Sky Watch FridayI am dedicating this Sky Watch Friday photo to the memory of the late Tim Russert who made every Sunday a true Meet The Press Sunday and every presidential election night a great event to watch the man with the white board and pen explain the breaking news by rapidly writing numbers on the board and then scream and laugh and say what a story, what a story!
Tim, we still miss you and we have not found someone to equal you on Meet The Press. I know you would be excited and be thinking about all the new cabinet members you would want to interview.
Virginia is in the bullseye for this presidential election so if you want to attend one of the many presidential rallies around this state you better get up early and travel quickly and plan on some real dragnets along the way to the rally. Rally right. Rally left. Rally, rally rally. Rally with Caroline Kennedy at Centerville High School for the dems. Rally with former senator George Allen at Edison High School for the repubs. So the word got out and Dickie and Scott and Jack and Yours Truly headed out for the rally at 6:30 A.M. today. We pointed our car south on #29 and headed down the busy highway.
When we parked our vehicle we encountered roads closed with yellow tape, signs posted and lots of motorcycle policeman. This man smiled into the camera for me.
In the parking lot we also encountered the typical dark unmarked security car of the police.
When we went to get in line we discovered that the line at 6:45 A.M. was stretched four deep all the way around the huge building and the parking lot was filling up very fast. So we ran and got in line too. The site today is expecting at least 10,000 people today.
Witnesses: We spotted Joann using her camera in our flower department. 
Officer Frank Smith: Wow, gorgeous flowers for the money!
Joann: This is where I got busted. I was taking this shot for Dickie because I know she loves orchids.
Joann: And I fired off this shot to show my Ohio relatives how much you can get per once for cooked soybeans. Amazing.
Another witness: I don't know anything. I just root for Georgetown basketball.
Sgt. Joe Friday: I understand that Joann was spotted looking over the menu at the fresh fish bar?
Officer Frank Smith: Either Dickie or Joann left fingerprints in the cheese aisle
and coffee grounds at the coffee bar.
Sgt. Joe Friday: We will have to check all the used coffee cups for DNA and
check that icing container for residue from icing licks and
and clearly look for more evidence in the chocolate bombe display.
Dragnet, Dragnet! 
These ladies are designing fruit delights with their latex gloved hands.
Officer Frank Smith: Wow! Sgt, Friday can we take a pastry break? 
Officer Frank Smith: Well, can I just grab a roll to go?
Officer Frank Smith: Wow! Look at the woman slit the French bulls!
Officer Frank Smith: What's going on here, Sarge?
Officer Frank Smith: I understand now.
Officer Frank Smith: Wow, what a food bar. Can we eat lunch now?
Officer Frank Smith: Where are we headed now, Sarge?
Have you heard that the hottest costume for Halloween parties is not John McCain but Sarah "Miss Alaska" Palin! For every John McCain costume there are two Sarah Palin costumes. Here' the evidence. In the above photo we have two Sarah Palins: the Sarah Palin that was winner or runner up for Miss Alaska and the Sarah Palin who is running all over the country with Baby Trig in her arms in an outfit from Macy's campaigning for Vice President of the United States.
Our younger daughter just recently flew down to Houston, Texas for a wedding. Here are Jeanine and her beau Brian Rearick standing in the aisle of the Lutheran Church where the wedding ceremony took place. Brian was the best man for the groom. I think Brian and Jeanine look beautiful in this photo. The men in the wedding party wore long black tails and in this photo Brian reminds me of Johnny "the man in black" Cash.
Both our daughters have a soft spot for men with blue eyes! So does their mother.
Joe Biden's Campaign Stump Speech:
Yogi: "I made a wrong mistake."
Joann: "Biden said that Obama will be tested in the first six months of his presidential election. I think he stepped in it. Close your mouth, Joe."
Palen's Designer Wardrobe and Makeup on Campaign Trail
Yogi: "You don't look so hot yourself."
Joann: "I wonder what it would be like to be the beauty queen from Alaska who gets to use $150,000 dollars of Republican campaign donations on clothes and makeup to meet and greet the blue color workers she wants to vote for her."
Obama Talks Economics on Campaign Trail
Yogi: "I'd find the fellow who lost it, and, if he was poor, I'd return it."
Joann: "This not a new action. Long before Ronald Reagan FDR did this very thing to get the economy growing. After Ronald Reagan Bill Clinton did this and it lead to a surplus in our treasury."
McCain Talks Economics on Campaign Trail
Yogi: "You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."
Joann: "One piece for Wall St. CEOs, one piece for the military related companies like Lockheed Martin, one piece for the energy companies who need money to drill, drill, drill and one piece for Cindy's holdings in the Hensley $100,000,000 family business which is in her name and not McCain's."
November 4, 2008 Election Day
Yogi: "It's pretty far, but it doesn't seem like it."
Joann: "Michaels has Halloween decor, so the election must be near."
Ladies On The View Talk Politics
Yogi: "It was impossible to get a conversation going: everybody was talking too much."
Joann: "That's true Yogi. Not only were they all talking too much but they were all talking at once. Don't you just long for the days when Rosie was on The View and it was a quiet show?"
Political Guests Visiting Fox, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS
Yogi:"Half the lies they tell me aren't true."
Joann's Poem On Political Spin
We spin before the debate. We spin after debate.
We do keep it spinning. Ain't it just great.
