Writeacher's thoughts

Spring must be on its way!

2012-02-07T11:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning, my yard was filled with birds of various sizes and types: small ones flitting all over the place, chasing each other, it seemed; a couple of mockingbirds; a dove; and a woodpecker high up on one of the elms.

He stayed a long time, so I finally decided to try for a video ... and here it is!

And yes, you should be able to tell that the ash and elm trees have begun to put out this year's leaves. I think they're confused, but then, we really didn't have much of a winter around here!

Simone's races on Jan 15

2012-01-20T08:10:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of videos Robert took. Simone's first race ~

~ and her second race ~

She learned a great deal that day!

UPDATE: Here are the links directly to the videos in You Tube. This blog format is cutting off about one-fourth of the video on the right side.

1st race: http://youtu.be/uqeFGVxpjZw

2nd race: http://youtu.be/Qv9Jkkjk90o

The Spandaus' ski place

2012-01-18T12:07:00.002-06:00

In very northwestern Massachusetts, there are Williamstown and Jiminy Peak Ski Resort (photos below). What a lovely place -- cold, cold, cold, but lovely! Here is where Robert, Danielle, and Simone come to ski on weekends.

This is the building from which the main ski lift begins. I took the photo from inside the lodge, and it was definitely colder out there than inside! It was snowing a bit, even though they had the snow-making machines going full blast, too!

Here's the guide to which ski runs are where.

More and more skiers were starting to show up.

Snow-making machines in action on one of the runs.

What looks like fog rising from behind the trees is really the man-made snow being made on a different ski run, one not completely visible from the lodge.

And a couple of little videos ...

Now it's beginning to clear up ... and get more and more crowded with skiers, too!

More and more crowded ...

Here's Simone when she came in for lunch -- goggles are off, and the rest came off very soon.

Cutie!

Here is a view of the whole ski area from the highway as we were starting our drive back to New York. It's a very beautiful place, day or night, snowing or clear!

Fixing a mistake!

2011-12-26T13:09:00.000-06:00

Hmmm! I must have done something stupid - and deleted the former post in which I had this photo posted.

Anyway -- here it is again -- with the UTexas flag in my front yard!

Holiday photos

2011-12-26T08:19:00.000-06:00

The Linehan family at Thanksgiving, 2011

The Linehan kids just before they dived in to open all their presents on Christmas morning, 2011

Getting the photo

2011-12-18T17:53:00.002-06:00

The process of getting 7 girls and their coach all smiling and sitting or standing straight at the same time!!

If the video seems cut off at the right side, you can also view it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q6Qaech0to&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy!

Anne's adventures in decorating!

2011-12-09T16:10:00.000-06:00

Anne: So I decide to string lights on the stairs. I pull out some bundles and start untangling and plugging in to find strands that work.

Success! I find two strands!

I begin! And get ready to attach and plug in the next strand.

Crud! This strand was lighting but now isn't!

Aha! I see the problem!

My assistant looks innocently on as I try to find another strand that lights.

Choir concert last night

2011-12-07T14:34:00.001-06:00

Last night, Kira and all the members of the Hildebrandt choir performed in the combined concert at KOHS's auditorium. There were choirs from KOHS, Hildebrandt, and three elementary schools. It was a wonderful evening ... all those talented kids!

Here's Kira with Hildebrandt's choir:

And here are Hildebrandt's combined treble choirs. Kira is at the very left of the front row of girls.

The very last song was performed by all five of the choirs together. For a few minutes, we could just barely see Kira ... and then the piano's top was raised and she was out of sight!

The following three photos show all five choirs as they were performing the last song.

Happy Thanksgiving yesterday!

2011-11-25T17:55:00.000-06:00

Kira was having a little pie with her Reddi-Whip!!

Parker and Sarah

2011-11-20T14:51:00.000-06:00

Before Sarah's school's Military Ball last night ... such a wonderful pair of young people!

Simone's latest!

2011-11-08T11:00:00.000-06:00

Such a talented girl! I love her artwork!!

Simone's visit last week

2011-10-31T12:51:00.000-05:00

Simone and I went to Brenham last Friday to tour the Blue Bell Creamery there - and Simone got ice cream at the end of the tour. What fun!

On Saturday afternoon, I took Simone and Kira to Market Street and the mall in The Woodlands.

More ice cream!!

Here she is, waiting for the lady to check her in for her flight. Do you think she likes her pink hat? =)

Red Ribbon Week!

2011-10-28T08:36:00.001-05:00

This week, Simone has been visiting me during her school's Fall Break. Over the weekend, we drove to Austin to visit Austen. He took the photo below of the two girls when we were at Chili's on Saturday evening.

On Tuesday, we went to Kira's school to have lunch with her. Here's Simone, standing in front of Kira's school.

Today is the last day of Red Ribbon Week at Kira's school. She dressed up for Tuesday (Safari Day), Wednesday (Tie-Dye Day), Thursday (Halloween Day), and today (Crazy Hair Day). See the crazy hair!! Purple and green spray-on color!!

New school year, new choir to perform in!

2011-10-12T07:20:00.000-05:00

Last night, the Hildebrandt choir gave their first performance. This was for parents and families, and everyone seemed to enjoy it all.

The choir's schedule of performances starts in November. We are looking forward to more, more, more!

Raining ... we love it!!

2011-10-09T15:23:00.000-05:00

Wet streets and fuzzy visibility! Magnificent!!

The gutters are so overrun with rain, they just can't keep up!

Wildfires

2011-09-14T10:58:00.000-05:00

These are photos I took on Sept 9th and 10th while the Waller/Montgomery/Grimes counties wildfire was still blazing away. Very frightening.

