That was a good drum break

Alex has been taking drum lessons every Friday for the past 4 weeks. Here's a little peek as the instructor helps him do some beats and fills.

Jeff, Alex's drum teacher is also a first grade teacher.

Alex is livin' his School of Rock dreams.

Kayaking in Newport

Yesterday we decided to try kayaking in Newport. Southwind Kayak offers rentals right where PCH meets Newport Bay. It was $20 an hour for a 2-person kayak, but since Alex looks to be under 40 pounds, he could go in the middle. We set off on a cloudy afternoon, but that was fine as it kept us from getting too hot. The rental place recommended heading into the harbor first, as we would have the wind to our back on the return trip, when we were more tired.









I sat in front and Alex sat on David's lap in the back. Alex tried to row a few times, but he didn't really have any power, so David rowed and Alex just enjoyed the view. Though the harbor wasn't that busy, we stuck to the side, looking at all the mansions and their fancy boats. It took us about a half-hour to reach the main channel a half-mile away (where the wedding boats cruise) then we turned around and headed back for the bay. We cruised in there for a little while, not getting too far and headed back. It was tiring but a lot of fun for an hour.

After we were done, we headed next door to this little floating fish market. The outside looked very "yaaarrrr!" like an old sea captain. We bought a filet of halibut for under $5 and went home and fried it up. Yummy!

Another Independence Day

The day after our nation's Independence Day, we celebrated one of our own, as Alex rode his bike for the first time without training wheels. We still had to help him get started most of the time and ran after him just in case, but he was all smiles as he rode around the park. Between this and starting drum lessons 2 weeks ago, he's having a pretty big summer. Next step, swimming without a vest.