what are the chances?

Who knew that the game we're going to the night before our Alaska cruise was giving out LOLcat bobbleheads!

softball season is here

birding in Panama

sapphire-throated hummingbird (female)

Great-Tailed Grackle	Panama City
Tropical Kingbird	Panama City
Great Egret	roadside
Cattle Egret	roadside
Orange-Chinned Parakeet	Isla Cañas
Ruddy Ground Dove	Isla Cañas
Blue-Gray Tanager	Isla Cañas
White-Tipped Sicklebill	Isla Cañas
Magnificent Frigatebird	Isla Cañas
Yellow Warbler	Isla Cañas
Mountain Thrush	Isla Cañas
Whimbrel	Isla Cañas
Sapphire-Throated Hummingbird	Isla Cañas
Yellow-Headed Caracara	Isla Cañas
White Ibis	Isla Cañas
Brown Pelican	Isla Cañas
Amazon Kingfisher	Isla Cañas
Lesser Kiskadee	Isla Cañas
Red-Crowned Woodpecker	Isla Cañas
Great Kiskadee	Isla Cañas
Brown-Headed Parakeet	Isla Cañas
Great Black Hawk	Isla Cañas
Gray-Breasted Martin	Isla Cañas
Squirrel Cuckoo	Playitas Resort
Fork-Tailed Flycatcher	Playitas Resort
Gray-Headed Chcachalaca	Playitas Resort
Osprey	Playitas Resort
Masked Booby	Playitas Resort
Bare-Throated Tiger Heron	Playitas Resort
Laughing Gull	Miraflores Locks
Anhinga	Embera Indian Village
Ringed Kingfisher	Embera Indian Village
Palm Tanager	Embera Indian Village
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron	Panama City
Wood Stork	Tocumen Airport

**birds in bold are new (lifers)**

blue-gray tanager

whimbrel

brown pelicans

magnificent frigatebird (female/juv.)

spring in our steps

Ryan and I headed into our little town of Portland on Sabbath afternoon to check out the paved trail around Richland Park. It wasn't too hilly to keep Ryan from dribbling a hockey ball the whole way around.

One thing we came across was a memorial to Portland members of the military who died in battle. We found Willard F. Ray, Jr. listed under Marine Corps for WWII, son of the principal of Highland Academy who the ad building is named after.

After some parking lot hockey, we noticed that Nikie and Carson had arrived. Ryan is trying to convince Carson to try out the tunnel.

see me in the reflection?

trying out the biggest slide

the big kid tries the big slide - and yes, the rollerblades are still on his feet...

taking the tunnel to the twisty slide

Nikie, Ryan, and Carson

Carson wins the race - his prize? . . . static hair

And last night we got out the Ticket to Ride game that Nikie and Chadd got me for my birthday. (I was green)

traffic at Kansas City