We spin it to the left. We spin it to the right.
We do keep it spinning all thru the night.
Last long chorus: Work it! Work it!
Spin, spin, spin.
Lie, lie, tell a lie.
Spin ain't a sin.
Hillary Clinton On this Election
Yogi: "He can run anytime he wants. I'm giving him the red light."
Joann: "Uh-ohh, somebody just shut off the power to the red traffic lights. Who was that?"
On The Election Passing Us By
Yogi: "It ain't over till it's over.
Joann: "It's over for me, I have voted already and so have lots of other folks in lots of other states."
President Bush's Take On This Election
Yogi: Texas has a lot of electrical votes."
Joann: "I guess Texas must use electrical voting machines."
Colin Powell's Obama Endorsement
Yogi: I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early."
Joann: "You may have left early but you didn't get on the Democratic Obama train till this past Sunday. You must have gotten lost at old Union Station."
The Great Middle Class That Works Hard For A Living Weighs In On The Presidential Election
Yogi: "A nickel isn't worth a dime today."
Joann: "The DOW went down about 700 points yesterday. I wonder what a nickle that isn't worth a dime today is going to be worth tomorrow and on Nov. 4'th and Nov. 5'th."
Alan Greenspan's Remarks On The Economy
Yogi: "I always thought that record would stand until it was broken."
Joann: "Well, that's the best explanation I have heard yet about the DOW going from a bull market to a bear market over night."
The Four Main Players Dress Up For Halloween And Quote Yogi Themselves:
Palin: "Think! How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?"
Biden: "90% of the putts that are short don't go in."
Obama On Folks Spelling Obama as Osama: "How long have you known me, Jack? And you still don't know how to spell my name."
McCain On Being A Navy War Hero And Vietnam POW:"It ain't the heat: it's the humility."
Both Obama's and McCain's Campaign Speeches
Yogi: "Half the lies they tell me aren't true."
Joann: "I know. I know. Yogi, what we going to do?"
On Exercising Your Right to Vote In America
Yogi: "If people don't want to come out to the polling booth, nobody's going to stop 'em.
Joann: "Skip the polling booth, Yogi, and go to the voting booth."
What Losing Candidate For President Will Say On The Day After The Election
Yogi: "You wouldn't have won, if we had beaten you."
Joann: "Can't top this, so I will say it too. You wouldn't have won, if we had beaten you."
And with that I say adeiu and please go vote for the man that you would like to see hold the highest office in this great land of our. Peace!
I voted for my choice for president and vice-president yesterday and Jack did too. We drove to Manassas in Prince William County and found the voting office on Lee St. We went in and filled out an absentee voter form, showed our Id's and then waited till the ladies found our voting info stored on the computer. Then the older gentleman guarding the entrance to the voting room handed each of us a plastic card that we would need to insert in the computer to bring up the voting screens. In less then 25 seconds we had finished our point and touch voting and were back out on the street with our little I Voted Sticker. What a great feeling to know that my vote is now stored in the voting box and I don't have to worry about wind, rain, long lines or unexpected health or car problems on election day. The people at the voting office told us to tell our friends about early voting so I am.
When we took our Holland American Cruise to Alaska in May of 2007 we toured Juneau, the state capitol, and walked around the Governor's mansion. At the time we didn't know who was the current governor of Alaska but what sticks in my mind is what we saw standing in the backyard: a small metal children's swing set. That's when it dawned on us that the Alaska governor must be rather young to have a swing set in the backyard. I guess we were right. She is a young mother with five children. I'm sure we will learn a lot more about her in days to come. If I remember correctly, the swing set was behind that side portico and tall tree. Below is another photo of the mansion that shows a tall totem pole by the side of the house. I thought the totem pole was a neat touch.
Another fellow will also celebrate his birthday in Ohio this weekend. John McCain is now in Dayton, Ohio to announce the name of his running mate and he will celebrate his 72'nd birthday today. So happy birthday to John McCain too.
McCain has picked Governor Palin of Alaska as his running mate. I was expecting him to choose either Tom Ridge or Mitt Romney or Colin Powell. This is a big surprise I think.
The second week of the Olympic games seems anti-climatic after Phelps's swim for the gold last week. However the Jamaican runner, Usain Bolt, was fun to watch run and win and do his victory lap. He now has three gold medals from these games.
Every time I saw the ladies beach volleyball team I wanted to jump thru the TV and cover those girls up with a t-shirt. Just way too much skin being shown on beach volleyball by these women. And this is what probably makes Saudi Arabia leave all its women at home. The U.S. ladies did get gold though in beach volleyball.
The U.S. basketball teams are now making their run for the gold. I hope they do it. We saw that Kara Lawson from West Springfield High School here in Northern Virginia made 11 points in one game. Yea, Kara! She also seems to be the team spokesperson at these games.
I wonder what the Chinese have planned for the closing ceremony. Can they top their opener? Time will tell. Meanwhile, the Olympic chatter is giving away to political chatter and the VP choices for both parties. Anyway you slice it the race for the White House will be a big Olympic feat for either candidate. Have you thought about it? Which candidate would you run thru the streets carrying the torch for in this event? Or are you in a funk because your choice didn't make it to the finals.
The women's basketball team took the gold and Kara Lawson scored the most points in that game! The men's basketball took the gold and reclaimed title of the dream team.
