A drive to Easton, Maryland (where Laura could get her earliest appointment), my youngest got her license to drive! Always a stressful time, hoping to pass, she didn't need to worry, she did a great job! Laura sending me a signal after her test, that she passed! She's very happy. Calling family and friends to tell them the good news.   ... Read More

“Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual--or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.” — Samuel Adams (1722–1803) Father of the American Revolution, Patriot and Statesman   I watched news over many channels and networks. I read legion ... Read More

Not everyone in Maryland was so lucky, but for our household, hurricane Sandy was... A time to catch up on sleep... ...to play in the "fort" Tia Laura made... ...or to write messages on the steamed up windows. Don't get me wrong, we treated the event seriously, prepared for it, and knew its potential for harm. We just were so blessed to not have any trees knocked over, not experience flooding, nor did we lose power. One glitch was Miranda was ... Read More

It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day to go to Ocean City...the skies were blue, perfect day to escape to the Beach. Laura had wisely asked Alejandra which places did she want to see most. It's a good thing to know since sometime you can't fit all the places you want to see in just one visit. It was a great question. Alejandra answered that she was most interested in Washington D.C. and seeing the Ocean. Having already seen D.C., ... Read More

So as long as I can remember, a favorite thing to do with a new friend was to take a walk to the beach. Yesterday, after a day of shopping at Arundel Mills Mall (which Alejandra LOVED by the way), we decided we hadn't done enough walking and took the long way to Chelsea Beach. We had a dog follow us at one point, till he finally stopped at a house. It was so cute, Alex took its picture.  Later someone in ... Read More

...or as Rubí says, Miss Sipsipee This past Saturday, we were invited to Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis to say good-bye to Elisabeth, who is off to work and study in Wisconsin. She has been wonderful to have in our home. She will be missed. People come and people go in this household...who's next? :)     ... Read More

Winters in Maryland can be rough, especially if you're from Wisconsin, because of the lack of snow! So when our first little accumulation happened, Miranda quickly got Rubi and Silas outside but not before telling me to grab the camera for Rubi's first snow.   When it was over, Rubi learned about another great thing about playing in the snow, having Hot chocolate inside with nana! ... Read More

In good times and in hard economical times, we as citizens should always be watchdogs of government. In good times we need to be aware that the good times stay that way, and in bad times, looking how to  improve our situation. This is not a lot of fun to sift through the crap that government can dish out, but it's necessary. Here in Maryland, we are no exception. We need to be aware. I couldn't help but be amazed now ... Read More

Make your own slideshow at Animoto.     New Year's Eve Laura and I had the pleasure of photographing the King Wedding. We already knew we were in for a treat with this couple as we had so much fun photographing their engagement photos. I took so many photos that according to some people I should just switch to videotaping things, but, I was choosey enough to select  just a few for their gallery. Please visit the King Wedding Gallery HERE   ... Read More

For as long as I can remember, as a family we would agree to meet in early December at a mall and together go Christmas shopping. Usually it would involve going out to eat and visiting almost every store in the mall. Of late, it's mostly the women in the family and lunch. This year we went with Miranda's request and shopped at Columbia Mall. Suddenly, I think Christmas shopping these days, is little about shopping... it was magical for me to ... Read More

Laura and I spent a part of the last two days taking in the fall colors... (Click on image to enlarge) And on yesterday's outing, this was our welcome back committee. :) ... Read More

Recently I have had a number of new clients for web design. I so enjoy meeting new people and learning about their businesses. I am so impressed with the work of  Dan Twigg and his wife, Chris. Dan is a custom builder located right here in Pasadena, Maryland. He serves, but are not limited to, Pasadena, Severna Park, Millersville, Arnold, Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Catonsville, Ellicott City, Linthicum, Columbia. Glen Lowman has now passed away and incidentally, the small world that it ... Read More

Unfortunately, rain seems to be the story in Maryland this summer. This is Maryland, specifically Ellicott City, today: More on the way? ... Read More

We came through Hurricane Irene ok. The yard is a mess and so is the pool, but we are just a little tired from being watchful and perhaps a little stressed after a week and a half of weird happenings around here. Perhaps some rest today and clean-up if the rain stops. We weren't without some incidents, but most of Maryland is spared. I did hear that 200 roads were closed, many trees were down, and 500,000 were without electricity. Ocean ... Read More

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (Psalm 56:3). The Bible verses you learn as a child, really come back to you as an adult at the most appropriate times.   Yesterday, an explosive storm hit Pasadena area. I will admit, I was afraid. We are thankful that we are ok, the house is still standing, but our yard took quite a hit. I did trust in the Lord during all of it, but was most happy when everyone was ... Read More

I was taken by surprise when I saw the top 20 beaches listed today! Our Ocean City listed as number 2! (This list is based on attendance and population.) 1. Jacksonville Beach, Fla. 2. Ocean City, Md 3. Miami, Fla 4. Myrtle Beach, S.C 5. Belmar, N.J. 6. Laguna Beach, Calif. 7. Newport Beach, Calif. 8. Ocean City, N.J. 9. Huntington Beach, Calif. 10. Del Mar, Calif. 11. San Diego, Calif. 12. Coronado, Calif. 13. Encinitas, Calif 14. Daytona Beach, Fla. 15. Clearwater, Fla. 16. Honolulu, Hawaii 17. Nags Head, N.C 18. Imperial Beach, Calif. 19. Santa Rosa, Fla. 20. Oceanside, ... Read More

