Grace 10 days post op.

Grace is getting a bit friskier.  Wanting to do more or the things she is not allowed to do. She is still not eating well. Maybe she is missing her buddy Allie.

Still not interested in bones?

Not so happy to be restrained.

At least she is drinking plenty of water. Occasionally eating some hamburger and rice.

EUROPE 2010

Wow after months of off and on work I have sorted through the over 4000 pictures from our trip to Europe in Nov 2010. Hard to pick out the best, but the web site is done. Jennifer M. I don't know how you do it.
You can link to it below.

Live to travel photographic log of travel, friends and family

Grace post op.

As of Sunday still not eating. Even canned food and beef broth is a no go. Still not allowing us to do any physical therpay.

is this all that I get?

European Vaction pictures

Baring any major problems I hope to have the entire trip from Nov ready to go live!!!!
Finally.  Watch for updates.  http://www.travellogonline.net/

Grace's Sugery.

So things went well with her surgery.  She had a 50% tear in her cruciate ligament. So that had to be repaired.  The goove that her petella (knee cap) rides in was shallow so she had to have trochleopasty to deepen the groove. Finally to help prevent this from happening again, She had a tibial tuberosity advancement.(TTA). TTA stabilizes the knee joint by changing the geometry and physics of the knee. Tibia Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO): This gives us a little shorter recovery in theory than the Tibia Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO).


Her xray should look something
 like this



Her minsus and patella so no signs of DJD

She Just doesn't stop

Even with a bad knee Grace insists on
Jumping on me  and being a lap dog.
80 lbs.

Margarita

Chris gearing up for Mexico

Grace's propoesed sugery. If we can afford it

Most likely procedure
How the does the Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) Works?

During weight bearing, the femur slides down the tibial plateau. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) acts against this downward force. Dogs having a more steep slope are more predisposed to rupturing the ACL. A more perpendicular angle between the tibial plateau and the patellar tendon will result in a more stable joint.

The TTA corrects for this slope by adjusting the angle between the tibial plateau and the patellar ligament. This technique offer more advantages than other surgical techniques by being less invasive and faster to perform. The patients undergoing this procedure don't need to wear any bandage when going home. By advancing the tibial tuberosity in a ACL deficient knee, the patellar ligament is adjusted perpendicular to the tibial plateau. This eliminates the tendency of the femur to move downward over the sloped tibia.

The tibial tuberosity is osteotomized with a special saw and advanced using a special titanium cage. This cage is secured by screws and acts as a bone expander. To achieve final stability a titanium plate is secured to the tibial tuberosity by a titanium fork. The plate is secured to the tibia by two more titanium screws.


•The tibial plateau leveling osteotomy - TPLO involves making a curved cut in the top of the tibia bone (osteotomy) to include the tibial plateau. The tibial plateau is then rotated along the curved osteotomy in order to level the slope. A plate and screws are used to hold the tibial plateau in place so that the bone can heal in its new position. Below left is radiograph of a stifle before TPLO surgery and below right is a radiograph demonstrating the curved cut in the tibia bone and rotation of the the tibial plateau. Take note of the metal plate and screws that hold the bone together. The tibial plateau should not be leveled to 0 degrees or less as this will strain and potentially tear the caudal cruciate ligament. One research study indicated that dogs that had a postop tibial plateau angle between 2 and 14 degrees clinically did very well, however the original recommendation by Dr. Slocum is 5 degrees.

•Take note of this radiograph which is a front view of the stifle after TPLO surgery has been completed. A plate, which has been manually contoured by the surgeon to the shape of the tibia bone, is fastened in place with six screws. It is critical to ensure that no screws penetrate through the top of the tibia bone into the stifle, as this will result in severe damage to the joint with resultant arthritis.

Grace Vet Visit.

She now is at 80lbs
The limping she has been having is due to a subluxing patella.  She needs to see an orthopedic specialist and most likely will need surgery to re groove the knee cap.

