Merry Christmas

It's Christmas eve - the cookies and milk are out for Santa and a carrot has been left for Rudolph. Now race up to bed because Santa won't come until all the good boys and girls are fast asleep! We gave our new address to the Post office of the North Pole so Santa knows where to delivery the presents. This is the biggest tree we've had to date... It's around 7 feet tall! We could have never fit a great tree like this in our apartment and it looks so good in our living room. From my family to all of yours, Merry Christmas!

...You ate what? (My Sushi Experience)

I've been a big fan of Chinese food for a long time. There is just something about it - the great taste, the convenience of being able to order it by phone, the mystery of if you're eating cat or dog!

Didn't you know Chinese restaurants use cat meat in their entrees?!

I never really understood that whole thing. If cat tasted that good there wouldn't be that many stray cats, would there? I'd do my part - my wife knows I don't turn away free food. Fry 'em up and dip 'em in some sauce... but alas the story isn't true. Cats and dogs aren't in Chinese food - so the cats that get into my trash are safe, for now. Orange Flavored Beef with two egg rolls - YUM! This is my favorite! It is an easy dish for them over cook, but when it is cooked right it is awesome! Mix in the white rice that comes with the meal and you're all set. It even comes with broccoli to satisfy my wife's vegetable requirement. Orange Flavored Chicken with two egg rolls - YUM! Sometimes they don't offer orange beef - like when I'm at the food court at the mall. Orange chicken is just as good! On occasion when I order Orange Beef I suspect they give me the chicken instead. I can't prove it but ... I just have a feeling. My wife, son and I went out to our favorite Chinese food restaurant in Greenfield - New Fortune. I wanted to try something new. The restaurant had just been remodeled and they now had a sushi bar. Give them a ring, 413-772-0838. They are open to 10pm most days and take-out/delivery is available. I wanted something new - so why not, Yellow Tail Sushi with two egg rolls - YUM? I attempted sushi once at an all-you-can-eat buffet style restaurant but I chickened out... something about all-you-can-eat sushi seems... fishy. I'm a fan of cooking shows - Alton Brown is my homeboy - and they say when ordering fish at the market, there should not be a fishy smell. The fish stunk a little. When the waitress came to the table I said I'll take two yellow tail. Seemed like a good choice and for two dollars each, not too expensive if I decide they're gross or like them and want more. What happened next was straight out of A Fish Called Wanda. The waitress brought out a bowl of water with two fish inside. She handed me one of those green fish tank nets. I dipped it in, grabbed up a fish and swallowed it down. It wiggled a little bit but it was delicious. I didn't have any nose fries to enjoy though. Well, that's not quite what happened. She brought out the fish on the rice. Along with it there was a ball of wasabi and what I thought was ginger. I later found out it was indeed pickled ginger. The first one I ate fast, unsure of if I would like it. I chewed it once or twice and swallowed it down. Like with alcoholic drinks - the second one goes down easier. I took my time with the second piece. The texture of the fish wasn't what I expected. It was really tender and with the rice - it was just great, no other way to explain it. I've been hooked ever since. Its a good thing they have take out! A little green stuff.... (POWERFUL STUFF!) A little red stuff.... You only live once, so eat uncooked fish! Okay, the motto needs a little work but you should give it a try at least once. Don't let the stigma of eat raw fish deter you, its all good. Maybe next time I'll try a vegetable roll ... nahh, those are gross!

...meet the new boss, same as the old boss

My digital camera died. I had taken 2095 pictures with it. Kodak CX7530 5.0MP - R.I.P. 10/13/05. The lens fogged, the zoom wasn't working right and then when I tried to open it to fix it... well, nevermind that. It probably got water in it as I was taking pictures of the places affected by flooding in Greenfield.

The worse part about the camera breaking - besides the fact that I bring it everywhere I go and use it almost daily - was that yesterday the family went to see Sesame street live! We brought the 35mm instead and were able to get a few shots. For lunch we went to the Country Buffet in Springfield, which had a RadioShack in the plaza. Call it fate or what have you but they had my exact brand and model of digital camera on clearance. So I bought the little doppleganger and am back in business.

One day when I can justify the cost, I want to give my wife this digital and pick up a digital SLR for myself. At this time I just can't cough up that much dough for basically a toy especially since I can repliate most of the photography effects in photoshop. The primary reason I'm looking at one is the ability to swap out lenses and better control of the shutter. Oh well, we'll see.

Jillian's 25th Birthday Dinner

Her actual birthday was on Tuesday the 20th but her mom, step-dad and sister got together on today and we all went out to eat. Their friend Ashley also came. We went to All Fired Up in Hadley, Ma. We had never been there before and weren't sure what to expect. We were told it was mongolian barbeque, but what the hell was mongolian barbeque? What was it? Some of the best food I've ever had, thats what! That place is awesome! Here's the scoop - you pick the raw ingredients for your meal, in any combination you wish, there is a wide selection of meats, seafood, vegetables, or pasta then you pick a sauce. They have a dozen sauces and made there in the resturant! All the food is labeled where it came from, some local, some international. After you pick your perfect meal, they stir-fry it on an eight-foot grill - in front of you. You see how its prepared. Best part? All... you... can... eat for only $15.95! I can't wait to go back!

