So as you can see, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve posted anything on this blog. That’s because I’ve been using Facebook to share happenings with the McFarlane family these days. If you are not already one of my Facebook friends, feel free to look me up. In the mean time, you can check out some photos of our recent trip to London here: http://is.gd/ulZI.

No, it’s just the hole left in the grass from the pool that’s been sitting there all summer. Now seed and soil cover the spot – hence the dark color. Notice how much greener the grass is just around the hole… where it got watered regularly while the kids played in the pool!

This weekend, Jackson and I met my friend Jim and his two boys for a weekend of camping at the Arrowhead Campground in the Uwharrie National Forest. We arrived Friday afternoon, and then were joined Saturday by Larry and Bob. Great weather and a nice campground made for a very enjoyalbe weekend. The campground is situated within walking distance of Badin Lake, where we could fish during the day, and enjoy the star-filled sky at night. The boys certainly enjoyed a bit of independence, being able to ride their bikes all over the campground while keeping in touch with us on walki-talkies.

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Today, we took the family out to check out the new US National Whitewater Center. This is a huge facility just a few miles down I-85 from Charlotte. It’s a man-made park for whitewater rafting and kayaking. It also has a climbing center, and biking and hiking trails. Below are some pictures I took today. Read the rest of this entry »

The house is really coming along. The carpet is in, and the landscaping (front yard only) is completed. The remaining yard will eventually be seeded. Unfortunately our closing date has been pushed out one week to September 28. This is because the stairs from the first to the second floor had to be replaced. Read the rest of this entry »

This past Sunday, I drove up to to up to Davidson College to juggle with the old gang, now known as the Lake Norman Jugglers. (Thanks to Bill Giduz for the photo!) I had a great time, and I’m looking forward to more juggling this weekend at Hugofest, as well as future Sunday afternoon meetings… Ok, so it’s 50 miles from Waxhaw…so what?

We had a chance to take a peek in the new house tonight. It looked like most of the light fixtures and plumbing fixtures and hardware were in. The kitchen appliances were sitting in boxes, ready to be installed. The exterior doors now have hardware on them, so the house can be locked up. Not much has changed on the outside of the house, but I took a few new pictures anyway. Got a shot looking down on the deck from the playroom window. Another shot of the front porch shows just how big it is!

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We stopped by the new house on the way home from the beach today to find that the exterior and interior painting had been done. All interior trim work is done, and the stair railings are in. Also the rear deck is completed, front porch is in progress, and the kitchen cabinets are installed. The tile is laid in the master bathroom, although grouting has not been done yet. The vanities in the master bath and upstairs hall bath are also in. It’s really starting to look like a house!

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It seems like the older the kids get, the more they enjoy the ocean. Today, Jackson took his net and bucket to a nearby pier, and caught two starfish, four crabs, and also discovered a huge horseshoe crab. Then it was time to hit the waves and do some boogie boarding.

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Ahh. Finally. A vacation. After all the hard work of moving, we can now relax and enjoy the sunshine, here at Cherry Grove Beach, SC. We got an extra day too – we’ll be here for 8 total days!

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