Canoeing

Lauren and Anne enjoying a leisurely paddle

Yesterday we went to Bastrop State Park with our new friends, Vaughn and Mary and their six lovely kids. We had a picnic and went canoeing.  After getting used to the canoes, there were races and games. The boys were stronger, but the older girls surprised us with their skill and control. We all enjoyed good conversation and a relaxing day outdoors.

The girls took the moms for a ride; such serious faces!

isms

“How do Socialism, Communism, Fascism, and Libertarianism (and any other "isms") fit into 5 forms you listed early in your post?”

Thanks for asking. I have neither read anything in relation to this nor thought about it before, but here's what I've come up with. I hope you don’t mind if I take a long detour in reply.

Capitalism, Socialism, Communism and Fascism are economic (as well as political) systems; Libertarianism and Authoritarianism (or Statism) are political philosophies. There are others, of course, but these are the relevant categories at this point in history.

Capitalism is based on the principle of individual rights and the belief that individuals working to benefit themselves and their families and engaging in trade will create the greatest benefit for all. It is characterized by private ownership of capital.

In a Socialist system a centralized government owns all capital and controls the economy by means of regulation and legislation.  In theory Socialism is a temporary intermediate stage in the progression toward the ultimate goal of communism.

Fascism is similar to socialism:

The main characteristic of socialism (and of communism) is public ownership of the means of production, and, therefore, the abolition of private property. The right to property is the right of use and disposal. Under fascism, men retain the semblance or pretense of private property, but the government holds total power over its use and disposal . . . .

Under fascism, citizens retain the responsibilities of owning property, without freedom to act and without any of the advantages of ownership. Under socialism, government officials acquire all the advantages of ownership, without any of the responsibilities, since they do not hold title to the property, but merely the right to use it—at least until the next purge. In either case, the government officials hold the economic, political and legal power of life or death over the citizens . . . .*

In a Communist system ownership and control of the economy is by the people as a collective and government is no longer necessary. A true Communist system has never existed. Nations have always fallen during the Socialism stage in every time and place that it has ever been implemented.

On the spectrum of political philosophy, all people believe in various levels of self-government. An extreme Libertarian believes that individuals should have complete moral and economic self-government while an extreme Authoritarian (Statist) believe that individuals should have no moral and economic self-government, but rather ought to be completely controlled by the State. Most of us are somewhere in the middle.

Now to answer your question. A pure Libertarian would prefer Anarchy. A Monarchy or an Oligarchy, because it needs to maintain power, will always be Statist. A Democracy seems at first to be Libertarian, but the majority will always vote to benefit themselves at the expense of the minority, therefore becoming Statist. The only form of Government in which Authoritarianism is restrained is a Republic. This is because everyone is obligated to follow the Law. The only way around this is to corrupt the people and/or the system in such a way that it no longer functions.

Economic systems are servants of political philosophy. The more Authoritarian the philosophy is, the more Socialist or Fascist the economic system will be. The more Libertarian the philosophy is, the more Capitalist the economic system will be. Very rarely is any philosophy or economic system pure. Usually it falls somewhere on a broad spectrum.

For decades the two major political parties have both stood on the Authoritarian end of the spectrum. One is simply moving faster toward Statism than the other. Click here to take a quick quiz to see where you stand.

2006 House rankings. The one at the top is Ron Paul, with Jeff Flake slightly lower and to the right. Red is Republican, blue is Democrat. Notice how nearly all fall toward the Authoritarian (Statist) side.

*the Fascist New Frontier, The Ayn Rand Column, 98

America's Form of Govt.

George Washington impersonator educating teens about America

What form of Government does America have?

What type of Government did our founding fathers establish?

If you answered Democracy to these questions, you answered with the vast majority of people. I believe the answer to the first question is Oligarchy and the second is Republic. Let me explain.

The misunderstanding arises, I believe, from the mistaken belief that the form of government describes the method in which a nation's leaders are chosen. It does not. It is rather a description of the ultimate source of authority a nation looks to for its government.

Government appears in 5 basic forms:
1. Anarchy: rule by none
2. Monarchy/Dictatorship: rule by one
3. Oligarchy: rule by committee/elite
4. Democracy: rule by majority
5. Republic: rule by law

Anarchy is rare and always short-lived. Chaos results in a vacuum, opening the door to any who are able to gain support or seize power, creating a Monarchy or Oligarchy. This is how Hitler was able to come to power in post World War I Germany.

