The greed of gain has no time limit to its capaciousness.  Its one object is to produce and consume.  It has pity neither for beautiful nature nor for living human beings.  It is ruthlessly ready without a moment’s hesitation to crush beauty and life.  ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Seven is such a stinker!  Actually both dogs are, but this one takes the cake, or should I say the aluminum foil.  I think I’ve mentioned it a time or two how Scooby and Seven are like children Dogs Acting Like Two-Year Olds! – Aunt Heather Piper.  Yep, that still holds true today, maybe even more so.

Last Wednesday or Thursday, dad had the dogs out. Naturally, being cooped up in the house all day while the parents were at work, makes the beasts a little hyperactive and rebellious. Nothing new, except this one came in the form of mischief that ended badly.  Mom put the garbage out on the porch, why she placed the bag of unwanted items by the the trash can instead of in it, I will never know, but Scooby took this as a sign to help himself.  He chewed a hole in the bag and began to pull out goodies, at least according to him.  Dad saw the disaster unfolding and yelled at the blond troublemaker.  Just then Scooby dropped the wad of aluminum from his mouth, my guess mom cooked with it and it still had a food taste.  At that moment, dad said Seven ran up to troublemaker number one, Scooby, and snatched up the wad of aluminum foil like it was gold and downed it in one big gulp. Dad didn’t even have a chance to get it from Seven.  Yes, Seven swallowed, in one big gulp a mass of aluminum foil the size of his fist. What? Are you kidding me? Seriously? Was that necessary? Seven just didn’t want Scooby to have what Scooby “found”. Greedy dog!

Now what?  We knew that couldn’t be good for troublemaker number two, Seven, but what do you do?  Mom called the vet to ask the professionals.  They said we had to temporarily remove Seven from his usual diet of dog food and start giving him small amounts of chicken and rice.  Well, then what do we do with Scooby who wanted what Seven was getting? Again greedy little buggers!  We gave them both small amounts of chicken and rice.  Mom did slip Scooby a bit more, while monitoring them.  Like children, you can’t turn your back on the greedy beasts.  It was almost comical, because of Scooby’s orneriness he was now on a diet too.  This was suppose to go on until either Seven passed the wad of aluminum foil, or Seven showed signs of sickness, meaning the item was lodged.  At that point we were instructed to take troublemaker number two to the animal hospital for surgery.  Yikes!  As humorous as this was, and almost unbelievable, I didn’t want that.

By the time I saw Seven last Friday he seemed perfectly fine.  The only problem was, we really didn’t know if he passed the obstruction.  The dogs have a nice area to run around and they usually go into the woods to do their business.  And let’s face it mom and dad are not going to run around checking the dogs fertilizer in the woods.  Not to mention trying to keep up with those two is next to impossible, even for me.

As Saturday rolled around, me and Kyle took the boys out for their weekly hike.  The ground was covered in a blanket of white, a few inches or so, and the sky was dropping more fluffy white snowflakes all around us, really quite pretty.  Unlike other hikes, my goal was not to take in the scenery, but to get Seven’s digestive system moving along.  The hole hike I watched him intently so I could check on the outcome of his bathroom duties.  Gross!  But someone had to do it.  I really wanted to report back to mom and dad with a victorious, passed!  But alas it did not happen.

As Kyle and I hiked through the woods, a rather difficult course might I add to give Seven a good workout but to Kyle’s demise, Kyle and I started talking about the issue.  He was concerned, as was the rest of the family, about Seven’s health and what was going to happen.  I took this situation as an opportunity to prove a point.  Nonchalantly, I said, “See what happens with greed. You get a shiny turd!” Kyle laughed and agreed.  To reinforce my point, I continued “If Seven wasn’t being greedy and wanting everything Scooby had, then we wouldn’t be in this position.  Now Seven has to take longer walks (not that he minded) and he is only allowed small proportions of grub.  No more all you can eat.  Let’s not forget, the worst case scenario, he will need surgery to remove the aluminum foil.”  Kyle pondered my summary and nodded in agreement.

By Sunday, Seven was running around and playing, although early in the morning he was making a retching noise like he was going to blow chunks, but nothing.

Once Monday rolled around, to ensure all was good, mom took Seven to the vet for an X-ray.  The wad of foil moved from his stomach, through his small intestines and into his large intestines.  Well that’s a good sign, things are moving along so to speak.  The doctor put Seven on these horse pills and re-outlined his eating choices.  He was allowed dog food and a special treat, Mom was to give him a slice of bread a day coated in Vaseline.  Yuck!  As mom said it, I was gagging.  Kyle was talking to mom on the phone at the time and all I heard was Kyle inaccurately repeating “You have to give him bread with gasoline?”  Kyle was horror struck!  All of a sudden, my attention was moved from our ravioli dinner to the conversation.  Once mom clarified she said Vaseline and not gasoline, Kyle was put at rest.  A little disgusted but not alarmed.

During all this, something struck me as a mystery.  I asked mom how they got Seven to sit still while they took the X-ray.  As a waving thought mom uttered, “You know, I’m not sure. I wasn’t allowed to go back with him.”  Outraged, I retorted, “Mom! They probably clubbed him and you didn’t know!” Kyle busted out laughing at that comment, which did uncover a giggle from me. To reassure us of Seven’s well-being, mom interjected, “I think they gassed him.”  To make it easier on everyone involved on this call, Kyle and I were listening to the conversation on speaker phone.  We both looked at each other after that declaration and lost all control and busted out laughing.  The way mom blurted that out, was too funny!  Not letting and opportunity like that one pass me up, I added, “That’s what we need, is for that dog to have more gas!”  All three of us found such humor at the expense of Seven.

Needless to say when a member of the Piper family is in trouble, the rest of the family is on standby, following up and offering support.  Mom has been keeping us all in the loop via email, phone and text.  On Tuesday, I received an email from mom stating that she had to sleep on the couch with Seven on the floor beside her.  Apparently, those pills gave him gas and mom was afraid of Seven having an accident in bed.  She said every time the dog passed gas, she would get up and take him outside in case he had to make a deposit.  Nothing!  Not really finding this funny, probably due to a lack of sleep, mom said, “He would just stand on the porch and look at me like ‘what?’.”  That’s our Seven.  Who would have thought we would be going through this when we picked him up from the pound.

