Says it all..............

We are very proud of Joey, and his buddy (and the one kid he hasn't beat yet) Michael. Both have taken second and first, respectively, in every meet this year. They did it again tonight at Mishicot, WI!!

Joey heading back up hill. Note kids still heading down.

About 140 middle school kids total for the Valders Invite. They will race middle school boys and girls at the same time when varsity also races.

Joey (middle right looking down) and Michael (back facing). Michael is a tall kid!

Even the pep band came out to play. 20 schools participated in the Valders Invite this year!

Summer 2008

Taken during Brad's visit in June.

The ladies and some catfish. You can always rely on some good catfishing when nothing else is biting. The pictures that follow are from when Jim and Nancy renewed their vows in July (25 years!).

Took the kids to a Packer pre-season game.

First day of school. 9 years/13 years.

Filled to capacity

A lot of rain lately. 5 inches last night, yet we are not flooded as the southern half of the state. 10 inches in one afternoon down by Baraboo! Buttercup (our rabbit) is flooded out though. Here is a picture of her borrows filled with water. The soil is saturated! We have absolutely no water issues with the house. The sandy soil absorbs everything.

We thought these colors were pretty. Not sure what cast that shadow though.

Maddie with the webkinz she received for excellent grades in school. She collects these.

This was taken about 3 weeks ago when we had a hard frost. Coco accumulated some ice from sniffing around in the tall grass.

turtle, blossoms, & Maddie's iditarod team

tomatoes, peppers, cantalope & broccoli - a lot!

Apple blossoms & a pollinator. Hopefully some good apples this year!

I found him while doing some yard work. He wasn't happy so I quickly put him back. A lot of turtles with the ponds.

She sure can be creative!

A step in the right direction?

The crew for the 2008 solar olympics in Green Bay. 27 schools this year, 36 medals awarded, and we walked away with 5. Not bad. Some of their work is shown below...........

The judges checking out the solar water heater. On the left is the photovoltaic cell, in the middle an insulated bucket with 5 gallons of water, and on the right is the heat exchanger. Collin built the exchanger with 1/2 inch copper tubing and it had a 1/2 gallon of water flowing through it at any moment. Water was moved by a 12 volt bilge pump powered by the sun! Circulation is key. He won the gold for his presentation and the performance of the exchanger!

The girls putting cookie dough in the pan. Their cooker & presentation won a silver. We recycled a satellite dish - makes a great parabolic mirror. Real hot super quick!

There was also a solar car competition. Two phases - fastest car & best design plan. He earned a bronze medal for both!

Some nice things for Maddie

Maddie received a letter from the counselor at her school asking her to be a PEACE mediator! This is an honor for her since few kids are asked in any given year. Her teachers nominated her because of she is friendly and effective at settling playground disputes. She'll be going to Green Bay for training. The pictures that follow are from New Years day. Wind chills are expected to be -35 this weekend. Go Pack!

o