Sunday Evening Walk

In the evening, we took a walk to the beautiful and historic UVA campus. We got caught in a mighty rain storm but we waited it out on the stage where the graduation ceremony had been held. The clouds parted and we walked home.

Nick's Swing

Last fall when I came to visit, Nick mentioned his little ambition (besides getting through Law School) to build a swing for his kids. The tree he had in mind to hang it from was sooo tall and inaccessible that I laughed at the idea. But, well, see for yourselves. Will Audrey and Eric ever forget this swing? Everyone watching them yelled "Hang on tight!" every time they flew by. They were fearless little pros.

Nick's Graduation

We spent a wonderful few days in Virginia. We were able to fly out for Nick's graduation from Law School. It was a proud day for us. The weather was ominous and throughout the ceremony, we could smell rain and hear thunder, but the drops didn't start falling til we were home.

What an accomplishment--for both Nick and Nadine. They made it look so easy! But they're finished now--both with degrees and with three wonderful children (so far). Now we all get to sit back and watch their life unfold.

Where I go running

One of my great keys to happiness, is regularly running on this road. It winds over hills and across meadows and along ridges. It has beautiful views and occasional wildlife.

Near the end of the run, I come to this beautiful place--made all the more beautiful by the fact that from here on out, it's downhill all the way. Keep in mind, that this is the ugliest time of year. In just a few weeks, the grass will be green and the vegetation lush--wild roses, purple and yellow flowers, everything leafed out. I love this place.

New Beginnings

I was in charge fo the skit for New Beginnings. We decided to base our skit on finding "value"-able treasure inside a cave. I chose 8 birls to star in the skit. Each one had to paint a rock in her value color. I should mention here, that Bruce and I had to drive to the top of a very high mountain to get all of these perfect rocks. He is the best sport of any man around.


For the skit, the 8 girls each introduced one of the new Beehives that will be coming in this year. Note Marielle. Can you believe she's big enough for Young Womens--actually she has about 4 months. We'll have to have some serious lessons in grooming--she could not care less about it now.

Don't you love this cave? I learned the art of cardboard rocks.

Each of my girls, displayed the rock they "found" in the cave and talked about their value.
It was very well done. I love my young women!

Meeting a New Baby Goat

Our friends the Feltus's got a new little goat--only 5 days old. They agreed to let us come over for a visit.


Sadie wasn't the least bit nervous.

Bruce--with his usual flare for animal handling, checked him out all over.
We especially loved his little knobby legs with all their joints and his smooth perfect little hooves.

Ruth walked all around the farm. There were sheep, chickens, ducks, horses large and small, and best of all--the goat.

A Very Wonderful Visit

What a great weekend. Kristen, Marlee and Mikelle made the long journey home for President's Day weekend. They each brought a "friend" with them. Lucky for them, we loved their friends.

As a joke, Bruce and I planted books about marriage around the house. We thought it would be funny since everyone keeps giving Mikelle and Clark a hard time about it. Obviously, they have a sense of humor about the whole thing. (Or is it possible they were getting a few pointers?)


A long Sunday afternoon. Marlee read us some of the tricks for "Attracting, Catching and Keeping a Mate"
A good time was had by all. We especially liked the idea of dressing in black and white and walking a dalmation by a fire department. That was a sure attention-getter.

Mikelle told Clark that he'd know I liked him if I made him "The Breakfast".
So....I like him.
Mikelle seems to like him too.

Marlee and Victor deal out for our final "Oh Heck" game of the trip. Each of the visiting men--Clark, Victor and Gavin won one of our games. That's good news for all of us. "Oh Heck" is our litmus test for native intelligence. They all passed and are on to the next round.

Time Waits for No Man

On February 2 (Groundhog Day) our dad turned 54. We didn't get to celebrate until nearly 9:00. It was a very busy day.



He was surrounded by most of his favorite people.

Fortunately, after a long, eventful year, he still had the lung capacity to blow out all of his candles.
The German Chocolate cake was top-notch.

Look at all those dishes he washed in the background. He washed them while we were at the church. Such a good soldier--even on his birthday.

Our New Dog Millie

We recently acquired this homely dog. We found her on Craig's List and agreed to try her out for one week.


She panted all the time and had a strange habit of going into slow-motion every now and then. We were pretty sure we weren't going to keep her. But we decided to reserve judgement til the week was up.

Gradually, she weasled her way in to our hearts. We all started to like her.

Three weeks later, here she is....all settled in. Oh that Millie. We love her so.

The Tea Party

A visit wouldn't be complete without a tea party. I love getting it ready. And the kids always treat the tea party dishes with great care and respect. They are very polite. What a great tradition it's turned out to be.