Welcome Keenan

Before I cut out for the long weekend, I wanted to dedicate a special post to a new member of our human family.

Just a short time ago (~2 days), our good friends gave birth to a new baby boy, Keenan. Keenan has a big sister named Sadie.

Welcome Keenan!

Cruising in the Wind

Just before I found out we were getting twin girls, I was lucky enough to secure a couple of sweet cruisers for Rachelle and I. These bikes are *really* fun to ride! And, they look cool too!

This weekend finds the Castleberry crew sailing in the wind with the Jaded Crew. Hopefully we will find enough wind to get us to the San Juan Islands. That's the plan anyway.

Have a great 4th of July!!

Double Cute!

At long last, they (yes they!) have entered our lives! I told you today was going to be a wonderful day, but I don't think I understood how much joy I would feel when we got the news this afternoon that we are now the parents of not one but TWO beautiful baby girls!!

Please bare with me as I am typing in a state of shock. Seriously.

Their Chinese names are Chu Shuai Feng (top), and Chu Shuang Feng (bottom). This roughly translates to Cute and Double-cute. Looking at their photos you can obviously see why. :)

Chu Shuai and Chu Shuang were born on July 20th, 2005, so they will probably be just over 12 months when we meet them in China. Our prospective travel date is around mid August.

We have not yet decided if we will give them American first names, although we do have a couple picked out. I think we need to be in their presence to make that decision.

They are from the Jiang Xi Province in south eastern China, so other than Beijing, we will be spending most of our trip in the south. It will likely be HOT!

As you can imagine, Rachelle and I are excited, happy, overwhelmed with emotion, and SO ANXIOUS to bring them home soon! We are now an instant family of five, including Ophelia the cat, their older sister.

Good Day Sunshine

Sun is shining on Bainbridge today, and things are lining up nicely for us. I cannot go into too much detail, but let's just say that Monday will be an even better day!

More later...

Lady Friends

Rachelle recently let loose some lady bugs into the front garden. They buzzed around for a while, and then - in the late evening - they decided to huddle up together for the night. This shot is of one of several groups. Hopefully they will stick around for aphid season.

Buena Vista

That's where I'm at. Buena Vista, in San Francisco. Well...the Buena Vista lounge at SFO that is.

Had a good week in SF meeting with colleagues I normally only hear, or see popping up in my chat window. It was nice to see the newly acquired office digs. It makes me wonder if we would have moved back to the PNW if the acquisition would have happened 3 years ago. Hmm...maybe. We did end up owning a house out as a result of the move, so that's a positive thing.

The city was great as usual. I was able to see some friends, have some nice dinners, and experience the day-to-day SF groove in a small burst of three days. It still feels like home, but I am happy we moved.

Also this week, the rumors have been flying around the adoption circles that this month will include our referral date!! It is still a rumor, but even our mostly tight-lipped (sp?) agency has made mention of it; something they normally do not do.

If the rumor is true, we may know who our daughter is by next week or so. Exciting! If not, there's always next month.

Now, if they would just hurry up and finish the backyard so we can enjoy our very own Buena Vista of the open space behind our house.

Poppy Power!

I'm on my way to San Francisco (on the boat to Seattle right now), so I thought I would fill my spare time with a quick post. We have some mad poppies growing like weeds in our front yard. This shot shows only a fraction of them.

I don't know if I've ever seen this many poppies, even in California. Enjoy...

S Car Go

Yes, I know...many moons have passed since my last post.

Anyway, Wednesday evening we hooked up with our best pal Corey in Seattle, and his friend Brian. We had a great time sampling a variety of French small plates at a place called Lark on 12th Ave. It was a very leisurely dinner (3 hours), and we sampled some "interesting" things.

We tried a little escargot, rabbit, various cheeses, foie gras, and other stuff I cannot recall. It was yummy. I recommend Lark for any Seattle area crew reading this blog.

Done Venting

Ok, perhaps I may have been a little harsh in my assessment of neighbors. Generally, our close in neighbors here are great people, and we have good relations with all of them. In fact, our side of the hood is really nice because everyone seems content with everyone else.

There are people scattered around the hood that make it their business to be concerned about what the rest of us do, and they also think they know what's best for all of us.

To them I say, get a life...