Welcome Tess Knoll

A warm EckSpot welcome to Teresa (Tess) Knoll, born July 16 to proud parents Dan and Linda Knoll. We can't wait to meet you, Tess! You may follow Tess on-line at her own site as well.

T-Ball Tommy

Tommy had his first T-Ball game at the YMCA last Thursday (his first-ever organized sporting event and baseball action). We had three nice hits in three at bats (every at bat is a hit -- he actually did hit the ball) and had a lot of fun. This video is his third at bat. We should have some nicer pictures from future games. He has two more game this week.

Springboro, OH Named the 41st Best Place to Live in the U.S.

Our little corner of paradise, Springboro, OH, was just named the 41st Best Place to Live by Monday Magazine. Not as nice as the Eckert Property, but pretty darn nice. http://tinyurl.com/lrafwx. We are in between Dayton and Cincinnati, near I-75, with a strong public school system, reasonably stable home prices, and convenient services.

SkyFort is Complete!

Our SkyFort is complete! After weeks of on and off construction we are very pleased with the final result, as are the kids. This video shows Tommy and Cassie, along with neighborhood friends Jackson and Connor, checking out the new areas.

Independence Day Weekend in Ohio

We had a great time hosting almost all of Cari's family (minus Tom plus Johnny and Katie) over the July 4 Holiday Weekend. We had plenty of fun time around the house, enjoyed the hot tub, saw wonderful fireworks in Downtown Dayton, and went to the Cardinals-Reds game in Cincinnati.

Oregon Recap

I spent the weekend of June 29 in Oregon with good friends Matt Bachmann, Pete Erschen, Chris Lubbe, Jeff Lorentz, and Larry Holzen (all friends from SLU and St. Louis). We stayed in a great cabin near Mt. Hood, visited and hiked to Multnomah Falls, went actual white water rafting on the Deschutes River, visited great micro breweries, and played catch on Mt. Hood. What a great weekend and opportunity to catch up with friends I don't see nearly enough.

The pictures from the weekend were great. View my pictures and Jeff Lorentz's.

Gearing up for Independence Day Weekend

Cari and I have been getting everything together for a weekend of fun as we are hosting 13 people this weekend (all of Cari's family sans Tom and Johnny and Katie). We play to go to the Dayton fireworks on Friday night and the Cardinals-Reds game on Saturday. Stay tuned for updates!