Sea World Redux

...in the dry seats with Johnathan (above), while Chris, Rob, Nicolle, and Colette got soaked. See Nicolle's blog for photos, hopefully.

Sesame Street is still a biggie for Colette.

And of course the Clydesdales. Everybody else got to stay for an extra day this time and go to the beach while I had to come home and work. It's OK though. That may be the end of Sea World for awhile for us.

Bill Moyers on the Health Insurance Industry

You suspect these things, and then you find out that they're true. Single payer, universal health care is insanely overdue in this country, but the vested interests who buy Congress will keep it from happening for several more decades. John and Chris and I have good coverage. Our adult kids, not so much. Must be that they're lazy, reckless, and irresponsible, right? Or the free market would take care of them.

On Facing Up To My Issues With Religion

John is one of the Gospel Doctrine teachers now in our Sunday School. We decided to do more regular prayer and scripture study together. Today was our first day at it, and I burst into tears and we had a fight, so I don't know if it's such a good idea. I only cry about once every three or four years, so it was very weird--tears were bursting out of my eyes like an anime character's,
or like Colette or Ethan (they have projectile tearing as well--maybe they inherited it from me).

What do we do about it? I was ready to give it up forever, but maybe that's not such a good idea either. I want to still be a Mormon, and it seems like prayer, scripture study, and FHE are just as important as going to church and doing my visiting teaching. Do I just need to get used to projectile crying? Maybe there's a reason I've avoided actual study all these years.

Grandpa's Birthday

We had another party down at The Farm, before G&G head off to Alaska to visit Boyd & Co.

(Great-) Grandma visits with Ethan for the first time:

He was very interested in her watch.

Mule Deer

...at Rosebud. If I were talented I would put "Afternoon of a Faun" or something with it as a soundtrack, but I'm not so I didn't. The muffled white noise-type sound you hear is the nearby creek.

Montana

John, Sergene, and I drove to Rosebud to visit Janet and John P (here are Janet and John B at Hellroaring Falls near their cabin):

Janet and John P:

and then to Billings to see Sue and Chris. Here is Chris with his three goal medals from the state games--won in three different types of bike races. And the state games were Montana and Wyoming.

Sue, Chris, and Claire at home (Sergene in doorway):

Back at Rosebud, we lounged on the deck with the dogs until it started to rain:

The Van, though converted to a doghouse when not in use as a vehicle, still transports everybody--including two dogs and a cat--from Vermont to Montana every summer:

The view from the deck:

Here's John P's website, by the way. He was working on the moose painting while we were there.

Back to Politics...

...after our relaxing break in the UK.

This one, via favorite feminist site Shakesville, is for the Birthers (for those who have been out of the loop for even longer than I have, Birthers are people who refuse to believe that Obama is a US citizen):


Actually, of course, it's just an excuse to post another song by The Boss.