Merry Christmas everyone!

It's the end of the day at Brundage Mountain and snowing heavily. It's fun to work at a ski area on Christmas. Everyone is happy, no one complains.

I skied with Santa today, taking lunches to the lift operators. They can't get to the lodge during the day. It was neat for the employees, and really fun to see Santa skiing.

Kate and family are in Bali for the holidays and Meigs and Jane are in Seattle. Jane and Gabriel both turn 6 soon. Jane on December 29, and Gabey on January 3rd. Good grief. It seems like only a while ago that I jumped in my car in the early morning hours to drive to Seattle because Jane was on the way. Since then, I've attempted to equal the record time it took me to get there.....and can't!

We had a big breakthrough at my house last night, Christmas eve. In October, I adopted a cat from our local shelter, where I'm a volunteer. Alfie, a long haired Siamese sort of mix, was left there last February at 11 1/2 years by his original owners. Go figure. I'd lost my old Stubby and thought there was room in our household. I wasn't particularly attracted to Alfie, but brought him home anyway. He's sort of a curmudgeon, and he and K.C., my little lady cat, did not hit it off. But last night for the first time, he jumped up on my bed to spend the night and K.C. let him. Peace on the bed! Hooray! May 2006 be a wonderful year for us all.

oops there it goes again... darn... sorry..JOHN 

Happy Holidays!!

Hello to all and happy holidays.

Andi comes home this afternoon after four long months in Italy. It will be so great to have her here for Christmas. For the first time ever Misty will not be home and Mom and Dad will be celebrating in Arizona with Ann and her family. We will miss all of them very much but have managed to fill the day with good friends...not the same but will have to do.....I guess I could take over the cinnamon leaves but I'm hoping a package might arrive that I can just pop in the oven.....Mom???

Chuck and I are settling in to our new home. Last Friday we got 10 inches of fresh snow. We hopped over our fence for a moon light snowshoe through the apple orchards behind the house. Magical.

Andi and I met in Paris for some Christmas shopping two weeks ago. A beautiful city even in the rain. Andi's first trip up the Eiffel Tower left me breathless..

We are busy in the studio, there are some very interesting potential projects coming up. I am hoping Misty will travel home for a few days to help put a presentation together. It is wonderful to have grown daughters with helpful, valuble skill sets that I don't have.

I'm thinking of all of you and imaging wonderful holidays whether they be West coast, East coast, somewhere in the middle, or far, far away.....Merry Christmas and Love........Lisa

I'm ready for some cinnamon leaves...

Hello all!
Lets see whats new. Yes, indeed, Christmas is approaching and I am ready for some cinnamon leaves and snow icies, although I doubt we'll be seeing any snow in Arizona. Perhaps I'll bring a bathing suit. Must get accustomed to weather and warmth after some very cold days here in New York. At school I went to see the musical "Hair" and was utterly amazed that above having fun actors, they could also sing. Like really sing. And dance, and really act...and. Ah, I guess I am just a little too familiar with the Bank Street preformances, where when they play the flute it really makes you want to run home screaming, or in my case hide behind anyone possible as not to show my hysterical face. But luckily Laguardia students really are very talented and they did a great job in all aspects -- acting, dance, voice, instrumental, and tech/art. We got our report cards back and my average is a 95 which is super. Hmm. What else? I just had my birthday and celebrated it with a couple of my friends which is nice. Today I went christmas shopping. I really have to figure out how to do these things sooner so theres not such a big crowd!
All right, I'm going to say goodbye but it was nice...talking to you guys. Or guess me talking and you, eventually, reading.
Xoxo, Sophie Bear.

These are pics of our mexico trip.. The animals were at our time share zoo thing.. right below our room... the others are of us on a little side trip to a really nice romantic beach and dinner deal. and some of us just doing what we do best... relaxing... hope you can enjoy these.... bye bye 

More Reunion

Hi All,

Here is a bit of feed back. Seems difficult to do combined family reunion and 50th for MA and Paul. Summer looks to be the best time for a reunion and the anniversary is in April. I think Ann and I will work on an anniversary celebration for sometime in April of 07. I think that summer would also be a good one for a reunion, this one seems a bit close to try to pull off, though maybe not.

If people are interested in someplace like Nantucket I will be happy to look in to house rentals. The California coast would be big on my list as I never get there and my girls haven't been since they were babies.......

Maybe we could all log in with two or three top spots and then we can see what is feasible.

Hope all is well.......Rainy and cold here.......We move on Friday, lots to do....love

Long time, NO Blog...

Wow...Where does the time go? Since we've moved out into the boondocks we lost our DSL and have been forced to live with dial-up. That alone has slowed my internet usage. Not to mention a teenager, pre-teen, husband, and the rest of the 15 + animals that we have to care for.

