Scary cat!

Mel visited in August to attend her high school reunion. Dean seems to be upset about something, but it is just an illusion! : )

This pretty much says it all.

I am now working on my gourmet dinner in two weeks that has the last meal of the Titanic (in first class) as its theme. There is much to do but hopefully all will be done soon. It should be interesting to try this meal, though truthfully, we couldn't begin to sample the whole thing, as in those days, on board cruise ships, people in first class had typical dinners lasting hours and the length was 11 or 12 courses!! I plan to incorporate maybe 6 or 7 courses, and maybe even less.

My good friend Noriko was in Norway August 6 through the 14th for a Post conference and took a boat trip up a fiord near Alesund.

Mastodon engraving on boulder found in Lake Michigan

Sept. 5, 2007 — They aren't certain, but underwater archaeologists say they may have discovered a boulder with a prehistoric carving in Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay.
The granite rock has markings that resemble a mastodon — an elephant-like creature that once inhabited parts of North America — with what could be a spear in its side, say divers who have seen it.
They came across the boulder at a depth of about 40 feet while searching for shipwrecks in June, said Mark Holley, a scientist with the Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve Council. "When you see it in the water, you're tempted to say this is absolutely real," Holley said Tuesday during a news conference with photos of the boulder on display. "But that's what we need the experts to come in and verify."
Specialists shown pictures of the boulder have asked for more evidence before confirming the markings are an ancient petroglyph, said Holley, an underwater archaeologist who teaches at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City.
"They want to actually see it," he said. Unfortunately, he added, "Experts in petroglyphs generally don't dive, so we're running into a little bit of a stumbling block there."The boulder is within the 32-mile-long bay, Holley said, but the exact loction will be kept secret to prevent vandalism or theft.
Students of Holley's and divers with the preservation council found the boulder on the flat, sandy lake floor, which is strewn with algae and zebra mussels.
It was part of a row of stones of varying sizes that might have marked the shoreline 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, Holley said.
Some — although not the boulder — were arranged in a circle. That could indicate human manipulation although it's unclear, said Rob Houston, a geology instructor at the college who has inspected the site.
The boulder with the markings is 3.5 to 4 feet high and about 5 feet long. Photos show a surface with numerous fissures. Some may be natural while others appear of human origin, but those forming what could be the petroglyph stood out, Holley said.
Viewed together, they suggest the outlines of a mastodon-like back, hump, head, trunk, tusk, triangular shaped ear and parts of legs, he said.
"We couldn't believe what we were looking at," said Greg MacMaster, president of the underwater preserve council.
Michigan has only two confirmed petroglyphs, said John Halsey, the state archaeologist. They include sandstone carvings in the Thumb area known as the Sanilac Petroglyphs, and images in an isolated rock in the northern Lower Peninsula. Ancient rock paintings have been found in the Upper Peninsula.
The Grand Traverse Bay group plans further research and consultations with outside specialists.
"We want to get them involved with this project so that we can categorically prove it," Holley said.

Mel and Scott came home around the 10th of August for her 10th high school reunion (hard to believe!). And Andy drove over from Bellingham to be with Alli and the rest of us too! We had such a great visit.

Water on Mars!

Click on title to link.

Open letter to Gonzales, from the entire Harvard law class of 1982. Click on the ad to enlarge it for better reading.

"This ad ran in the Washington Post today, it is from ALL of his classmates from the Harvard Law class of 1982. It chastises his reckless disregard for the constitution for the wire tapping, suspension of habeas corpus, and the recent politically motivated firings." Scott McGrath

Run, Mellie, Run!!

Mel and Shana participated in the Surf City, NC Triathlon this last Saturday. This is Mel talking about how the Tri will go: "First time I will do an open-water swim, but I rented a wetsuit so I will be all set. The swim is 750 meters, a half-mile, but I have been doing well during my swims so I actually am looking forward to that part. The next legs are also different: a 4 mile bike, then a 2 mile run, then another 4 mile bike, then a final 1 mile run." We are so proud of her particiapating in these Triathlons. Both she and Scott.

