Us and Things: Half Dome

Monday, September 04, 2006

Half Dome

Tyler hiked half dome this past weekend with some friends of ours. I guess it's pretty. ;)

From left to right: Eamon, a friend-in-law, Blake, who just got back from his mission in Brazil, Tyler, and Liz, who took my place in the apartment when I got married and who occasionally plays raquetball with Tyler.

These are the famous cables going up the back side of half dome. It's not as hard as it looks.

I told Tyler before he left that he wasn't allowed to hang off the edge. I guess this was as close as he would get anyway: one foot off.

3 comments:

Allison said...: What's a friend-in-law?
Who took the panoramas?; Tue Sep 05, 03:45:00 PM MST
Usandthings said...: The term 'friend-in-law' originated with Seinfeld. It means a friend of a friend, or friend by association. Eamon is a friend of our friend Mark.

Tyler took the panoramas... we have a program on our computer that puts them together.; Tue Sep 05, 09:58:00 PM MST
Anonymous said...: Blake, who just got back from a mission in Brazil and is somehow still very white.; Wed Sep 06, 11:44:00 PM MST

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A taste of the Ball life

Amanda: What do you want for lunch: ham sandwich or peanut butter sandwich?
Lillian: Ham. No, peanut butter. No... ham... No, peanut butter.
Amanda: Ok, I'm going to make you a peanut butter sandwich. (makes sandwich)
Lillian: NO! I WANTED HAM!!!!
Amanda: You said peanut butter, and I told you I was going to make you peanut butter.
Lillian: No... I think you just spaced out Mom.

Tyler on dodo birds: I mean, any species that can be wiped out by rats probably didn't deserve to live. Nature should have selected them a long time ago to go extinct... it's like it forgot and got there late.

Lillian: I like carrots mom. They're like... juice you eat.

Tyler was reading Lillian a picture book in which a little boy finds an airplane in his closet and takes it into space where he runs out of gas and lands on the moon. On the moon, he meets a little Martian boy, wearing a space suit, who's spaceship had crashed.
Tyler: How come the Martian needs a space suit and the little boy doesn't? This book is so inaccurate.

Lillian threw a piece of food during dinner.
Tyler: Lillian don't throw food.
Lillian: But, it was just a little bit of food.

At 2 AM, Tyler pokes Amanda and says, "The baby is crying"
"No, that's a dog."
"No, it's Nora. I have superhuman hearing, that's why they call me Eagle Ears."

Amanda looks over and sees Lillian desperately trying to shove the Camelbak valve into Nora's mouth.
Amanda: Stop that! Don't put that into her mouth!
Lillian: Mom, I'm just playing doctor.
Amanda: Well, don't put it into her mouth.
Lillian (accompanied with change in tactic): Just her ears.

Lillian (pointing): This is my neck. This is Daddy's neck. This is Mom's neck. Nora doesn't have a neck.

Amanda: Listen to this, "The men and women of the Yana tribe in California speak different dialects." (TIME Magazine).
Tyler: The men and women speak different dialects in our house: sense and nonsense.

I ran upstairs briefly and left Nora in her chair with a curious Lillian looking on. Nora started fussing and crying a little and I heard Lillian say, "Nora! Stop Crying! Use your words!"

We practiced and practiced saying "Daddy, I missed you" all the way to the bus stop, a full five minute drive. Upon arrival, I prep Lillian one last time. I roll down the window, Tyler sticks his head in, and I prompt Lillian, "do you have something to say to daddy?"
Lillian looks up at him with her eyes full and sincere, "Juicebox."

Amanda: This dictionary says Wednesday can be pronounced wendz-dee or wendz-day.
Tyler: Well... that dictionary was written by an old person.