Category Archives: Rancho Roly Poly

Wassail and etc.

Posted on December 25, 2010 | Comments Off on Wassail and etc.

We here at the rancho in the valley offer our kindest felicitations for your having arrived at yet another of these seasons, and the fervent hope that your punch bowl be filled with spicy liquid merriment and that all of your problems be little ones. Nay, infinitesimals.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Mrs. Charm, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana

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Merry Christmas Y’all

XmasTree

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Posted on December 24, 2010 in Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles

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Happy Chanukiahs

Posted on December 1, 2010 | Comments Off on Happy Chanukiahs

9aWe’re sticking with our old fav, the stone Maccabees.

But this traditional-design chanukiah is actually very nontraditional.

It’s made from the pieces of Kassam rockets fired from  Gaza into Israel by that allegedly peace-seeking band of despots known as Hamas.

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Posted in Israel, Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles

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Riding a bicycle

Posted on November 22, 2010 | Comments Off on Riding a bicycle

Mr. Boy learned to ride a bicycle on our weekend Cub Scout camping trip to McKinney Falls. He got the urge, borrowed a bike from a Den friend and rode off. After a little trouble figuring out the hand brakes, he was good to go.

He was worried later that, because he doesn’t have a bicycle of his own (yet) that he might forget how to ride before he gets one. Nope, I told him. Riding a bicycle is for always. Once your inner-ear-brain is attuned, you’re set for life.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Science/Engineering, Scribbles

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A camping we go

Posted on November 20, 2010 | Comments Off on A camping we go

Me, Mr. B. and Wyatt (one of his Webelos II running buddies), go tonight for what will be my second-to-last camping trip before they move on into Boy Scouts, which does not encourage, let alone require, parents to go camping with them. So two more nights on the ground (albeit with an air mattress) and I’m done with it.

Forecast is for a warmish night, and (my bet) another loss for the Longhorns to lowly Florida Whatever, which I will be listening to on the radio. This time the boys and I are coming full-circle, back to the first camping spot they did when they were Tiger Cub scouts a few years ago: McKinney Falls State Park. Picturesque, especially the pretty falls area—except for the periodic roar of the commercial jets taking off from nearby Austin International Airport.

UPDATE:  As one of the other older fathers said: I don’t know which hurts worse, my back or my butt. I do know this was my last camping trip sleeping on the ground. The worst part, actually, was getting up and down and spending time on my knees getting everything set up and then torn down. But they had fun. Glad, too, that the Longhorns won.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles, Texana, Texas Football, Weather/Climate

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Catapults

Posted on October 30, 2010 | Comments Off on Catapults

300px-2-talent_caliberMr. B’s Webelos II Cub Scout den is building a catapult this morning on some rural land northwest of the rancho.

Presumably a good deal smaller (and less dangerous) than this Roman ballista. I hope so, anyhow.

It’s part of their engineering achievement dealie for their Arrow of Light.

Don’t ask me what the AoL means. I was in Boy Scouts but never finished Cubs, if they even had AoLs back in my personal Dark Ages.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Science/Engineering

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History has its (brutal) say

Posted on October 15, 2010 | Comments Off on History has its (brutal) say

The headline in the daily’s sports section was Rangers: Doubts Are History. Story being that these Rangers were too talented and confident to worry about their team’s history of losing to the Yankees in their first post-season game against them.

Alas, history once again had its brutal say as the Wankies won 6-5 tonight in Arlington. Mr. B. and everyone else are deflated at the rancho tonight—especially as the Longhorns are expected to also lose to Nebraska tomorrow afternoon.*

UPDATE:  Then, on Saturday, the Rangers beat the Wankies 7-2, one-upping history, afterall, since it was the first time they’d won a post-season game at home. Now it’s on to New York and game three for the best of five.

*Instead, Texas won 20-13.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Mrs. Charm, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana

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