Alley plays Red Hot Chilli Peppers

I just wanted to show off my nephew, Alley, who performed for his 8th grade talent show. Three of his friends threw together a band for the occasion. They did blew away the crowd! Alley is the one playing base guitar on the left side of the screen. Gotta love the jacket!!

I made it to Seattle!

After a loooooong drive from Vermont to Seattle I have finally arrived. The trip was over 3,000 miles (approximately 4,500 kilometers).

I was able to recover my stolen license plate the day before leaving, see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side; get a speeding ticket in Blue Earth, Minnesota (for going 80 in a 70mph - I was passing another car - and during Memorial weekend); meet a Moldovan hostess in a restaurant in Wall, South Dakota; listen to intriguing and not so intriguing radio shows; visit the Battle of Little Big Horn (Custer's Last Stand) site on Memorial Day from a Native American perspective; watch antelope and multi-colored cows graze; drive through the beautiful badlands; wake-up in one of many hotels to a bug bit on my tongue; walk around the Dances with Wolves 1880's cowboy town; visit family and friends in Spokane; and spend a ridiculous amount of money on gas.

There is so much more I hope to report later. I compiled a lot of video from the trip and will hopefully put it together in movie format soon. Stay tuned!

In a few days I'm off to Japan for a month and then will be back in Seattle from late July until I leave for Moldova mid-September.

Hope to see my dear family and friends soon!