Here's the column of smoke as seen from the high school, which is about 3 miles east of the road we were on in the photos above.

And here's the annual KOHS tribute to all the people who died on Sept 11, 2001. Parker and others in ROTC helped set all this up.

Kira at the bus stop - beginning of 6th grade

2011-08-31T09:22:00.000-05:00

Kira and neighbor Anna, waiting for the school bus on the 4th day of school. Notice the girls aren't using backpacks - book totes are better when the lockers are tiny!!

The 7th day of school - she's getting into the groove!

Cute hairstyle - but no telling if it'll last through and after PE!

(8th day of school)

The girls moved to the other corner of the intersection - avoiding ants!

Cool Austen!

2011-08-22T09:46:00.001-05:00

Anne took this photo of Austen as we were walking back to his dorm after lunch on Saturday.

Cool guy in his shades ... and just where he wants to be ... at UT!!

And here is Austen's side of his dorm room - decorated!! We love it!

Austen's start at UT

2011-08-21T09:32:00.001-05:00

Here are Anne, working on getting photos of her boy's dorm room, and Kira, busy playing a Wii game! Abbi, Parker, and Austen are watching Kira's game. (It blows me away that anyone can be fascinated by watching someone ELSE playing one of these games!!)

Austen's desk and other necessities!! Haha!

The food center and the hall and closet just inside the door ... and the TEXAS pennant on roommate Ian's side of the room.

Door to the hallway (left) and door to the bathroom (right). Backpacks on hooks by the door.

Our four cherubs, posing nicely!

After a "tour" of his room, Austen took us on a tour of part of the campus - a walking tour in 104-degree, sauna-like weather! The girls (below) are demonstrating how to use one of the relaxation places in the Student Activities Center. Very comfy!

Here are the girls again, lounging on a comfy sofa. Austen was showing Anne and Parker the room where the student legislature meets.

From the SAC, we walked to the campus computer store and then to the Coop, where Anne found shirts for the kids. Then we went to have lunch.

Austen is very happy and will have a variety of activities on campus before classes start on Wednesday, Aug 24th. Busy, busy!

Moving Austen in

2011-08-21T09:11:00.002-05:00

Austen's move-in day was Friday, August 19 - at 9:15 a.m.!! We left home around 5 a.m. and got to Austin around 8:15 a.m. so he could go to the check-in place and get his room assignment: in San Jacinto dormitory.

Another view, and there's the back of the Longhorn stadium behind the dorm.

He has a nice view of the Longhorn stadium from his window.

It took about 2 or 2.5 hours to move him in. Then the rest of us checked into our hotel, and that night we went to the Olive Garden for dinner. It was hard to get good photos of Kira - she kept moving and moving around!

Finally - a non-fuzzy photo of Kira!

Brothers!

Austen was opening gifts from Anne, and Kira is still in motion!

Next morning, we picked up Austen and went to IHOP for breakfast.

Kira and Abbi were very busy making designs with their DSi's!

Our TGIF on a Thursday night!

2011-08-12T07:58:00.001-05:00

Fun times at Chili's!

Lt. Linehan, Flight Commander

2011-08-12T07:54:00.000-05:00

Entering his sophomore year, Parker was chosen to be a flight commander in his ROTC unit. This past week, the ROTC unit at his school held their own freshman orientation, and he had charge of one of the units of new freshmen!

Views from my arch window

2011-07-31T10:34:00.000-05:00

I love the views out this window - at all times of day and night, as well as times of year!

Kira at 11

2011-07-23T14:17:00.000-05:00

Here's my favorite photo of Kira, taken last week ~ her birthday week!

An afternoon at the park!

2011-07-17T20:18:00.002-05:00

This afternoon, family and friends went to Minute Maid Park to celebrate Kira's upcoming birthday ~ to have lunch, birthday cake and ice cream, and watch the Astros game.

This is the area outside the Center Field Entrance to the ballpark.

Walking into the FiveSeven Grille ~ we went on upstairs!

The inside of the FiveSeven Grille, and the loft upstairs ~ a game room with lots of space for eating, etc.

A view of the baseball field from the loft.

Boys playing Pacman!

Boys watching TV and eating!

Girls eating their lunch ~ Abbi, Isabella, Kira, Morgan ~ cuties!

Austen putting the candles on Kira's birthday cake.

Singing "Happy Birthday" before Kira blew out the candles. Six candles because she's going into 6th grade ~ Austen's logic!

Girls watching the ball game after lunch and party!

Boys, walking back to the car after leaving the ballpark ~ notice the colors of the party-favors bags!

Another shot of the boys and party-favors bags ~ emphasis on the colors!

Trees in trouble

2011-07-15T20:53:00.000-05:00

That there's a drought all across the southern tier of the US (<~~click here to see the current map) from Arizona to Florida is not a big secret. This part of Texas has received about 23" less in rainfall than normal in this "water year" (October, 2010, to now). And it's showing in the numbers of dead -- not just dying, but dead -- trees all over the area.

It's all very heart-breaking.

Baby oak trees in my back yard!

2011-07-12T07:55:00.000-05:00

In the first two photos, there are two baby oak trees. I've known they were there for a couple of years, but I have been wondering if they'd make it through this drought, even though I run sprinklers often. The brown edges on the lower leaves are the result of running sprinklers - water with chlorine in it - that's my conclusion anyway! Rain water doesn't have this effect. But the little trees look healthy, and that's a joy to me.

And in the next two photos are four more baby oaks! REAL babies - they just started growing this spring!

