Demolition of a deck

We had a nice large deck off the "2nd" floor of our split-level home, but it turned out the support beams were rotten and beginning to fail. We need a new deck, but before the new deck comes the demolition of the old one. Eric had a vision of how to tear it down and his vision worked well. The deck came down in a few hours and no one got hurt. We had a pizza party with the neighbors afterwards to celebrate as they helped at the end of the project.

Before the deck came down...

The railing is off and now come the floor boards...

The manly neighbor men lend a hand.

the last support is about to fall...everyone get back!

Eric gives us all a nice pole dance on the last pole standing

Now we need a new deck!

We couldn't have done it without Carmen's love and support :)

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes...

We've made a lot of changes to our little home this year. Whenever we feel overwhelmed by what we still have to do, it helps to think of just how far we've come! This set of pictures shows how our yard and bathroom have changed (for the better).

Our yard in early Spring 2008...

Our yard now... Eric put a great patio in the front!

Our bathroom after we tore off the wall board and wood paneling. Who would put wood paneling in a bathroom anyway?

We just decided it all had to come out - lath, plaster and everything!

Then we hired a contractor when we realized how much work we had to do. He replaced the picture window with a nice small window and put proper backing up for a new tile job.

Here is the finished job! We love it...

Just another view. Like the Euro-style sink?

Carmen's trip to the Farm

We recently took Carmen down to Grandma and Grandpa Era's farm in Winlock, WA. She loves it there and she had a great time. My dad is moving into the farm house and has already started on some much-needed remodeling. We are all excited that the farm will stay in the family.

Carmen's first hike down to the river

She really wanted to chase the cows!


What is she thinking about?

Behind on some pictures...the Procession

Pictures from Olympia's Procession of the Species (April 2008)...

Gray Whale with real blow hole action

Our old housemate: Andrea the butterfly

Razor Clams!!!


Our current neighbors: Patricia, Aaron, and Cree with their peace dove

Australia: Brisbane

Breakfast at the B&B and the last few hours of our lovely time in Australia.

This was a hand carved Nepalese temple made by 180 families for the World's fair in Brisbane. It was apparently a highlight of the fair.

A really nice man-made beach and lagoon along the river front.

Here we are with another Australian friend we made on the trip. Her name is Marg and she's from Sidney. She was in Brisbane visiting a childhood pen pal from America who was in town for business. Australians are incredibly nice people.

The waterfront...

A beautiful church

Brisbane is a beautiful city with amazing architecture.

Here is Eric enjoying an Australian espresso called a "long black" at one of the many cafes along the river front.



Eric is relaxing at our very posh B&B in downtown Brisbane

Australia: Mission Beach

Giant endangered birds called cassowaries live in Mission Beach. We kept seeing these funny signs for them. We never saw any in Mission Beach, but I think we saw some of their poop on a rainforest hike.

Dragon fruit (in case you were wondering)

Our favorite dinner place in Mission Beach was called Flame. We could get the freshest food for pretty affordable prices. The chef was cool and had us try some yummy exotic desserts (black sapote chocolate cheesecake and dragon fruit gelato)!

A quick stop at Dunk Island on the way back from the GBR.

We took a day trip out to the Great Barrier Reef for snorkeling. All the excitement was under the surface, but this picture shows our boat approaching the reef. The corals, fish, and giant clams were incredible. We could also swim out in the water on the reef because the deadly stingers stay close to shore back on the mainland.



Vali's house was built right into the rainforest. She had giant tree frogs living in her office!

We met a nice women named Vali in Mission Beach. She invited us to her rainforest house for tea and cake. She was really nice and gave us a tour of the many rainforest plants and animals on her property.

One of many beautiful butterflies we saw on our trip

Cool patterns left on the beach by bubbler crabs

Eric enjoying the beach at Mission Beach

The rainforest pool at Licuala

The tropical grounds at Licuala

Outside our room at the Licuala Lodge B&B

We loved the town of Mission Beach! It's a small community right in the tropical rainforest and on the beach. It's also the closest place on mainland Australia to the Great Barrier Reef. We arrived in the evening at the tail-end of a storm and then the weather cleared and got warm for the rest of our stay in Mission Beach.

Australia: Billabong Wildlife Sanctuary

Kangaroos roamed freely at the sanctuary and were really friendly. This one has a baby joey leg hanging out of her pouch.

This wombat was really cool. She was sleepy though and just wanted to go back to bed. I know how she feels!

The dingos were really cool. It is obvious that they are really intelligent like wolves. They came right up to the fence and looked at us intently as Eric and I talked to them.

Talk about cute!

This was one of the big highlights of the trip for me. I love koalas!

Holding a baby croc!

Freshwater crocodile

Just outside of Townsville there is a cool wildlife sanctuary called Billabong. The animals here seemed well cared for and there were a lot of chances for human-animal interaction. We spent the whole day there.