Paul and I got along on nearly zero Spanish, and everyone was unfailingly kind and patient with us and our phrase book attempts to communicate. People in restaurants would lean across their tables to talk to us, and amazingly, the police were really wonderful, friendly and helpful (and everywhere). I'd really like to learn a bit more so I can do more than talk about food the next time we go. (There will be a next time, and I plan to get down to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego too! Check out the photos...

January 2007: Happy New Year! We began 2007 on the little island of Saba, south of St. Martin in the Caribbean. Saba is known for its diving, hiking, gorgeous views, hammocks and banana rum. Although we don't dive, we managed to sample all the other offerings and we went open water snorkeling as well. Johnna saw a nurse shark and we both saw sea turtles as well as a myriad of lovely fish. If you want to see what we've been up to, check out these photos.

Here are the websites of some friends we made on Saba, as well as the website for El Momo Cottages where we stayed:

• El Momo Cottages
• Claudia and Stefan
• Mike and Amanda

June/July 2004
We went camping for two weeks in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton in late June and early July. We stopped off in New York on either end of the trip, to visit relatives and friends. We saw a few moose, met some great people, listened to wonderful fiddle music and woke up each morning to the sound of the surf. We also hiked in the Cape Breton Highlands and even did a little mountain biking. We've got a few photos you can view.

MoveOn.org published Fifty Ways to Love Your Country a couple of months ago. Our own mother and mother-in-law, Elise, was one of the fifty authors chosen to be a part of the book!

Aug. 19, 2003
We just got back from our annual trip to Canaan Valley, which we spend with a bunch of Paul's high school buds and their significant others. This house, whose name I will not reveal, because we'd never get our hands on it again, was fabulous, and we're all agreed that we'll never rent another.

There was plenty of hiking, and mountain biking, although only 1 rattle snake spotted, and only one ride down a mountain in a torrential thunderstorm. That ride may have been the highlight of the trip.

There were also all the usual entertainments: hottubing, cigars, eight ball, fussball, assorted drinks from various parts of the world (Mexico, Scotland and Spain, to name a few), and fabulous dinners, all of them cooked by us. The undisputed King and Queen of the kitchen are Gene and Maria, who this year stunned us with a duck with a peach sauce and scalloped potatoes with goat cheese. Oh, and Lauren's little black dress was pretty flash!

Dec. 10, 2002
Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward snowmen!

April 25, 2002 It was right before our wedding, four years ago, that Paul had his last haircut. But that all changed last week, April 18. Although I was shocked when Paul told me he was going to do it, I have to admit that it looks pretty sharp. Oh, and Happy Anniversary to us.

What we ate in New Orleans

January 10, 2002
Happy New Year! Although I usually have trouble letting go of the old year, I think we could all use a fresh start.

We spent the holidays on what we like to call the Snow in the Southlands tour. Christmas in Florida with my family, New Year's in New Orleans, and a side trip to Birmingham to visit my sister. Okay, so it didn't snow the whole time, but it was freezing, we hadn't packed for the weather, and it did snow in Birmingham.

Neither Paul nor I had been to New Orleans before. We found the only vegetarian restaurant near the French Quarter, completely by accident. Unfortunately, it was on a day when they had run out of tofu, so the menu was a bit thin. Excellent food though, and a terrific waiter with an entertaining attitude toward customers who didn't know to queue up outside.

As you can see from the receipt above, we dined at the polar opposite side of the food chain the next night. I have to say, the alligator was quite tasty.

Front view of our house

Side view of our house

Our future office

July 10, 2001
It's all about the move right now. We're packing up our house in Takoma Park and moving out to West Virginia. We'll miss this great neighborhood, our friends, the co-op and access to the city, but look forward to having a little land and a house of our own. I know, looks idyllic, doesn't it?

The other exciting news is that Patuxent Software Inc. (PSI), will have its own home for the first time. (We've been working out of our house for the last several years.) We're renting office space right in town on the main street. Our local commute will be increased to a (walkable, bikable) three miles, but the temptation to work days, nights and weekends will be less.

Congratulations to Will and Claire who recently married and just returned from their honeymoon in Spain!

Best wishes to Mick and Jen, whose wedding ceremony included not only vows to each other but also to their children. Very cool.

Johnna, Paul and Anne on Anne's Birthday at the Raven

Febuary 6, 2001
Well, it's just after Groundhog Day, and Phil saw his shadow. Groundhog Day is a blend of European and Native American tradition. Candlemas is the European holiday that falls exactly between the winter soltice and the vernal equinox. A fair day is supposed to predict a stormy finish to the winter. Native Americans venerated the groundhog as an honored ancestor, and the settlers replaced the traditional badger with the groundhog as chief animal prognosticator.

Anyway, it looks like we've got a little more winter in store, so enjoy the quiet of these last snowy days, and take some time to renew your friendship with your soul, or your daemon, if you've read The Golden Compass triliogy like we have.

Linda, Arkee, Amina, Hallie, Paul and Johnna on the Fourth of July

September 7, 2000
We had front row seats for Takoma Park's Fourth of July parade, which features a real mower drill team. It took us a while to get this photo up, but isn't it the epitome of apple pie and all that's great about this country?

Johnna recently took over Webmaster duties for Rootsweb's Tompkins County site.

May 26, 2000
We were in the Philippines for a couple of weeks with Johnna's sister Jill and her father. We stayed on the main island of Luzon, spent too much time in traffic-challenged Manila, and had a terrific second anniversary in the mountains of Banaue. The rice terraces there were cut by hand out of the jungle 3000 years ago; the area is now a World Heritage site.

Dad and Sis went on to Hawaii, which they explored by sea plane.