I have to apologize (especially) to my wonderful Aunt Mary and Kate for not writing sooner. I am so glad to hear that first of all you two were a perfect match for the kidney transplant, and secondly that you are both doing so well post-op. After reading most of the Blogs that I have missed, it's nice to see that everyone else is doing so well also.

We are all well here, except for the occasional cold and allergy flare-up and sheer exhaustion. Since July, we have been going non-stop. The girls both had animal projects at the County Fair this summer. Brook had a 15# French Lop Rabbit, and LoryAne had a Yorkshire hog. They both did really well at the fair. Brook received a 1st and 3rd place for her rabbit, and LoryAne receive a 2nd and a "Market Acceptable" award for her hog. This was our first year in 4H and we didn't realize how much work the project alone was, not to mention the 10 days at the fair 12-15 hours a day. Never the less....we signed up for next year too! Both of the girls are doing Swine this year, along with Shooting Sports. Both of the girls passed their Hunter Safety Courses a couple of months ago. LoryAne is hunting Deer this year for the first time. Unfortunately it hasn't been a very productive year here in California. Maybe next year! She was hoping to be able to get her first deer before her sister started to hunt (which is next season), but with just one weekend left, it doesn't look very promising. Just a little bit of sibling rivalry here...LOL!!!! The first quarter is finally over for school. It has been a rough start for Brook, as she recently began her 6th grade year at a private Christian school. Their curriculum is tough! In the past, she has been able to produce good grades with very little effort. Now she has to work for them. Once she realized what was going on, she stepped up to the plate and brought all of her grades right up to where they are supposed to be. LoryAne is in the 8th grade at a Junior High School close to our home, and is doing very well in school. She's looking foreword to moving onto High School next year....YIKES!!!!!!!

A family reunion huh? Sounds like something that is well overdue. It's very sad to say that I actually have family members that I have never met! That should be a crime in a family as small as ours. Early summer would be best for us. The end of July, and into August brings Fair season again. Just let us know as soon as possible when and where. We have to find someone that is willing to house and animal sit for us.

Well....that's all for now! I'll try to be better at keeping in touch!

LOVE TO ALL !!!!!!!
~Wendi

reunion--celebration

Hi All,

Ann and I had a discussion the other day about the family reuninon......we realized that 2007 will coincide with Mom and Dad's 50th aniversary (or have we messed up the math?). It would be wonderful to celebrate the occasion with all of us present. Late April may be tough for Kate, Meigs, Wendi and Ann as they all have school schedules to consider (not to mention the distance Kate has to travel). It would be great if we could schedule this so that all family members find it easy to attend if they choose to. I am thinking early to mid summer. Please weigh in and share your thoughts.....you included, Mom and Dad.

Love to all........

I am so looking forward to getting the family thing going... Jan and I will make it anywhere we all decide. I just seems to me that a central location would be easy for all. The younger family members need to be addressed and us older ones can probably figure out how to make it where ever we all decide... could even be close to Reed. Great country down there too... looking forward to all the coments... love to all.. John 

Danube Cruise Slide Show

Hi All - When I put the Danube River cruise pictures together into a coherent story, I ended up with 155 slides in PowerPoint format. I didn't see any way to put this into a photo album tied to the Blog. So, I have an Acrobat version of the slide show. Even it's to voluminous to attach to an email (22MB). I'll be happy to mail a CD of the Acrobat version to any one who wants it. Just let me know.

Family Reunion?

Hello All-- Some time ago there was some talk about an extended family reunion, or get together. While many liked the concept, it didn’t get off the ground for a variety of reasons. Now, it’s a couple of years later, some of us have a greater sense of our own mortality, and the idea is circulating again.

I just got off the phone with John (who is convalescing from his hip replacement). The subject came and John said, “You’re the patriarch of the family…..” I admit to being the oldest and agreed to try to be the coordinator, until someone with a greater aptitude for this sort of thing gets fed up with my attempts and takes over.

It’s going to take some planning to pull this off. We’ll have to set up a when and where that minimizes inconvenience and cost for all but provides interesting things to do. We need to think about proximity to transportation hubs. If everyone I know about attends, there could be close to 30 people. I don’t know of any one’s home that could accommodate a crowd like that. So, do we find some neat, but not expensive resort, or what? And (God forbid) do we need a program?

I’d like to get a round robin of ideas started. My guess is the first thing to try settle is when. I’m making a suggestion that the when ought to be between 1 ½ and 3 years from now. Assuming that the time frame gets settled in the next couple of months, it should give all ample time to plan for it. This doesn’t mean that ideas about the other factors shouldn’t be circulating.

Another question; shall we keep the whole planning process in the Blog so all can see and comment? I, personally, would think so. Kate and Meigs are not on the Blog. I know they were invited so there must be a reason they are not contributors. If someone will give me their current email addresses, I’ll make sure that they are kept in the loop.

