Damn, this sucks...
Media statement – 4 September 2006
Steve Irwin
At 11am today, the 4th September 2006, Steve Irwin was fatally wounded by a stingray barb to his heart whilst filming a sequence on Batt Reef off Port Douglas for his daughter’s new TV series. Emergency services were called from Cairns Rescue Base and met Croc One, Steve’s rescue vessel at Low Isle on the Great Barrier Reef. The Croc One crew performed constant CPR during the thirty minute dash to Low Isle, but the medical staff pronounced Steve dead at approx. 12 noon.
His producer and closest friend, John Stainton said on Croc One today, “The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest Dads on the planet. He died doing what he loves best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. Crocs Rule!”
I felt like I lost a friend when we heard this news last night. When Yaunna was in first grade, she decided she wanted to become an adventurer, like Steve Irwin. She would sit for HOURS watching Animal Planet, and for Christmas 2000, she was given an adventurer coat that we covered in patches from animal-friendly venues; she got a butterfly net, binoculars, a bug jar, half a dozen animal identification books, a canteen, a specially-made utility belt with camo-coloured pockets and pouches that Santa found at the army surplus in Burbank...she was ready. All she needed was a ticket to Queensland.
The world will mourn the loss of this hilariously dangerous guy--he brought celebrity to the crocs and snakes of the world, and made us all gawk at the crazy crap he'd do. I felt a certain kinship with Terri--she's a fellow Oregonian. After they were married, I worried about her future with a man who put himself in harm's way as a matter of occupation. Did she anticipate his untimely demise? What are her parents thinking this morning? Does she have friends who will quietly bow their heads and mutter "I told you so" under their breath?
And what about Bindi Sue and little Bob? Bob is only six months older than Kendon...and I can't imagine how hard it will be for Bindi. By all accounts, she was her daddy's girl.
I feel quite saddened by all of this loss, but it is with fondness that I remember my own girl, now on the precipice of seventh grade, who ran outside in her new adventurer coat and hat over the top of her jammies, gear falling off her tiny 7-year-old frame, into the sunny backyard on a Los Angeles Christmas morning.
Crikey, Steve-o...you're such a bonehead. Why couldn't you just have retired to feeding your crocs?
We'll miss you. Thanks for the memories. We'll keep an eye on your kids.
WELCOME AIDEN DOUGLAS BOWES!!!
After an unexpected burst bag of waters, an ambulance ride from Pitt Meadows to Royal Columbian, and 15 hours of labor, Dilys Hunter-Bowes and husband David Bowes welcomed their first baby into this crazy world on July 3, 2006, at 2:10 p.m.
Arriving 5 weeks early, Aiden Douglas Bowes weighs in at a respectable 5 lbs. 2 oz. I had the honor of meeting him today, and he is absolutely, positively gorgeous.
I'm an AUNTIE! (At least the closest thing I will be to becoming an auntie for a LONG, LONG time...right, Ash???)
Anyway, our wonderful friends have this amazing new life with Sir Aiden. Think happy thoughts for them as they adjust to being a threesome.
Meet Racquel ... she's very sweet ...
"Mom, look! She's smiling at you!"
"Honey, that's not a smile when they make that hissing sound..."
Train Boy
Trains on the hearth (from left to right): Annie, Clarabel, Henry, Murdoch, Harvey, and Salty.
Aren't you impressed?
My life is not my own. It's Thomas the Tank Engine's life. I'm just borrowing it for the time being. Now I must go get my buffers polished. Excuse me...
Meet my friend, Frank the Fly
Cute, eh? Makes me itch.
Baby grapes...it's gonna be a good year!
Aren't the baby grapes cute???
Awwww, pretty puppies...
Lila and Nat, enjoying the summer with their humans.
Brrrr, Mom...it's colddddd...
After an afternoon of intense "swumming" (see note below) in the backyard blow-up pool, Brennie was freeeeeezing. A few prior photos really showed the pretty hue in his lips--it was about the same shade as this font color. BUT, I couldn't pry him out of the water. His choice. That's what being a big boy is all about.
Teacher and student...
Yes, we're considering a haircut. I know, I know...it's time. But those curlsssss...
Look, Mom! I can SWUM!
Nope. That's not a typo. That's what Brennan calls it. Swumming. He's 4, too bloody smart for his own good, so every once in a while, I let him have a grammatical hiccup because it's just so damned cute.
And he can thank his sister for spending time with him to get him to relax enough in this FREEZING COLD water to get his torso wet, kick his feet, and have a rousing good swum.
Summer time...and the livin' is easy...
They actually managed to get along for, like, 4.2 minutes. Long enough for me to snap a collection of photografias.
This is what we saw on the way home from dogs on Tuesday night. Gorgeous, eh? This is Cloverdale, heading north to the freeway (er, highway, whatever it's called here). We managed to get a few photos of the operator firing up (this is not one of them). We would have followed it to where it landed, but it appeared to be down a private road and I wasn't in the mood to get a ticket. Nice mountains in the background and everything, eh?
Be still the hearts of all young women...