Is sping in the air.

Maybe spring is really on the way. Saw a rather large skunk walking down my street today.  Then later a large flock of geese.  They were flying pretty high, so I don't think that they were local.

Pencil sketch of bears

The wife of one of my patients made this for me, knowing my love of bears. Kind of hard to see.

Still working on those vacation pictures.

10990 feet tall

Sailing past Mt Etna in Sicily. Snow capped.

A very rare peaceful moment.



all tired out after play



Grace Loves the Snow and cold

Chewing on a stick in the yard

Snuggled up together

Like 2 birds of a feather would be

Looks like my blog feed is having difficulty

Looks as if my blog content is not transferring to the website.  This has happened before.  I usually starts back up in a few days.   I hope this entry may "push" it
http://www.travellongonline.net/

Christmas basket

Beautiful christmas basket sent to me and my staff. It is nice to feel appreciated in an environment were we are used to such negativity. Thanks for the christmas cheer!

My car buried in Buffalo after Vacation

Not the best picture but car under 3 feet of snow in my dads drive way. We had to hire a bobcat to finish digging it out. Almsot 2 full dump truks of snow removed and hauled away

At the christmas tree farm

Looking for our tree

Cairo Day 2

Egypt Day 2


After breakfast at our hotel we headed out to visit the Citadel of Salah Al-Din and the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammad Ali. As we drove the crowded streets of Cairo to reach of destination we had a very nice education of on the religion of Islam. Hmmm very different from what is presented on fox news?

Next we were off to the step pyramid of Saqqara and the Imhotep museum. Here again it was interesting to be able to enter the tomb and understand what the carving on the wall represented to see how there were so many depictions of food being brought to the soul for the afterlife.

Our journey continued to the ancient city of Memphis. This was pretty small site and we opted to cut some time from the visit there to have more type at Giza. We stopped at the Mit Rahina Museum to see the huge fallen king Rames II statue and the alabaster sphinx.

It was then time for lunch at another 5 start hotel. I should mention that every site visited, every hotel, museum etc had security check points with metal detectors and x-ray machines. Some people were annoyed by this but after all it is Egypt. This hotel actually checked under the cars and busses with a mirror before you could get to the front entrance.

After lunch was the high light of the trip. The pyramids of Giza and the sphinx. Now much to say but wow!!!!!!!!

We were warned about the vendors at the sites especially the pyramids and how they could be vultures. It turned out to be true. We were even chased by a man on a camel, but hey it made for a great picture. When driving in Egypt they do not believe in staying in their lanes. So a 3 lane road can have 5 lanes of traffic. They speak to each other by using their horns. It is crazy and very scary. But part of their culture. I am sure that this is the same in the port. Ships heading into the port in all directions, in the fog blowing their horns. It makes sense after seeing the way they drive.

Many people on the ship were turned off by all the garbage and filth in the streets. Luckily from my research and from another friend being here last years I was prepared. I was expecting it and chalked it up to culture and 20 million in one city. It was unfortunate that some could not see the beauty, friendly warm people that actually live here for the garbage in the streets. Most say they wound not return. I would. I would not see all the same sites, for there is so much more to see here. Lots of people have the Gi bug. We are not allowed to touch any of the food. We cannot even get our own coffee.

I ask who faults is this? Is it Egypt? Or people who did not bring had sanitizer with them? Drank orange juice most likely from concentrate? We were very diligent and it looks like it paid off.

I loved seeing all the people in the streets, the donkeys, water buffalo they are a part of what life is in Cairo.

I give our trip an A+++++ the only way it could have been better is if the fog lifted earlier. Maybe It gave us extra education time.

Eygpt

Egypt Day one. Nov 28 2010.


I write this as we sail hugging the coast of Libya.

We awoke to the sound of ships horns as we pulled into the port of Alexander. Very strange as we had never heard this at any other port on any other cruise. I now know why….. more on this later.

