SHORT STUFF

Dave's Wedding

2009-06-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Bachelor Party.

'I wish I could move like all the other grandkids.'

The Bachelor Party, plus Mom.

On our way to the temple. Shades courtesy of Uncle Matt.

The two most eligible bachelors at the wedding.

The two Daves at the wedding luncheon.

The beautiful cake Lindsey made!

Little Lindy

2009-02-18T21:11:00.000-08:00

I think that our little Hallie is looking more like her Aunt Lindy all the time. She is definitely a Danley. This picture especially reminds me of pictures of Lindy when she was younger.

CHRISTMAS AWAY

2008-12-16T01:31:00.000-08:00

We are very disappointed to have missed the Danley Family Christmas Party this last weekend @ Jeff & Kim's place in Heber. From the word on the street, it was a great time had by all. We are also feeling bad that our gifts have not arrived yet from abroad. I posted a sneak peak of Jas & Dave's gift pictured above. Your Welcome.

PUPPY LOVE

2008-12-07T03:02:00.001-08:00

Steve & I are so excited about the recent news of Dave & Crystal's engagement that we just HAD to post these great pics on the family blog. Well, let's be honest, we actually are in love with their new chocolate lab. We can't believe they already have a new addition and the wedding isn't even until the Spring!!!

CONGRATS YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!

St. George

2008-10-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

This blog has suffered since Deon left for New Zealand, so in honor of the annual St. George Marathon trip, I'm getting some pictures up.
The whole Danley family spent a weekend in St. George a few weeks ago, in order to watch Dave run the St. George marathon. We are all glad we get to hang out and have a good time, and Dave is the one running 26 miles. Thanks Dave for another fun race and good job!!
Highlights of the weekend were swimming with the grandkids, watching General Conference, looking for the elusive desert tortoise on a short Sunday hike, Jeff's rollerblading, sushi eating, celebrating Mom's birthday, trying to fix the projector in the theatre, watching The Office, and going shoe shopping with the girls.
Thanks for the fun weekend everyone, and we definitely missed our Kiwis...Deon and Steve!
(BTW...I totally forgot the camera at the race, but Crystal was nice enough to take some pics of Dave receiving his loot at the awards ceremony!)

The awards ceremony. It was rainy and cold.

Some shots of the cute grandkids. Sage, Gavin and Will are also cute but they spent most their time hiding out in the theater room.

Mom's birthday cake...a peach cobbler.

Everyone enjoying their cobbler and some episodes of The Office.

Swimming in the dark.

Our Sunday hike led by none other then Gavin and Will.

SPA LOVE

2008-09-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Stephen's last day at the Hartford firm is tomorrow. He has been so lucky to work with a bunch of amazing people, and he is certainly going to miss each and every one of them. This moving thing is truly overrated!!

RELAXING REUNION

2008-09-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my wonderful and amazing sister-in-laws, The James Family Reunion was a wonderful and relaxing beginning to our vacation in Utah. The activities at the reunion were top-notch, and every last bite of food was heavenly. We had a great time watching old slides and hearing all the 'remember whens' from days of old.

tasty worm slurping

Jazz hands

happy, but fierce competitors

victory

FAMILY FOTO

2008-09-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday we all got ready for a big day at church in Payson. I did a horrible job of trying to organize everyone for a photo, but luckily Dave's photo skills saved the day! Look at all those good-looking grandkids!!!

LABOR DAY BLUES

2008-09-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Labor Day was full of activity . . . and thunderstorms and rain!!! We arose very early to watch Dave smash the competition at a 5K in Payson. Surprisingly, my cousin Kendall was at the same race that day as well . . . with his whole family!! What an inspiration they are!!!!!!!

Later on in the day we dragged everyone around as we went shopping for NZ clothes. We also got to see Prince Caspian at the movies with Jason, Lindsey, Sage & Halle. Those two little girls are so adorable and fun to be around!!! My favorite line of Sage's while viewing the movie was, "WHY do the squirrels have swords?!?!?"

Dave laughs in the face of defeat.

Kendall looking studly in his official racing gear.

Hanging at the Onion Days Parade with the family; we didn't see much before it got rained-out!

