Cute kids

At Matthew McCarthy's party on 10/23/10:

This is a test -- this is only a test!

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The background: One of my cruise photos was a close-up of several grave markers at the Luxembourg American Cemetery...Battle of the Bulge, World War II. That shot [below] shows a Star-of-David marker on the left and a Christian cross on the front-right. Other crosses are in the background...the one nearly centered reflects the remains of an unknown soldier and the inscription reads:

HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY
A COMRADE IN ARMS
KNOWN BUT TO GOD

I found this particularly moving at the time and would like to pass along that sense of awe/patriotism/whatever if I can share that image. But that inscription is too indistinct in the basic photo to read it.

The test: When I click on the photo, it enlarges somewhat. When I click on that enlargement, it gets even bigger still. (And my Dell's Windows 7 lets me keep honing in on that inscription, using a Zoom function.) Will you try to do that on your computer on the image below? Can you zoom in on the words for the unknown soldier and make them legible?
Thanks in advance for your feedback!

THE ORIGINAL -- UNRETOUCHED -- PHOTO

THE ORIGINAL -- UN-RETOUCHED -- PHOTO

999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

THIS WILL BE THE PHOTO-EDITED VERSION

THIS WILL BE THE PHOTO-EDITED VERSION

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Trying this out

With the help of Jasmine, Teddy, Phoebe and Ryan [not pictured], I've tried my hand at blog development. This first effort is being created in the Troy kitchen. Here goes...

* Importantly, I'd like to mix text and photos. How about a photo, Tom? *


Maya and one of her chicks...

Can you tell if it's Harry or Lukie or maybe Alice or _______ -- I can't remember the other chick's name.

Can you?



But what's going on in Troy?...you may be asking yourself. This was the weekend of Teddy's blessing ceremony, officiated by Reverend Sarah who was making a return engagement...she had done Maya's blessing nearly 2 years ago. There is a Preston family tradition which now spans over 70 years; a great-grandmother had presented a christening gown to my brother, via our folks, for his baptismal service. Most of the Prestons and some of the Smith cousins have worn this gown through the years, most recently Maya in the fall of 2007. It's a bit small for Teddy, though, so the gown was merely laid over him for this photograph: