David's Construction Project

I've added David and Rebekah's new blog to our links. Be sure to check out his "garage" project. It is amazing. Not since his Great Grandpa Hanson has there been anyone in the family that has built anything close to this project! Congratulations, David, on showing us what you can do, with the help, of course, of your brother-in-law. You are a new family pioneer for your generation.

Dad

Mark Jolie Sarah Jacob and Anders at the Marriott Waihoi Beach Club in Kauai

This year, Mark and his family came to Hawaii with us. It was a wonderful holiday for all of us.

Kauai 2008

Shirley and I drove the Kauai perimeter road north to the lighthouse and bird sanctuary on Thursday, two days before returning to Sacramento. The path to the lighthouse was closed but after we parked and stood at the edge of the cliff, with the lighthouse on the left and bird breeding area on the right of the beautiful inlet, I was able to photograph an albatross in flight, with its remarkable wing pattern.

Bob receiving plaque from the First Lady of El Salvador

In this photo, Nina Paloma, President of FUDEM, is on the left, the First Lady of El Salvador, Ms. Saca, is in the dark pink coat, presenting a plaque of recognition and thanks to Bob, who is representing Deseret International for their participation in contributing Spanish-language schoolbooks to the children of El Salvador. The project is actually headed by Ken and Gloria Deyhle, who have their own foundation and work with Deseret International and FUDEM, the charitable organization that helps distribute the books to schools in the poorest areas of the country. A sampling of the books is seen in the background, beneath the balloons.

Machu Picchu Overview

This photo was taken at the northwest corner of Machu Picchu, which sits on a saddle between two peaks. Huana Picchu is the peak commonly seen in pictures of Machu Picchu, a needle-like mountain to the south of the small city in the sky.

Machu Picchu

We are standing at the original entrance to Machu Picchu, which was once fortified by a locked and barracaded wooden door that could be opened only from the inside. But for us, as the other large swarms of tourists, the gate is wide open, except for the large knots of people who gather around it to see where the wooden barracade door was once positioned.

We're back!

It's been a while since we've posted to our blog, but we're back and we promise to be good! Paul encouraged us to get with the program, again! The next post will be with photos. This is just a trial warm-up run!

Bob and Shirley