So I ran out of skittles in the car

....my usual approach to facing my fear of the ferry. I know that the ferry crossing will be over in 4 skittles. I don't like the orange ones, neither does Sam, so my husband eats those when he gets in the MINI like it is his marital responsibility. How to have a happy marriage? Eat the orange skittles for your wife :-) Okay, back to the point. I ran out of skittles and decided to take photos of things in the car as a distraction. Some iPhone "skittles" from my day in the car, and the lab, on September 26th........no orange ones. Laura

The Artistic Side of the Family

As you all know Martika is off at Art School. She does get home occasionally, often to get more money (just kidding), but she is not the only one that is artistic in the family ... but I will get to that in a second.

This weekend Tika was indeed home and the National Book festival was going on in DC, along with a dozen other things, so with Sammy reading so much lately we headed towards DC for a visit. On the way we stopped in Arlington and had some great burgers and lots of laughs at BGR - a very good burger joint. After lunch we headed down to the Mall where the girls got to see the Magic School Bus and tour around the Book Festival. It was not quite what we had expected, so after a short visit we headed over to the Botanical Gardens so Tika could get some base work for a project she has coming up. I did not have my camera but I did manage to take a few shots with my cell phone and put them up here.


It was a great afternoon and we had lots of fun. Now to my first comment on Tika not being the only artistic one. My very adventurous wife has been finding all sorts of things that she can do with her cell phone - including creative photography and I think they are very good. A couple of recent ones you can see here. But she has more and as I get them I will post them up on our Picasa site so keep an eye out. Maybe one day we will get her selling some of these - maybe she will be famous for her photography as well as for her research mind. I will say it is wonderful learning new things about her - especially when I did find out that she is actually ticklish :-) Don't worry Sweety - I won't tell.

Cooking with the girls

Some times when I am thinking about what to cook I recall where I have traveled and what I have eaten. This will lead to either thinking about something exotic or, as in the case last night, something akin to comfort food. Last nights comfort food was not what I would call traditional American, or Canadian, comfort food but something that I found to be comfort food from me from Cuba. 

So last night I made the girls a big plate of rice with black beans, Cuban pork chunks and plantain. 

I am always anxious when I cook something new - and in this case the pork and plantain were both new - but I was very happen with all of it - and were the girls. The pork melted in the mouth with lots of flavor. I was actually surprised at how much they ate. And the good news - leftovers.

Martika's Video

So I promised ....

So this morning I promised I would put up some of Tika's work. Below is a combination of pictures that she has taken over time - between last summer and this summer. I also included a poem that she did.

I am for an art

I am for an art that makes you think.
I am for an art that needs no prior knowledge.
I am for an art that needs no understanding.
I am for an art that is universal known.
I am for an art that stands the test of time.
I am for an art inspired by other art.
I am for an art that inspires a generation.
I am for an art that can be read and understood across all cultures.
I am for art that inspires a revolution.
I am for an art that changes how we think.
I am for an art that is strange and new.
I am for an art that offends, compliments, and reassures.
I am for an art that shows the beauty of man and woman.
I am for an art that is fun.
I am for an art that has no meaning.
I am for an art that means more than the viewer will ever know.
I am for an art that is ambiguous.
I am for an art that is super realist.
I am for an art that makes one question their morals
I am for an art that is simple.
I am for an art that is complex.
I am for an art that transports you.
I am for an art that is disgusting and beautiful.
I am for an art that is unfinished.
I am for an art that is unknown.
I am for an art that will never be in a museum or gallery. 
I am for an art that moves people.
I am for an art that makes me feel I will never become a successful artist.
I am for an art that needs or has no words.
I am for an art that is all around me.

I think she really progressed with composition and feeling. I am also going to try and post up a video she has done separately. It was hand painted on 35mm film and then she edited and added music etc .... I think it is really good - but it is big so I will try to post it but no guarantees.


Of course she has also been painting and drawing but we will leave that for another post.

A quick update

I know it has been a while since a post .... but it has been a bit crazy for both of use with work and things in general so I thought a quick update is needed.

Tika is doing great at VCU. She has her own blogger site and has been doing some cool things. I will hopefully steal some things off her site and repost them he so all can see.

Sam and Kris are actually enjoying school, mostly. They each have less than favorite classes but in general every time we are all together they are talking about what is going on in school and it is largely good. Kris of course is getting day to end her high school career and so that means a lot of thinking about college etc so we need to get her moving on some things there.

Myself, Sam and Kris went to see The Help yesterday - a great movie. Sammy had just finished the book and was so excited with the book I had to take her to the movie. It was sort of funny in that they we the only teenagers in the theatre and in fact I felt kind of young in there - which was a good thing :-)

We have also been doing some active cooking in the house since we got our lamb a few weeks back. Beef-lamb burgers, beef-lamb meatballs with home made spaghetti sauce, lamb kabobs, and the girls and their mom even made lamb stew. it has been a lot of fun but I need to limit the lamb to maybe once or twice a month as it was a very well fed lamb.

Ok - like I said a quick update. I will get some of Tika's work up, hopefully tonight, so all can see what she has been up to.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

So a few weeks back ....

My brother made sure to let me know that on my birthday I then became the same age as him. Well I get to return the favour and then some. Today he adds to that last digit and becomes a year older than me. More fun will be two years from now when the first of those two digits will tick. Of course I know that 11 months later it will for me as well but I will live with the knowledge for those 11 months.

Seriously though .....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WAYNE!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Difficult Day

I would like to take a moment to express our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of a close colleague who lost their new baby girl on September 2nd. On this rainy cloudy day I cannot even grasp the pain they must be feeling as they bury their newborn baby.

In remembrance of Mackynsie Abigail

Laura and Gary

A Great Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day is usually one of those awkward weekends .... the kids are anxious about going back to school while summer ends and we have to start thinking about fall and winter. Well one of my friends, Dave, makes the transition a bit easier by throwing a big barbecue for his friends and with his wife Jill they do throw a great barbecue  Dave has been doing this for the last 3 years at his place in the Catoctin Mountains. He has lots of space and a nice pool in back. His two great kids and two wonderful dogs just makes for a nice relaxing atmosphere. Of course it does not hurt that Dave has trained as a chef. This year including some wonderfully smoked brisket, chicken, chicken and pork kabobs, ribs and of course the traditional hot dogs to end the summer. The side dishes and desserts are of course too numerous to mention but it did make for a very wonderful Saturday afternoon/evening.

On Monday myself and Laura had a relaxing day to ourselves. Not that Sunday with the girls was not relaxing but myself and Laura needed some time just to go out and enjoy things we have always liked to do. We started the afternoon with a trip to the National Gallery to see some of the changes they had made in the exhibits. Some of the impressionists galleries had moved around and a new exhibit from the Chester Dale collection had been put in place in the West Building. This exhibit included some pieces we had previously scene but also included some things we had not seen before. Impressionist work is something we both enjoy and I know Tika would have loved this exhibit - maybe when she comes to visit next I will have to take her.

Another exhibit that was immensely interesting for me was from John Taylor Arms. The level of detail in his work is just astounding and if you get the opportunity his Gothic work is something to go and see.

All in all it was a great weekend. So good I had to take today off so I could catch up on my household things that I need to take care of. I guess I can handle the 3 day week :-)