BenSpark Family Adventures

Photo-A-Day #31 07/31/05 This is Bart, he’s doing a mean looking Bartles & James type commercial for Yuengling Lager. But Bart is usually smiling, not sure why he didn’t smile for this.

Today Allison and I were at her parent’s house for a BBQ. I got up this morning and went and got the ice for the beer and soda. Then I fogged the back yard for bugs and we prepared for everyone to arrive. Folks started arriving at 12:30pm and we had plenty of food, but the sun wasn’t out and the rain was falling. So everyone was in the house. Around 3:00 the rain stopped and we went outside. I jumped in the pool, because this weekend I was going to go swimming, no matter what. The weather had been so terribly hot this past week and I really wanted to swim today. I even went out and bought some pool toys so we would have something to do in the pool. The pool toys were a couple of plastic Orca whales that when you held them underwater and released them, they would ‘swim’ to through the water to the surface. After a couple dozen tries I finally got one to go about six feet across the pool. Bart stood on the desk and flipped one into the water over and over with the pool net. We made a gam...

Tonight Allison and I were at James and Danielle’s new house. (Well, I haven’t been there yet and they have been there about a year now, so it is new to me.) We had a very good time and plenty of good food to eat. Ken and Alicia came over as well. And Dick and Peggy were there. Danielle’s friend Jodi and Bill and their daughter Josie came over too. At James and Danielle’s wedding I was paired with Jodi and she was pregnant with Josie at the time. I thanked Josie for waiting till a week after the wedding to arrive. James and Danielle have two dogs, Adri and Cara. Adri is a pit bull mix and Cara is a bloodhound. They are both very good dogs, lots of energy in each of them. Adri is warming up to me and Cara loves everyone. Ken, he boycotts the blog . Alicia James Danielle and Adri Allison and Cara and Danielle in the background. James and Cara.

Photo-A-Day #113 07/30/05 Tonight Allison and I went to James and Danielle’s for a BBQ. This is their Bloodhound Cara. She is a beautiful dog. Lots of energy.

In an attempt to make this site more compact and easier to navigate, without bombarding you with ads and long lists of links, I have been making some changes. The changes are taking longer than expected because of the numerous coding items that I am setting up for the site. I haven’t even thought of doing anything to the actual design look of the site, as far as color and graphic changes. Gradually I am converting all the links to drop down menus so that you don’t have to scroll as much to find your favorite sites. I’ve added a table to the top with some things like a Flatwater Bookstore Findings section, basically books and movies I think you should have because they are awesome or because I am currently reading/watching them. Then Photo-A-Day is right there on top of the screen along with the options to get the BenSpark as an RSS feed. A link to Blogroll the site and a link to my Blogshares page. This leaves the sidebar less cluttered so that you can go directly to the Wedding F.A.Q....

Back when I was in Jr. High and High School the only place to see movies was Triboro plaza. Tonight I went to see Batman Begins with Andy. Triboro is exactly as I left it 10+ years ago. Not a thing has changed. The theaters, the concession stand, and even some of the video games are still the same. Batman Begins introduces us to a new Batman, more human, and yet stronger than any Batman who has come before. I liked Batman Begins very much and Christian Bale was fantastic. I still like Michael Keaton’s portrayal of the Dark Knight. I will have to see both again to make my final call about who is the best Batman.

Photo-A-Day #112 07/29/05 Allison’s friend Jen gave us this cat condo. She is moving and had to part with her cats. One of them still needs a home. He’s a beautiful cat and very loving. Duncan has his freaked out sniffing face on. That look on his face looks like he’s mad but really he is trying to get a better smell. And with some new smells from unknown cats they are doing a ton of smelling today.

Today while checking out Questionable Content, I took notice of a link that J. Jacques had on the sidebar. It was for a site called 55 words. The concept is that the woman who runs the site writes 55 word short stories. I don't think I could tell a story in that short a time. . . . . . . BTW (The post message was 55 words, not including this bottom stuff, see I couldn’t tell a story in 55 words.)

Just stumbled across this but looks like it would be a funny and entertaining show to see. One Man Star Wars Trilogy and One Man Lord of the Rings Trilogy . I watched the two videos that he has and they are pretty funny. The guy is talented and very energetic. If you are New York you might want to check it out.

Photo-A-Day #111 07/28/05 Tonight there was a block party downtown. Allison and I headed down there to see what was going on. We caught up with my Aunt Corrine and my cousins Maddie and Haley. Then we saw Don and Alice and I even ran into a friend from high school whom I had not seen since I graduated from high school. She was there with her son. There were a couple of volleyball pits set up in front of the post office and a rock wall across from the bank. Each of the restaurants downtown were selling food outside. Allison and I got a blooming onion and brought it back to the house to share with Mom and Dad. Then we grilled a couple of pork chops and had a nice dinner. This was my favorite classic vehicle, I wonder why.

Got this message today from the Kieran Ridge Band. I went to college with Kieran Ridge and hope to be able to see him play sometime. “ The Kieran Ridge Band will be playing tonight at the Reel Bar in Allston. The address is 477 Cambridge St., just before the intersection with N. Beacon St. We’ll be playing from 10pm-1am. It’s a small bar with a good sound system and cheap beer. You can hear some of our new songs that will be a part of our CD release on our myspace.com website at http://www.myspace.com/thekieranridgeband See you soon, Kieran Ridge www.kridge.com “

Photo-A-Day #110 07/27/05 These toys are on my bookshelf in the bedroom. They used to have foam darts and when you squeeze the toy the dart would fly off. Unfortunately the darts got lost or mangled by the cats.

forgot my paddle again! So yesterday’s adventures in aggravation did not end once I got home. They were just beginning. You see, on Monday while I was away the drainpipe backed up into the washing machine again. So Tara spent most of Monday night working with the plumber as he sent a snake through the pipe out to the street to cut a hole through the line so the pipe could drain. His snake broke. A little history here. A drainage pipe runs along the side of the house to the street. Our next door neighbors used to have a tree in their lawn that was about 5 feet in diameter. It was a big sucker. And trees have roots, roots find there way everywhere. Sometimes they find their way into drainage pipes. The tree has been gone for about 10 years now and about 15 years ago Dad and I moved a few trees from the backyard to the side yard. And these trees have put down their own roots which have attacked the drainage pipe. So occasionally the drainage pipe backs up and it needs to be snaked. This i...

Photo-A-Day #109 07/26/05 I took this on the approach to T.F. Green Airport. I don’t know exactly what island this is, it has a large harbor though and looks really busy. I wasn’t finding my way over Rhode Island very easy, each time I thought I recognized another landmark I was wrong.

I flew home today. Wasn’t in the best mood for these flights. Cut the arrival at the Fayetteville Airport close because couldn’t find a gas station close to the airport, so had to turn around and get gas, made several wrong turns and long detours. Had the worst orange juice ever and a homemade egg and cheese biscuit that was worse than any one McDonalds ever served. Stood behind small children and old people who haven’t been on a plane yet this century. I’m ever so patient when people have no clue what they are supposed to do in the security line. Had a headache right behind my left eye that was pulsing like it was being stabbed repeatedly. Found my ipaq completely empty of battery power. My carry on doesn’t fit wheels first in every airplane. However once I got on the flight from Charlotte to Providence things went better, I had a piece of pizza and some Mello Yellow, the headache went away, started reading Serpent by Clive Cussler. First book in the Kurt Austin Series, I think I am g...

Photo-A-Day #108 07/25/05 I had dinner here tonight. The beers were very good but the lobster tail was awful, so they comped it. Good stuff.