As of today, there were no accidents in Seven’s corralled area of the kitchen.  Did he pass the aluminum foil?  No one really knows for certain, due to the fact the restroom for the dogs is in the woods.  There could be a foil lined pile of crap by a big tree.  I’ll take them for an extra long hike this weekend to make sure everything is moving along, but Seven seems happy and healthy and Scooby is excited he is no longer on a diet. Our boys, they are such a part of the Piper family.  As I’ve said to Kyle greed is a shiny turd!

Car designers are just going to have to come up with an automobile that outlasts the payments.  ~Erma Bombeck

Ryan showing off his 1967 Chevelle. He loved that car!

A little while back we received the movie Days of Thunderwith Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman from Netflix. Anytime we talk about that movie, a huge smile surfaces from everyone. You see Ryan loved that flick, that and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Dick Van Dyke!  It wasn’t his top favorites because the script was a piece of literary genius, nor was the cinematography revolutionary, nor was the acting exceptional. Nope, Ryan loved it because it involved racing cars. That’s it!

Ryan, being one of the 75 million NASCAR fans, loved racing. In fact, he even raced his own 1967 Chevelle locally in Jennerstown and in Keystone. If my memory serves me correctly he won a few times.  I’m guessing Ryan loved racing so much because of his love of cars and working on them, mechanically speaking. That’s a whole other topic, but putting it simply Ryan new how to work on vehicles, fix them and drive them.

About the same time I got my drivers license, my Uncle Tex passed away.  Being my grandpap Chester’s brother, he came from an era of large automobiles, big!.  Upon his passing, Uncle Tex left behind a few cars, some where nicer than others. One happened to be a 1976 Buick Limited.  I sincerely can’t remember the exact year, but mom and I knew it was in the mid 1970’s.  Regardless, the car, besides being large and showing its age, was not wanted by anyone in the family.

Since I was without wheels and just passed my driving test, my cousins approached me and asked if I wanted the Buick. Incidentally, Uncle Tex’s grandson, my cousin Timmy took me to get my license.  My answer…heck ya! It was black with red interior. The solid steel frame was built like a tank that could have been mistaken for a hurse. It had a bench seat in the front and the back and being an automatic, I was told was a luxurious feature at the time.  Great!  I didn’t care what it looked like, or if it was a stick or automatic, I could drive either and I wanted car freedom.

Same tape player Nicole had & I used in my first car, since it didn’t have a radio.

Was it slightly rusted and worn down? Yes it was, and I totally loved it!  There were only two major items that needed to be addressed.  The most important, it didn’t have a radio!  Well, I couldn’t certainly go cruising around without tunes!  Immediately fixing that poor situation, I took my sister’s old tape player and set it on the front seat to play tapes.  Anyone who rode with me, not only was my co-pilot but they were also acting DJ.  That was still the era when we would make mixed tapes for each other, so the music selection was not at a shortage. Yes CDs were around and gaining in popularity, but tapes were still as equally as popular. The next big item was the gas gauge. It was broken, meaning the needle never moved with or without gas in the tank. To fix this dilemma was going to be costly so mom showed me how to record my mileage in a notebook she got me. Every time I filled up at the gas station, I was suppose to record the date and my mileage. Then, I could gauge how much fuel was floating around in the tank. Seems pretty simple, yet see if a teenager was going to be that detailed. Nope, not me.

There were a number of occasions that I ran out of gas. I never really fretted much over it. Back then, cell phones may have just started to show up in cars, but nothing like they are today. Once Black Beauty, that was her name, would suck the gas tank dry, I would pull over and continue on foot to the nearest house to use their phone. Luckily, every time I called, which maybe amounted to two or three times, Ryan was there and he came with a gas tank to get me going again to the nearest gas station. Ryan never seemed to mind or gave the appearance that he was put out by my requests. In fact, he would laugh at me and was always quick with his rescue missions. Although I must say, I know he gave me the typical grin with the eye roll.

Kyle riding his bike c. 2003

On a side note, I don’t think Ryan had his license at some point when I called upon him, just realizing that fact now. Ryan was twenty-one months younger than me. That explains why he didn’t mind coming to my aide, he wasn’t technically allowed to drive yet. Well, I still appreciated him regardless.

Not being a mechanic so bear with me, for the details may be off. It started one bright sunny day. Really! It was a beautiful day and to heed my mom’s warnings of my continuous efforts of running out of gas, technically her treats of me being stranded one day, I decided to pull over at a local gas station. It was off the clover leaf, between Latrobe and Youngstown. The gas station is no longer there, but the building is. After filling up, well not literally, Black Beauty had such a large gas tank, I don’t think I ever really filled it up, so after ensuring I wouldn’t get stranded within the next few miles I was ready to head out.

As I brought the engine to a roar, smoke started pouring out of my exhaust. What the heck? I was afraid to put the car in drive, so I sat there for a few minutes thinking the smoke was going to clear out.  To be honest, I thought some gas managed to spill down over the exhaust and was burning off.  Well, it didn’t stop!  In fact, the smoke got worse the longer I sat till it engulfed the entire gas station with a wall of smoke!  Yikes!  Eventually, I left and noticed the smoke wasn’t bad until I sat at a red light, then my car would become invisible by the polluted air.

After finishing my errands, since I wasn’t far from mom and dad’s house, I made my way home.  No one was there as I arrived and by the time the household was full of bodies, I had forgotten about my car issue.  That is, until I walked in on Ryan telling mom and dad some story about a gas station being smoked out and really laughing about it.  What? Was that too coincidental?

This is a 1975 Buick Limited… this was not my car, I couldn’t find a picture of it, but that’s what it resembled.

Ryan went on about someone smoking out the gas station.  He was really cracking up.  He said he couldn’t even see the gas pumps or the other cars. What? I turned to him and asked if he was talking about the same gas station I was, the very same one I had my incidence earlier.  He confirmed my suspicion!  In shock, I said, “Ryan that was me!” Being as baffled as I was, he said, “That was you causing all that smoke?” After we sorted out the details and realized we were both talking about the same gas station, the same wall of smoke at the same time, Ryan laughed and said, “It looked like Days of Thunder!”

Clearly that was not what I wanted to hear.  I said, “I can’t believe you drove right past me without stopping to help!” He defended himself by saying, “Heather I didn’t know that was you, I just saw smoke filling up the gas station!” Did I believe him? Yes, he would have stopped to help me if he knew, but that didn’t make his laughter toward me easier to take.