A true Monarchy is also rare and short-lived. This is primarily because it is rather easy for another power-seeking individual to dispose of the monarch/dictator and replace him.

Oligarchy is the most common form of government. Most governments that appear to be Monarchies/Dictatorships are actually Oligarchies. This is why when the leader is deposed he is always replaced so quickly and easily. He is simply a "front man" for the Oligarchy.

Most often America is described as a Democracy. I hear this all the time by students, Presidents, media and others. I will let the founders themselves speak on this point.


"...democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they are violent in their deaths."--James Madison


"The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity."--Alexander Hamilton


“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”--John Adams


"The experience of all former ages had shown that of all human governments, democracy was the most unstable, fluctuating and short-lived."--John Quincy Adams

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship."--Alexander Tyler


Clearly, our founders did not intend to establish what they, in their own words, saw as a dangerous and reprehensible form of government.

The four forms of government that we have mentioned so far look to men as their source of authority. There is one remaining form that stands apart from the rest. A Republic.

“Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.”--Chief Justice John Marshall

A Republic is rule by law. Lex Rex, Law is King. Under a Republic, all men are equally under the law, from the lowliest commoner to the most powerful politician. In America's case, this means the Constitution and it's preface, the Declaration of Independence.

Our country has been in a steady decline as we have turned away from God and away from the principles our nation was founded on. We need first to turn our hearts toward God. Then we need to educate ourselves on those principles given to us in his Word--principles our nation was founded on-- elect representatives who understand those principles, and teach those principles to our children.

When asked what type of government the people had been given, Benjamin Franklin answered, "A Republic, if you can keep it."

Can we?

Lexington Chocolate Lovers Festival

My Chocolate Lemon Bars

Lexington has an annual Chocolate Lover's Festival. Lauren and I submitted entries to the chocolate desserts contest. I altered a recipe for lemon bars by adding chocolate powder to the crust and drizzling chocolate on top. Lauren made Clementine Chocolates (a friend's recipe, with permission). Both were really yummy! I really thought that Lauren would win. Her presentation far exceeded the other entries, but the judge only took a teeny tiny little piece of the candied skin and chocolate top and didn't even taste the filling. Although neither of us won we enjoyed the process.

Lauren's Chocolate Clementines

Thomas and Pierce participated in a Fear Factor competition. Fortunately, they did the physical challenges because the eating competition got messy--chocolate doesn't make everything good.

We also enjoyed looking around at the homemade soaps and eating chocolate. It was an all-around good time.

Goats

It's been a long time since I've posted, so I'll try to catch you up on the goings on here in Texas.

I'll start with goats.

Thomas decided to follow Lauren's lead and try raising Angoras. He purchased a buck (Nico) and two does (Lorraine and Sally). Lorraine is black/silver. The other two are white. However, the male is a red-carrier, so the babies are usually red. Sally was already pregnant and her baby arrived last Saturday while we were in town. It was a girl, red with a silver face. Thomas named her Betty Silver Goat. She's so much fun to watch! She bounces around the field so playfully and is so friendly! She only nurses her mama on one side so far, so we have to milk Sally on the other side once a day. It's good practice for when we get dairy goats; it's not as easy as it looks! 

We suspect that Lorraine is pregnant too. She usually has red twins, so we're eager with anticipation.

Pierce purchased a Nubian/Boer buck named Brandon. He's a cutie! His markings make him look like he's wearing rollerblades and pads. He's also very noisy and stubborn--much stronger and more active than the Angoras. Hopefully we'll be getting a couple of Nubian does this weekend so we can milk in the Spring. Brandon is eager to do his part in this and is driving us all crazy. We have to build another pen this weekend to separate the bucks and does so we don't get a Nubian/Angora mix!

We finally built a shelter. The wooden version turned out to be way too expensive, so we came up with a design made like a greenhouse out of cattle panels and covered with a tarp. It doesn't look that beautiful, but it works well. (Somehow the girls always end up taking care of babies and cooking while the men get to build stuff!) We plan to use the same design for a chicken coop and a small greenhouse.

