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2005
Dec 31, Lake Tahoe
   An
expected blizzard turned into a rain storm which caused major flooding in the
area. Monica and Mike returned to Milwaukee this morning and had to drive
to Carson City because all the normal routes to Reno were closed by high water
or mudslides. High winds churned up the lake. Katie and Johnny had
to model their skiwear indoors.
Dec 28, Lake Tahoe
   We're
back at the Lake for our annual family get together. Margaret is here with
Johnny and Katie. Mike, Monica and Andy are here as usual, and Margaret's
parents, Valerie and John Tilelli are with us for the first time. We
haven't had as much snow as in recent years, but several of our group, including
Johnny and Katie have managed to hit the slopes.
Dec 19, Houston
  In
prior years, we've hosted Christmas parties for our neighbors on the 10th
floor. This year Pat had the idea of having a vertical open house.
We invited only people who lived in 02 units on floors 1 through 12. It
seems hard to believe, but we didn't know any of these people until last
night. The party was scheduled for 6:00 to 8:00, but some of the guests
didn't leave until 9:30, so I would say the party was a success.
Dec 18, Houston
 Ross
and Kelly have always felt that we were deprived because we didn't own a
pet. They finally found one which doesn't need to be walked or have an objectionable
odor. Introducing Robopet. He walks, he talks, he rolls over, he
scratched imaginary fleas, and he even breaks wind. Everything real owners
love about their pets.
Dec 17, Houston
Our friend Margie Beegle tried to visit this
website by going to www.lewandpat.com.
The result was, well, pretty scary.
Nov 24, Austin
   Once
again the family gathered at Jann and Dick Brown's home for Thanksgiving
dinner. This year there were 22 adults and 8 kids. The turkey was
outstanding. One of the day's highlights was a serenade by Dick.
Everyone hammed it up for the camera. Above right are Jann and Deanna.
Nov 21, Denver
Congratulations to Pat who had a successful
week in Denver at the American Contract Bridge League national tournament.
She finished 6th overall in the Women's Team championship and 8th overall in the
Women's Pairs championship. Pat and her partner were the halfway leaders
in the Pairs event, which featured the best women bridge players in the world.
Nov 14, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
  We
give high marks to Puerto Vallarta. The weather was great - high 70's with
a nice gentle breeze every day - and the town is a lot less touristy than Cancun
or Acapulco. The Fiesta American Hotel was excellent. The view from
our room is on the left and the view from the pool is on the right. The
bridge was fun also. We had a team of four that finished near the top in
every event. All in all a very enjoyable week.
Nov 8, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
 Pat played bridge and with her partner
won the opening night open pairs event. I went fishing and helped
land a 120 pound sailfish. This picture isn't the best, but for some
reason the captain wouldn't lift the fish up for a picture. I think he was
miffed because I didn't want to spend $800 to get it mounted. On the return to port, the ship broke down and
covered the last 12 miles in four hours.
Nov 5, Houston
   Katie
and Johnny stopped in for a couple of days to visit. We took them to the Houston
Children's Museum. There they learned about shopping, milking a cow,
and building an arch.
Nov 2, Houston
  We
are back from our trip across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2. This was
our first experience cruising from Point A to Point B with no intermediate
stops. It was quite different from our previous cruises. The QM2 is
so big that there is something entertaining for all tastes. We spent a lot
of time attending a series of lectures by a group of professors from Oxford
University. We got to spend a bit of time with the lecturers who were all
very accessible and friendly. Food and drink were top drawer. The
QM2 sports thirteen bars ranging from a British pub to a modern jazz
lounge. We did our best to frequent them all. Three formal nights
allowed me to reduce the per usage cost of the tuxedo I bought last year.
The hallway on our deck was over 1,000 feet long, more
than the length of three football fields end to end. We get to spend four days in Houston
before heading to Puerto Vallarta on Monday.
Oct 29, Houston
Hats off to the Chicago White Sox.
