Mason - International Man of Mystery

Day Three

In which Mason learns that Costa Rica is more than just a fancy hotel room, and it has dogs.


Mason awoke from his first night in Costa Rica rearing to go! At 4:30 en la manana, he roused his bodyguards and they made their way down to the beach in the brisk (and by brisk, I mean hot and humid) morning air.


Mason, not one to over exert himself the first day out, was transported along the shoreline by one of his bodyguards. This both kept Mason’s feet high and dry and made it much easier to focus on pointing out the dogs along the way.


During the walk, Mason’s bodyguards took a brief moment to take a photo together. Mason was not sure if he approved of this, but they had been put through quite a bit over the last couple of days, so he agreed that they needed some distraction, and he let it slide.

Later that morning, Mason met up with his accomplices: Gretchen and Conner. It was then that the real mission could begin. They spent the day playing in the sand, frolicking in the pool, and eating exotic carbohydrates. Gretchen and Conner’s bodyguards even joined in the fun.


After a brief nap,


Mason took another walk along the beach just after sunset



along with Gretchen and Conner.


Destination: Pescado Loco. It was here that Mason and his accomplices partook in food and libations. As with all mealtime missions, Mason was focused and serious. Eating is a job, and there is no time for messing around.

Here are some other highlights from Pescado Loco.





Toward the end of the meal, Mason and Conner decided to give the locals a demonstration of some of the more useful submission holds. Mason, who could easily take Conner, was a gentleman and allowed Conner to place him in a half nelson for the appreciative crowd that had gathered.



Tired out from the day’s events, Mason ordered his bodyguard to transport him back to the hotel in order to debrief…


…after which, he was re-briefed (with a fresh diaper) and put to bed.

…to be continued…

Mason - International Man of Mystery

Day Two

In which Mason realizes the reality of air travel.

If day one was the example of seamless travel, day two was the universe making sure that things balanced out. Mason arrived at the Dallas Fort Worth airport feeling rested, relaxed, and ready for travel.

It all began at the baggage check-in. Only a small crowd stood between Mason and the sweet release of over 130 lbs of baggage. Mason and his two bodyguards, Mom and Dad, soon realized that the sloth-like efficiency of the DFW baggage check-in was only to be rivaled by the attendants at the post office (but that is a whole other rant).


Bored by the lengthy wait, Mason decided to make a break for it only to have his escape foiled by Mom (who was looking rather robotic, don’t you think? Notice the claw-like robo hands).

With bags checked, Mason made his way through the security checkpoint and finally to the departure gate. Once at the gate, the real waiting began. There were not enough seats to accommodate our hero and his bodyguards. The attendant tried to coax Mason with a tempting offer to stay an extra night in Dallas compensated by $800 travel vouchers, free hotel, free dinner, and a free breakfast! Hummm…


Mason stuck to his plans. He had to. His peeps were expecting him so that their fun could begin. He had to push on, and it paid off. Seats were found, but there was another problem: the plane was busted! So Mason joined the mass exodus from gate 16 to gate 40!

Blah, blah, blah…Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah…

An hour and a half after the scheduled departure time, Mason boarded the plane. He took his seat and got comfortable. This included the usual customary removal of the false foot skins.





After another hour sitting on the runway for who-knows-why, the plane made its 3 hour journey to Liberia, Costa Rica.


The doors of the plane opened, and the hot, humid air wrapped around Mason and his bodyguards like a wet, wool blanket. Ahhh, paradise!

One bumpy cab ride and our hero had finally reached his destination, The Hotel Playa Hermosa, just in time for dinner.

And it was still hot!

…to be continued…

Mason - International Man of Mystery

Day One

In which Mason begins his mission with a pleasant day of air travel, meets a relative, and sleeps in style!
The first leg of the trip went off without a hitch. After a brief check-in at SMF, our hero, Mason, mixed and mingled with the locals at Gate A 16, broke the hearts of all the single ladies, and showed off his bipedial skills with a five-step solo free-walk. As he entered the jetway, he turned back, one last time to give his fans a crisp wave.

On the plane, tethered to his special seat, Mason took a quick inventory of necessary items:


Blanket…check!
Teddy…check!


Boarding pass...check!


Once the plane was up, Mason settled in for some shuteye.


Fast forward to touchdown at Dallas International. Here, Mason enjoyed the sights and lights of the busy runway as we taxied to our gate.


Mason made his way to our hotel for the night. It was here that Mason met up with his long-lost aunt, Amber, for a nice, tender, meaty, juicy grilled cheese sandwich! MmmmMmmm!


Finally, tuckered out from his busy day of travel, Mason returned to his hotel, and, after a light dessert of spoons with ice cream, he settled into his fine, cotton sheets to mentally prepare for the next day, and believe me, he was going to need it!