Goat Shearing

Shearing the goats ended up being quite hilarious! I wish we'd videotaped it. The very short story is that human clippers and even high quality dog clippers do not work on angora goats! Scissors will do the job, but with the side effect of very blistered hands and a very long day! Turns out sheep shearers are very ferocious-looking and very necessary tools. Still, we managed to yield 14 lbs of mohair that day.

Besides our pitifully inadequate skills, Jack was as obstinate as a two-year old. He protested the whole time. Shorn stood by and watched, then when it was his turn he was very patient and even seemed to enjoy the attention. Jack watched Shorn from a distance, then once they were both in their pen Jack began butting Shorn anytime he came near. Jack was clearly jealous for attention!

Although Jack hasn't butted Shorn since then, they both follow Lauren around like puppy dogs. They go through the fence and watch us through the windows when the lights are on at night. They never stray very far from the house and like to hang out in the shade on the back patio (snacking on the shrubbery meantime)! When we take them back to their pen, Shorn follows reluctantly, but obediently. Jack tries to wriggle away, then lies down on his side limply to be dragged the rest of the way. So stubborn! He's been doing better, but this week we hope to erect a training fence to teach them their boundaries nonetheless.

Shorn after his haircut.

I'm shocked at how much personality these goats have. I thought we were getting goats; I think we have rather large and naughty puppies!

Shorn and Jack's mohair.

Surprise!

Lauren and Lucas with Jack

Meet Jack and Shorn. Lauren's two year old Angora goats.

College is expensive. We can't pay for college for all seven kids, but we don't want them saddled with debt either. We've told the kids that we will make sure they are well prepared for college and given the skills they need to run a successful business, but they will have to either earn the scholarships or the money to pay for their own college tuition. It is our belief that given a solid education and proper motivation, they will rise to the challenge. Now only will they gain valuable experience in the process, they will also be more appreciative for the opportunity to attend college and make the most of it.

Lauren was looking for opportunities when she saw these guys and was immediately interested. She spoke to their owner and learned that there is a local mill that processes their wool. She and her Papa went to tour it and to learn how everything worked, did a lot of research on the costs and market prices for the yarn, then worked up a business plan. She thought she could make a go of it, so with her own money she purchased them. Thom and the boys generously contributed by putting up an electric fence around approximately an half acre. We're praying that her new enterprise is successful! For more insight into her new venture, check out Lauren's blog.

Tomorrow... she learns to shear!

*BTW,  in the process we made a friend as well. The owner saw a link to our blog, read it, and sent us a really nice e-mail. We have a lot in common. She is a homeschool mom as well with five children, the two youngest, about Lauren's age, still at home. We look forward to getting to know them better.

Shorn

Animals in Abundance

We have a lot of gophers here that will make a garden impossible if not managed, so Thom and Lauren brought home two kittens today. Lauren introduced them to the guineas and they were both afraid of the other!

We also started the process of adopting a Great Pyranees. I'm not sure how long that will take, but I'll keep you posted.

Lucas loves playing with the toads that are here in abundance and the lizards that we identified as Mediterranean Geckos. It's great fun to watch them catching insects-- especially on the dining room window during supper! Not so fun when they jump out at us in the house!

So in the last 3 weeks we've gone from no animals to 2 cats, 12 guineas, a potential dog, and numerous toads and geckos, if you count them. That doesn't include the hummingbirds, gophers, snakes, squirrels, deer, hawk, buzzard, and cranes or herons (they're too fast to identify well) that we see daily.

We'll have another animal surprise for you this weekend-- you'll never guess... keep watching!

A Clean Pool, A Clothes Line, And a Poultry Pen

We've been busy in our new home. We started school last week and it is going well. The biggest challenge is with discipline of the younger boys to be quiet when the older ones are studying. We have realized that we've been really lax in disciplining and need to do better.

This year we're studying ancient/Bible history and earth science/astronomy/physical science (except Lauren who is doing chemistry). We're also learning about raising goats and poultry, wood working, and electric fences in working on the farm.

I finally got the pool clean. Yahoo! I didn't think it would ever be clean! There is a great website called troublefreepool.com that was really helpful. We celebrated with a barbecue/pool party on Saturday night. It was really fun and a great relief to just play after all of the work moving, traveling, etc.





