Calypso says "Stop working..."

"Stop working and start decorating!" The kids will be home soon!!

With Grace on vacation... I have been helping with the data entry. Calypso keeps my spirits up with hourly requests for attention. Come to think of it... maybe her food bowl is empty.

The Vote at Station Camp

The Lewis and Clark enactors took the official vote at Station Camp.
"That evening, the commanding officers polled the entire group to see where they wanted to spend the winter. The historic vote included a vote from the lone female in the group, Sacagawea, and William Clark’s slave, York. This is believed to be the first time on American soil that women and blacks were given a vote."

And with that historic vote... they journeyed across the Columbia River to winter on the south side. (Many of these re-enactors are relatives of the actual people they are portraying.)

Over the river and through the woods...

As a public service... I am posting this 12 step program for use during the Thanksgiving Dinner.

Over the river and through the woods to the family argument over Iraq...
by Hugh Hewitt
November 23, 2005 02:15 PM PST
It is that time of year again, when the extended family gathers to feast, watch some football, and fall into deep quarrels over politics.
Well, hopefully you can avoid the latter.
But, if you have a brother-in-law or a shirttail cousin who insists --absolutely insists-- on arguing "Bush lied, people died" again, follow these simple rules:
1. Refuse combat, at least twice, and be seen by your spouse and host to have been trying to avoid the clash. Even if you really, really want to engage.
2. Sigh when you agree to discuss the war, and agree to do so only after your opponent and you agree on some basic facts.
3. Begin by asking if your interlocutor can recall where he or she had Thanksgiving 10 years ago. The ask if they can recall 1998 very well. Then ask if they can recall Operation Desert Fox. Ask if recalls SecDef Cohen's December 20, 1998 briefing:
DoD News Briefing
Saturday, December 19, 1998 - 6:55 p.m. (EST) Presenter: Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen
Secretary of Defense William S. CohenSecretary Cohen: Good evening.
On Wednesday when U.S. and British forces launched strikes against Iraq, I stated that we were pursuing clear military goals. And as President Clinton has announced, we've achieved those goals. We've degraded Saddam Hussein's ability to deliver chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. We've diminished his ability to wage war against his neighbors. Our forces attacked about 100 targets over four nights, following a plan that was developed and had been developed and refined over the past year. We concentrated on military targets and we worked very hard to keep civilian casualties as low as possible. Our goal was to weaken Iraq's military power, not to hurt Iraq's people.
4. Then ask if President Clinton and his Administration were lying when they gave as their justification for the massive bombing of Iraq the fear that Saddam had WMD?
5. Ask your opponent if they supported the invasion of Afghanistan.
6. Ask your opponent if the US. would have been better off had it removed the Taliban regime in 1999 or 2000.
7. Ask if your opponent believes that al Qaeda would have used WMD if they had had them on 9/11.
8. Ask if, post 9/11, American presidents have to react differently to perceived threats against the country.
9. Ask if Zarqawi had trained in Afghanistan, both before and after 9/11, and if Zarqawi had traveled freely in Baghdad under Saddam.
10. Ask if Saddam's regime was likely to have ever changed absent outside intervention, and if Saddam's sons would have been better or worse than their father to their own people, the region, and the world.
11. Ask if Saddam supported terrorists.
12. Tell your opponent that his or her answers have given you a lot to think about and excuse yourself from the conversation. If pursued, explain that the gulf between your understanding of crucial facts and their understanding of crucial facts is so vast as to render impossible a meaningful exchange. Be sure that your spouse and host see you make this declaration.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving Day.

We are busy with tons of MR Data Corp office work this Thanksgiving week. Brett and I will be low keyed and enjoy a quiet time... with lots of computer work between turkey, cranberries and pumpkin pie.

Madison will be in Denver on a show day, Aura will travel to join the new Peace Corps Volunteers (in Northern Morocco) for an American meal before they swear in the next day....and Paris will be with friends near Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Faith, Family and Freedom

Our friend, Fredi Simpson, invited us to Wenatchee to meet Oliver North and hear him speak at a fundraiser for her son's school... St. Paul's Lutheran School.

We made the 6 hour drive and enjoyed the evening at the convention center in downtown Wenatchee.

Our table mates were all interesting and unique community and GOP leaders. It was a long day and well worth the trip.

Brett talking to Col. Oliver North and getting his book signed.

Harmony

Look at this face!
Brett thinks she has a Mother Teresa look!

So precious. Ryan and Rebecca tell us that her wrist is the size of a woman's thumb. So tiny.
She weighs just over 4 pounds.

