Back To School '07

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My kids are now back in school after a nice summer break. They started school on August 29, 2007. Hannah started 1st Grade and Sabrina is in 4th. I took both of them to school on their first day as they had quite a bit of school supplies to bring and I also wanted to make sure that Hannah settled in fine. I really enjoy taking my kids to school on their first day. Most of these pictures were taken in school but some were taken just before we left the house in the morning.

Pho Dang Vietnamese Cafe

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This is one of my favorite restaurants in the Burlington VT area. If you like Vietnamese food, this is the place to come. It's located in Winooski VT, off Route 7, not too far from the Champlain Mill area. They have great noodles, soup, and rice dishes. But, I've got to warn you, the inside of the restaurant is nothing great to look at and it's pretty small. Food is good and the prices are cheap.

Black Eyes!

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Captured some Black Eyed Susans at UVM.

These are located right in the corner across from the Given and Rowell buildings. I was in a bit of a hurry but would have loved to take the time to capture more in depth macro shots of the flowers as well as the insects on them. Unfortunately, the flowers are not at their peak now and have lost their oomph!!

Locks of Love

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Sabrina hasn't had a haircut for quite some time. She has been growing her hair so she could donate to Locks of Love. It's an organization which receives donated hair and they turn them into wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. We are very proud of Sabrina for choosing to do this. On the flip side, it was a pain to manage her long thick hair. My wife and I couldn't wait until the minimum length requirement of 10 inches was met. She made it! Sabrina got her cute haircut today (8/25/07). It looks so much nicer on her.
Good job, Sabrina.

Happy Birthday Jenny

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This is one of the larger presents my kids and I gave to my wife for her birthday. She's been wanting some nice matching cookware for quite some time and even insisted that we give her that for her birthday. I spent over an hour at the store trying to figure out which one to get. There were so many brands, sizes, sets, colors, and types. I had to make sure that she would be happy with the color and sizes of the cookware. They also had to work well with our kitchen. Thankfully, my wife love it and that's all that matters.

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The kids showered her with homemade cards. I dropped off a card, some flowers and a cake at her work first thing in the morning. We took her out to Chili's to celebrate her birthday. The kids were really excited. We all had a nice time together.

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Happy Birthday, Darling!

Painted Hannah

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Hannah had her face painted at the local library while she was on a daycare outing trip. My wife took this picture as Hannah insisted that she wanted to make sure her Daddy saw it too. Her painted face had been washed off during her bath before I got home. Thanks to digital technology, the memories were captured for Daddy to enjoy.

Vermont Hay

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These pictures were taken next to horse farm near my place. It always fascinates me to see the shape of round hay bales. They seem to beautify the landscape with their color and the way they lay in interesting patterns in the pasture.

The Gallery Overhauled

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The HSRF (Health Science Research Facility) Gallery at UVM College of Medicine was recently repainted to give it a modern look. It also has some comfy sofa chairs and cafe style high tables and chairs.

Water Tower Overhaul

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The UVM Water Tower recently went through an overhaul. It was drained for a couple of weeks, covered with tarp, sandblasted, and received a new coat of paint. When I get the chance, I'll post a picture of the water tower without the covering and looking brand spanking new.

Special Agent Branch

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Our good friend, David (center), moved to Baltimore, Maryland this month to start a new job in computer security with the top level government organization. Lets just say that one needs to have the most in-depth background check done and the highest level of security clearance to work at this place. It's really a job to die for and David deserves this awesome opportunity. He's a great person and he'll do very well.
Congratulations and best wishes to you, David!


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We met David for lunch on 8/9/07 at the UMall. He drove a few hours later to Baltimore to start his new life there. It was nice to catch up on some old funny stories and David filled us in on his move to Baltimore as well.

Sepaq Camping 2007

The chalet and wood shed.
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Family meals, breakfast and dinners.
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Hanging out. Travis stuffed dinner napkins in his ears pretending that he didn't want to hear our conversations. Silly man!
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The lake! This lake is called Lac Des Iles (Lake Islands) because it has many little islands on it. Some are just huge rocks protruding from the water.
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The cousins having fun and enjoying their time together.
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The evening campfires. We had one every evening. We all would sit around the fire and talk and just relax. The nights were a little cool, so it was nice to warm up by the fire. It kept the mosquitos away too.
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Everyone read all the time. Some would even read with lanterns when it got dark.

Relaxation time.

We vacationed at the end of July at a provincial park in Quebec, Canada. This year, we chose Parc Frontenac (South Section) and stayed at a chalet off Lac Des Iles (Lake Islands). The entrance to the park is close to a little town called Disraeli (about 15 miles) and then another 6 miles to the chalet on dirt road.

The whole family together. Everyone wanted a group picture, so, I setup my tripod, and used a remote control to activate the camera. This was taken on the morning of the last day of our stay at the park.