TUESDAY TEARS

2008-09-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

Sadly we left Payson on Tuesday to go out to the Uintah Basin. We tried to haul Tyler out there with us, but he was busy getting a great new job!

BIG SKY COUNTRY

2008-09-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dad, we were able to travel over to Altonah to see our land on Wednesday. We also tried some of the best candy in the land from a little grocery store in Altamont-- good find!

ME & MY SHADOW

2008-09-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

Ian was sure a cutie to watch . . . he is a fearless adventurer.

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

2008-09-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

We sure had fun playing with the four Danley grandsons out in the Basin!!!!!

DINO DISCOVERIES

2008-09-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

Thursday we hung at the new National History/Dinosaur Museum in Vernal, UT.

Little explorers: Will and Gavin.

Mom sharing her vast knowledge of bison.

Decisions, decisions . . .

Gavin's trying to measure-up to this Wooly Mammoth!

The Three Musketeers

YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK . . .

2008-09-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

Dad, Gavin, and Ian sporting their sweet new dinosaur tats.

SLURPEE LOVE

2008-09-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

Dad's new custom Slurpee Machine brought as much joy to the grandkids as it did to the Danley children after a long day of work at the office each summer. ;)

SHREDDING ON HOLY WATER

2008-09-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

This is what my talented brothers looked like chillin' at the Indian reservation lake last Saturday . . .

ZERO ATHLETIC ABILITY REVEALED

2008-09-09T14:14:00.002-07:00

this is how pathetic I looked . . . so sad!

SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

2008-09-09T14:14:00.001-07:00

It was tough to leave Roosevelt on Saturday, but luckily I had Jeff & Kim's house to look forward to. It was neat to see their sweet new digs in Heber.

Thanks everyone for such a wonderful trip to Utah!!! We really appreciate everyone who scheduled their life around us so we could have the best activities, food, transportation, and company during our 10-day visit.

I SEE THE LIGHT

2008-08-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Steve just called me from scout camp in Vermont and informed me that we both got our visas today!!!! That is a huge relief considering we have already sold many of our belongings . . . and packed-up the rest.

BEACH BUMS

2008-08-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

Steve's better half, Montana.

Steve & Deon skipped town on Saturday and headed to Charleston, RI for the Annual Mrachek Family Turkey Fry at their beach house. We felt very privileged to be invited, and a great time was had by all. We were having such a good time that I forgot to take any pictures until the fireworks show- whoops. Luckily, Courtney shared a few of her pics with me.

Beans oh beans

2008-08-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

Canning season has begun, and in honor of the occasion I decided to post my latest accomplishment. We've had a great bean crop this year and usually my attempts at bean canning are a disgrace, but I managed to get 16 pints this years. I think I'm most proud that I didn't cause any damage with the scary pressure cooker.

(I promise not to post pictures of all my canning this year!)

Viva La Vida

2008-08-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

After waiting three long years for their return, my fav band Coldplay took to the stage at the XL Center in Hartford last night. Steve & I scored some pretty sweet tickets on Ebay so I could see all the musical action up close & personal. Unfortunately, other psycho fans had the same idea, so we had to deal with a few characters around us. Steve enjoyed himself, minus the full glass of beer that got dumped down his pants and shoe.

The concert was great, but the band totally snubbed us . . . no encore performance! Maybe we will just have to go to Boston tomorrow night for another round of "Death and All His Friends". Hey, 'just because I'm hurting, doesn't mean I'm hurt . . . '.

Nice laser shows, media/image balls, and other special effects-
Some personal touches-
Jammin'-
Even Will sang a little-
Mr. Martin was the all-around showman.

Hey, Hey, Hey . . . Good-bye

2008-08-03T09:40:00.001-07:00

Last Monday, while the family was recovering from the big Cameron Reunion in Utah, we were mourning the loss of our good friend, Jaime. She moved to Orlando, FL this last Tuesday with her three adorable boys. Hopefully she becomes great friends with the Orlando branch of the Danley fam.

