I'll try anything once.....or for a chance at 60 bucks.

I have been known to be a sucker for a challenge. All it takes is for someone to say "I bet you can't....." and I can't help myself. One day this summer, Eric said he'd give me $60 if I could swallow a tablespoon of cinnamon. He also indicated that he was certain that I couldn't do it. Well, I like cinnamon - on sticky buns, mixed with sugar on buttery toast, in my oatmeal - so if a little cinnamon is good, then a lot has to be better, right?

I was absolutely sure I was going to prove him wrong and swallow the cinnamon. I had never heard of anyone getting sick or dying from cinnamon poisoning, and I thought this was going to be the easiest 60 bucks I ever made. I almost felt a little guilty - like taking candy from a baby. I think my cocky attitude got into his head a little, and although he didn't say it, I sensed for a moment that he wanted to withdraw the offer.

He went ahead and prepared a heaping spoonful of cinnamon and Jon got the camera. Someone suggested we go out onto the deck. Here goes....

Let me make one thing perfectly clear - I do not recommend trying this, nor will I attempt it again. It burned like crazy - think 100 Red Hot Fireballs at once without the benefit of any sweetness. The cinnamon was so powdery/fine that it instantly absorbed all of the saliva in my mouth and sucked the rest out of my salivary glands, which only moistened about 10% of it. I thought if I could just hold on and "make some more spit" I would be able to moisten it enough to make it swallowable. In the meantime, it puffed up into my nose, and then when I started to cough, it went up higher. It felt like the bottom of my eyeballs were on fire. I think I did actually swallow a little of it, which of course burned my throat. I quickly realized that there was no way I was going to be able to swallow the stuff even if I could spittify it some more. That's when I went to the rail.

So the lesson I learned was........

.......................there was no lesson. The next time someone comes up with a kooky challenge, I'll be all over it, like a dog chasing a squirrel.

I had aspirated some of the cinnamon, so I coughed for a few days. My throat hurt for about that long. And when I blew my nose, well.......

I smelled like a car freshener for the rest of the day. That was nice.

Trick or Treat - Bwahahahahaha

This year I actually got to participate in the festivities, because I was not working or studying or some such nonsense. We had a nice evening for all the little (and not so little) ghouls and goblins and Darth Vaders and High School Musical Cheerleaders.

Raechel and Jon were in the Halloween spirit and decided to go as each other.

Leigh Ann was very generous with the "silver orb of chocolately deliciousness" for the youngsters who said BOTH "Trick or Treat" AND "Thank You."

However, the ones who failed to show the proper manners were whisked off to the dungeon.

Here she is showing a parent of one of the coarser urchins to the top of the "I don't know how to say 'thank you'"vat. He is going to try to retrieve his vile offspring from the foul goo.

Did I leave the iron plugged in?

We had some big excitement last week here in our neighborhood. Early Wednesday afternoon, Mary Ellen - the "Pet Pals" lady who walks some of our neighbors' dogs - called in a fire at a house just around the corner from us. I got home at 4:00 and the firefighters were still shooting water on it.

We haven't heard how the fire started, but it did start in the end townhouse (on the right) and spread to the next one, badly damaging both. The vinyl siding on the 1st house of the next set is melted also. No one was home, and no one was hurt.

Mary Ellen was long gone (she's got lots of other dogs to walk!) or I would have a picture of her, too!

I took the aerial photo from LA's helicopter.

Massanutten Fun 2008

Here are some photos and videos from

the "Von Lawrence Family"

Virginia mountain vacation.

Anne & Aunt Barb had fun swimming......

....and relaxing.

Just after this picture was taken, the pool boy brought our drinks, with little tiny umbrellas. They were yummy.

The drinks, not the umbrellas.

Too bad we don't have Smell-a-vision (or maybe it's a good thing), because you would appreciate the near-toxic levels of bug repellant being worn by the participants of this lovely golf outing:

Go-kart racing with Adam:

I must say that I was anxious to test my skills against the guy who has never actually driven a real car (to the best of his parent's knowledge) but who can lap me repeatedly while playing Gran Tourismo or whatever game he has. Here he is talking smack while waiting in line at the track:

Here we are in the start house. Adam is in the #8 Budweiser, and I am right behind. I was feeling pretty confident, happy with my position, planning to draft the first few laps, and then slingshot past at the finish. Adam has his game face on.

So much for my plan. As it turns out, one of the attendants in the picture above had loosened one of the wires in my engine, which caused my car to lose power in the final lap. The results are pictured below. That's me in the white car. Just after this picture was taken, sparks and flames shot out of the back of my car, and I went careening off the track, through the fence and into the ice cream stand, which caught fire and burned to the ground. Fortunately no one was hurt, but all the ice cream was melted.

Aside from the golf outing,

Dad didn't leave the

safety and comfort of

the air-conditioned

condo all week.

He's the smart one, for sure.

Blockball on The Best Day Ever!

I thought I'd start with some pictures and a video from this summer. Gonna try to keep it simple for now.

We chalked out a nice little 4-square on the street in front of the house, and played in the evenings when it was nice out. At first, it was just Leigh Ann, Raechel, Eric & me...after a few sessions, some of the strapping neighborhood boys and strapping Jon would join in.

These pictures are from a weekend in the early summer Amy & Andy came down and we had "The Best Day Ever!"