On the way to Lake Coeur d'Alene....

On our way to Lake Coeur d'Alene we stopped at Ginko Petrified Forest State Park on the Colombia River. We saw petroglyphs and beautiful views of the huge river cutting through the arid landscape. Very beautiful. Only 2.5 hours outside of green and moist Western Washington.


Petrified wood - see the rings?Freddy and Bridget sitting on petrified wood. They were especially interested in seeing this after having read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where some characters get petrified! (they do recover fully....)

An excellent article on health care reform by President Obama.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/opinion/16obama.html?_r=1

-Piano 35 photo at the top of the page -

Just realized - I changed my top photo right around the time that I posted pictures from St. Martin.  Well, the top photo is actually at the beautiful, broad, you-gotta-see-it beach at Kalaloch Lodge on the coast of Washington.  We've stayed there three times and loved it every time - the picture is from a very quiet morning - it was so peaceful!  And for you Twilight lovers out there...this is werewolf country!  (Ha...just started reading the third one again....got stuck last summer and dropped it for a year.  Everybody keeps telling me that the fourth one is great....actually, it's only the 13-15 year olds that keep telling me the fourth one is the best....so I decided to give it a try and slog through the third so that I could finish up that freakin' series....)

More pics! Don't know how to put the text first and the pictures second....so scroll down for a short paragraph of commentary!

Can you believe it?  I came back to the blogging world!  It has been 9 months.....  I would like to show some pictures of my most recent big trip! - St. Maarten/St. Martin - I had a fantastic time and would like to thank my brothers and sisters for giving me such a wonderful and unexpected present - it was just so great to sit on the beach and relax (first couple of days it was hard...when you haven't relaxed in a while, it is easy to forget how! - by the last couple of days I sat on the beach and totally relaxed - it was outstanding).....

Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip - enjoy!

For your reading pleasure.....

Interesting perspective from one conservative that I respect, David Brooks:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/opinion/16brooks.html

A thoughtful read from Roger Cohen:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/opinion/06cohen.html

On McCain's vs. Obama's plans for health care reform, by Paul Krugman:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/opinion/06krugman.html?ref=opinion

(p.s - my health care plan is indeed one that fits into the $13,000 range per year paid by my employer)

And a great one from my favorite for the last 7 years, Maureen Dowd:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/opinion/14dowd.html

Oh!  - just saw one more that's sure to make you smile, again from Maureen:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/opinion/05dowd.html?em

Time flies....

Can't believe it's already been six (or more!) weeks since my last post!   I wanted to be posting very regularly (a few times a week?) - now I'm going to shoot for at least a few times a month....

Anyway, I'll start with some photos from the summer trip to Illinois and Ohio - we had such a great time!  Highlights of Illinois were the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum with Tony, mini-golfing, swimming with the whole gang every day, and picnics/BBQs at parks and in the backyard. Highlights from Ohio were swimming, the Colombus zoo (vampire bats!), and lots of fun watching the Olympics (and definitely for Bridget a highlight was make-overs with Emma - Emma was wonderful and patient!  Thank you Emma!)  On our way from Ohio to Illinois we were able to visit my old friend Georgie and her family - her husband Jeff is a farmer who lives only about 2 miles away from Zionsville High School - it was fun to see the school again and visit their farm - the corn is so tall and the tractors/combines are enormous!

Thanks to Tony and Lynne and family and Lisa and Loren and family for giving us a wonderful Midwest vacation!

F, K, and B at a local Lincoln-era museum

K is AWESOME at tennis!

Thanks for the nice picture, Lynne -

Midwest beauty.

World's largest Lincoln statue - kids down below....

It was hot that day!

My kids were so hot....it was very different weather!

We had a great time at the pool - 

we wish we had one like that here!

Freddy having fun in the pool....

Glamour Girls - :-)

The gang at the Colombus Zoo -

Cool in shades at the zoo -

Recreating a picture from 2004 - not all were in the mood to participate.  We had already walked for hours.... should have recreated earlier!  :-)

Vampire bats - see in relation to zoologist behind plant

S'mores

Tie die pals!
A ride on the combine - really fun!
Tall corn.