Thom and the boys built a clothesline for me so that I can get back to cloth diapers again (they just don't get white without the sun). It was their first woodworking project and I have to say that I think it is the most beautiful clothesline I've ever seen!




Their next project was a poultry pen. Our guineas were getting too crowded in their tank, but we couldn't set them free yet because of predators, so they built a movable pen that protects them, yet allows them to eat seeds and bugs and fertilize the land. The front comes off so that the kids can get in the pen to hold and feed them. It's worked great! (I'm sorry you can't see the guineas in the photo.)

It's hard to believe we only moved in two weeks ago. We've been so busy with minor repairs that we've felt like we'd never get to the fun stuff. Besides the pool, the mailbox was missing a flag. Do you know that we couldn't find a flag anywhere? So we had to install a new mailbox. Then the heat got up to 106 degrees and shorted out one of the AC units. Two of the thermostats quit working also. Fortunately we have a home warranty to cover the AC. On top of that one of the toilet handles broke. Thomas did a good job fixing that one. (I love having young men!) Did I mention that I learned how to repair a garage door?

Finally we were able to get started and it's just motivated us to do more. We just can't wait to start making this place productive! The next project is installing an electric fence for the goats and adopting a Great Pyranees to guard them. I can't believe I'm saying this. I have never ever wanted a dog, but when I was warned about the coyotes around here, then met a GP and saw what good dogs they are, I started looking into it and was convinced. Thom and the kids are really excited. They have wanted a dog for a while.

More later...

A Science Lesson

We were doing some research today on solutions for algae control in the pond and learned some interesting things.

The first thing we learned was that there are two plants often mistaken for pond algae. The first is water meal and the second is duckweed. The former looks like tiny green seeds; the later has tiny leaves with little root hairs. So we found a jar, took a sample and... Yes, it was duckweed after all!

The bad news about duckweed is that it is very hard to control. Koi will eat it if they are placed before it takes over, but once it takes over it is too late. Ducks love it (hence the name) but also can cause an algae problem. It can also inhibit photosynthesis.

But here's the good news! Duckweed is sometimes used in sewage treatment plants to clean the water. The plants are high in nitrogen and phosphorus. They can be skimmed off and used for fertilizer. Good news for our garden! And I'm glad I placed the compost heap near the pond!

Starting the Farm

We moved into our new home Thursday night. Thom had to leave for a trip to California, then Malaysia Friday morning. So the kids and I have been busy unpacking. It's going much quicker than expected. We've got almost everything except books unpacked and I may leave those in boxes until we get shelves built. Saturday we went into Austin to the farmer's market to pick up groceries and scout out holes that we may be able to fill later on. We had lots of fun, met some really nice people, and did find quite a few holes to fill.

On the way home, we stopped by a woman's house and bought a dozen guinea chicks. They're really cute! The kids are taming a few of them for pets and giving them names. Thom has always wanted guineas and in 6-8 weeks they we be old enough to help us with bug control. This is really good because there has been a huge increase in grasshoppers this year. Our land is covered in grasshoppers and crickets and other detrimental insects. I will also be ordering some beneficial insects this week.

We also have to get rid of the burrs. These are not soft little sticky burrs like we had in California. These things dig in the skin and feel like wasp stings! They usually have to be removed with tweezers. I've also had to make friends with the little lizards that live in the house with us. We've found 3 scorpions in the house too. I can't say that I'm making friends with them, but I'm no longer terrified of them. Thomas is enjoying adding to his entomology boxes.

We're also learning to get by without a telephone. Apparently we live in a service bubble. None of the prepaid cell phones have service here and Internet is difficult to come by. It works slowly most of the time, but not always. The iPhone with AT&T works, so we'll work that out when Thom gets back. Also, there are ways to work out the Internet; that will also get worked out when Thom returns. Fortunately, I do have emergency service if needed. I'm surprised how I've come to rely on technology, in the four years that we lived in the silicon valley.

As you can tell, we're all getting toughened up rather quickly and appreciating how easy we've always had it in the city and suburbs.