I’m looking forward to seeing a raft of comments. Love to all, Reed.

Lisa and Chuck's New House

Hello

Chuck and I had the opportunity to travel to Colorado in July to take a bit of a vacation and to spend some time with Mary, Meigs, and Kate and her family. It was completely wonderful. So funny how the past 20 something years seemed to disappear in an instant. Kate and Meigs are beautiful, witty, adult women. It was a priviledge to meet their families and to share time with them all. Chuck developed a bit of a crush on Meigs as she reminded him of his high school girlfriend, and we both adored Craig and his parents, Betty and John. Kate remained strong, funny, compassionate and nurturing through out the time we spent with her; and then there was Mary who in the most loving way embraced us both, making Chuck feel that he had known her forever, and giving me the gift of a family that is always connected despite time and distance. Now more than ever I think an extended Fisher reunion is in order.

Ann came to visit with her most lovely children, Sophie and Nora. The girls were wonderful. They are easy, kind, lovely and smart. I really enjoyed the visit despite the fact that Chuck and I unexpectedly bought a new home (and sold this one) over a very hectic couple of days. Ann and the girls were privy to all of the decision making, contract signing and nail biting that goes along with unplanned major changes. We managed to make it through, and Chuck and I will be moving in mid October. The home is lovely with four fireplaces, a wonderful barn, and plenty of room for all.

Andi returns from a rock climbing expedition in a few days only to turn around and head to Italy for her Fall semester. She has been a huge help to me in the studio this summer and I will have my hands full trying to stay as organized as she insists that I be. Misty heads to Seattle for a wedding next week, and then returns to her home in Virginia. Both girls are a deeply treasured gift.

Love to all, Lisa

We're Back

Well, we're back from our Danube River Tour, trying to get over jet lag. It was a fantastic trip. Tauck Tours is considered to be one of the very best tour companies. They always put you in the best accomodations available in the area. The photo is of MA coming down from the bedroom in our two story suite in the Budapest Hilton. Some of the daily itineraries were strenuous, but we were exposed to a great deal from Budapest to Prague. I caught a cold toward the end of the tour and sat out the walking tour of Passau. But I recovered enough to enjoy Prague. We only had one full day in Prague, which isn't enough. I took around 250 pictures; we're going to put together an album with the 50, or so best. Look for it in a few days. Love to all.

All's well!

Hello Family,
I wanted you all to know that Kate has a new kidney safely tucked in her tummy, and it's working beautifully. There's quite a drug regimen for Kate to get used to...with adjustments to make during the first few weeks. She doesn't feel so great yet because of the drugs, but she looks much much better and is better every day.
As for me, I'm back in Idaho and just the same as I was before, but with a wound that just needs to heal up. I'm trying to mind the rules about not lifting and not driving. So far, so good.
This experience brought many other wonderful things. Most especially, getting to spend time with Lisa, and meeting Chuck, whom we all adored. I know I don't have to explain to any of you how lovely Lisa is, inside and out.

Kate and Craig will return to Jakarta in about three weeks. For the next year, Kate will go to Singapore a few times a month for check-ups.

I'll go back to work at Brundage Mountain Resort and back on the McCall Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors as PAST-President..thank heavens!

My love to you all,

Aunt Mary

This is the lake house where i have been spending most of my summer. I have been going here on the week days and been in new york on weekends. i have also been going to my friend tanya's country house. this is a beautiful house. a friend of my father owns it and we are doing this trade off (they stay in new york on the week day). personally i think we got the better side of the deal. it is a beautiful lake in connecticut. there is a sail boat i have been using a lot. the wind here is good and its very fun to go speeding across the lake. you can actually see the faint line of the mast down by the lake next to the umbrella. in the picture the sail is lowered. we have a badminton net and very competitive games go one there...haha. i have brought my guitar and an starting to play again. i miss you all and hope your summers are going well. love sophie 

Second photo

Here are a couple of photos of the fire in the Santa Rita Mountains behind our home. This first one was taken by our neighbor in the early stages of the fire. The next is one taken on Saturday after we got home. The peak 0f Mt. Wrightson that Lisa climbed is on the riht side of the photo.

saying hi

D.C. is really, really hot and humid this week. Another thing to add to my list of "Things I hate about living here." However, there are things I love too...Like the fact I get to attend a lecture tonight at the Smithsonian, and meet up with my book group for some great Thai food afterwards. And that I get to seen Grandma and Grandpa about once every two months. I love that. :) But, give me five years, and I'll be leaving this city for the west coast. California, preferably.

Ann, I love the redacted recipes site. I check it every day to see if there's something new and exciting for me to try. I plan to make the plum recipe for this weekend.

Andi is leading a kayaking trip through Alaska and living with the midnight sun as I type this. I'm really excited for her and wish I was along for the ride. And then she heads to Italy for 4 months - I'm so jealous.