Mother and baby have joined big sister, Faith... at home. They are posting photos on their blog:
www.malinfamily.blogspot.com

Lewis and Clark head to Station Camp

I woke up sort of tired of all this Lewis & Clark stuff. In fact, I had a dream that someone was trying to sell me a "Lewis and Clark IRA (retirement account)"!! How crazy is that?! It was a politically correct...environmentally friendly investment account.

Needless to say, Brett agreed with me to skip the lecture from the visiting Nebraskan Professor who has republished the definitive journals that Lewis penned.

I headed off to Astoria... running errands and doing the banking. I "thought" about grabbing my camera...but decided against it. So..here I am traveling to about where the church is in McGowan (as seen in The Ring 2)...and BEHOLD... the Corps are about to land at Station Camp. The front dugout with the famed Lewis and Clark guys are out of camera range. But these re-enactors have everything down to the precise moment/people/activity. My cell phone camera makes things look farther away than they actually are. So...let's see.... they camp out there (at the Chinook Indian park grounds)...make a trip up by our house soon (this next week and weekend)... and then have the vote to move to Oregon on Nov. 24th. If you are interested in more detailed descriptions of their time here... check out www.lewisandclarkwa.org and click on the calendar dates for journal entries. 

Corps of Discovery II

We visited the exhibits, tents, re-enactors, displays and more performances. So much to take in.

Plus... it is a clam tide this weekend!!
Signs in town state- WELCOME CORPS AND CLAMS!

We have not been over the bridge to the activities in Astoria. They have even more activities there.

In case you wondered.... pouring, drenching rain the entire weekend! A true Lewis and Clark experience.

Destination: The Pacific

more on Saturday evening.
Brett with Harmony.
We told her our new granddaughter has her name!
Harmony has a weekend home in Seaview. She has a great job in Seattle...taking care of babies at the Zoo!







The Actors, Director and Author answer questions after a performance of "Lewis and Clark and the End of the World".






Enjoying wine, champagne, sparkling cider and great food before the benefit performance held at The Sou'wester Lodge. The benefit was for the Save the Seaview Dunes Legal Defense Fund.



Sunday morning, we attended our favorite speaker's (Rex Ziak) lecture on "Fur Trade, Soft Gold, Lewis & Clark".

We just love him!

Lewis and Clark's Lower Columbia River

This lecture had an Ecologist (Dr. Daniel Botkin)
and Historian (Professor Willian Lang) exploring the Columbia River and the relationship to what Lewis & Clark observed in their journals. The moderator was the Director of the Maritime Museum in Astoria (Jerry Ostermiller).

A little bit rambling and uncertain about the point of it all... perhaps due to time constraints.

The organizers were a bit cranky about photo ops...so I snuck my cell phone out and snapped a quick momento.

Lewis and Clark Wild Game Dinner at The Depot

The weekend's activities were kicked off with a Wild Game Dinner... matched by wines from Jefferson Vineyards. The vines are on the actual Monticello property. (but replanted)

Chef Michael prepared a stunning meal and the restaurant was booked to capacity.


We shared a table with a couple from Renton. They have a passion for all things Lewis and Clark. They even teach the merit badge for the Boy Scouts on the history of Lewis and Clark.

Our evening was made complete with their discussion of factoids about the expedition. What more could we ask for? An author?... well Nancy's (Depot owner) friend, Claire Murphy, has written a children's book on Sacajawea and York. She presented even more information about the "journey West with Lewis and Clark" between courses.



We met new friends, saw old friends and enjoyed the food, wine, conversation and historical perspective.


Brett ordered the Venison Tenderloin and I had the Pheasant. (of course we shared)

Here is the menu.

Harmony Joy Malin, born Nov. 12 at 1:09am

She weighs about 4 pounds and is 6 weeks early...but is healthy and fine.

Ryan's blog with photos will be updated as he can.

Delivery was smooth...lasting just a few hours.

Lewis & Clark, Dinners, Plays, Lectures, Exhibits and Baby!

This is a full weekend!

Since Lewis & Clark arrived... the tourists have followed. Being local, we were able to secure tickets early to some of the many events.

Brett and I were enjoying a quiet prelude... (actually we having cocktails and dancing in our living room- how romantic!) and the phone call from Ryan alerted us that Rebecca went into labor 6 weeks ahead of schedule.

So back in North Carolina... little Miss Harmony Joy Malin arrived into the world.

The Lewis and Clark Event is here!

The much awaited Lewis and Clark Bicentennial is here! We have a full schedule of events.

These historians are from Camp River Dubois, the Point of Departure in Illinois. Behind them are more exhibits and more re-enactors.

Friday night we attend a gourmet "Wild Game and Monticello Wine" dinner and begin the weekend of lectures, seminars, plays and exhibits.

We can't possibly see and do everything... but I will chronicle what we are able to attend.

