Catching up ....

View looking up at all of the images at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

A quote from Elie Wiesel's book Night, in which he recalls his childhood being stripped away from him during the Holocaust.

Korean Monument at night.

A tombstone at Arlington with a rock on top.

Spring comes earlier to D.C. than Illinois; unfortunately, it was still very cold while we were there.

Jets flying over Arlington for a burial service.

The gate into Chinatown in D.C. We were able to partake in the Chinese New Year! Awesome!

The dragons breathing in the New Year!

Fresh Cuisine!

Obama speaking at the University of Maryland during the Potomac Primaries.

The press corp ready to cover the primaries. Over 18,000 were in attendance for Obama's speech; most people looked to be under the age of twenty-five.


Street Musician.

Okay, so I may have been a little off as to when spring was going to arrive, especially given the fact that it's still in the thirties outside. With that said, however, a little birdie, actually several birdies, have told me by their whistles that spring is right around the corner, and with that, far warmer weather. I simply cannot wait. I'm tired of catching colds and the flu and am looking forward to sunny skies!

As for the images that you see here, they are various images that I didn't have the opportunity to post until now. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday!!!! -- Farley's 1st!

March 7 was Farley's very 1st Birthday! Jake was very good about persuading Farley to go to Dairy Queen to celebrate, where, by mere coincidence, they both had a vanilla cone. Needless to say, it was a hit. No ice cream headaches and they simply cannot wait until next year .... or at least until they get to celebrate someone else's birthday!

Another snow storm .... another ice headache ....

Another winter storm is set to hit tomorrow, 90% chance, and will likely stretch into Tuesday: rain, snow, sleet, and ice. This comes on the heels of one of the best days we've experienced in a long time as it was almost 40 degrees and sunny!

The dogs loved it, too! In fact, Farley and Jake went and played with my mom's dogs (Scruffy, Regis, and Laddie). And by played, I mean, ate their food. At the end of the day, Farley kept frolicking in the snow and decided to eat a little bit a little too fast, giving him what looked like an ice cream headache. Don't worry, it didn't last long, and for those of you that are going to ask, no it wasn't yellow snow!

Even More D.C. ....

While walking about the capitol, gripping my coat to keep warm, these two gentleman came into view as we passed one of the most revered icons within the American culture (see photo above :) ). The cold wasn't a bother for either one of them as they stood above the grates where the hot air blew out of the building. They were both singing and dancing, to what, who knows, but whatever it was, they could both hear it .... and they were both happy for a small time.

Happy Happy Birthday!!!!

Today began Jake's birthday week! Only eleven short years ago, "Jake the Snake" (AKC registry name) was whelped on a small farm in Iowa. Since then, he has been a little angel in our lives. Throughout that time, Jake has been a trooper, surviving a near fatal car versus dog (I don't think anyone really won that fight), (2) operations for urinary bladder stones, an operation for a fatty tumor removal, castration (yes, that was a tough one), and (23) stitches received from a foster dog who wanted to prove herself (Jake decided not to fight back on that one). Last but not least, his biggest challenge has been as a mentor to the young rising jedi (aka Wild Spirit) known as Farley. He has snarled his way into our family and many other lives along the way. He got his annual favorite treat of Dairy Queen today, but expects more to come throughout the week!

D.C. - Some more images ....

More in D.C. ....

First of all, credit goes to Bob for photographing me in the Member's Only Room at the Library of Congress. The lighting was excellent and the decor was phenomenal; subject matter, of course, was something that needed a little bit of work! So how did we get into the Member's Only Room? Well, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin invited us! Well, not just us, but the entire Illinois Community College Trustees Association to discuss Pell and Perkins grant funding as well as the proposed education bill pending within Congress (update -- he did speak about loan forgiveness to prosecutors and public defenders -- it's still being considered). Prior to that, we spent the morning visiting the various Senate and House offices speaking to legislative assistants regarding pending bills. The business day ended on the top floor of the Hart building for a brief reception thrown by the South Carolina Senators for all representatives of community colleges. The view over the capitol was great!