Cameron Family Reunion 2008

2008-07-31T12:22:00.001-07:00

The Cameron Reunion was this last weekend. It was a great time with all our crazy relatives, although we really missed Deon and Steve and Jason and Lindsey and their girls. We could have used them in the hula hoop competition!

Here are a few pics from the Olympic portion of the reunion. Our team was from Japan, and we put together a pretty decent ensemble of costumes and flag. However, Jeff added his touches with two sumo suits. Jeff and Matt showed off their wrestling abilities, and Kurt showed off his ability of getting two sumo wearing guys into the back of a truck.

It was all pretty funny and great fun!

On Saturday morning, Altamont had their annual Longhorn 5k. Jeff, Dave, Kendrick, Kendall, Amy, Madison and Tyler all got up early to go run it. A few of us dragged ourselves out of bed to watch. 'That Danley Boy' got first place and Jeff came in 3rd.

Gavin and Will had a blast swimming and building their 'house' (under the wood stairs). I think they are having a little gladiator/sword fighting competition in these pictures.

The highlight of the Olympic competition was the syhcronized swimming. I was impressed with Jeff, Kim and Dad's ability to put together a routine. Dad gets the award for never coming out of character!

These are a few pics from the climbing wall. James couldn't quite reach the holds yet!

SUPER KELLI

2008-07-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were extremely honored to have my genius college roomie visit us from D.C. She is currently in her first year as a nurse, but we like to refer to her as "super nurse".

Kelli can also be categorized as a "super traveler". She has basically almost visited the entire world in her short life, but CT was one of her unconquered states. She arrived on Thurs. evening after a long drive on 95.

Luckily, being a seasoned traveler, Kelli toured the majority of CT hot spots in one day. We ended Friday at Yale and decided to treat our palates to the delicious Thai cuisine of Bangkok Gardens in New Haven-- thanks for the suggestion, Kim!

THE MOUNT Estate and Gardens of Edith Wharton

2008-07-20T16:03:00.001-07:00

Can you see the humidity in this pic?

The stables.
Steve & Kelli discussing Ethan Frome. :)

Yesterday Stephen, Kelli, and I drove up to the Berkshires in Western MA. Considering it was the hottest, most humid day of the year thus far, we were anxious to spend some time at a slightly higher elevation.

Our two points of interest were the Edith Wharton estate in Lenox, MA, and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. Unfortunately, due to 'artistic overload' for the male in our party, we opted for lunch over the NRM. Lindsey, I will try to make it there eventually!!!

PLAIN & SIMPLY EXTRAVAGANT

2008-07-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

Although her massive estate took two years to build, the inside decor was extremely simplistic. Wharton despised "sumptuary excesses" of the Victorian clutter of her privileged upbringing in New York, so The Mount's interior was inspired by the Old World designs of Italian villas, French pavilions, and English country houses.

MY DREAM GARDEN

2008-07-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

The estate gardens were magnificent! Ms. Wharton once commented that she was a better gardener than a novelist, and it shows in the design and execution of her spacious Italian gardens.

LITERARY MUSHROOMS

2008-07-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

Dave, what are these weird, alien-like mushrooms? We located these on the Edith Wharton estate. Any guesses??

PARIS IN HARTFORD?

2008-07-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

Downtown Hartford- The Statehouse

Downtown Hartford- The Capitol Building

A trip to CT wouldn't be complete without visiting the capitol building in downtown Hartford. Does the capitol's Victorian Gothic architecture really fit the general ambience of Hartford? You be the judge.

IT'S GREEK TO ME

2008-07-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

As we arrived home from The Berkshires, a violent summer storm raged through Berlin and caused a large tree to collapse over the entrance to our road from off the turnpike. Using his incredible off-roading skills, Steve was able to get Kelli and I around the damage; however, we weren't too thrilled with what we found at home: no electricity.

This really wouldn't have been a problem, but we were expected at an Extravaganza party in Newington that evening with all of Steve's work buddies for food, fireworks, and fun. After a hot & humid day in Mass, we were all a sight for sore eyes. Instead of attending the Newington festivities, Kelli went to Rocky Neck State Park, Deon fell fast asleep in the non-A/C house, and Steve did (?). Eventually, we all made it back together for some Greek fare at Tapa's in West Hartford at around 10 p.m.

Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there. Steve's 'tapas' didn't stay put for long. He was sick all night long!!!!

FROG BLOG

2008-07-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

How cute is this mini frog? He was trying to be a part of a portrait sitting last week.

Dave's Post

2008-07-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

I decided I better post something on this blog so Deon didn't completely take it over. My pictures aren't as good as Deon's though. I put on some pictures of the areas I have been working this winter and spring. I also put on some pictures from a couple trips I took. It does not include everything, and it is not in order. I just threw it together, because I thought people might like to see the places I've been working.

Crystal and I went on a hike this winter in the Superstition Mountains. It was a really cool canyon with a little creek in it. We hiked to some Indian dwellings in caves, and Crystal even kept up with me when we had to run out of there to get to a BBQ on time.

This is an Indian dwelling we hiked to in the canyon.

This winter I went skiing in Durango, CO. With Clark, his wife Lindsay, and her friend Brittney. It was great snow, and we had a great time.

A professional skier we met up there.

These are the Beaver Dam Mtns., just south of St. George. I spent a week here this spring surveying potential windmill sites. It was beautiful country.

This is the top of the Beaver Dam Mtns. There was a big fire here two years ago, but it put a lot of nitrogen in the soil and has made the globemallow and other wildflowers spectacular.

The area around the Beaver Dam Mtns.

The Beaver Dam Mtns.

A mikvetch I found in the Beaver Dam Mtns. These are really cool plants.

In June I went deep sea fishing with my roommate and his buddy. We went out 25 miles off of the coast in Rocky Point, Mexico and caught grouper, rock bass, trigger fish, and spotted bass.

My roommate Ryan, and a 60 lb. grouper that he caught.

This Fourth of July Crystal, my roommate Ryan, and I went to Winslow, AZ. We had a great time. We rode 4-wheelers, watched fireworks, and hiked, swam, and cliff jumped at Clear Creek Canyon. We watched two guys build a rope swing off this bridge. They were hilarious. They were drunk and kept saying "This is the King Swing!"

This is another picture of the canyon.

This spring I have been spending most of my time in Bryce Canyon National Park area. It has been a lot of work, but a beautiful place to be working. I have spent almost all of my time here from April to July.

A Northern Goshawk. These are a state-sensitive species. We surveyed for these in June.

A Gunnison Sage Grouse. They are being petitioned for listing on the Endangered Species List right now. We surveyed for these in April.

I have also been doing several small projects throughout this spring around the Cedar City area for a company called South Central Communications. We have mostly been surveying for Utah Prairie Dogs (Threatened) on these projects. They have been in some beautiful locations. I included a couple of pictures.

A project near Panguitch, UT. This is a valley called Dog Valley.

A project near Brianhead Ski Resort.

This picture is myself and my co-worker doing Pima Pineapple Cactus surveys in the Santa Rita Mtns. between Tucson and Nogales, AZ. I was down there for most of January and February.

This is a Pima Pineapple Cactus, they are an endangered species.

We found two desert tortoises hibernating. This one's foot was sticking out of his burrow. It looked like he got tired digging his burrow and just fell asleep. They are endangered in Utah but not in Arizona.

A coyote skull we found during surveys. Not quite as artistic as Deon's pictures, but pretty good if I do say so myself.

Needle-spine pincushion cactus. Pretty cool little cacti.

2008-07-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

The Bronx Zoo kept us busy all day Monday. Our favorite places were the Congo Gorilla Forest, the Butterfly Garden, the Carousel, and Madagascar, a new exhibit of animals from this island.

2008-07-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

After wandering through Chelsea and Greenwich Village, we found a playground that the kids enjoyed (as you can see by Ian's expression). They were so excited to see Uncle Steve, especially Ian since it was the first time they had met.

2008-07-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

We went to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and enjoyed the Japanese Garden, lilypad ponds, and bonsai trees.

2008-07-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

The pictures probably speak for themselves, but the fireworks show was amazing. New York City's show has 55 times more fireworks than anywhere else in the country. We all thought that the grand finale occurred about twenty times. Ian and Gavin were awestruck (and then very tired afterwards). Deon was the master behind these shots (sorry I didn't crop any of them!).