What amazes me most is that these are oaks growing at the bases of elm trees - and they are different from any other oak trees in either my front or back yard! The work of birds?

Kira's summer haircut!

2011-07-07T19:07:00.000-05:00

Today, Kira got a MAJOR haircut for the summer ... and to get used to so she's more stylish in intermediate school in the fall. We love how it looks on her!!

Summer camp!

2011-07-07T19:02:00.000-05:00

Simone has been at summer camp in Massachusetts for almost 2 weeks. Learning to water-ski and to be the Ring Mistress for Circus of the Kids have been her main emphases! She's clearly been having a terrific time!!

Water-skiing on June 29.

Circus rehearsal on June 30.

It's Parker's braces-come-off day!

2011-06-29T07:30:00.001-05:00

Parker's smile is a nice one - and he'll smile even more after those braces come off!

Happy young man!!

This was taken in late May when we were at lunch in The Woodlands.

Here he is when he just got out of the chair in Dr. Studebaker's office ...

... and in the car as we waited in the drive-through for lunch at Whataburger!!

TP'd Linehan house!

2011-06-28T08:36:00.001-05:00

Anne's house was TP'd sometime Sunday night or early Monday morning! It wasn't too bad, but still there were places the boys couldn't reach, even as tall as they are!!

Click and then zoom in to see it in more detail.

This house was TP'd once before - in December 2007!!
HERE <~~Click HERE to see it.
Now THAT was a thorough TP-job!!

Bevo Guide 2011 (UT Austin publication for new students)

2011-06-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

This university really does a good job of prepping and orienting new students. Here's one example:

Open publication - Free publishing - More bevo

Diploma in hand!

2011-06-20T07:20:00.000-05:00

It took a while to get this, but it was worth it!

After graduation...

2011-06-11T14:53:00.004-05:00

At church on Sunday, all the graduates were honored.

And after church, we went to Beth's party before heading off for Austin.

Nueces House - one of the housing coops in Austin for UT students.

Wesley House - one of the church and church-related buildings near campus.

Various views of UT

Graduation dinner at Benihana's

2011-06-10T22:39:00.003-05:00

Everybody kept moving, and photos are mostly fuzzy ... but fun!

And a little video --

Austen's graduation (a week late!)

2011-06-10T22:25:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, June 4, 2011, was graduation day for Austen and all his classmates. Ken took the first photo just outside their house: Parker in ROTC uniform, Austen, Anne, Ed, and Kira in front. All are ready to head out to Reliant Stadium for the commencement ceremonies.

The color guard is ready, and the graduates are ready to start their processional.
Parker is the fifth in the color guard.

After the pledge and anthem, the color guard exits.

Austen was in the second row, the grads who have stood and are preparing to wind their way to the stage to receive their diplomas.

He's closer ... see him? The tallest one among those getting closer to the stage!

He's the tall one at the right, waiting for his name to be called.

After receiving his diploma, he poses nicely!

After the hat toss, all the grads are eager to exit, but of course they have to go out in reverse order from the way they came in! Austen is in the center of this photo. Can you find him?

Ahhh, here he is, diploma in hand!

Posing nicely with his brother and sister, once we were all outside.

And a couple of videos! First, the processional ...

... and then the hat toss!

Kira's last day in elementary school

2011-06-02T16:14:00.005-05:00

Today has been the last day of school, but the party for the exiting 5th graders was held yesterday. Clearly, Kira had a good time!

Dancing!

Volleyball?

~thanks to Leonor for the photos!

Anne's front yard

2011-05-19T20:31:00.003-05:00

Isn't it gorgeous?

(Click on each photo to "biggify" it and see more detail.)

Here's a close-up of one of the vitex trees. They are about 3 or 4 years old, and they are just beautiful. They weather the ice and freezy temps just fine, and then produce these blooms in the spring. They're just amazing!

New season!

2011-05-07T13:21:00.002-05:00

Today Kira started a new season of volleyball. In the video below, you can see her serving style -- very effective!!

The OTHER parking lot!

2011-04-13T21:39:00.003-05:00

The other student parking lot - the lot that's west of the band hall and east of the playing fields. It was jam-packed today!

And here's where the students who don't have parking passes park!!

The cows must be amused by all the coming and going two times a day!

Pre-performance fun!

2011-04-12T18:22:00.005-05:00

Photos and videos are from before KOHS's Wind Ensemble's performance in the regional UIL competition this morning. Was this a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Orlando, FL, trip??

Two of the judges' tables

All set to go!

This is a video of Mr. Clearwater doing some last-minute practice and fine-tuning with students before the performance:

Ahhh, break time before the performance:

The unmistakable sound of a band or orchestra tuning up before a performance!

To hear the music they played, scroll down and find the three videos in the March 30 post. It's amazing and wonderful!

High school parking lot

2011-04-04T12:11:00.003-05:00

I couldn't resist taking these photos. This is the east student parking lot at Austen and Parker's school, and you can see that many, MANY of these students drive trucks ... and they all back into their parking spots! The visual is striking to me!

There are a few cars, but most are trucks. =)

Dress rehearsal, of sorts!

2011-03-30T17:12:00.005-05:00

Last night the bands at KOHS performed their pre-UIL concert for parents and families. This was basically a dress rehearsal for their actual UIL performance -- Wind Ensemble on April 12.

It was hard to find Austen, but I finally managed to zoom in and find him among all the clarinetists! He's in the center of this photo:

And here are videos of the three pieces of music they played --

John Philip Sousa's "Hail to the Spirit of Liberty"

Percy Aldridge Grainger's "Molly on the Shore"

Edward Elgar's "Variations on an Original Theme" in six parts; this is about 17 minutes long.