This blog is not only to update you on a travels, but to serve as a diary for us of our travels. So this portion will be lengthy. But wow what an adventure.

Our trip was delayed starting by about 2 hours due the dense sand fog and road closures. We meet our guide Abir who teaches at the Cairo University with a PhD in Egyptology, Our Driver Mohammad and our armed guard. We left in a large caravan with police in front and behind. It was a 3.5 hour ride to Cairo with the unbelievable traffic. NYC traffic it a tame country drive compared to what we experienced. Imaging going 60 miles an hour and a donkey pulled cart of carrot pulls out in front of you and the bus just swerves around it without breaking. Women in Burkas stepping in front of the bus with children in tow. Pregnant women running across 12 lanes of traffic jumping the concrete barriers in the middle. This is not a once or twice event but a common sight for 2 full days. The whole trip went by fast as Abir kept us engaged in history, culture and info on Egypt. What an incredible guide. She taught us so much as we drove from site to site.

Once we arrived in Cairo our first stop was the National museum. Abir showed us her favorite pieces as well as the most important items. I must say that his was one of the most enjoyable visits to a museum I have ever had. Do to some of the education of the bus, including photos and books, with the guides help we were able to actually read some of the hieroglyphics including a page of the “book of the dead”

Next we checked into our hotel and had lunch. We stayed at the Fairmont Four seasons Nile city. This was the fanciest hotel that we have ever stayed in. We hated to head back out for the eve.

We headed out to the Giza plateau to see the English version of the light show narrated by the Sphinx. It was an amazing night in the Sahara dessert. Warm breeze, stars in the sky very dark. Then out of the total darkness. The great pyramid and sphinx appeared. A very moving moment indeed. ( the next day we actually heard someone in our group say that he thought it was a fake stage production and not the real thing??????? AGHHHH!)

Next we were off to the pipers museum for a demonstration on how the ancient paper is made and why it holds up so well. There was store to buy some and do some other shopping as well.

The final event of the night was dinner cruise on the River Nile. We boarded our river boat and set sail. We had a nice mix for dinner of tradition mid eastern foods as well as the American like staples. We were entertained by belly dancer as well as a whirling dervish dancer. Of course you cannot forget the wonder views of the Nile.

We got to are Hotel about midnight and awaited our 6am wake up call.

TURKEY adventure

Izmir Turkey…Nov 26th (long but read the whole thing funny)


I am updating this on the day after our visit to Turkey as we sail toward Egypt. We are getting some warm and sunny weather. Turkey was a pretty fascinating place. So far, it is the most different place I have ever been.

We started our day by being greeted by our private driver and guide. Just Chris and I on this tour. As we travel to our first stop, about an hour we were educated on the customs, history and economy of Turkey. Our first stop was at the House of the Virgin Mary. This is where she lived out her final years high on a mountain top. It was very moving. We were advised not to drink from the natural holy water spring. I did soak my rosary that I have had since my first communion.

Next we went down the mountain to the ancient city of Ephusus. We spent 2.5 hours exploring the ruins have ever detail explained to us. Our guide was very good. After we left he asked to at least stop and look in a leather shop as a favor to him. It was very expensive. We were out in 3 min. We skipped a visit to another site because I wanted to see the city. So instead of returning to the ship we were dropped at the heart of Izmir….Konic Square.

We wondered the Kermeralti Bazaar. It was and experience for all the senses. NO BAD SMELLS other than the fresh fish. Chris almost shit his pants when the call to prayer came over the loud speakers. It was deafening.

So next it was time to find something to eat. We found this “restaurant” in the heat of the bazaar. No menu. In the his limited English the owner “took care of us” and I know we were going to be ripped off.

1. We started with all this just a taste free stuff

What we later found out was fermented HOT carrot juice.

A yogurt drink that was ok but I was afraid was not pasteurized.

A very fresh salad.