Mike and I are settled into our new townhouse and really love it. His Dad is battling Non-hodgkins Lymphoma and we made an emergency trip to Seattle over the 4th...His first chemo treatment is Friday so tomorrow night we'll be putting together a care package - but I'm not sure what's helpful to add - any suggestions?

Miss you all. I hope you are enjoying your summer. Love you all!

Misty

Food, glorious food!

I decided I needed a place to write about all things food-related and naturally nominated MAF to be one of the main contributors. She's shy and also on vacation, but I know she'll show up soon. So without further ado, let me introduce you to Redacted Recipes!

hope these get there 

Hi all... I am trying to send pics of our newest front yard program... Hopefully this will be finished now and we won't keep changing it.. Also. for alls info.. We will not be going to Idaho in July. Seems my right hip is bad because of the prednezone i have been taking and they arre trying to get me a surgery date soon to replace it... Soon there will be nothing left to replace... lol. I am going to try to send more pics now... love ya all. JOHN 

Risotto Cakes

Risotto Cakes

Last night I had no plans for dinner but lots of leftover risotto. I'd frozen some of it and refrigerated about 3 cups with the idea of trying out risotto cakes. There are a couple of methods for doing this. Some recipes advise adding egg yolks and beaten egg whites to room temperature risotto and then pouring the resulting batter onto griddle and cooking it just like you would pancakes. I decided to try another method:

3 cups chilled risotto
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups coarse bread crumbs (I used store-bought, but you could make your own)
6 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Form chilled risotto into 8 (3/4-inch-thick) patties using wet hands. Put flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Coat 1 cake with flour, tapping off excess, then egg (letting excess drip off), and then bread crumbs. You'll have to handle them gently. Transfer to wax paper. Repeat with remaining cakes.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté 4 cakes, turning over once, until browned, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spatula to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil and sauté remaining 4 cakes in same manner.

Depending on what sort of leftover risotto you're using, garnish appropriately. I used Acorn Squash, Rosemary and Blue Cheese risotto, so I sprinkled the cakes with crumbled blue cheese and fresh chopped rosemary.

Makes 4 side-dish servings or more than enough for 2 main meal servings. Serve with a salad and a big-bodied red wine.

Graduation

Hey guys,
As you all know, many schools are coming to an end. My last day was Wednesday, and also the day of my graduation. Here are some pictures of my friends, me, and the ceremony (click on "graduation" when you get there). Also, I would like to share the speech I wrote:

I found myself standing in her ‘shrine’, as I later called it, staring at the photographs, old newspaper clippings and lighting coming from the projector in the ceiling. So this is the real Diane Arbus, I thought to myself. I had just been dragged to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by my parents. They said we were going to see a photography exhibit. We arrived at the big white steps and then proceeded to enter and get our tickets. “So, who is this Diane…whatever?” I asked them. “Diane Arbus. She’s a photographer. She took pictures of all different kinds of people. They each have flaws that she was able to capture in her photographs”, my dad responded.

We entered the gallery. I found myself examining each photograph intently. I was amazed, among many things, at the diversity of them. There were photographs of wealthy families, young boys, poor families, nudist camps, hard laborers, transvestites, dancers, and those who are mentally unstable. While studying these pictures, questions began popping into my head. Who are these people? What are they doing with their lives? Is this how they always act? I walked around the rectangular room and then went into another. This room was darker. Higher on the wall there were more newspaper clippings, photographs, and her ideas. There was a display of her journal, written in illegible cursive. On the wall beside it there was the translation. She had written, “I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them.”

When I think of Bank Street I find I can compare it to the photographer holding the camera, informing the students of the things behind the lenses. Slowly, over the years, Bank Street has given me the camera, allowing me to see the differences in people myself. Bank Street has allowed me to see the things instead of looking at them through another. Diane Arbus was a photographer who took pictures so people would be able to see differences. In the beginning, like those looking at her pictures, I was only open to the things in the still frame. Now I have developed the ability to see and comprehend the unusual and the ability to accept it and recognize that it exists in everyone. Bank Street has helped me become the photographer.

When I walked out of the exhibit, I had this strange sense of completion. I felt as if the exhibit had been an end to something. I also felt a deep sadness. This may have been because Diane Arbus committed suicide later in her life or because the pictures themselves were so deeply emotional. Whatever the reason, today I look back at my visit at the museum and recognize the feelings I am having now with those that I felt then. I stand here before you with terribly mixed emotions. My career here has come to an end. I feel complete, and yet I cannot deny my sadness.

Bank Street has shown me how to ask questions and to see people how they really are. It has taught me to capture things in the world around me and to share my observations with others. While I do not altogether want to move on, a part of me knows I have to. I may be leaving the community, but the skills Bank Street has taught me and the teachers and students there will stay with me forever, like photographs on a wall.
Enjoy,
Love Sophie

Prague Photo Album

I finally got the Prague trip photos organized and uploaded with commentary. You can see them here and I've also linked the album in the sidebar.

