Nobu

The waiter at Nobu was nice enough to take this picture. Dinner was great and we hung out in the casino for a while and watched some pretty wacked people hitting on each other. It was pretty entertaining, from the 18 year old boys drinking beer and smoking cigars with blue blazers on to two toasted blonds with almost matching cheap white dresses. Oh yeah, my favorite was the guy that still had his swimsuit and t-shirt on from the afternoon at 10pm in a fairly glitzey casino bar. He wasn't doing so well. Getting ready to home now. The Linda, Gil and the boys are meeting us at the airport. Can't wait to see them.

Nicole's Photographer

Just to prove I'm not Nicole's photographer I had her take a few GQ shots of me around the grounds. I'll add more to the flickr collection I do Sunday or Monday in case you have any interest at all in seeing me pretty relaxed and a little drunk. We had a great dinner at Greycliff last night. That place actually has some history, dating back to pre-Amercian Revolution times. The food was great and the wine list a little too big. I finally settled on something that they didn't end up having so I took a recommendation.

We hit the Atlantis pools the waterslides this moring after a workout. That place is humougous. The Temple slide that goes thru the shark tank is way too fast. With all the water in my eyes, I couldn't see the sharks. The lazy river is about a 45 minute journey with it's own tube escalator and giant free fall and spinnig twists and turns. It was fun but good to get back to the lazy One and Only Ocean Club. I'll ask the waiter at Nobu to take a picture of us all tan tonight. I'm looking forward to some good raw fish.

Oh Yeah

The sun was a little hot this afternoon so we called it a day at the pool early. Don't want to get burned, just slighly darker than the milktoast white I was. We are going to go into Nassau tonight for dinner at Graycliff. We did have a reservation at Dune again but decided to try something new. A guy on our dive told us this place was happening. Tomorrow morning, it's back to Atlantas (the vegas strip of the carribean) and some water slides. We have to at least try them.

Wacky Dive Masters

We had great weather for the dive this moring. We did a 90 foot wreck dive first and the water was around 80 degrees. It was a little strange getting used to diving again but it all evened out after a few minutes. Not many fish on the first dive but interesting wrecks. The second dive was only 40 feet but had a ton of fish. Saw a 6 foot nurse shark and a 5 foot eal and Nicole did her first cave type swim thru. The dive masters were great and we only had 7 people on the boat so it felt pretty roomy. Here they are hanging off the back of the boat on the way in. I'm thinking they had to go pee but maybe they just liked tempting death by boat propeller. Off to the pool now.

Relaxing

It was a little cloudy this morning so we got a long workout in then hit the pool right when the sun came out. We laid around there for a while and I got a message and then walked down the bearch to Atlantis. That place is wacked. It's the exact opposite of the One and Only Ocean Club. Atlantis is huge and kind of spring break like. The boys would love the dozen or so pools and water slides coming out of everywhere. I did like the casino and will be back there after in the dinner in the Marina Village tonight. We have a dive tomorrow morning so we are hoping the weather holds and we have sun.

I took a bunch of photos already but this flickr collection is of Versailles Garden I took last night. It starts at the end of the pool pictured above.

We've Arrived

This place is pretty awesome. Car service from the airport and a personal greeting from Robert Sands who's card reads "Villa and Notable Guest Manager". We handed off some clothes to be ironed and shoes to be shined to the butler and we are just chilling now and getting a little snack before exploring a bit and having dinner at Dune at 8pm. It's very relaxing but I think we already miss the boys.

De Iceing

De Iceing
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

We are now about an hour delayed and everything is moving so sloooooooowly but we are getting the nasty snow and ice off the wings so we should be airborne soon. We are in first so at least we are comfortable. For you AARP readers, Mel Radowitz got on this flight wearing a blue blazer just like I remember him wearing at work everyday. Hopefully he will shed it when we land.

Snowy Departure

Snowy Departure
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Getting a little Alberta Clipper rolling by and hoping we don't get delayed. Planes seem to be coming and going so i'm crossing my fingers.

Mason Neck State Park Hike

We took a nice and chilly two mile hike this morning at Mason Neck State Park. It's only about 15 miles south of us and at the point where the Occoquan river meets the Potomac. It was in the high 30's and really windy but we needed some fresh air. It was really cold along the river but once we got into the woods it was pretty nice. The park was also basically deserted so we had the woods to ourselves. The boys are turning into pretty good little hikers and made the two mile march without asking to be carried. The interpretive center was nice too, with snake skins and deer skulls for the boys to identify.

California Grandma and Grandpa are coming in tomorrow and we are getting ready to head to the islands for a few days later this week. It will be nice to lay back and relax a little. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will be able to get a little tan going as well.

Here's a link to the 45 pictures I got from today. Enjoy. http://www.flickr.com/photos/homerclees/sets/72157594570147955/

Tie Dye Parade

Sam and Dylan as tie dyed kings.

Long Week

It seemed to drag on and on with a ton of work for both of us. Just a couple more days and it's beach time. We watched The Departed last night and see why it won the academy award for best picture and director. Good stuff. The boys have a birthday party today and I think Blanca took pictures at the Purim Parade at school yesterday. Either way, I should have some pictures to post. The boys want Kumie shoes today. Off to the gym.

Racing Day


We brought out the racing game on the xbox tonight after a long hiatus. The boys are becoming pretty good drivers and won a number of races. They really celebrate when they win but look very serious when they are driving. I'm not sure video games are the best things in the world for kids but they diffinately learn some good motor skills and can now press the right buttons on the controller to make the next race start or move to another race. Like Tiger Woods golf, they will soon be out driving McConnell on a regular basis.

White House

I got this shot from the church yard behind our house yesterday. We took the boys on a walk to find a good sliding hill and found our best option on the churches driveway. I was able to get a few more shots that I uploaded to flickr here. Most of the snow left us today and it will be back near 50 degrees later this week. Not much else going on this week but work and oh yeah, our 6th anniversary on Saturday.

Morning Snow Storm



We had a nice snow storm this morning and did a little sledding and snowball throwing. It's all melting right now but we got a good 5 inches anyway.

Faces Visible Again

The women at the gym this morning seemed relieved that the boys finally got a haircut. It was pretty long and it probably effected their vision. They look good. Here they are lounging in front of the tv in the play room. We went to the gym today and had some bagels while mama got her toe and finger nails done. A little nap and some bike riding in the afternoon and now we are watching Flushed Away in front of a big fire. Winter weather moving back in tonight, maybe a snow day if we're lucky.

Super Heroes

I took a lot of picture on Valentines Day trying to get the perfect shot. I was just looking at them again and figure their are a couple more worth sharing. We are all getting haircuts tomorrow. The boys are getting shaggy, I'm just slightly disheveled. I'm going with them to school tomorrow morning for Daddy's and Donuts day. Should be fun.

Jamestown and Williamsburg

I posted about 75 photos from our trip south. Flickr was acting pretty strange last night and when I posted the original set, it had random pictures from other people's collections, including some fairly racey pictures. Unfortuneatly, when you tried to click on the random picture, one of my own would come up. Flickr closed down for a while last night and everything seems to be working again this morning.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/homerclees/sets/72157594546099801/

I had a good Presidents Day off and got a bunch of stuff done. It's back to a busy week of work.

Produce right here

Produce right here
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

We stopped in Cold Harbor on the way back from Williamsburg today. This is Mark's Produce stand. I like that. We are safe and sound back in Alexandria and watching the snow fall with a big fire in the fireplace.

Colonial Williamsburg

We are getting all packed up and ready to go to Jamestown before heading home this afternoon. We had a nice three days down here and I still have another day off tomorrow. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for Presidents Day, maybe picket the Whitehouse. Jamestown is 400 years old this year and I told the boys that this is where John Smith from the Disney movie Pocahontas lived. This is basically true, except for the Pocahontas part but they diffinately want to go there now.

USS Wisconsin

We got to Williamsburg late on Thursday night and the kids were exhausted. They still got up early and wanted to go swimming and video game playing. We visited the Maritime Museum in Norfolk yesterday and the boys had fun touching crabs and things in the kids area. We also boarded the USS Wisconsin, a Iowa class battleship they have hanging out there but it was pretty cold up on deck so the tour was quick.

Marsh and I played some golf this morning here at Fords Colony when it got warm enough and Mom and Nicole went to Colonial Williamsburg to see the parade and have lunch. It was a little cold on the golf course (36 at tee time, 50 by the time we finished) but it was good to hit the ball. I didn't score that badly either with handful of pars and nothing more than a couple double bogeys. Looks good for the season ahead. Off to dinner in a few. I have more pictures to post later or tomorrow.

Hotel Palomar Lobby

Hotel Palomar Lobby
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

I have an all day management council meeting today then its off to Williamsburg. This is a funky little hotel on P street in the District that I didn't know existed.

Happy Valentine's Day

From the Captain Heartbreaker twins.

Pathetic Little Snowman

We had about 5 inches of snow and sleet last night and the boys were able to piece together a decent little snowman but it wasn't the big storm everyone was talking about. I went to work a couple hours late and came home early because the roads were in rough shape. Nicole worked from home and took this picture.

Fore!

Fore!
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Wishing for golf weather.

Snow on M Street

Snow on M Street
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The dc convention center is nice. This is the first time I've been here.

ASAE Technology Conference

ASAE Technology Conference
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

I'm spending a bunch of the day at the washington convention center listening to Association types talk about technology. Its been interesting so far. Its snowing outside now but its suppose to turn to freezing rain later. Not the winter storm I was looking for.

