hey guys…what a game today between the M’s and the A’s.  it was 6-0 M’s early (the announcer was talking “laugher”), so i went out and mowed the lawn.  sam came out just as i was finishing up with the bad news…7th inning, 10-7 A’s.  it was nail-biter for awhile, but the M’s pulled it out 14-10!  priss and pete (and i think, tim) were there…must have been a terrific game to watch live at safeco.  the 70’s uniforms were pretty cool…sam really likes the old logo.  anyhow, thought i’d drop this pic in here…ran across it yesterday when i was housekeeping in my attachments folder.  beautiful day here in anchorage…in the 80’s easy out in the driveway.  more soon.  love, j/d/gp

West Virginia’s recently changed state slogan has been the subject of some discussion. It used to be Almost Heaven or Wild, Wonderful West Virginia. But the new governor consulted with the Nerland Agency in Anchorage and has recently changed it to “Open For Business.” Now, we know there are justifiable economic reasons to proactively solicit businesses to the state, but the natives are unhappy about the change. Regardless, Jake and I are enjoying our sojurn here. The photos include a lunch in Lewisburg, an outdoor performance of “Grease,” football practice in the yard, wood hauling, mini-golf at Pipestem State Park, and of course, the county seat at Hinton, WV, where Teresa and Doug got their marriage license and T.C. Gillian’s birth was recorded. Weather hasn’t been much above 80-degrees, so quite bearable. More rain than I’d like. We’re looking forward to Seattle next week with the Wedin Burpees and seeing Jean, Priss, Deb, Miss Giselle, and all the other Wedins. Love, C

PS. Just kidding about the Nerland Agency.
PPS. The last photo is at the world famous Dairy Queen in Hinton. If you ever stop there, be sure to try a chili dog on the special grilled bread bun.

Some quick Saturday pics…Marina’s soccer jamboree, Nathan’s trophy picnic, Alaska Wild Football and last, but not least, the Hubbard’s new deck. I tried Isaac’s suggestion on the time-stamp, and it worked!  Didn’t want to “cover” Cheri’s post till everyone had had a chance to see it.  Anyhow, it worked!  And speaking of working, back to work here for me…hope the WV cookout is going great and the weather is nice! Beautiful day here in Anchorage. love, j/d/gp

Nathan’s soccer team came oh-so-close to winning the league soccer championship tonight!  In the semi-final game, they beat the team with the best overall record in the league…the game was a nail-biter all the way!  Two overtimes.  Two shootouts.  They finally won by one goal in the second shootout.  Meanwhile, the winner of the other semi-final game had about 20 minutes to rest before the championship game.  Nathan’s team had to walk two fields over right after their game and kick off for the final.  As Lisa said, they played their hearts out in the semi-final, and just didn’t have anything left for the final.   That’s the way life goes sometimes, and their second place finish was a huge accomplishment.  Anyhow, here are a few final pics from the semi-final and final game.  WAY TO GO, NATHAN!  Like your jersey says, you’re #1!  (Also, here’s a pic of Sam and friends at Waldron Lake where Nathan’s games were played)…love, grampa

Cheri’s and Rebecca’s cousin visited this week from Florida.  We had a fun dinner at the Brewhouse the night before Cheri and Jake left for Atlanta.  Sam’s first football practice is Monday night at 7…hopefully, we can make at least part of Nathan’s soccer game.  Also, here’s a pic of Sam watering Cheri’s plants this morning (we call it “Waterproof”).  Ha.  Hope the family dinner/croquet/badminton is big fun in Atlanta this afternoon.  More soon.  L, J/D/GP

We were able to catch half of Marina’s final regular season soccer game tonight on the way to Jake’s soccer practice.  Big fun and very entertaining.  They have a lot of fun out there, and then a soccer game breaks out.  Cute stuff. Love, GP/D/J

Nathan played a great game last night and his team played well at both ends of the field.  They’ve improved a lot since the last game we attended.  At one point, Nathan ran right out of his shoe!  We saw Becca Mae at the game…she flew out this morning to her new job at Yes Bay Lodge (http://www.yesbay.com/)…looks like a beautiful place to work, and a fun place to enjoy the outdoors.  We’re looking forward to Marina’s game tonight…we can make it  for  part of that before Jake’s practice (his last game is tomorrow night).  More soon.  l,j/d/gp

Whirlwind week, so it’s nice to have some down time here in Homer to just take it easy and NOT be scrambling to check off the next thing on the too-much-to-do list. Had a great day on Kachemak yesterday…good people, decent weather, and fun fishing. Cheri and Jake are off to Atlanta this coming week, then Sam and I join them (and Jon, Lisa, Nathan and Marina) in Seattle on August 1 for a couple of Mariner-Red Sox games. Meanwhile, here are a few pics from here and there this past week…more soon…L,J/D/GP