My latest project

Hi all,

Reed just posted a picture of my mirror which was my latest accomplishment. In real life the mirror reflects the yellow climbing rose out the window but that didn't work in the photo. I recently took a class in making fused glass flowers and it is a huge challenge. Making the flowers is ok but trying to attach stems is nearly impossible and you need at least 6 hands!

We are home for a couple more weeks and then to Georgia to visit friends and back to DC for one of Reed's two week stints during which we hope to see Misty and Mike and the new house. Home for a couple of weeks and then we drive to Pat and Stan Nelsons for the start of our river cruise on the Danube. We fly to Budapest and end the cruise in Prague so we are very excited.

It is great to see the blog getting active again - it really is a great way to be in touch so let's keep it up.

Love to all!

MaryAnne's Latest Creation

Update

Hi all,
Nice to see so much activity on here. John/Jan, your traveling home looks wonderful.....hope a trip to New England is on the calendar.

We had a cold wet spring and now have hot, sticky weather to contend with. On still days the studio is so hot I can feel my brain melting away. Andi has been a wonderful help to me this summer so far. We have a lot of plans, but time is short and then I will lose her to a semester in Italy. We miss having Misty with us as well, nothing is quite complete with out her.

We will all travel to Florence for Thanksgiving. Misty, Mike, Chuck, Frazier, and myself. The girls (me included) have wonderful boyfriends, family gatherings are all the better with them around. We are in the process of renting a house in Florence, any other family members would be welcome......

Hope all is well with all of the Fisher clan......New England is beautiful from now through October, come to visit.....love

The new trailer

Ok.. The trailer I showed PR and MA when they were here was our first one..it was a 28 foot Prowler with a super slide (the dinette and couch slid out). It was a areally good unit but when we bought it we planned to upgrade in five to six years... As Jans and my health progressed it was slightly more difficult to get into tight places and really difficult for jan to make the bed in the old one. So we decided to step up sooner than expected. The new one is called a Titanium and it too is 28 foot but the design actually gives us five more feet of space... the bed is extended over the front and that give more floor space... Then new one has a slide for the kitchen and intertainment center and it also has the same size slide for the couch and eating area... this one has a table and chairs for the dinette. In the bed room also has a slide out closet and that give us the storage room and extra room in the bedroom we require... Also for me, the shower is full size and that is a real plus for my oversize body. lol. Also, the design of the front where the bed extends is kind of like a bow of a ship so it cuts the air much cleaner and there fore tows considerably better... I love the way the old one towed so this should be great... Well enough for now , we are going to reno the twentieth so hopefully we can get more pics for all of you... take care.. Jan and I love all of you...

pictures

Hey all. I posted some pictures of our new 5th wheel trailer. This was my first time and with PR's help i think i figured it out...next to figure is Picasa so i can send more than one at a time... Jan and I are really excited about this new trailer...Planning a short shake down to Reno on the 20th and then after the 4th of July we are planning a trip to Idaho... We will take pics of that trip for sure.... JOHN

shower but still i do not know how to rotate a picture... lol 

The bed..is actually long enough i do not hang over this one.. 

The whole closet is a slide... lots of room 

this is looking toward the bedroom and bathroom... wish i could have figured out how to rotate the pic..sorry 

Even a ceiling fan... 

This is the Couch and hide a bed 

Here is the entertainment center and refrig which is also part of the kitchen slide 

This is the dinette and it is a slide too 

back of trailer 

Prague

A quick collage... I'll link more photos and an account of our trip soon.

Posting Photos

To upload photos to FisherCatch you can use one of several methods:

Most simple woulod be to create a Flickr account for yourself and to use it both for displaying your own photos in general and for uploading photos to this blog. Flickr is very, very easy to use.

Slightly more sophisticated is a very handy little piece of software called Hello. Read the Blogger article about it to get an idea of how it works or just go to Hello's download page. You can read some specifics about it works here.

If you choose to use Hello, don't be intimidated to learn that you're also downloading a fairly powerful photo management tool called Picasa-- you won't have to switch from whatever software you use when you download and manage photos with your digital camera. Once you get the hang of using Hello you may want to play around with Picasa as well (it will grab every image on your machine and store them for you automatically) as it does some fun things, like making photo collages.

If you get Hello downloaded and feel a bit lost or even if just downloading the software is confusing you can always reach out to me or PR ... we've both suffered through learning to use it and can walk you through getting a photo onto the blog.

Good luck!

More On Our Backyard Wildlife

Hi All - A couple more photos of life in our backyard. The quail family is down to four chicks from eight. The fate of the other four is unknown. I guess the reason they have large clutches is to provide for losses and still preserve the species. The chicks can all fly and run fast. There's another quail family with two larger chicks that comes around. The Daddies fought in the beginning but seemed to have reached an agreement. One of Doves that hangs around successfully hatched out a chick. The chicks seem to start pretty big. Love to all.

