Serious Stuff

Marissa appears momentarily gleeful because she thinks she has outsmarted her Dad. hehe

The girl doesnt give up.

Michelle Turns 40!!

Michelle was given a surprise 40th birthday party last Friday. Jim pulled off the impossible because Michelle was truly surprised. For those of you who may not know Michelle, let me just say that NOTHING gets by her. This has been the case since early childhood. Robert and "admirer" dance the night away.

Child entertainer...DJ...yo-yo.....expert...spinning top professional...hula hoop and limbo guy. Pretty cool to make a living being a kid!

A few limbo rules may have been broken.

Caroline, Robyn and Quinn

The contest created some fierce competition and frankly some pretty ugly behavior. (C.D.????)

The birthday girl and baby Oliver.

Michelle, Melissa, Joan and Ryan. It was suggested that Ryan sit in a chair for this photo. It may not have been a bad idea.

Where Dog Is King

Ollie greets something larger than life!

On Sunday..... Burt , Marissa and I ,took Ollie to Singing Beach on the North Shore, a doggie beach all winter. We had a wonderful day enjoying all of the obsessions of "all dogs all the time". 40 dogs all displaying their own little personalities.

Ollie was in his element and had the greatest time.

What is it about animals that makes them so anxiety ridden when you leave their sight for a few minutes????? I go down into the basement to do a load of laundry...and when I come back upstairs the two cats and the dog are waiting there as if I've been gone for days. It reminds me of when the children were young, and I closed the bathroom door. Like clockwork...they needed me right at that moment. Some things never change.

Okay, I had to post this photo for two reasons. Reason #1 ..is because Ollie actually stayed still for it and nobody is grasping his head and pointing it in the right direction. Reason #2 ....is because I knew that Katelyn enjoyed her stay with Ollie at Christmas SO very much that I'm sure she is missing him right now. Kate, this is for you. ;)

Snowtubing and Basketball in Tee Shirts In The Same Weekend

On Saturday Burt and Marissa went snowtubing at our local ski area (on man- made snow of course, as it has been 50 degrees most of the time). Then on Sunday evening, Laura, Jean Paul (Laura's friend from Tahiti) Burt, Ollie and I played basketball in tee shirts around the corner from our house. You gotta love global warming!

Let The Merriment Begin

Ollie is happy that tick season has finally (temporarily)subsided ... and is now enjoying the yummy Christmas tree ornaments that hang at his eye level. Theo has discovered a way to "nest " deep within the tree, making it extremely difficult to remove him. Anything new that is brought into the house is fawned over by our three curious creatures...Theo chews on the plastic bags...and knocks items off the counter to Ollie waiting below.... and Baxter just continually harasses us for food. Then to help tire Ollie out, Burt engages in a rowdy games of "keep away" with Ollie that include running down the hall and stairs and skidding and spinning on the hardwood floors. The skidding and spinning part is done mainly by the dog. Laura is discovering what pure chaos really means.;) One must have a good sense of humor to reside in the Cash and Hash household.

Thanksgiving 2006 ~ lots to be thankful for

Ryan is thankful for quite a bit of whipped cream on his pie...









Everyone is thankful for the new addition to Ed, Emily, and big sister Caroline's family...baby Oliver!!!

Burt and I are thankful for each other...(although Burt is not entirely thankful for this photo of himself...as it turns out)
Caroline and Quinn are happy to be together..under any circumstances!
Paul is just freak'n thankful to be alive...
We are all thankful to Joan and Ed for another wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving. Great cooking, Ed!

Some Wedding Moments ~ Ryan and Melissa

I didn't expect to feel as totally blown away by this experience as I did. What a fantastic and truly fun day. Melissa...I promise not to be one of those intrusive , meddling mother in laws. Most of the time.

A crazy amount of Cashmans , mates and offspring. Missing are thirteen. Four in China, four in California, one in Florida, two expecting a baby, and two still sleeping.

A Serious Warning

A horrible incident occurred this morning. I feel it should be shared with all, to spare some other innocent victim from the same unfortunate fate. The morning started off as a normal, somewhat predictable one. There was the usual Saturday cleaning/organizing to be done after a long work week. I was about to vacuum and I suggested that Burt dust, as he had done it with success on one other occasion .We went to work. Everything seemed fine, really. I mean this came out of nowhere. Suddenly Burt stumbled into the room. He appeared blinded and was blinking wildly seemed somewhat dazed and confused. I was horrified. I thought ..what is it?? Stroke? Something wrong with his heart? He finally regained his senses and was able to convey the problem. It was dust in his eyes. Obviously this is a hazard that has gone on too long with little or no attention. I pray that others will learn from this and take the appropriate precautions to prevent this kind of thing from EVER happening to them. Goggles and a face mask might be some easy steps to take just to stay on the safe side. Don't let the same senseless tragedy that Burt endured happen to you.

Our GROWING strange and wonderful family

Some photos from the bridal shower given in honor of my daughter in-law "to be"...Melissa.
Admittedly, I hardly seem old enough to have a son getting married, hehe, yet he is. I must say that he has made a truly wonderful choice. A bit of a lead foot behind the wheel...but otherwise, perfect!

Too Much Time On My Hands?????

This guy was having so much fun on our front porch I had to get the camera. Plant worship?

California

We went to California to attend Burt's family reunion and be with Burt's two brothers and his niece and nephew. I must say that the entire week was extremely well planned ,(thank you Chester!) , and packed with wonderful things to do. I found that these three brothers share many of the same qualities: kindness , patience and generosity , just to name a few of them. It was a delight to spend time, listen to stories, especially from the Nisei (Burt's parents' generation), and to learn about the very proud heritage that this family shares. It made me realize how very little I know about my family background.

Our Trip To Baxter State Park

We drove to Millinocket Maine over the Memorial Day weekend, and took Ollie with us. That seemed like a really good idea. Knowing that dogs couldn't go into the park itself..we figured that we would run him and let him swim and then leave him in the well ventilated car. However ,we were told at the gate that dogs (even staying in cars) would not be allowed in. As it turns out...in East Millinocket there is a doggy daycare that features a caribbean theme playroom with a couch, air conditioning, lots of toys, and a t.v. showing non stop animal planet. For anyone who has ever visited this remote part of Maine...you will understand why this seemed a VERY unusual find. Other than some fierce black flies, we saw moose and had a great time. During the evenings in our hotel, Marissa even became a pretty good pool player in a short amount of time. However, Ping Pong???? Uhh... still a ways to go .