Fun Run at Kira's school

2011-03-25T12:46:00.005-05:00

Kira's school held their Boosterathon Fun Run this morning. The 4th and 5th graders ran between 10:30 and 11:30 am. Below are a few of the photos I took.

She's rounding the bend!

Still full of energy about 20 minutes into the run.

This is how they kept track of each child's completed laps.

Hot and red-cheeked, but happy!

This video shows the announcer getting the kids to warm up before their Fun Run began!

Miscellaneous

2011-03-22T12:33:00.005-05:00

Here are a few photos of my back yard, as it recovers from winter. I caved in and had some new azalea plants put in, and they're starting to bloom already! I'm amazed.

Austen asked Rachel to the prom. He had covered her car with Post-It notes ... see them? What a funny guy!!

On "Dancing the Decades Day" at school on March 12, Kira went as a '70s go-go girl!!

These are my attempts to get photos of the supermoon last weekend -- not very successful!

Physics boat races!

2011-03-10T09:49:00.000-06:00

A video of the grand crossing!

And here are links to videos of other teams ~

Some sink, others make it!

Pirates!!

Capsizing!

Girls' flat-bottomed boat =)

Too many for one boat!!

Plastic and very buoyant - big crew, too!

Spring ... again!

2011-03-09T21:40:00.002-06:00

All the same kinds of things are happening, of course, as last year. ~~> NEW LEAVES

It's all wondrous to me, after living in the desert for well over 30 years, to watch this happen each year. I took the first photo below just after my gardener cut the agapanthus almost down to the ground. All its leaves had turned to mush during all the freezes we had this winter.

Feb 26, 2011 - just cut back

Today - new growth is good and healthy!

All the day lilies (the little plants under the trees) had disappeared during the freezes.

They've started their regrowth, too.

On my walk ...

2011-03-09T11:16:00.002-06:00

... this is how I know winter is over!!

Haircut day for Simone!

2011-03-03T14:02:00.000-06:00

Simone has a new haircut. Very svelte! And what a charming smile!!

In the salon ...

... and back home again!

Little beauty!

Anne's trees ... again!

2011-03-02T16:52:00.002-06:00

The trees in the Linehans' front yard have been there for 5 1/2 years now.

Beautiful!

The new leaves on this one were all red last week; this week they're already turning pale green. It won't be long before the whole tree has all its new, dark green leaves.

And the pine trees are showing their new growth, too!

Volleyball team pic

2011-02-27T14:31:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was picture day for volleyball teams at the Y. Instead of taking my own photos, I decided to take a video of the girls and coach getting ready, getting the team photo taken, and then breaking up afterward. Pretty cute. [Just don't let my wobbly camera (lack of) control make you dizzy near the beginning!]

No snow, but ice drops!

2011-02-04T11:07:00.003-06:00

Hey! We were promised snow, but this is what we got instead. Bummer!

On the nandina ...

... even on every single weed!

End of winter volleyball

2011-01-31T11:11:00.002-06:00

This is a wonderful photo of Kira's winter volleyball team and coach. This team was amazing! They won the majority of their games, and on the last three Saturdays, they won ALL their games! Magnificent!!

Most of the parents of these girls are doing what they can to keep this team together, and certainly with the same coach! He is excellent!

Christmas cactus ... blooming away!

2011-01-01T11:50:00.005-06:00

This little plant had a tough time over last winter and spring, but I finally put it on my front porch so it would get only morning sun ... and voila! It worked!! Between not being in full sun and my forgetting to water it, it came back to life. And now it's blooming -- right on time!

Christmas morning

2010-12-25T16:10:00.005-06:00

It's a very merry Christmas for the Linehan kids. They are mobbing their dad here because he had brought out the surprise gift - the new Xbox, to go along with the new Xbox add-on, the Kinect! (Without the new Xbox, the Kinect would have been pretty much useless!)

[Click on "Kinect!" here or above to find out more about all this stuff!]

Austen is showing us the Kinect addition for the new Xbox.

And no ... he doesn't want to share!

The new Xbox!!

Setting it up, getting ready to PLAY!!

Volleyball skills clinic

2010-12-22T21:57:00.002-06:00

On the evenings of Dec 20 and 21, Kira went to the rescheduled volleyball skills clinic at the Y where she goes to play her games. She learned lots and had a marvelous time.

The instructors were the girls on the local high school girls' volleyball team ... which had made it into the state championship playoffs!

At the end of the second session, they handed out certificates.

Girls waiting to hear their names called.

And here's a little movie to show how her serving has improved:

Fall is subtle in Texas

2010-12-19T00:20:00.000-06:00

This is the corner where Kira and her friends meet the bus in the mornings and get off in the afternoons. You can barely see the fall colors (and here it is almost winter!). They're very subtle here ... no bright reds or yellows like what we can see farther north.

And here are a few of those trees closer up.

This is a few days later than the ones above - not much change except the addition of four children waiting for their bus!

KOHS concert on 12/13

2010-12-17T11:32:00.003-06:00

The back of Austen's head was all I could see from where I was sitting!

Here are the clarinetists (plus a few others!), but I still can't see Austen. I know where he is, though ... right behind Samir!

Even when he stood up because he had made Region Band, I couldn't see him. He was still behind Samir!

Still behind Samir, but in this one I can see the back of his head again.

How camera-shy is he!!

It was a really good concert, though, even if I didn't see much of my own grandson!