Evidently, I blew a head gasket or two in my car. Eventually, dad and Ryan fixed the problem, but up until then, I smoked out my fellow road warriors when I approached a red light or lingered too long at a stop sign. Pulling up to a friend’s house to pick them up with the car idling, forget it.  That was out of the question.

My first car, Black Beauty was awesome! My sister never drove it, she was afraid of the size of the old Buick. Ryan and I didn’t care, and mom and dad certainly didn’t have a problem with us driving around in the beast.  It was wheels and not much could have happened with that much steel separating us from a potential collision.  Let’s not forget, it was my first car that was FREE.  If there were dents or any additional damage to the car, no one cared.

Black Beauty gave me a few good years before meeting the junk yard.  I got a call when I was in Ontario, Canada on a band trip saying she rolled out for the last time.  Actually it was Ryan who informed me the car had expired.  I wasn’t happy about the situation and I especially wasn’t happy to hear Ryan was driving the car around while I was away, but I didn’t care.  I considered it his too.  I’ll never forget my first car!  What an experience!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Theme Song

When I got my first television set, I stopped caring so much about having close relationships.  ~Andy Warhol

With Christmas behind us, many people are putting their new gifts to use, especially the electronics.  This year, my sister got me the iPad3 with retina Display.  Boy was I surprised!  I didn’t expect that at all, and a really gracious gift it was.

Me & Ryan with Ryan’s “new” TV- not my sister’s.  He eventually blew it up when he decided to take it apart to see how it worked, he forgot to unplug it.  1980’s

While I was online reviewing accessories for my new toy, I got into talking to my friend Kelly.  She was helping me pick out the perfect messenger bag for toting my iPad.  I have no idea what made me think of it, but the memory of my sister’s dedicated television set just shot in my mind, no doubt due to the sheer humor of it.  Perhaps this walk down memory lane is so amazing because of the world of disposable goods we live in, but regardless it’s a tale worth sharing.

On the previous thought, let me rant for a few.  Everyone is used to getting rid of what they have for the desire of something new.  Personally, I think that’s a shame in most cases.  What really cracks me up, are those individuals who purchase the items that are old because they are retro and now the trendy thing to have again, when in fact, they probably had the same thing years prior and paid a lot less for it originally.  I will admit I have fallen into this trap a time or two, but for the most part I’m pretty content with what I have and I never feel the need for the newest, or something perceived as better or bigger or flashier or whatever.  I’m a pretty practical person and I love items that will be of use.

As with everything there are exceptions to the rule.  If I had serious loot, I mean Mark Zucherburg moola or Warren Buffett’s checkbook, I would have the grandest of all art collections.  Even though I am simple, I do appreciate the finer things and especially those that represent beauty and history.  A Caspar David Friedrich would certainly be at the top of my list since he is one of my favorite artists.  Admittingly, one of my biggest indulgence wishes would be to own a piece of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelery collection.  I do love jewelery!  Did I mention it’s an investment piece that has longevity?  So in my mind a practical one.  Perhaps that’s the secret formula to my justification of purchases, will it have longevity?  Maybe, but what about items that are not suppose to last for decades, literally?  Again that’s why God made us all different, so we have to rely on one another to survive.  Plus I think it makes the world more interesting.

Now I’m back on track to outline my sister’s loyal TV story.  Way long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, Nicole and I received a color television set for Christmas.  Who’s TV set it really was, I have no idea, but we did get it sometime in elementary school, mid 1980’s.  Back then, it was a special thing to have a color television in our room, at least in our family.  We loved it!  The screen was probably a foot square and maybe 18 inches long with rabbit ears and no remote control.  Believe it or not, it was fresh off of the store shelves and represented a new shiny toy for us.  It meant more than something new, it mean TV freedom!

We only had the one large television set, which resembled a piece of furniture in the house.  It resided in the living-room.  The actual TV set was color, encompassed in a fake wooden box with rabbit ears sticking out of the top.  Only having a single TV unit in the house made watching our choice of shows far and few between.  Not that there was a lot to watch on TV back then, but the evenings were owned by dad.  The shows included the news and I’ve seen every episode of National Geographic and Marty Stouffer!  Reflecting back on it now, I really did enjoy those shows.  I am a big fan of the NATGEO channel, Animal Planet and the History Channel, as is Kyle.  But being young and not having an option, I didn’t welcome such shows into my list of favorites and put my nose up to them.  To not make it sound like we were always chained to undesirable shows, I must give a shout out to Saturday morning cartoons.  That was our time to watch whatever we wanted, up until noon.

Nicole graduates from Penn State with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering 1997

Nicole and I set the TV up on our desk and pointed it toward our twin beds, which ran parallel to the room.  We made sure we both had full access to the small screen while stretching out.  In our minds, this was the life!  We struck gold!  Now in the evenings or anytime mom and dad were watching something we didn’t want to view, we could retreat to our room and change the channel.  The TV was not beneficial when Nicole and I couldn’t agree on anything, but again lucky for us there weren’t a lot of choices.

That TV brought whole new worlds to our small corner of the globe.   Nicole introduced me to Saturday Night Live, she was always a night owl in the summer, perfect timing for the show.  To this day I remember watching Love Connection hosted by Chuck Woolery over our summer vacations.  We loved that show and would take most of the afternoon to plan for it, preparing snacks and making sure the TV was on the channel so we wouldn’t miss a beat.  Before MTV came to fruition, we would watch a music video show that was on late at night, can’t remember the name.  This was as hip as we could get, still about a decade behind everyone else, but we didn’t care.  Sometimes, Ryan would accompany us, pick a bed, and join in on the fun.  That was the perfect rainy day, lazy day, sick day, avoiding work day, gift.

As time passed, the TV would be moved around in our bedroom, but always positioned in plain sight.  That is until we reached senior high school.  Nicole was involved in her activities and I had colorguard, winterguard and my Friday Night Bonkers’ plans.  So no one had time for the now outdated and too small TV, but we always kept it.

Once Nicole went to college, she decided to take the TV with her.  This rejected but once loved piece of electronic, accompanied Nicole for two years at Penn State McKeesport before lugging it all the way up to main campus.  Come to think of it, I believe I was the one who physically moved it.  Then, while at Penn State main, the TV followed her to her different apartments before she graduated in 1997.

