Parting Shot!

On our way to Cape Cod & Boston... not sure when our next post will be!

The Storm!

Well, they pulled it off! Sean & his wife, Lisha, celebrated their marriage with a beautiful, Asian-inspired wedding held at my parents' home in East Qugue. It was a great time - everyone had a blast! Congrats, Sean & Lisha!

The Calm Before the Storm.

Middle photo: the view from my parents' back door, about 6:30am.
Top photo: the same view, with dance floor.
Bottom photo: same view, small obstacle. First (and largest) of several tents.

Random Cuteness.

Just some summer-in-the-Hamptons shots!

Made it to the Empire State!

Got to Long Island on Thursday night... had about a day of rest before it was time to head to Valhalla. Picked Daddy up at the airport Saturday morning and drove into Westchester for Uncle Ed & Aunt Kit's annual bash! We saw lots of family and friends that we do not usually get to see, so we all had a fantastic time. John flew back to Florida Sunday, and the kids and I drove back to Long Island. Pictures: John & Josh; Grandma's grandkids, minus Adam :( ; the Mancuso Clan (still minus Adam:( )

A Morning at Mount Vernon

Last stop before we hit the road to Long Island - Mount Vernon, the beautiful Virginia home belonging to the father of our country! After visiting the stately mansion located on 500 acres of rolling hills and lush gardens overlooking the Potomac River, it is easy to see why George Washington and his friends were so passionate about fighting for America's freedom. Breathtaking! Leah & Jack learned how to spin wool into thread, constructed a water bucket (and experience what it meant to haul those buckets!), played the "corn-cob" game (which Will thought was a hoot!), and tour all the outbuildings and working farm. And of course, no visit to a historic site is complete without the obligatory stop at the grave of a long-gone Patriot.

"Artists of the Week" Come Alive!

One thing we are able to do with home schooling is learn about and appreciate art. We choose one artist each week and study his/her life, times, and artwork. So it was extra thrilling to viist the National Gallery of Art in DC and see some of the original paintings done by the Masters that we have learned about. It was actually quite moving to see the original Ginevra de' Benci, Leonardo di Vinci's only painting on permanent display in the United States. Leonardo (as Jack refers to him) painted it in 1474 - it is over 500 years old and is still absolutely gorgeous. It was great to see Leah and Jack recognize the artists and their styles, and I am so proud that they care! The photos here show the aforementioned da Vinci, van Gogh's Self-Portrait, and Mary Cassat's The Boating Party. We also visited the collections of Monet, Renoir, Rembrandt, and Degas, to name a few.

D.C. Blogging!

Well, the Annual Mancuso Family Road Trip to Points North has begun! We decided to spend some time in our nation's capital - we spent several days here two summers ago, and loved it. This time was no different. We drove into the city on the George Washington Parkway, which is a beautiful tree-lined winding road along the Potomac River. We drove through Old Towne Alexandria, and over the Arlington Memorial Bridge into the city. We got to know the streets of Washington fairly well - that happens when you are forced to drive them over and over, hopelessly trying to secure one of the ten parking spots that exist in the city. (A word of advice if you plan to visit - don't bring your car, and wear very comfortable walking shoes.) We visited the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Wall, and the Korean War Memorial. We also got to see for the first time the WWII Memorial. It was under construction last time we visited - and it was worth the wait. It was extremely beautiful. Each state is represented with a column and wreath, forming a circle around a fountain-heavy reflection pond. That is Jack and Leah in front of Florida's column.

Seventeen Months Old!

And doesn't see the point to sitting still for his monthly picture shoot anymore!

"One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions."

*Thanks to Karen for the photo, Oliver Wendell Holmes for the quote.

Photos of the Day.

Sharing some quality time with my camera today!

Mancuso Family Portrait

My, how we've grown! From left to right: John, Amy, Leah, Jack, and Will!

Eyes To The Skies...

This morning, Leah & I woke up and got out of bed at 5:30 am. This is most definitely NOT our normal waking time, especially on a Sunday, but we had decided to get up and go outside to watch the Space Shuttle Discovery fly overhead. It had just undocked from the International Space Station, and we watched as both the shuttle and the ISS flew over us in tandem (actually, the ISS followed the shuttle a bit). It was very cool to see, and to think of how brave those astronauts (and one cosmonaut!) are. The Discovery is due to land at Kennedy Space Center tomorrow morning, and we wish the crew a safe and soft landing! By the way, we didn't get a picture of the flyover, but the picture above is of our sunset a few days ago...

Godspeed, Discovery!

Back to the beach! We headed back to Cape Canaveral National Seashore today to witness the launch of the US Space Shuttle Discovery. We headed for the tip of the seashore, where there is a view of the launchpad, but by the time we got there, the parking lots were full. We ended up on Bethune Beach on the Atlantic Ocean, probably 30 miles north of Kennedy Space Center as the crow flies. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. The beach was crowded with onlookers, and we listened to the final countdown on the radio. The crowds erupted into cheers as the shuttle blasted off. We were able to follow it's ascent over the ocean for about 3 or 4 minutes before it disappeared from view. It was a great day, and we are all proud to have witnessed a bit of history!

What to do when there is nothing to do. And 104 in the shade.

Sit out in the heat and peddle iced tea!

UPDATE: our little businesswomen have declared that one half of their earnings will be donated to The Humane Society.

We Heart Willy Wonka and Harry Potter!

What a weekend! Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka followed by the release of the new Harry Potter book!! Yessss! I took Leah and my niece Ashley to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last night - and afterward the girls had an inexplicable craving for chocolate, so we went in to Barnes & Noble for some Godiva and the Midnight Harry Potter Party was in full swing! Both Ashley & I left without buying the book, since our preordered copies were due to arrive from Amazon today... and although I have not yet begun (read: Will is still up!), here is a note found on Ashley's door...

Scrubbed.

No go for launch! We drove out to the beach today to see the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery... but it was scrubbed with about 2 hours or so on the clock. Looks like Monday. The day was not a loss, however - the weather turned out to be beautiful, and we had a great day on the beach. We are lucky to have supernice friends with a beachfront condo - lots of people were stuck for hours in heavy traffic getting out to Titusville. We hope to get back out there for the launch next week!

Strange, but true: for some reason, the Florida Atlantic Ocean now looks like the Caribbean Sea! People who live on the beach say it has been like this since the hurricanes. There is also a difference in the sand - it is not really sand anymore... it is very grainy, with zillions of tiny crushed-up shells.

Sweet Sixteen (Months)!

The View From Here...

As Dennis races up the coast... we will be getting some outer bands; we are currently under a tornado watch. Seems like typical Florida weather, though!

John's New Baby!

The newest addition to our Honda Family - the Ridgeline! John is not sure how to drive a pickup without a snowplow attached... but we are working on it!!