New York City with the Kids

2008-07-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

Our first stop was the 'Dinosaur Museum,' which turned out to be a big hit with Gavin and Ian. Gavin ran from room to room in awe of the many dinosaur skeletons while Ian continually roared at all the dinosaur skeletons. We spent the entire day at the Museum of Natural History and Central Park before we met Deon at Grand Central to go to dinner and the fireworks show.

A COLORFUL WEEKEND

2008-07-07T13:44:00.001-07:00

This holiday weekend, Jeff, Kim, Deon, Gavin, and Ian chilled in Brooklyn & NYC.

They watched amazing NYC fireworks from Brooklyn Heights,

found some lovely Farmer's Market finds,

tried to understand what possessed someone to ruin this beautiful brownstone,

and ate lots of ice cream to stay cool in the super humid NYC weather! (This pic of Gav is priceless.)

The best part of the weekend was Aunt Non getting the chance to

baby-sit Gavin & Ian while Jeff & Kim attended a friend's wedding.

2008-07-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Uncle Steve came down to NY to join in on all the activities. Actually, Aunt Non wasn't all that fun to hang with, so luckily her better half came to save the day!

As Steve was taking Metro-North down from CT, Kim & Deon toured the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens with the boys. Gavin was lovin' these amazing Bonsai Trees (supposedly the largest collection in the world).

We were all anxious to see what Chelsea Market had to offer in the Chelsea District of Manhattan.

Zagat-rated fares were abundant . . . but we took a break from specialty shops to eat lunch

at the oldest diner in NYC!

2008-07-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ian is a dog connoisseur; he is addicted to canines!

Deon is addicted to this little car.

From the looks on our faces, Steve obviously had more confidence in our crazy lady photographer than the rest of us (including Gav & Ian).

A little better?

In Greenwich Village, we had the choice of touring the Marc Jacobs store, eating cupcakes at Magnolia's Bakery (notice the line around the block), or playing at the local park. We chose the later.

My apologies for these horrible photos. I just took a little digital down to NY. Kim brought a sweet Nikon on the trip, so hopefully she will post some MUCH better pics when they arrive home from Brooklyn tomorrow.

Thanks again Jeff & Kim for letting us come hang with your awesome family in The Big Apple. Deon was clearly a pain most of the trip, but hopefully Steve made up it!!!

MY NEW HARE

2008-06-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

While washing dishes tonight, we found a hare in the backyard. Steve only wishes it was the kind that grew on his head (Steve penned this).

My new little buddy is this eastern cottontail that chills in our backyard now & then. Unfortunately, he's not so fond of me.

I'm starting to sound like Mom, but I really have fun spotting all the wildlife in our CT yard. Too bad our "baby Peter" sightings are short-lived. Only two more months and we will most likely be viewing mainly traffic from our back window in Central Auckland.

WADSWORTH MANSION

2008-06-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

Steve and I traveled over to the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown to check out their grounds for an upcoming wedding this next week. It should be a very beautiful location for the event. The grounds were amazing! I thought you might be interested in the landscape history, Lind:

"In 1900, three years after his marriage to Katharine Fearing Hubbard, Colonel Wadsworth began preparing plans for the site of their future country summer residence "Long Hill" in the rollings hills of western Middletown. An authority on the emerging science of forestry and conservation, Colonel Wadsworth had a concern for the environment far ahead of his time. Working with the nationally renowned landscape architectural firm, The Olmsted Brothers, 500 acres of Long Hill were designed in the tradition of a working landscape. They created an estate that evolved from the formal and classical near the Mansion, to varied, well-managed forests and pastures."

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

2008-06-18T05:19:00.000-07:00

My "dream" Celtics team (courtesy of manager Danny Ainge & coach Rivers) crushed the Lakers last night by 39 points. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Too bad Nash wasn't a part of the KG/Pierce/Allen combo. :(

LAST COMIC STANDING

2008-06-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

Dave, Steve, & I were faithful watchers of "Last Comic Standing" from Season 1 when we all lived in Logan together- "The Simpson's Era", as I like to call it. Well, it's that time of year once again. So far, we really haven't been that impressed with the comics making it through the first round, but comedy is truly subjective, I guess.

