Seattle sunset

Here I was thinking I didn't have anything for the blog, and I completely forgot to post photos from my trip to Seattle last weekend to visit Stacy & Co.!

We got to the Olympic Sculpture Park just as the sun was setting on the waterfront (and the giant Alexander Calder piece, top), and it reminded me of one of the reasons I missed the Northwest so much. Yes, there are great sunsets in Albuquerque and Denver, but you just can't beat sunsets on big bodies of water.

At top right, Stacy, Ada (left), Harriet and I huddle for warmth as Andy snaps a pic.

It has been more than 10 years since Stacy and I have lived so close to each other. It's not quite as good as when we lived two streets from each other in Louisville, but a three-hour drive away is much better than we've had it in years. Now if I can just get Mom & John to move West ...

Oh, and on a separate note, go see "Juno"! A smart, sweet movie and a great soundtrack. I love the Mo Tucker-esque tunes by Kimya Dawson.

Hope springs eternal

Thought this was a good read in the NYT:

A President Like My Father

By CAROLINE KENNEDY
Op-Ed Contributor
Published Jan. 27, 2008

Over the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

R.I.P.

"Like Sam the Butcher bringing Alice the meat;
like Fred Flintstone driving around with bald feet"
LOS ANGELES -- Allan Melvin, a character actor with countless credits best known for playing Sam the Butcher on "The Brady Bunch," has died. He was 84.

Melvin died of cancer Thursday at his home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, said his wife of 64 years, Amalia Melvin.

The jowly, jovial Melvin spent decades playing a series of sidekicks, second bananas and lovable lugs, including Archie Bunker's friend Barney Hefner on "All in the Family," and Sgt. Bilko's right-hand man Cpl. Henshaw on the "Phil Silvers Show."

But his place in pop culture will be fixed as butcher and bowler Sam Franklin, the love interest of Brady family maid Alice Nelson, played by Ann B. Davis. Melvin played the role from 1970 to 1973.

He saw steady employment as a voice actor from the early 1960s to the early 1990s, most famously providing the voice of "Magilla Gorilla" for the Hanna Barbera cartoon of the same name.

His other credits include several guest appearances on "The Andy Griffith Show," "Gomer Pyle: USMC," and "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

Outtakes

Since we're still getting settled, I haven't taken many pictures to post, and you don't want me to blog about unpacking boxes and organizing the kitchen, so thought I'd share a few favorites from shortly before leaving Denver.

At left is Keona, daughter No. 2 of Jon & Franchesca. Anytime I want to smile, I look at this picture, and it does the trick. She's even more adorable in person, if you can even imagine that.

At right, remnants of a winter storm; unlikely we will see a scene like this for a very long time, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'd say we are not missing the snow.

Below is Esther using a dog carrier in her own special way. We'd also often find her sleeping on top of a hamper full of clean laundry.

A wad of talent

Please find the time to read this tribute to my Albuquerque colleague Barbara, who retired this week after a remarkable career in journalism. Best headline writer I've ever known. The piece was written by Phill, my all-time favorite editor.

Out and about

"Mister blue sky, please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long"
Michael and I took a rare break from the rain to walk the dogs at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden a couple of miles away. As much as we pined for Portland weather while living in drier environs, it's definitely been an adjustment to up and leave a city with 300+ days of sunshine and arrive just as rainy season here is getting into swing.

The park was gorgeous and a pleasant walk; I'm excited to see it in all its springtime glory, when Michael says it will be filled with blooming rhododendrons and azaleas.

There were lots of ducks and geese in the ponds, and this curious bird was standing nearby. For lack of a better idea, I deemed it a turducken for its turkey face and duck body, even though I know turducken's a dish and not an animal.

Best bathtub ever!

Our new place has a few problems -- namely, it's tiny -- but not so the bathtub. Our tiny clawfoot tub in Denver made even me feel tall, but I can luxuriate in the new one.

And it's more than enough room to bathe two smelly Chihuahuas at once!