A taste of the meat that was skewer in the window.

2. I pointed to some pictures of what I wanted but no luck. I make plate for you. AND did he ever.

-The soulvaki like meat.

-Pita pizza which is the real way pita is served with meat and cheese and spices.

-Turkish meatballs with a special spice one the side delivered and spooned on our plates by a very attractive women.

-some bread

-fresh tomatoes, onions sweat cabbage.



3. Desert some soft cake with honey and a coffee caramel sauce over it very light.

4. Pepsi zero.

We did not even come close to finishing all the food. Finally it came time for the bill. No itemized list just number 42 TL. I checked my credit card today 29 American dollars. We ate like kings. I only had 20 Turkish lera left. I made the mistake of asking if he know how much a Takis would be to the port. Suddenly his English not so good. He did not understand asked for address. Chris took our his Turkish landing card(temp visa) and the 20 TL fell on the table he grabbed it and said oh for me thanks…..What the heel do you do? He did get us a body guard to walk us to the main square takis stand. So I guess the going rate for body gauds in Turkey in 11 American Dollars plus an ATM charge for another 20 TL. Always an adventure!!!!!!

Will be in Cairo Sun until Monday night out of touch until Tuesday.

Crete...... Yummy ooompah

Crete Greece……Nov 25


As I write this we are sailing by Santorini.

Well this was great detour. It was a great day. Sunshine and warm temps. We rented a cab for 5 hours with some new friends. We had a tour of the Island. We then went to the ruins of Knossos, the archiological museum of Herakeion and the Greece orthodox cathedral. We then asked the driver to take us to a good local restaurant. He took us 15 min out of town down the coast to a fish tavern. We had unbelievable seafood lunch. We started out with ouzo, calamari, grilled octopus, shrimp, taziki, fresh sardines fried potatoes.

octupus

For desert we had a yummy orange cake, fresh fruit and multiple shots of raki.

All this was on the beach overlooking the Mediterranean sea

Along the way he took us to this small church that was located with a small cave. This cave and restaurant were not on the basic tourist route.

Happy Thanks Giving everyone!!

 While you eat your turkey Dinner              



We will be searching the streets of crete for Ouzo ans soulvaki



Rome and sea day

Rome Nov 23 and sea day Nov 24


Rome was great! We did all we wanted and A bit more. We arrived a bit late due to the train being late because of severe weather. But once off the ship we had sunny warm day.

We arrived in termini station and headed to S Maria Della Vitoria to see the Ecstasy of St Theresa statue by Bernini. We then proceeded to the coliseum for an inside visit followed by an exploration of the Roman forum.

We then walked to the Piazza Navonna to see the fountain of the 4 rivers by Bernini. It was OPEN. Then last 2 visits to Rome the fountain was under construction. We had an awesome lunch just off the square and walked and walked to the Spanish steps to catch the metro back to the train station. We arrived back at the ship where they collected our passports to obtain our visas for the Egypt stop.

Today which is a day at sea we woke up to great views of the coast of Sicily with mount Etna covered in snow. We missed Mt Stromboli……. With its active lava flows.

We did get bad news today….Due to a strike tomorrow and civil unrest we will not be going to Athens.  The ship has been diverted to Crete. What the hell do we do on Crete. I will let you know.

Barcelona Spain

Barcelona Spain Nov 21.


We said good bye to Lynn this am. This was our transition day from the western med to the 12 day eastern med cruise. We got off the ship around 830 and headed out to the plaza de espanya to catch a train

To Montserrat. It is about an hour train ride through the Spanish country side to this spectacular mountain Monastery. Once you get off the train you connect with the mountain funicular that will take you up to the top of this mountain. It is a truly awesome site.

We arrived just in time to hear most of the high Spanish mass at the basilica . this included singing by the Montserrat boys choir which is one of the oldest in Europe. After the mass they do a 2 song concert as well.