Gourmet was so much fun at Ridgepoint on Sunday. Though some of us missed a total day celebration of Mother's Day, we did have a great time chatting and snacking on delicious tidbits. For my gourmet friends, it looks as though our fall event will probably be at the Weiss'. Next May should be back at Ridgepoint, though more towards the middle of the month.

Alli graduated last Saturday and we had the family and friends over for an open house buffet afterwards. We all had a great visit and then later that evening, we went out to dinner at a local restaurant. What a great family Alli has and wonderful friends! Andy came over from Bellingham of course, and it was so wonderful to see him! All in all, a terrific weekend.

Triathlon Mel! She and Scott did an awesome job at their first triathlon. And it sounds as though they might attempt more. Congrats!

Mel and Scott finished their triathlon!! Yippee!! We are so proud of you guys.

Dean had his first radiation treatment this morning and is bouncing around outside as I write. The vet says he shouldn't be bothered at all. His next one is next Friday at the same time. Go Dean!!

I am worried about our country. The Republicans, thinking that by destroying the infrastructure, monetarily and otherwise, it will make the country more in their ideal image: small government (so small, it is almost non-existent) and everything owned by private companies and the Republican Party. Do they realize that we will be destroyed? Or is that what they want. Maybe Bush is a Hitler clone in desquise. He certainly isn't an American. I worry about our country and what will be left for our children. Bush and his cronies have ruined our nation.

Alli is graduating in May! We are all so excited. Can't wait to see everyone at our buffet. Congrats sweetie!

Melanie bone fishing!

I am so happy. I was able to goof around and find a way to change formats in pictures and art I wished to download and use. Every time I discover a new thing on my computer, it just gives me such a thrill! Yay!

Easter has come and gone and so has Andrew. He and Alli, Jen and Kayla joined us for brunch. We had salmon quiche, eggs benedict, homemade cinnamon rolls, fruit and mimosas! Yummy. Wish we were all closer so visits could be easier and more frequent. Had a good visit and a good brunch. It was great seeing everyone.

The tips of my new skis! : )

My new skis!! Can't wait till next season.

Andrew, Alli, Jen and Kayla will be joining us for Easter brunch. Yay!!

Melanie and Scott will be running a triathalon in N.C. Wish them luck!

Dean will soon be doing radiation treatments for his tumor. I hope this helps him. We love him so.

So, little Dean is recovering from his latest surgery at home. He has a shunt for site drainage, so he looks a little like a unicorn. He is quiet and of course, wants to go outside, but he needs to rest until Monday, when his shunt comes out. Prognosis for our sweetheart is not good. His latest eval is that he has an agressively growing, slow to metastasize sarcoma. What else we do (radiation or chemo or both) will be determined soon. Sigh. Such a sweet kitty. Picture above is one taken awhile ago.

Eight Men Out

Flying Over Spirit's Work Site

My brother Mike had been hunting for a new job and finally, he was suc-cessful! : ) Working in Silicon Valley can certainly be stressful. His position is that of a Global Product Volume Planner at a large company 9 miles from home. Kudos to my brother!!

Baby Dean is going in for surgery Thursday, to remove more of his tumor. It is a sarcoma, though one that is slow growing and doesn't metastasize. Still, it is worrisome. He is such a lovely, loving kitty. He deserves only the best in life. The vet who did the first surgery said that after the surgery, after seeing the huge number of scars on the top of his head, he must have been wounded many, many times.

Poor baby Dean. As you can see, he had surgery and is recouping at home. We call him "Frankenkitty" now. We still don't know about the mass removed, but should by Tues. Because the cut was an elliptical one, so the vet could give some of the skin to be biopsied, his right ear and left don't match anymore. Or yet. We all love this kitty, so keep your fingers crossed!

Poor baby Dean

Our new kitty, Dean, developed a lump to the left side of his right ear. He has had surgery but we don't know yet whether the mass is malignant. I will be picking him up today. I do hope it is just scar tissue. We love him very much.

Wife Carrying contest at Lookout Pass Jan. 22

View from Chair 1 at Lookout

This is what we see riding to the top!

Scott tree skiing right after Thanksgiving at Lookout Pass!