Whoa doggies, I've been out of the loop for a while. Here is a link to a small photo album I put together on Facebook (you don't have to be a Facebook member). As many of you know, sons Tristan and Tennyson were born 7 weeks premature in mid-December. The photos chronicle the twins' birth, hospital stay, and growth since then, with favorite pictures and at least a few funny picture captions (read those if you want the whole story). Enjoy. Link.

And thanks for all the well wishes received. The little boys are 10 and 12 pounds now, and developing ahead of schedule in every way but actual size...although they ARE bigger than bunnies. 

The following account is by Peter Bohmer, Evergreen faculty member and peace activist (for those of you who don't know). Late last night Bohmer posted the following account on Evergreen's listserv. I found it such a descriptive and powerful commentary that I asked his permission to post it on Olyblog, and he said he would appreciate it, so here it is.

10 Days That Shook Olympia
by Peter Bohmer,
Olympia Port Militarization Resistance, Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace,
November, 15, 2007

12:00 MIDNIGHT: My source left the scene a few minutes ago, and according to the NewsFlash blog as of 11:50, residual and ongoing rioting is occurring. Because that source has retired, too, I believe there will be no more updates tonight. 

11:20 Strykers went out the other gate by Swantown (i.e., not the usual, main gate); police lined up in front of people , but some crowd chased the Strykers..... Police shooting steamballs at crowd and also flashbangs.... Crowd set up roadblock at 4th and Plum with dumpsters....Strykers went up 4th Ave and pushed through barricade and got out.....Crowd now milling around by Old School.

11:08 p.m. Police put on their gas masks.

10:15 p.m. Orderly arrests made at this point.

9:35 A source just called me and told me there are 50 women sitting in the street; they have been warned 3 times to remove themselves and it appears the police are now about to take action with pepper spray -

Patchy fog in the next couple days. Rough for commuters, but I love this element of the weather in the autumn (or near-autumn, for those of us still clinging to summer). It also gives me an opportunity to spout forth one of my favorite poems, which I suddenly realize could have been written in Olympia, if Carl Sandburg had ever made it out this far:

The fog creeps in on little cat feet.

It sits on silent haunches,

Looking over harbor and city,

And then moves on.

Any near-death experiences with fog out there? E.g., has anyone else ever driven in fog so dense you had to lean out the car door and stare down at the centerline in order to stay on the road? That happened to me in Iowa when driving a river road one night (yes, there are rivers in Iowa, and trees too for that matter). Plus once I saw some swamp gas in the shape of ghostly people alongside the road.