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Okay.......so we had finally arrived at my daughter Noodle's home in Leander, Texas. When we got there, Princess Fartknocker and her brother Joe Flacco had already been there for a few days. The plan was that they would visit their other grandparents, who just so happen to live just outside of Austin, and then spend some time at Noodle's and then me and Supernurse would show up, stay a couple of days with them there and then load everybody up into the van and head to Spring Hill, Tennessee to celebrate the Fourth Of July with my mom and sisters and nieces and nephews...........almost a complete family reunion.........my sons would not be able to make it and Noodle's husband had to work. My other daughter Ms Moneypenny and her husband James Bond would be there in Tennessee by the time we would get there.
It is always wonderful to visit Noodle. Me and Supernurse miss her dearly and do what we can to visit as often as we can.
Noodle and my son-in-law Harry Numbercruncher.............
...........and there he is...........Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1.........he is growing fast and he is amazingly smart too.............then again, he DOES have certain genetics....hehehe.
They have come a long way and more and more things have been done to or added to their humble abode. They added the porch, bought a new grill......added some planters, a picnic table, some Adirondack chairs..............
........and went further with the landscaping. It looks great.........they have done a good job.Supernurse got her Sonic fix and I got my H.E.B. fix.......and after a few days it was time to hit the road again. Stay Tuned.......in Part 3 you get to read about the terrifying start to the rest of the trip.
Pumpkins..............and lots of 'em.........everywhere.........even under the hood of an old truck.It was decided that Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 needed to go somewhere and pick a pumpkin. As it happens, there was a place not too far from Leander, Texas in a town called Marble Falls. That place is called Sweet Berry Farm and as we approached our destination there were literally hundreds of vehicles parked everywhere......along the road.......in the grass.......in the mud......in ditches........and filling up the designated ample parking area..............hmmmm......did I just use the word ample? Oh well........we found a spot to park and began our quest for a pumpkin.
At Sweet Berry Farm, they not only have pumpkins galore........but a whole host of other fall paraphernalia as well as all sorts of activities for kids. The only thing I did not see was an apple. No apples and from what I could see......no apple cider. I mention this because on the previous day, me and Supernurse went to the HEB store and bought some apples and those apples were HUGE. I have yet to see any huge apples back in Baltimore at the Mars Supermarket. None. I suppose they have Texas-sized apples in Texas.........hehehe.
There was alot of walking and lots of assorted people. I should mention.........I saw no pushing or shoving......no ridiculous out of control kids..........and everyone I accidentally bumped into appeared to actually enjoy the collision.
These pumpkins are a bit too big to tote around..........but a small kid CAN sit on them and pose for a picture with Supernurse.
There were three different mazes at Sweet Berry Farm............one huge maze in the shape of Texas, one small maze for the kids to ride through on the Sweet Berry Express, and one very small maze for kids to roam through.
Did I mention that there were pumpkins everywhere?
Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 really loved the horse. This particular horse belonged to a neighbor of the farm. There were also pony rides for the kids.
Goats!...........lots of goats to pet.
Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 loves trains and everything associated with trains..........especially tunnels. As it was, much to my surprise, somebody made these tunnels out of hay and corn stalks for kids to run through. Needless to say......Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 could have spent the entire day running through these tunnels.
We rode on a small hayride to transport us to another section of the farm............
..............and the first thing to greet us was yet another kind of tunnel! This tunnel took us under the road to get to the rest of the farm.
The first stop on this side of the road was the flower picking section.
I think they are Gerber daisies..........and lots of them.
After picking some flowers...........it was off to the chicken coop.
I don't care where you go.........whatever part of the world.......chicken coops always stink. Regardless of the smell, Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 really liked the chickens and he spent much of the time making the "cluck cluck" sound.
Supernurse was in great spirits.........and why wouldn't she be?
The next thing to do was the Sweet Berry Express. The picture tells the story, so I won't bother to describe what exactly is the deal......except to mention that they ride through a maze.
Actually.........I think it was a great idea to make a ride out of a tractor with converted metal barrels. Of course Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 had to choose which barrel to ride in and he made it clear to us that he wanted the blue one............BECAUSE Thomas and Gordon are BLUE!
My little pumpkin with alot of other little pumpkins.
Did I mention that there were pumpkins everywhere?.....................even in old boats?
Farmertopia?
Well.............we had enough of this place and a pumpkin or two was selected.
While in line to pay for our pumpkins, I couldn't help but take this picture of one of the other people waiting to check out. If you don't get it.......I ain't explainin' it to ya.We had a good time at Sweet Berry Farm and it was a day well spent.
Me and Supernurse recently spent a week visiting our daughter Noodle in Leander, Texas. It was a getaway, yet it wasn't a getaway. When we arrived, Princess Fartknocker and her brother, the former Mayor Of Simpleton, were already there waiting for us.........go figure........sometimes you just can't escape.....hehehe.
