Elser Family Blog

Rockwell goes to the NAHS homecoming dance

Catchup

Well, had an Issue with the Blog.. for a second O thought it was corrupted.. That would have been VERY BAD. Nothing like making sure I back it up occationally.

But, as a makeup, here are some pictures from my work hard drive from late last year.

Rockwell giving his cousin a ride on the honda.

Picking up a half pipe! We are taking too long to put it together.. we are not done. Therefore we cannot SKATE.

Melinda working on her Sci fair project.

The metals to test! she is going to measure how fast heat travels though each of these types of metals.

Just a IR Picture of Melinda working on her project!

I went to an art show.. “SEEDS”. One of the artists had produced a number of Guns with social statments imprinted on the side. I made Like I was shooting one. 🙂

Rockwell volunteered to help with the NAMS Robotics club. they had a Lego League meet to compete. They did OK considering!

My Buddy Wes at the NA Christmas parade being a joker. As per usual.

Math and Science.

The kids were just talking about math.. not homework, not any specific problem, Just an older sister saying “Hey have you done this yet” to her little brother, and him showing what he knows. This was the scrap paper left over from the conversation.

Rockwell was one of 2 8th graders who Volunteered to help with the 6th grade “FLL”.. (First Robotics Lego League). Good kid. 🙂

Things in September?

First day of school!

Making Cotton Candy for the alzhiemers run organization meeting.

Hannah got her permit too.

Rockwell dressing like a pirate, with his free dozen donuts!

Rockwell messing around in front of the greed screen at work.

Got an infrared Camera for troubleshooting at work. Evidently a dogsnose really is cold.

After a run with the saturday morning FATS crew.

ColorRun 2016

Another year of the color run for us! This is an interesting OLD storefront in Augusta on broad and 5th. I dont know how much longer it will be there, so I figured I would take a pic while I still had the chance. I was mad at Melinda, and Melinda was mad at me.. 🙂 I don’t even remember why now.

But here we are at the end.. again a happy family.. Turns out we had fun!

Random and catch-up

OK, need to add more to this..

Here is a good picture of the girls in Charleston with Kathi.

A couple of Hannah’s senior pictures!

Hmm. I don’t think I mentioned that I did a TEDx talk.. “Our future is Awesome!” Rick Mckee, a syndicated political cartoonist drew a picture representing my talk. Pretty cool!

Hmm.. most of my pics are at work.. Ill have to add more tomorrow. 🙂

Skiing in Maggie Valley NC.

We (Rockwell, Hannah and I.. Melinda did not want to go for some reason) went skiing this weekend to Maggie Valley and the cataloochee ski area Actually.. snowboarding. We all learned to snowboard. It was AWESOME. I can say that I actually got it down enough to go down one of the black diamonds. I’m not good, but I clearly was not the worst. Hannah made it down once without ever falling… even if 25% of it was braking. (what I call the board being perpendicular to the slope.. I don’t know the lingo’..) We really had fun. We went with youth from Holy Trinity Lutheran to “Lake Junaluska”. 13 of us total, 11 kids and two chaperons. The kids were.. different. More on that later.

I think Rockwell had the most fun of anyone. He did not want to leave. He was the first on the slopes, wouldn’t take a break, and was the very last person to leave of all the kids. And even then he was not happy that he had to stop. He said “I think I want to do this professionally!” and that is before he even really knows how to rock it. We will clearly be back to do it again. This time with Melinda. 🙂

I would have more pictures and even video… if I had not lost my phone. 🙁 That was the only bummer of the trip.

I have two observations:
1.
Ok, so about these kids.
“When I was young…” Social status was primary. I remember getting into a group like this, and all the kids wanted to know was who was boss, and what the pecking order was. Really, when I look back on it, our lives were ruled by this dynamic. Even as you got older.. jobs were available because you knew someone… or not available because you did not.

These kids? They really could not care less. The older ones hung out with the younger ones, Some of them just hung out or didn’t, depending on a mood. It was really pretty amazing. On the trip there, during the trip, and on the trip home, I feel like they were LESS of a burden than 13 Adults would have been, and I’m not kidding about that. They were nothing but prompt, polite, and self sufficient. (as long as there was food available.. lol) They said, we would like to walk to the church” when it was church time, and they were back in the meeting place when the skiing was over. (OK, they were worn out and there before they were even supposed to be.. 🙂 ) Get this.. It was a 250 mile trip there, and a 250 mile trip home… 13 people in the van. You know how many times we stopped? twice. And when I say twice… I mean once each way. I was driving. You know who asked to stop? No one.. I had to stop to pee.
Were their noses in their phones? Of course. And I don’t care.
These kids are going to make SOOO MUCH better adults than we EVER were its not even funny.

Good on you kids. The future is going to be awesome. and you are going to make it that way.

2.
People are SO MUCH more honest these days, so much more, that its making commerce easier, and cheaper for all of us.
Do you remember back 30 years ago going skiing? The paperwork you had to fill out to rent skis, then when you returned them they had to cross check and make sure you were returning the right ones and they loved charging you late fees and such? Those days are LONG GONE. We rented skis, and they simply wanted your liability form. they handed you the skis, (or board) and boots, adjusted them slightly, and you were on your way. When you returned them? “Put them in the stack over there and have a good day.” No accounting whatsoever. I think they realized that 99% of people return them, and the cost of saving a percent did not make it worth the time lost to account for it, or the customers lost to hassle. same thing with the rental trailer we used for bags, the guy did not even open it up to see if it was clean. he met me at the gate in the van, had a handheld, punched in the code on the trailer, and said, “any problems?” I said no, he as 60$ you want to put it on the card on record? I said yes, he handed me a receipt, and I was out of there in 5 minutes. Astounding really. 30 years ago they would have had to have had a checklist of damage and inspected the inside and it just would not have gone that smooth. people are better people today than they were before. simple as that.

Sugar season, a cache, and an anachronism.

Arthur Shealy invited us to crush some sugar cane again this year! I drug Dale with me.

Starting the boiling process. I swear Arthur, if you allow that cane juice into the pot without being finely strained one more time….

The kids seem to like going geocaching… at night. Here is one in the woods.

Rockwell played “Joe” in the Christmas play this year. “youre WHAT??” the funniest line of the night.

Rockwell also played with the high schoolers at the North Augusta Christmas tree lighting.

Rockwell found a friend. She was trying to convince him to attend NAHS, and join band.

Can you spot the anachronisms? I see three of them! They all still work too!

Don Trump Rally today!

The girls wanted to go to a Trump rally in Aiken today. No doubt he has some support in Aiken! LOTS of people there to support him.

Melinda, mid reaction to something he said.. too funny!

My favorite sign of the whole rally. There were a couple groups of people that caused a fuss, but nothing major, AND Trump actually said; “I dont mind the protesters.. we all should be protesting more!”. That response supried me a tad.

The girls got bored half way through and decided to join a small contingent of “protesters” out front. I love the guy dressed like a communist! My favorite chant was them saying the pledge of allegiance to the flag, and at the end repeating “And liberty and justice for all! And liberty and justice for all!”

Prom and a dance

Hannah got to attend her High school prom this year!

So beautiful..

She invited Amber as her date. Amber did not get to go to her HS Prom, so this was a first for both of them.

The tickets! It was Vegas themed.

Turns out she made the front page of the local paper the next day.. She is the one walking out of the building with a giant Die.. lol.

Melinda went to the 8th grade dance with her friends.

She wont admit it, but I can tell she is popular.

Group photo!

I volunteered to make cotton candy at this dance, so I got an insider view. Rockwell did not get to go to any of these.. He was disappointed.

🙂