....but wait there's more....

here's more...

Grace's half sister is officially now an honorary member of the LOUD Family

Like her big sister, Maria Isabella is really loud. The volume control is broken on this one...it's either 1....or she cranks it up to 11. If you don't give her your full attention she takes it to 11 quickly. Dimmy...wass me.....DIMMMMMY WASSSSS MMMEEE.

Welcome honorary member Maria on this your third bithday. Your performance of the Happy Birthday song to yourself, Dear Maria, is tribute to your LOUD qualities.

goofy girls

We said Ciao to the spanish ladies last week. Those boehlert Gonzalez' folks are just a hoot. They are all doing great and Gabbi is all grown up w/ Sydney right behind her....on the way out they gave me a little show that seemed to be designed just for blog posting so here are some more cousins and the first europeans to GRACE our domain....did you see Mo in the mirror?

It was 18 summers ago when I backpacked through europe with jb and we stopped at Mo's and we first met Gabbi....wow another bad case of the time flys. They have them in Spain as well.

We drank cidre, ate calamari at the local market, Mo made Piaie, we sang Rammones to Gabbi...(Gabbi Gabbi Hey) even Sandy was there visiting....MO took us out one night and we did shots and she washed all of our clothes in a very Rose Marie fashion...she tried to wash out the time flys......

we'll keep shooting and posting.

op ed piece

well we don't usually use this blog as an op ed area like tom does with his occasionally but I figured I would mix it up a bit and tell you about a piece of Americana that has me ..."moved".

You may laugh but...it's the marriage of Chelsea...I don't know why I care... probably don't...but what enamours me to this situation is that for the most part Chelsea seems to have navigated through the pitfalls of massive popularity and managed a life. I remember small incidents over time but she was a smart kid in the middle of the liberal Clinton Camelot and she got through it with only the scars of plastic surgery. Stanford honors, nyc ballet, she shows up to volunteer at every major disaster in the last ten years....maybe its all a front and she is being set up as the next congress woman from westchester but...

We watched her grow up as she was 10 or so in 1992 when dad took office...she was first child so to speak for 8 years and so by default she was an american princess.

Well this weekend she was married in cool rheinbeck NY....this is a nice village...worth the stop if you are ever there. I did the bus garage there in 1994. I think this could have been a paparazzi nightmare but they released nice photos and "our" Chelsea is now married and and ready to take on the world.

Maybe this is nothing but the Bush twins are struggling in the same way that W did with fortune and glory and rehab....maybe there is a side to this we will never see but for whatever reason I am "moved" by the whole Chelsea growing up and being a great role model as our american princess. I hope she goes onto be a power player like her Mom in Korea (quoted as having the "iron fist in the velvet glove"). I hope she continues to achieve and stays mostly out of the limelight. I hope that she has inspired the millenials and continues to be an ambassador like her mom on womens rights in the third world. ("it takes a girl" campaign)

Slainte Chelsea....or now its Mosoltov?