After a long and luscious life, our cat, Stuart, has finally passed on. Stuart came to us as a stray, taking up residency in our yard, then our basement, then our kitchen, and finally our hearts. We never knew how old he was, but he was a part of our lives for well over 15 years.

Stuart was a real lover of a cat, wanting nothing more than peace, quiet, and affection. He was huge cat with a squeaky little meow, and his paws were big and soft like marshmallows. He had an insatiable appetite for being scratched on the sides of his neck; it made him purr like a thunderstorm. I like to think that I was his favorite. He certainly was mine.

I'm not sad to see him go; we've all been ready for so long now. I'm just happy that, of all the families whose lives could have been warmed by his soft, sage-like presence, he chose ours, and we took him in.

He was buried this week behind the garage, next to Munchkin, Sweet-Heart, and Oreo, all of whom he knew and far outlived. Rest in peace Stuart. I hope, wherever you are, that there's a kitchen counter with milk and shredded cheddar, and someone to scratch your neck. 

5 inches of snow doesn't mean much for some, but in Arkansas, it's a memorable event.  Even more impressive is the thick glassy layer of solid ice lying underneath those five fluffy inches, rendering our roads impassable and our hills highly sleddable.  Last year's ice storm left our town traumatized, but after the suspenseful build up to #nwaicestorm10, we have been pleasantly reminded that not all winter storms end in community-wide disaster.

These snow days have been pure magic, wouldn't you agree?  For 48 hours, I feel as though I've been living in a snow globe where the roads are mostly empty and quiet and the parks are full of raucuos snow-goers, all ages, made exuberant by the simple act of sliding down a hill.  Everything seems special and fun.

Despite all this joyfullness, on Thursday, just before Jack Frost paid us a visit, I was reminded of a poet Frost, and a few words he wrote that are hard not to think of on wintery days like this:

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice. 

More photos below...

Happy Birthday Dax.  This is your birthday blog post.  Remember this picture?  Bermuda, circa 2007. 

Looking back through photographs from my senior year and the following winder in NYC, I realized that I have a lot of sweet pictures of Dakota.  So, I couldn't just pick one.  I narrowed it down to these six pictures.  See below...

This one's also a Bermuda shot.  Berto in the back, sunning by the pool.  I believe this was taken early in the morning, but involving something named after a sunset...

Dax Dancing in Suite P with classic patriotic headband.  One of my favorite pictures ever was taken minutes after this one.

Beer run in Suite P.  Atwater residents will recognize the elevator.  Nice face, Joel.

Another classic: Dax in front of a raging bonfire, on the Coles' Farm, somewhere in Virginia.

Happy Birthday Dakota.  Enjoy the photos, and your day.

Last Saturday was Lisa's Birthday, and because I didn't even wish her a happy one, I thought I should do it up with a blog post.  You see, in this information age in which we live, it's hard to make your birthday wishes stand out.  Lately, when I wish someone a happy birthday electronically, I know they're thinking, "Oh, he must have seen it on facebook."  Yes, it's true, I saw it on facebook.  I wouldn't have remembered otherwise.  But, I can still make it special by posting a lovely picture of the birthday girl, right?  I have so many wonderful pictures of my friends.  Birthdays seem like great times to share them.

So, Lisa, here's a picture of you, for you, from me.  You can save it, share it, or disregard it, but I think it's nice.  It was lovely to see you on your Fayetteville visit.  We'll make it up to D.C. soon; I promise!

P.S.  Congratulations to Kelley (left) for being accepted to a French teaching program in France for a year!  It's friends like you, Kelley, that supply me with excuses to make otherwise gratuitous trip around the world.  Can't wait to visit you in Le France!

Looking back through my photos this holiday season, I came across a number of images I made while monitoring migrating Terns in Cape Cod.  This one really got me, so I thought I'd post it, along with the two others below.  Oh the beautiful bird flocks I witnessed that summer...

I'm taking off on Friday and heading straight to Brooklyn for a gathering of fine people in honor of the birthdays of these two lovely men.  I excited to see them, and everyone else.  Being excited, I began to peruse my old pictures and came across this one from my NYC going away party. 

I think this could be the album cover for the record that will be Friday night. 

In honor of the Jason's birthday, I couldn't help but post this picture that I've never shared with anyone.  Jason, Sharai, and I make this photo last February on the roof of Sharai's apartment in Bangkok.  After a successfull venture through the Flower Market, we decided there was no better way than this to use our purchased goods. 

There are no words to adequately describe this image.  For me, this one's just a "YES".

Happy Birthday Pants.  See you soon.

Throughout my travels last January, I encountered many an amusing sign.  Just goes to show that English is tough.  Here are some of my favorite signs that I was able to photograph. 

At a temple in Northern Thailand.  Buddhism is cool and all, but there are still some often overlooked descrepancies when it comes to beliefs about women.  Follow the link below to the rest of the photographs.

I have no idea what this is supposed to indicate.  Still, it made me smile.

"Thank you for reading this."

Will & Jeannette are about to spend a month traveling in Thailand.  While encouraging them to visit this beach, I realized that I haven't yet posted any pictures from this part of my trip.  So, here's one.  I took this picture on the very day that the Ice Storm struck Fayetteville in early 2009.

Not the most amazing picture, but certainly an amazing place.