wittco

Knitting

2012-01-22T21:05:00.001-08:00

Ruhiyyih has picked up knitting and has had a lovely time learning the ropes, er ... yarns? Anyway she is well on her way. I have put my order in for arm length fingerless gloves.

Chicken and rabbit heat lamp

2012-01-12T06:44:00.001-08:00

Travis A. Wittwer, M. Ed., NBCT
010101110100100101010100010101000100001101001111

Please excuse errors; I do not have the nimble fingers of an adolescent.

@WITTCO
http://bikenounverb.blogspot.com/
http://schools.evergreenps.org/Page/1851

The Naked Sheep Bike Rack

2012-01-11T18:38:00.001-08:00

Portland, OREGON, The Naked Sheep knitting shop.

For Ruhiyyih's birthday, the boys got her yarn and supplies for knitting. Ruhiyyih wanted to learn to knit and I foresee her knitting a cover for the organization board in the dinning room.

The Named Sheep is a great shop and in my neighborhood as well--bonus. The owner, Cheri, is fabulous. When I went in to get information for the present, Cheri was helpful and a wonderful source of information. When Ruhiyyih, Barbara, and I went in a week later, Cherie was a host beyond all.

I am glad to have a knit shop in my neighborhood and the bonus--there are bike racks out front for when Ruhiyyih and I shop there. Racks right in the front. Racks that have been yarn-bombed!

Collected Waste for Collecting Waste

2012-01-08T23:36:00.001-08:00

Our family now has a dog. His name is Bleu. Well, his name was originally Blue, but he does not know that. And he is even less likely to know that his full, birth name, was Bluebeard The Pirate. In the end, dogs, like humans know very little about what goes on around them.

I best get to the point before I lose you. This dog poops. You say--all dogs poop. Really? I have not had a dog before so until this point, that was only speculation on my part. But indeed, Bleu poops.

With poop place prominently on my front lawn there is a great possibility of one my sons stepping in it, and I have four sons so the possibility is high.

I keep a shovel outside, against the fence just for this purpose. Bleu poops, I scoop and bury. Leaving the poop removal for later only invites the possibility of someone stepping in the poop.

The problem with the shovel—What's that?
You say, How could there be a problem? You say, The shovel removes the poop?

Yes, the shovel does. You are correct. I am sorry. How silly of me. Let me start again.

The unintended problem with the shovel for removing poop is that it also removes lawn. It is actually quite hard to get underneath several recently left deposits. They do not cooperate. You scoop one, but the friends are left there, laughing. What's worse is when you go in for second collection, to get the offenders, the first guy jumps off.

Very quickly you learn that you cannot wrangle them all unless you have a plan. And your plan would likely be the same as mine. You surprise them and go for the unexpected "underneath" capture where you place the shovel in front, standoff fashion, wait and then attack, scooping quickly by force, going underneath, leaving them on top. By the time they figure out what happened, and curse Newton's second law, you are on the way to bury them.

You don't see the problem? Again, silly of me.

To pull this maneuver, you must go low, often taking some lawn with you, or at the very least, doing some sort of scalp and release program.

It became clear that I wanted one of those devices with the paddle and containment units. The ones where you march the poop along, rolling, into a tray and then carry that to the disposal center. This leaves the lawn untouched. At least untouched by you.

I saw this device for sale at a local store. There were two sizes. Really? Two sizes. I would love to hear the thoughtful conversation that would accompany going “Family Size.” It might be something like this. Wife: look there are two sizes of scoopers. Husband: what? Wife: yes, look here. It is the same system, but this Family Sized one is half again as large. Why? Husband: you know, I would not have to empty that sucker out for days.

I was in the market for the normal sized one. It appeared sturdy enough, but was made out of plastic. I do not like buying more plastic than I need too. It has nothing to do with the environment. I just do not like the feel of plastic and plastic usually breaks. I looked around for a metal and wood one.

And that's when I realized I could make one. Who cares if I do not scoop poop with an official poop scooper?

I thought of the various things I keep in my garage for just such a creation. I have a goodly amount of random, but useful, stuff in my garage which is odd if you know me. I do not like clutter and I like to expunge my house of unnecessary things. I lived without a popcorn popper because I figured I could use a pot and not have one more item in my cupboard. My father left a popcorn popper in my basement last time he was here, claiming “father rights” because he should not have to suffer to have popcorn. What kind of son was I he asked rhetorically?

In my garage, I have the handles of broken yard tools, knowing that I could use them in some way. A few are currently in our chicken coop as stoops. So I had the two handles solved with a quick grab in the corner of the garage. The paddle came easily as well. It is the bottom of a drawer that once resided on the Nike campus. I no longer have the drawer cabinet, but kept the useable wood and hardware.

The poop receptacle of my recycled contraption is where I think the brilliance lies: it is an olive oil container. I kept it, liking the shape, and thinking I would turn it into a chicken feeder, but found a better option for the chickens.

The olive oil container was given to me, by my sister and brother-in-law. The container was even unopened and full. Score.

Given the boxy shape of the container, it made a perfect receptacle. It is strong, having its own structural rigidity so all I had to do was cut, fold over edges twice, and screw the sucker to a pole. Done and ready for business when Bleu does his business.

I have not used it yet, but it is outside, along the fence, waiting for when I let Bleu out tomorrow morning.

I think I should patent the idea. I would call it "Waste Not" and enjoy a little chuckle with the double meaning.

So there you have it—collected waste used for collecting waste. I like to think that my execution of the idea was not at all crappy.

Wittwer Fall

2011-11-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a blast even though the kids went back on their decision to be zombies. We were going to be a full zombie family. Great photo opportunity, but they defected. Darn kids. In the end, they were all sorts of dead. Asha, not pictured, is off with a friend. He was Obi Wan.

Kael remarked how this is his last year trick-or-treating. The do grow up. Now it will be hang with dad at home, watching scary movies--my favorite!

For the full experience ... Halloween Photo Set

Ruhiyyih and I took on the challenge of redoing the dining room in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. It looks marvelous. Great color choice on Ruhiyyih's part. The project took 4 partial days, totaling 54 hours. We worked hard, has systems, and no tears were shed. Perfect.

Walls were stripped of wall paper then patched, skim coated, sanded, primed, and painted twice.

Ceiling was repaired, then painted. New lights.

Millwork was painted. Curtains hemmed up. Art placed on walls.

For the amazing step-by-step redo, check out ... Dining Room Photo Set

Add twitter lists

2011-11-06T23:42:00.001-08:00

Travis A. Wittwer, M. Ed., NBCT

Please excuse errors; I do not have the nimble fingers of an adolescent.

@WITTCO
http://bikenounverb.blogspot.com/
http://schools.evergreenps.org/Page/1851

2011-10-29T23:38:00.001-07:00

http://www.instructables.com/id/Tall-Bike-Buidling/?f=m

Please excuse errors; I do not have the nimble fingers of an adolescent.

Harvest for Friends

2011-09-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

Canning is a tradition relatively new to my family. About 6 years. We have stuck mostly with making jams and applesauce. Of course, each batch has something unique to it such as plum and rhubarb to create Plumbarb. Or golden plums with ginger to createFiets of Love. Pears and apples for A Perfect Pair. The batches are small, usually one or two so that every time I open a jar, it is something new. As much as I love the idea of preserving food for future use, I do not want the experience to be one of repetition.

This year, with a solid plum crop, we set out to create jams for friends--something you could use on scones over winter break, or as a daily spread with peanut butter or on toast. The jam can be as decadent or simple as you choose to use it.

To the left is the Sunbeam mixer that we use. It is old. I do not use it for baking. I have another mixer for that. However, there is a pleasure that I get from hauling this relic up to the kitchen and using it for chopping and grinding the fruit for boiling.

The kitchen becomes a place of creation. The jars are cleaned and boiled, set aside to dry. Steaming pans of water sit atop the stove for lids, and one large pot collects the chopped fruit and other ingredients for the batch.

I don an apron, lay out the wooden spoons, and turn up the volume of my music--speed metal and canning go great together.

When we moved into our Williams Avenue house in Portland, Oregon, a selling feature was the entry way, not the scraggly plum tree on the side yard. This fruit tree was poorly pruned, and when it was pruned, it was clearly done incorrectly; half of the tree came from one branch. Over the years I have pruned, sculpted, and encouraged the tree to grow into a tree that adds to the side yard visually. But it is the fruit that has kept it in the side yard regardless of how it looks. It grows good fruit.

I did not label the jars of jam except for the QR code to link you to this post. I hope you enjoy the mystery. In any case, what you have in your hands is love preserved with fruit. From my family to yours, enjoy the joys of the harvest.

Ps. if you want to return the jars, we can fill them up again.

School Daze

2011-09-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

Everyone is off to school. It seems like it came out of nowhere. (More likely, I just did not want summer to end.) In any case, everyone is happily back in the school swing. We have three schools and three school districts working in our family. We may need an algorithm to organize the breaks.

The boys were up early on day one, smiles on their faces, eager to get to school. Ruhiyyih and I were just eager to see if the drop off schedule/system would work. I am surprised that Ruhiyyih did not draw a color-coded map with time stamps. She is cute that way. Maybe she did and decided to not show me so I would not poke fun. (I got you figured out, babe!)

Soren is in third grade, the last classroom on the first floor, before turning the corner, and heading upstairs to the "big kid" floor. His teacher is Anna.

Asha is in fourth grade, at Chief Joseph, a neighborhood school. His teacher is Ms. Walker.

Asa is in first grade. His teacher is John.

Kael is in sixth grade. Yikes! His teacher is Ned. Kael is on the "big kid" floor.

Ruhiyyih and I are in competing districts and schools. We both rock the yellow, but I have the yellow/green whereas Ruhiyyih has the yellow/black.

I am teaching at Evergreen High School in the Evergreen School District (east Vancouver, WA). I am teaching English to freshmen and juniors.