After that, Nicole moved home for a brief period, getting a job in her field locally.  I couldn’t believe my eyes when she brought the TV back!  It made a full circle over the course of five years.  I wanted her to get rid of it but she refused and that trusty TV was still working.  At this point that television set was roughly 15 years old!  What name brand?  I have no idea, but I was sincerely impressed.

Mom & Jake… check out the old TV & VCR behind

Then, within a months time, or so, Nicole got a job in Maryland.  Yep, you guessed it, the TV set traveled with her!  Being in shock, that first of all the TV still worked was one thing, but that my sister wanted to haul this outdated television set with her, was another baffling thought all together.  She did, with pride!  Having your first apartment outside of college and your first real job, I get it.  After all she really didn’t have anything, she was basically just starting out her life.

Then Nicole moved to Tucson, Arizona, where she remained for around five years.  Did I mentioned she moved there on a job promotion?  Staying with the same company all that time and making her way up the corporate ladder, Nicole kept her roots.  Let’s take inventory.  TV set still working and with Nicole?  YES!

Now I’m going to fast forward a few years, when Nicole lived and worked in West Virginia before landing to present day Virginia in the D.C. Metro Area.

First Nicole live in a townhouse, where her TV set had a place to call home.  By this time, we’ve all gotten used to this television set, so when visiting Nicole, wherever she resided, we started to look for the TV.  It’s funny but once when mom was talking to Nicole, dad yell out, “Ask her how her TV is doing?”  I cracked up over that comment.  Good one dad!

In recent years, now that we’ve hit the twenty first century and Nicole bought a house, one would think she would have dropped all dead weight, especially since her purchase of a brand new flat screen TV was welcomed in her living-room.  Nope!  Nicole kept that TV around.  But I’m not talking about putting it in storage.  It always had a shelf and was still used!

On my first trip to stay at Nicole’s, after moving into her house, I must say I was completely dumbstruck, as were mom and dad who were with me.  Kyle didn’t seem to think anything of this TV or our confusion.  Nicole seriously had this television set sitting on a shelf in her bedroom.  I was dying!  We all stood around and gazed at it as if we were in a museum and weren’t allowed to touch it.  I swear I saw the TV give us a defiant grin.  If you would have seen me, mom and dad standing there staring at this ancient piece of electronic, which projected entertainment from the eighties, you would have thought we just witnessed a miracle.  Dad even rolled his eyes!  Too funny!  Nicole laughed and showed us how it still worked, although the on/off switch was no longer there so she had to plug it in and unplug it to power off.  It still had the rabbit ears!  Now, that was dedication on my sister’s behalf for keeping this old TV around.

Eventually, the inevitable happened.  We got a call informing us the loyal television set, fired up for the last time and then turned off forever!  Wow, I must say mom and dad got their money’s worth.  That happened a few years ago, so I would have to guess the TV set was about 28 years old when it retired.  Not too shabby!  Maybe we should have given it a proper burial, but at least we always have the memories!

And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.  It’s the life in your years.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Happy Birthday dad!!  Dad has hit the 62 year mark today!  Believe it or not, I think dad has been hunting and fishing for most of those years, longer than we were around and certainly a lot longer than Kyle has been in existence.  Dad is our very own Grizzly Adams or sometimes I like to refer to him by one of his heroes, Jeremiah Johnson.  Take a few minutes to see the many years of dad.

The upper left corner picture shows mom and dad boarding a bus from Aschaffenburg, Germany for a weekend trip to Holland in the spring 1971.  Dad was still in the army.  Going clockwise, the next picture is dad catching salmon in Michigan.  He said he went there with the Schober boys (family friends).  Below, is a picture of dad with his beloved grandson, Kyle.   That was Kyle’s first Christmas in 2001.  He was five months old sporting his red long underwear that opened up at the rear, similar to a pair dad owns.  Moving to the left, dad was sitting there watching TV or talking to someone, c. 1990.  Mom said the picture was taken during the time period before dad left for Colorado.  He went there to naturally go on a hunting trip for shoot mule deer.  Then, the picture directly above, is dad at Somerset Lake catching a pike, 1971.  Check out the 1966 BelAir Chevy right behind him.

I recently learned something quite interesting about video games.  Many young people have developed incredible hand, eye, and brain coordination in playing these games.  The air force believes these kids will be our outstanding pilots should they fly our jets.  ~Ronald Reagan

Nicole, Mom & Ryan hanging at grams house 1984

This past Christmas Kyle got a PlayStation 3 (PS3), not that he needed an additional means to play more video games.  But just as expected, he was ecstatic over the purchase.  What really cracks me up, is he has the Wii with a boatload of video games and Wii Fitness, which he barely plays anymore.  Let’s not forget all the games he’s purchased on his iPod Touch, the computer and he still plays with his Nintendo DS.  I guess he has a game for any occasion and any location.

With the availability of this new console, my sister decided to encourage his already obsessive behavior by purchasing him his very own Burnout Paradise and a few other games.  Kyle LOVES that game.  Every year since the establishment of ‘Aunt Nikki and Kyle’s Week of Fun’ Kyle has practically mastered the game and dreams about playing that game every year before vacationing at Nicole’s house.  In fact, if he hears Paradise City by Guns N’ Roses, he’ll get in this almost nostalgic state and have a yearning to visit my sister to play.  No joke!  He’s actually said to me, “Aunt Heather now I really want to go to Aunt Nikki’s to play Burnout Paradise.”  Now Nicole and Kyle can play Burnout Paradise with each other in the evenings.  Since my sister is four hours away, this is kind of a neat way to hang out, through a video game.  I guess any excuse to spend time with each other is a good excuse.

Kyle playing his Nintendo DS.  T-shirt courtesy of Aunt Nikki c. 2009

Sometimes I wonder if the desire to play video games is an inherited behavior.  Ryan wasn’t really that into video games, he would rather be outside hunting and fishing or working on cars.  Playing every once in a while, I can say I’m not really big into video games myself.  I would rather be reading, snowboarding, running or hiking.  My sister, although I would never constitute her as a gamer, does like to play video games more than any of us.  My dad, forget it.  He’s never touched a computer and the only Wii game he’s ever played was Cabela’s Hunting.  Probably because we have a plastic gun type of accessory to house the Wii remote control, giving it that kind of hunting feel.  Mom will sit and play a Wii game if Kyle pleads with her to do so.  She tries, but the games are a lot more complex than they used to be and her eyesight isn’t all that great.  Let’s not forget her reflexes aren’t what they used to be either.  How do I know?  Mom had the potential to be a modern day gamer.

