Almost all of these pictures have been reduced in resolution by at least 50% or more for web viewing. Any friends or family that would like the full-sized originals for printing, just let me know.

Grandpa Tour 2001
Every year, we get Grandpa (Ari's) and Grandpa (Hendel's), and as many other two-wheeled friends as we can find, out for a motorcycle ride. This year it was up to Arrowhead/Big Bear in mid-August, and as always, had a great time. Grandpa (Hendel's) turned 82 a week after the ride, and looks ready to take off on his own bike.

Fall 2001
Another one of those "mixed bag" photosets, mostly of Ari's first day at her new school (moving from the local Montessori to Fairmont for pre-kindergarten), with a little bit of Sea World and some other extras thrown in.

Halloween 2001
Ah, Halloween - always one of our favorite Holidays anyway, and this year it was our 10th wedding anniversary as well. Unfortunately, we didn't remember to take many pictures on Halloween night (though I did shoot some digital video, and I might try capturing some stills from that), so these are mostly from the week before, and Ari's Halloween party at school.

Coastal Paradise
I was fortunate enough to join some friends on a motorcycle ride up along the Pacific coast this week (5.7-8.2001) - we stayed overnight at a great place called Ragged Point just north of Hearst Castle, then rode as far up PCH as Monterrey the next morning before I had to turn back. Didn't stop to do quite as much sightseeing (or take as many pictures) as I'd have liked to, but I was trying to cram it all in to just two days. The last picture, of my bike under a tree in a picturesque countryside setting, is actually where my bike quit running while riding home down the 101, just north of San Luis Obispo, in the only decent patch of roadside shade for at least a couple of miles. As pleasant a place to wait for a flatbed tow as one could ask for (turned out to be just a hose that had softened and pinched itself off in the heat - I made it home a little after 11:00p).

Easter 2001
I'm *really* late getting these up - sorry, everyone. A sampling of our Easter weekend, including Darkwind's new motorcycle, our new cat (with current residents Rasputin, Mistopheles, Perseus, and Artemis, naming the new arrival Morpheus seemed an obvious choice), Ari's spring portrait from school, Easter morning in our back yard with the neighbors, and a trip to the local Renaissance Faire Easter afternoon.

Mix n' Match
Another mixed bag from this past spring, including a family snow-tubing trip to Big Bear, an afternoon motorcycle ride to Idyllwild/Palm Springs with some friends, some model rocketry, family portraits with Grandma, Darkwind meets a dolphin, and the darling little leprechaun we found at the other end of Daddy's launch site.

Murder Most Amusing
A few months ago, we hosted an Elizabethan-themed murder dinner party, "The Maiming of the Shrew" here at the Thistletop household - an event that produced a great deal of confusion (and entertainment), but very little Holmesian deduction. A small selection of images from that evening are presented herein for your amusement.

Ari's Original Pages (1997-1999)
Older Miscellanea #1 (7.2000)
Older Miscellanea #2 (5.2000)

These are the stuff you've all seen before, at least if you've looked around here more recently than August 2000 or so. I know there are some broken links, especially in the *really* old Ari pages, and I'm (still) getting to them, but my focus (such as it is) remains on getting new stuff up.

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