I'm a new grandfather! Camryn was born at 10:12 am, 8 lbs 1.5 oz, and 21 inches long. Rachel and Chase went to the hospital last night at 5 pm. Contractions began about 6:30 pm last night, but really got going about 5 am this morning. Once her water broke, it was a race ... would Camryn arrive before the doctor? Doctor was 12 minutes early. Anyway, Camryn is heathly and Rachel is doing fine.
I have not cleaned these photos up ... just wanted to share the moments quickly!
Monday, 21 November 2011
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Italy - Sorrento
In September, Lauri, Meg, and I experienced an enchanting vacation to Italy's Amalfi Coast. This region is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy, about 1 hour south of Naples.
Day One - Positano
Day Two - Positano
Day Three - Sorrento - We drove back over the hill to visit Sorrento which is on the bay looking at Mt. Vesuvius. Towards the end of our leisurely stroll, we happened upon an art gallery. The featured artist gave us a personal tour of his paintings - all retro to Greek Mythology.
Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri. Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
More photos to come ... (click on the picture to watch the slideshow by itself)
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri.
The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is a narrow road that threads along the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento's sea cliffs and luxury hotels have attracted notable people, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.
Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
Day One - Positano
Day Two - Positano
Day Three - Sorrento - We drove back over the hill to visit Sorrento which is on the bay looking at Mt. Vesuvius. Towards the end of our leisurely stroll, we happened upon an art gallery. The featured artist gave us a personal tour of his paintings - all retro to Greek Mythology.
Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri. Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
More photos to come ... (click on the picture to watch the slideshow by itself)
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri.
The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is a narrow road that threads along the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento's sea cliffs and luxury hotels have attracted notable people, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.
Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Brown will request billions for high-speed rail project « Hot Air
A bullet train to default ... then California will want the rest of us who balance a budget to pay for their excess .... a good reason not to go to CA and a good reason to leave ... the State is in the hands of idiots ....
Brown will request billions for high-speed rail project « Hot Air
Brown will request billions for high-speed rail project « Hot Air
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Amalfi Coast - Itlay - Positano
In September, Lauri, Meg, and I experienced an enchanting vacation to Italy's Amalfi Coast. This region is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy, about 1 hour south of Naples.
Day One - Lauri & Robin arrive from Ankara, Turkey and got settled in. Our home away from home is in Positano. Positano was a prosperous port of the Almalfi Republic in the 16th and 17th centuries. But by the mid-19th century, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to Australia.
Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."
One of the main sites is the church of Santa Maria Assunta features a dome made of majolica tiles as well as a 13th Byzantine century icon of a black Madonna. According to local legend, the icon had been stolen from Byzantium and was being transported by pirates across the Mediterranean. A terrible storm had blown up in the waters opposite Positano and the frightened sailors heard a voice on board saying "Posa, posa!" ("Put down! Put down!"). The precious icon was unloaded and carried to the fishing village and the storm abated.
Positano has been featured in several films, including Only You (1994), and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003). It also hosts the annual Cartoons on the Bay Festival, at which Pulcinella awards for excellence in animation are presented. From July of 1967 and through most of the 1970s, Positano was home of singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips and was where most of his best known work was composed. Also, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation.
We rented an apartment for the entire week. The landlord told us to stop at the Poseiden hotel, give her a call, unload the bags, and park the car. I did, then walked about a half mile back to Lauri and the bags. She called the "porters" to carry the bags. Usually I am VERY cheap about such things, but was glad she did it without asking. Our apartment was down 70 steep, narrow stairs! This meant that anytime we wanted to access the street, we climbed the same stairs back up. Of course, the beach was down another 265 steps. Feel bad for us? We talked to another couple who dealt with 500+ stairs. Positano sits on a steep mountain with only one, one-way street winding along the hillside. You will see it in the photos.Our apartment was wonderful! Up on the deck, we could look out over the town - you'll see numerous photos from that vantage point. At night, we would hear a band playing at a local restaurant.
Day Two - Pick Meg up at the Naples Airport - We showed her around town for the afternoon. For dinner, we took a quick boat ride to another beach to eat an interesting dinner. This was the annual Festival of Pesce (fish).
More photos to come ... (click on the picture to watch the slideshow by itself)
Day Three - Sorrento
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
Day One - Lauri & Robin arrive from Ankara, Turkey and got settled in. Our home away from home is in Positano. Positano was a prosperous port of the Almalfi Republic in the 16th and 17th centuries. But by the mid-19th century, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to Australia.
Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."
One of the main sites is the church of Santa Maria Assunta features a dome made of majolica tiles as well as a 13th Byzantine century icon of a black Madonna. According to local legend, the icon had been stolen from Byzantium and was being transported by pirates across the Mediterranean. A terrible storm had blown up in the waters opposite Positano and the frightened sailors heard a voice on board saying "Posa, posa!" ("Put down! Put down!"). The precious icon was unloaded and carried to the fishing village and the storm abated.
