caitopps

Skated home tonight.

This is by far the best one yet.

“I love trashhh!”

(via annamarie)

Anna, I think these are fantastic.

Mom you would love it here!

‘Snice with Morgan

russann:

Finally finished Ken Burns’ “National Parks.” Can’t disagree with one critic who said that this series gives new meaning to the term “geologic time,” but it was well worth that time.

While I appreciated the fact that I could take my kids to places like Yosemite, I didn’t truly understand just how much struggle went into the establishment of our national parks.

Things I Learned:

I’m extremely grateful that the biggest battle which was the idea that national parks should even exist has already been fought. Hard as it was then, I don’t think that we, with such a divided people and government, could accomplish it now. We seem to have become a nation of small ideas.

John Muir is the rock star of the environmental movement. He’s an eco-god.

Theodore Roosevelt comes in a close second.

So many people fought the good fight for so many years and we’ve never even heard of them. They should at least be on postage stamps!

Even the least educated wrote better in the earlier centuries than the most educated do in our century.  Just a commonplace diary or letter reads like poetry.

Some of the first park rangers were the African American Buffalo Soldiers.

Two of the best names ever were from a black gentlemen in Florida who fought to save the Everglades. He named his sons “King Arthur” and “Sir Lancelot” hoping that “great names would lead to great men.” Based on what I saw of him and his sons, he succeeded.

One of the most novel ideas to come out of the park movement was the idea that land should be preserved even though no humans would ever see it; it should be saved solely because it should exist in our world and we would be diminished by its absence. This is in sharp contrast to how the first parks operated which was almost like a zoo/carnival with people writing their names on the rocks, feeding the bears, throwing fire down Yosemite Falls.

It was a slow slog to get through the series but so inspiring; if he could have, Pete would have left the day after we finished watching so that he could see all the parks. We’re going to map our route now for our journeys later.

Here are me and my brother at Yosemite about 10 years ago.  I got a terrific (horrible) spider bite and wore cool shades.  I would like to go back to appreciate Yosemite even more than I did last time.

Lexington Luncheonette with Rydog and the Laurens

NYC Marathon 2009!

Happy Birthday to my brother!

Goodnight.

This is what I did this morning.

At the laundromat with Morg.