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See more pictures of her birthday party here.

Day out with Thomas, Edaville USA

Saturday, September 24th, 2005 TRAVEL: Northfield, MA to Carver, MA We left our apartment in the morning and headed east on route 2 for a little under an hour until we hit I-190. From there were turn some corners, drove a little ways and merged onto I-495 south. After about an hour on that road we were basically there. No surprises, no I think I was this way or that way, the directions Jillian found on Mapquest were great. When we got there we were greeted by an enourmous cow, later when we were leaving we discovered at the booth right besides it they were giving away free cups of icecream. Our first stop was the gift shop. We looked around there for a little while. Ryan got a Thomas placemat for the new house as well as a fork and spoon set. Also, he got a new coloring book. After the gift shop we were pretty lucky because the next picture opportunity with Sir Topham Hatt was about to begin. Afther the picture was taken we went around the park and went on a few rides, had some lunch and waited for our Thomas ride at 3:30. On the way back home we stopped at an I-Party and bought Ryan a Magic Wand and Hat then we walked to the Bickfords next door for dinner. Ryan was doing his magic trick, "Abra cadabra cracker disappear". I should have brought the camera in with us and taken a picture of it, he was so funny! Magic Greg from the Wiggles does a ball disappear trick - Ryan made his own version of that trick. I tried it but I couldn't do it, reassuring me Ryan said, "Its ok Dad, keep practicing." He's too much sometimes! All in all, it was a good day trip for us to all unwind together. Next weekend is our Big Move!

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Edaville USA Website Pictures of the trip

Northfield, Massachusetts: Historical Monuments, Markers and Plaques

This is a collection of pictures from various site in Northfield, Ma. I spent a couple days gathering these pictures. All are © Michael E. Henry. I spent the most time on the Tri-State and King Philip's hill markers. The tri-state marker is on private property, if your interested in finding it then I would suggest using google maps. Not pictured: Council Rock - Main and Maple Street Intersection / No longer there and Old Wendell Road Sign - Old Wendell Road and Maple Street Intersection / No longer there. Keywords = Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission, Monuments and Historical Markers, Massachusetts, MA, history, historic sites, colony, Northfield Massachusetts, Northfield

The Wiggles Concert Trip

Friday, August 26, 2005 - Day 1 TRAVEL: Northfield, MA to West Haven, CT In the morning, Ryan and I walked down to the Northfield Barbershop. We were third in line but the barber likes to chat it up so we were there for a little over an hour. We walked back home and loaded into the car. The first stop was Big Y. We grabbed some breakfast and enough food for the couple of days we'd be gone. With cooler packed, we took I-91 south to I-95 until we reached our hotel in West Haven, Connecticut. This trip was the easiest we've taken so far. Everything was really easy to find and even with the road construction there were no real delays. When we arrived at the hotel it was around 1pm. We tried to check-in but the hotel's check-in started at 3pm. On the way to the hotel we saw a sign for Christmas Tree Shops, so we set off to find it. We spent about an hour looking around and bought a couple of things for our new house. After Christmas Tree Shops, we drove around until we found Painter Park. We had lunch there and Ryan played for a while. From what we saw of this place it would be comparable to Look Park in Northampton. We drove back to the hotel and checked in. We relaxed in our room for a couple of hours until we drove over to New Colony Diner II in Bridgeport, CT to grab a bite to eat before the show. The concert began at 6:30 and was a little over an hour in length. It was actually pretty entertaining. As the show was starting, the monitor showed the Wiggles driving in their Big Red Car then they drove on the stage. The first song was Ryan's favorite, Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car. Actually, we heard all his favorite songs at the show - the Quack Quack song, Hot Potato, Fruit Salad, and the Emu song. These guys are a children's group, but they are actually pretty talented musicians. Murray, the red Wiggle, said he needed to tune his guitar then played Stairway to Heaven! They tried to keep the show as entertaining to the adults as it was for the children. Also, the guy that plays Captain Feathersword had a funny skit with his "magic buttons." They push the buttons on his shirt and he does different voices and sounds. One of the sounds I thought was a monkey, but Ryan knew it was a bird sound! Ryan crashed on the way out of the parking lot. I'm sure he had a good time. We got a concert program and a light stick thing with a pirate ship for him. Also, the seats we were in were the "Hot Potato" seats so we each received a gift bag that included a poster. Saturday, August 27, 2005 - Day 2 TRAVEL: West Haven, CT to Northfield, MA We woke up and had breakfast. The hotel offered a complimentary breakfast; juice, milk, ceral, donuts and bagels. We ate our fill then drove back over to Painter Park for a little while to let Ryan play. After the park, we headed out. On the way back home, we stopped in Northampton, MA to develop the roll of film and to look around a couple of stores. We returned home a little past 1pm.

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Wiggles Website Pictures of the trip