I am in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Cape Fear is near here. I went to the Cape Fear Harley Davidson today after the demo and picked up two pins, actually three pins, two for me and one for Dad. The Cape Fear Harley Davidson has two great pins. I added them to the buzznet photoblog. And I also got a shirt for Dad, it is a pretty nice one too. I also noticed that I now get 400 photo uploads a month from Buzznet. Sweet! I had a good dinner next door at The Mash House, a brewpub. They have a ton of great beers that they brew on site. I played Runescape tonight. Kinda done with that game, pretty boring now. Congratulations Marcia! Great Job!

Big Congrats to Marcia for passing her State Boards and officially being a licensed esthetician!

Photo-A-Day #107 07/24/05 Have you ever stopped and looked down at the carpets in hotels? Who comes up with these designs?

I finished Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince today. And no MO I won’t be putting up any spoilers. Still can’t believe you felt the need to admonish me about that sort of thing. Honestly! Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince was good. I liked it alot and loved the twists and turns. Certainly great addition to the overall story. It was a quick read, well at least today it was. I finished all but the last chapter before my flights were done and read the last chapter while waiting for a 1:05 movie to begin. I went and saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith, pretty good movie. There were some great action scenes in it and the humor was good, Vince Vaughan was in it too and he was pretty funny. He’s becoming a caricature of himself lately though. I saw Wedding Crashers last week and Mr. and Mrs. Smith this week and you could basically drop him into either movie and its almost the same character. Anyway, if you haven’t read it yet go out and buy Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince and read it...

Photo-A-Day #106 07/23/05 The new building where the casino used to be is coming along well. I wonder when the new restaurant will be open.

Yesterday Allison and I met up at the Holiday Inn to set up the meals and final details of the wedding with Steve, the events coordinator. While we were there we saw many roadies for Gretchen Wilson, but not Gretchen herself. Oh well, camera was in the car anyways. After that we headed to the Cape, made some great time and picked up some pizzas for dinner with my parent’s from Paul’s. After dinner we went for a walk along the beach and stopped by Uncle Paul D’s house so Dad could show him the White Water Rafting video. Mom and Dad went to the Country show at Gillette today and Allison and I spent the day at the beach after we went and visited Grandma and Grandpa. I’m more than halfway through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and looking to finish that tomorrow. Off to North Carolina tomorrow.

Photo-A-Day #105 07/22/05 We are down the Cape, awaiting the rains to move in, there has been heat lightning for about an hour and a half now. Thunder in the distance. I snapped a late night photo for today’s picture. Tomorrow I’ll have to get to the beach for a shot. This is the patio at the Cape house.

The first ever Guest Blogger: My friend Steve is a NASCAR fan, hardcore. He’s written a straightforward post about what NASCAR is all about. He was also the one who came up with the idea to do a guest blog post. After reading this and watching the videos I wanted to go to a race. So read Steve’s post and let me know what you think. Should I let him write another? OK, you're thinking this post will only be about a phenomenon found only in the South, for beer-drinking good ole boys, who want to watch guys drive fast and turn left all day. Maybe, as most racetracks allow you to bring in your own food and beverages, and that does include beer, but there's WAY more to NASCAR racing than the above stereotype would suggest. Believe me, I know. I've attended over a dozen NASCAR-sanctioned events…oh, and I live in Massachusetts and my last name is not Petty or Earnhardt either (even if you know nothing of NASCAR, you know these names). First of all, what is NASCAR? It's not a ...