They outplayed the Astros and deserved to win. Last year the Astros won
their first playoff series, this year their first league championship, and next
year - maybe the World Series. At least we were spared having to see the
last two games.
Oct 25, Houston
The Astros are down 2-0 to the White Sox in
the World Series. They are resilient but they're going to have to forge a
comeback without us as we are leaving tonight for London. Check in next
week for a critique of the world's largest luxury liner.
Oct 20, Houston
There is joy in Mudville today. The
sun is shining, the temperature is balmy, and everyone in Houston is
smiling. The Astros are on their way to Chicago to play in the World
Series for the first time in franchise history. The only experience we can
relate to this is being in Brazil during the World Cup finals.
Oct 18, Houston
 A
pall has descended over the city as the beloved Astros were only one pitch away
from winning the National League pennant when St. Louis Cardinal first baseman
Luis Pujols rained on their parade. As you can see from the picture,
baseball is pretty serious stuff around here.
Oct 13, Houston
 We
went to the Alley Theater to see a new play named Be My Bay. The play was
entertaining, but by the end of ten minutes it was pretty easy to predict the
final scene of the final act. The real story was the performance of Hal
Holbrook who looks and acts nothing like someone who is eighty years old.
His wife, Dixie Carter, also looking good in her mid-sixties, co-stars.
Oct 1, Boston
   The
AMP reunion is an opportunity to hear some of the school's top thinkers talk
about their ideas. There is a menu to select from, and the choices are
difficult. We always try to catch Rosabeth Moss Cantor who once again did
not disappoint. Note that just as in student days, name placards are a
requirement. In addition to the lectures, there are meals and breaks to
meet former classmates. Incidentally, we forgot our cameras,
but the new cell phone came to the rescue. I could never see any value for
having a camera in a cell phone, but I guess I was wrong.
Sep 30, Boston
 We
are in Boston for the 20 year reunion of Lew's Harvard Business School Advanced
Management Program class. Arriving a day early we opt to walk the Freedom
Trail from Boston Common to the Charlestown bridge. This was a relatively
slow process as Pat is unable to pass a historical marker without stopping to
read it. We visited Paul Revere's house, the Old North Church, etc.
One of the walk's highlights was this hopscotch mosaic imbedded into the
sidewalk at the original site of the famous Boston Latin school.
Sep 28, Buena Park, CA
Ross and Kelly visited the newly-renovated
Knott's Berry Farm theme park. Ross claims to have overcome his fear of
roller coasters. Judge for
yourself (click here).
Sep 24 (9:00 AM), Houston
  We
lost power overnight so the VCR is blinking
12:00. Everything else inside the apartment looks normal.
There is an accumulation of leaves in the swimming pool, but looking out the
window there is no evidence of storm damage. Houston was lucky this time.
Sep 23 (10:00 PM), Houston
A little light rain and wind are here, but
nothing serious. It is beginning to look like Rita may spare
Houston. Nothing more to report at this time. Tune in tomorrow.
Sep 23 (7:00 PM), Houston
 Bright
sky night, sailors delight, bright sky morning sailors warning. We had a
brilliant sunset tonight, so tomorrow should be a good day for a sail.
Maybe that old proverb doesn't always work.
Sep 23 (6:00 PM), Houston
 The
clouds are rolling in but no wind so far. The north to south movement of
the clouds would indicate that the storm is east of here. If the storm
center continues to be east of here, our south-facing apartment should be out of
harm's way. The outer band of the storm should be here soon, but we don't
anticipate any really strong winds until midnight or later.
Sep 23 (11:00 AM), Houston
 Walked
down the street to the neighborhood market and bought the last remaining manual
can opener. All batteries, water, etc. sold out. This picture is
from our bedroom window and as you can see everything looks normal.
