A Dream Come True

The Jeep is running! All that Greg wants done isn't completed yet but it moves without having to be pushed. The "maiden" voyage - to his office in Los Gatos - about a 10 mile round trip.

Later in the day we took a family drive - to a neighborhood restaurant, about 2 miles away - Greg talked away about the old days and said "this is a dream come true"


Tried to get Claire with her hair blowing in the wind

Evan commenting that "it smells bad" - we think the exhaust is getting in but we've been assured that will be fixed if we attach the top better - so what if we have the top off?

We arrived safely

Points to whoever can identify these "knobs" and such and what they are/were used for

Mother's Day Comes Early

I went to the temple Saturday morning on a Stake Relief Society trip and came home in the early afternoon to this site...It's a potting bench! I told Greg on Friday that I wanted a Potting Bench for Mother's Day and that I needed it sooner than later, that I'd get it for myself and he said "Let me and the kids get it..." And they did! And they put it together in our family room because it started raining.

Isn't it wonderful?! I love it.

And - really - none too soon - it is Spring in San Jose.

Actually, these daffodils have already faded - I took these pictures when we got back from DC a month ago. But we had a cool February and early March - so they lasted a good long time - very nice for us here.

But there is plenty of yellow to be seen elsewhere - it really is a sign of Spring in our yard (all the weeds too - time to get cracking weeding and planting...I have seeds ready to go...)

Yay Spring!

More on Spring

These pictures were taken pretty much from the same spot - but look at the change!
That's a difference of a month - the daffodils are faded but the day lilies are coming back! not that I didn't expect them to come back but I just get so excited every time they do - same with the bulbs - anything that grows for that matter. I know - I'm weird...

Claire Has a New Hobby!!! :)

Evan has a new hobby

Pacific Orchid Exposition

Nancy and I went to the Pacific Orchid Exposition in San Francisco on Fri. 3/6
San Francisco was beautiful! And so were all of the orchids.

Yah, I know it is hard to see - it's Alcatraz

Marina Green with the top of the Palace of Fine Arts in the distance - looks almost like a copper dome

Idea how some plants are displayed


Some of these orchids are huge - I wish I'd thought to hold my hand up next to them or something - this one is probably 7-8+ inches across

These ones maybe 8 inches or more across (huge) amazing

This one is about 3+ inches across

Nancy and I think these ones look like the muppet Gonzo

This orchid is best in show - just attached to the display pole - just hanging there...

Those are the roots - growing our of a "blob" of moss and such - amazing


No wonder people believe in fairies

More fairies coming our way

Dinner on a plane - Fri. Feb. 20

Our last day :-(
But we did something great - we went to Mt. Vernon - about 14 miles out of DC. Was a beautiful drive.
from http://www.mountvernon.org "Mount Vernon has been owned and operated by a private non-profit organization, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, since 1858. Mount Vernon accepts no government support and is maintained entirely by fees from admission tickets, retail and food sales, and donations from patriotic Americans." I guess we're not very patriotic - we didn't make a donation, but we did buy tickets, and food and souvenirs...
In the visitor's center there's this great statue of the Washingtons with two of their grand children - they look like such nice people - you just have to hug 'em...

I love this - doesn't it look like Martha's trying to get in the shot...

Washington's Mt. Vernon


View of "front yard" from the road to the house



View of the Potomac from the back porch


The Upper Garden and the Green House



Hmmmmm - I think we need to go back in the Spring! This wall poster is in the gift shop/food court area (this was the last shot I took on the trip)

The Gardener's House

I want what George wants...

And this is my Man! I think I did pretty good - I have a man who knows how to labour hard anyway - in fact, I think he is labouring in the picture - using his favorite tool the Blackberry - oh no, he's just trying to take a picture of the sign

Work houses for the farm and family

The path to the Washingtons' tomb



There is a docent at the tomb - she hands out red carnations to place at the tomb (then she gathers them all up during a slow time and hands them out again)



Path leading back to the visitor's center

Very picturesque - Mt. Vernon has a lot of farmland (cows were Claire's last shot of the trip)

There's a great little food court at Mt. Vernon - this is where we had our last meal

We had a layover in Denver - we were there about an hour waiting our turn for de-icing (This was Evan's last shot of the trip)


Oh yah - we had peanuts, crackers and cookies for dinner.