Things I have found around the web lately. Matt Milligan’s Strip called Lost and Found has added a new little feature called: “Reality TV Murderizes the English Language” Each installment will explore a made up word or phrase that a reality TV contestant has said that is supposed to make them appear smart but in effect makes them sound like idiots. Check out Lost and Found. The new feature is on the right hand side. Daily Dancer. Have you gone to this site yet. It is scary how many hits this guy gets for dancing each day. And he is not a good dancer. He kinda hops all around the screen. He gives my friend Joanne nightmares about prom dates of years past. New Web Comic – Theater Hopper, a web comic about movies. Pretty funny.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrived yesterday. I read the first chapter before heading over to Box seats and then read chapters 2-7 before going to bed. So far I am enjoying the book, hope to get alot of reading done tomorrow at the beach. We are finally getting back to the Cape. Got alot to do today, going to meet with the Holiday Inn to select meals for the wedding so we can then work on invitations. Meeting with my Uncle Rich to look at the wedding rings. And I have to remember to pick up my suit at the cleaners. Allison and I may also be taking a step towards home ownership. I’ve got to make some calls to get the ball rolling. Nothing concrete yet but a possible opportunity may have popped up that we would like to check out and prepare for. Last night I was joined my Allison, my Aunt Millie, Aunt Candy, Dad, Tara, Erik, Jenn, and Cousin Bill and his wife Jen for a free dinner at Box Seats in North Attleboro. I like that place alot. They keep going through different owner...

Photo-A-Day #104 07/21/05 This is out front of one of my companies buildings. No we are not going to be sold to Merrill Lynch, yeah still not that funny. But rather this was from one of the more recent art shows. Not sure what it is titled, Bull would be too obvious. Maybe Rusty Bull since it has gotten rusty since being outside. But I like the sculpture and that is why I stopped to take a photo today.

I think that imood should have all the moods smurf ones. Official Smurf Website News I just heard. The Smurfs head for the big screen Paramount Pictures has acquired rights to create a movie based on cartoon characters The Smurfs. Variety reports that Paramount wants to make a trilogy, with the first film coming out in 2008, the 50th anniversary of The Smurfs. The film would be made in 3-D CGI in association with Nickelodeon Movies. Writer Herb Ratner will script the project. ‘The Smurfs’ originated as a comic strip in Belgium in 1958. The television version was launched in 1981. There were 256 episodes of the show and it won a number of Emmy awards.

Last Friday when Allison and I went to see Steve and Erin, I wasn’t the only one with a camera. Steve got his camera out to take a few shots too. Picture of me taking the Photo-A-Day. By Steve The Ladies. By Steve Picture of me taking Steve’s picture of Steve Taking my picture. By Steve Steve’s Scary Self-Portrait. By Steve

Photo-A-Day #103 07/20/05 Some of our handiwork from this past weekend. The lilies are blooming.

So I finished Beach Music this morning from 4-7am. What a fantastic book. It takes you through tragedy, joy, pain, terror and hope. I was glad I finished it this morning. Not thrilled with the fitful sleep I had last night. Today was Fran’s funeral. Allison and I took Tara over to the church with us for the ceremony. It was a simple eloquent ceremony. A couple of times I was taken over with emotion. I was lucky to be home this week, it would have killed me to be on the road and not to have been able to be there for my family and friends this week.

Photo-A-Day #102 07/19/05 Still on the theme of flowers and new life. What with two very special people in our lives passing within a day of each other, smiles have not been commonplace except when speaking of the days when they were with us. Both Fran and Great-Uncle Richard loved flowers and the beauty I see in the flowers is a reflection of the beauty found within each of them.

Photo-A-Day #101 07/18/05 This morning the day lilies were wet and open. They look very beautiful in their many colors. Great-Uncle Richard was a gardening enthusiast and would have loved the flowers that Tara and Dad have planted all around the house. Look at something beautiful today and really appreciate it.

We are here at Saint Joseph Church today to give honor and respect to a gentle person who has touched all of our lives and lived his faith-filled life to the fullest. It is here in this church that my uncle, Richard Belanger, began his Catholic faith through Baptism, First Penance, Holy Communion, Confirmation and graduation after the 8th grade from French school. It is only fitting that we celebrate his life here, in this holy place. Matthew Chapter 7, verse 12 tells us: “Therefore all that you wish men to do to you, even so do you also to them for this is the Law and the Prophets.” His home on South Main Street is where the Golden Rule was taught first, lived quietly and modeled by his parents, Ernest and Mary Rose (Dusablon) Belanger. The qualities and characteristics that Uncle Richard possessed were reinforced first through his family, which included my mother, Theresa, and his brother, Ernest, and his extended family who were so much a part of his life. People like the Cloutiers,...

