Isabel's shower

Grandma Janet

Uncle Dan
Mom and Dad

The Schmid and Buckley clan

Aunt Sally and Uncle Bob's first meeting with Isabelita in Oct.

Grandpa Chuck

Great Uncle Terry

Great Aunt Donna

Around the house...

I took these pics a couple weeks ago, when it was still nice outside. This was an amazingly warm fall and the trees are beautiful colors. My pansies are still doing well, despite the frost this past week:

I don't want to see the good weather pass! We love to sit out on the deck, especially on lazy Sunday when we usually sit and read. But hey, now it's reading by the fireplace, which is also nice.

I caught a play-fight between Mick and Sienna:

Then, sniffing and affection--a rare sight for Mick:

Italia here I come

Sharon, who I've known since 4th grade, is studying art restoration in one of my favorite places in the world, Italia. I will visit her in Firenze (Florence) February. Whoo hoo!

Washington DC trip

walking toward the capitol

at the capitol

sitting on the wall in front of the capitol

view from the other side of the wall, lawn in front of the capitol

hallway ceiling in capitol; hallways were very ornate

the old house of representatives; statues of people who made their mark in american history now stand around the room while tourists pass through and tour guides try to entertain tourists by telling them that john adams could hear private conversations across the room if he put his head on his desk b/c of the unique acoustics.

ceiling of that room

this room had paintings of the first congressmen in action, a scene from the revolutionary war, etc. italian men (of course) were hired to paint detail around the walls and ceiling.

ceiling of the same art gallery:
a family of italian brothers (i believe it was six italian brothers) were hired to carve big abe. it's unbelievable that the lincoln monument is merely a HUGE statue of lincoln in a HUGE building.

the washington monument (it's rather ugly up close) and the reflecting pool, seen from the top of the steps of the lincoln monument--this is big abe's view:

it is what it says

each column represents a U.S. state to honor the soldiers who came from those states; the circle is cut in half--one half honors those who fought in the pacific and one half honors those who fought in the atlantic. the open four-post building honors the atlantic theater; the places of battles are carved nearby

these stars honor heroes

vietnam veterans memorial statue

the smithsonian institute's castle, where the first keepers of the smithsonian museum lived; the flower gardens were gorgeous
three paintings from one of the art museums; all paintings are from the late 1500s or early 1600s and are flemish or dutch

i find pictures of domestic life from the 1600s and before fascinating

daniel and the lions

the air and space museum was mostly a playland for men and boys. of course bob took this picture. the first plane to go the speed of sound:

this teeny tiny contraption is a space capsule used for either the first manned space trip or the first trip to the moon. the man couldn't stand up; there was only enough room to sit in one position and it didn't even look big enough for that inside. you would never get me in there, even on earth. how do you say claustrophobic?

this contraption, that looks like some kid's science project, transported men from the space capsule to the moon.

these sticks and pieces of canvas make up the first wright brothers plane. i didn't see it in person. i got bored with the planes and ended up wandering through an outerspace exibit that explained outerspace and the science behind discovering it.

we also went to the native american museum, but i didn't take any pics there. it was an amazing place that told the history of many tribes. there were many videos playing first-hand accounts from indians telling about their culture. the amount of info. was overwhelming and my feet were hurting bad at that point so i walked through everything quickly, admiring colorful native artifacts. it was the only DC museum we visited with good cafeteria food--they were actually serving native foods, like indian tacos, spicy chicken soup (southwest), fry bread, squash, avocado shakes, etc.

Camping on a cliff at Nelson Dewey State Park & hiking at Wyalusing State Park in WS, '07 & '06 trips

Camping trip '07

We love camping on this cliff. We have to park nearby and then haul our stuff down a woodsy trail to this area. The stars are bright and beautiful at night. While sitting by the campfire at night and staring into the sky, I saw three falling stars.

Snuggling with doggies in tent

I am proud to say I found this perfect stick for dual roasting from the nearby wooded area. I then sharpened it with Bob's pocket knife for our Kosher hot dogs.

Bob roasts the hot dogs

Hiking: View from Wyalusing State Park cliff

This spot overlooks where the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers meet. It would be a perfect pic if I hadn't been wearing that ultra dorky hiking outfit! Orange doesn't go with pink in this instance, Sally. It's a bird...It's a plane...No, it's Superdork!

My three beloved creatures

Camping trip '06

Mickey loves the tent. Camping is an extended doggie walk for him.

Me, cooking steaks over the fire at our site. Yes, the big environmentalist does make campfires about once a year. But it's only once a year...

Where the rivers meet

View from where we like to stop and have lunch.

On the way home. Tired out!