with silver bells and cockleshells

i would love to post a photo of my beautiful and thriving garden (perhaps better off, having had a substitute caretaker in my absence), but it is raining so badly here, i haven't been able to take a photo of it yet! as soon as i do, i will post it here for you. actually, it did stop raining long enough since we have been home from our tropical vacation, for me to go out and pick all the radishes. they were done. now i am trying to decide what to put in their place. i really dont know much about gardening, so i dont know what i can put there- but i will find out. oh yes, i will. actually, i dont know when i should pick the spinach either. or how to pick it. or what to do with it. do i cut off only the leaves, and more will grow in their place- or do i cut down the whole plant, and then pick off the leaves? if anyone knows, please let me in on the secrets. i have much more to post about our vacation as well...

addendum: here is a photo from my garden. we cut down all of the spinach plants, and enjoyed a fresh from the garden spinach salad. i have since picked a meal of green beans and some yellow peppers. we have replaced the spinach and radishes with some "rescue" tomato plants. not sure they will survive, but i will try.

fun in the sun

the girls and cousins playing on the beach. that is the gulf of mexico. to think, just days ago, i was swimming in the atlantic ocean- and after a few days at disney world, we will be back in the pacific. i will post more-including disney pics, once we get home.

*sobb * sniff*

leaving puerto rico this morning. i am a little sad not to have had time to see the rain-forests inland, and i will be sad to leave our hosts, but i am glad to be getting back to my children. and we still have plenty of exciting adventure planned in disney world. i will post more as i have time.

io and i

the spirit of puerto rico

the barcardi rum factory tour deserved its own entry. here i am with my tour and drink tickets (before what we now refer to as the "bacardi incident"...the trademark bat came from a colony of fruit bats that lived in the original distillery in cuba.a portion of the advertisement gallery. the screens you see here played commercials from the period.

more puerto rico

a view of el morro from an opposite beachthe streets of old san juanart in a courtyard near the art school

puerto rico

this is norm and i at the el morro fort in old san juan.the happy family. bo, alex, and baby io.we had cool refreshing beverages at this bar after the tour of the fort.

houston, we have no problem

the first leg of our trip went sooo good. from portland to houston. the girls and i have never flown before. i was very nervous-not only for myself, but for the girls as well. i had no idea how they would like it. it was fine. i worried for nothing. we flew into a storm in houston and it was still fine. the kids were on the best behavior ever, and we all had a great flight! here, the girls are rewarded at the airport cafe with milkshakes, and i am rewarded with a beer. what?- i am not driving!

o.k., o.k., o.k....

i know. it is pretty pathetic. i have been on plenty of car driven road trips (in my adult life), but i have never been on a really good trip. in the morning i will fly to puerto rico. i am flying on a plane for the first time. undeniably inexperienced in the ways of the world: yes. after the fun and baptism of our god-daughter - and three days of fun on a tropical island, we will meet up with our children in florida (more flying!) then off to disney world! we have big plans while we are in disney world, and since my own parents never took me there, it better meet my every hope and expectation- it is the magic kingdom right? well, i am taking my camera and my computer, and i plan to keep you posted. believe it or not- there really are people who want to know! talk to you in a few days.

rock on!

final band concert of the year. final band concert of middle school. moving on to high school next year! nephews make me feel soooo old!

how does your garden grow?

week 3. it's alive! so far so good. we have had good luck. our seeds actually sprouted, and we haven't lost any of the plants. we have been having such a great time with this, the kids have decided to plant another garden. just corn, although they don't really like corn. i will keep you posted on that endeavor too.

you can't always get what you want- can you?

this is my wonderful family at crater lake last summer. i have lived in oregon most of my life and never been there before. it is beautiful. fascinating. inspiring. i was inspired to create an agenda of natural wonders for the next few summers but-oh the tragedy. this summer, i am forced to abandon my plans to take the family on a national park tour in exchange for a trip to florida and puerto rico. can life get any worse?! really, i am certain i would rather spend stifling hours in the rv cooking meals and washing dishes, and wiping snotty noses and dirty faces than bask in the glorious sun on a tropical island with frilly drinks and tanning lotion. and i would definitely choose the smell of rv exhaust and bug repellent, along with the pain of being bit/stung/pinched or otherwise maimed by alien insects while begging the kids to enjoy nature rather than be repulsed by it, over the trauma of spending time with distant family, shopping in air-conditioned malls, eating in nice restaurants and exciting adventure at disney world!