NYE

Nothing says "have a Happy New Year" like a Lobster-gram (thanks Mike!), complete with everything but the pot of boiling water.

Santa came!!

He ate the cookies, but left Noah lots of exciting toys.

Staying with Noah (& parents), we got to experience the near dawn wake up to open presents.

Jam Session

Caroling with the family - a revival of a Christmas Eve tradition for both our family and the Chupai.

Holiday Visitor

If you can't go home for the holidays, get home (or part thereof) to come to you.

Ben is forgoing a week of piano practice to hang out with his favorite sister over Christmas.

Speedlite 580 EX II

My bright and shiny new toy.

MRS Boston

The Fall MRS is fast becoming a favorite on our annual conference calendar. The program is well planned (talks are 12+3 min - which is always tolerable no matter how dull the topic).

...and who doesn't love Boston which is the Melbourne of New England but with great seafood. Notable dining experiences included lemon ricotta stuffed french toast for breakfast at the Trident cafe, lattes at Espresso Royale, healthy but tasty burgers at Be Good, Sorrelina's holiday lunches and seafood dinners at the Barking Crab.

Election '08

Its no surprise that at the 5th Avenue polling center voting was strongly in favour of the local candidate.

Boo-fest '08

Fall Colour

Due to Inclement Weather...

The volume of the DuPage river multiplied, expanding to the Riverwalk, Centennial beach and nearby streets. The high tide mark ended up level with the 3 m diving board. For those yet to visit us in Naperville, these are pictures of BRIDGES that we normally walk UNDER without ducking.

Shibuya Crossing

Tokyo's version of Time Square only less rectangular.

Now for the fun part

With conferencing commitments out of the way, we're can now focus on being tourists. Joined by Wendy, fresh off a flight from Australia, we caught the shinkansen to Fukuoka-Hakata to meet up with Xina.

The Japanese art

...of writing on paper promotional t-shirt. My Kanji may be a little rusty, but I believe Jon H's new shirt says "Osaka 2008".

A measure of authenticity

In a country where the authenticity of a restaurant/ hotel room/etc is inversely proportional to it's size, this closet-sized eatery was as genuine as they come.

PayEasy not so easy

Before returning from Japan I need a new US visa which involves an interview at the consulate paid in advanced at an ATM via "Payeasy".

It took >2 hrs for 3 PhDs playing match-the-symbol, with a final key step of inputting a phone number(?!!) only revealed by getting this screenshot translated at the tourist office, before they would take the cash.

Osaka Aquarium

Our pre-conference trip to the aquarium provided greater insights in Japanese life (i.e., crowds) than into marine life. I did manage to get a few unobstructed photos.

Osaka via United

We're off to Osaka for a few weeks for the IUCr meeting, a little touristing and copious amounts of Japanese cuisine.

08-08-08

A prosperous date... for the submission of manuscripts (hopefully).

Self Portrait

What kind of sunglasses is Greg wearing?

Quid pro quo

Biting-sharks-on-sticks are NEVER a good idea for kids confined in the car for a long trip home.

More stars

Noah gets in on the starfish action too.

Poor Mr Greg

Pete lends Greg his nephew to help prepare for his new role as uncle.

Bath

A rare bath time for Now-ie (aka McNally the cat) - Miss Madison's constant companion of many years.

Star Search

At Menemsha, starfish hunting was high on the agenda. Minnows were catch-of-the-day and equally fun to play with as to eat.


I discovered that three year olds are infinitely more manageable if you weigh them down with sand.

Bubble Bubble

89 cents well spent... batteries not required.

Aged 3 years

According to Pete, Marisol "is a doll" - cute as a button and about the right size. She is also three, which means snapshots are equally likely to be met with "can I see? can I see?" as "you can't look at me! you can't talk to me! only Daddy can!" This time I was lucky.

The Great Jelly Hunt

Loudon and I paced the dock by the Quitsa Strider II in search of jellies. I was strongly encouraged to photograph each and every one.

Vineyard Bound

Heading out of Wood's Hole for our hopefully annual vacation on Martha's Vineyard.

Photo Opportunity

A big team effort for the camera... Normally, we draw straws to see who changes the pressure.

GRC: The old zeolite one

At the Nanoporous Materials Gordon Research Conference in Waterville, ME the highlight of the local sights was the Two Cent Bridge. Fortunately the meeting was sufficiently interesting that further diversions were unnecessary.

Big Blue Blob

We got to bring home our blob of glass.

Sweeney Todd

Not your average musical. The small cast multitask - act, sing, play & rearrange the set.

Downtown Deco

A day downtown with Greg, Pete, & Rachael (Greg's sister) for art deco architecture & a spot of shopping.

Glassblowing: The hands-on edition

Wicked

There will be photos

The camera had a good work out at dinner with Dr G and Mikey.

S'mores 'n more

1) Impale marshmallow.
2) Add campfire until toasty.
3) Sandwich molten-mallow and chocolate between Graham crackers.
4) Enjoy the sticky, finger licking goodness that is a S'more.

- rave reviews from Madison, Loudon and Marisol available upon request.

G. day

A Golfing expedition in the Texas winter. ...and don't bother asking - we didn't keep score.

Autobots, ATTACK!

Transformer toys weren't this much fun (=shoot Nerf darts) the first time around.

Mikey's back

In celebration of Mikey's return to the US - a collage of the essential "I was here" -Chicago edition photos.

A White New Year

Snow - a blank slate for a new year. We started by taking our new toy for a spin down the town sledding 'hill'.