A new bike

Hooray! Greg passed the CRCT reading test! He will be promoted to 4th grade.

As a reward he got a brand new bike. A Schwinn with 21 speeds. So now Greg is not only able to go down the hill to the cul-de-sac, but also to come back up again.

Being a good brother, Greg negotiated a new bike for Sammy as well. He had not really done anything to deserve one. Well, according to Sammy, he had been nice for mom while Greg was in summer school.

Greg's expander

Gregory has a small mouth, and his teeth need alignment. Since a beautiful smile is so highly valued, Greg will wear braces. There is not enough space in Greg's mouth for all his teeth to fit properly. There are two ways to make room. One is extraction: teeth are removed to create more space. The second is expansion: the palate is made larger by using an expander.

Greg received an expander yesterday. Now his mouth is sore and he speaks funny. He will wear it for six months. Hopefully he will get used to it soon.

Old Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale isn't very old. If you don't count the 5,000 years that native americans have come to Fort Lauderdale. Modern Fort Lauderdale started when Frank Stranahan established a trading post with the local Seminole indians around1895. Stranahan was in Florida to build a rock road through the South Florida wilderness. In 1896,the Florida East Coast Railway was extended south through Fort Lauderdale. Old Fort Lauderdale is where the railway crosses the New River.

Sammy took our picture in Old Fort Lauderdale today.

Dead Man's Chest

On a one night stop-over in Orlando, we went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie: Dead Man's Chest. While the story is hard to follow, Johnny Depp makes up for it. He does another quirky, swaggering impersonation of Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp's facial expressions are hilarious.

The movie also features mythological sea creatures such as the Flying Dutchman and the giant octopus Kraken that attacks and sinks ships.

Greg in Tallahassee

Auburn at FSU

We're on vacation! On our way to South Florida, we're making a stop in Tallahassee. 'Tallahassee' is an Apalachee word meaning 'old town'. There are no Apalachees anymore, they have been killed off by disease and the Spaniards. And even the athletic teams of Florida State University are named after a rival tribe, the Seminoles. Even though Sammy was wearing an Auburn shirt today, he wanted to see the football stadium.

Un but ou un headbutt de Zidane?

Hockey grin

Sammy lost a tooth. Here he's showing off his gap-toothed hockey grin.

Sammy Keane

Things to do on the fourth of July: Here's Sammy singing "This is the last time" from Keane.

Greg Blunt

Greg sings "Goodbye, my lover" by James Blunt.

Who can sing like the canary?

Today, Brazil was eliminated from the Fifa World Cup through a masterful display by Zinedine Zidane leading les Bleus to a 1-0 victory. Here's a tribute to the Brazilian team from Eric Cantona for Joga TV. The music is by Sergio Mendes with the Black Eyed Peas: Mas que nada.

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