Liam's adoption

After so much nail biting, and worry it's finally happened! Liam is our son, and Ben has a little brother.

Mexico here we come....

News Alert

Nicole has passed her driving test and can now drive by herself.

Nathan should like this one

We did not actually see the choir boys skateboarding - it was a picture on the wall inside Temple Church.

A more usual London sight

Thanksgiving in Santa Monica

The performance in Walt Disney Music Hall was fantastic. The audience outdid Rochester in its standing ovation. The theater has an amazingly intimate feel for a huge auditorium.

The Venice Beach skatepark was a hit with Nathan.

Thanksgiving dinner at Tim's

Greetings from Seattle

A couple of pics from our rainy weekend in Seattle.

Lotte thinks she is a lap dog

As ever, Lego is the favorite.

Alas, the summer is over

This was the final weekend to close the cottage for the winter.  It was an easy year because we started early and the weather has been beautiful - no freezing our fingers off while doing the fiddly stuff.  Adam was there for the weekend with two fishing buddies.  They caught some salmon and froze it to take home.  Jim and Martha Mitchell also stopped by on Saturday to play bridge and then we all went to the Black North.  As we drove home, the sun was setting and the colors were fantastic, bronze trees and red sky.  We missed a deer by about 10 feet and then about 10 minutes later we missed one by about 2 inches.  Fortunately, Dad was not too distracted by the beautiful colors to react quickly.  As usual, we did not have our camera, so no pictures.

Visit with Conny and Anita in Leicester England

While staying with Conny we had the chance to walk in the English countryside - one or our favorite activities.  Conny's kids, Mia and Erik, were totally taken with Anita's baby Paula.

Esperanza

Here is the annoucement of the birth of Richie's baby Esperanza. Nerida was Richie's Mother's name.

Thailand and Cambodia Pics

Hmung village near Chiang Mai

Waterfall in the village

Elephant camp near Chiang Mai

Snorkeling spot near Phi-Phi Island

Thai countryside near Bangkok

Summer palace of kings nearby

Old capitol of Thailand attacked and burned by the Burmese

Cambodian Mancala - holes in the dirt and pebbles

Jungle taking over Cambodian temple

Angkor Wat

Chicken with black bean mango salsa

Here is the promised recipe. I can't figure out how to copy it so I will have to retype. For a crowd, you can increase the amount of chicken more than the rest of the ingredients.

1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup cilantro, fresh chopped
3 tbls or more lime juice (2 limes)
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 1/4 lb chicken breast
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup mango, fresh cubed
2 tbls onion, chopped

In a small bown combine orange juice, cilantro, lime juice, oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. Remove 1/2 cup and place in a large zip-closed plastic bag; add 1 tsp dijon mustard and1 tbls soy sauce to the bag. Add chicken to the bag and turn to coat. Seal bag and refrigerate for up to 12 hours (I think it would be fine to do the day before).

To make salsa, add beans, mango, and onion to the rest of the mixture in the bowl. Toss, cover and refrigerate up to 12 hours. Yields 4 servings.

They say to pour the salsa over the chicken after it is grilled, but I have always served it separately due to fussy eaters.

Anita sent pictures of her baby Paula (3 months old now). Here's one of them. She is appearantly an easy baby and they are able to take her everywhere, including bars where they go dancing.

Doesn't anyone else have anything to say?

Donna sent this picture of a day at the beach in China. Lucky it doesn't resemble Lake Ontario or Puerto Morelos.

Here is a poem by Ben

LOVE
By Ben I.

A glowing
Heart in the
Dark with Love
Inside of it is
Now showing.

My first posting

Mother's Day at the lake is sunny but windy. Good day for gardening if I ever get to it and if I can overcome my aches and pains from yesterday's planting. The daffodils are on the decline but the cherry and apple blossoms are in full swing. This is a banner year for dandalions and we've decided they are quite beautiful. In places, the lawn is almost solid yellow.