PRESENTING ABIGAIL - FUTURE FASHIONISTA!

Move over Ralph Lauren - Here comes Abby C.

No long post tonight, you all get a break!  This little 3 minute video gives you some idea how most nights in my house go.  My daughter Abby is totally obsessed with designing dresses.  She does sketches, she goes online to do it, etc. etc.  Tonight she created a dress for herself and her 3 year old sister Mia.  I am always amazed how my girls can be so different from me and be so much like me at the same time.  Abby has very different interests than I do but she shares the same passion I do for those interests.  Ailey actually is like me in most ways including her looks - hopefully the nose skips a generation!  Mia is just a little goober who makes me laugh and my heart melt.  I love sharing my life with my 3 great daughters and the best wife a guy could ask for.  


Abby I love your creation.  Keep it up and you'll be wearing diamonds some day!


Love,


Your Wacky Dad/Husband

10 REASONS SNOW IS AWESOME!

WITH THE IMPENDING SNOWSTORM I FIGURED I'D WEIGH IN ON WHY I LOVE SNOW

Mia skiing at age 2.

1. You can ski on it.  Back in the caveman days some idiot was freezing his tookus off and figured he'd strap a couple of boards onto his feet and slide down the hill for fun.  The result was skiing and it has been refined and perfected over the years and it is just downright fun.  My family loves to ski Cannon Mountain in NH!

2.  What other media is out there that you can pee your name onto?  I can't think of any!  Of course I don't know cursive very well and things get messy but I am pleased by this miracle of snow nonetheless!

Sledding on Brook Hill!

3.  Sledding is only one step below skiing on the fun factor...since moving to my new house and increasing my snowmaking capacity enough to cover the hill in the back we have enjoyed many days and nights sledding on our little Brook Hill.  Nothing can bring out the kid in you like sledding can.

4.  Snow days!  Although I don't get snow days off  unless Armageddon has arrived, I still get excited for my kids when they get one.  In fact I think maybe I get more excited than they do.  I have never lost that wishing for a snow day since I was a young meat head.  I remember the radio announcer reading out the list when I was a kid and prayed for the words "No School - West Warwick" with all of my heart!

5. It allows us to test ourselves by fighting the storm.  Clearing snow is a purifying activity and when your done and have made your driveway usable again you have the feeling that you just kicked mother nature's ass even though she tried to get one on you!  I am truly a moron.

A hole burrowed through a large
man made snow pile at our old house

6.  Watching my daughter Abigail walk in and out from the deck all day to grab new cupfuls of snow makes me laugh.  The kid is totally obsessed with eating snow.  I have even caught her putting toppings on it!  

7.  There is something about getting in your car, going up to the nearby Stop and Shop Parking lot, and blasting through new snow banks and doing donuts that very satisfying and makes me laugh and woop out loud!  I have done this since I was 16 and look forward to it every year!

My improvised sap buckets and taps
in my first year of backyard sugaring

8.  A heavy blanket of snow on the ground is great for maple syrup season.  I forget the technical reason why but I know you get better sap runs during sapping season when there is snow on the ground.  In another month or so we will begin tapping the trees in the Costantino yard.  This is another obsession of mine that you will be hearing more about!

A snow packed tree
atop Cannon Mountain

9.  Snow is just beautiful.  I love watching how it drifts, fills in voids, piles on the trees.  The snow formations on the top of Cannon Mountain are among some of the coolest things I have witnessed.

My snowmaker cranking at full capacity
on a cold Rhode Island night.

10. I think my favorite thing about snow is that I can make it when nobody else has it.  Seeing my yard full of snow and green lawns all around me is just so fun.  I have been making my own snow since I was 13 and I haven't lost my zeal for this activity yet.  Having kids to enjoy it has made it even more satisfying over the years.  Hell I don't know exactly why I love snow but it is just cool! 

Happy Snowstorm everyone!  Get out there and enjoy it!

Love,

Wacky Dad

Wacky Dad Fashion Sense!

High Fashion From Wacky Dad

Ok all I am an eternal smart ass and if I am going to stay true to myself and my 5 readers I think it is high time I have a little old fashioned fun at the expense of some of the fashionista's out there.  No offense to you all but I can't stand all that drivel about clothes and crap.  OK here goes Wacky Dad fashion.

