The Turner Family

A belated birthday for Nick and some of his buddies, we took them to Funtyme for miniature golf and go-karting. Upon our return home, there was renewed interest in my repairing our go-kart. What picture with kids would be complete without the rabbit ears? Jason, Nick, Mason, and Tyler (actual sized, and he's older). And another picture to boot.

Again, I can't see the pictures so I will describe them here. The first picture is of the Box City... Accra style. When you don't have toys you make them! Next is the first full day of school and the kids getting on the bus. The bus picks them up right at our gate. Lastly we finally were able to deliver our French professor's gifts to his family, which turned out to be quite an adventure. The family's shop is DEEP in the heart of Accra; we ended up having the taxi pull over so we could walk since it was faster.

Per mom's email this morning (in re to communicating with the Ghanian Turners), I got Ahni and Jason, Meg and Garrett on a video conference call this afternoon using the program Skype , freely downloadable here . If you have a broadband connection, and if you have a webcam (they're built-in on all iMacs and Mac laptops ) you can see and talk to them (or us) for free using Skype. Even if you don't have a webcam, your computer's microphone allows you to speak to any Skype user for free. With a paid Skype plan, you can even leave voicemails for Skype users, or use it as a text messager to people's mobile phones. Simply download and install Skype, acquire a username or handle (mine is turnec , Tiffani's is coniso23 , and they are alwturner ) and you're all set to videoconference. Skype is a terrific means for maintaining contact -- did I mention that it's free? -- it's how I was able to say good morning and goodnight to the kids while I was travellin...

Recently, we traveled with Sophia to Ann Arbor to consult with her hand surgeon, and over lunch she expressed her desire to get her ears pierced, so on the way home we obliged. Actually, our waiter recommended a nearby tattoo parlor for the piercing, which we all thought would make a great story, but we were turned away due to her age. Thus, a visit to the Lansing Mall . In advance of the gun. Directly after the simultaneous guns. Sophie was stoic for quite a moment, but the gal on the right of the photo exclaimed it's OK to cry, to which she obliged. A shy attempt at thumbs up, a tear visible on her left cheek. A forced thumbs up.

Fors some reason I can't see the pictures to add the captions in the proper place so I will do my best to describe the photos here. The first shot is of Meg and Garrett in the pool at the temporary quarters. Next, Meg and her friend Becky on horseback at LaBadi beach which is a ten minute drive from our house. The beach wasn't terrible but I wouldn't go there to swim or lay in the sand. The third picture is of us visiting a local Bakery/Ice Cream parlor. Samuel is on the left, he has been our driver for most of our outings. He is employed by our Social sponsor and drives us around when he can. He's also becoming quite good at bowling. The woman standing next to him is Lisha, she arrived a few days after we did so she tags along with us on our adventures. The last picture is of Meg's friend, Becky, when she finally got her lobster!

One of the activity goals for the Belknap Turners for the Lake Placid trip was for all of us to go paintballing, so Tiff did some advance research and found an outlet within a half hour's drive of Mirror Lake. Not much discussion about the event took place until the morning of, when some participants equivocated upon hearing about our recommendations for long sleeved shirts and pants, and reflecting on the pace of the projectiles. It was determined that Nick and Garrett, being similarly aged, should choose teams; Nick demonstrated limited family allegiances when he chose his mother and not his stepfather, but with the passing of time I'm now over it. Really. Some two plus hours later, with games of Capture the flag and Normandy , a resupply of paintballs, innumerable welts and fogged lenses, everyone participated and there was tremendous camaraderie and buzz afterward. Tiffani, Jenny, and Emilee strike a pose before the event. Curiously, we're actually waiving liabilities ...

As our days in Lake Placid waned, we decided to jump on the hiking bandwagon with which Jenny was torturing Jack all week. Through Jenny's planning and assistance, we carpooled southeast of Lake Placid, the two of them took off for a higher peak, and Jason, Ahni, Tiffani, Cori, Nick, Meg, Garrett, myself, and Farrah trotted down the road for the trailhead of Pitchoff . Check out this formidable group: still cheery. Despite the scenery and the accomplishment, enthusiasm beginning to wane... Right near the raspberry patch and the bear scat sighting. Athletes love these poses in their opponents: drooping shoulders, tired countenance , dangling arms. Ahni and Tiffani were invoking some serious inspirational chat to get members of the crew to the top. The top, at last, for the Ghana Turners. Wild blueberries , seemingly acres of them, and ravenous, myopic little'uns. Could a bear be currently sharing this patch? Who would notice? A couple of husky hikers. Or, at least one. It was...

Check down the starboard side of the blog, and you will see links for both Accra weather and news. Yes, I'm a geek.

Tuesday afternoon about 4:30, and after a long day at the desk reading old dusty books, I decided to take a break for some mental refreshment. And in these moments I turn to the Turner blog. Only to find a mouthwatering description of hot dogs, which made me realize that if the greatest city in the world could do anything for me right NOW, it would be to produce a hot dog. Which of course it can: right on my corner and not 10 feet from my front door. Which is why I truly do heart NY. And this isn't just any old hot dog; it's a Broadway classic Sabrett's dog. Served piping hot out of near-boiling water. Two choices: "bigger. smaller." I took "bigger," with mustard and sauerkraut. On a very soft, almost sticky, slightly sweet bun, sliced down the middle to cradle the dog. $2. Time to enjoy: less than a minute. Here's a photo for your own enjoyment.

Likely many Lake Placid postings to come, but we'll start with dinner on Thursday night en route to Drew' s in Buffalo from Shea and Ellen's in Hartford . Tiffani had been referring to the Road Food book borrowed from mom and dad, and our timing -- hunger -- and geography -- a restaurant anywhere nearby -- hadn't worked out until this point . All of us are big fans of hot dogs, but one cannot expect white linen service at a hot dog joint, and Heid's didn't surprise: picnic tables, overflowing trash, and self service. The ordering is simple enough, reminding me of the old days of eating with Aunt Ginny at the MSU Union : grab a tray, queue up and order, slide down the line to retrieve everything, dress it out. The problem with Heid's came from the (small) dining room lying where one enters the restaurant, and before where the ordering takes place. Thus, The Belknap Turner 6, whose kids were stuck in van seats for the previous 300 miles, and all of their t...

The trash bags came in handy again while we were crossing Lake Champlain from New York to Burlington, Vermont with Chris, Tiffany and family. Our visit to Ben & Jerry's factory, we sampled the new flavor-- Cheesecake Brownie. We went from beautiful Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, to sleeping under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Staten Island. We took a quick trip downtown to show the kids Times Square... can you just see the excitement on Meg's face - NOT! Last meal... PIZZA & BEER!

And finally...a picture of Rebecca from this Spring, from a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. This is looking back toward Manhattan from about half way, toward our neighborhood.  The tall skinny building with the point is the Woolworth Building... And this week was our first anniversary, so I am re-posting a photo from last year's event. This is in the Hall of Records in front of the judge.  We still look the same. Happy as Ever!

And here are some long-overdue photos from my mom's birthday party in Lincoln. Kids on trains, Nick rocking some sunglasses, a snap of the birthday girl with her "kids," listening to a toast.