Ruhiyyih is at Hudson's Bay High School in the Vancouver School District (west Vancouver, WA). Ruhiyyih is teaching freshman, ELL, and an academic literacy (reading support) class. She is at a great school with fantastic staff members. I am pleased. Jealous that her commute is 20 minutes fewer than mine.

Mr. and Mrs. Wittwer

2011-07-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

Family Fun

2011-06-30T19:52:00.001-07:00

Catching up on events and adventures of the past month. These snaps take you up to the start of summer for us, including our first rhubarb harvest which became rhubarb custard pie. Hope all is well.

Kael and Asa doing "the robot" during down time at the Portland Rose Parade.

Bubble time. Who does not like bubbles?

I guess Asha, Ruhiyyih's son, likes bubbles as well.

Heads up ... Ruhiyyih and I will marry on July 29, 2011. Marriage Ceremony. We will have a Wedding Ceremony next year: July 29, 2012

Maria Sweeps the Night Sky--Asa Culminating Event

2011-06-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am catching up on family happenings. Here is Asa's class doing their telling of the story, Maria Sweeps the Night Sky.

Password is "carol"

http://vimeo.com/25490975

Soren's Danaus Event--Culminating

2011-06-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

I posted earlier on this, but the video here is of better quality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDhl_ekdu3w

Soren's Class Writes About Danaus

2011-05-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Danaus is the name that Soren's class gave to the caterpillar they are studying in class. Danaus plexippus is the proper name which Soren can so easily say.

Soren's class learned about the butterfly, Monarch, took notes, learned, made models, observed, drew, read ... yes, pretty much everything and then ended it with a presentation of their original story--Danaus' Exciting Adventure. Here is a video of the production. You may need to turn your monitor, but you will get the point of their cute, butterfly-ness:

Soren's Danaus Play from Travis Wittwer on Vimeo.

For more photos Be sure to check out Soren's two poems: What is ... Blue and What is ... Green.

What is Green?

2011-05-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Rainbow Connection

2011-05-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

Asa, and class, sing The Rainbow Connection for the talent show.

Here is a link.

You can download the file as well.

Asa Turns 6!

2011-04-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is almost a month since Asa turned 6. However, by my math, this post is still within the birthday month.

Asa wanted a Dance Party for his birthday. He loves to dance. It started last year in Tacoma when we all went up to Keera and Jemeel's wedding reception. There was a DJ and Asa danced the whole time. He was a star. He was all over it. So when I asked him what kind of party he wanted, he told me a dance party. However, in his mind, the reception hall in Tacoma was the only place that a dance party could be held. In time, I was able to convince Asa that we could, indeed, hold a dance party in Portland.

And we did.

Smoke machine. Strobes. Spinning lights. Glow sticks (whoop-whoop). A hip-hop and alternative music playlist. It was all there along with about 25 people, most of them being kids.

Word to your mother....

More Asa Dance Party Photos.

Asa Monet

2011-04-24T18:06:00.001-07:00

Kael Turns 11!

2011-03-20T15:36:00.001-07:00

In the far corners of the Oregon forests sits one of Oregon's hidden treasures. Camp Kael-Wi-Ki-Nah. This is where we celebrated Kael's eleventh birthday. Kael selected 4 brave boys for this adventure into the wilderness. Would we make it back alive, or get stuck and have to eat our shoes to survive? (I would not get close to any shoes these boys wear, let alone eat them.)

Our lodging was a tent (no floor) that fit perfectly over our deck so we could sleep off the ground. This is a heavy, old school canvas tent with a hole for a chimney. We stoked the wood stove once during the evening. Mostly for fun, but we did appreciate the extra heat.

Our neighbors have a fire pit which we used for fire time; Jiffy Pop; ghost stories; and tales of "who did the most daring thing."

Cowboy stew was the requested meal from Kael. We ate on enameled "country" plates, by lantern light.

We were roughing it. Mostly. I had to sleep with these guys so it was rough for me.

Eventually everyone fell asleep. However, when they set out to watch their 4 movie, they fell asleep with 1 hour of the movie left. I was so snug in my bag that I did not want to get up to turn the TV off and I would have had to step on someone to do so. I had to wait the movie out so that the TV would turn off. Torture.

Wow, am I the only one singing on key?

Get Lit! Use your bike light

2011-03-06T01:15:00.000-08:00

I collected data for bike light usage in Portland, OR.

Night One: http://bikenounverb.blogspot.com/2011/02/get-lit-ne-tillamook-28th-street.html

Night Two: http://bikenounverb.blogspot.com/2011/02/get-lit-north-vancouver-russell-street.html

See you on the streets at night (hopefully).

Soren turns 8!

2011-03-05T23:43:00.000-08:00

Eight years old.

The little curly-haired boy is eight.

Soren requested a Mario themed sleep over party. Being that I have barely any knowledge of this character other than he is a character in Donkey Kong, that I would play, at the bowling alley, after school, during elementary school, in the upright, refrigerator sized, arcade game, I elicited the help of Kael, Ruhiyyih, and Asha.

We had 12 boys for the sleep over. The basement reck (wreck) room was packed.

Toad (toadstool), a character from the Mario games, became our cupcakes. Mario became a game of pin the mustache on Mario.

Kael, not needing an excuse to create a costume, but liking to have a reason to dress up, created a costume of a something-or-other Mario creature catcher.

Some of the boys challenged each other to stay up all night. And some nearly did. Soren, aside from a short nap sometime around 4 am, did stay up.

It was a junk food, lack of sleep, sluggish next day. Sorry, parents (but you knew it would happen).

What I enjoyed most about this year's party is that Soren was so outspoken and silly. He took on a persona that I do not normally see in him. He was a ham, life of the party as you can see in the video of the Happy Birthday song where he is shaking his stuff and singing the song to himself ("happy birthday to me ..."

We love you, Curly.

The fam!

I think they need sunscreen

2011-02-19T12:44:00.001-08:00

Ruhiyyih & Travis Brave the Desert!

2011-02-19T12:42:00.001-08:00

Zombie Love

2011-02-16T22:46:00.000-08:00

Ruhiyyih, dear, I will happily put you out of your misery should you ever become a zombie. That is true love. Simple. Clear. Love you.

For more on Zombies.

Howdy Partner!

2011-02-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

I reckon we can you in some good ol' down home fun. So why don't you come on down and stay a spell.

This evening was the imagination whim of Kael and eagerly furthered by Soren and Asa. Cowboy night. The central need--poker and cowboy food (had to have corn).

Soren was a ruthless poker player, taking all of our chips.

He played a good poker face on all of us.

Ambiance. You can never have enough cow skulls and apparently Kael had one.

Cowboy stew eaten on blue enamel-ware plates with beverages in steel cans.

(Great ideas, Ruhiyyih)

Soren was a cowboy that played the flute. More of a Pied Piper from Shrek.

Take care, y'all.

Walking in a Wittwer Wonderland!

2011-01-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

I realized today, distracting myself from reading 9th grade Of Miceand Men essays, that I have not shared any of the photos or stories from this winter, the Christmas time.

It all starts with a tree so off we went to the tree farm. A handful of candy canes later we had found our tree. With my amazing sense of direction, I continuously lost the "perfect" tree we found to go and check out other areas. Ruhiyyih was able to g

et us back to one of them. (more tree adventure photos)

We made gingerbread houses with graham crackers and assorted candies. I think we ate more than we constructed, but that is what happens around Christmas time. (more decorating photos)

Then came the morning that everyone was waiting for. Asa more than the other boys. Asa is still enchanted by the magic of Christmas and the glory of Santa. Kael had a hand in keeping Asa's belief in Santa. We woke like a bunch of sleepy heads. There was coffee and cinnamon rolls (homemade, and a lengthy process at that).

Ruhiyyih got each of us matching/coordinating Adidas jackets so that when we go out in public we can look the part of cool. We are quite the sight riding our bikes down the street. (more Christmas day photos)

Kael is gleefully reading through the complete Harry Potter series. His goal is to complete the series before the second part of the last movie comes out. It is great to see Kael sitting in front of the fire or curled on the couch, reading.

Asha is master of movie making and can be found creating whimsical movies around the house and yard. We may have a Speilberg on our hands. Maybe a David Lynch. Asha received a bike from Santa and asks daily to go on a bike ride. Awesome. I am not going to say no to that.

Soren is also immersed in reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid; funny books. I like the humor and perspective. The child-like drawings add to Soren's enjoyment. Word to the wise--cross your fingers so you do not get the Cheese Touch!

Asa received some cars and tracks for Christmas so he is happy for another year, building, creating, driving in his head. Asa also is requesting near daily bike rides. In the freezing cold. No hyperbole here. The heater in our house has been taxed and run constantly. Good thing we have a fire place and a cord or wood. Or a week's worth of that wood left.

Ruhiyyih and I spent more time than desired over the break reading critical analysis essays. Other than that, we went snowboarding (blast!); had a get away where Ruhiyyih pampered me (sweet!); and had uninterrupted time to spend doing nothing or everything.

Happiness and Health to all,

Travis & Ruhiyyih

12 Days of Cargomas: First Day

2010-12-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

http://bikenounverb.blogspot.com/2010/12/12-days-of-cargomas-first-day.html

There will be twelve. Yes, twelve. And, yes, I am aware that the official 12 days does not start until Christmas. However, this schedule serves my family well and I promise to educate my children as they grow up as to the official day. No worries there, Daniel. Cheers, all.

Cargo bike calendar in the works

2010-12-07T10:37:00.001-08:00

http://wiki.stevevance.net/cargobike/calendar2011#dsq-form-area

Travis A. Wittwer, M.Ed., NBCT
010101110100100101010100010101000100001101001111

http://twitter.com/BikeNounVerb
www.storiesfromschool.org
http://wittco.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wittcogmbh/

Written on a phone; please excuse any text-typing errors. I do not have the nimble, thin fingers of an adolescent.