Behold Michael.
He is the hearthrob of the junior dog show world. Recently 18, our dear Mikey is playing in the big leagues now, I hear. I get all confused about what and where and age limits and all that. I s'pose it doesn't matter. What DOES matter is every girl under the age of 24 has a crush on Michael (and even some over the age of 24----what? I'm married! Stop looking at me like that--I'm a happily married woman and besides, I'm 16 years older than he is. No, it's NOT like The Graduate -- that is so 1960s...oh, this conversation is every shade of wrong.)
And it's not just the doggie girls who pant at Michael's presence. However, they find him uber-sweet because of his penchant for poochies. He's a great handler.
A DOG HANDLER, pervert. Get your head outta the gutter. Sheesh. SOME PEOPLE.
Lisa and Megan...enjoying the quiet...
After the actual doggie instruction is over, the junior kennel club director guy (Wayne) gives the kids a lecture on, well, dog stuff. The kids all whine about it, but they love it (especially one little smartie pants I happen to know rather well...). Anyway, here's Lisa, chillin' with her pooch, Megan, who I think is a miniature Schnauzer, while the kids sit in the sizzling corner of the arena listening to Wayne pass on sage advice about the importance of touch to newborn puppies.Anyway, nice photo, Lisa. You look gorgeous, dahling.
THIS is Georgio...ssshhhh...don't tell my cat...
I know. I'm not a dog person. I'm working on it. BUT--this is George, and his momma is Karen, and his sisters are Lyric and Baby Cleo...and Karen won't give me any of 'em. This teeny tiny Pomeranian is SO incredibly smart that I would actually consider having one, simply because they look (and act) like cats. Even their poops are smaller than my cats. That's cool.
A fond salute to the last dog class of the 2005-06 season...
Nice, ladies. Real classy.
(Teresa, don't kill me...remember--we're sisters!!! And if I'm dead, then you have to take care of all my kids...don't forget!)
Pretty puppy...dim, but pretty...
What a goooooood-lookin' beagle. That's Nat. Dumber than a mud fence, but beautiful. This was the last dog class of the season, with only a few shows on our schedule this summer, the junior kennel club camping trip in August, and of course, the start of an exciting new season in September (my FAVORITE time of the year...). The following are a few more piccies from the group. Nice folks. Some of 'em are sorta weird, but it takes one to know one.
Happy Father's Day!!!!
Spending a family day, together. Well, actually, it was a family four hours. Then we came home and the Sunday Night Carnage started up: homework, dinner, baths, dishes, finishing laundry, Mom typing (or not, as was the case THIS Sunday) ... and then I climbed into bed at 10:47 p.m., fully expecting to get through the two movie reviews and book review I have started, but I fell asleep.
Happy Dad's Day, babe. Some Bunny loves ya...
You have no idea how hard it is to get this kid to smile for photos...
Just for the record...this is Barnet Marine Park in Burnaby. We're so lucky to live so damn close to gorgeous stuff like this, even if the taxes are putting us in the poorhouse and the teachers are a bunch of sniveling whiny asses.
You heard me.
If they strike this fall, we're going to private school. (I just have to find 15,000 extra dollars lying around.)
(There is something up with these post formats...I keep trying to put spaces in between paragraphs and it is ignoring me. Maybe the Blogger programmers were edjakated in B.C.)
Once again, I give you...Yaunna...
But you can't really keep her. Just remember that she's 12-1/2, and she usually acts like it.
However, she told me yesterday she wants to earn some more money. "Could you and Daddy go out so I can babysit and earn some cash?"
"Why, of course, my darling!" I said. "I'd love to go out and part with my coinage so you can mind your charming little brothers. Whatever will you buy with your riches?"
At this point, I sorta cringed, fully expecting her to say that she would hit the mall for make-up, earrings, fashion magazines, a belly piercing.
"I want to go to Build-A-Bear," she said.
Damn, that rocks. "Sure, Yaun. We'll go out this week, I promise."
Still my wee girl for another moment or two.
Could she BE any more gorgeous????
Yup. That's my kid, playing in the sand. She's so purty...I so proud.
To Daddy...Love Kendon
We have the world's GREATEST sitter. This was the card Kendon made for Daddy at Bena's house. There is also a laminated paperboard tie that fits around his neck with elastic, decorated with a monster truck sticker and some stars and hearts.
Gary is going to wear it to a pitch meeting, just for luck.
What did YOU do for Father's Day?
Yaunna is feigning a punch. Brennan is protecting himself with feathers infused with magical powers (and bird parasites, I'm sure).Yaun freaked when she saw we were taking the feathers home with us...she was afraid we would get BIRD FLU.Gotta love her...(illegal to trade her in...).
This is my baby boy...now 16...we love ya, Blakey...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLAKE!I never thought, 16 years ago today, that things would turn out as brilliantly as they have for you. You're an amazing, intelligent, handsome, compassionate young man, and I'm so proud of the human you are becoming. It's been a challenging road behind us, but the journey ahead shows great promise.
I love you, Blake (a.k.a. Nuba)...