The Remaining Quail Children (with Mother about to leave the back wall) After a Month.

Mother Mourning Dove and Child

Family Collage

Top row: Ben and Nora; middle row: Nora and Sophie, the kids, Ben and Grace; bottom row: Ann, Nora and Sophie

Hey! It's too quiet in here!

Relaxing in Halifax, Nova Scotia

It's way too quiet in here these days... I know people have news and photos and storys to share and I'm as guilty as anyone for getting too busy. I'll try harder.

Dad, I have been loving your photos--both the old ones in the album and the current ones you post as you take them. Mom, you MUST have a new project going and we want to see it! JJohn and Jan... let us know how things are going... and Wendi... where are recent photos of you and family? How are you guys? Kate, I keep hoping to find you in here but I haven't heard from you since our last round of email. Did you ever manage to make your blog invite work? Meigs and Mary... we'd love to hear from you! Misty gets a gold star for continuing to contribute and the rest of you (you know who you are) ought to drop in and let us know what's up.

In local news, I've been managing a project out in New Jersey, which means a long frustrating commute every day through Manhattan and rush hour traffic. The project ends today and Jack and I are off to Prague for a week. Oddly, I haven't even bought a guidebook yet... which is very unlike me, as I usually prepare for trips like this well ahead of time. Looks like I'll be studying up on the plane tomorrow night! I'll post our impressions and photos when we get back. Jack and I went to Halifax last weekend to visit friends and celebrate his birthday... predictably it rained the entire weekend--it always rains when we go to Canada.

Take care, everyone... and drop a line, eh?

More Over the Years Photos

Hi all - another update of my "Photos Over the Years." There are some neat and nostalgic photos in this bunch. I hope you enjoy them.

A Quail Family

Hi - Yesterday, MaryAnne called me to the back door to watch some hewly hatched Gambel's Quail chicks venturing out around our yard. The Gambel's Quail chicks are ready to run around almost immediatly after coming out of the egg. After the chicks hatch, the family leaves the nest traveling in formation, the father in the lead, the puff-ball chicks in the middle, with mother taking up the rear. Gambel's Quail have been clocked on the ground a better than 15 miles per hour. I got some pictures of the chicks early venturing as you can see below.

And then they head back to the safety of the Mexican Bird of Paradise.

The Chicks look around at the big bad world.

The Chicks venture out from under a Mexican Bird of Paradise.

Mother Gambel's Quail is standing by while her brand new brood ventures out on a walk around.

New Photo Album

Hi All - I've put a new photo album on the Blog called Fisher Trip Photos. When we go somewhere and take pictures, I'll delete those from the last trip and post a few of the photos from the current trip. The one now posted was a little back road trip we took during the wildflower season in Mid March. It was after a fairly wet winter and the flowers were out pretty good. I week after that trip I got hit by Hay Fever pretty bad. Three prescription antihistamines and a couple of over the counter combination antihistamines and decongestents didn't give me much relief. I got relief by spending a week in the DC area. A bonus was dinner with Misty. I went to an allergist this week; testing indicates that I'm allergic to the Southwest (I scored as allergic to most everything that grows in the Southwest). I may end up getting allergy shots but right now I'm trying a regime of prescription nasal sprays and prescription antihistamines. We'll see how it goes. Hope you-all enjoy the photos.

Change to Photos Over the Years

Hi All - I've deleted the Pictures of Ann and Lisa in their very early years and picked up the thread of our life on the East Coast. This latest batch covers the Fall of 1973 through the Spring of 1974 at the Bennett Road house in Herdon, VA. Hope you enjoy.

Blog Help

Ann - this is geared mostly to you, but I need help from anyone who can give it! I keep hearing about all these really interesting blogs, and if I know the webpage I can find them, but how do I search a blog? I know I must be missing something really simple, but I"m not familar with this yet. Say I wanted to search DC politics blogs...or restaurant critics, or whatever --- could I do that? am I just being dumb?

Thank you! I'll email you with details about my trip to New York when I have them. I'd really like to see you!

love to everyone!

Communting: Waiting Outside the Holland Tunnel

Commuting isn't always just about bumper-to-bumper traffic and mild road rage and listening endlessly to NPR. My first thought when I noticed the foot protruding from this SUV's cargo door was "OMG! A really, really stupid murderer!" But then, of course, I realized that it couldn't be real for all sorts of reasons. So instead of picking up my cell phone to call 911 I picked up my camera.

spring!