CELTICS PRIDE

2008-06-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

I am happy to say that at least one of the basketball men I love made it to the Finals. Go KG!!!! Even though Steve & I were die-hard Jazz fans for the entire season, we have to give props to the Boston Celtics for smashing the Lakers in Game 1.

Here's a little eye candy for you too, Lind. Mom's gonna love this post. ;)

APPLE OF MY EYE

2008-06-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday Steve & I stopped by Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, CT. It's a beautiful farm with a market where they sell lots of good produce and other fun things. After seeing that their Famous Apple Cider was $5.99 a gallon, I decided that Lindy should do the same this fall in Cache Valley after the apple harvest with her abundance of fruit. She could even open up her own market like this one with all her wonderful garden goods!

LAZY DAY

2008-05-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend was pretty uneventful in CT. Deon had a sitting on Saturday in Elizabeth Park, and Steve did a good amount of NZ studying, sleeping, cleaning the house, and watching movies. We did venture to Canton & Avon yesterday to do a little exploring. This time of year in CT is so beautiful & green!

Mom, I snapped a quick pic on all the Canadian geese after they crossed the road. This family seriously rivals 101 Dalmatians! Obviously the geese were feeling patriotic yesterday, so they were crossing the street to get to the American flag stuck in the grass. :)

Jeff & Kim's Trip to Mexico

2008-05-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

In April we went to Rocky Point, Mexico with our kids and Jeff's business partner's family, Jeff Burningham. Here are some of the pics we took from the trip. We spent our time swimming at the pool, digging in the sand at the beach, riding the 'rhinos' on the beach, shopping at the local markets, and deep sea fishing.

ANIMATED ANNIVERSARY

2008-05-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Steve & I celebrated our #9 yesterday. Due to our lack of planning, it didn't turn-out as exciting as we had hoped. It started out on a great note when we went over together to Jaime's for VT. Her son, Daniel, made us an amazing animated anniversary poster (pictured). We were very impressed with his abilities!!! We left Jaime's around 7:30 p.m. to go grab some dinner, but thanks to my stupidity, I had left my wallet at home and Steve only had his AMEX card with him. The place we were at didn't take AMEX, so feeling defeated, we decided to hit up the local grocery store for some goods and go home. We weren't in the mood to travel anywhere else. Lind, we did actually buy a Greek salad for me and Jamaican Patties for Steve, as well as some Aussie Licorice, so we went as 'exotic' as we possibly could.

James

2008-05-11T18:34:00.001-07:00

We got to go see little James on Sunday afternoon. He is so sweet and little. I got to hold him for almost an hour while Lindy and Kurt ate lunch. He is just perfect. I was able to take a few quick pictures of him. He really didn't want to show his cute chin and whenever I would pull down his romper to expose it he would snuggle back down into a little ball. Anyway, for those of you who haven't seen him yet at least you get an idea of his cuteness.

This picture is a little blurry but he had the cutest little smile on his face.

SWEET BABY JAMES

2008-05-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Lindy, Kurt, and Will had their new little baby boy yesterday in Logan. I think they are naming him James, and I think he was 7 lbs. 14 oz. (just like Stephen James), but I'm yet to speak with Lindy about all the details. Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!

THE DAFFODIL FESTIVAL

2008-05-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Every year a neighboring town in CT, Meriden, has a daffodil festival. There are around 600,000 daffodils all in bloom for visitors to enjoy. We didn't actually go to the festival, but I did make it over there post-event for a photo op. I'll post additional pics on my photo blog.

SPEEDY DELIVERY

2008-05-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

We are all getting anxious for a new nephew delivery within the next week or so . . . BEST OF LUCK, LIND!!!

NEW ENGLAND'S RISING STAR

2008-05-03T16:48:00.001-07:00

Today Steve & I traveled into the 'big city' of Hartford for a few minutes to run some errands . . .

Earlier this week, I shot a sitting down by Bushnell Park/The Russian Lady. This will bring back sweet memories for Jeff & Kim-- :).

