Pictures from London

I've been back from my trip for over a week; it's about time I posted some pictures!

Oscar and his mommy

The Pineys at Yew Tree Cottage (their country house in Eastington)

It was quite cold so we had a fire almost every day. Juley is an accomplished fire mistress!

A view of Eastington. Only 16 houses in the village - makes Ivanhoe look huge!

The Pineys' garden in full bloom.

A hauntingly beautiful church in nearby Northleach (pop. ~2,000). Parts of this church are well over 600 years old.

I finally had a photo taken with Oscar on my last day. He's a sweet boy and I loved spending time with him. Juley and Henry were ok, too. No, really, it was a wonderful trip. We ate well, drank well and relaxed almost all the time...just how a vacation should be!

Avery Logan Webb

It's been several weeks since I've had a friend's baby to feature on my blog. (get going, people!)

This is Avery Logan Webb, born in Jacksonville on June 20 to Laura and Jason.

Isn't she adorable?

What a sweet family!

Congratulations!

Happy Birthday Amber!

Wow, 26! Do you feel old? Just kidding! Have a great day.

Very Funny!

Nice one, Chris! I knew I was asking for trouble when I gave you my password!

Interesting that you brought up cows...Juley and I were walking through a field to the nearby village and I was more than a little startled when I looked up to see that we were surrounded by cows!! I didn't run, but I did walk fast.

Yesterday at lunch the Pineys' guests asked if I am a 'town mouse' or a 'country mouse.' Of course we all know the answer to that one. (There's a connection to a real field mouse we saw in their garden; people aren't quite that quaint here.)

I will have more stories and pictures from England when I return. I really just logged on to wish my Dad and all the other special Dads a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Guest Blogger CHRIS! Switched at Birth?????

I often make light of Jennifer's metropolitan personality despite her rural upbringing (yes, she is a saint for putting up with me). The love of the city, the reluctance to wave at one of the 700 people who live in Ivanhoe as they pass by waving, her inability to answer my questions about farming (yes I realize not everyone in rural America farms but surely you picked up the basics), her unerring ability to navigate New York sans map more than what 6 years later? Recently I've suggested that perhaps she was switched at birth, that somewhere a girl was lost in the big city, struggling to find her way, but often bringing baked goods to her new neighbors or longing for the sounds of cows. When browsing the web recently I was struck by this picture, and the uncanny similarity to Jen. I think we may need to identify this person and seek out her life story.

See Ya Later, Alligators!

In less than six hours, I will be on a plane to London! I can't wait to see Juley, Henry and especially baby Oscar. This is my first trip to London in almost seven years and I will get to stay longer than I did on my prior visits.

Chris mentioned that he would like to guest blog in my absence. While his might be as innocuous as Corey's singular post, I can't make any guarantees regarding content. With a great deal of certainty, however, I can promise that Chris is sure to entertain and amuse.

I'll be back on Wednesday and I promise to have lots of pictures and stories!

Ashley

Ashley - if you happen to see this, please email me. I'd really like to talk to you.

The Weekend

So much activity...where to start?

On Friday night, I finally got to meet Melissa's sister Rhonda, who is visiting from Arkansas. We did meet briefly when Melissa and I graduated from SDSU - gasp! - 13 years ago, but this was our first chance to spend time together. She and Melissa are very close and I really enjoyed our evening.

We had dinner at Campiello in Uptown. The serve "rustic" Italian and I daringly ordered braised rabbit legs. I know what you're thinking - Peter Cottontail, Bugs Bunny, Jennifer's a horrible person - but seriously, if you ever have the chance to try well-prepared rabbit, it will change your life, just as our waiter promised. You'll also understand Elmer Fudd's persistence.

After dinner, we stopped at a nearby bar for a couple of drinks. We saw fewer baseball caps than last week, but I think we may have to venture downtown to find a more upscale hangout that meets newly-single Melissa's standards.

On Saturday, Chris and I headed to Bonnie and Duane's for Angie and Cam's graduation party. Amber's got some great pictures on her blog. It was a beautiful day - perfect for an outdoor gathering.