We then got in line to see the Black Madonna, carved by the apostle St John. I don’t know a lot on the history of this, so I will need to do some research when I get home. We returned to Barcelona and took the metro to Las Rambles. It was packed. It was good to see that all the street “performers” are our and about in the late fall. So we should see lots of weirdoes on our return to Barcelona. Chris was starving so we splint a late lunch and got back to the ship about 530.

We have a spa package this cruise…….so off we went.

Palma de Mallorca Spain.

Saturday, Nov 20 Palma de Mallorca Spain.


This was a very nice day on this Spanish Island in the med. The weather cooperated nicely. It was cool, but sunny. We visited an awesome cathedral with some very cool stained glass windows and an alter that was redesigned by Antonio Gudi. We also saw some very old Arabian baths. We kind of just explored. Found a nice piazza to have a sangria and paella in and watch the world go by.

It's my Birthday and I want to be your next President!!!!

VOTE FOR ME, ELLEN
BECAUSE ITS MY BIRTHDAY DAMIT!

Napoli Italy

Naples Italy…….Nov 18


City of my maternal ancestors, city of filth and garbage. I don’t have much good to say about Naples. The surrounding mountains and bay are spectacular. It makes NYC look immaculate. After getting off the ship we were attacked by taxi drivers wanting to take up on expensive tours. 90 euro to Pompeii the train 4,20. Any how one very old man came up to me and started talking in Italian. When I responded in English he yelled at that I did not speak Italian. I knew enough to yell back and make him laugh. Another guy wanted to take me to the fish market the boats were just in. What did he think I was going to do with the fresh fish?

We walked 35 min to the circumversuvensia train station and headed to Pompeii. This is said to be the most dangerous train in Italy? We spent 4 hours exploring Pompeii and only saw a very small part of it. Again a spectacular site that everyone should see. They have dogs that roam the streets there. Dogs have always been welcome in Pompeii. It was sad at first but they do not look to be mal nourished, in fact they look well feed. All were very friendly. The even have a website where you can adopt a dog from Pompeii. One order for an English bulldog placed. Of course it will speak Italian.

Only the pictures can describe this site.

On return to Naples we tried to find a place for pizza among the garbage piles. Once place the owner chased a man out throwing cheese at him…..Pass. Next place….Maffia city…..Pass. Finally a nice place Ah rest our aching feet. Waitress took forever….thank god because I looked and wallet only 10 Euro. No don’t take credit cards. NO Pizza!!!! Kicked to the garbage pile in the street. There was a down pour…… TAXI>>>>>>>>SHIP LUNCH>>>

!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALMOST MARTINI TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Don’t get me wrong It was a really Fun day

Rome part 2

Rome continued…..After the Vatican we hoped on a train and headed to the Capuchin Crypt located at the church of Immacolata Concezione. This place is pretty cool. It is lined with the bones of dean monks. The bones are artistically placed to make things like clocks ETC. There are also some dressed mummified remains. We walked though the piazza barbarini to the Trevi fountain. There were hardly any crowds present which made for a very enjoyable experience, unlike our first visit there were Chris was accosted.


Next we were off to the piazza de spangna and the Spanish steps. We could actually see them!!! A beautiful square, again so much nicer than our first visit.

From there were ambled down the road to the piazza del Popolo with it twin churches, ancient obelisk and northern gates to the city. Finally about 2 pm we found a nice trattoria to have lunch in. The food was out of this world and the service excellent. This was the first time we had sat down since getting off the train about 915 am.

Then It was back to the Vatican for the scheduled tour of the Necropolis under St Peters Basilica. 30 feet under the current church we visited the ancient city of the dead dating back to 67 AD. We traced the development of the different levels of the alters which all were placed over the tomb of St Peter who was crucified on this spot. He is the rock on which the Catholic church is built. We also discovered the what happened to his bones that were in the tomb and were able to view the remaining bones. Over all very cool.