Positano has been featured in several films, including Only You (1994), and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003). It also hosts the annual Cartoons on the Bay Festival, at which Pulcinella awards for excellence in animation are presented. From July of 1967 and through most of the 1970s, Positano was home of singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips and was where most of his best known work was composed. Also, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation.
We rented an apartment for the entire week. The landlord told us to stop at the Poseiden hotel, give her a call, unload the bags, and park the car. I did, then walked about a half mile back to Lauri and the bags. She called the "porters" to carry the bags. Usually I am VERY cheap about such things, but was glad she did it without asking. Our apartment was down 70 steep, narrow stairs! This meant that anytime we wanted to access the street, we climbed the same stairs back up. Of course, the beach was down another 265 steps. Feel bad for us? We talked to another couple who dealt with 500+ stairs. Positano sits on a steep mountain with only one, one-way street winding along the hillside. You will see it in the photos.Our apartment was wonderful! Up on the deck, we could look out over the town - you'll see numerous photos from that vantage point. At night, we would hear a band playing at a local restaurant.
Day Two - Pick Meg up at the Naples Airport - We showed her around town for the afternoon. For dinner, we took a quick boat ride to another beach to eat an interesting dinner. This was the annual Festival of Pesce (fish).
More photos to come ... (click on the picture to watch the slideshow by itself)
Day Three - Sorrento
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
Strained By Its Debts, EU Is Breaking Up - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
I was taught not to spend more than you make. Sadly, this is a lesson that the liberal elites in the US and EU fail to understand - it's always someone else's bill to pay. Britain is looking really brilliant for not uniting with the euro currency! Read on below ....
Strained By Its Debts, EU Is Breaking Up - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
Strained By Its Debts, EU Is Breaking Up - Latest Headlines - Investors.com
Friday, 11 November 2011
Occupier Devolution | Power Line
As opposed to the benign and boring Tea Party protests, the Occupiers show is the worst that human behavior has to offer - backed up by the silence of the MSM ....
Occupier Devolution | Power Line
Occupier Devolution | Power Line
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Is this Religious Freedom?
When the country de-registers all churches?
When the country de-registers all pastors?
When the country has to approve where you meet?
When the country requires all your teaching material to be approved by the state?
When the country says that at least 50 nationals must be part of the membership or else your church can not be registered?
When you must have written permission to teach children?
The new law in the country I currently reside has done all these things ...
When the country de-registers all pastors?
When the country has to approve where you meet?
When the country requires all your teaching material to be approved by the state?
When the country says that at least 50 nationals must be part of the membership or else your church can not be registered?
When you must have written permission to teach children?
The new law in the country I currently reside has done all these things ...
Monday, 31 October 2011
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Government is the biggest job killer | John Stossel | Columnists | Washington Examiner
... I guess Obama doesn't know that the Transcontinental Railroad was a Solyndra-like Big Government scandal. The railroad didn't make economic sense at the time, so the government subsidized construction and gave the companies huge quantities of the best land on the continent.
Government is the biggest job killer | John Stossel | Columnists | Washington Examiner
As we should expect, without market discipline -- profit and loss -- contractors ripped off the taxpayers. After all, if you get paid by the amount of track you lay, you'll lay more track than necessary.
Credit Mobilier, the first rail construction company, made enormous profits by overcharging for its work. To keep the subsidies flowing, it made big contributions to congressmen.
Where have we heard that recently?
The transcontinental railroad lost tons of money. The government never covered its costs, and most rail lines that used the tracks went bankrupt or continued to be subsidized by taxpayers.
The Union Pacific and Northern Pacific -- all those rail lines we learned about in history class -- milked the taxpayer and then went broke.
One line worked. The Great Northern never went bankrupt. It was the railroad that got no subsidies....
Government is the biggest job killer | John Stossel | Columnists | Washington Examiner
The Weekend Interview with Mortimer Zuckerman: The Exasperation of the Democratic Billionaire - WSJ.com
Interesting insight from a democrat business man. Also, at the end, is his positive impression of Ronald Reagan...
The Weekend Interview with Mortimer Zuckerman: The Exasperation of the Democratic Billionaire - WSJ.com
The Weekend Interview with Mortimer Zuckerman: The Exasperation of the Democratic Billionaire - WSJ.com
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Mountains of Almaty
Pictures from the past several weekends. First bunch is from Big Almaty Lake. The lake is about 15 miles to our south at 8000 ft (2500 m). Sergey took us one afternoon after church. The lake serves as the main source of Almaty's drinking water. It also helps with avalanche and flood control.
The second bunch of photos is from downtown Almaty. We went shopping for some souvenirs at Zoom. Zoom is a department store building with several hundred vendors inside. From there, we went to the Zaloni Bazaar looking for a mop.
Last bunch is from Chimbulak - Almaty's ski area about 30 minutes to the south of downtown. The base ski area sits at 8100 ft (2300 m). We hiked up one area to almost 12,000 ft - where the oxygen molecules are scarce!