In addition to the delicious food and lively conversation, we managed a game of "corn hole" (which is not the term generally used in this part of the country to describe "bean bags," but is common elsewhere and I'm trying to start the trend here, if only to see the looks on peoples' faces when I say corn hole). Whatever you call it, Chris and I beat Jon and Amber handily!

Eventually, we made our way back to Minneapolis. Jon and Amber surprised us with a shared birthday gift - a gas grill! Jon, with some help from Chris and Trevor while Dad supervised, quickly assembled the grill and Amber and I cooked up some salmon, potatoes and corn bread. It was a pretty early night for all of us.

Chad, Kristina, Sophia and Brennan came over for brunch on Sunday. It was the first time our visitors saw Brennan and he was very patient as we all took turns holding him. Sophia and Trevor had fun coloring. I realized that if I'm going to have these kids visiting often (which I hope I do!) that I will have to get some more things for them to play with!

After everyone left, I decided to take my bike out for a spin. You may have noticed Amber's photo of me on her blog. My bike is probably older than I am and weighs at least half as much. I didn't realize the drawback to a heavy bike until I tried to ride it up hill. Luckily, the hills between my house and 43rd & Upton aren't too steep, but I also came to recognize that I'm terribly out of shape. This 2+ mile ride with a break for shopping really wore me out, but at least I look good on my super cool bike!

Fishing Kids

Memorial Day has come and gone, but it's never too late to post photos of our favorite kids doing some fishing!

It's June 4th...

The primaries are over and may I say - way to go South Dakotans! You cast your ballots for Hillary, making a clear statement about her campaign even when the nomination is beyond her grasp. How many times was South Dakota mentioned by the national media over the past few weeks? The Great State hasn't received that much attention since before Tom Daschle was inexplicably voted out of office.

I've heard a rumor that Grandma Dottie had front row seats to hear Bill Clinton speak this week in Webster. There may have been a photo-op and hand shaking involved as well. I must investigate this further, but if this is true, to say I'm jealous would be an understatement!

Despite Hillary's win in South Dakota, she doesn't have the delegates to win the nomination. In fact, Walter Mondale's defection this morning will surely be the first of many. Math may not be my best subject, but there is no denying that Obama exceeded 2,118 delegates last night. He's the nominee. End of campaign, or at least it should be.

I'm saying it here: time to end it, Hillary. I also told her this on her website. As if she would listen to me, but she asked for input from supporters and here's what I wrote:

Hillary – You are an inspiration. Your determination and perseverance in this campaign are eclipsed only by the presidential skill and aptitude you have shown the American people. I first voted for you in the 2000 NY Senate race and eagerly anticipated your presidential bid even before that time.

I know, as millions of other do, that you would make a tremendous president. Americans’ voices have been heard in a democratic process that’s part of what makes our country great. While it may not always favor the most qualified or most dedicated, we must respect and uphold the process.

The votes are in and while it was an incredibly close contest, the nomination is not yours. Please end your campaign. There’s so much you can do to, as you said last night, help people. It doesn’t have to be from the presidency. And it’s not going to be. Moving on doesn’t mean giving up. Move on before someone else makes that decision for you. Do it for yourself and for us.

Several times throughout this process, I said I would support Obama if he became the nominee. While still unofficial until the convention, I'm making my support official today (what am I, a superdelegate?). I hope my fellow Hillary supporters will follow suit.

I have expressed concerns about Obama's ability to compete against John McCain with "swing" voters. The more I listen to McCain's weak platform, the less I worry about that. His criticisms that Obama hasn't served in the military and is thus less qualified to be president are ridiculous. Does he really think that military service resonates with many voters today? While McCain's is laudable, I don't believe there are many Americans who gauge candidates on that anymore. I believe his pro-war stance will hinder McCain more than it will help him.

Obama has a difficult five months ahead of him, but ultimately he will persevere. Should the hotly-anticipated (at least by me) Obama/Clinton dream ticket materialize (how about this week?), McCain may as well concede now and we can skip the election altogether!