We made it to the ship on time only after a further exhausting hour train ride were we had to stand in a packed train.. It was so full at first that the conductor was pushing people in to get the doors to close, it was like a sauna……… Ah Italia.

ROMA

Rome, Nov 17, 2010

I Just wanted to get a quick update in tonight as I am exhausted after a long day in Rome. It turned out to be a better than expected day. We had no real plans to visit the Vatican this trip except for the visit to the Necropolis under St Peters Basilica at the end of the day…AWESOME By the way. We got off the train at the Vatican just so we would be able to find the train station on the way home. Well it turns out that that the Pope was going to make an appearance. I Figured since we are here let’s wait the 45 minutes behind this barricade and catch glimpse of the pontiff. Little did I know that we were on the POPE MOBILE SUPER HYWAY!!! He passed within 3 feet of us blessing us along the way……How cool was that added bonus to the trip.

I will update more later….Naples tomorrow. Then a well needed relaxing day at sea. PS Cell phone service ship not working as expected. I think it is because we are staying in Italian waters and not hitting international ones.

Siena Italy

Siena Italy, Nov 16 2010. Well we broke down today and actually did a shore excursion through the ship to Siena. With the threat of more rain I did not want to be caught out in the rain seeing things in Florence or Pisa that we have seen before. If I am going to be wet I want to at least see new things. Lynn had been to Siena in the past so she took a tour to The Cinque Terra.


Siena exceeded all our expectations. What a beautiful medieval period town. We spent 10 hours exploring it and the Tuscan country side. Of course no visit to Tuscany is complete without some Chianti vine. We saw vineyards and olive tree groves and learned all about Olive oil and Chianti vine. This trip was worth every penny spent. AND guess what?? NO rain!!!!!! Just a few sprinkles as we boarded the bus back to the ship

Tomorrow we face the craziness that is Rome.

Monte Carlo Monaco

Sunday Nov 14….. Pretty uneventful day. Up early pulling our luggage though the rainy streets of Paris at 6 Am. Every one we encountered in Paris was as friendly as can be. Were this reputation of nasty Parisians came from I don’t know. People went out of their way to help us.


We arrived to Sunshine and warmth in Barcelona. Hola Espana. We boarded the ship quickly and found out that the star bar has 2 for one Martinis every night……..!!



Monday Nov 15. …… Monte Carlo Monaco. Well The clouds and later the rain followed us to this beautiful city. We took the open air hop on hop off bus. Worth getting a little wet. I would love to see this place on a sunny spring day since it was so awesome even today. We followed the grand prix circuit hit most of the high light like the palace and grand casino. One the way back I had a difficult decision of whether to put my order in at the BENTLY or Lamborghini dealer ship. I guess you will know when you see it parked in the drive. The entire country is half the size of central park.

Tonight will be dinner at Le bistro French restaurant followed by martinis.

PARIS FRANCE

Off to Paris…… If you are flying to Paris on Delta/ Air France make sure that you get on a flight that is operated by Air France. Nice seats foot rests, free booze, headset ear plugs and masks. They even come around with a menu and you pick your starter, main course desserts drinks including wine and after dinner drinks. Very nice way to start a Paris adventure.


For some reason the wired internet in the apartment would not work with my computer. It did the last time that we stayed there so I am definitely behind in by blogging. With all the running we did, I did not have the time to do much, so I figure while we are waiting for our flight to Barcelona I will play catch up.

We arrived to rain in Paris. Really who cares it is PARIS. We took the Roissey bus from the airport to the opera which is a 10 min walk of so from out apartment. It was shift change so the ride took a bit longer than usual. The good thing was the we got a free tour of the Martement district. After arriving the apartment in the afternoon. Chris and I tried to take a tour of the opera house but they were in rehearsals so you really could not see much. We bought lunch from a bakery and headed back to rest a while. Later that eve we walked and enjoyed some of the lights of Paris, explored Rue Cleur.

