Got back late afternoon from retreat with Knots for Knitters only Friday through Monday. It is in a Presbyterian camp, probably soon to be sold, out near where Sheryl and Ben were married. Beautiful country just beginning to turn color. I spent a lot of time on watercolors, some I started at the Torpedo Factory and some I did on site. Good to get back more into painting. They have done these craft retreats twice a year for several years, but this is only my second one. The lodges have big gathering areas where we set up tables and everyone works and talks. Some leave the lodge only to go eat! I got my alone time outside painting when it was nice weather. Carol Morrison was one of the gang.

Got a call from Mike Cockill, an old friend from Ft. Campbell days. Nelson and Fay and I plan to get together with him and wife Anita a week from Thursday when they are in town. Last time we saw them was when they visited us in Hawaii!

Loved Scott's post and Sheryl's comments!  Love, GrandmaK

DC experiences

Once in a while, I have what I call a "DC experience", where stuff happens that couldn't happen elsewhere. Previous examples:

• seeing Karl Rove live giving a speech with a bright blue tie on, then crossing the street to Starbucks and seeing the front page of WaPo with him...wearing the same tie
• leaving the Smithsonian with Emma and Eileen and being directed by a cop to pull into the middle of the Rolling Thunder parade. We drove in the middle of hundreds of motorcycles, waving to confused crowds cheering our 03 Honda Accord, all the way across the 14th Street Bridge.

You all probably know that the half-smoke is DC's culinary specialty. Well, yesterday I ate a $105 half-smoke.

At 4:30 yesterday, I was driving down 23rd street near the State Department and heading toward the Lincoln Memorial and Memorial Bridge. I was starving, and I noticed a food vendor half a block up on my right. There were a couple of cars parked in the right lane, which is supposed to be clear during rush hour. I figured this was my chance to pull in front of them—right in front of the food vendor!—and buy something to eat without blocking traffic.

I was at the vendor for three minutes, tops. Got my half-smoke with onions and sauerkraut. That's when I saw the meter maid walking away quickly. She snuck up and I never saw her. I smiled at her and asked "too late?" and she nodded and kept walking.

I can't stand it when people complain about getting a ticket just because the traffic people did their job well. So instead I'm trying to get mileage out of my $105 half-smoke :-p Are you not entertained?

Love, Scott

PS still suffering from a super crappy cold—ten days now.

PPS not trying to garner sympathy. I actually find this all hilarious. Except the cold...

Neil's Wedding

Neil's wedding was really fun. Met Bob and Barb in Chicago and we drove a rental to a hotel in Indiana central to the festivities. Made the rehearsal dinner Friday night hosted by Mike and Ellie in an Italian restaurant and met Brie's two little ones and Paul for the first time as well as Helen, Neil's new wife. Both Paul and Helen are very outgoing and the two little ones are really really cute!
Helen comes from a close knit Serbian family. Helen and Neil were married in a 100 year old beautiful Serbian Orthodox church. Incense, crowns, murals, no chairs! A brunch was held in a huge home which reminded me of Sheryl and Ben's wedding. Lots of yummy Serbian food and music (violin, accordion, keyboard, and singer). Neil and Helen are business partners as well. They were introduced as Dr and Dr, rather than Mr and Mrs! Reception was held in a huge permanent tent with a nice floor for dancing. The same music group performed and Bob, Barb, and I joined some of the simple Serbian dances (I had done them at folk dance) as well as the more normal wedding dances. Elinor sent us home with a Costa Rica picture calendar she made plus a kringle I'll share with SMEE. Sorry, it got a little crushed, but still tastes good! We got up too early for me today. Yawn! I'm going to bed early.
Love, Gheema and GrandmaK