Sep 23 (9:00 AM), Houston
An eerie calm has descended over
Houston. Most or businesses have shut down. The weather looks normal
as there is abundant sunshine and the skies are blue. We have moved
everything off the balcony and moved furniture away from the windows to the
extent possible. This must be the calm before the storm.
Sep 22, Houston
With Hurricane Rita due here on Saturday, we
decided to get out of town on Thursday. Turns out that two million other
people had the same idea and the highways out of Houston were impassable.
Accepting our fate we went to a pre-Rita party at a friend's house in the
neighborhood. Returning home after the party, we found our building
surrounded by seven fire trucks and several other emergency vehicles. We
were told that there was a fire four floors above our unit. The fire was
extinguished but we had to wait for over an hour before we could enter the
building. We found water dripping down from a light fixture in a bathroom
but no other damage.
Sep 21, Houston
The temperature hit 100 degrees today, a
record high for the date. Skies are clear and the only indication that
things aren't normal is that there are long lines at all the gas stations and
the bank ATM's are out of money.
Sep 15, Houston
The Man has been released and has been
uniformly panned (see Aug 28). One critic said they took every funny scene and made it
into a trailer. My hunch was right. Save your money and watch the
trailer at IMDB.
Sep 3, Killeen
  The
clan gathered in Killeen to help Johnny celebrate his 6th birthday. Uncle
Mike and Aunt Monica flew down from Wisconsin, and Uncle Andy drove over from
Dallas. Margaret continues to outdo herself with creative birthday
parties. This time the theme was military training with the backyard
converted to a training camp complete with a camouflage mess hall tent. Click
Here to see more pictures.
Aug 28, Reno
Went to the movies and saw a trailer for a
new one called The Man with Eugene Levy and Samuel L. Jackson. Unless
they've put every good scene in the trailer (like they did in Bringing Down the
House), this is going to be a riot.
Aug 20, Hollywood
 Pet care is big, big, big in Hollywood these
days. Guess what company is in demand for celebrity dog parties? Did
you say Kelly's Pet Care? Good guess. The picture on the left is from
Celebrity Living magazine. Also, our favorite entrepreneurs got a mention
in E! on-line. These fancy canine parties are
giving new meaning to the phrase "Doggy do".
Aug 19, Houston
Did you ever want to see what a kidney stone
looked like? I didn't think so. Just in case you did, you can CLICK
HERE here to see one removed from yours truly yesterday. Actually it
is quite pretty. I was going to ask the doc if I could get it mounted on a
ring but he had to blast it to smithereens to get it out. Oh, well.
Aug 18, Houston
More plumbing problems. One of the
main drainpipes is blocked so the plumber in charge is going to blast the plug
with a laser and then vacuum out the debris. Ouch.
Aug 03, Killeen
 We
gave the new car a little workout by driving to Killeen for a couple of
days. So far, so good. We took Johnny and Katie to their swimming
lessons in Belton, a small town between Killeen and Temple. Looks like
Johnny's favorite song is going to be "All I want for Christmas is My Two
Front Teeth".
Jul 28, Houston
 The
rains have stopped but the hot weather continues. We need to do better at
leaving Houston in July and August. Our new car has arrived. We are
having fun driving it around town. It has lots of hi-tech gizmos which we
are trying to figure out how to use.
Jul 22, Houston
The Houston rains continue. Every
afternoon we experience a deluge. For no particular reason, we have
decided to indulge in a new car. We have ordered a BMW 525i.
Delivery is scheduled for nest Monday. Watch this spot for a picture.
Jul 15, Houston
In typical Houston fashion, a heavy
afternoon rain left a lot of water on the streets. Undeterred, we drove
down to the River Oaks theater, to see a sneak preview of "You, Me, and
Everyone We Know" to which we had been invited. When we arrived we
encountered a sign saying that the preview had been cancelled by bad
weather. This may be the only city in America where they can play baseball
when it rains, but not show movies.
