The Fowler Family

Scratch

Danny has been coding with the object oriented programming (OOP) environment called Scratch. It has sprites with motion controls and collision detection. He has programmed old favorites like Pong and breakout. He has looked at other peoples codes and added levels to games like Donkey Kong. Currently, he has coded a neat game that is applicable to his school work. He is working on his multiplication tables through the number 14. He has coded a Scratch application that not only helps him work on his memorization, but he also made it into a fun game by adding a second player. The game prompts each player to answer a different multiplication question. The player who types in the correct answer the fastest, wins.

You can find the game here.

Emily and I are impressed that Danny can take his day-to-day endeavors and turn them into something that is both helpful and fun on the computer. (Not to mention that he created the program from “scratch” in less than an hour.)

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“I See Its Legs”

Last week we were driving to Lake Tahoe for a long weekend vacation. As we were heading up into the Sierras on Highway 50, Emily mentioned to Danny that the previous time we were in the Sierras was a year earlier in Yosemite Valley. She also mentioned that sometime during that trip, she tried to point out a mule deer hidden in a thicket. I was driving at the time, but I thought I saw it and commented that I could see its legs among the saplings. Emily thought that was very funny because the deer she had been talking about was lying down.

Anyway, as we progressed up Hwy 50 toward Tahoe, we got close to the South Fork of the American River. I commented how the water level was down pretty far for this time of year and asked Danny if he could see the river off to our right. He quickly answered, “Yes, I see its legs!”

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Things to Do in Our Lifetime

Emily and I were talking about the trip to Europe that we are saving for and planning to take in 5 or 6 years. This lead to a discussion of things we want to do in our lifetimes. (That is the premise of a recent movie called Bucket List.)

Emily has accomplished many of the things that she has aspired to do. I think number one was to be a mommy. Number two, I hope, was to have a husband. (Lucky me on both counts.) In the 10 years I have known her, she has accomplished many other things that were on her list of things to do. These included getting into the tryouts for a network TV game show and free falling out of an airplane. She has three engineering degrees to her credit, as well.

There’s lots of travel still on her list. Europe is only one of the places she hopes to visit. She has said she would like to visit someplace fun and exciting every few years for the rest of her life.

I had my list, too, but I think I have mostly moved past it. At one point I joined the Air Force. I road-raced motorcycles. I flew a hang glider. I’ve gone on week-long off-road motorcycle treks in places like Baja California. I managed to earn two engineering degrees.

At this point, however, the only thing I think I really want to do, is make sure Emily and Danny have the things they need. These things include the basics, like food and and a roof over their head, but I also want to provide love, companionship, encouragement, and a life without worries.

I want to help Danny be inquisitive. I want him to know that learning is fun. I want to show him that he can solve almost any problem by slowing down, being methodical, and working hard. He can also ask for help. I want to show him that helping and caring for other people is rewarding. I want him to know that giving is part of who we are.

I want to show him how to play games and be a good sport. I want him to have fun. I want to show him how to respect others as well as himself. I want him to know and be comfortable in the great outdoors. I want to show him how to take care of himself.

I want him to know the value of a dollar and how to save before spending. I want to show him how to be frugal so he won’t suffer material wants. I want to provide boundaries. I want him to know that he is always loved, that I will always be there for him, and that home is a safe place.

I want to give Emily the love and respect that she gives to me, and more. I want her to know she is the most important person to me. I want to provide her with a house with no mortgage and a comfortable retirement. I want to make sure she can continue to live her dreams. I want her to have fun and I want to travel with her. I want her never to be burdened with debt. I want her to feel safe and I want her to know she is in my heart every day.

That is what I want to do in my lifetime.

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Desert Magazine 1957

With the drought in California, I was recently looking for some papers on waste water reclamation written by my father, Lloyd C. Fowler.

As is typical with web searches, I found a lot of other interesting things. One was a short listing in Desert magazine from March, 1957. It mentioned Dad as a new officer in the Nebraska Mineral and Gem Club. Since we lived in Omaha, I assume that is where the club was based. It’s fun to look over the pages of this neat magazine from long ago. (I was six months old in March of 1957.)

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New Personal Finance Website

I started a new personal finance blog at Save and Conquer. It is about saving money for retirement, frugal living, investing, and a little bit of financial history. I am hoping to soon get an article or three from Mom and Emily’s grandfather. I may hound a few other people into writing, as well. Please check it out at http://saveandconquer.com.

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New Bike

We have recently been impressed with Danny’s ability to ride his new bike. He got a brand new bike for Christmas from his Great Grandpa Bloomer. There must be something about a new bike that is very motivational. Danny has had a small “beginner” bike for the past year, but he was never very interested in riding it. That’s the beginner (not new) bike at right.

Now that he has a new 20″ bike, he wants to ride most every free day. We still don’t ride on the streets, but we have progressed from me or Emily running along with him to us riding our own bikes along side. (Danny goes too fast for us to run along with him for long.) Anyway, we are all happy with Danny’s new mobility.

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brycefowler.com

Now that I’ve set up this new format for thefowlerfamily.net, I am thinking of setting up a blog with the same engine under brycefowler.com (where my resume is currently hosted.) I am not sure that I will have a lot to write about, but I may use it as a place to present my thoughts on various things like sites I use for investment research and other wonderful things.

I have always felt like thefowlerfamily.net is a place for family info. Speaking of which, our nephew, Kyle, just turned one year old. He cannot walk on his own yet, but he is into “cruising” where he can pull himself up with the aid of a chair or coffee table and step along while holding on. He is also a very good climber. Happy birthday, Kyle!

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Tennessee Visit

We traveled to Tennessee this past Spring Break to visit our Aunt Alice and a bunch of cousins. Danny made a list of things he did in Tennessee including a bunch of “firsts.”

1. Met Great Aunt Alice and lots of cousins
2. Played with Haley (a 4th cousin)
3. Letterboxed
4. Flew a kite for the first time
5. Dyed Easter eggs
6. Had an Easter egg hunt
7. Had a tour of the farm
8. Pet a cow
9. Fed the fish in the pond
10. Played with Creighton (a 3rd cousin)
11. Rode on a 4-wheeler
12. Took Daisy (the dog) on a walk through the wheat fields
13. Went fishing for the first time
14. Caught 4 fish
15. Went to the Indian Mound Museum
16. Climbed an indian mound
17. Went to the Casey Jones Railroad Museum
18. Rang a bell on a real train
19. Went to the park in Milan
20. Went to the Agricultural museum
21. Ground wheat into flour
22. Found out cotton grows on plants
23. Checked out a hotel in St. Louis on the way home

When we got home, Danny said, “That was the best trip ever.”

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Sudoku

A simple but intriguing number game from the Land of the Rising Sun that most people have heard of by now is Sudoku. We went to “Math Night” at Danny’s school a week ago. One of the popular tables was the Sudoku table. Even a little toddler was having great fun putting Sudoku tiles into blank squares. (It didn’t matter to him that he couldn’t read or count.) The only table that was more popular was “M&M Math” where the kids matched M&M candy colors in a counting game. They eventually got to eat the M&Ms.

Danny and his cousins often play Sudoku on rainy days. Here is an on-line version. Have fun.

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2007

Here we are halfway into January 2007. Danny will be turning 6 next month. His biggest news is that he has his first wiggly tooth. I asked Danny what he thought the tooth fairy would bring. Without hesitation, he said, “A golden dollar coin!” Everything is going well. We got the house painted between storms. Emily says the picture does not show the true color, which is a light tan. She may be right.

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