Catching Up

We are almost officially moved. Closing is 4pm today. Although we had lots of help loading the truck, we did all the packing, driving and unloading ourselves. I never want to do it again! The boxes weren't so bad. It was all of the bikes, furniture, etc that couldn't be boxed that was difficult. If we must move again, I will probably just sell it all and start over again. We managed to get almost everything into a 26 foot moving truck with the minivan packed as well, but boxes took just less than half of the space. Starting over would mean a much smaller truck as well. Then again, I had a dream once that we were gypsies....

In any case, we arrived in Texas on Monday and have been living in hotels/motels. Tonight we will be our first night in the new place. We're all excited about settling in one place and eating homemade meals.

Although the house feels a little smaller than it looked in the photos and the pool is a little smaller (we decided on it with only Thom having seen it) we really like it. The kids found a secret hiding place that they're really excited about. The kitchen space is used well, as is all the space in the house.

The land is covered in trees and is beautiful. Everything just needs some TLC. First on the agenda is to purchase a washer and dryer and put a up a fence around the pool. I'm very nervous about the little ones safety, so we're trying to get that up ASAP. Then we need to get a fence up for the goat pen. We're not sure yet where to put the chickens and orchard, but we have a spot chosen for the herb and vegetable gardens and the vineyard. There is about 8 acres that need the underbrush cleared to make it usable. The pond is nice, but covered in algae, so if anyone has experience in that area, we'd love to hear from you!

I also have to begin a regular schedule of book-learnin' soon as well. I have all of our books and supplies ready to be unpacked, we just need to get in a regular routine again.

There is a lot of work to do, but we're really excited and ready to begin!

In Lucas' Mind...

We're going to turn Texas into a farm!

Frugal Friday--"Purple Soup"

As we continue packing, I am trying to use up the food in the pantry/refrigerator/freezer. Last night we had "Purple Soup". The first time I made this, we called it "Frugal Soup", but Thomas was a little guy and misunderstood (it was kind of purple), thus "Purple Soup" was born.

The idea is to throw in the crock pot or soup pot any combination of dried beans, barley or rice that you have in the pantry. Add about 4X the amount of water or stock. After this has cooked a while, add any vegetables you have on hand. I always add carrots or bell peppers for the sweetness--it's just no good without them--and onions, leeks or chives for flavor. Also add any combination of herbs and spices that you have and that smell like they would go well. Italian herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram or parsley are always good choices. Boil until beans are cooked through, adding water if necessary. When they are done, add bouillon, salt or pepper to taste.

Another tip: I usually keep in the freezer a bucket of meat and veggie scraps to make stock with. Just boil until the kitchen starts to smell really good, then strain and it's ready to use!

Frugal Friday--An Evolution in Scrapbooking

In prepping for our move, I found a couple of boxes of photos and scrapbooking paraphernalia that I absolutely did *not* want to follow me and haunting me any more! So I arranged a scrapbooking date with a friend. I have already greatly simplified my pages, but she gave me more ideas to simplify. Here is a sample of one of my earliest pages (the event took two pages).

This is a later one.

The first thing I did was sort through and toss *at least* half of the photos. Then we finished the rest very simply. It takes much less time and supplies and looks much classier. I also am only using the very best photos. Here is a sample of the new method (I know, I know, it needs labeled...).

The oldest kids worked on their own books, while the younger kids played with scrap paper and tossed photos.

Then we discovered an even simpler way. We had tons of digital photos on the computer of our vacation and decided to use iPhoto to make a slide show and save it to DVD instead of making a bunch of pages.* It took about the same amount of time as making three pages. The only thing I haven't figured out is how to journal it.
Lauren thinks she has a way, we'll see...

Anyway in just a couple of days, we have almost finished archiving the entire box of photos, have pared down to minimal supplies and have devised a system of maintaining it all. Not bad!

Kim

*Lauren will be posting a slide show to her blog soon.

By request... our (soon-to-be) new home

For those hot Texas days...

lots of light...

our peaceful abode...

a big kitchen for processing all those chickens and goat milk...

15 acres and a pond for raising lots of kids...

 and Dad's office and shop...

Latest News!!!

We got word this morning---we're definitely moving to Texas!

Another Vacation

It's been a long time since I've blogged--so much has happened that I hardly know where to begin, so I'll start with pictures. After packing twenty-some boxes of books for our (possible) move to Texas, I decided to take the kids to Washington to Grandmother's house for a visit.