Jul 9, Wisconsin Dells
 The week is coming to an end and the weather
has been spectacular - no rain and high temperatures in the high 70's to low
80's. We have been on some nice boat rides on the Wisconsin River and
spent a (very) short time in the city of Wisconsin Dells. The city makes
Gatlinburg look high class. There have been a few forays to the nearby
Ho-Chunk casino, where we contributed to the welfare of the region's native
Americans. Mostly we hung around the house, swimming and boating, with a
campfire every night. See more pictures here.
Jul 6, Wisconsin Dells
 The Dells is famous for water parks, so we
had to give it a try. We went to Noah's Ark, ostensibly the best. We
had a good time on the water slides and enjoyed the cool (relative to Houston)
weather.
Jul 4, Wisconsin Dells
 We arrived yesterday at our summer rental in
Wisconsin for a week with the family. On the way we stopped in Mequon to
see Mike and Monica's beautiful new home. The house at the Dells is on a small
lake across from a youth camp. The camp arranged for a spectacular Fourth of
July fireworks show in our front yard.
Jun 17, Houston
  We are back in Houston and it is
hot....hot...hot! After a week in Maine with a temperature range of
mid-fifties to mid-seventies we are experiencing mid-nineties to low
hundreds. Went to Killeen for a couple of days to watch the grandkids at
their swimming and golf lessons. Also, got to see Katie with short
hair. If anything it was hotter there than it
is here. Just think - it is still officially spring.
Jun 8, Fox Islands, Maine
  College pal Al Posnack and his wife Annie
picked us up in their powerboat for an excursion to North Haven and
Vinalhaven, the largest of the Fox Islands. The ocean was as calm as a
lake. We packed sandwiches and beverages and tied up at Pulpit Bay for
pleasant repast. A little while later we disembarked at North Haven for a land tour.
Didn't find much. Hard to believe more than 300 people live here year
round.
Jun 7, Boothbay Harbor, Maine
 The
good weather returned so we headed south to visit Boothbay Harbor. While
wandering around we stumbled upon a small aquarium which featured a
wolf-fish with a goofy, toothy smile. Reminds me of someone but I can't
remember who.
Jun 6, Rockland, Maine
  We
are staying at a very nice resort called the Samoset Inn. Yesterday, the
high temperature was 51 degrees. It was also rainy and windy so we didn't
venture far. There is a mile long jetty attached to the resort property
with a working lighthouse at the end. We worked off some excess lobster by
walking out to the lighthouse.
Jun 5, Rockland, Maine
   It's
a beautiful day in Rockland, so we decide to take advantage of the weather and
visit Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. We drive to the summit of
Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the Atlantic coast. The views are
spectacular with Bar Harbor on one side and Jordan Pond on the
other.
Jun 4, Portland, Maine
The Weather Channel forecast mid 40's to low
60's for the week so we dressed warm and packed all warm clothes. It is 81
degrees when we land in Maine.
May 21, Barcelona, Spain
  After
three days of almost non-stop eating we have become aficionados of tapas.
The trick is to find bars or restaurants that are crowded so the food moves
quickly. Thinly sliced ham, or "jamon", is a must. Many
establishments have "cortadors" who do nothing but slice jamon off the
ham bones all day. A visit to Park Guell was a highlight. This was a
Gaudi designed planned community for the rich. Three houses were built, but
the development flopped. The city took it over and turned it into a
park. The park's buildings look like precursors to Disneyland. For more
pictures from this trip click here .
May 19, Barcelona, Spain
  No
doubt about it, this is a great city from which to begin or end a cruise.
The terminal is right in the middle of town, near Las Ramblas. After
dumping our luggage at the hotel, we go to the tourist bureau and get Barcelona
Cards which give you free access to all public transport. The metro system
is one of the best and busses fill in the gaps. Our objective is to see as
many Gaudi designed buildings as possible and visit the Sagrada Familia on day
one.