Ocean City 2011, that is. This being John's third visit to Maryland, it seemed way overdue to take him to Ocean City. ... Read More

Despite nature's best efforts, Ellicott City, which was founded in 1772 as Ellicott Mills, stands today with all the old-country charm of its early days. Preservation is key to the community of Ellicott City, and restoring historic landmarks is something the residents believe in. Indeed, the town itself seems to want to be preserved, having survived three major fires and two major floods. Despite those potential disasters, Ellicott City thrives. New businesses have ... Read More

A few times when John has been here we have tried to go to Down's Park, only to find it closed. This time, we picked an open day. While there, we met a swan... ..and a turtle.   We also went to Chelsea Beach. It was nice to have a slow day just to explore areas close by to home.   ... Read More

John arrived late last night, or even could call it early this morning. With two days travel and only a few hours night sleep, his day began with breakfast and...SILAS! Silas was surprised to see his internet web cam buddy that he has tea with each morning in our living room, LIVE and in person! It didn't take Silas long to be "best mates" with John. During Silas's nap time, John and I went shopping, as John needed a new pair of shoes. ... Read More

Last night Embers for Ashes played Recher Theater. This was my third time seeing them at this venue. All the shows there have been very good, but last night they connected with the crowd, and with each other, and it made for a great show. ... Read More

With the nice change of weather in the upper 50's, Laura and I decided to go to Kinder Park. The fact that it is technically still winter was still there, with snow from our last blizzards still in scattered places around the park... Because of the winter, not much was "alive" at Kinder today. Some berries... ...some ducks too. Of course, the ever present silos were still there. Laura got to try out her new bike! And before we left, we saw a robin signaling the hope ... Read More

A few times in the past I have given to Miquel as his Valentine's present,  a visit to the car show in Baltimore's Convention Center. In the years past, it has been overwhelmingly amazing and it was almost too much show to see in one visit. This year, I was excited to have more Valentines to take, and we set out yesterday to the Maryland Auto Show. There were some noticeable changes at the start. Not having gone the past two ... Read More

The climate report from the National Weather Service was just posted and the word out of BWI-Marshall airport is that 4″ of snow fell on February 9th, pushing the winter total snowfall to 64.4″, which makes the winter of 2009-’10 the snowiest winter on record for Baltimore.  The old record of 62.5″ didn’t last very long; it was set in the winter of 1995-’96.  Official snow records go back to 1883 (other weather records date back to 1871, but for ... Read More

Another video HERE ... Read More

Well in the midst of blizzard conditions here in Maryland, we are looking to break records for snow. Some images so far: ... Read More

The day after the storm nearly breaks all December records, the sun came out and it was time to dig out. Glen Burnie received 22.5 inches, it's safe I think to say that Pasadena got close to that. This is our back deck. Enric and Miranda set out to clean the cars and driveway off. Silas helps! Having a day that I couldn't do much, gave me a chance to take some time and do something I really like to do, take bird photos. Here a ... Read More

I finally have finished uploading photos from our weekend at Ocean City  CLICK HERE (Three pages) ... Read More

The night gave us winds, crashing waves, thunder, lightning, and a LOT of rain. The morning was...calm and lovely. No sunrise as I was hoping for, but just lovely. But the BEST surprise for me, was to see DOLPHINS! Then the clouds parted, to reveal that yes, the sun had come up. ... Read More

I was sitting in the hotel room talking to John when my cell phone rang. It was the girls saying, "You need to hurry to the pier! The waves are hitting it!" The pier at Ocean City is reserved for amusement rides close to the boardwalk, and further into the water, a great lookout of the beach and even more out, a place for those who like to go fishing. Donna and I quickly dressed and rushed down the boardwalk to the ... Read More

In spite of the storms that have hit Maryland and a hurricane off the coast, we have had great weather so far. Today it became obvious that the two fronts, the storms and the hurricane, are soon to descend on us. The sky looking to the east. Storm clouds to the west. The sea was a fury and most stood along the beach watching. Others played around with the new formations that the waves were making in the beach. Around us we were unsure about ... Read More

I woke up, looked at the clock, noted the time was precisely for sunrise, dashed out of the bed grabbing my camera at the same time, and managed to photograph a nice sunrise. ... Read More

Today was our first full day at Ocean City. After watching the sunrise,  we went out for breakfast. As it turns out, my favorite place in the world (The Dough Roller) to eat breakfast, Donna likes too! And now Laura is a convert too! The pancakes are simply the BEST. Mine were plain, Jenny got Pineapple and coconut, and Donna got pecan. Laura helped me with mine and loved them. They decorate the Dough Roller with carousel horses. Next we hit the beach. Here is our hotel ... Read More

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We got a wonderful invitation from Jenny's mom and dad to go to Ocean City. We left today. Traffic on the Bay Bridge was strangely busy. But once through we were here in no time! The view straight out from our hotel. Our hotel is very close to the Kite Loft Laura and Jenny wave to Donna and I below. Our walk down the boardwalk... A walk in town. The view in the evening from our balcony. Jen and Laura model their new dresses. ... Read More