Way long time ago, in the 1980’s, when Atari came out, my parents purchased us the console and a few games.  Prior to, we had a very basic game called Pong.  Not too exciting but was enough to stimulate us for a while.  Now, when the Atari arrived, it did catch our attention, at least initially.  We had Frogger, always one of my favorites and still is.  As a matter of fact, I downloaded it to our Wii console but the desire to play it isn’t there anymore.  On a side note, Seinfeld did an episode on Frogger.  It was great!

Another game which logged a lot of hours was Combat.  This one required two players and dad owned it!  Within Combat, there were different games such as tanks or airplanes.  Basically you shot each other up until someone was out of ammo.  That was up dad’s alley, not really my bag.  Ryan on the other hand loved Pole Position!  This was his cup of tea.  It was a racing game whereas you viewed the screen as if you were really driving the car.  You needed to avoid other drivers, maneuver around curves and avoid crashing.   It was fun picking the different courses.

I can’t remember Nicole having a favorite game, but I’m sure she did.  A few other videos we owned included Q-Bert, Space Invaders, Pitfall, Missile Command and Donkey Kong.  There were many more games to purchase, but we didn’t get new ones just because we wanted them, only for special occasions, unlike kids of today.

This is what our Atari console looked like! Love the 80’s!

Intentionally, I left one game out of the list because it is the spotlight of my rant.  The one the only, the original Pac-Man!  I look at Pac-Man as the Angry Birds of our present day.  Coming as part of the Atari console package, along with Combat, Pac-Man was the game!  There was even a cartoon made to continue the phenomenon.  Being a relatively simple game, your yellow Pac-Man guy had to eat these dots or pills in the maze without being attacked from Blinky (Red), Inky (light blue), Pinky (Pink) and Clyde (Orange), the ghosts.  Naturally there were opportunities to power up and gain additional points.  Each level became faster and faster and the mazes changed slightly, becoming increasingly difficult.

Back in the day, mom was our master Pac-Man master.  She really was, without question.  Presently, we relive this tale of how the most unassuming member of the family, who stood on the sidelines watching everyone take their shot at the title, turned into a Pac-Man powerhouse behind closed doors.  Yes mom, kicked all of our butts!  I’ll never forget the day we realized mom rained supreme with this simple Atari game.

Mom doesn’t look like she’s having a nice day… 1980’s

It happened on the most ordinary of days.  Upon filing into the house after coming home from school, we naturally ran to the Atari console to challenge each other to a game, letting our hair down and relaxing before homework.  One of us, either me, Ryan or Nicole plugged in the Pac-Man game.  The high score glowed throughout the room, blinding our eyes and taunted us like a cruel joke.  We seriously didn’t say anything at first and just kind of stared at each other wondering who accomplished this feet without everyone knowing, and when?  Just then, mom walked into the living-room sporting a huge grin on her face, as if proud of herself for kicking her very own flesh and blood’s scores to the curb, in a single day!  Mom’s master craftsmanship of game playing was done in one day, while we were at school and dad at work.

Remaining stunned and in complete shock, we challenged mom to a game of Pac-Man, but alas it was a futile attempt at reclaiming our place, ever.  For the duration of the Atari gaming system in our household, mom was undefeated.  We sincerely tried, all of us.  We also had our cousins up, but alas the damage had been done.

Mom played Pac-Man so much her wrists would even flare up and bother her, but she would push through the discomfort for the thrill of the game.  Sometimes we would have mom play just so we could watch her and learn the next levels in case one day we would make it that far.  Mom was seriously fast with her ninja-like reflexes.  It’s almost like she was using The Force to guide her through the mazes.

What was mom’s top score?  Seriously, I don’t even remember and neither does she, but I do remember it was always better than any score I’ve ever seen on any free standing Pac-Man machines found in the arcades and any friends Atari console.  Mom doesn’t really play anymore but she still lives the memories of her gaming days through this story.  Kyle doesn’t really understand, even though he knows what Pac-Man is, we had a Plug & Play containing old Atari games.  But I can tell he really can’t visualize what I’ve witnessed and what we lived to tell the tale.

Looks like mom was the Piper family’s original gamer!  Look out Kyle if you ever decide to challenge Gigi to a game of Pac-Man, you will be rudely awakened!

We all started snowboarding in the beginning as a family just to be closer together, go on trips.  It was our soccer, but instead of dad yelling at me from the sideline he is there riding with me and hitting the jumps even before I am hitting them.  ~Shaun White

Me, Casey & Kyle taking a break from snowboarding. The Foggy Goggle fireplace is the best! 7 Springs 2009

Snowboarding has become something of our thing between me and Kyle, starting him when he was three years old.  One snowy day at my parents house, I decided to strapped my snowboard on and ride it down my uncle’s field.  Kyle was fascinated by the sport.  S0 I placed his little feet between my binding on the board, held his hands and rode him down through the powder.  Kyle just loved it!  Now I wasn’t going fast, or doing anything special.  We just rode the one side of the board and fell over into piles of snow when we felt like the run was done.  He seriously had a blast!  We both walked up and down the hill and I strapped myself in and out of my bindings countless times that day.  On a side note, I was beat!  My legs and arms got a workout!   We rode past sunset and all the way into night.  Kyle didn’t want to stop, he wouldn’t admit he was getting cold and wet, but I knew better.  Since we started in my parents yard and passed over the driveway before heading down the field, sometimes I would get stuck on the driveway.  Dad joined in on the unplanned fun and assisted us by giving me little pushes to get us going.  That one random fun day started Kyle’s love of snowboarding.  In fact, at one point Kyle looked up at me and said, “Aiya I’m a snowboarder!”  With a huge proud grin spanning my face, I encouragingly said, “Yes you are buddy!”

Kyle throws me a smile while riding the chairlift at Snowshoe WV… snowboarding fun! 2010

A bit small and young to be riding, I decided to try Kyle out anyway.  I figured he was low to the ground and pretty patted so what could it hurt?  Kyle really enjoyed snowboarding or at least the idea of it.  When he was four years old, I took him up on the slopes to officially ride his first run.  He was fearless and loved it!  Since I never taught a youngster to ride before, I thought it might be better to get him an instructor.  That was his Christmas gift, I purchased him instructor lessons and his jacket, bibs and gloves.