Friday we awoke to more rain. We hoped a train and headed to the country side estate of Versailles We toured the main estates some of the grounds and the home of Marie Antoinette. We returned to Paris for a short rest. We then headed to the Louvre for a late evening visit. We were able to hit most of the main highlight as well as some of the less popular areas as we were lost for about an hour.

Saturday we started out a Notre Dame including the underground archeological crypt. We then we to Saint Chappell and the concierge. For some reason this area of Paris was filled with pet shops. We had to make stops into quite a few of them I seems that Jack Russell are very popular as well as chocolate labs. (1500-1800 us dollars.) Even a few English bull dogs. We then strolled up the Champ de Elyse ro the arch de Triumph. Then It was time to rest out barking dogs.

Later that night we went to the Eiffel tower and watch the light show as well as just enjoying the view. We strolled the streets of Paris, for a long while Rue Cleur ,etc.

What a wonderful Three days.

Another picture of the lap dog.

Just me and Grace

Enough already get off me



At 70 lbs I dont know why Grace insists on being a lap dog



Missing our old gals tonight



Maggie And Emma down the the road together
Now they can play over the rainbow bridge together.



The columbus day pictures are finally posted.



sunrise though the fog

 Click here to see all the pictures in the set listed under columbus day

Vatican Necropolis pilgramage to St Peters tomb

So yesterday I get this email from a Vatican Email address.  Very Official sounding.

This message is in regards to your request to visit the necropolis under the
Papal Basilica of St. Peter, for N. 2 people, from Wednesday November 17,
2010 .

The visit which you requested has been authorized.

I applied for this visit way back in April.  Forgot all about it really.  figured since I did not get a response in May or June that I was out of luck.   The only bad thing is that they assign the time.  It is 330 and our ship sails at 730.   I looked up the train schedules, it is close but doable.

Backlight

against a blue sky

Toad Lily

The toad lily is one of the last flowers to bloom in the fall garden. This is the first year that mine bloomed.  With all the recent rain I almost missed it.  I have a gold on was well. But that was trampled by the pups.  Don't know if it will grow back.

The girls catching some rays

Sunning on the side stoop

October is here.

Wow it is hard to believe that October is here. I think this may be the first year that we have not had to turn on the heat before October 1.

Emma and allie

This was saved on my old phone

Maui Update

See link above next to picture to see maui pictures
http://www.travellogonline.net/Maui2010/M1.html

Gracie returing home after sugery

This certainly is not a halo.  She managed to get a pizza box of the kitchen counter.  I think she ate 2 pieces.  She was able to get up there stitches and all.

The shirt says it all

The good life

sushi sunset and cocktails on the beach

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Happy Birthday Allie.

Can't Believe she is 3.

Heed the warning!

So sitting on the lani this am we heard a bang over our heads

Are you an annoying passenger? Pretty Funny

Ever since flight attendant Steven Slater slid down that JetBlue emergency slide, we've been wondering if we all need to be a little more courteous when we fly, not just to flight attendants but to each other.

Why you sometimes need to play travel agent Are YOU an Annoying Passenger? 2-for-1 deal to South Africa Don't set yourself up for air travel failure Here are ten things we should watch out for the next time we travel by air.

1. You may find small inconsistencies here and there, but security regulations are pretty much standard across the board. Is it really a surprise that your cellphone will set off the metal detector? Help speed things up by placing all your metal and electronic doodads in a coat pocket or carry-on pouch, remove your laptop from its case, have liquids/gels/toiletries in the TSA-approved quart-sized bag, and have those shoes ready to toss in the tray. And yes, that nonfat macchiato you just bought does in fact count as a liquid. As does that six-gallon vat of Gold Bond Medicated Cream you forgot to put in your checked baggage. Don't argue with the nice agent. Keep it moving.

2. Standing still on the people mover. Exhilarating, isn't it? Enjoy the ride! But at least move to the right so others can get around. And move those bags out of the way too. Thanks!

