Today's Random Pic...

This is what was going on beside me while the turkey was being fried.






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The Iron Bowl

Forget the super bowl... It is time for the Iron Bowl!

For those of you who are not from Alabama - Today is the most important football game of the year. It is when the two largest (and some would say best in the nation) college football teams in Alabama meet for their annual game. To call it a game is a bit of an understatement. In the south - College football is more than just a sport or a hobby. It is life and death (well, maybe not - but for many people it is close!). Today at 2:30 The University of Alabama take on Auburn University. Alabama is currently ranked #1 in the nation, has an undefeated season, and has everything to lose. Auburn has not had the best of seasons, but have won the last six Iron Bowls.

Dee and I are going into the lion's den (aka my sister's house full of Alabama fans) to watch the game. All I can say is "war eagle" and "Beat Bama!"!



A scene from this afternoon's game?









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Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving! I am truly grateful for my family... and it was a real blessing to be able to spend the day with some of them! We had a quiet but fun day. This morning I went over to my sister's house and hung out while they cooked. I was especially intrigued to watch her husband (David) deep fry the turkey. I don't know if you have ever tried it before... wow! It is good! Around lunch time my family gathered at another sister's house for lunch... football... and some Wii competition! It is so good to be home for Thanksgiving!


The turkey fry




David - the master chef




The finished bird




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Drama on the deck...

Well... I have made it to my hometown for Thanksgiving!!! It is great to be back with my family... unfortunately - I think that I am getting sick. Yuck! Go figure - the moment I get to slow down...

So... I have taken it easy today in hopes that I might beat this sickness before it really beats me!

Today there has been a bit of drama around my parent's house. Around lunch time a small bird hit the window in the den (creating a loud thud and a cloud of small feathers). You would have to know just how much my mother loves and cares for the wild birds to know just how tragic this was! We quickly identified the bird ( with the help of google) as a Cedar Waxwing. We also learned that this little bird specializes in eating fruit (as opposed to seeds like most birds). Here is the kicker... apparently "the Cedar Waxwing is vulnerable to alcohol intoxication and death after eating fermented fruit". So... needless to say... we now know why the bird flew into the window! Lesson here: "Don't drink and fly"!


The whole experience was a bit upsetting to my little niece Brooke - who is two years old.
The little bird was still breathing... and moving a bit.... so (hour after hour) we kept checking on it... and kept cheering for it to survive. After several hours the little bird rolled over... eventually sat up... and then around sunset flew off!






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Today's Random Pic...

"Autumn down on the bayou..."






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Today's Random Pic.....

I know that this is a bit of an old pic - taken back in October... but I have been wanting to post it for some time.

This spot in the woods Virginia is one of my favorite retreat areas.... I always pay it a visit when we have to come back through there.






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A few more from the airplane...

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Where does heaven begin?

I took this photo from the plane window as we flew back south from our time in Boston. It just worked out that we were flying at the right time and the right place. The conditions were perfect: the sun was setting (which lit up the mountains and gave contrast) and their was this amazing cloud cover that enveloped the landscape. Best of all the plane only carried about a quarter of the people it could have, and so I the had freedom to keep moving from window to window and side to side to take pictures. I don't know exactly where this was taken, but I do know that it was over the Appalachian Mountains... I would guess around North Carolina.


I ended up with about 100 photos that I happy with... but this was by far the best. I'll plan on posting a few others in the next day.



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A study in eyes...

I love to photograph people. I usually don't have too many willing subjects that will actually work with me a little bit. Having said this... I have really enjoyed having nieces and nephews who are all too happy to smile for a picture. The following pictures are a short series of photos that I took last weekend of my niece (Abby). I don't know what it is... but I love eyes. They are so expressive and capture such emotion. So.... these are Abby's eyes. Enjoy.
























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Running with pride...

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More from V-day...

The Veterans Day memorial took place in a large memorial park. There were all kinds of old tanks, planes and even ships. I toured an old WWII submarine and watched the sun set over a battleship. Amazing! Here are a few pics.


















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Veterans Day

Yesterday was Veterans Day. This year this national holiday was especially meaningful to me. I am all too aware of the wars that are going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as I am getting older I grow more and more appreciative for those who have sacrificed so much for others. Lately I have been reminded of this all too much......

Whenever we fly back to the states we are confronted with the droves of American soldiers on a layover at Shannon Airport (this is the refueling stop for troopers on their way to and from Iraq). We were there several Christmases ago and watched the long line of service men and women calling home to exclaim that they had made it to Ireland and would be home soon. I was heart broken while we were in Washington DC. We went to the museum of health and medicine. I had no idea that it was located on the campus of Walter Reed army medical center. The sight of so many injured young men was haunting and heart breaking.

So... this year we went to a local Veterans Day celebration to show our appreciation. Here are a few pics from around the memorial park...




















I will be posting more pics over the next couple of days.


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War Eagle.....

There have been many things that we have lost touch with while being over seas. One of those things is American sports. I really had forgotten just how football crazy everyone gets at this time of year. I have to admit.... It does not really feel like fall when you don't have the sounds of a band or see all of the T-shirts degrading other Universities' teams. This past weekend we went with two of my sisters and their families to the Auburn University football game. The fact that I had not watched a football game in five years or the fact that I had no idea who any of the players or coaches where didn't lessen the fun one bit! We had a great time... and all of a sudden it really does feel like fall.....

I have to say that the highlight really had to be seeing my niece - Lauren - march in the halftime show. Here are a few pictures from the day.



Lauren




The crowd




An extra point!




Touchdown!!!




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Things you can do when you are two years old...

My niece Brooke is now two...






Now that she is two - she can also wink...





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Last of the Washington pics....

Washington DC really was a cool place to hang out. Dee and I sent every night walking through the monuments and enjoying the sites - most of which were more beautiful at night. My favorite place to just hang out was the Lincoln monument. The stone monument seemed to radiate the heat of the day and was an awesome shelter from the wind. Dee shopped in the book store (so she was happy) and I sat at the top of the steps and admired the sights of this amazing city. The Lincoln monument it's self was awe inspiring. The great man eclipsed all that approached and there was a certain reverent silence among everyone in the shadow of the giant.

















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It is all over now....

Wahoo!!!


Yesterday was definitely a historic day in America... not only did the Democrats win the white house, but they now control both houses of Congress.








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The day of days...

Well..... today is that magical day when America heads to the polls and votes! When Dee and I started thinking about all of the things we were going to participate in while we would be in the states - the election was one of the first things we thought of! Living abroad has given me a greater sense of my Americaness and I am very excited to join in this process! While we were in Washington DC I could not help but think of all the changes about to occur and I was filled with a sense of pride that my vote was going to be counted (and not simply mailed in absently). Seeing the White House and Capital building really brought out all of this sense of patriotism and duty.

Having said this - I am so SO excited to have the election over. I ask - who out there is NOT sick and tired of all the election commercials and coverage? I feel as if this day has taken years to actually get here, and there will be a sense of relief when it is all over with tonight (I hope that it is over tonight!). Well... I am headed to cast my vote!







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Today's Random Pic...

From the south shore...






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Leaving Boston....

Well... we leave Boston in less than 12 hours from now. We have had a blast up here... and are sad to be leaving!

Here is a picture I took from the south shore looking back at the Boston's skyline.







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