Tim and Lynne Solve the Mystery

Tim says:
I was racking my brain to figure out how to enlist a Navaho language expert to translate this writing - and in the meantime Lynne was investigating the plaque and discovered a tiny tiny indentation in the base. Mim or Ruth had folded this miniature piece of paper and inserted it into the indentation! It was invisible on normal inspection of the piece. (The writing looked very much like Mim's.)

The paper contained the translation, which reads:

"May the warm winds of heaven Blow softly on this house. May the Great Spirit Bless all who enter here."

(Navajo Saying - As written by Mim or Ruth and inserted in base)

Sunday's Work

We help Eliot and Paul move some of Eliot's heavy woodworking tools into Gary Wickman's shop.  This old cast-iron baby must have weighed 600 pounds! 

(Eliot and Paul are moving their business to a new location that has shared equipment, so they are storing some equipment at Gary's, a win-win, since it is then available for Gary's use.)

This photo kinda has an epic quality, doesn't it?

Visit with the Family

The lush landscape at Eliot and Kyra's West Seattle home, with Eason. 

Taken on our visit to Seattle yesterday to see boys before Julia leaves for Bosnia next week.  Julia got yelled at trying to take a photo of Spencer at his Microsoft office . . . hush-hush security . . . so no photo of S. . . .

Amir is Married!

"We had our wedding yesterday here are few photos. . .

Everything went very nice and fast. We didn't do traditional party. We had only parents, brothers, best men, best man's wife, and bridesmade. We did the civil ceremony in the municipality old town here in Sarajevo, and we had dinner afterwards. . .

Today we took a small walk in the mountains, and we'll have my birthday's dinner soon : )
 
Best,
Amir & Inela"

(p.s. Amir's parents and our friends, Teufik and Rasema, are at the left of the top photo. jrh)

Flooded streets in Chicago

Lynne writes:
"Never a dull moment, tornadoes in the loop as Tim got to Chicago, oh! for 2 days, to make a presentation to the American Medical Association tomorrow." "

Charles calls:
'great big mother storm/tornado headed my way . . .'

Oops!

Oops!  I forgot to add the brochure from our memorial, so here it is, complete except for Lori's drawing of a little horse which was inside the cover (click on link):

John and Joyce Hurd Memorial Brochure

 

Spencer's Hush-Hush Project Goes Public

At last week's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, Microsoft finally unveiled the secret 'Project Natal', now officially called "Kinect," that Spencer has been working on this past year. 

Spencer was there.

As Wired described the product launch:

"Dozens of dancers in tribal dress and body makeup ran amongst the crowd as we stood on the floor of a massive theater. Thumping world rhythms and electronic beats blared.

Hundreds of onlookers, clad in white polyester ponchos with massive shoulder epaulets, gazed as the dancers spun red and yellow ribbons from their hands and parted the sea of our bodies. . ."

Read More http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/06/kinect-e3/

and see:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH5d35qVirs

June 18: Unkie Tim on Tractor

U. Tim, on his last night in Washington before returning to PA, shows all those lawn mower wannabees back home what a real tractor is.

June 15: Padilla Bay Low Tide

Now this is a low tide.  I think you could walk from Bayview State Park across Padilla Bay to the March's Point oil refineries near Anacortes.

June 14: Unkie Tim's Wild Adventure

Last Monday evening, Lori and John took U. Tim down the Skagit, through the sloughs, and out to Eagle Island.

Click on videos below to see the ride . . .



And an even wilder ride . . .

Memorial: John and Joyce Hurd, June 12 - 13

Here is a link (below) to some photos from the barbeque, memorial, and interment for Joyce and John Hurd that we held on June 12 and 13. The weather was lovely and it was a joy to see good friends and family gathered for what will probably be the last time on the family farm. (It has been a gathering place for the family for over 50 years.) Joyce and John would have felt good about this. Thanks to everyone who came.

http://picasaweb.google.com/casafundada/Memorial?feat=directlink
(Click on photos in album to enlarge them.)

Julia Visits Spencer at Microsoft

Melanie Sends Greetings from Michigan

So, here I was feeling sorry for Chaz and M. imagining them in some Mad Max post-apocalyptic Michigan landscape, struggling to fit into the System and earn a living, when I get these photos.  ?????

P.S.  (Hey, those paintings transplant really well!)