There are many reasons why I love my brother.  I love that he's had many interesting careers - fly fishing guide, UPS driver, nut factory worker, kite assembler,  and tombstone polisher.  In high school, the main extra-curricular activity he participated in was the super mileage club.  The summer that we worked together at Ruttger's, he spray painted "dog pound" on the steps of my cabin and lit a troll head on fire and rolled it inside.  When I found a dead chipmunk under my couch, Ryan came and got it then propped it up on a chaise lounge on the beach so it looked like it was laying out.  When my mom found a mouse caught in a trap under the kitchen sink, Ryan finished it off with a BB pistol held at close range.  And if you ask him to "guess what" you can bet your entire life savings that he'll answer "chicken butt".  Even now that he's 29 years old. 

By all accounts he is the best uncle - I'm sure that Galen, Jill and Katie would agree.  I love that he is willing to teach the kids to waterski.  He'll jump on the trampoline with them until they collapse from exhaustion.  He lets them climb all over him like he's a jungle gym.  He's even been known to change a diaper without anyone asking him to lend a hand.

But one of the things I really love about him is illustrated in this photo:

Unsatisfied with ordinary methods to carve a pumpkin, Ryan employs power tools.

Like father, like son.