Choirs' Christmas concert last night

2010-12-08T13:41:00.004-06:00

Last night, Kira's school choir (Colt Choir) and three other choirs, including those from another elementary school, from Hildebrandt Intermediate School, and from Klein Oak High School, performed their Christmas concert. It was amazing!

In this photo, Kira is in the center. The Colt Choir was performing its part in the whole program.

And here is the entire Colt Choir.

The Colt Choir in the blue shirts are getting ready to perform in the finale, which included all four choirs singing together. Kira is at the bottom left (sitting on the stage), and Abbi is the second from right of the five Colt girls standing.

More singing in the finale.

All four choirs: high school in the back, intermediate school in front of them, elementary schools on the left and right in the front of the stage.

Now ... two more performances this week, and next week will be the Klein Oak Band's Christmas Concert! I love this time of year!!

Princess's antics!

2010-11-29T14:07:00.003-06:00

Remember Princess Meow Meow? She's the Linehans' youngest and funniest cat! She still thinks and plays like a kitten.

Absolutely darling!

And she can take down a Christmas tree faster than we can wrap presents to put under it!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T14:52:00.002-06:00

Photos from our family Thanksgiving a couple of days ago:

The table is all set and ready for a family full of thankful people!

Marilynn and Anne, chatting before dinner

Cabbie gets his little nibble of turkey, too!

Ken, carving the bird!

Parker, Kira, and Austen - waiting!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-23T08:08:00.000-06:00

On October 3, 1789, during his first year as President, George Washington issued a proclamation that set aside Thursday, November 26 (1789) as "A Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer." Entitled "General Thanksgiving," the decree appointed the day "to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and single favors of Almighty God."

By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America,
A PROCLAMATION:

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLIC THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the Service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the single and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all Sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed)
G. Washington

Haircut day for Kira!

2010-11-13T17:45:00.002-06:00

Kira has this long beautiful hair, but it was becoming hard to manage and out of shape. There should be a bit of a wave to it, and this haircut gives that back to her ... and she can still have a good looking ponytail!!

Celebrate our veterans

2010-11-11T08:48:00.001-06:00

Today's volleyball moves

2010-11-06T19:41:00.001-05:00

Kira's learning!

It's fall?

2010-10-28T21:22:00.003-05:00

Looking at some of the trees in my yard, it's hard to tell it's fall. There are a few brown or yellow leaves here and there, but that's about it.

An oak

An elm

A crape myrtle early in the morning

Same crape myrtle, later in the day when it was windier!

Kira's volleyball team

2010-10-18T08:11:00.005-05:00

Kira's volleyball coach sent this on Saturday. There are really 8 or 9 girls on the team, but here is her coach and the 5 girls who were there early for photos. Kira is seated at the left.

UPDATE: For some reason incomprehensible to me, Kira's coach announced her resignation on Tuesday. Blew me away! It'll be interesting to see what happens.

UPDATE 2: One of the moms stepped up and took over the coaching job. All is well, and the girls are winning more often than losing! Nice!

College touring

2010-10-16T18:35:00.005-05:00

On Oct 10, Austen and I drove to Austin, TX. We played tourists for the rest of that day, got lots of sleep, and then got up early on the 11th (Monday) and went to the University of Texas's Discover UT Day, filled with programs and tours and beautiful places! Here are some photos Austen took on one of his walking tours.

And here's a view of the capitol building from in front of the Tower building. The dome is surrounded by scaffolding, but it's still impressive. We need to go back some day when construction is not going on.

Contest Send-Off

2010-10-09T20:29:00.005-05:00

Tonight is the first marching band contest of this fall, and here are photos and a video of the send-off that families gave the band and color guard as they left for Leonard George Stadium in Spring. It's all VERY impressive!

It takes 3 of these big Ryder trucks full of drums, percussion, and other instruments plus 9 buses and who knows how many cars to get the entire group anywhere ... to a game, to a contest, wherever! Such organization! And such support from all the families!!

And here's a video of the buses as they left ...

Happy Birthday to Robert!

2010-10-06T08:23:00.004-05:00

Happy, happy birthday to my son!

Here's hoping you have a WONDERFUL day with your fave people and pets!

Robert and Ollie (12/09)

Robert, Danielle, and Simone (12/09)

(showing the snow in Simone's hair!)

And a couple of my faves from Robert's Facebook page:

Robert and Simone!

Robert in full dive gear!

Honoring Band Seniors and Families

2010-09-25T09:26:00.006-05:00

Thursday night, Sept 23, was when the Band Seniors were honored before that night's football game. What a nice, big, talented group of students!

Here are the seniors and their families as they were grouping themselves before walking onto the sidelines of the field. If you click to "biggify" this photo, you can see Ken in the red shirt at the very left of the photo. Anne is visible a bit more to the right (blonde, sunglasses), then Parker's head and shoulders (yellow shirt), and Austen's shoulders! Kira was there, but she's not tall enough to be visible!!

Here they are on the field: Parker, Ken, Austen in band uniform, Anne, and Kira. I'll add a video of all this if I can figure out how to get it off the camera and onto my computer!

Some pre-game shots of the Panther cheerleaders and others preparing for the football team to run out onto the field.

The band is preparing for their "stand music" which will include the National Anthem. It's a very large high school band -- well over 200 students.

September 11th at KOHS

2010-09-11T00:01:00.006-05:00

As they did last year (<~~click here to see last year's photos), many students at Austen and Parker's high school set up this display in remembrance of all those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. There are 2,976 flags on the huge corner of the campus. It's a stunning display.

The school's Young Conservatives Club and some of the band members put these flags out Thursday night. This afternoon, we could see the band members and color guard preparing to leave for their performances at tonight's football game.