Asa Cool Book

2010-12-04T20:48:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKU9ZLMohkk

Travis A. Wittwer, M.Ed., NBCT
010101110100100101010100010101000100001101001111

http://twitter.com/BikeNounVerb
www.storiesfromschool.org
http://wittco.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wittcogmbh/

Written on a phone; please excuse any text-typing errors. I do not have the nimble, thin fingers of an adolescent.

Add your clever Halloween title here....

2010-11-05T16:18:00.001-07:00

A week has passed and I am now uploading photos and such. It has been a busy week and I barely have the time to do this but in doing so, I can cross it off my list. (Oh, what a feeling it is to cross things off a "to do list". You know what I mean, don't you? I bet some of you write things on a to do list just to cross them off. Yes you do.)

We started our Halloween Sunday with Jack-O-Lantern pancakes. Not a pumpkin taste, simply orange in color and with a face. My first pancakes had the candy face in the pancake but that just melted (think final scen

es of Raiders of the Lost Ark). Ruhiyyih to the rescue. Some whip cream and smiles all around.

We had a bit of fun playing a marshmallow game the boys do at school. Here is Kael, Soren, and Asa.

Ruhiyyih went as a pirate, Travis as a zombie, Kael as a zombie (Travis copied Kael), Asha went as Asha, Soren as a merchant of death, and Asa as a skeleton.

Being that our neighborhood has experienced a decline in trick-or-treaters, handfuls of candy were passed out at the door so the kids returned home with their Baba candy bags overflowing. This will keep them in sweets for weeks.

The boys created this horribly awesome police scene with Mr. Pumpkin Head in our front lawn.

For more photos, head on over to the Halloween set on Flickr.

For pre-Halloween build up of All Things Pumpkin.

Bonus videos, Soren and Asa on the monkey bars.

All Things Pumpkin

2010-10-24T20:51:00.001-07:00

Put down your coffee and pull up those orange socks. It is time for All Things Pumpkin!

This last Saturday, WITTCO industries took it upon ourselves to celebrate pumpkin-ness. We had a large group of pumpkin goers: Travis, Ruhiyyih, Kael, Asha, Soren, and Asa. We dedicated the day to pumpkins, those glorious gourd-like globes. We . . .

Visited the Pumpkin Patch

Great care was taken to chose the pumpkin that best matched the child's vision. Soren even drew out a sketch of what he wanted to carve on his pumpkin. We ran about Kruger's Farm, in and out of the pumpkins and between the corn stalks. We missed most of the rain that fell this day, but it was still a cold, wet northwest day.

Baked Pumpkin Cookies with Frosting

Asa joined Travis in the kitchen to make pumpkin cookies. As a vegetable, pumpkins have a super versatile flavor. Pumpkin cookies do not taste like pumpkin pie. The cookies have a delicate flavor and the pie has a rich, deep flavor.

Created Pumpkin Pie

Of course, one of the first thoughts people have when you say pumpkin (after the thought of a clown juggling pumpkins) is pumpkin pie. The pie came out marvelously.

Cooked Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin

Ruhiyyih took on the task of dinner with a stuffed pumpkin. A carefully selected sugar pumpkin (pie pumpkin) from Kruger's Farm stuffed with wild rice, potatoes, carrots, onion, spices, broth, and maple syrup. bake it and yum.

Partook of Pumpkin Ale

This we did not make and only the adults had. It matched the theme of the day. What can we say?

Carved Jack-o-Lanterns

This was the favorite part of the day for the boys. They waited patiently, and did so quite well. Then it was pumpkin guts and hearts; knives and spoons; squishes and . . . squashes (ha!). Sorry about that last bit.

Baked Pumpkin Seeds

Requirement. If you have never roasted your pumpkin seeds, you must. Must! These were made with garlic salt. Cinnamon and sugar is also a nice combination.

For more photos.

Gearhart, OR BEACH TIME!

2010-08-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

I know, enough with the words. Show me sparkly objects and photos. What you want to see are my kids. I know. Well here is a snippet of our trip with Ben and Barbara to Gearhart, OR (beach near Seaside and Cannon beach).

For more photos, visit our Flickr set of Gearhart Beach.

Bike Portland Article on BikeNounVerb

2010-08-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

(me)

Bike parking and rack enthusiast.

K.A.E.L.: Kreative Awesome Exciting Launch

2010-07-31T18:12:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cthaj0vDngM

Reflections on STP 2010

2010-07-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Check out the reflections at, BikeNounVerb.

Or the preSTP thoughts.

Cheers and I hope the summer finds you well.

Seattle to Portland on a Metrofiets cargobike

2010-07-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as STP. I am looking forward to this extended ride, covering two days, and (depending on which piece of literature you read) biking the 202 (204) miles.

This is my first STP so if you have any words of wisdom, by all means send them my way. So far, what I have gained from others goes like this: drink lots of water, eat small snacks along the way, get butt butter, loose clothes, stiff shoes, and avoid the temptation to eat the big hamburger at the end of the first day.

I liked the mountain climbing that I have done: slow, consistent plodding along for hours with a sense of completion at the end. I imagine that this ride will be much the same. I am looking forward to the fellowship of riders. I am also looking forward to riding a Metrofiets cargobike. Metrofiets has graciously loaned me their Oregon Manifest bike for my trip. I have ridden it a few times and it is a slick and smooth ride. Light for a cargobike. The most notable feature, aside from the superb craftsmanship, is the carbonfiber deck with tie-down notches.

If you see me on the ride, give me a wave as you speed on past.

Here are specifics on the build and features of the Oregon Manifest Metrofiets cargobike.

Part of me is nervous. It is a long distance. Certainly not impossible and I know that I can do anything short of Olympic qualifying. Even though I know this, I have not experienced STP before. I have confidence but no background. And for this reason, I wonder, "what if I do not make it?" Then I think of slogging up a mountain for 12 hours, one step at a time.

Experience 200+ miles. I can visualize 200 miles and how long that takes by car, or train. But to travel it by my own power, will give new meaning to 200 miles. I know what 20 miles on a bike is like and I and sure that 200 is more than 20, ten times, but it does give me some perspective.

I will get to enjoy every curve in the road, wooden fence, field. I will see them at a livable pace. A pace where I can stop and take a second look, instead of racing by at 60 mph.

The goal that I have for this trip is to gain an understanding (appreciation?) of what 200 miles on a bike is like. From there I will be able to imagine any future bike trip.

Map image taken from Preride Guide.

On the STP web site there are several suggestions for training. My training program consists of prayer. I do not have the time or ability (I have three sons under 10) to get away for an extended ride so I will just have to pull this off through determination (ignorance?).

You can follow my ride on Twitter, BikeNounVerb, or Metrofiets.

Coop de Ville

2010-07-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Last year, my sons got it in their heads that we needed chickens. Kael talked to the owners of Pistils about chickens. Soren checked out books from school on raising chickens. I told the boys that we needed to wait a year because we should have a coop built and have the summer for when the chickens join the family.

(I don't care about the process. Just show me the photos!)

Well, I did things a bit backward. We got the chickens before the coop was built, but it seemed reasonable because it would be awhile until they needed one. This way, the chicks would be older and ready for the coop when it was built (and the day we finished the coop, the hens went in). I received good advice and starting supplies from my buddy, Adam, (Thanks) which allowed us to get started early. The chicks were quite small when we got them. Each chicken chick could be easily held in a nearly closed hand.

The chicks lived in a plastic bin in the basement with a heat lamp. Plans for the coop were still several months away so I started gathering materials and drew up plans. I wanted to build a classy coop, but one for as little money as possible. My buddy, Chad, hooked me up with a great deal of free stuff and I found the siding (discarded fence boards) from my neighbor.

I came home one day and the chicks were able to get out of their bin and were roaming my basement. It was clear that the bin would no longer work.

They grew more quickly than I expected so I built a temporary coop for the chickens in the garage. This coop had wheels and a removable floor so I could wheel them out to the lawn and they could get bugs in the grass, but still be in a coop. The design idea came from another buddy, Lupine. The whole experience was so smooth because of my friends. Nothing went foul (ha!). In the photo below, the chicken wire is not yet installed. This coop is outside my house, in the median strip for someone to grab.

The chickens now have a coop. My parents are in town and while here, they helped me build the coop and play with boys so I had time to build the coop. Below, is a short video of the hens' first few moments in the coop.

The finishing tidbits include, plantings around the coop for both beauty and food for the chickens (for them to eat and to attract bugs to eat). I will also start the process of making a patio with concrete slabs and bricks. A fence needs to be added so the chickens can roam about without concern for them getting too far or a neighbor's dog attacking. (The old chain-link fence became the floor to the basement, buried 8 inches down so that critters could not burrow in. The fence is wired to the wire mesh on the sides.)

My father will make an address placard that states 6334 1/2 and it will be official.

For a complete set of coop photos, head on over to my Flickr set.

Information

About 4 partial days of actual build time. This obviously does not include scavenging-material time, or visits to the hardware store, or Rebuilding Center.
Under $100 in materials. I think it came out to $84, but I have not recounted receipts.
Design is a mix of my buddy's (Chad's) coop; my own whimsy; and pointers from the Tangled Nest.
New materials: pier blocks, wire mesh, screws
Scavenged/reused materials: everything else, including the paint. And we scored big on the windows.
Scavenged material locations: Rebuilding center, deconstructed neighbor's fence, concrete slabs from neighbor's driveway, plants from around Portland (including Sarah Gilbert's vast collection--thanks!), excess materials from tech department at my school, wood left outside of Constructavision, and things laying around my garage, and repurposed items from my yard.
Coop features: fenced in area below for cooling down, bugs, and dirt baths; three nesting boxes; two windows and a door window; human access to "basement"; ramp; cover to block access to the ramp; a bird house on the bird house, roosting pole, roosting chair, secured dirt area from critters that would eat or maul chickens, and various flair.
Black hen with white belly: Jersey Black Giant. Kael's. Ladonna. Nickname, Lindy.
Dark brown hen: Cinnamon Queen. Soren's. Donatello Donna Wittwer.
Black hen with white spots: Dominique. Travis'. Miss Beatrice Feathersbottom.
Light brown hen (kinda red): Red Sex Link. Asa's. Mimi.