Just a note to wish you well! I have let the "blogging" fall by the way-side, but I've been thinking of you and wanted to wish you a happy spring! The cherry blossoms are in full bloom right now, and there are few prettier times to be in DC. We spent the weekend with all the other tourists (which technically I am now, since I live 23 miles from downtown) wandering the monuments and of course, my favorite thing, visiting the zoo. Ever since I saw the elephants getting a teeth cleaning on Grandpa's shoulders, I've been hooked!

Mike and I have moved and are finally settled into a very pretty townhouse. We're happy, but it's not permanent.

It's nice to hear about your schools, Sophie - I'm really excited for you. I'm coming to New York the first weekend in June for the Book Expo, so I'll be in touch with more details. I've been dreaming about the calamari and the vegetables from "Ms. Williamsburg."

Love to you all.

Very Early Photos

Hi - I just posted another bunch of photos to the "over the Years" album. This series steps back about 15 years to the early years of our marriage. As I've said, a lot of our family slides got ruined by termites while we were living in Wilmington, NC. While rummaging around in the garage, I found duplicates of some of the still legible damaged slides. Since they represent the early childhood of Ann and Lisa, I posted them. I did the best I could with Paint Shop Pro, but the damage is still visible. They include some pictures of the family which think are pretty precious. Hope you all enjoy.

Lisa's website

For those of you who haven't already seen it, I helped Lisa with a website for her business. Talented, isn't she?

More Photos

Hi - I just made another revision to "Photos Over the Years." Enjoy.

Home Again

Hi All - It's been busy lately. MA and I went back east from 13 - 26 Feb. Unfortunately MA's Achilles tendon was bothering her and the second week she came down with some sort of a respiratory infection which knocked her for a loop. She's just now pulled out of it. I went back this last week and just got back last night. I was able to have an enjoyable dinner with Misty and Mike. By the way, Misty, I forgot to ask for your new address; may I have it? Ann, I just viewed your updated Ann's Life Gallery. Very nice and I really enjoyed the pictures of you-all in England. Could I persuade you to post a notice of your gallery updates? Then, I'll know to view them right away. The weather here is delightful; it's just about time for shorts. Enough for now. Love to all.

Proud Mom

I know you'll all forgive me for creating my own post about Sophie's achievement. Here is the website for LaGuardia. And here is what Sophie had to pull together to be accepted. I also want to point out that she worked very, very hard this year in preparation for the tests she had to take for all of the schools she applied to, often setting her alarm clock to wake her early to take practice tests before she got ready for school.

Sophie, you RAWK!

Responces from schools

For all those that havn't heard...
I got into La guardia for art and am very excited about that. I also got inot Friends Seminary and Brooklyn friends. I got put on the waiting list for Feildston which I am a little upset about, and I still havn't heard from Riverdale. Everyone else in my class got their responces from riverdale so I am not quite sure why mine didnt come. On tuesday we are going to call the school and see learn if I got in, was put on the waitin list, or was rejected. I went to the la guardia open house and it made quite an impression. It is a very beautiful school with loads of tanlented kids. they say that 9,000 kids apply for the different feilds combined each year and they accept 700. Well more later. Ill be sure to write when i have made a final desicion about a school. i think now i am leaning towards la guardia.
by the way mom we will talk all about it on the weekend...its a bit easier then on the phone.
love sophie

Good morning all.......still February but some rain instead of snow for a change. Chuck and I spent the weekend winter camping up in the White Mountains here in NH. We had 24" of fresh snow before we headed up. The snow shoeing was fabulous. It was 10 degrees that night which is pretty balmy for the mountains. We were happy and warm tucked into our bags. It was a beautiful weekend. Hope you are all well and happy, L.

Another Batch of Photos

Hi All- Well, I've posted another batch of photos from the Fisher family's past (Photos over the Years). We're up to 34 years ago when Ann was 13 and Lisa was 11. Hope you enjoy.

Hey again

Hi everyone,
Sorry it has been a while but now i am posting again. In school every year the 8th grade does a musical. this year i am in it and we are doing Fiddler on the Roof. I have a small part with lines, dancing, and singing so I am happy with it. I am also incharge of the set design which i love and worked on the backdrop on wednesday, where I managed to get my blue corrdorods covered with charcol from crawling around on the giant canvas. We are doing our midterms now. The only one I have left is french, and that should be relitively easy. School is good, but I can't wait for the summer to come!

"New" Photos

Hi All - I've posted another bunch of photos on the "Photos over the Years" album. this bunch picks up on our 1970 trek east to the DC area where I went to work in the Corps Headquarters. It ends with our first winter in our home in Reston, VA. At that time Ann was 12 and Lisa was 10.

I'm Back !!!

Hi All:

I came home yesterday as John said. I'm doing pretty good, the back pain is better, must be the cortozone. the leg is still a bit weak, wants to buckle sometimes. They sent me home with a walker, whoopie. I have to use it whenever I go out and around the house too sometimes. Love it, Not. But I guess it's for my own good. At least it's tempoary!!!! Like someone said aging isn't for sissies :-) I'm just glad to be home.. John did a great job of being Mr. Mom. I know it wasn't easy, atleast I'm home early enough to do the bills LOL...