3. Carry-ons and overheads, bad news first: You may have to store your carry-on in an overhead bin other than the one directly above your seat. The good news? Every overhead bin on the plane is going to the same place you're going! Quelle coinkidink! Heck, even if you're asked to check your carry-on, you'll still see it again upon arrival. A slight inconvenience, yes, but no need for a meltdown. Just take whatever items you may need during the flight and keep them under the seat in front of you. No biggie.

4. Be accommodating to your seatmates and fellow passengers, without being creepy. Are they avoiding eye contact when taking their seat? If so, they probably aren't up for a get-to-know-you chitchat. Taking the redeye and notice everyone in your row sleeping? Then keep your shade down and turn the reading light off a little sooner. And would it kill you to swap seats so that family can seat together? Probably not.
5. Whoa there, Burger King, go easy on the smells. You wouldn't want your seatmate blowing stogie smoke in your face, and that steaming Whopper with onion isn't any better. If you're starving, forgo that grease-blotted bag of fast food for something a little more discrete. Have you ever in your life caught a whiff of M&Ms, or a ham and cheese, or a bag of trail-mix? No? Well, there you go. Buy those instead.
Related coverage Is air travel really that bad? And this isn't solely a food offense. Remember, you're in a plane, not the hair and makeup trailer. While your attempts at getting beautiful are sure to be a hit on the ground, the nail polish and the Axe body spray aren't gonna make you any friends up in the air. At the very least, do your spritzing and fixing in the lavatory. Related: Armpits and feet ... hellooo? Are you smuggling Doritos in those socks? Keep it clean, people.


6. Surely, you've heard. All portable electronics, mobile phones, laptops, etc. must be switched off during take-off and landing. Think this rule is just a bunch of hooey? Whatever effect your last-minute call to the office might have on the delicate instruments of the aircraft is not up for debate. It's a risk your fellow passengers and their families probably don't care to take. So, whatever it is, it can wait. And please don't give the crew any lip if they ask you again to turn it off, mmkay?


7. Kicking and screaming. This is a delicate one, but not necessarily all that complicated. Parents traveling with children, please keep your child from kicking the back of the seat, slipping arms between seats, yelling, and being a nuisance to fellow passengers. You may be desensitized to this sort of thing, but the guy in front of you is not. Annoyed passenger, should the trouble persist and you have to ask the parent to intervene, do so in a polite and pleasant tone. Making someone feel like an inadequate parent will only make things worse.


As for crying infants ... well, sorry, it happens. And there's not much to be done about it. One thing's for sure. Those pricey noise canceling headphones you passed up on the ground are looking puh-retty worth it about now, aren't they? Maybe buy them next time. You'll be so glad you did.


8. Clapping upon landing? Really? This one isn't so much annoying as it is baffling. How exactly did you imagine this flight would end?


9. Stay seated until the aircraft has reached the gate. Yes, the siren song of 200-something seat belts unfastening in unison is very exciting. You've landed, you want to stand up, and you want your stuff! But hang cool, teddybear. Even if by some chance you've collected your things from the overhead the moment the wheels touch the ground ... uh, where exactly do you plan on going? The door is still closed and there are about 60 people seated in the rows before you, all of whom are just as eager to deplane.



10. Once at baggage claim, all sense of personal space seems to go out the window. And it's no wonder, after having spent all those hours confined to such a tiny seat. But don't wriggle your way through a cluster of waiting people only to block their access to the belt. That's annoying. Those people are waiting on their bag too. The conveyor belt is long and winding, with plenty of room for everyone.

Potato Salad.

So the other night we had potato salad with our dinner.  There were a few scoops left in the container.  Gracie decided to get the container off the kitchen counter.  She must have eaten most of what was left. Somehow Allie got it away from her and took it up on the couch to clean out all the nooks and crannies.  And some of the container too.