----------------------------------------------
ADDITION: Here are 3 news videos about the KOHS display of flags:

http://www.click2houston.com/video/24961948/index.html
and
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=7660676
and
http://www.khou.com/video?id=102643749&sec=548547

The last one was taken from a helicopter, I think. (Doesn't sound like an airplane.) There's no narrative. You have to get to the point at which there are about 2:50 minutes remaining before it zeroes in on the kids' 9/11 memorial. The first part shows the entire school and its surroundings.

Growing up!

2010-09-04T19:05:00.002-05:00

Today Kira and Abbi got their ears pierced! They are now both 10 years old, and they've hoped for this for a while. Such beautiful little ladies!

Ken helped Kira pick out her earrings - rubies for her July birthday.

Kira's are all done! What a happy girl!!

See them close up? Very nice!

Then it was Abbi's turn - so beautiful!

Two girls who are very pleased with themselves!

First day of school -- again!

2010-08-23T10:35:00.003-05:00

Kira starts fifth grade today. Very cute!

And her shoes and laces are trendy, too!

Austen starts his senior year in high school today; Parker starts his freshman year. Where did time go, anyway??

Austen REALLY didn't want his photo taken, so posting this one is his penalty for non-cooperation! This is a good one of Parker!!

Memorable days

2010-08-11T14:15:00.005-05:00

Anne's surgery was on August 5, and she came home from the hospital today. She's very happy to be home, and her family is happy to have her back, too.

Thanks to all our family and friends who kept Anne in their thoughts and prayers. =)

Here are a couple of photos of Kira, modeling some of her new school clothes for her mom! What a darling girl!!

A Simone painting!

2010-08-04T09:42:00.002-05:00

Robert sent this in email today. They are in Aix-en-Provence this month, and Simone has been painting! How marvelous!!

UPDATE: And here's her second painting - or at least the second that Robert emailed me on August 11th!

BIG high school!

2010-07-29T14:51:00.004-05:00

Here are some photos of the high school where Parker and Austen will be next year. It'll be Austen's senior year and Parker's freshman year. The district and school are expecting over 3,900 students for the 2010-2011 year! Yikes!!

Main entrance

The front of the school and one of the parking lots

The new Ninth Grade building - just completed!

The auditorium at the left and the front entrance toward the right

Looking through the trees at the band hall and the marching band's practice area - which also serves as the bus parking area before and after each school day.

The band hall, closer up. Orchestra and choir have their practice halls nearby.

On the other side of the band hall is another wing of classrooms - and yet another parking lot!

Tennis courts are behind the green fencing.

Track and field

Needless to say, it's a BIG high school!

Kira's Tenth!

2010-07-23T15:34:00.009-05:00

Our major celebration of Kira's tenth birthday was last Sunday, July 18, when all the Linehans plus Abbi and I went to Houston's Downtown Aquarium. We've been there several times, but we don't seem to get tired of it! There are lots of things to do there, indoors and out.

Here is a view of the grounds outside the aquarium itself. The carousel is at the left, the ferris wheel is obvious, and the Lighthouse Dive is behind the trees at the right.

Ken, Parker, Kira, and Abbi went on the Lighthouse Dive (making sure they did this BEFORE we had lunch!):

Views of the city from the ferris wheel:

Somewhere across the ferris wheel are Anne, Ken, and Parker!

Views of sharks from the train ride as it went through the "shark tunnel"!!

Inside the aquarium:

The White Tigers! Beautiful!!

The girls were playing in the water fountains, cooling off before we headed for home.

And here is a short video of the girls making the hula hoops go 'round and 'round while playing in the water fountains!

Trip to San Antonio

2010-07-17T21:59:00.006-05:00

On July 13 and 14, I went with Austen, his friend Beth, and Beth's mom Kathy to San Antonio so the two almost-seniors could tour two universities there: UT San Antonio and Trinity University. After the UT tour on Tuesday afternoon, we went into the city to see the Alamo, walk along the River Walk, ride a boat on the Rio San Antonio, and go up in the Tower of the Americas - with time out for dinner in a nice restaurant that faces the River Walk. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The tours of the two universities were very enlightening - a good beginning for Beth and Austen.

Views of the Alamo, which was once a mission and is built in the shape of the cross:

Views of various buildings and other sights from our boat trip on the Rio:

Photos from the observation deck of the Tower of the Americas. It was VERY windy up there, but we needed to get cooled off! The views from 750 feet up were just wonderful, too.

Happy 10th to Robert and Danielle!

2010-07-16T16:07:00.004-05:00

Happy Tenth Anniversary to Robert and Danielle -- yesterday, actually!

These are the flowers I ordered to be sent to them. The roses are the color of the roses in their wedding. And the flowers arrived right on time, which also makes me happy!

So Happy Tenth, Robert and Danielle -- and many, many more! ♥ ♥

Independence Day 2010

2010-07-05T19:14:00.006-05:00

We all went to Judy and Will's in Richmond, TX, yesterday afternoon -- for dinner and good company and then a bonfire and fireworks when it finally got dark! After getting about 6" of rain on July 2 and 3, the kids could shoot off fireworks with no chance of setting stuff on fire ... other than the bonfire, that is, which was there to help get rid of a large tree downed by a windstorm a while ago.

Judy fosters cats and kittens for the Houston SPCA. Currently she has a few who have had to have a leg amputated, a litter of kittens with no mama-cat, older cats, and others with special needs.

Here is Anne (and Austen in the background) with one of the kittens. They are precious!

Parker, with a kitten:

Kira with a kitten:

The bonfire!

Kids and fireworks!