His first lesson was at Hidden Valley.  As soon as he reached the top of the Bunny Slope, we strapped him in and helped Kyle to his feet.  Instantly, he stretched one arm out in front and one behind himself, like he was giving us a yoga pose.  He turned to the instructor and said, “Let me go!”  A very puzzled and shocked instructor looked at me, I shrugged and gave the nod.  Kyle went down the run and even did a little jump, only maybe a inch from the ground, but never lost composure.  When he eventually crashed in a pile of snow, he gave me the biggest grin from his tiny little round head.  I knew he was hooked!

Kyle ready to get on the chairlift at 7 Springs 2009

A year later when Kyle turned five I took him back up to the slopes.  Since he was a little man, I’ve always and still do, rent his boots and board.  Trying to keep up with repurchasing his gear year-over-year to coinside with his growth spurts just seemed silly.  Plus, I never knew if he was going to change his mind and decide he didn’t want to be a boarding dude anymore.  So far so good, he still loved snowboarding and was having a blast.

One trip to Seven Springs had me in stitches.  Kyle was riding down the bottom of Fawn, and every time he would crash I helped to his feet, so to speak.  Kyle’s swimming instructor, who also happened to be a ski instructor was there with us.  She was along for the ride, and I’m sure for the pure humor of the day.  It only takes an instant for something to happen.  In this case it was one of the funniest sights ever seen on the mountain.

As Kyle rolled into the powder, I helped him up and literally helped him right out of his boot, which were incidentally strapped into the bindings, attached to the snowboard.  Again, Kyle was pretty young and little to be snowboarding, which means his boots didn’t quite fit him.   We had to settle for the smallest boots and board they had, but even with thick socks the boots were still too big.  So needless to say, the gravity and the slick snow did their job and allowed the board to continue on its course of action, without Kyle.  It was hilarious!  The boots were still perfectly strapped onto the board as it ran away from us.  Just then, Kyle in his bright blue winter socks and wearing his helmet that looked like a planet sitting on his tiny shoulders, were running down the slope after the escaped.  It was the funniest sight!  This little guy of about three feet, wearing Smurf blue socks, a noggin that was too big for his frame (his head was always large and round) and his little limbs sticking out from his sides like he was Ralphie in the Christmas Story, was working his way toward the runaway snowboard.  I was dying!  Not being able to assist Kyle, as the onlookers saw, I was laying in the middle of the trail laughing so hard, tears fell from my eyes.  I will say it again, that was one of the funniest sights!  I wasn’t the only one who found humor in the event that unfolded in front of me, so did my companions and those directly above us on the chairlift.

Eventually, someone further down the path saw the possessed snowboard and stopped it.  Kyle ran to claim his board and waited for me to gain composure and ride down to him to start it all over.  Kyle didn’t seemed phased by what happened.  Probably because he didn’t know, that wasn’t suppose to happen.  At least he wasn’t afraid of it happening again.

To this day, I still can see that story unfold right before my eyes, as if I was watching a rerun on TV.  When Kyle and I were riding this past weekend, I brought that story up again.  He kind of remembered it, but still loved hearing the story retold, as it has been every year since.

For the next couple of years, Kyle’s Christmas gift included a season pass to Seven Springs.  He always seemed pleased with that gesture.  Ever since that faithful day, with the use of my parents yard and my uncle’s field, Kyle always wanted to snowboard with me.  I will admit, secretly I wanted him to enjoy snowboarding as much as I do.  I couldn’t be happier!  He’s the coolest!

I totally forget about snowboarding in the summertime.  ~Shaun White

Me & Kyle snowboarding… our 1st run of the season 7 Springs 1/5/13

On Saturday, I took Kyle snowboarding at Seven Springs.  It was sincerely a perfect day.  The sun came out to expose a brilliant blue sky and white fluffy clouds, the temperature remained in the twenties, the windchill was low and it wasn’t too crowded.  Saturday was the first time we were able to get out this season.  Unfortunately, last year I didn’t get my board out, not even once, due to a lack of a real winter.  But this season I decided to take advantage of the winter conditions early.

Once the snow falls, Kyle always reminds me about snowboarding, that and sled riding.  Two of his favorite winter pastimes.  This year, I saw in Kyle’s expression and heard in his voice, the sounds of disappointment and accusation from skipping a snowboarding season.  He reminded me all summer that we didn’t go out once and he continued to reiterate the same over Christmas.  If I could help it, history was not going to repeat itself and Saturday was a testament to that.

Me, Casey & Kyle taking a break from snowboarding. The Foggy Goggle fireplace is the best! 7 Springs 2009

We had a great day!  After we ate lunch we stopped into the Foggy Goggle to sit by the fireplace.  I know it’s a bar, but that fireplace is always blazing and no one is ever hanging around it because they’re at the bar.  That’s my secret location to sit and relax and warm up before heading back out.  I have been taking Kyle there when he started snowboarding at four years old.  In fact, while we sat on the bench in front of the fire waiting for our cloths to warm up a bit, Kyle nearly fell asleep.  He never does that, so I know he must have already had a good workout during our morning runs.   I leaned over to Kyle and commented “You know buddy, you’ve fallen asleep in here many times before.  When you were really little, I would lay my coat on the floor, in front of the fireplace and you would take a nap until our cloths were dry.  Then we would head back onto the slopes.”  Kyle smiled at me and said, “I did?  How big was I?”  He is too funny!  I showed him about how much space on the floor he consumed and where I placed him safely out of the way.  Everyone would walk past this cute little blond haired boy, peacefully sleeping and smile.  He really was way too cute!

Me & Kyle ready to board the chairlift at 7 Springs 1/5/13

Funny story.  The Foggy Goggle had a larger than life statue of the Captain Morgan pirate in the one entrances.  The first time I had Kyle in there to sit by the fire, we had to pass this monster statue that no doubt caught his eye.  All of a sudden Kyle tugs on my arm and says “Look Aiya, Captain Jack Sparrow!”  What do you say to that?  After I was done laughing, I said, “Ya buddy, looks like him doesn’t it?”  Kyle was so happy about recognizing what he thought was the Pirates of the Caribbean character, I didn’t said a word.

Though, he did bring it up to my parents and I had to pull mom aside and explain what he was talking about.  Mom just rolled her eyes and asked if he was allowed in there.  It’s not like I plant him at the bar and order him shots.  We just take advantage of the emptiness surrounding grand old fireplace and the warm heat radiating from it.