Today was Great-Uncle Richard’s wake. Thank you to everyone who came to pay their respects. It was a very emotional afternoon. Thank you all for your sympathies. We’re all pretty wiped out tonight.

Photo-A-Day #100 07/17/05 Wow 100 photos. Yikes. Can’t believe I kept this up so long. Took no real pictures today. It was the day of my Great-Uncle Richard’s wake and I didn’t take the camera along, obviously. This is the front hall of our house. And I took this picture because as I went up and down these stairs all day. (Wakes and funerals mean lots of running around.) Anyway I noticed that the temperature here is always disproportionate to the temp in the rest of the house. Unfortunately it was very cold in the front hall, which means that I am sweating like crazy outside and all around the house. Oh well. And it is a mess, because Allison and I have too much stuff and not enough space for it.

Photo-A-Day #99 07/16/05 One of the 4 Praying Mantis that I found today. They were all safely relocated to the trees in the yard. There were also two very small toads.

Today Dad and Tara and I worked on the backyard. We planted trees, laid down mulch and dug lots and lots of holes. At one point in the day I was walking by the truck and I saw a green bug on the truck, upon closer inspection I noticed that it was a Praying Mantis. A very small one. So I got my camera and went up for a close up shot. It jumped onto the lens of the camera and began to walk up my arm. I gently brought it over to some daisies that we were going to plant. And it hopped off my arm and onto the Daisies. A while later when all the trees were out of the truck we found three more, they were all brown and about an inch long. The three ones we found later were all in the truck, they must have come from the trees that my Dad bought. So I rescued each one and put them on the trees. And we found two small toads as well. These hopped off the truck and are running around the backyard somewhere. Some hard work today did us all some good. It was a really good feeling once we were all don...

Because this weekend is going to be filled with funerals and a time of mourning. Last night however, Allison and I spent the evening with our friends Steve and Erin. We brought over some great pizza and played the game Scene It. We played as individuals and the game took longer than when we play as couples. The game flies as couples, so we really get a full game playing as individuals. I hadn’t taken my Photo-A-Day yet and got out the camera. Steve got out his camera to make sure he got a photo of me taking the Photo-A-Day. Then I took a photo of him taking a photo of me. We really had a great time visiting with Steve and Erin and the laughter and joy of their two beautiful children, Shaun and Katie. The laughter and good times we shared last night was exactly what we needed yesterday. We certainly are blessed to have such wonderful friends. Also I would like to thank everyone who has sent condolences on for Great-Uncle Richard. The wake is tomorrow at Dyer-Lake Funeral Home and the fu...

Today when I got home from work I talked to my Dad who informed me that Fran passed away today. Fran and her husband Edmund (cousin to my Grandmother Theresa and Great-Uncle Richard) hosted a great Christmas party every year, as far back as I can remember, that my family would attend. I really looked forward to that party every Christmas. I enjoyed talking to Fran and Edmund and being in their home. I always felt welcome there. I remember one of the last parties in their old house in Attleboro where Grandpa Rick brought his Karaoke equipment and everyone got a chance to sing. Great-Uncle Richard sang Jambalaya(sp) and we all had a great time. Fran was a very beautiful, kind, funny and caring woman, she made everyone feel at home. She was especially nice to Allison and her passing was a great shock to us. Every time we saw Fran she was very excited for, and asked about, our upcoming wedding. We are both very sad that Fran will not be there. We will certainly miss you Fran. You touched o...