May 18, Sète, France
  A
representative of the local tourist organization suggested a short hike to Mont
St. Clair for some nice views of the city. The map she gave us made it
look easy. I guess we should have figured out that to get good views it
would have to be pretty high and because the distance was short the path would
be steep. It was. The views were spectacular, but I'm not sure if it
was worth the effort. We had no guilt feelings after the descent when we
sat at a quayside bar drinking beer and eating moules et frites.
May 17, Marseilles, France
  The
weather has been wonderful all week, but the skies are threatening when we
arrive in Marseilles. We spent the morning on a tour of the old
city. In the afternoon we go on our only only organized shore excursion of
the entire cruise, a bus trip and guided walking tour of Aix-en-Provence.
Our tour guide is speaking some amalgam of English and French which is totally unintelligible
to speakers of either tongue. As the tour ends the skies open up ending
our idea of touring the city.
May 16, Monte Carlo
   In
two days, Monte Carlo will host the Formula One Grand Prix. Bleachers,
fences, and signs are being erected all over the city. We take in the
changing of the guard at the palace and then go to the Jacques Cousteau museum
and aquarium. The Voyager's newsletter announced that passports are
required to enter the Casino, but we didn't see it. We are summarily
dismissed at the front entrance when we try to buy tickets to get in. Oh
well, probably saved us some money.
May 15, Portofino, Italy
  The
tourist density in Portofino is even higher than Florence's. We hike up to
the beautiful Splendido Hotel overlooking the village. We pick up a
brochure at the hotel and discover that the cheapest room during the off-season
goes for around $700 per night. We take the ferry to Ravello and Santa
Margherita and have have a beer. These two villages look similar to
Portofino, but are a lot less crowded.
May 14, Livorno, Italy
 This
port is a rude shock after Sorrento. Livorno is definitely not a tourist
town. We head for the train station and catch a ride to Florence. It
is hard to believe this is May as there are so many tourists in the streets it
is difficult to walk. Hard to imagine what it is like in June of
July. We visit Michelangelo's David and the Ponte Vecchia, but the lines
at the Uffizi are too long.
May 13, Sorrento, Italy
  After
our first night on the Radisson Voyager of the Seas we arrive at Sorrento. In
addition to Sorrento, we visit Positano and Amalfi. The drive down the
Amalfi Coast is as beautiful as advertised. Positsano is the most
picturesque place on the Coast, but it looks pretty quiet.
May 12, Rome, Italy
  Our
final morning in Rome is spent in the Villa Borghese. The museum in the
Villa limits the number visitors but we were lucky enough to get in. It contains an
impressive range of sculptures by Bernini which are themselves worth the
trip. Before heading off to Civitavecchia to join out ship, we take a ride
in an observation balloon to get some beautiful views of Rome.
May 11, Rome, Italy
  In
an ecumenical spirit we visit the Vatican in the morning and the Jewish ghetto
in the afternoon. We didn't get to see the Pope, but did spend some time
in the Sistine Chapel, the site of the recent papal election. The size of
the Vatican Museum is intimidating, but we plow ahead. Dinner is in a
kosher restaurant in the ghetto is better than expected. No boiled
chicken.
May 10, Rome, Italy
  A
hop off / hop on tour bus is the first order of business. We decide not to
hop off until the bus has made a complete trip. Good way to get the lay of
the land. The first stop, which we now see for the second time is the
obligatory Spanish Steps / Trevi Fountain visit. At night we walk to the
Rome Opera House to see a production of Turandot. No English sub-titles
were provided.
May 9, Rome, Italy
  This
is the first visit to the eternal city for Lew, and the second for Pat.
Our hotel is in the Centro Storico which I assume means historical center.
The entire area looks like a museum. It is impossible to go very far
without seeing something that was constructed 2000 years ago. The coliseum
is a must do as is the Roman Forum. We do them the first day.
