Crow's Nest

These are pix Margar sent of the Apartment she will almost for certain be living in in Iowa City. Very very very cool.

"Izzy or Izzn't He?"

Distant relative, underworld connection, or extremely persistant hanger-on from the holiday party? You decide. Izzy's pale,quiet--not much of a conversationalist; some have referred to him as....two dimensional. But beware--he hides a dangerous secret!

Spring Showers or the Deluge?

Almost twenty-four hours of cold rain, our little piece of the storm that is making so much trouble farther North. Here just ungodly wet, and the Mighty Mississippi--or some puny distant relative--okay, it's just the drainage ditch!--wends its way through the yard. Not much to be done but man the sump pump (Drew), work on Stan's picture (me), read the papers and nap...

Productive Weekend!

Art Imitates Life Imitates Art

Slow progress on Stan's portrait and the creature himself playing Crouching Tiger Hidden Stanley.

April

Spring: here you see a garden full of trash weeds and brave spears of garlic; the first rose leaves, red and unruly--look: not one beetle, not one blackspot, not yet! I believe you are looking at Weisse aus Sparrieshoop; effect of the ice storm on cedar tree.

Stan dodged death in the recent cat food recall. Here he warms fourteen-year-old bones before the kerosene heater and, outside, resists a photo op.

On the human front: I uneasily ally myself with Union Army during recent RDS History Day (options were limited!); Mystery student is King Tut; Drew wrastles successfully with recalcitrant recording turntable.

Michigan: Four Children, Five Days

These are snapshots from a whirlwind five-day visit to Michigan. I stayed at Mom's for the first two days, then ran up (drove, actually) to Ann Arbor with Julia to see Margar, and saw (An)Drew in K-zoo on the way back to VA. I apologize for formatting problems with this post--I'm just too beat to try to clean it up right now. In these first picutres, you see me and Julia, me and Mom, Mom and the flowers Nancy Marie sent--the tree, the creche...I think that's it.







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Thom and his fellow-communists (that is the term, right?) are in the process of moving to recently acquired house. Here, at the old duplex, we watched South Park: The Movie and generally, uh...communed. Pictures are of Thom, at ease and at the computer, his amazing Lincolnesque fingers, a portrait with his maternal gene doner--and a nice picture of his longtime friend Corey.








In Ann Arbor: here is Margaret Kathryn in her apartment--pensive, in a directed moment of mad jollity, and with SCO (Significant Canadian Other) Jason Bell, who is visiting from Vancouver, for reasons both personal and mathematical.











Andy lives in a great narrow old house ("white house, new driveway, blue Lincoln Continental in drive") on a steep street in Kalamazoo's atmospheric student ghetto. Here, he burns a copy of his Rocket-Powered Armchair Sled exploit to disc for me, and rehydrates in front of gigantic self-portrait. Guitar is a work in progress...

The Christmas Party, 2006

On an unseasonably warm and clear December evening, the Clan gathers. It was crowded, it was loud, it was festive and amazing. Thank you, EVERYONE: Lisa H. is resplendant in red velvet; Deborah works her Ava Gardener mojo; Nancy brings her professor friend, Esther, and braves 45 miles of Highway 95 to see how the Other Half lives; Kip and Sherri make a return appearance and class up the joint; Mike Johnson works the crowded room (while Sharon dodges the camera handily); Stu displays the Ruark savoir faire; neighbors Big Rick and son Ricky dropped in; Doug Reneire adds an electric and sometimes downright puzzling presence (what are you doing with that chair, sir?); Jim and Charlene Robey are an edgy Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and Anne brought an amazing Victorian Christmas decoration and another decorative touch: her beau de jour, Dave.
Chad Kelso came and brought his amazing punch bowl, but opted for a nap rather than a photo op (thanks for the marbles!).