When I hit the slopes, I like to go early.  One, because I like getting a head start on the day and it’s usually not too crowded, making it easier with Kyle.  I’m not a big fan of crowds, particularly the swarms of them who all seem to have just started skiing and are zipping past my little guy with uncontrollable movements.  Also, let’s face it, I’m not the most patient with waiting in line to ride the chair lift either.  Hence why I like to get on the slopes early.  If they would allow riders on the run at 7:00 am, I would be there waiting to partake.

Once we got past the fitting of the snowboarding boots, we were golden.  Yes, let’s discuss the boots.  Kyle has this thing about his cloths,  particularly his shoes, touching his skin.  He doesn’t like anything to be fitted, I’m not talking tight, I’m talking fitted perfectly to his body.  Nope, not for Kyle.  If his shoes and cloths are not hanging off of him, he thinks they are too tight and throws a big fit.  Did I mention snowboarding boots are suppose to fit?  They need to be snug, not tight, but not loose.  They need to be able to respond to the rider when he/she turns to carve.  And to do that, the boots need to be fitted, not hanging off his feet.  I will admit it does take a bit to get used to wearing snowboarding boots, especially early in the season, until you’re body is warmed up and loose.  Listening to Kyle complain about the boots most of the day, drove me crazy, to be honest.  But he wasn’t too bad I guess, nothing I didn’t expect.

My goal of the day, besides improving Kyle’s riding, was for him to become independent on the mountain.  Not that I was planning on abandoning him, never ever!  I’m talking about managing his own board.  Kyle never really buckled his own bindings before and I always helped him up whenever he fell.  I don’t generally baby Kyle, but he started snowboarding so young, I really had to assist him and then it became a habit for both of us.  A habit I wanted to stop this year, after all he is eleven.  I tried to be as hands off as I possibly could, forcing him to do for himself.  Did I also mention the kid has NO flexibility?

By the time we rounded out the day, Kyle was gaining a little bit of flexibility and doing pretty good with pulling himself up and bending over to strap on his own bindings.  Along the way, Kyle did receive some assistance from kind on lookers.  Much like myself when I first started snowboarding.  I guess we both either have that look of being purely pathetic or being too cute to pass up.  I vote for the later, but I have a feeling reality lies in the first.

Kyle took a picture of my raccoon hat wearing goggles… snowboarding at 7 Springs 1/5/13

Kyle was even managing to get on the chair lift by himself, of course the few extra inches he’s grown over the years helped in that department.

Our runs on Saturday was a testament that Kyle didn’t miss a beat from two winter’s ago.  He is not the strongest rider, or the most daring but he can hold his own.  He just needs practice.  There were a few times when someone was going to run into Kyle and he reacted pretty quickly to avoid a collision.  I was quite impressed, thinking I was going to have to peel him off of the run!  But nope he maintained control when the other party didn’t.  Good job buddy!

Kyle is also a considerate rider, always looking over his shoulder and beside him for others that are sharing the mountain.  He never pushes or cuts people off either.  He will wait patiently for others to get out of his way and he never wants to hurt anyone.  That’s my Kyle, still wearing his big heart on the slopes.

Throughout the day, we couldn’t help but getting silly.  It wouldn’t be a typical day for us if we didn’t.  Every time I put my goggles on top of my head, which is wear my raccoon hat was resting, Kyle would start laughing.  He said it looked like the raccoon was wearing the goggles.  And it did!

Speaking of raccoon hat.  There was someone there wearing a HUGE raccoon skin cap, complete with a tail.  It was ridiculous!  It was so big and obnoxious  on the person’s head that it looked like an actual raccoon was hanging on for dear life.  Every time we saw it, we busted out laughing!  You couldn’t miss it.  I thought we were on Wild Kingdom.

Hopefully this year brings us more of those days.  I’m not necessarily talking about the conditions, but the time spent together.  We had a blast and I really cherish my one-on-one time with Kyle.

What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life – to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories.  ~George Eliot

Kyle & Mom showing off the group shots of the cousins (new 2012  –  old 1985)      12/2012

It seems like every Christmas there is one person in particular that is receiving something of real meaning and importance, the big gift of the Christmas.  This year’s winners were mom and dad!  What was this victory gift?  Where did the idea come from?  How did it come together?

It started with when I was perusing boxes upon boxes of old photos, looking for a few to scan and upload to my blog.  I came across this image of a group of kids from July 1985.  The children, ranging in ages from 12 years to about 18 months happened to include Ryan, Nicole, our cousins, from mom’s side of the family and myself.  Upon closer examination I noticed that three of my cousins weren’t even born yet.  This was one of those rare pictures.  The unplanned kind, that only one person seems to have the photo, no one has the negative (yes back then there were negatives) and no one remembers taking the photo.  Later on, I asked around for another such picture that included everyone but alas no such luck.  My Aunt Irene, who is the queen of pictures and organization never saw another photo like the one I had.  By all means, this newly discovered photo didn’t include ALL the cousins, but a majority of us that have grown up around each other.  My Uncle Frank’s grandkids, my cousins Denise and Matthew were not present, just to name a few.  However, most of my life they lived closer to the Philadelphia area.  So we never really grew up around them like we did the Olczaks, Bobincheks and Milligans.

Something struck me about this picture, maybe because I actually remembered the day it captured.  We got together and met at Twin Lakes Park for a picnic.  Only later, did mom tell me that we were there celebrating my cousin Lisa’s birthday.  Believe it or not, I remember mom driving us up to the party spot in dad’s red truck.  My attire included a Madonna T-shirt, which I remember showing off to everyone, it’s pretty prominent in the picture.  It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon.  Aunt Irene (my godmother) welcomed us as we arrived and was ready for a serious picnic adventure.

Now, I really don’t recall what we did the rest of the day, but I remember getting there and snacking, and believe it or not the picture being taken.  If my memory serves me correctly, I can hear someone yelling for all of us to look over at the camera and say “cheese.”  Who the photographer was, is still a mystery.  But as I sat perched front row, I can still feel the worry for my, then little, cousin Mikey falling backwards off of the picnic table.  Again proven in the photo.  Mikey was maybe 18 months old, being born in 1983.