Thanks for all your good thoughts and prayers, I really appreciate all of them.. I know things will get better. I'm too rotten to go bad HaHa.
Love to all, Jan

Jan is home

Thank you all for your thoughts. Jan is home and seems to be doing pretty good. She is still on some pretty heavy pain meds but will be off them soon we hope. She is obviously weak but in good spirits. Good to have her home again.. Thanks again. JOHN

Dinner at Chuck & Lisa's

Hi all,

I wanted to share the below picture of Chuck tossing the dough for the best pizza we have ever eaten to say nothing about the fact that he is so skilled at tossing it in the air! He and Lisa came up with great flavors including salad, white clam, etc. Definitely not your usual mundane stuff. This was taken over Christmas with Misty and Andi and other friends. We all had a great time!

Mary Anne

Pizza Anyone? 

View from my apartment window

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the long quiet period. The holidays and work combined to make me a little over-extended. I'm glad to see that some of you are still faithfully posting, though!

I'm off to read through everything I missed over the last couple of months, but I'll be back soon with more to day!

xxoxx

Update on Jan

Hi all. Well, good news. There will be no surgery and the doctor says there is absolutely no evidence of any kind of growth. What he thinks she has is a small herniated disc in the region of the L4. This area is where the nerves for both legs start out and down the legs. The put the MRI and the Mylogram up together and he could not see anything that he would consider operating on at this time.. They are going to give her a shot of steroids in that area and he says he is confident that it will take care of the problem. All the pain and the leg buckling under her was caused by the pressure on the nerve.. We will keep you informed but hopefully the next one you get will be from Jan... Thanks for all the care. JOHN

Golden age i wonder. lol

Hi all, this seemed to be a good place to inform the whole family about a little medical problem Jan has now.. Last wednesday we put her in the hospital with intense pain in her right hip. They did an MRI and it was not really definitive but it did show a problem in the L4 and L5 area that they feel is either a herinated disc or a growth of somekind... they are going to do more tests today and i will keep you all updated here it that is alright. The test today is a dye test that will show what is the problem. I appears to be something that can be handled at this time but jan is tired of the pain and just wants to get it taken care of as do I and the dog and cat. Take care all. John

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANDI

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday Andi. Congratulations on reaching your majority. I hope your are doing something special today. Your Grandmother and I are looking forward to seeing you in February when we are back there in Northern Virginia. Again, Happy Birthday. Love, Grandpa.

Hi everyone,

We are in the midst of our first real nor’easter of the season. We have about 22 inches of new snow and it is expected to continue all morning. I love it. We are safe and warm with a fire and plenty of good food. Somehow the paper boy made it out this morning. Nothing is better than a Sunday morning with the NY Times and a beautiful snow storm. By tomorrow this will all be just a sloppy mess, so we will have to enjoy today.

Today truly is one of those beautiful New England winter days, but that is not always the case. Every morning this week the temperature has been below zero. I check the studio with trepidation each day but so far feel nothing but relief to see I still have water dribbling away as I had left it the night before. No burst pipes to contend with yet. This all leaves us thinking longingly of sun and sand. I spend a lot of time on line looking for destinations. It looks like Honduras will win out for late February.

Mom and Dad were here for Christmas and we spoke a lot of finding a way to gather as a clan. It would be wonderful if everyone would consider a reunion of some sort. Perhaps if we all thought of a time and or place that would fit we could get this ball rolling. Andi is still a college student so our lives still revolve around an academic schedule.

Speaking of Andi, she turns 21 today. I am finding it hard to believe that my youngest child is truly an adult now. She is a lovely person. Like her sister, she is very bright, and very beautiful. They both make us very proud.

I hope that we can all continue to communicate on this site. I would love to hear more about everyone’s lives. Mary, I think you should meet me in Arizona for some hiking........I hope you are feeling better John........Chuck has just gone out to plow and I suppose I will have to bundle up and do some shoveling soon. Love to all, L.

More Old Photos

Hi - I found some old subminatures taken in the 1965 - 1966 time frame. So I updated the "Photos over the Years" again. Ann and Lisa - do you know who the other kids are at the party on the El Caminito patio?

Another Installment of Photos Over the Years

Hi All - I've posted the fourth installment of "Photos Over the Years." This installment covers our last three years in Livermore and the beginning of our trek to the Nation's Capitol so I could go to work in the Corps' Headquarters. Unfortunately, the termites ruined all the slides from our honeymoon, the birth of both Ann and Lisa and family activities in Sacramento, Porterville, Ione, Fort Worth and the first two years in Livermore. This is a sadness for MaryAnne and I. Perhaps we may find some prints from that period some day.