Monkey Boys

My meeting went well and I was back home by 3:30. The boys did end up going to the Zoo but Nicole ran out of power for her camera after one shot. Here they are playing with the Monkeys. It's suppose to snow some this week. Can you say snow day? It would be the first in a couple years.

Glimmering Lights

Glimmering Lights
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

I have a 6 hour meeting this morning while Nicole and the boys are heading to the Zoo. Architects seem to like meeting on weekends. That's unfortunate.

Me

Me
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

In my new tux. Maya Lin just accepted the 25 year award for the Vietnam Memorial.

Hillary campaigning via video

Hillary campaigning via video
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

I guess Hilary started the Save Americas Treaures program when she was first lady. Barbara Bush is now the chairperson but she just sent a letter.

Target is a new sponsor

Target is a new sponsor
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Rich Varga, an AIA Fellow is talking now about the new Target sponsorship of the re desing your school contest being run by the American Architectual Foundation. Good to see a Minnesota company caring about architecture. They also provided an bunch of building blocks in the center of each table. The boys would have loved them.

Accent on Architecture

Accent on Architecture
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

The building museum is a fitting place for this event. Haven't found anyone I know yet but my table is near the door. Escape should be easy.

Kumie's Gone

After an AIA open house for Grassroots last night, I met up with a bunch of folks to wish Kumie so-long. She's moving to San Jose on Saturday. We all pitched in and bought he an xbox 360 so I can kick her behind in tiger woods golf remotely. I'm getting ready to get all fancy and head to the ball.

Grassroots

Grassroots
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

I did my first real pitch on the eKnowledge application they hired me to produce to the second biggest AIA conference of the year after convention. This was the first of many I will be doing in the next 12 to 18 months. It went pretty well and I think people understand it a little better if I explain it as a Google and My Space combination for Architects. This is the conference my friend Melissa used to run when she worked for AIA 15 years ago. Funny.

Snowy drive to work

Snowy drive to work
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

We got an inch of snow or so last night and it was enough to close the schools. It was pretty driving around the tidal basen and across the mall and past the world war II memorial on the way to work.

I hate Microsoft

I bought the boys a new racing game for the Xbox the other day and when I stuck it in the machine tonight, it wouldn't play because the game was for the original, not the new Xbox 360 we have. Why would you build a machine that can't play versions of software build for the previous version of the machine. That just makes no sense. This is why Microsoft is getting it's behind handed to them in the entertainment field by Apple, Nintendo and everyone else. They just suck at the new frontier of technology, the living room.

Shoe Shopping at Nordstroms

Shoe Shopping at Nordstroms
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Daddy needs new shoes for the black tie gig on Friday. Its surprising to me that so many men are out shopping on Superbowl Sunday.

I haven't ranted in a while

So I sit in my seat and the woman in front of me had stuffed her jacket under her seat, so where my feet go. I took it out and handed it back to her explaining that my feet are going to be occupying that space and I got a look like I killed her dog. Does she not understand the concept of putting your belonging beneath the seat in front of you? I feel really bad that she had to be so inconvienced with HER jacket at her feet.

I'm on my way home and things seem to be on time. It will be good to see Nicole and the boys. Good conference yesterday and it was good to catch up with BJ and Denny.

Free Hugs

Free Hugs
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Only at Stanford. I hope I helped him out with a phychology thesis or something.

Break

Break
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

It's getting nicer out

Mobile Persuasion 2007 Begins

Mobile Persuasion 2007 Begins
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

A grey day in Palo Alto but the house is full. Had a nice dinner at Bay Wolf in Oakland with the in-laws last night, then went straight to bed. I missed Greys Anatomy but will watch it on my DVR or buy it on iTunes.

Safe and Sound in NoCal

The planes were running on time today and I got an upgrade so it all worked out. I'm getting ready to got to dinner with Linda and Gil then heading to a tv to watch my cousin Tony in tonights episode of Gray's Anatomy. He's playing a guy that has a script name of "hurts when he pees" Should be fun.

I'm spending the day tomorrow at the Mobile Persuasion Conference at Stanford. This is being put on by BJ Fogg's Persuasive Technology Lab and who I've been working with on my Boomer, Mobile Health project. I've kind of slacked off on the my project lately but this is the type of event to that will help get it going again. BJ asked me to speak at this event but my AIA duties have been unable to really do anything new so I choose to attend and network instead. It should be fun and I'll probably have a whole slew of new ideas at the end of day.

Too bad Apple isn't sponsoring and handing out new iPhones. Maybe next year.

Frozen Lake Michigan

Frozen Lake Michigan
Originally uploaded by homerclees.

Landing at ohare to change planes to Oakland I noticed a really chiily looking lake Michigan below. It must be pretty cold here. I don't remember the last time I've seen the lake with so much ice. Hopefully Palo Alto is warmer.