Wednesday, November 30, 2005
the house
Rachel finally got around to taking some pictures of the house while waiting for the contractor to show up this morning. The good news is that it was a beautiful day and the house looks nice. The bad news is that the contractor never showed up, so we didn't get any inside pictures. More importantly, we didn't get any estimates on how much it will cost to fix the chimney. Updates when we know more . . . 
looking northeast from the front porch
driveway
the back of the house
view from the deck
Friday, November 25, 2005
Ali and Sebastian
Rachel's college friend (in whose childhood home we're staying) and her boyfriend, Sebastian. carving the bird
Ben's first time with a turkey carving knife. And what a good job he did, too! The girls
Thanksgiving in Niskayuna
Rachel's Mom's favorite cousin
Ellen's cousin Ed and his wife, Pixie, treated us to a very nice lunch before we left the Detroit area. Rachel's aunt & uncle
Rachel's dad's brother and sister-in-law, Barry & Anni. Ben can't get over how similar Alan and Barry are. Macdonald Family get-together
Lot's of Rachel's relatives had dinner at Uncle Barry & Aunt Anni's house in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. It was really nice to see everyone that night. Ellen and Alan
Ben and Rachel in Hawkeye country
Ben doesn't get the college football mania that's rampant in the Midwest. Ellen and Alan treated us to breakfast at Perkins (the Midwest version of Denny's). the intrepid travelers
Annie after three long days of traveling (and more than her fair share of barbituates). We gave her to Rachel's parents in Iowa to take care of until we get a house of our own in New York. Rachel's natural environment
Rachel started feeling at home once we hit Eastern Nebraska. This is Iowa. Terminator Ben
We took the high road
day two
Moonrise over Utah
Avenger at a truck stop
Ben tried to start up a conversation with the truck driver, but without much luck. The crazy road in Arizona
Seriously, you have to check this out. It's the capstone of some crazy engineer's career. Wednesday, November 23, 2005
a strange oasis
Of the 3,000 miles of driving we did, it didn't get any weirder than Las Vegas. Day one . . .
. . . in the desert. That's where we spent most of the day. Hint: keep an eye on Ben's beard. He get's scruffier as the trip progresses.
Joshua Tree
Years of listening to U2 made it very important for Rachel that we get a picture of a Joshua Tree before we left the desert. 