And here's a short video I took of one of the very successful fireworks, called Fiesta.

Happy Fourth!

2010-07-03T11:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Independence Day!
Happy Fourth of July!

The signers really laid everything they had on the line, didn't they?

" ... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Volleyball

2010-06-21T20:20:00.003-05:00

Tonight was Kira's last volleyball game of this session. The next session starts the week of July 5th, so she has a little break. Slowly, slowly the girls are getting better!

Kira (center) is ready for whatever the other team serves up!

Abbi is getting ready to serve.

Team meeting between rounds.

Action!!

End of the school year 2009-2010

2010-06-04T09:02:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the last day of the 2009-2010 school year around here. All three grands are very happy about it, of course!

Austen is entering his senior year in high school, and he has reached two high goals for himself in the school band: He was elected band president - hooray! - and he continues as one of the drill instructors, who work within the marching band to help ensure that the others are in their places and learn their routines for marching season in the fall.

Parker will enter his freshman year in high school, and he's really looking forward to being part of the Jr. ROTC there.

Kira is very excited about having been promoted to fifth grade. She jumped off the bus yesterday and ran to me with the news, report card in hand!

Simone is still in school; I think FASNY closes out the school year in mid-June sometime. She will be entering fourth grade next fall.

What a bunch of grand grands, huh? =)

Beautiful recovery

2010-05-31T09:57:00.007-05:00

In contrast to these first recovery-from-extra-cold-winter photos (<~~ click here), here's how the back yard is looking now.

The Lily of the Nile (agapanthus) has started sending up stalks from which its gorgeous purple flowers will bloom.

The butterfly iris (Dietes grandiflora) - two in the back yard and two in the front - are looking more green than brown and have actually started flowering. Hooray!

The sago palm (Cycas revoluta - not really a palm tree!) now has a completely new layer of very green leaves. I love them!

Even my lone little gerbera daisy is sending up flowers - one at a time, but it's recovering. I thought it had completely died from all the frosts, but apparently it was hibernating!

And the day lilies just keep on blooming!

Here are three that give you an idea how TALL the trees are in the back yard.

Starting volleyball

2010-05-22T10:26:00.002-05:00

These are photos from Kira's second volleyball game day. They have had two practices and one other game day ... and the increase in skills is noticeable! Hooray!!

The green team won all three games during this set today. Yayyy! =)

Mother's Day at the Astros game!

2010-05-13T13:45:00.005-05:00

Here are some photos from our Mother's Day afternoon at the Astros game. Ken and Austen were working, but Anne, Kira, Parker, and I had a wonderful lunch, not to mention one of our favorite views of the game - from the far end of center field!

Parker and Kira had unlimited sodas and goodies.
Loads of fun!!

Winter's effects on plants

2010-05-13T13:32:00.005-05:00

This is one of four butterfly iris plants in my yard, and it's not hard to see what a toll the winter freezes took on my beauties. All four are really struggling. I wonder if I should go and cut out all those brown leaves and make room for them to put out new growth and flowers.

My one and only sago palm had some damage, too, but since it's planted under the big trees in back, it didn't freeze quite so badly. It's coming back just fine.

Poor thing!

The day lilies weren't affected at all! They're just as beautiful this spring as they've ever been!

4th graders' field day today!

2010-05-11T13:06:00.006-05:00

Today was the 4th graders' field day at Kira's school. I got there as they were playing the last of the games -- the water-bucket relay!

All those in pink shirts are the girls in Kira's class. They were having a really good time and getting good 'n wet -- cooling off!

All the teams had finished when I took this one, and the pink girls were enjoying themselves, rolling in the water all over the cement after all the buckets and barrels had been dumped out! That's Kira who's flat on the cement, rolling around!

After the water sports were over, all the classes went back to their picnic areas. Kira shared bags of the gourmet (flavored) popcorn we bought from the KO band fundraiser!

And here is the very wet Kira near the end of the field day, just before they went in for prizes and then were released for lunch.

And finally, here's a fun little video showing the end of the water relay! They all loved it!

Girls go rock climbing!

2010-04-25T19:53:00.004-05:00

... at The Woodlands Mall!

Here's Abbi, on her way up the first time (on the easy climb).

Here's Kira, on her way up the other easy climb.

Here's Kira, on the hardest climb.

And here's Abbi, on the hardest climb.

They had a wonderful time. I'm sure we'll have to go back!!

Musical weekend!

2010-04-24T06:37:00.004-05:00

This is a very musical weekend for us!

Austen left yesterday with all the bands at his school for their annual "spring trip." This year they went to Corpus Christi and all bands (varsity, concert, symphonic, and wind ensemble) performed in a competition yesterday afternoon at Texas A&M's Corpus Christi Performing Arts Center. They will spend the rest of the weekend in some condos they've rented -- on the beach. They'll all have a great time!! (They return on Sunday afternoon.)

Parker and all the bands at his school are going to the Galveston Southcoast Contest today for a competition there among intermediate/middle school bands from all over the area. They'll play at The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston and return this evening.

Kira's school choir performs this morning in the 9th Annual Children's Music Festival of Houston, along with many other elementary school choirs. Kira's choir performs at 9 am, and they hope to win first prize!

No photos, of course, since I'm not attending any of these. Thankfully, there'll be end-of-the-year band performances in May, and I can go to all those.

Kira's Kite

2010-04-18T11:16:00.003-05:00

Last Friday was Kite Day for the fourth graders! Here's Kira's kite -- with a princess kitty on the front, inspired by her desire to have a Princess Meow Meow kite! (<~~Be sure to click on Princess's name to see photos of her!) The kite flew for a few minutes, too, much to our surprise. Her daddy thought it would be too heavy to fly!