I am going to start at the underwear because that is what you put on first.  At least you probably should.

The tighty whitey.  This tried and true underpant just can't be beat.  They are durable, they hold in the boys and partner as snug as a bug in a rug, and they are cheap.  Also they last forever and piss your kids and wife off when you where them outside to let the dog out.  Especially when they're ten years old and they don't retain your boys as well as they did when they were brandy new!

  

The White Hanes Crew Sock.  These are a bit expensive for my taste but are well worth the money since they last a long time.  These are also great at retaining rotten feet smell way better than most socks out there.  The key is that they are all cotton.  They look great with sneaker, boots, loafers, sandals, flip flops, water shoes at the beach while beach combing with your metal detector - whatever!

Long Johns.  It's winter and I have to get the word out about these long johns.  They are made of Aramid which is a fireproof substance just in case you spontaneously combust while your out skiing.  I have been wearing these bad boys for about 15 years now since I got out of the Marine Corps and they are still going strong.  They are soft, comfortable and warm.  They also have these little straps that go under your foot inside your shoe so you ankles are covered.  These are a must have!  Plus they are ugly and tend to weather into a dirt white color which seems to bother the wife.  This my friends is what they call a bonus!

Jeans - Go to your local Ocean State job lot and get the darkest blue jeans they have.  Take those babies and spread them out on the deck right before winter and let the weathering begin.  I did this once by mistake and forgot about them.  I ended up with a cool looking pair of jeans with some funky weathering that were soft and supple from the freeze thaw cycling of the Rhode Island winter.  Make sure you wash them first for all of you dumb ones out there!  I usually rediscover these around the time I am boiling maple sap to make syrup!

The Shirt or Sweater. Go ugly! If you want to look like a true man and make your fashion minded wife nuts you have to go ugly on this one.  this shirt I am in is a personal favorite that the wife hates. The thing is  comfortable and warm and great to throw on while making snow or collecting sap in the spring.  If you need to check the oil in the van just wipe the dipstick on the sleeve.  Also you can throw this on while letting the dog out in your tighty whiteys.  Damn I am good looking!  That is me showing off some of my finished maple syrup!  I know it is a jelly jar - I recycle.

The Coat I like either Carhart or Justin.  They make strong, durable, warm products that look cool as they fade and get weathered.  They also complement the ugly shirt quite well.  This just finishes off the whole picture.  These items can be pricey but they will last for years unless you get bleach on your right sleeve while sanitizing a water line (check out my right sleeve next time you see me).  I still wear mine in hope that the dirt will someday cover the bleach stains up.

These Wolverine boots happen to be my boot of choice.  If you are out on job sites, digging holes, fishing, hunting, etc this boot is for you.  They are light weight, warm, have a great sole, and are comfortable out of the box.  I haven't owned anything but Wolverines for many years.  One thing though, if you step in dog crap you better be patient because digging it out of the aggressive tread on this boot is like pissing into the wind!

I actually made it on the front of the Providence Journal in this
very outfit!  What a jackass!

Ok all of you metrosexuals and fashion moms!  Top that.  I am going to be on the cover of In-Style or Vogue next week.  The new trend will be Wacky Dad wear for all!  Get ready for aramid and flannel ladies.  Vavavoooom!

Love,

Wacky Dad

An Incredible Weekend Skiing Cannon With The Family!

The view from Bypass at Cannon Mountain

Abby and Ailey ripping it up!

What an awesome weekend of skiing at Cannon Mountain!  My 2 oldest daughters Abby and Ailey continue to amaze me with their skiing ability!  I had an awesome time skiing with my buddies while the kids were taking their classes.  I am hurting from head to toe but I still have a few moves for the moguls even though I ain't getting any younger!  Riding the chair with the girls was awesome.  We found all kind of new ways to torture my darling wife with the new 2 way radios she got me for my birthday.  Great fun.  Blowing lifelike farts into the transmitter so her friends think she just broke wind is my personal favorite.  Also when she asks where we are - answering repeatedly "Cannon" is another favorite!  Just good old wholesome fun and no video games, television, ipod, or any of that other crap involved.  I also broke out the Flip Camera and shot some video of Abby and Ailey at their best.  Enjoy and hope to see you all at Cannon Mountain this year!