The metal rooster on the roof was made by my father, Stuart, and watches over the hens. His name is Rusty.

Thanks to all who helped me in this endeavor with information, time, or materials. Much appreciated.

End-of-the-year projects

2010-06-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

I had high hopes of sitting down with the boys and typing up a bit on these two end-of-the-year exploration projects. Soren studied dinosaurs in his first grade class and taught me a number of items that I did not know. Kael learned about the economics and culture and ..... of a farmers market. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I will have my sons respond. Perhaps, I will finish off the writing, but more likely I will venture out and make mud castles with the boys and call this a great memory.

For a glimpse, Flickr photo set.

Yes! Magazine: The Biking Wittwer Family

2010-05-13T20:24:00.001-07:00

Old Story, New Article.
A contributor to Yes! Magazine saw our photos in a Flickr photo pool and asked to include us. Check it out, The Biking Wittwer Family.

Bikes and Plants

2010-05-09T21:38:00.001-07:00

Sarah Gilbert put the word out last week on Twitter that she had extra
plants to share. I took her up on her generous offer. This is a photo
of my bike laden with plants, dirt, and a couple of gallons of water.
I will share more on this experience (the idea of how plant sharing
brings people together) later, when I have a moment to sit at a
computer. Until then, I will go water these plants again now that they
are in the ground. The company of my bike is Madsen. It has a 40
gallon plastic bin in the back with a weight capacity of 600 pounds.

Asa is so cute when he sleeps (of course he is in my bed, wiggling, but when he is asleep...)

2010-04-16T09:48:00.001-07:00

It's Great Being 5

2010-04-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Asa!!!

2010-04-02T21:24:00.001-07:00

I love city parks.

2010-03-20T17:45:00.001-07:00

2010-02-22T19:25:00.001-08:00

Four from frost

2010-02-22T19:24:00.001-08:00

Hole with screen attached to lathe. First coat of plaster

2010-02-22T16:26:00.001-08:00

Hole in wall above heater from kids leaning against wall

2010-02-22T16:25:00.001-08:00

2010-02-18T18:51:00.000-08:00

Dancing Asa

2010-02-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

Fading Fast

2010-01-21T22:25:00.001-08:00

Fading Fast

2010-01-19T17:42:00.001-08:00

Patience, Pots, & Pans

2010-01-19T01:23:00.001-08:00

Multimedia message

2010-01-18T18:15:00.000-08:00

I am a peanut-butter & jam sandwhich making machine!

Trying out publish photo to blog by email on phone.

2010-01-05T23:26:00.001-08:00

2010-01-05T23:21:00.001-08:00

Trying out publish to blog from phone.

Happy Hollidays to All

2009-12-18T21:19:00.000-08:00

Three photos of past holiday time cheer. We will update you in the coming year as to life in the Wittwer Lane

Until then, love to all; cheers and smiles; and hope and happiness.

Do contact us if the whimsy strikes.

A Glimpse of Life

2009-12-15T13:17:00.001-08:00

This is the gang: Caron, Quentin, Soren, Asa, Kael, and Travis at Portland International Raceway for the bike only light viewing. It was cold. Seriously cold. The kind of cold that makes you wonder why were were there, but we were. Good times.

Check our photostream for other recent shots.

Love to all.

The Wittwerati

2009-10-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

We packed up in the car, and Quentin took us all to the pumpkin patch for good times. After the obvious Children of the Corn references, we took part in a sunny, crisp afternoon at Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island, Oregon.

I found the hot cider stand and left the kids with Quentin. He kept calling and calling, but for some reason, I did not get any reception.

The boys each found their own special place. Asa made a nest out of hay on our tractor pulled hay ride. Soren found a fuzzie-wuzzie caterpillar to befriend. Kael found the largest pumpkin to claim as his own.

To finish the day off, we dramatized our favorite slasher films using pumpkins. Here are the results of our time.

A Happy Halloween, Fantastic Fall, and an Awesome Autumn!

The Prophecy: Some books were not meant to be read

2009-10-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

A little story that I started several years ago with my students and recently continued with input from my sons . . . . your suggestions are welcome (Happy Halloween!).

Prophecy…some books were not meant to be read
Travis A. Wittwer, 2004.03/2009

CHAPTER ONE

“Hey, Tiara. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Well, where I come from slamming the library door and walking right past your best friend, ME, makes me think something is wrong.”
“Yeah,” I said haughtily. “Well…I’m sorry.” I took a deep breath, remembering that she has been my best friend since 3rd grade. “It’s just that every time I go into the library to check out this one book, it isn’t there. I think Miss Cratle hid it. She hates me because I always ask her to find books. She hates having to stop reading her trashy novels that she hides in another book and help students.”
Amanda looked at me, trying to see if I was serious. “All this over a book? I swear, Tiara. I don’t understand what you see in those things. It’s not like they are your friends and can hang out with you at the mall.” She paused and looked at my frustrated expression. “Oh, ok. So give me the story. I’m your best friend. That’s what best friends are supposed to do.”
I thought for a moment about how best to explain this. Amanda has long blonde hair and green eyes that caught the attention of all of the boys at Harrison High School, and she is the envy of all the girls. But she would never understand my love of reading. She always tried to get out of reading. She relied on watching the movie and is doomed when we have to read a book that wasn’t turned into a movie.
Looking her in the eyes, I said, “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“Fine,” I said, opening my locker, “but don’t laugh. I have read every book by my favorite author and he has written hundreds. Every book. Except for one book. Prophecy. It is supposed to be R.L. Stine’s best book. They didn’t publish many. Something to do with a lawsuit or something. But I found out that our library has a copy, but every time I look for it, it is gone.”
“So go buy one. Or get the movie,” Amanda said, the last part with a teasing smile as if she knew what I thought about her watching movies as reading.
“I can’t.” I figured I might as well finish the conversation although I was sure Amanda didn’t care. “There were a hundred or so of this book published. Something happened and the publisher had to quit making the book. It was all hushed and stuff. I read online that there was a death involved with the book.”
“And….”
“…And, I found out that our school has one copy, but it is never there.” I continued to place textbooks in my backpack for tonight’s homework.
“And this,” Amanda said with a sly grin, “is why you love me so much.”
I gave her the what-are-you-talking-about look.
“I have a key to the library; we practice our cheers there after school. And you always ranked on my cheerleading squad,” she said sarcastically.
“FRIEND! When can I get that key?”

* * * *

The next morning I rode my bike to school. It was a quarter to six as I locked up my bike. The bike rack still had remnants of dew holding on against the morning sun. Wisps of fog encircled the entrance of the school like long white fingers of some old man eager to get inside. The school took on a silent, foreboding look. Spooky. The cafeteria workers just started warming the morning breakfast, the smell of bacon and cheese products permeated the darkened hallway in front of the library.
I have always played by the rules, used the correct side of the stairwell, opened the door on the right, and here I am now about to break into the library. There goes college.
My thoughts of being expelled and having to explain this to my parents were broken by a cheery voice.
“Hello.” Amanda was all decked out in school colors. Something was obviously going on in cheerleader-land. “I have something here you want,” she said holding the key from its red keychain.
“Shhh you’re gonna get us—”
“Caught . . . ? Nah, Ms. Picky-Book-nic won’t be in for another hour. She is usually in the parking lot having coffee and finishing her cigarette,” said Amanda throwing the keys at me. “See you after 5th.”
I nervously said bye and put the key in the door. It was an oversized key from when the school was first opened in the early 1920’s. Tarnished steel in look. Its weight hung heavy in my hand as I turned the cold, brass knob. The click echoed throughout the library, bouncing off the books encased in their dusty tombs. I could hear the morning janitors getting the furnace ready for the day. The rumblings and grumblings of the old, mechanical beast awakening from its slumber. I pictured the teachers getting their classes ready for the day, straightening desks, laying materials out, checking email. On either side of the library were classrooms. Would the teachers see me? Would I get caught? I was already too far into this to stop now.
I paused.
I wanted to run away.
But I didn’t. I wanted this book. The door closed behind me and I walked in, glancing around.
Sun peered in from the outside. The library did not seem so bad without Miss Cratle, the librarian, around. Now to task. Where would she put that book, I thought to myself. Walking with purpose across the room, I headed to the little office in which Miss Cratle sat when not yelling at students to “quiet down!” It was a small room, barely larger than five feet by seven feet. Books were smashed, back-to-back, on shelves and some were piled in stalagmite fashion on the floor in front of the brown metal shelving. The desk was a rather large wooden desk probably from the 1950’s with one large drawer on the right-hand side. This drawer had a lock. My heart leapt, somehow knowing that this is where the book would be. I tested the drawer on the off chance it was open. It wasn’t. I pulled it open harder and harder, not noticing the noise it was making.
I heard a loud noise, spun around, and tried to escape, taking the left door. However, Miss Cratle stood there with her hands on her hips, her face contorted, and the only sounds I heard were her words.
“What do you think YOU are doing?”
Busted.

CHAPTER TWO

I had no reason to be in this room. I had to think quick. “I-I-I dropped my pencil. I was going to write you a note to ask if you needed any help after school returning books to their shelves.” That’s it. Maybe I could lie my way out of this one.
“Be here at three-oh-five…sharp,” said Miss Cratle with a not so convinced look on her face. As I left the room, I glanced over my shoulder and she was looking at the items on her desk, checking to make sure that everything was still there. I ran to first period.
“Did you get the book,” asked Amanda.
“No. And now I have to stack books with Miss Cratle.”
“Why?”
“It’s a long story. Call me tonight.”

