Happy New Year - 2013

There's really only one way to start the new year off right:  make the beaver catapult your son has been wanting.

Tenny drew up the design.

We bought some beavers at the toy shop down the street.

We built the beaver catapult, which is fully adjustable to achieve varying degrees of velocity and lift.

And then we spent the afternoon launching beavers.

Launching Beavers from Jeremy Stewart on Vimeo.

Beaver Catapult from Jeremy Stewart on Vimeo.

Oh, it was great fun.  And lest you think that the "Beaver Catapult 3000" launches only nocturnal, semi-aquatic rodents with a penchant for gnawing on trees, we can attest that it successfully launched many, many objects, including genuine Angry Birds.

As for resolutions, in 2012 we resolved to explore:  (1) the Uintah Mountains; (2) City of the Rocks; (3) the Great Salt Lake; and (4) Goblin Valley.  We did OK on the first, neglected the second, started on the third, and fully accomplished the fourth.

Having built a beaver catapult, we've basically accomplished everything we hoped to do in 2013.  But in light of societal pressures to set New Year's resolutions, in 2013 we resolve to spend more time in St. George/Southern Utah.

We wish you all a wonder New Year!