We originally planed to go mini-golfing today, but when our neighbor invited us to go fishing with him at Spring Valley, we jumped at the chance.
We were apparently sitting on the "lucky dock" because the first fish was on in about 30 seconds and more soon followed.
(Fish appears larger than it was)
We bought this slide back in February I think. Finally had a day that was warm enough to use it!
(If you don't see the slide show, please click on the post title above)
Well, we thought it was the last game of the season, so I made him pose for this trading card style money shot.
My Uncle Larry writes a weekly family newsletter. Back in February he gave us all a homework assignment: send me what "Love" is to you. I didn't complete this simple task and I felt pretty bad about it after reading everyone else's submissions. So on this Mother's Day I'll attempt to make up for it by telling you about my Mom.
Back in 2006 we sold our Colorado condominium a few months before our under-construction house in Moscow was ready. We looked around Moscow for somewhere to rent, but it was really hard to find (a) a nice place and (b) something that could be rented for only a few months (since almost all the rentals are tied to the school calendar). Also we didn't want to unpack/pack our stuff twice. Perhaps without realizing what she was getting into, my wonderful Mom offered to let us stay in her cozy house.
So the three of us--and our stinky dog!--moved in and took over Mom's basement (and upstairs too!) while most of our junk stayed in a storage unit. She sacrificed her sewing room for Colin's bedroom. She let us fill her fridge with our crunchy food and allowed Colin to trample her backyard foliage.
I'm sure it must have been stressful having us there. I don't remember exactly how many times the builder's schedule slipped, but we finally moved out of Mom's house and into our own about three months later. I suspect she celebrated our departure by cleaning for a week.
I experienced another example of Mom's Love in 2008. I've written about it before. The short version is that, unknown to me, my Mom saved my box of childhood LEGO(s). She probably had to pack them up and move them about 10 times or more over the years. Opening the box some 30 years later I was overwhelmed with emotion and memories.
Another thing I love about my Mom is her social networking prowess. I'm not talking about Facebook (although she does partake). I'm talking about the old-fashioned kind. She knows more people that I could ever hope to meet. I love that when we go somewhere we'll run into at least one person she knows. Perhaps someone a family member or friend of a resident, or someone from the church, or someone that we're related to in some obscure way.
Something you might not know about my Mom is that she's a great writer and public speaker. It may be a Christmas letter, a short email to the family, or part of an elaborate graduation/shower/wedding gift. Mom is often called upon to give a prayer or reading at weddings (including our own!) and other special events. She has a real knack for choosing the right words. I attribute this to the time she spends in prayer and introspection.
Lastly, I really appreciate they way Mom gets everyone together for great family vacations. She's taken us and the O'Shaugnessy's to Wallowa Lake, McCall, and the Oregon Coast. This year we're spending a few days at Priest Lake!
Happy Mother's Day Grandma Theresa! We Love You!
I had a pretty good flight schedule and arrived about 3pm. Rather than succumb to the desire for sleep, I took advantage of this free time to explore the city a little. The streets of Prague were not intuitively navigable. After a couple of false starts, I eventually found the lovely town square in the Old Town area:
I read in my tourist book about the large crowds that gather every hour to watch the "anti-climactic" Prague Astronomical Clock. Still, I wasn't prepared for what I saw. I thought maybe the crowd was larger than usual because there was a bride and groom at the base of the clock. I later learned that it is a wedding tradition to be photographed in front of historic sites.
I paid a few bucks to go to the top of the tower and take some pictures. Not a lot of room up there, but it was late in the day and not very busy.
I checked off another tourist must-do and walked across the Charles Bridge. It was moderately crowded and partially under restoration. Lots of neat statues on either side. A little difficult to photograph due to the ambient light.
On my final night, after a late dinner, we walked through the square and saw the Church of Our Lady before Týn all lit up. Even though I had to leave the hotel at 4AM for my flight, I got my camera and tiny tripod, walked back to the square and took a few long exposure shots.
