Hey everyone it is Josh.

Well on Sat we had the Regional Social Science Fair Contest and we took 3rd place. It was a lot of fun. We went to KSU and sat in the auditorium for like 3hrs while they were interviewing all the contestants. In the meantime KSU provided us with the most boring lecture of all time, the history of Asian Literature. It was so boring, ha but then our group was called and our interview went well they asked us about fair tax and to explain it very briefly. They were a little confused about the prebate and so we answered all of their questions on that. They we sat around for the judges to tally up all the scores and they gave us 3rd out of 4 and so we do not continue on to state but het it was fun while it lasted. Diana, Chris and I had a good time doing the project.

Diana says hello to all of you and can't wait to see yall again.

Think Spring

After the ice and snow (Ohio) and just plain miserable weather (Georgia) we all have had over the past few days, I thought this would be a good day to post the picture of my daffodils.

I'm really getting tired of putting on layers of clothes and I'm looking forward to some warm spring weather. Yes, I know, we still have weeks to go but I can dream can't I?

Rasty Cat is watching the birds at the back of the house and MoMo is watching them here at the window where I'm playing on the PC.

I hope all of you are having a good Sunday. Dad and I are getting ready to walk and then I'm heading to the couch with the Sunday paper.

Mom

Little Schneider

Holger and Katie, I just had to comment on Holger's post.

I wanted to let you know that I'll be keeping the two of you and "Little Schneider" close in my heart as you proceed through this pregnancy. You are so lucky that you are living in an age where they can find and fix things before your baby is born.

Katie, Tom and I love putting cut-up dried apricots, raisins, dried cranberries, etc. in our oatmeal as it is cooking and you might like to try that for a change. Also, we have a family thing about slicing bananas in orange juice and letting it sit for a few minutes. Everyone loves it and you might enjoy a different way to eat bananas. Just a couple of ideas to make the "medicine" go down a little easier.

I'm so glad you are posting.

Judee

San Francisco Day 5

The only thing left on the agenda was The Rock. We drove into the city and parked near the piers. A short walk and we were on the ferry to take us out to the island.

The weather was spectacular. Warm with a blue sky willed with puffy white clouds.

We took plenty of pictures inside and outside of the prison. Jodi's only request for this trip was an Alcatraz T-shirt...so I got her one! Ask her to show it to you the next time you see her.

We took the audio tour...very nice hearing the voices of previous inmates and guards narrating the tour. There was also a surviving inmate there doing a book signining. We were on Alcatraz for about two hours before we decided to make a run for it. Check out the old convicts to the left.

After taking the ferry back to San Francisco, we were starved, so we found an outside cafe on Fillmore. We each ordered a dish and shared them on an out side table. It was great hearing foreign languages all around us & watching the passerbys.

We had only finished lunch 5 minutes earlier when we passed a Pizza Orgazmica place. We just had to stop for a slice...very nice until we got back to the car and found a parking ticket on the windshield.

By th isw point, the day was pretty well shot. We decided to head to the next hotel so that we could check in and relax. The only thing left o n our schedule is some kind of dinner later tonight. Tomorrow we catch flights back to Atlanta.

Tim, Josh and Mark

San Francisco Day 4

Day 4 found us sleeping in after the late night yesterday. We drove to Muir Woods and saw the pacific red woods. Unfortunately the day was overcast and dreary with rain and mist, so the pictures are pretty dark.

After seeing the trees, we drove up to Sonoma where we had lunch at a really nice Mexican restaurant. After a good lunch, we visited a couple wineries; Sabastiani and Raven Wood. We took it slow today and were back at the hotel by 4:30 pm. We are saving our energy for visiting Alcatraz and the fisherman's warf area tomorrow.

Tim, Josh and Mark

San Francisco Day 3

We had a very big day yesterday. We crawled all over the city, seeing several sites and neighborhoods. We started with Lombard street and then went on to Telegraph Hill, where Mark and Josh went up to the top of the tower. This was the only sunny part of the day, so it was perfect.

Next was Chinatown and lunch at a Dim Sum restaurant...that was quite an adventure to be sure. Shrimp to sharkfin dumplings and all sorts in between.

Next stop was the castro/mission districts. Plenty of wild life to be seen all over there. We then skirted the edge of Golden Gate Park to the ocean, Presidio and NW coast of the southern penninsula. Finally, we headed to the Fillmore area. We parked, walked the area a little and had dinner at a very nice Italian resteraunt. We celebrated Mark's birthday with a fine meal.

After dinner, we headed off to see the concert. Some unknown band opened for sia. Picture Danny Devito with long hair on the sides, a comb over on top and by the time their set was done, the little bald fat guy was on stage with nothing but his underware. It was all pretty funny actually.

Sia (pronounced...see-ah) was excellent. We had no idea what to expect, but she was great. Everything from pop on up. She really interacted with the crowd & they loved her.

Today...Muir woods to see the redwoods and then on to Sonoma & Napa area to see a winery or two.

Tim, Josh & Mark

Days 1 & 2 in San Francisco

Saturday was pretty much a travel day. Lots of sitting oin the airport, on the plain, on the trains & in the car, till afternoon. In the afternoon we had a late lunch in Saucelito (sp?) and spent the remainder of the afternoon in the park surrounding the gloden gate bridge. Lots of great pictures & had a fun time. We ate a good dinner in the hotel and got to bed early.




Sunday, we rode up the 101 and cut across to the coast. Lots of time on winding roads in the forrest, over mountains and along the ocean. Along the way, we stopped at a river and skipped rocks. We saw, seals, deer, wild mountain cows, goats, sheep...all sorts of animals. Lunch was in Bodega Bay & was fantastic. By late afternoon, we were back at the hotel and had dinner at a very nice Spanish restaurant.
Today, we are heading into the city and going to a concert at the Filmore...should be a really nice day.
















Tim, Josh & Mark

Rainbow Pictures

It's just me again. It's been several weeks since I've gone to the Blue Ridge Blog site to see what Marie has been up to and I found her rainbow pictures. They are spectacular and I wanted to share them with you. I hope the link works.

http://www.blueridgeblog.blogs.com/

If you don't check out her blog occasionally, you are missing a real treat .

Try it, you might like it.

Mom

The Life of a McMurdo Cat

Their good brother Tim-san came to visit at Christmas loaded with presents for the family and of course the spoiled cats. Actually, he wanted the Georgia cats to have all of the comforts of home that his "Yankee" cats have - specifically their own TV games to play. What will they think of next.

They do get confused however. Especially when they leap off of the stools and run around back hoping to catch the critters.

Hogar, I don't think you've met the cats yet. That's Rasty Cat on the left and MoMo on the right. They aren't spoiled are they?

If you and Katie have cats, just talk to old Tim-san, I'm sure he can make arrangements for your cats to enjoy the latest and greatest cat games as well.

Have a good week all.

Later,

Mom

Hello From the Frozen Tundra

Where is my kimono when I need it?

I have recently been corresponding with my counterpart in Japan, concerning his request for some American catalogs. In all of his correspondence, he addresses me as Tim-san. Holger probably has more expereince working with our Japanese counterparts and has probably been called Holger-san for years.

However, I am getting a big kick out of being called Tim-san. As a matter of fact, I would like each of you to refer to me as Tim-san from here on out. And, don't forget to take your shoes off when you enter my house! Bowing is optional, but appreciated.


Tim-san.

Where is the Road Runner when you need him?

This morning when I was getting in the car to go to work, I could hear the coyotes howling in the woods across the street. We have known they were there for a long time, but this is the first time that I've heard them.

Time to count the cats and dogs and make sure nobody is missing!