* * * *

The final bell rang and while most students were headed home with smiles on their faces, I slogged my way down to the library. Three girls left the library carrying several big books. Obviously some big paper is due tomorrow. I walked in and headed toward Miss Cratle’s office.
She greeted me with a hesitant smile. I could tell that she did not quite understand why I had offered, but was glad of the help. To erase any suspicion, I came up with a reason.
“Thanks for letting me help out. I love to read and I thought maybe I could help out on the library some times after school.”
“That would be nice,” Miss Cratle said incredulously. She did not seem quite so mean when it was one-on-one. “When do you have to leave today?”
“I have to be home by four o’clock so I better get started.” With that, I left her standing there.
Stacking books was not such a bad way to end the day. It was peaceful. Just me and the books. There was an order to books. I know if I ever tried to explain this to Amanda she would just laugh or call me a geek. But I liked the way that each book had a place on the shelf. I liked the way you could find any book based on a system. I even liked the way the books were arranged on the shelves: about one inch from the edge, standing tall, the variety of colors and sizes. If you stood on the other side of the room, it was like looking at a painting.
My time over so I said farewell to Miss Cratle.
“Ah, bye Miss Cratle.”
“Thanks for the help. I hope to see you again some time.”
“Yes, maybe.”
“And Tiara—”
“Yes?”
“What type of books are you interested in?”
This was my chance. Could I weave the title in there? “I like scary books. Horror mostly. My favorite author is R.L. Stine. I have read every book he has written, and he has written, like, hundreds. There is only one book of his that I have not read,” I said pausing, formulating my lie “I think its name is The Power, or something. It would be cool to find a copy of it. It went out of print very quickly.”
“R.L. Stine is a great writer. You should check our shelves. You may find another book that he has written. That book that you are talking about is not worth reading.” I noticed that she did not use the book’s title, but she did look at her book shelf.
I left quickly not knowing what to make of our conversation. Was she being nice to me? Did she know that I was looking for it since I was in the office uninvited and I mentioned the book (stupid me)? I needed time to think about the events. A blended coffee drink with Amanda after school is just the thing I needed. I text-messaged Amanda to meet for coffee. She knew the place.

* * * *

Amanda pulled up in sixteenth birthday present, a baby blue VW Bug. It also had a yellow Bluemmenvassen attached to the dashboard. And two years later, it still was cool. I did not know many kids who had their own car so I was glad to know Amanda. Driving around in my mother’s beat up station wagon did not impress many people. My mother was always saying that the car would protect me in an accident since it was 20 feet of American steel.
“Hey, Tiara. What’s going on? I got your text message. You said you needed to talk.”
“I need to get into the library one more time.”
“That’s cool. How about in thirty minutes? Miss Cratle leaves as soon as school lets out.” Amanda hiked up her purse and continued, “Miss Cratle saw me in the hall after school and asked if I knew who you were.”
“What did you say”
“Oh, I said that we have geometry together…and P.E.,” Amanda said with a smile. “It is true; I wasn’t lying, but I could see that she was asking for some reason so I figured I would keep it simple.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I think she knows why I was in her office, but she has not come out and said anything.”
“Let’s grab a latte and go, okay?”
“Sure. Great. Sounds like a plan.”
The drive back to school did not take long. The coffee shop, about ten minutes away, was a local hangout for Harrison High students. We drove into the parking lot; it looked a lot larger without all the cars. Students left as soon as they could like criminals fleeing from the scene of the crime, hurrying to get home.
The halls were equally empty. Running to the library, pulling out the key, and turning the door knob gently, we entered into the library. However, when we got to the library office, the door was locked.
“No!” I said almost too loud. I was so looking forward to finally getting the book.
“Go over the

Government Mineral Springs Camping

2009-09-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

Just some quick shots of our trip to Government Mineral Springs in Washington. It was a superb time.

For more camping photos.

Non-people related shots from the camping trip (yes, there are some in there from other times).

School related photos of the first week will follow.

Cheers,

The Wittwers

Summer 2009

2009-07-21T05:07:00.000-07:00

I have taken on a number of projects and activities and have found myself with little time to share what is going on, save a few phone calls or emails to parents. But let it be known that the Wittwer Family is alive and well. Check them out at the left. Aren't they the cutest things ever?

The weather in Portland is surprisingly hot. Real hot. Like hide in the room with an air conditioner and a movie hot. As a way to combat this, we have taken full advantage of our community pool by getting a summer pass. All of the boys are old enough to not need immediate proximity supervision which makes the whole swim experience more relaxed. I imagine some day I will wave good-bye to the boys as they walk on down to the pool for an afternoon's swim, calling each other names along the way.

This last Sunday, Portland had a Sunday Parkways even where a looping 7.7 miles of the city was closed to car traffic, making it available to people for walking, biking, strolling, or what-have-you. What I liked most about this event was the number of seasoned citizens (over 68 years of age) that I saw out walking. The boys and I biked it with friends, Asa in the cargo bike, Soren and Kael on their own bikes (That, in itself, was a great achievement. The number of miles those boys biked without complaint was amazing). Our friends at Metrofiets and the band, Keep Your Fork There's Pie, got together and organized a roving-by-bike band. The centerpiece was a large box bike from Holland that housed the drummer and electronic equipment, with various other cargo bikes carrying people and gear. The band played while in route to 4 spots where they set up to provide a purposeful respite for the travelers. The day was sunny and ended with a BBQ and friends. I wish every week was like this. Here is a video and photos.

By the way, you have to check this video out. It is pretty funny. Wild Creatures of North America.

One of the pursuits that keeps me busy these days is writing an occasional column entitled, The Wheel American Family which highlights family biking in Portland. Note: the errors in the column linked are not mine; as an English teacher, I have to say that. As a result of the column, I have met many bikey people throughout Portland, thereby rejuvenating my respect for humanity. Another blog for which I write and co-run is Stories From School: Practice meets Policy which takes the practical experiences of 11 teachers and puts it out there for discussion to direct policy. I just returned from a trip to Seattle where I met and worked with the new additions to the blogging team. Aside from being in a hotel room with cable (who knew you could watch endless hours of VH-1 with little purpose), it was a nice mini-vacation for me. Again, the weather was good and I spent the time discussing education while hooked to a computer after riding a bike and taking the train. What more could I ask for? What? Free soda? Paradise.

Next year I will teach 6th and 7th grade English at Discovery Middle School, both general education English and AP classes. I happened to be in the right place at the right time to acquire a job for next school year. I was sure I would get a job, but I was concerned that I may not find out until August. One of the candidates that went through my National Board Certification cohort for teachers is now an associate principal and called me up to offer me this job when it opened. But the best part is that the school, its staff, and its vision are in line with what I have looked for most of my teaching career. Discovery MS is a Middle Years Program school for IB. For those of you for whom this makes little sense, think "international school". I have a teaching partner who is the social studies half of the power team of Davolt and Wittwer. The set up is exciting.

Kael will be in 4th grade next year, taking him up to the second floor of Metropolitan Learning Center, a K-12 grade school with about 400 students. Soren will be in first grade! His teacher is Avril and he will have her for both first and second grade. Soren will have electives next year, yeah!. Asa will continue at Urban Bambini, a local Montessori school, whose teacher, Ms. Amanda, we knew back when Kael was 2 or 3 years of age.

We have taken on some Urban Farming or, as I like to call it, a "Yarden". (Just wait, the term will be a top ten Twitter topic in a few weeks. Start using it.) We have pie pumpkins, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, beets, carrots, radishes, various herbs, cucumbers, some volunteer things that we don't know yet but have sprung from my trench composting. In addition, we have our pear, apple, and plum trees. From dirt to table, this is a good illustration for kids to see. Kael has his own tomato plant that is doing the best of the tomato plants. Asa wants to pull the carrots out, but they are nowhere near ready. The photos are early on and don't show how full everything is now. In fact, I made apple & sausage chili with herbs and fruit from our plot.

So how you doing? I would love to hear or see you. Yes, even you Albert. You too, Oscar. Okay, Jim, yes. You too. Certainly Viv. Cheers to all.

You can connect with the Wittwers via

Four bike movies

2009-05-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

The quality is low in this format, online. However, I think the idea should be clear.

This first one was selected by the woman who runs the whole Filmed By Bike festival. I think it is a funny idea, but after working on it for days, seeing 60 plus times, I had to wonder if it was that good. However, at the showing it was well received and a highlight for many.

http://vimeo.com/3063819

A fun one to watch how Kael plays while we ride.

Bike Ride to Downtown Portland on Vimeo

And then a delightful group of people make the commute to work video for the MLC students, lead by Anglea.

http://vimeo.com/3137918

All Aboard the MLC Bike Bus, getting to school by bike.

2009-04-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

Read the article, All Aboard the MLC Bike Bus, getting to school by bike.

Soren's 6th Birthday

2009-03-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

(February 28, 2009) If you have received numerous updates from me lately, that is because I am playing catch-up. I have been super involved with a few video projects and work. In doing this, we celebrated Soren's birthday, but I forgot to make it public. Sorry Soren. Start saving up for the therapy sessions.

Recap, Soren and his school chum, Indigo, had a joint birthday party as they share the same day. Indigo likes Batman and Soren likes Robin (not the useless side kick of yesteryear, but the new, strong leader of the Teen Titans series). It was a superhero/supervillian party. Everyone from the kindergarten class was invited. It was super chaos. Loved it.

I went as a mad scientist ala Doc Octish. En lieu of presents, the boys collected food donation for the Oregon food bank to help fight hunger.

To see more photos, check out the set on Flickr.

By the way, Soren is riding his bike without training wheels and is totally stoked.

Sunny Day

2009-03-13T19:16:00.001-07:00

One of the things I love about life is out neighborhood. There was a knock at the door and 4 of the neighborhood boys, collecting from block to block as they went, gathered up all of the kids and organized a game of hide-and-seek. These games go on for hours. Additional cool factor, they help Asa and include him in everything. Today is one of the sunny days. Probably the single one for awhile.

Bike Racks

2009-03-10T17:07:00.001-07:00

Do you have that one thing that is totally geeky? I know you do. Some of you it is Star Wars, some it is Black Metal bands; and you....you have something too.

Well, I like bike racks. Utilitarian, ignored, but strong and sturdy. Sometimes beautiful.

