Summer 2007 NJ Vacation

People, Places, Things: Ocean City, Grandparents, July 4th Parade, Wounded Bird



Sulik kids: 4 (of 5) + 1 dove

#10

Happy anniversary (8/23), sweet Amy...


NOTES:

• this was anniversary #10, hence the blog moniker (since1997)
  
• should've made the dessert image from St Johns a bit smaller, but it was a most excellent meal...if ever you have a chance for a meal from here, do go (and bring a fat wallet!) as it is definitely worth it
  

Better Late Than Never

Happy Birthday Dove and Keith. . .

Photos from DC

In March the family spent a week Smithsonianing, and to places like the Washington Zoo and Washington Monument (both are free like so many other great things there). I meanwhile whiled the days away in a lovely suburban industrial complex (computer class). Here we are:

Doesn't your heart just soar with patriotic fervor?

Oak chillin' at the George W Monument.

Yes, that is my hair, and yes, it was more windy than you could possibly imagine.

Oak got 2nd place in this airplane contest, which is cool since the boy has been INTO paper airplane design like you wouldn't believe the past year now....he's really quite good at some advanced designs. He even has a favorite paper airplane design engineer.

It snowed, was hot, rained, was windy...
we got it all on the Mall.

Street food is the best...
kind of like food you cook when you camp.

I think the kids had the most fun jumping on our hotel beds and riding on the Metro (much to the chagrin of our fellow commuters). Here's the goods:








And finally, as a parting gift for our faithful blog readers (you know who you are!), here we are, the lovely bride and groom only 10 years young, circa Spring 2007:

Easter 2007

Easter was colder this year than Easter should be. A late frost killed off new flowers and shoots. Of course the children didn't mind with eggs to be found and candy to be eaten. . .






But I am ready for the spring, ready for the shining of trees.

The ears stung with cold
sun and frost of dawn
in early April, comes

the song of winter finches,
their crimson bright, then
dark as they move into

and then against the light.
May the year warm them
soon. May they soon go

north with their singing
and the season follow.
May the bare sticks soon

live, and our minds go free
of the ground
into the shining of trees.

—Wendell Berry ("The Finches")

We have decided to call her Olga

...or perhaps Svetlana or Helga. Suggestions are welcome, as I thought the little bird was looking a bit Slavic yesterday, so I snapped a few pix of her and Mo.

And Ila? We have not forgotten thee. A few pix from D.C. will soon be posted for your viewing pleasure. Here at Dogwood Lane, we aim to please...even if takes a few months inbetween posts.

Finally! Pix of the New Kitchen

I know, I know...the old kitchen had so much, uh, character:


But we decided to be a little crazy and go with something less "bad 70's"ish. Many thanks to Bank of America, IKEA, and Home Depot for your generous support and financing of this remodel. Believe me, we are truly in your debt and could not have done this without you.

In all seriousness, Keith Riley did an excellent job on this remodel. Any of you chattanoogans need a remodel? Give this guy a call.








And finally, kudos are well deserved for Scott Riley who put this tile floor down and did the backsplash (amongst other things on this remodel). Need tile work? Definitely give him a call.

Dancing at Jon Schimpf's Wedding

Meadow is definitely the most uninihibited dancer of us all...the side shot of her shows it best. She had more fun dancing I think than all the rest of us put together. Credit to monty and his flickr wedding set for below pix.