After three weeks of vacation I am now back at work.   The first day back from vacation is normally an easy one.  Change your phone and email message indicating that your back, review and answer e-mails received during my absence.    This was the longest consecutive vacation that I’ve ever had – and it seemed to go so fast!  

 
This picture taken by my boss last month. ( That’s why I have a look on my face; “what are you doing?”)

Today the girls go back to school today –  so Jennifer is going to be a little busy this morning.    The girls are looking forward to being back at school, using their new supplies (back pack, lunch bags, uniforms, etc..) and seeing their friends.   To bad I had to return to work today – I would like to have taken a picture of them all ready for school.   

I have been off for the last couple weeks.   One of my projects was to replace the railroad tie retaining wall with a brick retaining wall.  The wall looked quite sad and was beginning to fall apart.  The retaining wall is about 6 feet tall, and 22 feet wide.   I ordered the bricks, gravel, pins and glue – started the work.   A friend (thanks Burt!) and I pulled down the railroad ties and had to used a chain saw to cut back the dead men (dead men are the railroad ties, which are used for support which go into the wall – you only see the end).    We thought that pulling down the railroad ties would only take a couple hours instead it took all day.    The next day we then dug the trench for the bricks to lay down in.  

The work area all prepared for building.

We spent the day trying to level the ground and place the first row of bricks down – at the end of the day we finally gave up.    We just could not get the bricks leveled and as you know if the first row is off, just a bit, then the top will be off alot.   At this point, because of time restraints we decided to get professional help, and found a landscaping business which was willing to finish the work.     Today we hope that the retaining wall will be finished.    

Later today: 

This Labor Day we are planning on going to the Verona 5K and Fun Run.     Elizabeth ran this race last year before her spinial injury – but this year she won’t be running (at least not offically).    I will be doing the 5K, and Megan will be doing the 1 mile fun run.   The surpise this year is that Monique for the first time will attempt to do the 5K run.   I’ll try and post the times and pics on Labor Day evening. 

Elizabeth running in the Verona Fun Run in 2007