Check it out, On the Hunt for the Wild Bike Racks of North America.

PS. I will update with the video when it comes out.

For the Grandparents (et al)

2009-03-07T12:07:00.001-08:00

Slide shows of the boys.

KAEL

SOREN

ASA

Hook your computer up to your big screen TV and hang out with these boys for awhile.

Storage No More.

2009-01-27T01:13:00.000-08:00

While you were out . . . .

2009-01-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

The snow is gone in Portland, but not before I was able to catch one photo of the boys in the bike, in the snow. It does not snow in Portland with regularity, and rarely to the extent it dit this year. Today is the first day that I can remember where the butter spread smoothly on toast for the morning breakfast. Usually it is too cold.

Here are some photos of the last month:

For bikesploits a-plenty, check out the doings of in our online column @ ecoMETRO PDX.

Cheers,

Or Twitter, BikeNounVerb

The Wheel American Family

2009-01-09T00:45:00.001-08:00

For some of you this is a repeat. Sorry. However, I get asked the question a lot on how to find my online bike column. Best thing to do is bookmark it. If all else fails do a simple search using Wheel + American + Family (and if you want, throw ECOMETRO in there).

I publish a short blurb on biking with family. Check it out. Here is the link,

The Wheel American Family

The Return to Teaching

2008-12-31T13:34:00.000-08:00

Travis will Return to Teaching, SEPT 2009. (Anyone have a job for me?)

'Twere Days Before Christmas

2008-12-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

‘Twere days before Christmas, and all through the land,

There were none as busy as these six little hands.

The Baba stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that Brad-Nicholas soon would be there.The family was coming from miles around,

On December 24th planes will land on the ground.

And Kael with a remote, and Travis in his shoes,

Had just settled their brains for a long afternoon snooze.

In Asa’s room there was an increase in noise,

We ran down the hall to find 3 smiling boys.

Under the blankets, Kael he did duck,

And too followed Soren with just as much luck.

The room was covered with stuffies and clothes,

A few dirty socks and one runny nose.

Without warning what should appear

But three snuggly kids, snuggling in very near,

What was Asa doing? He had a metal car to squeeze,

Then Travis and I heard it, “Snacks, please!”

Faster than piling laundry their requests how the came,

And they shouted and argued and listed them by name:

How about apples? No, carrots. Wait, better yet toast!

Maybe milk! Or yogurt. But I want a sandwich the most!

To the top of their lungs! To standing up tall!

Can we have some snacks? Please, please, We want them all now!

Just as dirty dishes that before the time comes sit,

When they pile too high, too high to quit.

So up to the bedroom we two parents we flew,

With an armful of snacks—and some Zabee milk too.

And then, in a shaking, they left to their rooms.

As we drew up our covers and the pillows we fluffed,

Our heads hit the pillows, with a sigh of that’s enough.

They were dressed in mittens and hats on their heads,

And their packages done up in brilliant reds.

A hug from Baba, Gina, Pop Pop, and Zabee,

A who’s that over there—it’s our Uncle Bradley!

Their smiles were worth millions, their presence how merry!

Their time with us is cherished, wonderful, and cherry.

And we huddled by the fire to ward off the cold,

Got cups of cocoa and told stories of old.

The house on Williams was filled with Christmas cheer,

And the coming of Christmas morning was coming near.

Some stayed up late wrapping presents of fun

That we placed under the tree at half past one.

It was time for each of us to head to bed ourselves,

Delighted by the work of seven big elves.

A click of the light switch was or signal to sleep,

And all through the house we heard not one little peep.

The boys made not a sound, with books on their chests,

And filled their dreams with wonderful, holiday bests!

And turning over, we all said good-night,

Rested our heads, and turned out the light.

The tree it stood, in full twinkling glory,

For each of us to see the next Christmas morning.

To each of you, we will sing you our holiday tune,

And cannot wait for to see you all soon.

The Wittwers

WITTCO in the media

2008-12-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

Short story: a woman from California was doing her thesis on Portland and bikes (visual portfolio, live one place for a month and take it all in). She followed us around on our bike to and from school as well as some errands over several weeks, a day here and there.

She has posted some photos at Exhale the Soul, her blog.

Photos of us are the last 5 or so, but they are all fantastic and show a side of Portland that I love. Feel free to leave her a comment. Praise to her is well earned.

Travis

Thumb

2008-12-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

Thumbs. I like them. I like the way they balance out the other side of the hand when wrapped tightly around a bat. Thumbs are useful. Sure, you could live without them, but the quality of life would be rough at first, and then, when you finally figure out how to do the things you did, you would have constructed elaborate systems to accomplish the most simple of tasks, such as pressing the SPACE bar on a computer.

So what's up with thumbs? Well, it is Thursday night and I am thinking about the usefulness of thumbs. Here is how my week started. Monday, school was closed due to snow for my sons. No big deal there. For me, I love it. More time with them, unscheduled, unplanned, playing in the snow. Who doesn't like snow (I know, I know. There are many of you.) Anyway, we woke up to a cold house and eventually realized that some of our pipes had frozen. WIth frozen pipes the concern really is about the pipes breaking, not so much that you do not have the water. Monday's frozen pipe status: upstairs bathroom is totally unusable--toilet, sinks, shower. No biggie, but I did have to double check the location of the water shut off valve in case I hear water spill about everywhere.

I managed to thaw enough of the pipes on Monday and the temperature rose just enough to get some water to the upstairs bathroom. Toilet works. Cold water works. No hot. So it is me with the extension cord and the wife's hair dryer back to the basement and underneath the house to thaw some more piping. (Yes, once thawed, I did reinsulate/insulate.) I leave the hot water on full in the upstairs bathroom and keep an ear out for if it ever opens up. I leave the cold water upstairs on just an ever-so-slight drip. My wife's dog poops on her bedding. Great. I hate the smell of dog poop more than anything of which I can think. Start naming things and, No, they do not bother me quite as much. I gather up the carnage and bring it outside for a shake and then to the washing machine. Sadly, the washing machine water lines are frozen too. Crap (in both cases, yes). I throw the bedding and dog toys in a plastic bag because I am trying to save money so I really should wash them, but my inclination is just to toss them.

Back under the house to thaw those pipes. I thaw the cold water, then the hot water. Insulate, double insulate, plastic barrier protection. Now I am ready for my wonderful husbandly duty of washing the bedding. So it is washing in hot water and I think, Hey, I am going to do a double wash on this. First one, just to wash it up a bit and then the second a full wash so I turn the nob to rise and that is when it happens. Sure the water lines are thawed, but drain pipe is not thawed so it quickly becomes a steaming geyser of inhumanity. Deep breath. Count to ten. Curse. Go boil some water, dump it down the drain pipe and I am back in business. While it is rinsing and discarding its inhumanity, I am under the house again, insulating the drain pipe. (Just for the record, none of these pipes are original and they were all jerry-rigged big time in a crawl space that is barely protect by weather save for 1/4 inch siding.)

Washing machine is doing fine as I spray down the room from top to bottom with a bleach-water mixture. Wipe, clean, wipe, rinse, rinse, wipe, rinse, wipe. Wash the bedding again just out of spite.

That night, I turn my computer on and it just keeps loading, and loading. Turn off. Wait. Loading. Nothing else. I try to boot from the system disk. Nothing. Do a couple key-commands while start up. Nothing. Crap. I begin thinking that this is one of the unspoken signs of the apocalypse. No computer work time for me.

Tuesday. I spend all day without a computer. I do not have any thumbs. My source of work, communication, and relaxation is gone. Again, no thumbs. Go through the steps of grieving and get to a point where I have come to terms with the death of the computer.

Wednesday. Computer comes home at the end of the day. Data is intact. However, I do feel vindicated for backing up everything that I do. I cannot deal with the refiguring of the settings and hooking up the wi-fi/external hard drive so I just go to bed.

Thursday. Again no school. No school at all this week for the boys. I deal with the 322 emails that I have.

Tomorrow is Friday. It truly is.

Child Care

2008-12-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

When the kids get a little too much to handle . . .

(It's a joke. Don't call CPS.)

Twin Day at MLC

2008-11-29T17:32:00.001-08:00

The boys decided to dress up as each other this year. Asa had a similar outfit. All three boys are enjoying school and doing great. We had conferences last week and all is well.

Here is a Mael Box that Kael and I made. Kael wanted to send and receive letters from the family. I did all of the cutting, but Kael did the hammering and painting. If you want to send Kael a letter, feel free to do so and I will place it in his Mael Box. Just note somewhere on the envelope that you wish it to be placed in the Mael Box.

Bakfiets Drawings

2008-11-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

We had some fun drawing bikes the other day.

Halloweenie 2008

2008-11-04T16:40:00.001-08:00

No text (except for this, and that, and that over there, and these new words I am writing). Just photos.

Zombie Walk

2008-11-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Kael and I attended the Zombie Walk in downtown Portland on October 26, 2008. It was great. I have additional photos of this event on Flickr. There was one woman, a non-Portland resident, who asked me what was going on so I told her; I, apparently, was the least zombie looking of the group. She said that she knew something was going on as Portland usually does have its fair share of colorful characters, but this was a little too many.

Happy Pre-Halloween

2008-10-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

Here is Kael's response

Potato, raisins, popcorn kernels for teeth.

Pippa ate it later that day . . . .

Soren Retells the Three Billy Goats Gruff

2008-09-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

At Soren's school last week, they were told the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff by a story teller. After than, the students built settings (in the video, notice the brown and green grass) and puppets with the sole purpose of going home and sharing the story with the family. An oral tradition of sorts.

Soren grabbed the puppet stage that Papa Super and Nana Karen made and gathered us all in for story time. It was so funny to watch, I had to share it. You may ask yourself, why did Travis not get a close up of the puppets and setting the whole time so as to give the illusion of reality. The answer--it is equally fun to watch Soren perform the show.

If the video does not appear below, go to the blog or click the URL to view it.

Bakflips for the Bakfiets!

