Ben is a gifted photographer

Notice how the different angles of the same image sparks contemplation:

The "Headless" and "Half head" compilation is makes you consider the possibility that it's you who's ordering, or snorkeling....

Finally, Ben's ability to elevate everday objects is reminiscent of Warhol

Ben's room

Shannon just finished painting Ben's room. It took several coats, but it turned out great! Take a look:

This is before we actually moved in. We stored the tub in his room while did some work on the bathroom.

Here's another picture from before we moved in..Ben doesn't look too happy with his new room.

The new paint is up and the floors have been refinished...Ben has the largest closet in the house..for now.. View of Ben's Bed

Ben's train table fits perfectly!

Bathroom Remodel

In our ignorance, we thought we could have the bathroom completed a few days after we moved in. We've been here just over a week, and if everything goes well, we *may* have a shower by early next week. It isn't that the work is hard, it's just that everything has to be done in a particular order, and people have to be scheduled in advance. Having never attempted anything like this before, we've had a tough time of it. Here are a couple pictures documenting our progress:

Before we moved in. Notice the pealing plaster, and how the mirror isn't directly above the sink..very nice.

After the demolition. My dad and I installed some creative framing. You can see the new electrical wiring has been installed.

The dry wall is up! The first layer of mud has been applied, and everthing is starting to take shape.

Weekend in Seattle

If there is one thing I know about Porfolio Managers at Bellvue Asset Management Companies: they gots to have themselves nice kitchens. Tom Pak (of Cedar Park, and Sunset High fame) has built himself an award winning kitchen:



You can read about Tom's nice kitchen at: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw08072005/living.html

I don't think I talked to Tom since Cedar Park, but it looks like the Berkeley alum email address wasn't faked after all ;-) On a similar note: I'll try to post more pictures of our delicious entrées as the outpouring of requests has been profound. Watch for them on the main page.

We had a great time in Seattle visiting with friends and family. Our friends Steve and Cassondra just had a baby daughter. Cecelia seems to sleep much better and they seemed much less stressed out than we were when Ben was 1.5 months old. I think we were unsuccessful at convincing them to move back to Portland. We'll try again next visit.

Finally, another post

It's true that gwartney.com has been sweeping the Internet ever since "The Singing Gwartneys" fell asleep and I stole the domain name. It's not surprising as it is the #1 source of information on all matters Gwartney; from dinners to current events.....Alright, to be honest, I have no idea why I get more than 3 hits a month. But I do, so I started to look through the site statistics and realized that some people who I thought were long lost are actually visiting the site (you know who you are). I'm nostalgic, drop me a line at webmaster@gwartney.com, anonymously, if you want...look at that thought-provoking picture while you type.

1st Entry

Well, here it is...my first blog entry. I guess I have to take back all the nasty things I've said in the past about bloggers; how they're self-absorbed, vain losers with nothing but time. I guess I was wrong. Now, let's talk about me.