22 December 2009 Photo(s): The Spirit(s) Of Christmas

I finally have caught the Christmas "spirit"! It only happened a day or so ago but was kicked into high gear when I arrived in RI to see my family today. This is the one (usually) guaranteed time of the year when all of my siblings are together, along with spouses, children and assorted extended family. With six of us spread from GA to NY to MA to RI that is never an easy feat. As you can see in the photos above my sister, Anne Marie, is the Gaming Queen!

It has been quite a year for us - my brother was in the hospital during Christmas last year, my sister had kidney cancer in the spring, my nephew broke his arm, I broke my ankle and assorted other aches and pains as we get older. Luckily this Christmas season we are all relatively healthy (or at least healthier) and will be gathered in a few days to celebrate the season.

As we enter into this year's Christmas festivities, I am happy to have my family around me and remember those that are not here. Today would have been my mother's birthday and while she is not here with us physically, I know she is here in my "spirit" of Christmas!

19 July 2009 Photo(s): Beach Bums

Another day of being a beach bum was coupled with Bill's brother and his family heading down to spend the day at Misquamicut Beach. It was a perfect summer day with lots of sun for basking, big waves for riding, sand for castle building and the laughter and smiles of the kids.

7 March 2009 Photo(s): A Boy and His Dog

I had to make a quick trip to Westerly so that my brother could look at my car. In the short time I was down there, I took my nephew, Mason, and his dog to the beach. This was Harley's first trip to the beach and she loved running through the water and sand. The smell of the ocean and the crash of the waves makes me feel at home and it always will.