Happy 60th, Dad!

candle
Originally uploaded by kt0503.

June 24, 2006

We celebrated Dad's 60th birthday by having a surprise party. Thanks to help from a couple of his friends, Mom and I were able to pull off the ultimate surprise!

Toast:
We gather together on this 24th of June 2006
To celebrate with Joe and make sure he gets his due 60 licks.

I could stand before you and list off many a thing
Associated with the pains and gripes of aging.

'Cuz we all know that 60 is that magic number
When your bones begin to ache and your mind to slumber.

But instead, let's raise up our glasses and wish Joe the best.
May he have love and happiness on this day and all the rest.

For he's a jolly good fellow, a one of a kind guy
Whom we're all honored to know; this we cannot deny!

So lift up your glasses, bottles, and beers.
Happy birthday to you, Joe. This one's for you. Cheers!

See more pictures.

Almost Heaven

Almost Heaven- that's how born-and-bred West Virginians refer to their home. I have to admit that it is a very pretty state. The predominant features are green trees and mountains with little in between. Look at a map of the state.

We went to Beckley, WV, on Friday and Fairmont, WV, on Saturday. Before we got out of Beckley, we had to make a quick stop to an auto shop so Noah's car could receive a little TLC. On the way to Fairmont, we crossed the New River Gorge Bridge and then stopped at the viewing station to take pictures. It is the second tallest bridge in the country and the second longest steel-arch bridge in the world. Every October, there is a festival at the bridge where crazy people bungy jump and parachute off.

Once we got to Beckley, we took a side trip to visit Valley Falls State Park, which used to be home to a bustling railroad and sawmill community. It was very pretty. One thing I noticed about the rivers in WV was that the water appears very green.

Check out more pictures.

Tiffany and Jolie

Tiffany and Jolie
Originally uploaded by kt0503.

My two favorite nieces in their new home. Jenny and Robert picked a great house; one of the best features is the backyard, which you can see a little bit of from this picture.

Portland June 1-4

Chinese gardens
Originally uploaded by kt0503.

This is a picture taken from outside the Chinese gardens in Portland. The rest of the city was just as neat! There are so many neighborhoods to explore and restaurants to sample. Surprisingly, the weather was actually decent while I was there, although I was certainly privy to a taste of the Portland rains. The advantage to all the rain is that it makes everything so green and lush, and the flowers (roses and peonies, especially) are beautiful!

See more pictures from my trip. http://www.flickr.com/photos/16787744@N00/?saved=1