Princess Fartknocker and her brother were there to visit with their Aunt Noodle for a week and they were also going to spend a week with their other two grandparents.....who just so conveniently happen to live just outside of Austin as well. (They visit them each summer.)We see Princess Fartknocker and her brother all of the time and therefore we do not notice so much how fast they have grown. But because we do not really get to see Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 in person and up close.....except via the internet......it was stunning to see just how much he has grown. I must say that I was amazed when I saw him shaving.......hehehe....just kidding.....but dang!....he ain't so much a baby anymore. Time flies.
I know.......I know.........looks like a big attitude.....right?Pictures can be decieving...........he is as sweet as can be......and he is a thinker. I don't know that I have ever seen a small child like him play with such concentration.......he is very serious about everything he does.
In Leander it was hot.............hot as a torch. They had triple digit temperatures for something like 40 days straight. It wasn't humid though like back in Baltimore. The air quality in Leander is very good and we weren't sweating at all................it was just that when you sat outside, you could feel your skin burning away.....hehehe. Me and Supernurse sat outside frequently. Supernurse had to wear shades........Me?......I have so much hair I am already in the shade....hehehe.
Expansion Pack 2.1 loves playing in his pool.........Me?.....nahhhh, I have an aversion to being boiled alive.
He seems to love it though.
When he wasn't in his own pool, we took him to the community pool next door. He likes that pool alot and has a great time.
Aside from the opportunity to see Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1, I got to spend some time with my daughter Noodle. I love my Noodle Girl and I miss her so much. It was extremely difficult for me when they moved away to Texas but I had to accept and deal with that. I wouldn't pass on any opportunity to go visit her.
That's my Noodle.........and I am very proud of her. She is smart......feisty......just like her mother.......a very good mother.........and she, just like her siblings, is an important part of my existence........without them I am worth nothing. Even though she may not fully realize it, I enjoyed every minute spent with her.
What can I say?...........Princess Fartknocker! One day in the future, when she has her own grandchildren.....I hope she can say "I had the greatest Pop Pop."
Meanwhile..........Expansion Pack 2.1 is all about his trains...........Thomas the Tank Engine trains.
He spends most of his time playing with them....he knows them by name and number and color, too. He isn't destructive with his toys. He certainly isn't Little Gomez Addams......hehehe.
While there, Noodle wanted me to paint some canvas squares to hang on the wall in Expansion Pack's bedroom. She was redecorating the room and changing everything to a Thomas the Tank Engine theme. 
Toot! Toot!We had a great time and look forward to returning there again in October.By then........Expansion Pack 2.1 might have a beard
I have been busy lately. The past three weeks or so have been a bit hectic, yet wonderful. First, since my last post on the blog, I have taken a trip to Tennessee for my Mom's birthday....spent four days there, then six days at home, and then off to Texas for five days.
On this trip, he was a bit smitten with me. On past visits he was all about "Mom-Mom".......this time "Pop-Pop" was his focus.
Of course.............that is.......when he wasn't focusing on his cars.........hehehe.
He's a great kid and he takes the cars very seriously.
As if he was in dire need of more stuff, Supernurse goes and buys a racetrack for his cars........needless to say he was thrilled. He particularly loves it when they crash.
Supernurse was very happy and that alone makes me very happy.
It doesn't seem all that long ago that my little Noodle Girl was little. I miss the days when my kids were little........time flies by so quickly........and now she gets to experience what me and Supernurse have experienced.........and we get to visit and spoil her kid.....hehehe.
I am lucky to just be there to see moments such as this.
I spent alot of time corrupting my grandson..............you know what I mean........."brrrrt"......."what was that?"..........."A frog on a motorcycle!"........and "BRRRRRRRT!".........that was a "Monkey on a Harley".......hehehe. I spent the majority of the time tickling him and making him laugh.
I never envisioned this when I was younger..........but somehow it is as if it was all planned.
We managed to get to see him at a soccer practice during the week..........which caused me to have flashbacks to when I was the indoor soccer coach for a bunch of monsters in White Marsh.......what was I thinking.......oh well........this time I am a spectator.
And spectate we did. His real soccer game was Saturday morning at 8am.......8AM!!!!!!!!!! at the YMCA............8AM!!!!!!!.........arrrgghhhh.........this is the time when I just start to have vivid nightmares while I snore away for five hours. Oh well............no rest for the wicked. 
It was great watching him chase after the ball.............along with all of the other kids at the same time..............knowing that while he was running after the ball he was making race car sounds (in his mind he was racing). Even when he stopped for a drink......it was a "pit stop".
So what does he do after he gets through the tunnel?
He runs around everybody and inserts himself at the end of the line and goes through the tunnel again! Smart kid.........hehehe.
This is what Washington DC looks like from the airplane. Supernurse slept on the plane.........me?.............no sleep for me. I listened to a podcast of the Mark Levin show on my iPod and chowed down on some nasty crackers that the stewardesses pawn off on people. 
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