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Last weekend Beth and I went up to Lynchburg to help everyone celebrate Kate’s first birthday.  There are some photos around here somewhere of Kate in her cute little dress and head band.  She’s a charmer.  I hope her teeth grow closer together some day.  But right now they are new and exploring her mouth in different directions.

Somehow in spite of her teeth and her free flowing ears she manages to still be adorable.  You might say that I am prejudiced in this regard because I am her grandfather.  But Ron Dubin actually was the one who made a pronouncement in the comments.

“She is adorable”.   Ron is a professional photographer and his opinion is not to be taken lightly.

After the party we sat out on the lawn and watched the children play.  Kate’s mom, Sarah, turned to me at one point and said “It doesn’t get any better than this” and I smiled.   Warm breezes after cold winter mornings and children and grandchildren relaxing at your feet is probably a good definition of  “good as it gets”.

And then I looked over at Beth as she soaked in some of the warm rays and cool breezes.  She had made the cake and all the cupcakes for the party.  They were beautifully decorated.   And she was enjoying the moment at well.

I could tell she was happy with her new found family.  Sarah’s mom and sister lounged in the sun.  My son Jeremy asked me to throw a football and I was happy  to find muscles stretching and coming back to life.

Charlie,  Kate’s sister, was still reeling from the realization that not all birthdays focus on him.  And his cousin Abby who is devoted to him no doubt was learning that it pays to keep your eyes on the little guy when he has a tennis racket in his hand.

These are the riches of this life.  You cannot measure wealth in terms of your diminished IRA or the value of your home.  If you do you will miss the treasure that  is spilled all over your front lawn.

Time will bring so many changes to us.  We imagine the things that will not happen and are surprised by the things that spring upon us one day when we are looking the wrong way.

Yes Sarah.  It doesn’t get any better that this.  Later when we were driving back to Richmond I suddenly felt very sleepy.   Beth doesn’t like to drive at night but I pulled over and gave her the wheel.

She drove us home as darkness settled on the road and I listened to Wolfman Jack on the satellite radio and the sounds of the sixties.

I felt protected and warm.  A man doesn’t always have to lead.  If I could go back to the days when Woodstock rose and armies returned from foreign lands I would say “Thank you”.

We protect each other.  And we know how to enjoy life.   We share our energy, our strengths and our motivation to create a better world.

Newspaper headlines do not faze us.  Someday, in fact, we may have to do away with all the newspapers entirely if they don’t quit focusing  so much on the daily, mind-numbing tragedies all around us.

We know about those things.  We want to hear about life.

And so we communicate with each other in blog land.  We have found a place to share our lives.

Our lives happen here.

I was looking here yesterday evening and just sort of staring at the blog.  Feeling relatively empty after a week of turmoil and just amazed also at all the things I have done here in the past month.

Lots of creative stuff for an old geezer and maybe that’s what blogging will do for you after awhile.  Like anything else if you pursue it over a period of time you will learn some things and grow in different ways.  I was amazed as I went back to the beginning of our  trip in August.  But now I’m feeling pretty much empty.  When that happens it is always a good time to try and get out to take more photos.  Photos are the fuel and the Nikon D70 is the fuel tank.  It is rather small by today’s standards but then the fuel comes in micro-bits.

Beth tells me that the National Folk Festival will not be coming here this year but Richmond has managed to retain all the sponsors and plans to do the same thing again.   Hopefully many of the same talented people will be here plus some more.  Smile everyone!  Click.

Actually that’s not the way we take photos here.  We like to go for the candid shot.  And it’s difficult to get birds to smile.  Their beaks are a little too stiff.

And then we will be going up to northern Virginia to see my daughter and her family.   We have not seen their new home in Leesburg, Virginia.   It’s a pretty picture perfect part of the state so there should be more photo opportunities there.   As well as my grandchildren of course.  But not to worry they are all part of the paranoid wing of the party (I mean family) and like Beth will never be seen online.   Or rarely.  I have managed to sneak one or two photos of the kids into the blog but don’t tell anyone.

Have a nice weekend everyone.  The nice weather is finally coming in many places.  Hopefully the storms have passed and some of us can enjoy life a bit more again.

, originally uploaded by Davidlind.

Don’t blow it – good planets are hard to find. ~Quoted in Time

I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend? ~Robert Redford, Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985

Your grandchildren will likely find it incredible – or even sinful – that you burned up a gallon of gasoline to fetch a pack of cigarettes! ~Paul MacCready, Jr.

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