Photo-A-Day #98 07/15/05 Tonight Allison and I went to see Steve and Erin and their two beautiful children Shaun and Katie. We brought over some Pizza and Scene It and had a great evening. It was nice to get out of the house especially with all the recent sadness that has befallen the family. Thanks guys for taking our minds off everything and having us over.

Photo-A-Day #97 07/14/05 The Transformer out of the box was the first one I ever got. The one in the box was given to me by my Great-Uncle Richard, a few years ago for Christmas. He found it in his closet. Great-Uncle Richard passed away today at 4:30pm. I will miss him very much, but always treasure his generosity.

If you noticed my imood, you know that I am sad today. Great-Uncle Richard passed away today at 4:30pm. I appreciate all the prayers that people have said for him. He is finally at peace and no longer in pain. I was lucky because I was able to say goodbye to him today at 3:55pm. I started my morning in Iowa and landed in Providence at 1:20pm, by the time I got to New England Sinai Hospital and Rehabilitation Center it was 3:30pm. I was in fear the whole day that I would not be able to get there in time to tell Great-Uncle Richard what I had to and say goodbye properly. My prayers were heard and he held on till I was able to say goodbye. My Great-Uncle Richard was the kindest most generous person I ever met in my life. He’s also a very unselfish and hardworking person. He never forgot a birthday or holiday and took care of all his nieces and nephews and many other people besides. He was a huge fan of the Red Sox, Horse Racing and Golf. And when I was a kid he bought me many of my transf...

So I now have to wait two years for the Transformers Movie. A Press release came out today that the big July 4th movie for 2007 will be The Transformers. Can’t wait. Here’s The Official Transformers Movie Site and The Official Transformers Movie Blog. And here is an article about the Transformers Movie. I will own those Blogshares of the The Official Transformers Movie Blog.

I just got in from seeing the Fantastic 4 out here in Iowa. First off, what a great movie theatre. The theatre was brand new and huge. There were very few people seeing the 4:45 show so it was not packed at all. Trailers. Okay, so I can’t wait to see the The Transporter 2. I never saw The Transporter but the trailer for The Transporter 2 is incredible. The actions, the stuff blowing up, the fight scenes so well choreographed. The movie is going to be awesome. It is coming out in theatres on September 2, 2005. There was also a trailer for King Kong and The New World but neither was as good as the transporter. You know, edge of your seat leaning forward getting all into the action good. So, the movie I went to see, Fantastic 4. A very good origin movie that establishes the characters, their motivations and their inner demons. There is even the obligatory cameo by Stan Lee. I love those. There are also some jabs at other super hero movies and that is fun too. What I didn’t like was that t...

Photo-A-Day #96 07/13/05 Today I got to go to probably the best Harley shop ever. It is called Zooks and it is in Des Moines, Iowa. The place is a giant barn complete with silo.

and I’ll tell you why. The people here are so very nice. The folks I demonstrated for today were all so nice and I had a good time there. After the demonstration I stopped at the Cedar River Harley Davidson Shop. It looks like a horse ranch. The woman behind the counter was very nice to talk to, and told me about the shop and I commented that their shop was one of the most unique ones I had been in. “It looks like a ranch”, I said. She told me that they actually own a ranch down the road called the Harley Davidson ranch. I though that was pretty cool. On my drive back to Des Moines I noticed that the rest area’s had wireless internet access. That’s a good idea, especially for business people who may need to send a document back to work or something. I stopped at a McDonalds for lunch and went to use the credit card machine but the machine didn’t work. The woman asked if I had a check, I said no and that all I had were the credit cards. She said she would just promo it and gave me my l...

Or is the web a bit messed up today. I tried to go to many of my favorite sites, even this one and things are all messed up. Photo a day is screwed up and not displaying, blogshares isn’t accessible, and neither is imood. I don’t know what is up and I don’t know if it is just my connection here at the Holiday Inn. I’ll get to the bottom of it as soon as I can.