May 4, Killeen
   Things
are a bit hectic as we are preparing for a trip to Europe on Sunday. We
arrived back in Houston on Saturday and drove right from the airport to Killeen
to be entertained by Johnny and Katie. Johnny is playing tee ball and
Katie is playing tea party. On Sunday we all went to the Lake Belton
recreation area. Looks like a nice place for a future weekend outing.
Apr 28, Fort Lauderdale
Our family matriarch, Kay Levy, passed away
in her sleep, two weeks after her 90th birthday. She brought cheer to
everyone whose life she touched. She will be missed.
Mar 31, Hutchinson, Kansas
 On
the road again. We fly to Wichita and then drive through the Kansas wheat
fields to Hutchinson, the home of Jim O'Connell, a good friend from our Hawaii
days. Jim's friends have arranged a surprise 60th birthday party for
Jim. It was fun meeting Jim's friends and relatives, and presenting him
with a special orchid lei shipped from the islands by some of Jim's Hawaii
friends.
Mar 27, Austin
   Off
to Dick and Jann Brown's for Easter. This annual family event has grown to
25 adults and 8 children. As usual, the food was outstanding and I ate too
much. The kids had a great time looking for Easter eggs and shooting pool.
Mar 12, Chihuahua, Mexico
We arrive close to midnight after a five plus hour segment on
the train. When we arrived at the train station, our pre-arranged
transportation was not there. We piled into a subcompact taxi and held our breath until we got to our hotel. Hey, if
everything always went smoothly, we'd never have any good stories. For
more on the Copper Canyon trip click here.
Mar 10, Creel, Mexico
  Once
again exiting the train was chaotic. Someone grabbed our bag and put it in
a van heading for the wrong hotel. I rescued the bag as the van was
leaving the station. Our hotel in Creel was the absolute pits. There
were pigeons and mice sharing the living quarters above our ceiling. They
kept us awake cooing and scratching on the floor. We snuck out in the
morning and found another hotel. The Creel area
is known for having many rocks in odd formations. Here is one that looks
like a frog. Some but not all of us defied death by descending into the canyon
in an old vehicle on a very narrow road with no guardrail in order to find some
hot springs. I had decided to grow a beard, but it turned white during
this ride so I shaved it off.
Mar 9, Posada Barrancas, Mexico
  On
and off the train again to arrive at a hotel which must have the world's most
spectacular view. Every room is built out over the canyon. We took a
hike to see some Tarahumara indians living in a cave. In the morning we
went by bus to see the canyon. Our English speaking guide Daniel took us
to an overlook where he demonstrated "surfing" on an unstable rock
which sits on the canyon rim.
Mar 8, Cerocahui, Mexico
  The
train ride between El Fuerte and Cerocahui is spectacular, although getting on
and off is an adventure. Although it has been in operation for a number of
years they haven't figured out that it would be best if people got out at one
end of a car and got in at the other end. We went for a hike to a
waterfall with a guide named Juan whose English was limited to one word -
Okay. I think his Spanish may have been limited to one word also. Q:
Quanto tiempo daqui para las cascadas? A: Okay. A hair-raising bus ride
the next morning gave us our first glimpse of the canyon.
Mar 7, El Fuerte, Mexico
  We
hitched a ride to El Fuerte with a tour group. The tour director wasn't
very happy, but he went along so the bus driver could make a few extra
pesos. He made it clear that we had to sit in the back of the bus.
The Posada de Hidalgo Hotel was very nice. Our bag arrived late in the
afternoon, after we returned from a boat ride down the El Fuerte River observing
the bird life.
Mar 6, Los Mochis, Mexico
After one week at home, we are off again to
Mexico to see the Copper Canyon. Continental is routing us to Los Mochis
via Mexico City, which is a little like going from Houston to Dallas by way of
Cleveland. In any event, our baggage liked it so much in Mexico City it
decided to stay. As there is one flight a day, it is questionable when we
will next see our bag. We rendezvous with friend Jackie and Don Jones from
Honolulu.
