Time for Goodbyes-Different Directions-Carleigh

Carleigh will be flying home from Venice on 8/19/2012 cause she has been accepted to Willamette University Law School!!! YEAH! We wish you the BEST first week of Law School ever!


Ode to Willamette
Alma Mater

There's an old historic temple
Rising grandly through the years
Where to oaken hearted father
Drew their strength for strong careers;
Down the years, its portals open,
Gathered wise ones to its fold.
Breathed the spirit of the Westland
Cardinal emblem 'bossed with gold.

Dear old School! How strong we love thee!
'Round the memories how we cling!
Glad some hearts beneath the shadow,
Loyal hears to thee we bring.
Old Willamette how we cherish
All thy legends and thy lore,
Born up on the calm Pacific,
Guides us onward evermore.

Spirit of the Golden Westland
Breathing through our fathers' tears'
Tells the story of the Temple,
Bids us hope adown the years.
Sing, oh sing of old Willamette,
Sing while hearts are young and true;
Sea to sea the chorus swelling,
Dear old school, our W.U.


Carleigh is starting a huge chapter in her life and we know she is so ready for this challenge, you go girl!!!

Time for Goodbyes-Different Directions-Travis

It is time to say goodbye to Venice and to Travis, Carleigh and Brittany! They have one more night in Venice at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near the airport and Bud and I go to the Marco Polo Airport in Venice to pick up our rental car.

Travis will be flying to Edinburgh Scotland for two nights then take the train to London for three nights.


By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond
Me and my true love were ever wont to gae
On the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond

Chorus
Ye'll tak' the high road and I'll tak the low road
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond

'Twas there that we parted in yon shady glen
On the steep, steep side of Ben Lomond
Where in the purple hue the hieland hills we view
And the moon coming out in the gloaming

The wee birdies sing and the wild flowers spring
And in sunshine the waters are sleeping
But the broken heart it kens nae second spring again
And the waefu' may cease frae their greetin'


Glossary
bonnie: beautiful
braes: hills
gae: go
gloaming: twilight, dusk
greeting: weeping
Hieland: Highland
kens: knows
nae: no
waeful': woeful
wee: little

Have a BONNY time Travis!

Venice-Travis is for the Birds-Explained

Now for the explanation! Travis saw a man in the Piazza San Marco feeding the birds one day in Venice. So he bought some bird seed that he saw in a little store. That evening he and Carleigh went to the Piazza and fed the birds and had a blast! So the next morning he wanted to share that experience with us. We weren't sure about this bird thing, what if they pooped on us, what if they scratch our skin and we get a disease? I mean you have to think about these things? Don't you? Apparently not with Travis! So we joined in and enjoyed the fun filled adventure of Feeding the Birds as in Mary Poppins!


Mary Poppins:
Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's
The little old bird woman comes
In her own special way to the people she call,
"Come, buy my bags full of crumbs;
Come feed the little birds,
Show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do
Their young ones are hungry
Their nests are so bare
All it takes is tuppence from you
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
Feed the birds," that's what she cries
While overhead, her birds fill the skies

All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares
Although you can't see it,
You know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares

Though her words are simple and few
Listen, listen, she's calling to you
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag"

Now the first line says steps of Saint Paul's, we were near the steps to St Mark's! THANK YOU TRAVIS for the experience!

Venice-Travis is for the Birds

If you have ever been around our son Travis, you come to expect some kind of adventure to happen. One never knows when and to what caliber the event will be, but the event will happen. And when it does you join in because it will be amazing!!!

Venice-Ice in the Water

On the day we decided to "Get Lost" in Venice it was very hot, really you say? again you say? Yes, Every single day was HOT! I am not exaggerating it was just part of life. But there were things that made a difference and if you saw them once you always looked for them no matter where you were. So the most wonderful thing we found while out walking the streets of Italy way back on like the seventh or eighth day of traveling was a vendor selling bottle water partially frozen! I know it doesn't sound amazing but if you are out hoofing it in the hot sun all day sight seeing, I mean walking miles in the heat and sun, to come upon a water with ice in it, with a lid no less, is a miracle! So we all bought one and it lasted a long time because the ice would melt and make ice cold water, it was perfection! Well in Venice we spotted the "Ice Bottled Water" and we got excited!!! We literally walked very fast and excitedly and Travis got there first and ordered a bottled water and he said with ice in it. So he got one but when the rest of us ordered one, the vendor gave us just cold bottled water because we asked too much! Buddy, we are excited not really bossy! But to no avail so we had to watch Travis drink his Ice Cold Bottled Water. I guess you can be too excited!

This just shows you another reason to be first in line!

Venice-Get Lost Rick Steves Said- Continued

While we were out getting lost we found the Venice Hard Rock Cafe so we HAD to eat there! Very fun place to get a taste of home: hamburgers, french fries, pulled pork sandwiches, California chicken club sandwich, salads, and ice in our drinks!

Venice-Get Lost Rick Steves Says-Continued