…to be continued…

Don't Blow A Gasket!

I am not sure if it is just in his genes or if it is all the broccoli he eats, but Mason has taken to "Hulking" at the dinner table.


This little game is sure to entertain, but with all that clenching, I'm afraid of what is going on below.

Concepts of Print

Mason has recently found a love for reading. He has always enjoyed a good story or two before bedtime.


Now he is taking the books into his own hands quite literally.


He is also finding his reader's voice. In my professional teacher's opinion, he reads with great expression and fluency. I am sure that you will agree.

Greetings From Clogland

Mason recieved a postcard from Holland. It was from Grandpa. Grandpa is a world traveler just like Mason.


Mason loves mail. It is so nice to hear from family and friends.


and it is high in fiber.



Want some?

Grandma to Visit Sacramento: Some Say Hoax

Drunk on gin? No, drunk on grandma love! And it ain't no hoax, folkx, Grandma's in town. Well she was in town just a few weeks ago, and she made quite a splash...


with her coins in the fountain adjacent to the Tower Cafe.


Mason and Grandma shared a grand breakfast of fruit and fruit with a side of grapes. It was delish!
Grandma rocks!

10 MONTHS!

Eat your heart out Jeremy Piven!
10 MONTHS!
Okay, so we are about a month behind on this post, but whatever! We have a baby. What's your excuse for your lack of blogging (BTW, Chelsa, you rock! 2 kids, and prolific blogging. Kudos!)?
Alright, let's break it down for y'all.
10 months.

24lbs 5oz.

30.5 inches long.

19 inch head! Seriously!
That's a huge noggin!
98th percentile and stuff!

And a new book.

Done!

Piano Man?

We traveled to Los Angeles for a friend's baby shower (who, by the time of this post has already delivered her 7lb, 12oz baby girl). We also were able to see Jen's family while we were there (since we were staying with them. We tried to just hide out in their place and not be seen, but Mason's squeals of excitement gave us away. Babies. Sheesh!).

While on our visit, Uncle Chris broke out his keyboard, and after serenading the family with a saucy rendition of "The Final Countdown," he allowed Mason to have a go at the ivories (or in this case, the molded plastics).


My good friend, Ian would be proud of the intensity with which Mason attacked the little Casio. Look out, Chopin!



Towards the end of Mason's performance, he noticed that one key was just not up to par with the rest of them. So he removed it. Who needs C# anyway. The key of D major is highly overrated. Besides, I think we all prefer mixolydian modes! Am I right?



And though Mason was excited about the piano, his final verdict was one that so many of us realize in the end...


Guitar is so much cooler!

Tub Toy!

Mason loves his new tub toy. It has arms and legs, just like him. It has a nose and a bebo, just like him. It has eyes, ears, mouth and hair, just like him. His new tub toy loves the bath, just like him. He splashes it. He squeals at it. He slaps it lovingly. Yes, Mason is just enamoured by his new tub toy, but I am not sure his new tub toy is as excited to share the tub with such a wild, young boy.


Are you, Rylan?

Mugshot

Mason has cut his teeth traveling all over the western states. Now it is time for him to take on some serious travel. Last time Jen and I traveled to Costa Rica we didn't have a son, we didn't have a completed roof over our house, and we didn't need passports. Well, with the dawn of the new, more strict, more cumbersome (due to the spawn), more tedious (due to TSA), and only somewhat more secure air travel, we are now required to provide passport ID for our family vacation scheduled for November. Mason is no exception and needed a passport of his own. While both Jen and I selected our passport photos based on good lighting, a perfect smile, and well placed hair, we selected Mason's photo based on goofyness.


Look out Costa Rica...Here comes Mason.

Endless Summer? Don't I Wish!

Summer break. For us it has always been a time of relaxing, traveling, visiting family, and creating the annual project list. This summer had its unique qualities. Many indoor projects were completed so it was onto the outdoor stuff, decisions were made on new fencing and orders were placed, two more trips were added to the annual Idaho roadtrip, and of course, our little Mason was here to join in all the fun. The phrase, "Time flies when you are having fun", was created for a reason and suddenly we are back at school 2 weeks underway to be exact and wishing we had a bit more summer to finish up some loose ends. The triple digit heat sure feels like it is summer. In fact it does bring back the bitter/sweet memories of roofing back in '04. Wait, I think that was just bitter and hot. Anyway, we have a few photos to share that show our work in progress. Josh was hard at work in between trips to build our new front porch. It is almost complete and sealed for the rainy season to come.



And this endless summer post wouldn't be complete without a Mason Montage.

Here's to a summer of great food,

many laughs,

big smiles,

and SEXY TIME!