The second bunch of photos is from downtown Almaty. We went shopping for some souvenirs at Zoom. Zoom is a department store building with several hundred vendors inside. From there, we went to the Zaloni Bazaar looking for a mop.
Last bunch is from Chimbulak - Almaty's ski area about 30 minutes to the south of downtown. The base ski area sits at 8100 ft (2300 m). We hiked up one area to almost 12,000 ft - where the oxygen molecules are scarce!
Saturday, 3 September 2011
The shocking truth about electric cars - The Globe and Mail
..... Electric cars aren’t necessarily green at all. Electric vehicles require large amounts of electricity – so much that Toronto Hydro chief Anthony Haines says he doesn’t know how he’d get it. “If you connect about 10 per cent of the homes on any given street with an electric car, the electricity system fails,” he said recently.
The shocking truth about electric cars - The Globe and Mail
And if the extra electricity isn’t generated by renewable energy, then overall carbon dioxide emissions will go up, not down, Prof. Smil says. “The only way electric cars could reduce global carbon emissions would be if all the additional electricity needed to power them came from carbon-free energies.” He also makes the essential point that the world’s energy infrastructure is based on fossil fuels. Changing that will take decades....
The shocking truth about electric cars - The Globe and Mail
Monday, 29 August 2011
Peak Kumbel
It's been a while since I've posted any pictures. This latest collection is from a June hike to Peak Kumbel. My close friend, Benjamin, a Brit, took me on this long 12 mile (20 km) hike. Kumbel is 10,400 ft (3000 m). We started at around 5000 ft. Clearly, this was the most vertical walk I've done. I drank 3 liters of water before I reached the top ... bad on my part. Fortunately, there was water coming directly out of the mountain that was cool and fresh. There is a point in the hike, at a high pass, that you can imagine Julie Andrews singing "The Hills Are Alive, with the Sound of Music."
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Answering Jonathan Alter’s Challenge « Commentary Magazine
Devastating Obama evidence .... click below ...
Answering Jonathan Alter’s Challenge « Commentary Magazine
Answering Jonathan Alter’s Challenge « Commentary Magazine
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Obama partisans ignore facts when bashing Bush | Byron York | Politics | Washington Examiner
Basic facts on Bush's spending record. Obama is about to increase the debt in 2.5 years in the time it took Bush - 8 years (he had a democratic congress the last two years). Read article for more details.
Obama partisans ignore facts when bashing Bush | Byron York | Politics | Washington Examiner
Obama partisans ignore facts when bashing Bush | Byron York | Politics | Washington Examiner
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Washington gets $200 billion a month, Social Security costs $50 billion a month, and Obama is threatening to starve Grandma? | Mark Tapscott | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner
A simple breakdown of how congress spends OUR money ... (click on the title)
Washington gets $200 billion a month, Social Security costs $50 billion a month, and Obama is threatening to starve Grandma? | Mark Tapscott | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner
Washington gets $200 billion a month, Social Security costs $50 billion a month, and Obama is threatening to starve Grandma? | Mark Tapscott | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
James Pethokoukis | Analysis & Opinion | Reuters.com
See the graph in the article.
Question: Why can't I spend like that?
Answer:
1. I would be broke
2. I can't print money
3. I don't spend other people's money
James Pethokoukis | Analysis & Opinion | Reuters.com
Question: Why can't I spend like that?
Answer:
1. I would be broke
2. I can't print money
3. I don't spend other people's money
James Pethokoukis | Analysis & Opinion | Reuters.com
Once again, Paul Ryan takes on Obama - Right Turn - The Washington Post
Excellent article to understand the current financial debate ... (click on the title)
Once again, Paul Ryan takes on Obama - Right Turn - The Washington Post
Once again, Paul Ryan takes on Obama - Right Turn - The Washington Post
Monday, 11 July 2011
Sunday, 10 July 2011
GHEI: The unstimulated economy - Washington Times
Even the liberal Stanford University says the President's stimulus package didn't work ... was counter productive ... read on by clicking on the title
GHEI: The unstimulated economy - Washington Times
GHEI: The unstimulated economy - Washington Times
Friday, 1 July 2011
Mystery ingredient in coffee boosts protection against Alzheimer's disease, study finds
Another good reason to drink coffee - keep what memory you have!
Mystery ingredient in coffee boosts protection against Alzheimer's disease, study finds
Mystery ingredient in coffee boosts protection against Alzheimer's disease, study finds
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Review & Outlook: The Facts About Fracking - WSJ.com
Read the article ... no environmental issues, increase in supply has depressed prices (Great for the consumer), and the drilling boom provides jobs. So who is against hydraulic fracking?
Review & Outlook: The Facts About Fracking - WSJ.com
Review & Outlook: The Facts About Fracking - WSJ.com
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Saturday, 4 June 2011
The Age of Obama #fail | The Blaze
Definition of Insanity - doing the same thing and expecting different results. This is an ugly graph. Our political leadership (both Dems and Reps) need to change or .... you make your own dire prediction ....
The Age of Obama #fail | The Blaze
The Age of Obama #fail | The Blaze
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