Blue Nettles

Sorry Whitey, but you can't put video on this site. Part of getting it free is that we have a limit to how much bandwidth we use. The place to put your videos is on YouTube. I don't know the process - you could learn that.

And since people are putting up videos constantly - your video is all ready there. But the commenters say that it isn't real but a comedy skit.

I've been watching a lot of eighties videos like this.

Larry, I also have a lot of time on my hands. I want to upload a video of an interview with our Minister of the Interior. Very true and funny. How do I upload a video? Whitey

We had a brain storm a couple weeks ago. Why are we waiting for the city to approve our architect plans and whatever else is taking forever? We have had all the stuff we brought from Utah in May just stored away so let's try to figure out how to make it fit in the floating home. So we got our workers to move it down here, then rearranged, hung some pictures and WA-LAH! We feel like it was meant to be here. In the bedroom we have Mackie's dresser which is next to a dark wood vaneer dresser and next to a pine vaneer book shelf. So none of it matches, but we're using it all. We had Whitey brother, Rob and wife Vicky here last week and felt very civilized with the dining set. Thanks Mom!!!
(Wow- Larry - now that I've mastered the picture upload, I will figure out how to get the websites on here. Very cool!)

You got my subtle literary reference (with cats) - also see this partially successful attempt at making a film of it with Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro.

I don't really have much free time at my new job. Lots of work and changing priorities and the Secretary constantly cancelling our briefings to go deal with belligerent foreigners. Like they say - "The State Department would run a lot smoother if we didn't have to deal with these damn foreigners all the time."

For you former Box Elder Bees - here is the infamous Bee Girl.

This reminds me of Hunter S. Thompson and his buddy on their way to Las Vegas..."just as the drugs were beginning to take hold".

Larry, your new job is giving you tooooo much spare time. Lead the BAT movement into the future for all of us. We are counting on you mate. Don't let us down........Whiteybat..and batboy.

Hi everyone-
Max- it's definately more real to hear of people we know that are involved in what's going on in the Middle East. My friend Deann and I were having dinner at a Middle Eastern cuisine restaurant a few weeks ago- she knows the owner and he stopped at our table to visit with us. He had just returned from retrieving his sons (9 and 11 yrs. old)- they had been visiting family there. As things got worse, he knew he had to go get them sooner than later. Apparently they had to spend some time in a bomb shelter- very scarey. It's incredible to imagine how it must feel to be in that whole zone. I hope it gets figured out soon. Duane has been following it closely and seems to have a good understanding of it all- I have to keep sorting out who's who and who's fighting who and why they're fighting each other! He helps me keep it straight.
Ellie- I don't remember about the silver dollars and teeth. Hope James had a fun bday- is he still enjoying his watch and binoculars? That was fun to take both James and Davis shopping. Is Davis using his weather station?
Happy belated bday, Lynne- hope it was a good day.
Love, Kay

Today is Lynne's 50th birthday. Yes, it is just a number, but also a great milestone.
Happy Birthday, Lynne!

James lost his first tooth. He turned eight years old last week. For the first tooth, the toothfairy brought a silver dollar. I had two silver dollars that Nana gave us many years ago. The date on the coins is 1974.

The boys don't know about Nana giving their mother the silver dollars, but I do.
I keep telling them they are very special coins.

Milestones.
Ellie

We just had a visit from our friend Noa, from Israel. Noa was one of our shipmates in the liferaft. Noa lives within 2 minutes of the Lebanon border and after 3 weeks of Kartoosh rockets from the Hezbollah militants to the north she found it so different and difficult here in Glen Cove. All of her friends are still there and every time she opens her cell phone there is a message in Hebrew to evacuate the area. Noa is finishing up her studies in Jewish and Arab Relations. 3 years of working with programs to help the Israeli Arabs and Jews work and live together. To understand each others culture which is so different. To try and change the area for their kids and their kids future..Where does she go to now? Does she have a future back in Israel or has the latest war put everything back years. Having an open discussion on this was insightful to me. Noa blames her own government and the lack of "guts" from the Lebanon government for letting the Hezbollah take root in their country. My other friend Nayla called the other day to get together. She lives here in the Bay Area. Nayla is from Lebanon and she remembers the last war 30 years ago when she was one of the refugee kids being carried on board a ship headed to Cyprus. Nothing changes over the years. Just when you think there is a chance of peace, it changes. Nayla blames her own government and the incredible aggression from the Israelis. My only hope is that their kids and your kids can do something to bring peace. We need a whole world wide generation change to all of this agression. A whole generation of people who practice "tollerance" The majority of the people in the middle east want to try and get along and the minority militants with religious conviction that they are the ones with God on their side sickens me. Jew against Muslim. Muslim against Muslim. Muslim against Christian.
I really hope my friend Noa stays safe. She is back there now trying to make a change. Whitey