Nicky and Stephen, Met June 8, 1998, Married June 8, 2000

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel: all claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favorite.

GREEN said: "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, leaves, trees--without me, all animals would die. Look out over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."

BLUE interrupted: "You only think about the Earth, but consider the sky and sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."

YELLOW chuckled:"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth to the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me, there would be no fun."

ORANGE started next to blow her temper. "I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangos, and pawpaws. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you".

RED could stand it no longer. He shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you! I am blood! Life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire to the blood! I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poppy and the poinsettia. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon!"

PURPLE rose up to his full height. He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am a sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me, they listen and obey".

Finally, INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."

And so all the colors went on boasting and quarreling, each convinced of their own superiority. Soon, their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening! Thunder rolled and boomed! Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, RAIN began to speak: "You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The RAIN continued: "From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of colors as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow".

And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.

Author -- Unknown

 

Barrels o' booze.

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Just trying to blend in.

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The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge as observed from Twin Peaks.

 

Pillow fluff.

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Summer windsurfing off Dania Beach.

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Orange seats at Dolphins Stadium.

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Dolphin pattern fabric.

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Some California Poppies seen on our recent trip to San Francisco.

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Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary to us! It's also the 7th anniversary of when we met. I love you, Nicky! You're the best wife! Here's to many more years.

 

Our last day was Saturday. We took the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf to meet the shuttle for the seaplane tour. We looked around for a bit, saw the sea lions close up, then left for Sausalito. The seaplane was pretty neat. We were given great views and the weather was perfect. For lunch we stayed in Fisherman's Wharf then we rode the cable car to Lombard Street. Supposedly this is the world's most crookedest street. After that we took one last ride on the cable car to our hotel and left for the airport. Our flight to Los Angeles was delayed by about ten minutes but it was nothing to worry about since we had a 2 hour layover anyway. We arrived back in Fort Lauderdale early Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day sleeping.

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We spent Friday touring Muir Woods in the morning and Sonoma Valley in the afternoon. We toured 4 wineries, Homewood, Gloria Ferrer, Larson Valley, and Cline Cellars. We tasted lots of vino. We spent the evening back at Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square. We watched the sun set as we dined at McCormick's and rode the cable car back to our hotel.

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Our Thursday began with a city tour that took us through the city, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, and up to the top of Twin Peaks. We took in spectacular views of the city from Twin Peaks. Afterwards we took a tour of Alcatraz. Our day ended with an evening in Chinatown.

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We woke up on the east coast and went to bed on the west coast. We are spending a few days in San Francisco.


The clouds over Florida were spectacular from the air. Some storms were moving in as we were moving out.


Our flight path took us over the Grand Canyon.

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