Family Mellmann

Christmas in Michigan with Oma and Opa Veeneman

I'm finally starting to see some good fall color.   This stand of trees greeted me on my walk this morning.

Today was a gorgeous day for a ride.  We rode into the Northeast Kingdom to check out a road that was reported to be quite scenic...it was very nice. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Kingdom Taproom and then finished our journey back to Williston with a stop at Still Smok'n BBQ.  It's an outdoor mobile food truck with some kickin' barbeque.  I love it when a small looks-like-nothin' place churns out don't-judge-a-book-by-its-cover awesome food.

Technically, the first day of school was Monday the 28th, but this picture was taken on Tuesday the 29th. You see, not every morning is a photo-friendly morning.  Sometimes we are disorganized, grumpy, and rushed (mostly disorganized and grumpy).  That was yesterday morning.  Everybody rushed out the door and by the time I realized I forgot to take THE pictur e, it was too late.  So I tried again this morning; things went much more smoothly this morning. Katherine is a newly minted eighth grader (yes, for those of you keeping track, she skipped the seventh grade). Patrick is on the downward slide towards graduation, entering his junior year.  And, yes, that's a motorcycle helmet hanging on his right arm and a tank bag in his left.  :)  There There   There are few cooler ways to get to school than on your motorcycle. I used to imagine what life would be like as an empty-nester with free time and fewer responsibilities. But as I commented ...

It's a good thing we have three cars in this family. :-) Well, technically it isn't a car, but when your favorite son leaves you stranded at home when you have a dentist appointment, it's better than nothing. 

I didn't do a very good job of documenting Patrick's solo trip on his motorcycle (neither did he).  He didn't send me too many pictures, but he did take this fun time-lapse video of him setting up his tent on the first night. His journey took him from home, through New York, up into Toronto Canada, and on into Michigan where he made a surprise visit to his grandparents in Grand Rapids.  He spent a few days enjoying the luxury of hanging out with Oma and Opa before getting back on the bike to head home.  His return trip took him down into Indiana, through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, back into Vermont. It sounds like he had a really good time on this adventure, and learned that while he does enjoy riding on his own, he prefers sharing such experiences with others.  Perhaps his next adventure will be with a buddy (or his Mom). :)

It's not as if Patrick hasn't ventured from home on his own before.  Shoot, he had an epic summer travel schedule that put him on the soils of seven countries, some of which he experienced on his own...without parents.  He's even had a big summer motorcycle adventure...with parents.  But this is his first solo motorcycle adventure/road trip...without parents. He has a plan, a little money, a GPS (and a map), a sleeping bag, and all the motorcycle gear, and - of course - clean underwear.  We're only 'generally' aware of his travel plans, and we know roughly when he plans to be home (in time for our annual camping weekend with friends), but where he goes in between is part of the mystery and exploration that defines "road trip". He's not taking his own bike on this trip, but the slightly stronger (more powerful) bike that Joerg bought last fall.  It's a Yamaha SR 400, and it's got all the right stuff for this trip; a metal tank (perf...

These guys have been making a regular appearance in my garden.  The cardinal has a partner, but I seldom see them close enough together to take their picture.  The squirrels are plentiful and always fun to watch - even if they are getting into my "squirrel-proof" feeders.  And the little thief on the bottom came by to harvest some fibers from my flower basket; he managed to get quite a mouthful before flying off.

One of us is working, three of us are playing. It doesn't take a brilliant imagination to figure out which one is working. Of those of us who are playing, one is practicing music with an instrumental ensemble (Patrick), one of us is playing video games (Katherine), and one of us is keeping the fire alive. I suppose, if you were creative, you could call this work. I'm burning through all the scrap wood from the old play structure, the construction of our deck, and taekwondo boards. After all, someone has to do it. ;-)

Last summer I set up this little space on the side of our property for a swing and a fire pit. By the time I got the work done I was out of energy to use it.   It was always easy to find something more "pressing" to do with my time; run a load of laundry, do something in the office, file this, handle that…watch TV. It took a heart attack to remind me, in a very tangible way, what has real value; that there will always be movies to watch, games to play, chores to do, and things to take care of.  So, right now I'm enjoying a fire in the fire pit, swinging in my swing, and reading a book (as soon as I make this post).

Patrick and Grace tiptoe through the tulips to the tune of Edelweiss.

As a family, we often do work together. However, it is usually each person off doing a particular task in a different area of the house. It isn't often that I get to see everybody working together in one place where I can take a picture. So, here they are; everyone pitching in to help get dinner ready; shrimp and vegetable skewers for the grill.

A few years ago I purchased a piece of software that would allow me to write and print music that I could use for the elementary music classes and beginner hand chimes at school.  About a year ago, Patrick started to tinker with that software and began creating original works.  As he experimented with sound, volume, rhythm, and technique, his music has become more and more organized, and a bit more polished. Tonight, we had the privilege of hearing one of his pieces performed by the high school orchestra (they call themselves a string ensemble) in a neighboring town (Mount Mansfield Union High School). Here it is, an original work by Patrick Mellmann.  "Trout" Here is what they wrote in the program: "The composer realizes that the name "Trout" is rather strange. He did not want the name to give any preconceived notions as to the theme of the song. He says, "I wanted the music to "speak" for itself. When I name my music I take the first ob...

Spring weather has finally arrived. That means practice can be outside now!

The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and I can hear the river running full of melting snow in the background. This is recuperating (and getting a little work done) in style.

The view out my office window today looks more like a snow globe than a front yard. Perhaps this would be a good evening for a fire in the fireplace and a good book...right after I plow the driveway and shovel the sidewalk.

Katherine has been taking drum lessons for awhile now, but she hasn't been practicing at home. At first, her teacher told her her to just practice on her knees, but then it was time to actually practice on drums, but we didn't have any. We fixed that this Christmas with a nice set of drums for her. See? Check out this great music room.  We got a new keyboard...complete with stand AND seat (no more playing on your knees...some of us can't do that anymore), drums, amp, lots of guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, recorders, nice music stand, there's a double bass around the corner, trumpets, autoharp...theres probably more, but I can't think of everything.  It's all in there.  Oh, and I organized all my music.  All that work...and she still won't play at home. So, at her lesson this week, I went into the shop to take care of some business, and while I was there I got to hear her play.  I decided to capture some video, but I got greedy and rounded the corner to see...