Mom
xoxo
P.S. The rest of the family adores you, too, and we will call and sing to you tomorrow when you're not surrounded by family and friends. One of these days, let's have your party at OUR house, 'k?
This is the BEST photo...
Don't you agree?
If I'd only known then what I know now, would I change anything?
That is my man. Being adorable. He's a total momma's boy, which is fine. Kendon is the burdened child, I must say. So far, he has exhibited qualities that will lead him down a road less traveled, unless his dad and I pave the way for him first. He will be a writer or an artist. Put money on it. Poor kid... Blake has joined the fire cadets. He will be playing varsity football this fall. He will be driving on his own in two months' time. He is considering a career in the Coast Guard. And he talked to "That Girl I Told You About" the other day for the first time. I told him to keep It in his pants. He said I was disgusting.Yaunna will be a dog handler and breeder. I think she'd be a great dermatologist because she loves to pick at things and inspect wounds that ooze. (Gross.) Whatever she does, she's not gonna take any crap from anyone. Yesterday, her best friend (who stands 5'3" tall) was not feeling well. Upon asking the teacher to refill her water bottle, said friend was denied permission to leave the room, despite her raging sore, dry throat. So Yaunna, in all of her 4'2" fortitude, marched to the teacher's desk and made an argument on her friend's behalf. "Oh," the teacher said, "I didn't realize she was not feeling well. In that case...". The water bottle was refilled, the friend was grateful as her aching throat was soothed, and Yaunna proved herself as a Champion of Friendships. Perhaps she should be a lawyer...Brennan will be a professional gamer. Or an athlete. You should SEE that kid with a hockey stick, or with a baseball, or with a football. He's fast, he's agile, and he's a natural. But, he's also a computer geek. Smartie pants. If, perhaps, he blows out his knee or develops a debilitating case of carpal tunnel preventing him from reaching his potential in the tech sector, he could always do stand-up. He'll be Class Clown. And then there's my sweet little Kendon. (And for the record, today Kendon is not my favorite child. Brennan is. Tomorrow Blake will be my favorite because it's his 16th birthday. And so on. It changes every day, depending on who has pissed me off the least, who made me laugh the loudest, or who asked for the least amount of cash.) Kendon isn't little anymore; he's nearly 2. But he's sweet. Look at those cheeks. And he's the kid who always has to have a pen in his hand. His LEFT hand. I have TWO lefties...three, if you count Husband. Weird, eh? Kendon concentrates like no other kid I've ever seen. And his brother has introduced him to the world of puzzles. I'm so lucky to have such smart brats.Man, this is getting all 'motional, so I need to go shower or kick the dog or something. (KIDDING, Yaunna. I'll go pluck hairs out of the cat's tail instead...).
It's fuzzy, but it's ACTION!
THE SLIDE IS ATTACHED!"It WORKS, Mom! WATCH!"
You can only see the soles of her dirty feet, but Yaunna is in the background using POWER TOOLS to bore a hole through the wood to install the captain's wheel. She pulled it off and now the boys can sail the high seas in style. (The fort will be frequented by multiple members of the family (and her friends) as it places a body high enough to be able to see into a certain someone's yard and spy on them with love goggles, er, I mean binoculars. Ssshhh...our little secret.)
Whaaat?
What did I say?
The Life of Beagles
In my next life, I'm a beagle.I want to spend my days lounging on the giant crab sandbox, sunning my fat gut and licking the parts of my body that I can FINALLY reach (hallelujah).
We see who the Queen of the Crustacean is around here...notice Lila's perch atop the crab and Nat's assignment to the turf. That's OK. He soon tired of lying around and resumed his efforts to dig a hole to China.
I'm thinking, Mom...hang on...
Being 4 is tough. There are so many things to think about...like when/if I will ever get a haircut, if I should pound my brother into the sandbox, whether I can hide some ants in my sister's bed, whether I'd be willing to get close enough to the ants to capture them to transport them to my sister's bed, whether I'd have enough Cootie Spray to be adequately and safely protected from touching my sister's bed...
Mom: "Hey, Bren! You're my favorite...?"
Bren: "FOUR-YEAR-OLD!"
Four is great. Two, not so great. Twelve and a half, even worse. Sixteen...oy vey. (Happy almost birthday, Blake.)
Brotherly love...for a moment...
Sssshhh...they're playing
together. That's a rubber skeleton in Brennan's hand, and soon after this photo, Kendon discovered it and decided he wanted it. That led to a break in the cease fire, sorta like Hamas and Fatah. Or whatever they're called. Just a lot of shouting, hollering, some sand throwing, then it was over.
And of course, Kendon is wearing the Obligatory Thomas the Tank Engine shirt. He can't live without one on. (Our house is a sick testament to the will of our children...trains and hedgehogs, baby. That's what life is made of.)
Daddy built us a TREE FORT!
Testing out the tree fort before the slide was attached. There's Bren, his usual maniac, high-intensity self. And Yaunna...reading her Seventeen magazine, doing her best to pout. I think I will be sending her to California until she turns 22. Mom?
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