Dan gets a new dog!!!

Thanks to the generousity of the Ethiopian Crows, the Greenwood Crows have a new pet dog. Named RoboSpot, he is very well behaved. Below you will find some pictures. Don't miss the link to the video clip that shows RoboSpot in action.



To see RoboSpot in dog-like action, click here.

G & G married 58 years

Here is a picture of G & G as they celebrate their 58th Wedding Anniversary:

Samantha buys a new car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, for the first time in her life, Samantha bought a car. Although it is not really a "new" car, it is new to her. After weeks (or was it months?) of shopping, she found a really nice Volvo with lots of cool gadgets. Here is a rainy day photo:

Click here for a 6minute video about Samantha's car.

Foreign diplomacy

AFS students from all over the world convened in Topeka for a weekend of camaraderie, sight-seeing and shopping. We hosted 4 outstanding students. Countries of origin are Italy, Thailand, New Zealand and Japan. Here is a photo:

Christmas in Ethiopia - 2005

The day after Christmas, Sam sent this email and pictures from Ethiopia:

Hi all...

Cheryl and I ventured out of Addis on a trip to Lake Langano, about 3.5 hours south of Addis on a really excellent (yes...a truly excellent) 2 lane road. We went with Gabayehu....Cheryl's Amharic instructor... so he explained all of the neat stuff we saw along the way. He also had us
climb up an almost vertical embankment to a flat mesa that gave an awesome overlook of the
lake. I found out later that our embassy has a 17ft speed boat down there with ski's and everything that we could have used (had we known it at the time). Oh well.

This is one of the few lakes in the country where you can swim, since the mineral content is such that the waterborne diseases...common to Africa....can't survive. Unfortunately....neither can
fish, so this huge lake has no fish in it, but lots of beauty....and baboons...all around.

Enjoy....

Baboon (center of pix) at Lake Langano, Central Ethiopia


Cheryl and Garemachu (her Amharic instructor) at Lake Langano


Cabins rent for $40 per day


The desert at the top of the mesa

View of Lake Langano from the top of the mesa

Christmas in Kansas - 2005

We had special guests this Christmas. The Vilches-Chang Family from Iquique, Chile joined us for the Holiday. Here is Helen with the entire family as they arrive at the Kansas City airport.

On our arrival in Topeka, snow is touched and a snowman is built.

Old friendships are rekindled .....

Christmas Carols are sung ....

Tables are set, food is consumed and group photos are taken ...


some traditional pictures are taken too ....

While we miss Sam and Cheryl, we are thankful for Google Talk ....

More pictures from Addis Ababa

Yep, more pictures from SACII and Cheryl. Here are some that give us a feel for this large Ethiopian city. The first picture is of the China Friendship Road:

The next one shows construction scaffolding. Yikes !!!

Here are a couple of street scenes. Apparently the vans are taxi cabs commonly known as blue donkeys.

Andy heads to Colorado ....

We had a nice breakfast with Andy as he headed to Fort Carson, Colorado. His GPS was working fine and his car was fully packed and ready for the trip. However, after getting gasoline, poor Andy became subjected to an interrogation from his Uncle. It was soon discovered that Andy was making the 500+ mile road trip with only $4 in his pocket. (It is not known whether that counts the "good luck" $2 bill provided by Granddad at breakfast.) Faced with the options of either taking cash from his Uncle or getting some $$$$ from the ATM machine, poor Andy relented and went to the ATM. It is unknown how much he got. If he is anything like his cousin Samantha, he probably got $20. Oh my ... kids these days!!!! Here is a picture as Andy leaves Topeka.

Pictures from SACII and Cheryl

Check out the great pictures received from SACII and Cheryl. December flowers? Like Wow. Life is hard.

Not only do they enjoy a beautiful house and garden, they also have people to tend the garden and do the cooking. Let's ALL go visit!!!!

Check out Biraham as she makes a birthday cake for Sam. Happy Birthday Sam!!!

Thanksgiving in Kansas

Thanksgiving is quickly becoming my favorite Holiday. Lots of food. Lots of friends. Lots (although not enough) of family. Leisure times. Fun times. Relaxed times.

This year, SRC came home and brought two friends. One of her co-workers, Nelson, came from San Francisco for his first Kansas visit. A former college roommate of SRC's came from Boston via Greece. They joined us at the Gs as we celebrated Nancy's birthday. Granny got Nancy a really cool, and ultra patriotic, Birthday cake. Nancy's Birthday Lunch marked the beginning of multiple days of feasting. We had a second Birthday cake that night at our house after our traditional (albeit catered) Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunatly, not all family members could attend. Even so, we had friends from far and wide. We had old friends from the neighborhood and new friends from Pakistan. It was fun. A good time was had by all. We hope that wherever you are, your Thanksgiving Holiday was full of love and friendship.