Flidder on the Roof

Brett took advantage of the break in rain clouds to patch some leaks. We are in the queue with the roofer. I am begging that the roof re-do happens before the Holidays. We have at least 2 dozen bowls/cups/buckets set up to catch the ever moving target of leaks.

Speaking of waiting for repair people. We have been waiting and waiting and waiting for the electrician who has never shown at the promised time. (and these are the reputable people!)

A phone call from the neighbor gave me a horror story of their use of chosen electrician. Cross him off the list. Yesterday I drove around to speak to merchants with their recommendations... and today will call for a new one. Wonder if he will show up in the next few months.

Remember to Vote Today!

Dismal Nitch

200 years ago... Lewis and Clark had a near disaster at "Dismal Nitch". We know the feeling of the unrelenting rain and wind. This storm is one of the most dreary I have experienced here. Rain is leaking through our roof. We have buckets, cups, towels and bowls spread out. As the wind moves...we move the little reservoirs. Our lot is flooded like a lake. The Koi Pond is about to overflow. This certainly is the weather they experienced once they had the "Ocian in view".

(I have called the roofer, just to gently remind him. "voice mail full")
(and the electrician is still mia) (everything is on beach time)



This is an artist’s depiction of the horrible conditions the Corps of Discovery endured at the Dismal Nitch while trapped along the rocky shoreline for six days by a strong, unrelenting winter storm. Drawing by Roger Cooke, Courtesy of the Washington State Historical Society.


Today Brett and I attended the opening of the "Discovering the Rivers of Lewis and Clark" exhibit. As members of the museum, we were invited to the special reception. This is the first of the major exhibits to open for the next week's big Lewis and Clark activities. Our calendar is full of events. I took a cute photo of Brett with this boat...but as I was downloading from the memory stick...the power surged and I am sorry to say all the precious photos are lost to oblivion. The storm continues... my Land Rover sunroof has shorted out with a leak ... we have tarped it. The television cable is out from Ocean Park to Astoria to Seaside... lights are going off and on and I hear tree limbs falling and the garage doors banging. We are wet and tired.

Could you imagine Lewis and Clark... trying and trying and trying again for days to navigate around the bend of the Columbia River. Unable to move forward because of the drenching rain and shifting wind. They retreated to their Dismal Nitch.

Our cat, Calypso, has big friends.

Last night I was sitting near the television, catching up on the news. Bang, bang, a loud ruckus out on the new porch by the window. I jump up and turn on the light to look..... deer eyes staring at me! It seems Brett has put the porch right where they look in the window for the cat.

Later, I go in the kitchen... yikes, someone is staring in the window... deer again! And still later, I load more wood into the fireplace.... and I could swear I have someone looking at me... yup... the deer. Our cat is pleased and begs to go outside. When Brett returns home from the office (across the street)... it is late and he remarks that the deer walked up the driveway ahead of him.

Today, I am seated in the kitchen... working away on the laptop. Suddenly a scratch and bang on the window!! The votive candle on the window ledge is knocked off! I look up to see the male deer peering into the window. Startled... I quickly look for the camera...which is still packed in luggage from the weekend. By the time I find the camera... he is out by the driveway and staring at the cat who is keeping out of the rain by hanging out under Madison's big rig. Perhaps she is uncertain about those antlers and wants to keep her distance.

The Rolling Stones in Portland

(Disclaimer: these poor quality photos were taken without flash by my little razor cell phone)


After returning from the weekend in Michigan... I picked up my father and we went to see Madison who was in town with the Stones. Grandpa finally got to see what Madison does.

Madison gave Grandpa a tour of all the backstage workings. Those video walls behind them are what Madison is responsible for.
After hanging out on the tour bus for a beer... we went back to Grandpa's... then my brother, Doug, joined me as guests in a nice suite during the actual concert.

I did not expect to love the show... but I did!!
Mick Jagger is fabulous and sings and dances incredibly. They sang every word, played every note... and put the younger entertainers to shame. Mick is the NEW 60!! He might look old and wrinkly in photos... but you should see him strut and prance about the stage!! WOW!!

Volleyball at Northern Michigan University

Paris warming up before the game.



















Sitting with other parents, family and friends at the volleyball game. Brett is talking to his long time buddy, John Tavernini.













Paris gives me a look during the opening ceremony.













Northern Michigan Volleyball Team. Paris is 3rd from the left, back row.

Malins in Marquette

Up the hill from the Birchmont Motel... Brett's parent's house.


They are leaving for Florida soon and have been busy winterizing the house. Note the insulation boards up in the windows.








That's Lake Superior in the view.











Jill (sister), Jay (brother), Ed and Gerry (parents), Karl (brother).... and Brett with daughter Paris.