Steve's new office building at City Place- Asylum Street--- Jeff's old stomping ground.

We parked by a car from Nevada . . . it made me miss home!

(Sorry about the bad quality of these pics; I shot all of them out of the car window with a little camera.)

2008-04-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon, Steve & I traveled up to Mass. to discover the old, colonial town at Sturbridge Village.

COLONIAL COLORS

2008-04-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Stephen was in great awe of all the colorful spring beauty in the village :).

Our cow friend, giving a 'shout out' to big Matt D.

MAKING FRIENDS

2008-04-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Steve immediately started to make friends with the village people.

Although, he wasn't all that pleased with their plumbing facilities.

We even watched a potter's demonstration.

Steve excelled at the art (j/k).

BARNYARD BABIES

2008-04-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

Steve fell in love with this little runt. If only they didn't grow up!

Jeff & Jason--- incarnate.

VILLAGE HOSPITALITY

2008-04-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

The locals were extremely friendly as they went about their daily tasks. Steve truly fit right in.

DAD'S COMPETITION

2008-04-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

I have a hunch that Dad's dental practice would grow tremendously in this particular village.

Nosh

2008-04-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

We ended the day with a tasty dinner at a NY kosher deli in Vernon. This place was really good . . . now I regret not taking Mom there!

BLOSSOM BONANZA

2008-04-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Connecticut has officially been infested with blossoms . . . well, "infested" is probably the wrong word to use, but spring arrived with a bang this last week in our 'neck of the woods'.

EARTH WEEK

2008-04-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

We are far from being "green", but as Earth Week progresses, we are becoming continually motivated to make more changes, namely, limiting our plastics.

GOING AWAY PARTY

2008-04-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

We have so much respect for our wonderful friends from Ghana. They truly have a beautiful perspective of life, love, and family. Our favorite Ghanaian grandma is returning this week to Africa after nine years in CT. She will be greatly, greatly missed!!!!

FROM THE BIG APPLE TO THE MAGIC CITY

2008-04-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

To begin our vacation, we traveled out of La Guardia Airport to Miami. The Magic City blew me away, literally!

MIAMI SUNSET

2008-04-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

2008-04-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

IN A LAND FAR, FAR AWAY

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. . . THERE WAS BEAUTIFUL WEATHER!!!

FREQUENTING THE WATER HOLES

2008-04-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

Popular stops for Deon in Puerto Rico.

DAD'S SLURPEE STAND

2008-04-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

Oddly, I was immediately drawn to the Puerto Rican version of "Slurpees" in San Juan. I wonder why that is?

I was very impressed by the beautiful architecture and colorful palettes that decorated the landscape in SJ: both on land and sea.

THE HIGH LIFE

2008-04-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to tag along to Steve M.'s RC private cruise party, complete with decadent hor'dourves and a grand piano. Steve is an accomplished pianist, and Deon tried her best to keep up.

OUR CRUISIN' POSSE

2008-04-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Can anyone spot our famous friend from Celebrity Apprentice: The Finale? I know Mom can! She actually rang the Nasdaq bell on Wall Street last week. Go Lisa; we are all so proud!

ANIMAL INSTINCT

2008-04-15T15:32:00.001-07:00

The midnight buffet was quite a sight to behold. We didn't spend much time there, but we did take a few pics for shock value.

OLYMPIC HOPEFUL

2008-04-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

While Deon excelled at figure-skating, Steve spent time working on his mini-golf game. Actually, it was a miracle that I didn't make a visit to the onboard medical facilities after my ice session.

The professional evening ice shows were absolutely incredible!!!

GOT GAME?

2008-04-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

SPRINKLES LOVE

2008-04-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

St. Maarten was rather disappointing: Steve's deep-sea fishing expedition charted through 8 ft. swells, and the high-point of Deon's snorkeling adventure was accidentally falling off the tender boat. What better way to end a bad day then a trip (or two, or three) to the Sprinkles Machine . . . our home away from home? Steve's serving technique is unsurpassed to this day . . . seriously!

STEVE'S NEW FRIEND

2008-04-15T15:00:00.001-07:00

While Steve chilled with the locals, Deon took flight in Haiti.