K's latest

Lots going on right now.
Scott helped me finish my Costa Rica presentation which I'll give at the Hermitage Thursday morning.
Our pastor nominating committee is trying to update the MVPC website (no small task) and has 76 pastor information forms for us to sift through already.
I started a great watercolor class at the Torpedo Factory. I am the worst in class. No way to go but up!
I started a Spanish class way above my ability level. "                                                                     "
     Actually I understand a lot more already. My speaking has yet to improve.
The American Indian History class continues to be very interesting. I'm taking the second of our texts to Chicago this weekend.
Enjoyed starting to make a paper haunted house with Emma and Eileen last weekend. Will be fun to see how it turns out.
Looking forward to seeing my sisters and husbands, and all of Ellie's family this weekend.
Enjoyed Scott's beautiful concert and a great play at Studio based on Ralph Ellison's 1952 book, The Invisible Man. The staging was inspired by collages of Romare Bearden ( a friend of Ellison).
One of these days I'll have to attack all those piles of paper! Love, GrandmaK, Gheema, etc.

School's in session

Just wanted to report in that these first few days of school have been going well for SMEE!

Eileen's really enjoying Kindergarten and Emma is reconnecting with her friends in 4th grade. Mary's teaching a new 6th-grade advanced math course, which is bumping her position from a half-time job to 70%.

Luckily that fits her schedule just fine: she leaves the house at 7:30am with both girls, gets done teaching and then has an hour and change of her own time before picking up Emma and Eileen at 2:45. It's refreshing for them all to be together instead of Eileen going her own way each morning.

My commute is also easier. Not only do I not have to get Eileen over to the Rec Center for preschool as in recent years, but I just learned that my early-morning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays has been canceled because only one student was qualified for it. That means I get to miss morning rush hour every day now! I will still have late nights, but will get better sleep and see the girls every morning.

Mary has been very consistent about working out every morning first thing, but my most recent exercise was 18 holes of golf...Wii golf, that is. Now that Sher and Ben are literally stepping it up, I'm going to do better, so starting this morning I'm strapping on my running shoes...

Love, Scott

Running

A few months ago, I noticed that I was running more frequently than usual.  3-4 times a week on the regular is usually an indication that I'm training for something.  This time around, however, I had not signed up for any races or events.  Just got the bug to do it.  But that led to me thinking, "Hey, I should sign up for something . . . " and then I spent a week or two kicking that around.  I thought about the Run Like Hell half-marathon that I did last year and that is right at the end of October.  But then I also looked at the Portland Marathon in the beginning of October and wondered if I could actually compress a 16-week training session into 13 weeks in time to do it.  It would be tricky.

Decided to do it anyway.  =)

We're now in the Why Did I Do This? phase of marathon training, where every long run on Sunday is a half-marathon or better and mid-week runs are upwards of 9-10 miles.  My legs are in decent shape thus far with the occasional ache and pain, but none of the crippling knee problems that occurred when I did the MCM in '06.  I'm optimistic I can get through the next couple of weeks and will have a good run on the 7th as I amble through downtown Portland. 

I'm back in shoes and post-birthday...

Hi guys! First I wanted to say thank you so much for the birthday calls with singing, cards and presents! I spent the day doing fun things - having brunch with friends, visiting a favorite yarn store, dinner out, a trip to Powell's and Cupcake Jones and most triumphantly, returning my crutches to the pharmacy!

On August 10 I was cleared to begin walking a little each day in a regular (but supportive) shoe with an ankle sleeve, with an official target of my birthday for no longer using the boot at all. I met that goal, so that was another great birthday present.

Every day walking gets a little easier. I've started using a pedometer and I am back up to my two-mile a week goal of either walking or using the elliptical machine we have in our office. That has particularly been good exercise because there's no impact and it is impossible to limp on it! ;) During my walking, I've been going slowly so that I can really concentrate on not limping - if I just walk and don't think about it, I limp.

I also auditioned and was accepted for a caroling group in Portland. They sing in quartets at places they're hired to be: malls, public areas, Christmas parties, and the like. I don't yet know if I'll be part of the full-time quartet or the part-time quartet, but either way, I should get several hours of performance time and did I mention this is paid? Woo! Rehearsals start this Sunday night, so I will know soon if I'm a part-timer or a full-timer.