In desperation -- we give in to the (drunken) kidnappers' demand

Ok now weve met your demand

A kidnapping note on 9th Street

if you want to see mr.Gnome alive, please one bottle of wine on Sauer's front porch tonight. p.s. i also stole annie's cell phone ha ha ha

Multimedia message

Take your child to work day 07

Catie came to work with dad. For lunch, we went to Haggens for rice.

Tuilips were in bloom.

Still life: boy in tree

Kim planted these trees a couple years after we moved to Canby.

They are big enough now to hold a 100 pound boy.

Easter 07

Coloring eggs and a walk around Salem's eco-earth with Uncle Bud

The family that quads together, plays together

Rusty gets a camo quad. Greg and Tanner like it too.

FW:

RE:

First bbq of year on ninth street

FW:

FW:

One trillion dollars added to health care costs due to overweight Americans

Full disclosure: I've already sent a contribution to Obama's campaign.
Today NPR ran an audio clip of him talking to a crowd in Iowa. In speaking to health care costs, he mentioned that overwieght Americans add one trillion dollars to the cost of health care.
Afterwards, the interviewer talked with a person who said he liked Obama's talk -- until that point, he said " for obvious reasons" and he pointed to his fullsized belly.
It made me think -- first, about the politics for 'my' candidate. With 2/3s of Americans overweight, is saying that a political liability.
Which then takes me to the question of leadership -- do we need politicians who are willing to speak the unpopular.
Which then takes me to an insurance form that asked me about my lifestyle: whether I smoked, skydive, etc.
Reflecting on that, I am guessing my insurance costs are based, in part, on whether I smoke, for example.
I don't -- but if I did -- should I pay a higher rate for insurance given the likelihood of increased health care costs, say, for a lung transplant, heart medication, etc.
If I should, then should I also pay a higher rate for insurance for a nutritional lifestlyle that may incur more medical costs than someone else?

After a hard day (for the horse at least) pausing at the upper waterfall in Yelapa

A fun dinner at Pollo Bollo - one of Yelapa's finest

The five grandkids: facing the future together

The Family - PV - March 2007

puerto vallarta al la noche

We headed into town yesterday to explore. Saw some familar sights. loved watching the kids interact and explore. for the younger ones, it might as well have been san diego as mexico ...still memories for a lifetime.

one of the surprising things here is the dramatic visability of the emerging mexican middle class ...eveb leisure class. a few years ago, a resort like this would be all americans and canadians. yesterday our resort appeared to be at least half mexican nationals on vacation.

my spanish while continuing to suck grows every day. give me a few months here and see what happens.

Beer can art - on a beach in Nuevo Vallarta

Cell phone photo - Ricky & Catie in the surf

This was mild compared to some of the wave action that the kids were trying.

Catie and ricky in mexico surf

Meanwhile -- in Palm Springs

This is the life . An email from huggs in palm springs

--

This is a neat tech trick. I was in Mexico when I received this photo from our neighbors in Palm Springs. I forwarded and posted from my cell phone while in Mexico.

PV's signature

Again with the right light conditions -- even a cell phone photo can be nice.

On the malacon in PV -- looking out at the beach

Malecon puerto vallarta

Catie gets out of the pool at Mayan Palace

Another busy day at the beach

elizabeth edwards

it was already very warm in vallarta as i headed over to the market and found a day old usa today. down here, old news is good enough.
poll shows support of edwards to stay in race.
good\
we are born to die.
spend a lot of time in deniel of that.
how we live before we die is what matters.
we are close to another end of life situation.
we have put ourselves there.
would we fold up, get a last meal and head out of an ice cake like the eskimo urban legand.
or spend the last few month of our lives helping a loved one reach their goal.
i am reminded of the line from mlk speech in dc , i may not be there when you get there.

but it pleases me to see support for a decision to live life when it is here rather than to plan life around death.

time to find the kids and head into town and show them the zocalo.

para hoy, adios

Ricky goes hang gliding on day 2 in puerto vallarta

Beach level view at Mayan Palace

The Ponderer -- 3 days in Yelapa - what could he be thinking

up the river by horseback

photos from the jungle ...yelapa

Catie looking out our patio at Mayan Palace

Day 1 in Mexico - on the pier at Los Muertos waiting for water taxi to Yelapa

Canby's favorite pub - Wild Hare

Toes

Casper