THE WILD ROVER

2008-04-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

We spent many a late night listening to live guitar music in this little bar onboard. Some passengers from Ireland became our instant friends, and now we are fairly versed in Irish pub tunes.

JOHNNY ROCKETS

2008-04-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

Food was prevalent, so we neglected to visit Johnny Rockets until the last day.

THE BITTER END

2008-04-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

We had a great time, so obviously it was sad to arrive back in Miami and bid farewell to "Liberty".

PRESCRIPTION FOR PIZZA

2008-04-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

Steve was battling a stomach bug yesterday, but that didn't prevent him from testing a new pizza recipe, courtesy of his friend, Cliff. How does it go . . . "A pizza a day keeps the doctor away?"

Lindy...Pure Gold

2008-04-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

You Are A Gold Girl

You're dependable and hard working. You never miss a deadline - and you're never late.

You have a clear sense of right and wrong. You're very detail oriented.

You get frustrated when your friends are sloppy - or when they don't follow through.

You're on top of things, and you wish that everyone else was!

What Color Girl Are You?

DEON HAS A GREEN THUMB . . . JUST LIKE DAD!

2008-04-13T12:36:00.002-07:00

You Are A Green Girl

You feel most at home in a world of ideas.

You're curious and logical - and enjoy a good intellectual challenge.

You're super cool, calm, and collected. Very little tries your patience.

Your only fear? People not realizing how smart and able you are!

What Color Girl Are You?

Steve says I'm certainly not the calm & patient part. :)

Dinner Party

2008-04-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Life has returned to normal...The Office is back on! Thank goodness my Thursdays will be humorous once again. Last night we spent a great 30 minutes laughing at the attempt at a dinner party. My favorite part was Jim's attempt to get out of it half way through.

SPRING FOR A DAY

2008-04-09T10:17:00.001-07:00

Berlin was in the 60's yesterday! I took this pic from inside our kitchen, but you can still see all the red blossoms starting to appear on the trees outside.

DEON'S DENT

2008-04-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice pic of the remodeling job I did on Dave & Robin's garage door (courtesy of Robin). This picture is a flattering angle of the width, length, and depth of damage from the Sub. I think they actually popped-out as much as they could so the garage door could still function.

PENNSYLVANIA PALETTE

2008-04-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

INTERCOURSE CANNING COMPANY

2008-04-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

Friday morning, our first stop in Lancaster County was a canning company. Steve was a little apprehensive at first, until he discovered all the delicious samples distributed throughout the store. We truly found some incredible recipe ideas for canning this year: Jalapeno Pepper Jam was a big favorite!

AMISH: BLACK & WHITE

2008-04-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

PEOPLE'S PLACE QUILT MUSEUM

2008-04-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

Steve could have spent hours and hours at the quilt museum in Intercourse, PA. :)

FARMER FARE

2008-04-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

The Farmer's Market in Bird-In-Hand, PA was filled with delicious, homegrown food.

2008-04-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

MINI MISTY MINTS

2008-04-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

2008-04-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but the Wilbur Chocolate Museum was probably the most interesting and delicious of all our chocolate adventures in PA and CT. We all enjoyed learning some chocolate history and candy-making techniques from the nice ladies in Lititz, PA.

MUSEUM OF CHOCOLATE

2008-04-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

STURGIS STAND-UP

2008-04-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Our last stop in Lancaster County on Friday was supposed to be the grandest . . . a visit to the oldest pretzel factory in the world: Julius Sturgis Pretzel Factory. Although the magnitude of the factory/tour did not live up to our expectations, the humorous manner in which our young tour guide conducted our tour more than made up for the lack of pretzel paraphernalia!

"SUITE" DREAMS

2008-04-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

We lucked out and scored a nice suite at the Hershey Sheraton in Harrisburg, PA on Friday night. After raiding the Club Lounge, Mom and I displayed quite the breakfast spread before hitting the road for Hershey.

HERSHEY HEAVEN

2008-04-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had a wonderful time touring around Hershey World. The amusement park wasn't open for the season yet, but I don't think Mom was too disappointed about that.