This is Zoe in her prairie dress that Lauren made for her birthday. We had a tea party birthday among the aspens in the backyard.

One day we went to Astoria (the oldest town in Oregon). It is very steep like San Francisco. We climbed 164 steps to the top of this tower, which is at a high point in the town, overlooking the Columbia River. The history of Astoria is in word and picture up the side of the tower.

Later, we hiked, off the beaten path, to a bunker on the water's edge, really high up. My mother's husband took her there on there first date (how romantic)! His family used to keep this lighthouse. The view wasn't great that day because of the heavy fog, but it was fun nevertheless.

Another day we went to Mount Saint Helens. It was beautiful! We'd read about the "little grand canyon", so it was neat to see it with our own eyes.

I think Pierce's greatest thrill, though, was riding go-carts in town.

We had a great visit with Grandma and Grandpa and will miss them when (if) we move.

Answer to the Poll

What did we NOT see on our trip? Armadillos! Can you believe we went through Texas twice and didn't see a single one? However, Arkansas is a large producer of rice, so we saw plenty of rice paddies and Pierce DID see a black bear in Texas! Thanks for playing with us!

Frugal Friday--going bananas!

Today at the store we ran across nearly 50 pounds of bananas that were quite brown. It looked like a deal to me! So I asked the grocer what he would charge if I bought them all. His first price was $12, but I got him down to $8. It came out to 16 cents a pound--quite a good deal, they were marked at 69 cents a pound and are normally 79. Don't think I took advantage of the grocer--he asked for my number to call me when they had more!

When I got home the 5 oldest kids and I worked to preserve them*. We cut them into thirds, peeled them and put them on trays to freeze (this takes several hours). Once they were frozen, we bagged them and left them in the freezer. The hands-on portion of work took about an hour and a half. We process them this way so that we know three portions equals one banana and so that we can pull them out separately. The first time we tried this we didn't freeze them separately and ended up with huge lumps of frozen banana that were unusable until thawed. It's worth the extra time and effort to do it well.

An added note: We use frozen bananas in banana bread, with other fruits and veggies in a Vitamix to make shakes or run them through a heavy duty juicer to make what we call ice cream (nothing added, just banana and occasionally frozen berries). On our road trip we were all feeling "general malaise" and realized that we hadn't had shakes in a few days. We stopped by Whole Foods and purchased some. It wasn't as good as homemade, but we all felt much better!

*Lauren was helping, but broke to take a photo. "Mom, you have to put this on your blog!" she said. She keeps me on my toes.

Confessions of a Bibliophile

Today we went to a homeschool used book sale. This is like a alcoholic going to a bar. Worse yet, I had an envelope of money put aside for the purpose. I was hoping to find three specific books, but came home with a wagonload (literally) of books that I had been hoping to find and a few nice surprises. Good thing I restrained myself! Seriously though, I spent very little and got some really great books. The great thing about homeschool book sales is that homeschoolers have such great taste in literature! It's much better than the big box stores and a much better price. At the last book sale I got rid of everything I wanted to sell and so was free just to browse this time, nice!

Lauren has already started A Chance to Die by Elizabeth Elliott (about Amy Carmichael). Thomas is looking forward to a curriculum we found called Applying the Bill of Rights to Real Cases. Pierce is enjoying Art Fraud Detectives, and the little ones are anxiously awaiting being read to. As for me, I'm looking forward to reading TULIP, The Five Points of Calvinism in the Light of Scripture or The Ballad of the White Horse by GK Chesterton; I'm not sure which I'll read first. Although we don't use much in the way of formal curriculum, we are all looking forward to jumping into a geography curriculum we found called Map the World by Heart.

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.  ~Charles W. Eliot


I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.  ~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991

Miscellaneous Photos

These were taken at a Rest Stop in New Mexico. Beautiful. However, after Lauren took these, we had to get the kids out of the grass. Thom saw a rattlesnake, a second one; he'd seen one in the road shortly before.








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Photos

Huge windmills in Texas. Look at Lauren behind the gate and you'll see how big they are.






Xiana playing the keyboard on Dad's iPad.







Cousin James Thomas napping on Mommy.






Stephen rocking on the front porch.






GranEllen playing bocce ball with the grandkids.

Location:Photos