Feb 27, Houston
Back home in time to watch the Oscars.
No real surprises, but I was a little disappointed by the choice for Best
Supporting Actress. At least two of the other nominees were better.
I must be missing something with Chris Rock. I keep hearing how funny he
is, but I don't get it. Robin Williams - now there is a funny guy.
Feb 25, Akumal
  We
visit Tulum, home to Mayan ruins which overlook the sea. On out last
visit, twenty years ago, it was deserted. Today it is overrun with
tourists. The setting is still spectacular and well worth a visit, but
somehow it isn't the same.
Feb 24, Akumal
A new experience for Lew - Scuba
diving. After a couple hours of instruction, Lew, friend Jesse, an
experienced veteran, and Shaleh, the instructor, head out to the deep water in a
small boat. After a few false starts caused by ear pain, the trio descends
to forty feet and swim with the fish for 45 minutes. The coral is very
colorful, and a graceful sting ray is spotted feeding on the bottom. The
world beneath the surface of the water is beautiful and serene, but the ear
discomfort is a real negative.
Feb 23, Akumal
 Paradise
Found! Three blocks from the house is a place called Yal-ku. Here
the water is crystal clear, warm and teeming with brightly colored fish.
Pat tries snorkeling for the first time and can't wait to go back and try
again. We will return at least once a day for the remainder of the trip.
Feb 21, Mexico
  We
don't think we have ever seen an airport quite as crowded as the one in Cancun
yesterday. Evidently, this has become the destination of choice for many
Americans following 9/11. The airport facility is woefully inadequate to
handle the crowds on Sundays when most visitors arrive and leave. We are
heading to Akumal, about 100 km south of the airport. Akumal has had quite
a lot of development, but is still uncrowded and very enjoyable. We are
staying with friends at a house right on the Caribbean Sea.
Feb 20, Houston
We're off to Akumal, Mexico, for a week of
fun and sun. We haven't been to the Yucatan in almost twenty years, and
are anxious to see how much it has changed.
Feb 14, Houston
Believe it or not, your correspondent was
picked for jury duty. It turned out to be an interesting experience.
The trial was a DWI charge to which the defendant pleaded not guilty.
After two days of testimony, the attorneys for both sides rested and the jury
went off to deliberate. I was elected foreman on the basis of having seen
the most Law and Order episodes during the first three seasons. We
returned a verdict of guilty after a two hour debate. The members of the
jury were each paid the princely sum of $12, which works out to be about 75
cents per hour.
Jan 29, Harker Heights
  Women
don't like to get older so Katie delayed her birthday for a month. As
usual, Margaret made a fantastic cake. This time it was a ladybug complete
with antennae. In keeping with the ladybug theme, Katie and her
grandmother donned ladybug antennae as well.
Jan 15, Mequon
  Monica
and Mike have a new addition to their family - Hoover. Although he was a
little jealous at first, Willie has decided that having a little brother isn't
all that bad. It looks like Mike is going to have to buy a new pair of
slippers.
Jan 14, Houston
 We
got this newsletter from the Houston Symphony. Does the good-looking guy
on the cover remind you of somebody? Meanwhile, Lew's body makeover
continues with a lens implant on one eye to be followed in two weeks with one
for the other. Unbeknownst to Pat, the process is being recorded for a
possible reality TV series in the fall.
Jan 4, Houston
Back to balmy Houston. It's good to
see ground again. We got back just in time to see the Orange Bowl. I
don't know which was worse - the game or the half-time entertainment. I
must be getting old, but who is Ashlee Simpson and how did she get to be
famous? The girl has no obvious talent and she's not that good-looking.
Jan 1, Lake Tahoe
   2005
has arrived and more snow came with it. The hill behind the condo has been
converted to a toboggan run and everyone had a good time even though we were
pretty much bound to the house. In keeping with a long-standing family
tradition, the men spent a major portion of the day watching the Bowl
games.
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