Breckenridge, CO - August 20, 2008

My co-workers and I attended the APRA

(http://www.aprahome.org/)

International Conference in Denver, CO,

this past week. While Denver was a lovely

city (especially clean since the DNC is

happening there this coming week), I

wanted to escape to the mountains at

least once during the trip. This oppor-

tunity occurred on Wednesday.

Max and I rented a car and drove I-70

to Breckenridge after our sessions

were over that afternoon.

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The Blue River has its beginning high in the

mountains south of town.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=breckenridge,+co&ie=UTF8&ll=39.390106,-106.056347&spn=0.022918,0.034375&t=p&z=15

By studying the map, it looks as though several peaks

feed the river on its way north to Dillon Reservoir.

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As my daddy used to tell me:

"One person's weeds is another person's flowers."
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Max and I went to the original Breckenridge

Brewery for a fresh-brewed Avalanche beer

and some mighty tasty appetizers. My photo

of the outside of the pub was out of focus so

I didn't upload it to this blog entry.

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When the sun is shadowed by the mountains,

it gets dark very quickly!

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Goodbye, Rockies!

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Time with My Best Friend

Well, Em, first I have to apologize to you.

I thought I made a ton of photos while

you were here, but it looks like only you

were holding the camera most of the time!

Em came for a visit on July 17th and

left on the 22nd. During those whole

five days, this above shot is the only

one I made of my skinny Bien-y wienie!

I'm so embarrassed by my lack of

photo taking. Trust me: Em looked hot!

On Saturday the Yekisas, Emily,and

I went to Buca de Beppo for lunch.

The above photo is the lovely two-

month-old Aubrey "Bobbie" Yekisa.

Below, Daddy Brent give us a mug shot.

The shot of Brent below is much better!



Amy gives me a smile.




The next day I accompanied the
men's quintet Emanuel at church.


Okay, no jokes about the blue

shirts! I have bought three shirts

this summer this color. It's a long

story how all of the photos for

this blog turned out to be shirts

of this color!

I love the shot above. Typically, I

can't take this shot for obvious reasons.

I'm so happy to have one of me

holding my baby!

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The last night Em was here we met

my Columbus friends at the

karaoke bar to sing some tunes.

Regardless of my lack of photos of you,

Em, I already miss you!!!!

Maria - June 2008 (post vacation)

Not long after I returned from vacation,

I could hear Maria almost "singing" as I

was getting ready for work. Besides her

voice, I could hear distant chirping in the

background. When I entered the living

room, she was too entranced to see me.

Peeking out the blinds, I

discovered her nemeses!

The temptation was strong, but

the storm door and glass proved

a safe barrier for the birds.

Below, I attempted to play with Maria

using the new peacock feather Ione

gave me as a present for my kitty while

I was visiting Memphis the week before.

When I first saw Maria in the setting

below, she was completely sprawled

out on her back. I gave her a good

belly rub, then I attempted to get

the shot before she moved. I didn't

succeed, but it was still a cute pic.

Vacation - June 15, 2008

Getting ready to pull out from

my boyhood home in Shiloh,

the gang's all smiles.

Typically, each year we rent a condo

in Gulf Shores, AL, for a few days.

Above and below are two of my

favorite tropical plants: white oleander

(above) and sago palm (below.)

This is the pool where Caryn made

4752 successful jumps...

The Deluge - June 12, 2008

What had begun as a evening for

vacation preparation quickly turned

into one of the worst floods I've

ever experienced!

With a few strikes of lightning and

instantaneous crashes of thunder,

the heavens opened.

Fire alarms, set off by the repeated

electrical outages, filled the interior

of the apartment with as much noise

as nature was providing outside.

Finally, I decided to check other parts

of the the building to see what was

going on...

Slowly the water began to subside.

It was just more than our storm

drains could take in such a short time.

The guys below are removing

debris the the storm drains on the

corners of Bank and Frankfort.

Once the drains were unplugged,

the water began whirling down

the openings.

Our pool suffered a good bit of

damage. The winds had blown

much of the furniture into the pool,

and the mulch from the landscaping

found its way into the blue waters,

transforming the crystal clear liquid

into a mud bog.

Nationwide Children's Hospital

also had record flooding. Many of

our building took on tons of water.

Fans can be seen trying to dry the

floors of the Outpatient Care Clinic

below, while custodial crew

attempted to repair elevators that

the water drained into.