2008-09-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

I picked up my bakfiet last Saturday and have ridden it everyday since. Kids, groceries, or just air...I love the ride. For those who want the simple story, I HAVE A COOL BIKE. For those who want a bit more geek information, read on.

Bakfiets, pronounced bahk-FEETS. [bahk] like the musican. [feets] like the plural of feet if that did exist. A bit more AHHHH in the Bak part, and the Feets part is quick and rises in tone.

Purchased at Clever Cycles, the Portland bike store with, dare I be trite, clever cycles. I have been in contact with various employees of the store for months, hounding nearly, just short of stalking, making sure that I was in the front line for the few bakfietsen that were imported.

For those of you who are bothered by the unnatural sound of bakfiets in a sentence, undoubtedly brought on by the [s] sound on the end of the word, but referring to a singular item, I give you this:

OX---one ox.

OXEN--two oxen

BAKFIETS---one bakfiets.
BAKFIETSEN---two bakfietsen.

Marc, who left a comment on an earlier post, shares this information with me:
Een bakfiets = a bakfiets / one bakfiets
Twee bakfietsen = two bakfietsen
Bakfietsen (verb) = to ride a bakfiets / riding a bakfiets

Sure, it still is a bit tricky as the word "bakfiets" ends in an "s" so it visually will trip you up. Perhaps this is why the bike is so oft referred to as a "cargo bike", a generic term applied to many bikes, but representative, in the northwest for the bakfiets. Sort of like how "iPod" has come to represent all MP3 players on information signs

The technical information:

8-speed Shimano Nexus gearhub. Shift to any gear while stationary or moving. Sealed mechanism is essentially maintenance-free. 305% gear range, comparable to 11-34 derailleur gearing.

Shimano hub generator lighting, front and rear. Light sensor turns on automatically; rear light stays on at stops.

Shimano Roller (drum) brakes are low-maintenance and unaffected by weather

Super-strong wheels; 36 12-guage stainless spokes, alloy 20 and 26” rims, premium Schwalbe Marathon tires with reflective sidewall stripe

Stainless steel mudguards with flaps

Tie-rod linkage steering geometry handles large loads with remarkable lightness.

Anti-rust primer under tough powder-coat for decades of outdoor storage

Marine plywood bak puts the load low and centered for easiest handling. 180-lb load rating. Weather canopy option makes this a true year-round urban family vehicle.

4-point stand for easy loading and unloading. Passengers climb in and out without tipping!

Step-through, one-size-fits-most frame supports upright posture for a commanding view and supreme comfort; easy to put a foot down at stops.

Wheel lock with auxiliary chain option for secure parking

Full chaincase to keep your clothing and your kids’ fingers safe and clean; reduces chain maintenance to near zero.

Coat/skirt guard and rubber block pedals: wear whatever you want without worry

Overbuilt rear rack with bungees. 70-lb. load rating.

For more of my bikey life, here is the family bike blog, Bike, noun, verb

School Daze!

2008-09-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

All three boys headed off to school this last Wednesday. And I do not mind saying it was PreCIOUS! The boys woke up early and got their first-day clothes on. Asa was most excited about having a backpack; he wanted to wear it in the car. Lunches for all and off into the car on what turned out to be a brisk, September morning. Somehow the weather knew that it was now officially, at least according to school, FALL.

Kael and Soren both attend Metropolitan Learning Center, quite possibly the coolest school in the city (this comes from both a parent and educator perspective). Kael is in 3rd grade with Anna, his teacher. Soren is in kindergarten with Carol, his teacher. MLC is an alternative, public school. Not alternative for students who could not make it, but alternative in that they can teach and organize their school outside of the constraints of the district. They have consistently exceeded state standards. It is a k-12 school with about 400 students.

It was great to watch Kael and Soren in their classes, even if just for a moment. They both jumped right in and embraced the environment. I can tell this is going to be a great set up. The added "cute" bonus is that Kael can walk down the hall to pick up his brother after school. Ahhhhhh.

Asa attends U rban Bambini, a montessori school close to our neighborhood. Asa's teacher, Ms. Amanda, was also Soren's te

acher at this school, and Kael's pre-pre-K teacher before she finished her Montessori credentials. Sh

e is a fantastic teacher and just the sort of structured and caring person with which Asa will thrive.

Next week will be a full week of school.

Scooby (Dooby) Doo!

2008-08-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

What do you do on a rainy summer day, when it is too cold to skate and too wet to play? You make Scooby Snacks!

Earlier this week, the boys has this idea to make Scooby Snacks. They talked about how to make them and assured me that they had the recipe correct. Here it is:

Two sorts of honey; dough; shaped like this; cook for 100 degrees for 8 minutes. They even decided how the snacks would look and the size. I guess they are big on quality control.

Before making the Scooby Snacks, it was important to dress up like Shaggy so the boys donned their brown pants, green shirts, and low top tennis shoes.

Here is the end result of the Scooby Snacks. They were actually quite good. A snack designed for both Shagsters and dogs.

My sons understand the importance of product branding so they set about designing boxes to carry their product. The boxes were designed wholly by Kael and Soren. I believe they did a great job. The first one is Soren's and states "SD-Scooby Snacks-Honey Flavor" The second photo is Kael's box.

If you are interested in the "real" recipe, here it is:

Oven at 350 degrees

Mix:
1.5 cups of whole wheat flour
.5 cups of flour
.5 cups of cornmeal
.5 cups of rolled oats
.5 cups of water
.5 cups of oil
2 eggs
3 table spoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cook for 20 minutes
Cool for 2 hours

Tent in the Living Room . . . Laceration on the Head

2008-08-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

These two do not necessarily go together and they were not the result of any combination of the two. However, as I was making special dinner for our campout in the living room, Soren slipped and hit the back of his head on the bench (the one that holds the shoes) in our front entry way. It split a bit of the skin on the back of his head. By the way--he is doing totally fine.

Head wounds are bloody as that is a highly veiny (I do not know if that is the correct medical term). Once I got passed all of the curls and could see the laceration, I knew it was an ER visit.

Two staple later and we were on our way home. I got to thinking, perhaps on the growth charts of the boys, I should also include their major injuries, listing them like I would their yearly growth. I have even added a new tag to my blog postings "injury" so that all of the injuries can be organized at once.

Kael had a similar head injury so he was all "expert" in the area and helped Soren through the process, saying the whole time that if Soren wanted to squeeze his hand real tight he could. And he did help Soren through it all.

Before the ER visit. Soren wanted to see what the laceration looked like so I used my cell phone to take a photo. Then, as some of you know, I sent them to you on your phone. Fun, eh?

After the ER visit. The Dr was swift with the staple tool. By the time the second staple was in, Soren was reacting to the first staple and then it was over.

We came home and had our spaghetti and meatballs; watched movies; and slept in the tent. Do we know how to have fun or what?

Kid Jokes and the Trip to the Beach

2008-08-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

The warm up act: original Wittwer kid jokes . . .

What do you call a tool that drinks blood? (Vampliers) --Kael

What kind of sandwich does an ape have for lunch? (Gorilla Cheese Sandwich) --Soren

Where do the Sith get their clothes? (At a shopping Maul) --Kael

What did the apple say to the banana when the banana fell? (How you peeling?) --Soren

Now for photos from our trip to Gearhart (Oregon Beach) with Barbara and Ben. Instead of posting them all here, I have placed them in a Gearhart photoset. (click "Gearhart" in the previous sentence)

For fun, click on this link for a photo of Soren. There is a "note" over his mouth that has an additional like that goes with the photo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wittcogmbh/2757470444/

A Tuesday Trip to OMSI

2008-08-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

Check out the video and explanation at Bike, a noun, a verb.

Who put their money on 8 years of age?

2008-06-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

I would have been thoughtful and what I perceived to be scientific. I would have figured that Kael would have been up for a broken bone as soon as he could walk because as soon as he could walk, he could run and climb, and jump. I would have thought....hmmmmmmm.....two years of age is too soon, giving him the benefit of a doubt, but certainly by age 5. Nope. Kael's first broken bone came on Tuesday, June 17, 2008. It was in the morning.

The scenario goes something like, Kael climbing in a tree that is in between ours and our neighbor's yard. Climbing and swinging on one arm. Swings out, falls off, arm goes back, body goes back, wrist hits and breaks.

Kael came in the house crying and mentioning falling out of the tree. I got him to the couch and helped him to calm down. The arm did not look broken (but do they ever unless they are seriously broken?).

Both bones, ulna and radius, were broken with hairline fractures. In the photo, I have emphasized the break sites with a black and red line. No it really does not look like that. The one break that swoops up toward the hand touches the growth plate but is unlikely to cause any growth problems. Kael received a temporary cast.

The two "interestings" are that Kael had completed one day of a week-long physical theater camp called Do Jump! which was not going to be possible with the cast. He did enjoy the one day though--great program. The second interesting, is that Kael was not the first kid to break a bone. Soren broke his clavicle in February of 2007. To continue the trend would be to plan for Asa's break.

Photo added later. This is of Kael and his cast. His first cast, a glow-in-the-dark green cast, cracked somehow so the cast received another layer. This time blue. On August 10, 2008 the cast comes off. It is waterproof, which is why we kept the over the elbow cast rather than going for a short cast halfway through the process. Usually, the doctor has a short cast put on, but his clinic does not have anymore waterproof material. This idea of Kael not going in or playing with water was laughable. To solve this, we just kept the long cast on for the whole time.