The princess kitty T-shirt has now become a night shirt! How fun is that!!

Leaves, leaves, brand new leaves!

2010-03-27T17:24:00.003-05:00

I love this time of year. Nights are still on the cool side, and daytimes are just lovely. No humidity yet. Beautiful! And trees are getting their brand new leaves after the long, cold, sometimes dreary winter. What a joy!

The first three are photos of the new leaves on my crape myrtle trees. Pretty soon they'll be all leafed out and then they'll start thinking about their beautiful pink blooms. I love these trees.

These are the new leaves on my Laurel Oak. At least that's what I think this tree is, according to Randy Lemmon's description. In the fall, its leaves turn reddish brown for about a day or two and then hang on the tree all winter, looking dead and brown. They really don't lose those old leaves until the new ones (here looking rather goldish in color) push the old ones out. These new leaves will be a beautiful bright green in a few weeks.

These are the leaves on an ash tree - I can't tell from Randy's description if it's a green ash or a white ash tree - but it's not Arizona ash, thank heaven. I'm very allergic to Arizona ash trees.

All the trees in my back yard except the crape myrtles were left in place by the builder. They are all native to eastern Texas forests, and I love them all. In addition to this oak and ash tree, there is one other oak, one other ash, two pine trees, and one cluster of trees called Yaupon Holly. I love my back yard!!

Music, music, music

2010-03-25T20:26:00.003-05:00

We are at the beginning of springtime music performances, and they are wonderful, as usual.

I took Kira to her school's choir performance at the nearby Methodist Church, where they were holding their annual Eggstravaganza Market. Anne made it there on her way home from work, in time to hear the choir perform.

Parker's band's pre-UIL concert (dress rehearsal for regional competition) was also given last night, and Austen represented our family in the audience.

Tonight was Austen's band's pre-UIL concert, and I went to that one. Gorgeous and beautiful, as usual!

I took a photo and a video of the choir performance, but I'm still learning how to use that camera ... so I may or may not be able to add them to this post later. No camera tonight!! (I don't think Austen cares whether I have a camera or not!)

Last day of spring break!

2010-03-22T10:21:00.003-05:00

Kira had a great time on her last day of Spring Break 2010!

Parker's project for French class

2010-03-10T14:21:00.004-06:00

I took this photo on Tuesday morning even though Parker hadn't quite finished his project. He finished Danielle's name and lettered his, Kira's, and Austen's names at school Tuesday morning. But I think his layout is a good one. Click on the photo to make it larger (and readable!).

The little white rectangles by each person's name contain Parker's descriptions of his family members -- written in French. Once in class, he had to use this to make a presentation. That would have been fun to video!

Scant snow for us!!

2010-02-25T09:45:00.002-06:00

Last Tuesday afternoon and evening, we got cold weather, rain, then sleet, and finally snow flurries -- but nothing "stuck." Fine with me! Cold, wet weather is one thing; cold, wet weather made colder by snow on the ground is another!

Field trip - Wunderlich Farm

2010-02-19T11:58:00.007-06:00

On Feb 17, four of the 4th grade classes went on a field trip to Wunderlich Farm, part of the Klein, TX, Historical Foundation. The students have been studying Texas history all year, and this trip has been much anticipated!

Here's Kira before the students went into their groups for the tour.

Parent volunteers and teachers took the students in small groups throughout the grounds and read aloud the fascinating information about this museum/farm. Here, students were getting the idea what life without indoor plumbing was like!

This is a water well that the students could try to prime and pump!

All were interested in giving it a try!

Here is the smokehouse where meat was smoked/cured and stored (no refrigeration in those days, you know). Students found the branding irons most fascinating!!

Isabella is giving one of the smokehouse tools a try!

This is a manure-spreader, which was pulled by a team of horses and must have been welcomed by the boys in the family. Before these were used, the boys in each family had the job of breaking up the cow paddies by hand and spreading the fertilizer over the fields before plowing and planting.

One of the docents demonstrated the corn stripping machine - it took those kernels right off the corn cobs so they could be ground into corn meal!

And here is the grist mill, usually powered by a couple of donkeys, which ground the corn kernels into flour.

On our trip, students took turns providing the power to grind the corn!

Inside the farmhouse, in the parents' room, a docent demonstrated for the students how cotton and wool were made ready for the spinning wheel - and then demonstrated the use of the spinning wheel itself.

Even the boys were fascinated!

After we had toured all the stations, including the tractors, hen house, farm toolshed, etc., it was time for lunch. The weather was quite brisk, but thankfully, it was also sunny, so it wasn't too cold!

The restored house in the background is the Hildebrandt house. We didn't tour it, but it's clearly in very good condition.

Class Valentine Party

2010-02-13T09:29:00.003-06:00

Kira was dressed up '50s style for her class's Valentine's Day party yesterday.

At the class party, Kira worked really hard decorating this cupcake. What a talented girl!

And a little limbo dancing, just for fun!

Some before-Christmas photos

2009-12-29T19:37:00.002-06:00

The Christmas tree on Rockefeller Plaza. This was taken on Saturday evening, December 19th.
No, Robert isn't trying to strangle Simone! He's showing us the snow in her hair! It's also on his and Danielle's coats, in their hair, and on Danielle's hat ... everywhere. This is just inside the walkway that would take us into Grand Central where we waited for the next train to take us back to Scarsdale.
Robert and Ollie
Charlotte, snoozing in her favorite spot since Simone was a baby!
A very sacked-out Ollie!