E.T. Phone Home.....

You know that scene near the end of E.T. when the government comes in and takes over Eliot's house?  When the house is covered in "plastic'?  Welcome to my home!  My house was built with defective plumbing, and a couple of months ago, the pipes decided it was time to deteriorate.  I came home one night to my kitchen/dining room area covered in water.  It didn't take long to discover the water was coming from the ceiling and the ceiling was sagging!  Since it was after 10:00 pm, there wasn't much I could do so I said a prayer and made sure I slept on the other side of the house (just in case the ceiling came down).  You can imagine my joy upon finding out that every inch of plumbing in the entire house had to be replaced - even the main manifold.  So....$5000 later, I have all new plumbing - and an interesting pattern of holes in my ceilings and walls.  The drywall guys came and took out a large part of the main floor ceiling in preparation for replacing some parts and repairing others.  (Cost of this is another $4000).  I had to be at work so there's a lock box on the door and they come in as they need to and I didn't get to see what they were doing.  When I got home from work, I opened the door to - - - plastic covering most everything.  And of course, my favorite part, the plastic "door" with a zipper in it!  Most of my furniture is piled in the front room making it largely impassable.  Add to this mix one large dog with a superman strength tail, and a small, rambunctious puppy who thinks her mission in life is to chew everything in sight, this makes for a fun place to be right now.  Oh, I guess I forgot to mention - the electrician has to come before the drywall guys can come back, and he's not even going to come do an estimate (any guesses how much more this will add to my total bill?) before Friday.  So...anybody want to film the sequel to E.T.?  No studio needed.  

9/11

I looked everywhere for pictures we took when we visited
each of the 9/11 sites, but I couldn't find them anywhere.
I'll keep looking, but I didn't want this day to pass
without some sort of remembrance. Charlie was shooting
near the Pentagon on that horrific day and was on the
scene shortly after the plane had crashed into it.  The
photo was one taken by him of the destruction and a
letter he wrote to the choir members telling of his
experience.

My dear members of the Newark choir:
 
This morning, I spent much longer than usual in traffic,
due to the bright sunshine.  By the time I reached my
assignment, an apartment complex, which just happened to
be 2 miles South of the Pentagon, I had heard the news
about the World Trade Towers. Not more than 15 minutes
after setting up my  first shot, I heard a plane that
sounded unusually loud (meaning low).  I  thought to
myself, how ironic, considering what had recently
transpired.  Little did I know, that was The plane that
moments later crashed into the Pentagon.  Shortly
thereafter I saw the smoke, and began hearing the
sirens of every emergency vehicle known to man!  I
walked to the Pentagon around 12Noon, and took
this photo along with the other television crews, just
before the police announced that we were to immediately
leave the area, as this was now a crime scene.  So, I
walked the 2 miles back, and continued to photograph
apartment buildings, while military jets patrolled the
skies above me.  My lab was nice enough to print my
pictures while I waited, and viola!   I only regret that
I was unable to attend the temple tonite due to today's
activities.  Many thanks for the calls and emails
inquiring about my welfare.
 
Charlie


I can still remember how scared I was when I could not
reach him for several hours after the attack, knowing
that he was near the Pentagon, and the joy I felt when I
heard his voice. Seeing the sites had a sacred feel to
it; not only was Charlie by the Pentagon on that day, but
it's where my father worked for many years.  The
Pennsylvania site was near my mom's house, and once
again, I was filled with awe from what might have been.
I've always been patriotic, but my pride and belief in
America has only been strengthened through these events.

"America was targeted for attack because we are the

brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world,

and no one will keep that light from shining."

     - George W. Bush

Had To Smile

I just found out that Sarah Palin's parent's names are Charles and Sally - how great is that!

Deep Creek Lake - Almost Paradise

                                        Sarah & Sunil's beautiful home

                                                     

                                          Bears? Did that sign say bears?

              I'm back in the saddle again

                        Lexie & Ashlie on the mountain coaster

                                                     followed by Jon
                                                                      and then Gracie & Sam
                         Lorien, Sam & Hannah enjoying the boat ride
                            A great shot of Jenna, Ashlie, Jon & Lexie!
                              Sunil & Sarah looking really cute together
                              Jenna steering the boat (yes she's there!)
                               Lexie smiling over her turn at the wheel
                           Gracie looking confident in the driver's seat
     Jenna actually fell asleep standing up while the boat was moving!
                                     Jon tubing with Sumaire & Gracie
             Their faces say it all - Sarah, Lorien & Ashlie loved tubing!
                                 Sam took a turn with Sumaire & Gracie
                            Hannah let us know the water was too cold!
                               ...but she thought the slide was just right.
                                                        What a view!
Sam, Hannah, Sumaire, Gracie, Jenna, Lexie, & Jon atop the rock wall

On Thursday we left on a much needed family vacation to Charlie's sister's vacation home in western Maryland (FAR western - near the West Virginia line, almost directly south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).  In "honor" of getting out in the country, we sang "Take Me Home Country Roads" along with some other John Denver songs as we traveled.  It was a rough time getting there since we didn't get to the mountains until after dark and it was rainy and really foggy.  Luckily Lorien (who was driving) has eagle eye vision so it just took a little longer to get there. 

We so frequently see signs for deer crossing that you don't think about them, but when we saw the one warning about deer and bears (oh my!), we did a double take.  We wanted to see a bear - from a distance of course - but none appeared.  The house was so gorgeous, woods all around, high up on the mountain.  It's nestled between a ski resort and the beautiful lake.  We took several hikes on a scenic nature trail, played tennis, swam in the pool, enjoyed the hot tub at the house, and we even got to see some of the National Championships of the White Water Kayaking and Canoeing - some of the competitors had just gotten back from the Olympics!

We had a great time horseback riding.  I had the best horse I've ever ridden on - and I came back with a farmer tan as a memento.  The ski resort has this amazing thing called a mountain coaster (it actually runs year round).  It's kind of like a bobsled on a raised track that goes all the way up the mountain (underneath the chair lift).  At the top it turns and the sled freefalls on the track back down.  You have a brake on it that lets you control how fast or slow you go.  A final corkscrew and you're down.  I couldn't quite overcome my fear of heights to try it, but it was tempting!  

We rented a boat and spent several hours on the lake.  It was so much fun speeding over the water. I just love being on the water.  The kids had fun taking turns driving the boat and almost everyone went tubing.  It was crazy but as we got off the boat for the last time, both Jon & I caught our pants on the edge and tore them (poor Jon got a bad bruise from it too). 

All too soon Sunday afternoon arrived and it was time to come home.  Thank you to Sarah and Sunil for giving us such a wonderful time.  Memories are made of this.