MLC Living Art Museum

2008-06-10T22:59:00.001-07:00

Today is the last day of school for Soren and Kael, but that is another whole posting. I have to do these in order even if the postings are not on time. What would the neighbors think? So...At MLC, Kael's school, the elementary grades spent the last trimester on a school wide art program--thematic instruction for those educational sorts. Kael learned about different artists; the techniques of the artists like tone, line, color, pattern, hue...; and Kael had the opportunity to create art influenced by certain artists. It was an amazing trimester-long project. Every day Kael would come home and share his knowledge and excitement. The school did a clay installation: every student created a clay disc with an image on it in relief and these were glazed and attached to the chain-link fence by the school. The culminating even was the Living Art Museum where each student took on the persona of a character from a piece of art, telling the story of the character, dressing up as the character, and giving a presentation both in presence on the stage and in words to a small group. I was impressed with Kael, and with the whole school. What they undertook and was able to create was mind blowing. This will be something that the kids of MLC will remember for life. Kael was a character from a Paul Klee painting entitled, Barbarian Captain. You can see the original, and Kael's costume; is that kid right on target or what?! The family decided to join in on the face painting fun as well.

Asa Turns 3!

2008-04-07T21:46:00.002-07:00

Asa turns three just as his brothers before him did. Kael and Soren each had big visions for what type of party (theme) Asa should have. In the end, we chose to take it easy and have a calm gathering of friends and family. We had Asa's favorite dinner, or at least one that he will eat, lasagna.

This year Asa completely understood the whole birthday thing and enjoyed every aspect. He was so excited with all of the attention and paper and presents. He could not contain himself as you can see from the video below.

And of course you want to see his cake. I know. Well, here it is:

Keera Spends Spring Break with the PDX Wittwers

2008-04-07T21:46:00.001-07:00

Cooks invade Portland in a Big way. Especially those three little 'ens.

Siblings create some of the most troubled moments of our growing up. Having a sister can be doubly so. A sister is not always an easy entity to have roaming about your house, turning your safe little world on end. Take Cinderella. She had a “sister”. Two of them. Wicked and ugly. History (even in fairytale land), does not portray the “sister” character as a good thing. Even the smart and positive cartoon sister to Bart, Lisa, grates on you after awhile; a person can only handle so much sachrianny sweetness slopped on the unsuspecting soul. Surely.

Yet, this is not my sister. My sister is the best. All sun and rainbows here. True, we had to grow into this perfect relationship. As children, Keera would close an imaginary door on me when she could not take anymore. This, of course, implies that I pushed her buttons. Guilty. On the flip-side, there was a whole stretch of our early adolescence where any thing I asked was disregarded by Keera before the words would leave my mouth.

Yet, even with these upsets, few as they were, the overall brother/sister relationship was solid. It is great to have someone constantly in your corner.

This last week was Spring Break for Portland, Oregon and a vacation time for Keera. Keera decided to spend her time with us. I talk with her frequently, but the last time we just hung out in the same space for a length of time would be when we still lived with our parents.

Keera shared her fried chicken expertise with me as I have had two failed attempts. Keera entertained the boys. Keera even washed my dishes. We went to the store, the zoo, errands, outside, inside, up the wall (not really). However, the boys were always so tuckered out that they fell fast asleep.

It was a great week. Keera is a fantastic person with so many wonderful qualities and I am lucky to be part of her life. We made many meals together, traded recipes and such. All good eating.

Kael TURNS 8!

2008-03-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Kael and his friends had a blast with his party. He had a creation party where kids took everyday, junk to you and me, and created everything from pirate ships to robots to space ships.

There was sun to start the party, and sun to end it. What a day. I loved seeing the creative creations of the clever kids. It was cool. Here is a Video Version of this party done in full spectrOvision; watch the creations unfold.

It is fun to see my kids get older. Somehow, when the birthday comes, each of my sons sort of grows into the age. After the birthday, they have convinced themselves that they are older and start acting just that little bit different to distinguish, probably in their own mind, that they are older.

Easter 2008

2008-03-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

Easter..what can we say, but....they are so cute.

We dyed eggs simple this year, but enjoyed the process nevertheless. Zabee, Tana's mother, got to hang with us as well. It was a rainy Easter, but that did not stop the kids from searching for eggs outside that the neighbors had hidden. When the boys came in, some of their jelly beans had fused together in a sticky, rainy, glue mess.

By the way, later in the day, when we were playing hop-scotch, Soren was proud of his because his "went to eleven". I swear, that is what he said. He did not have the accent, but the intonations were the same. (for those of you missing the allusion, sorry.)

Learning Can Be Fun (and cute)

2008-03-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

So it was a Friday, no school on this particular Friday. What to do so we would not sit in the house all because it was too wet to play. So it was off to the End of the Trail Interpretive Center. Yeah!

It was a good exhibit and the boys seemed to like the "old fashion" things. Soren enjoyed grinding wheat into flour. And Kael was found climbing up the exhibits and this one just happened to be one that was okay.

I live in an age of comfort and have access to computers (love them). However, there is something about having to struggle and work hard to get so little that appeals to me. The idea of walking and riding for months to go to a place filled with mystery and lore is something for which I would give up the computer. I thought about teaching in the outback of Alaska for the same reasons--snowshoeing into town for hours to get to school. Cool. But that is another life, another time.

Soren TURNS 5!!

2008-02-28T21:07:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here with Keera, my sister, and she informs me that she has not seen photos of Soren's birthday or birthday cake. I incredulously accused her on not reading my family blog and went on to show here right in the blog where Soren's birthday...should...have...been...
(ahhh)...located. Drat. Not only is Keera correct (and that may be the worst part), but Soren's party did not make it to the masses.

Soren's birthday was on February 28. He is a whole hand old.

My solution is a quick write up; I'll run some PR campaigns to increase the popularity of the WITTCO brand again; and I will give this posting a date that predates when it is posted so that when people go back and look at the archives, it will be as if it was always there. And best of all, Soren will never know....HA. Take that. See look, there is the posting right where it has always been. (and by the way, buy WITTCO because our products say we take an interest in your life.)

Soren had a great party with close friends from his new school, Chief Joseph Elementary School. He has made some life-long friends and we celebrated in great 5 year-old style--making crafts and playing outside in the sun. Soren's cake was a red velvet cake with strawberries along the bottom edge and a big red [R] atop. I had never had a red velvet cake before and it was great. Red is Soren's favorite color.

By the way, the photo of Soren blowing candles out has his hand by his mouth. At this point he is whispering his wish to the ether so that it will come true.

And Soren, since I love you soooo much, I put an extra [!] on your posting title. You're welcome.

Your Junk, Their Creation

2008-01-19T19:50:00.000-08:00

A Video of Cute Kid Creatures Creating Creations, Creatively. Quite.

To See Some Creation Photos

It Has Been a Year

2008-01-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

It has been a year or so that is what the calendar states. Only a few days hung on, clutching that bottom row; hanging out with the lightly colored 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; hoping to make it to the next year. Sorry guys, you don't; I have seen this scenario before. It does not bode well for you.

And so the calendar page was turned. Sometimes I find human conventions so odd. We have adventures every day, but really only reflect on life when we come to the end of an arbitrary time period. Currently, then end of 2007. I like the look of 2008 better than 2007. And I am not talking about the hopeful future. I like the look of the numbers. A series of curves. 2008 is more balanced; not as balanced as 8008 would be, but that is likely out of the question for me.

Today, school started for the boys. It was great to go have that piece of fun back in our daily schedule.

My year of being home-with-the-kids has worked out well. I enjoy the lack of a schedule. But most of all, I enjoy being able to carry a utility tool with me all of the time. Laundry gets done, the dishes, and such. I am the master of the 1 hour grocery shopping and can build endless arrangements of Thomas the Tank Engine tracks. In my spare time, I teach a national boards class to teachers pursuing advanced certification. I am in the process of building an online version of this class through Washington State University.

Kael is in second grade, loves to build, and has green hair. His second grade teacher, Avril, is outstanding and the school, Metropolitan Learning Center, phenomenal. This school is the perfect balance of educational theory and childhood philosophy. The school always does well in the state assessments of school performance and this year scores "outstanding" in all categories. The odd thing is...the students. If you were to walk down the halls, you would see all of those weird students who hung on the fringes of the lunchroom. The ones with strange shirt pictures, colored or bizarre hair, and black clothing. Imagine those 10 students from each school all put in one place. When not at school, Kael can be found reading and building creations out of cast off materials. Kael is a bundle of inspiration and his mind is creatively thinking all of the time.

Soren is in Pre-K at Chief Joseph and loves the increased social interaction. He has music and PE and art this year. Soren is quite the artist. He has a series of robot letters that you can see on the Wittwer Flickr site. This site has other photos, all of which you can download for free because who does not want an 8 X 10 glossy of me on their wall?

Asa sleeps perpendicular to the length of the bed. It is also not uncommon to find him snuggled against a hard, metal car as his "stuffed animal". Asa fills my day with elvish smiles (but not of the Lord of the Rings type--that would be lame). He is currently in the habit of giving the "thumbs up" to anyone who is looking to him to do something. When I take the other boys off to school, he follows, wanting to wear his own backpack. One of Asa's favorite times of the day is going to pick up Soren, his big brother whom he adores and with whom he shares a room. Asa needed a LINK in his section so here it is.

Here is to 2008 and to you,

Wittwer stuff can be seen at You Tube.

The blog has been revamped http://wittco.blogspot.com/

Why yes . . . I do have a favorite web site at the moment. It is the art of Scott Blake. Check it out.

Wittwertubbies

2007-12-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

When the rain is out and the sky is grey,
What do you do while stuck in the house for the day?

You come up with things to do that are fun,
That make you smile like the summery sun.

Here is one thing that we all did,
It was the boy's idea, I do not fib.

The costumes were selected and made with care,
Of a blue Teletubby, I was not aware.

Have fun with your day and do what you will,
Or you will stare through the window, perched upon the sill.

Love and tele-hugs from the Wittwers.

WELLOHEEN 2007

2007-10-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Some snapshots for all you late night cats. This year the number of trick-or-treaters doubled by half as much bringing it to a total of 72 (for some fun, figure out, using words, numbers, and/or pictures, what the total trick-or-treaters was last year). Kael as the Grim Reeper (don't fear him); Soren as Super Boy! (not the younger superman, but an altogether different hero); and Asa as Dumbo (yes, that is the same costume the other boys wore. Anyone need it next year?). Keera and Jemel as The Deaths.