Photo-A-Day #95 07/12/05 The Mason City Harley Davidson shop has this great mural on the wall. It is Iowa’s biggest Harley shop. I got a great new pin from this shop.

I am in Mason City Iowa. It is about 110 miles north of Des Moines. I have a black 2005 mustang to drive. It is awesome! The car is impossible to keep under 75 mph. And since the roads are so sparsely travelled and totally straight. So cruising along at upwards of 90mph was commonplace. Needless to say I made the trip in no time. The demo this morning in Chicago went well. I was done and out of there by 9:30am. So I was able to get an earlier flight to Des Moines, so no really late drive into Mason City for me. I got here about 3:00pm and checked in and then headed over to the Mason City Harley Davidson shop. Today’s Photo-A-Day is of a mural that was on the side of the building. They had a pretty nice dealer pin too. I’m continuing to read Beach Music and it is really a great book. I forgot that Allison has the book on tapes, not that it will do me any good having only a CD player in the car. Oh well.

I started reading Beach Music by Pat Conroy. So far so good. I really like the book alot. I’ll keep you informed about how things progress. Anybody else read this book. Post your thoughts, no spoilers please.

Photo-A-Day #94 07/11/05 Somebody left their cart in the hallway across from my room. Little soaps for everyone for Christmas. My shopping is done.

Last night Allison and I went for dinner at the Moose Lodge in Attleboro with Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred. We had a fantastic meal there. The Moose Lodge is a new family restaurant that is in Attleboro over near Sturdy Memorial Hospital. It is also the future location of our Rehearsal dinner. Allison and I spoke with al Monte, the owner of the Moose Lodge and he showed us around the function room. He can basically come up with a meal for our 40+ guests that will be both delicious and inexpensive. Since they are new they are going to really try very hard to please us.  Last night while we had dinner the staff (Al’s family) was very attentive and hardworking. There weren’t a lot of people there, but I think in time this place will get alot more business. They’ve only been open for 3 weeks. I had the 1/3 rack of ribs and Allison had he 1/2 chicken, both meals were so large that we brought the rest home. We also sampled some rice mozambique and Uncle Freddie’s Portuguese Pork and Potato...

Photo-A-Day #93 07/10/05 Back to the backyard. Dad and I moved the shed back near the fence. This time it is on the other side of the tree. Lots of fun moving that to the other side of the tree, but it is all moved back and we are steps closer to completing the backyard project.

With the Announcement yesterday 12/21/04 that Harry Potter VI is complete, I am adding the Harry Potter Books to the bookstore. Finding just the 5 Harry Potter books is not easy. This is an over saturated market with thousands dragging on the coattails of J.K. Rowling’s success. I searched for Harry Potter and got 544 returns on Amazon. There are more books written about these books than the books themselves. It is crazy! Anyway here is the essential Potter collection.

See it. You will enjoy the humor and the heart. A very good movie.

Photo-A-Day #92 07/09/05 Allison has a new car. She purchased a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. She also traded here 1993 Volvo 850 in towards payment for the car. She ended up with a pretty good deal at Volkswagen of North Attleboro.

Buying a car at the car lot. Yep, today Allison made a very grown up purchase and got herself a new car. Well, a used car but it is new to her. She purchased a 2002 Volkswagen Passat from VW of North Attleboro . The photo of Allison with her new car is here . We started the morning intending to go to the Volkswagen dealership to purchase a Jetta. We went over on Friday to look at Jettas and Jettas were all that we had talked about prior to this. But when we got to the dealership we took a Jetta out for a ride, and when we got back our salesman asked us if we had ever considered a Passat. We hadn’t really but hey what the heck, we are here let’s take a look. So we looked at the Passats and found one about $1,000.00 more than the Jetta Allison just test drove. The Passat had 6,000 less miles on it, it was also a 2002, so there was the remainder of the factory warranty plus the 2 year warranty for buying certified used. Then the car also had more room, and a 6 CD changer in the trunk. So ...