Got two really good ones.

First this laugh until your gut hurts video from Jen which will loosen you up for Matthew’s dream of flying.

A few of Adam’s photos from last Saturday’s  party at Mother Goose’s house.

Emma, Kate and Matthew

  

Taken by Goose with my camera.

This one of  Welsh and Dickey mountains in the Waterville Valley where Goose and Kristen hiked last week.

And this one of the Adirondacks where Mother Goose worked when she was a wee lass.

Please go here and read Goose’s latest.

Mike,

Beth and I just can’t stay away from those elk! Yesterday we took another trip up to Rocky Mtn Nat’l Park, this time in the late afternoon at prime time. We saw Big Daddy bucks herding their does, Big Daddy chasing young bucks away from their herds, and two competing Big Daddies sparring. Plus lots and lots of bugling, grunting and keening (sorry, still no sound). There were so many elk near and on the road we had to stop and wait, like in Ireland when the sheep cross the road. It was quite a show!

ElkAction

–rakkity

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Guffaws From the Western Peanut Gallery

Michael,

My cousin Patrick, who was born, raised, educated, and river rafted (his day job) throughout the mountain west, says that, “Lest you be guffawed upon as an upstart, transplanted Easterner, you should use the nomenclature, bulls, cows, and calves for elk (not bucks, does, and fawns).” So, fearing unrestrained guffaws from my western cousins, I suggest you use this revised album:

Revised Elk Action

–rakkity

The photo below is a slightly altered version of this one posted on Goose’s blog.

Michael,

The Japanese satellite Kaguya, now in lunar orbit, as we speak is taking high-resolution shots of the earth (see attachment). The scuttlebutt is that Kaguya will proceed to take time-lapse pictures of Earth, showing its rotation and its phases from new to first quarter to full to 3rd quarter and back to new. Perhaps surprisingly, this has never been done before in all the years (38) since the Apollo program, and including the Apollo program!. So in a few weeks time we may be looking at movies of earth on Youtube.

-rakkity

This morning was something. A little snow
lay on the ground. The sun floated in a clear
blue sky. The sea was blue, and blue-green,
as far as the eye could see.
Scarcely a ripple. Calm. I dressed and went
for a walk — determined not to return
until I took in what Nature had to offer.
I passed close to some old, bent-over trees.
Crossed a field strewn with rocks
where snow had drifted. Kept going
until I reached the bluff.
Where I gazed at the sea, and the sky, and
the gulls wheeling over the white beach
far below. All lovely. All bathed in a pure
cold light. But, as usual, my thoughts
began to wander. I had to will
myself to see what I was seeing
and nothing else. I had to tell myself this is what
mattered, not the other. (And I did see it,
for a minute or two!) For a minute or two
it crowded out the usual musings on
what was right, and what was wrong — duty,
tender memories, thoughts of death, how I should treat
with my former wife. All the things
I hoped would go away this morning.
The stuff I live with every day. What
I’ve trampled on in order to stay alive.
But for a minute or two I did forget
myself and everything else. I know I did.
For when I turned back i didn’t know
where I was. Until some birds rose up
from the gnarled trees. And flew
in the direction I needed to be going.

Raymond Carver

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I don’t know what happened to my sidebar website links, but don’t forget about this one and this one.

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I can’t help it. I like this version and I love this one at about 2:57 of the vid.

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Matt comes home tomorrow!