In transition

The job I mentioned in the previous post was doing bird and botanical surveys in the Oregon mountains.  Turned out to be a TON of work, including steep hikes off-trail on a tight time schedule.  I was up at 3 or 4 every day, and sweating hard and long from about 6 am.  70-75 hr [...]

Big Moves

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IMG_4362, originally uploaded by john_gallo.

Here is one of the pics from Natasha’s first big hike, a couple months ago. The others posted on flickr. Meanwhile we have recently returned from the Kalahari, (fantastic!) and [...]

Brief overview of the last three months

2008
It was a good year
All things considered
People are starting
to wake up
To a new world

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hit busy 2009 on January 2nd and did not stop for more than a day or two until March 13. Lots of good blog entries have passed, and are now good stories someday. I am sitting here at a “car boot [...]

election day

the whole world is watching.
When i stop to fill up on gas the attendants (full service is required here, like Oregon) hear my accent and immediately start talking baout the election.  An especially animate pair told me about Obama visiting his grandma days before I got it on the NPR podcast.  The South Africa Podcast [...]

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

the new new

Well, before catching everyone up on the last 5 months, let me start with the latest: Natasha is walking! She is loving it. The look she was getting on her face as she crossed the living room was fantastic; arms held stiffly out, body tottering, face concentrating at first, then brightening with excitement with every [...]

More soon

We are not finding the time for a “real” post.  I (j) keep thinking it is on the upcoming weekend…  Life is good, but busy; and we are trying to keep the balance. At least we have had a chance to post some pics, and a fun movie of Natasha and the “i’m gonna get [...]

daybreak

paddling through the breakers
I spy a fin
a moment of dread
turns to joy–
dolphins!
a whole pod,
and me.
bottom-turn,
digging fins in deep
dolphins pumping hard
fins cutting air
same wave
same planet
having fun
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I was sitting on my board after that special moment, I was wondering if I should write a poem about it.  Just then two dolphins porpoised right in front of [...]

All is well; and coming home for a visit!

Things are going great here, just a bit busy. Natasha is growing and changing increadibly. On the surface: she is no longer a brunette– now a blonde. We did not dye here hair, promise. Teeth are coming in too, early. They surfaced at four months. Pre-Dawn is a good time [...]