Now, really getting to the point of this mystery photograph.  As I scanned the picture into the computer and started cleaning it up, I couldn’t help but try and imagine each of my cousins in present day.  Then it hit me!  The idea which would be the big Christmas gift surprise of 2012.  I thought it would be great to get all the cousins together and get the picture taken again, at the same location, in the same seats.  My idea didn’t just stop there.  I thought it would also be nice for everyone, to get a picture of the cousins with their spouses and kids.  A huge family photo.  Boy do I know how to dream big!

As the brainstorming was starting to solidify in my head all the way to reality, I began to spread the word to each of the 11 cousins, my sister and Kyle.  Originally, I talked about the idea with Casey and later with Elizabeth and Marla before sending a private Facebook message along with the picture, to get everyone on the same page and to get their buy in.  Then, I created a group email to make this process easier.  It took a little bit of back and forth and a lot of planning and moving schedules around but I did it!  I got a day and time.  Mind you it was a very short window of time, but enough for a few pictures.  It was set!  Everyone was available over Labor Day weekend, that Sunday.  Keep in mind Casey and my sister were the two from out of state, and the ones I worried about the most trying to get them in town.  Unfortunately, my grandiose idea of having the spouses and kids involved was a bit too aggressive.  So I had to settle for my cousins who were all grown up.  I was happy with that!

Front Row: Me, Mikey Olczak, Joel Olczak, Ryan Piper
Middle Row: Christina (Milligan) Wineland, Lisa (Milligan) Amatucci, Tim Bobincheck, Lee Bobincheck, Elizabeth (Olczak) Eury
Back Row: Casey Olczak, Nicole Piper     7/1985

Just when it seemed like everything was going my way, the photographer was on board, all the cousins were organized, God threw me another obstacle, or potential obstacle as it sat.  Our area was going to be hit with part of hurricane Isaac, moving up through Western Pennsylvania.  Yikes!  Are you kidding me?  Nope, it was all true.  I simply emailed everyone and said, no matter what, we were going to get this picture, instructing the group to bring umbrellas.  My thinking was, push comes to shove we could get a cute picture with our lot under multicolored umbrellas.  Whatever was thrown at me, I was going to make this work, especially after all this back and forth and planning.

Houston we have another problem.  The Friday before the picture was to be taken, Nicole called and said she was sick and she couldn’t make it up.  What?  Really?  Are you kidding me?  Not on my watch.  I instructed her to drive up from the D.C. Metro Area anyway, after all it was only four hours (sarcasm).  She could get her picture taken and go back home.  Needless to say she was not very pleased with me, and she was slightly bitter about the situation on the day of the picture, but it had to be done!  This picture was meant to be!  The show must go on.

Keep in mind all this was done under the radar of mom and dad, not that dad pays much attention to anything non-hunting and fishing related.  That Friday, before speaking to me, Nicole called mom and said she wasn’t coming home.  Naturally, after mom picked Kyle up off the bus she told him that his Aunt Nikki wasn’t going to make it back.  Kyle was in on the mission and he was also aware that it was a big secret, mom and dad were to never find out.  While mom and Kyle were cruising home, and I was at work, Kyle called me and said, “Aunt Heather we have a problem, Aunt Nikki isn’t coming home this weekend.  What about the picture?”  I said, “Kyle are you sitting in the front seat right beside Gigi?”  He reassuringly said, “Ya but she doesn’t hear me and she doesn’t know about the picture.”  All spoken at full volume!  In complete shock, I said, “Kyle!  What did you say to Gigi? And yes she can hear you, she’s not deaf.”  He said, “O, well I did say ‘I guess we can’t get the picture taken then’ when Gigi said Aunt Nikki wasn’t coming home and she said ‘What picture?’ but I didn’t tell her about it.”  Really?  Is this conversation happening?  Is was playing out right in front of mom!  Trying to get Kyle off the phone and drop the conversation I assured him that Aunt Nikki was coming home and not to worry about it.  He started to insist on talking about her absence as if he knew more than I did.  I quickly defused his worry and changed topics.

So basically, Nicole was still a possible no show and Kyle pretty much spilled the beans.  This all happened within minutes from one another.  I managed to keep this Christmas gift under wraps for roughly four months and it unfolded in the blink of an eye.  Everyone knew this picture was only going to happen with all cousins present, including my sister.  The only person missing was Ryan and Kyle was sitting in for him.

Front Row: Me, Mikey Olczak, Joel Olczak Kyle Piper sitting in for Ryan Piper
Back Sitting Row: Christina (Milligan) Wineland, Lisa (Milligan) Amatucci, Tim Bobincheck, Lee Bobincheck, Elizabeth (Olczak) Eury
Standing: Marla (Olczak) Sutton, Stacey Olczak, Katie Milligan, Casey Olczak, Nicole Piper      8/2012

The day of the shoot…went pretty well.  Nicole did manage to get home.  She almost puked in my car on the ride to Twin Lakes, but as long as she didn’t get any on her cloths, I didn’t care.  As we gathered to get into position, the rain let up.  The last roadblock came from my cousin Stacey, also the youngest one of the bunch.  She slept in and lost her car keys.  But no worries she was close-by and her sisters stepped in and retrieved our missing link.  We remained a little behind schedule, but I think it worked in our favor since it gave the sun a chance to make its appearance.

Getting the finished piece from the framers also proved to be a challenge.  The day I was suppose to pick up this masterpiece, I happened to get the stomach flu and missed the call.  So now what?  The framer was gracious enough to meet me the next day, a day before giving the gift, taking time out of her schedule to do so.  The finished piece turned out really nice, I went to i frame it! in Youngstown, Pennsylvania.

Anyway, after all this planning and running around, the gift was finished and delivered, sitting in my mom’s hands.  Kyle gave the pictures, which were now matted and framed, to my mom.  I expected a big hurray, but alas all mom said was, “Kyle I can’t really see what I’m looking at, get me my glasses.”  Yes, I never took into account that mom would need her glasses to see the Christmas gift.  Naturally, no one knew where mom set her glasses, so while Kyle ran around the house looking, mom sat there and squinted at the pictures trying to make out what she was looking at.  Once her sight of vision was clear, she really liked seeing everyone together, all grown up.

It took 27 years for the photo to be retaken, well past due.  How I wished Ryan was present, but I guess he was in spirit.  He gave us the best stand-in, Kyle!  We added the pictures to the walls of family photos spread throughout the Piper household.  It’s really a nice addition!

Thank you to all my cousins who participated!  I really appreciate it!