is an amazing young woman. Pretty, energetic, a great mom and a lot of fun. She's always involved in something (talk to her about Barack Obama). She's married to Mike and has three great kids, Lukas, Emelia and Zackery. They lived in Utah for a while, but moved to Whidbey Island a few months ago, and that was just wonderful. I enjoy being able to see them fairly often. We all like to take in a ballgame once in a while. Rooting for the Seattle Mariners has gotten harder, but thank goodness we have the Red Sox!

My family: David

David is my youngest son. I'm immensely proud of him. He's smart, witty and very principled. He is married to the wonderful Wendy, a very intelligent and very pretty woman. The picture is taken at a ballgame in Arizona. If baseball is not a recurring theme in this blog, I'm not doing a good job.

My family: Nathan

Nathan is a chef, which makes him enormously popular with everyone. He creates amazing food and we're always happy when he shows up at any family gathering with something new and different. He works now at a place in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood called Jules Maes Saloon, and the food is outstanding.

He's married to Mary, a beauty, as you see here and also Nathan's match in so many ways. If you're paying attention, you may notice that Gary is conducting the ceremony.

My family: Sarah

My older daughter is Sarah, and she is married to Gary. Sarah has been a real strength to me since my separation and divorce. We go to the opera together and I enjoy her company very much. Gary is her perfect match and a great guy and very much loved by my grandkids.

My family: Ben

I'm also lucky to have a great family. Five kids, all of whom make me proud. This is Ben, who bears some resemblance to me physically, as you can see. He is the oldest, and the parent of four super kids, Sam, Ammon, Lura and Joshua. More about them later. He is a high school Japanese teacher. Married to the wonderful Sarah, who constantly surprises me with her wit and charm. The group picture also includes my older daughter, Sarah and her husband, Gary.