Two of the Reasons Why I love the New England

Whenever we are back in Australia we drive to the far north coast of NSW via the inland route of the New England highway between Sydney and Tenterfield. Apart from avoiding the more popular, and thus more congested Pacific highway, we get to drive through the Hunter Valley wine area, imbibe the best coffee outside of Italy in Wallabadah, eat at a superb restaurant in the Powerhouse Motel in Tamworth, and a grab quick drink at the Red Lion Inn Glencoe. 

We also get to stop in the small town of Deepwater halfway between Glen Innes and Tenterfield.

It's a great old railway town where the steam engines would replenish their water tanks. (It's also a national disgrace that trains haven't run through here since the late 1980s.) The highway intersects the roads to Emmaville and Delungra where my wife's early Australian settler ancestors mined for tin or farmed the lush pastures of the New England. Delungra was also the town to which my mother-in-law and her sister were evacuated following the Japanese attack in Sydney Harbour during WWII.

Deepwater is also home to two of my favourite establishments.

The first is a bakery housed in a 1930s building that was, as far as I can tell from the records, a butcher shop. These days it's a bakery that serves some of the best pies and other baked goods that I've ever had. Those who know me are aware that it's no secret that I'm a devotee of Australian country bakeries and have eaten my weight many times over in cream buns, custard tarts, and finger buns (raisins and pink icing only thank you very much).

So good are the pies that if you're not there by 11am, you may miss out. We usually call as we hit the road in the early morning to ensure our share of their fare. 

In the last twelve months the establishment has changed hands in the past year, but the quality has not diminished. The only difference I've noted has been their fresh cream (not mock) cream bun is no longer the size of a oversized softball. 

The place is now run by a young couple in their 20s with a young baby who wiles away her time in the bouncer out the back. The husband's father was a baker who must've taught his son and daughter-in-law well.

I really hope they make a success of the place. Regional Australia needs people like these to make the Bush thrive. FIFO is fine for some purposes, but it's only when families establish themselves for the long haul that a community takes root and grows.  A new generation is raised, educated, plays sports, and has the option to establish their roots rather than flee to the city.

The other place of note is an old art deco building that was once a thriving cinema. The Eclipse Theatre is a wonderful building that has not served as a place of entertainment for over 50 years. Apparently the wife of the former proprietor still lives a reclusive existence in this one time emporium and music can, on occasion, be heard from its overgrown grounds.

From the national treasure that is trove.nla.gov.au I was able to find out a little if its history in the following article. It's also interesting to note, at least to me, the spelling of colour (color) and use of the term "candy store".  I suspect that the correspondent was a transplant like me (only in reverse).

Eclipse Theatre - Deepwater NSW

From the "Glen Innes Examiner" 22 August 1935:

ECLIPSE THEATRE

Fine New Building

VALUABLE ASSET TO DEEPWATER

The new Eclipse Theatre, situated in the heart of the town, is a fine acquisition to Deepwater, and advertises to all who pass along the main northern highway that the town, far from being on the wane, is making very definite progress.

The building reflects the enterprise of Mr. C. W. Baer, who, when his theatre was destroyed by fire some time ago, resolved not only to re-build, but to incorporate in the new structure even more modern features than were in the original building.

The Eclipse is an essentially substantial building, of concrete, and its very simplicity of design is largely responsible for the very favorable impression it creates. A cantilever awning extends from the building right over the footpath, which serves not only to enhance the appearance of the building, but also provides protection for patrons waiting to enter the hall.

From the eaves the frontal aspect terraces to a peak, the basic terrace being very attractively picked out in circles and parallel lines, and providing just the necessary degree of relief from the concrete background.

On either side of the main entrance porch, which is of spacious dimensions, is a large size window, one of which fronts a room which will be conducted as a candy shop, while the other window will be devoted to the display of posters advertising coming picture attractions.

The ticket office is conveniently situated on the right-hand side of the entrance porch, and adjacent to the stairway, which leads to the first floor, on which are situated the projection room and re-winding rooms. These rooms are constructed on the most modern lines and in strict conformity with the requirements of the law, being entirely fire-proof, and replete with all the necessary equipment to ensure an unbroken run in the presentation of programmes.

The most modern Raycophone talkie apparatus is being installed this week, the machine being of the wide range high frequency type and adjudged by experts to be without peer.

The hall itself, which is gained through a wide entrance, is designed specifically for picture purposes. The accoustic (sic) properties are such that the audience will obtain the greatest benefit, sound absorbing material having been utilised wherever necessary with this end in view. The floor slopes gradually from the entrance door to the stage, to permit of patrons in any part of the hall having an unobstructed view of the screen. A series of grilles provide ample ventilation, their positions being so designed that their effect in cold weather will not further cool the hall atmosphere. The ceiling is of the "principle" type, and is neatly panelled to secure a very attractive effect. Exit doors are provided on either side of the hall, and doors conveniently situated give access to the rear of the stage.
The stage itself has been specially designed for the screening of pictures, and has a background in which sound-absorbing material has been used to ensure perfect reception for patrons.

The interior color (sic) scheme embraces buff and blue and gives a most attractive finish to a hall, which in all respects will fully meet the purposes for which it was designed.

Electric light has been installed, and the lights so arranged as to provide brilliant illumination when required.

The architect is Mr. H. Smith, of Punchbowl, Sydney, and the contractor, Mr. Keith Smith, of Newcastle and Lismore.

The workmen are busily engaged completing the building, which on the opening day, August 31, will equip Deepwater with one of the finest theatres in the country districts of the State.

Too Much Sport Is Barely Enough

Sport has always been a big part of our family's life.  Both Helen and I have our earliest memories full of images of our fathers playing cricket in the semi-rural (as it was then) south west of Sydney. Our fathers were also skilled rugby league players but had stopped playing by the time we were brought into the world. I also had the pleasure to watch my grandfather umpiring cricket after decades of playing the game. He was an avid baseball and rugby league player in his day as well. 

Our lives as a family has featured all sorts of sporting endeavours from netball to soccer to cricket to basketball and baseball. If we weren't playing it, we were watching it or even officiating it.

What follows are a couple of stories about watching sport this summer, and watching Australian players in particular.

Out to the Ball Game

One of our favourite summer events is the Little League World Series which is held in South Williamsport Pennsylvania every August. Unlike other events where the term "world champion" is bandied about with great recklessness, this baseball tournament does have participants from all parts of the world. Teams participating have made their way from local competitions through to national and regional tournaments in order to qualify to make the trip to the north east of the United States. 

Lamade Stadium

The tournament is covered by ESPN which broadcasts every game using some of the greats of the game like Nomar Garciaparra. Each game is watched in the club houses (dressing rooms in Aussie speak) of the major league ball clubs.

ESPN and ABC Broadcast Booth

Baseball has reached a level of participation now that Australia has become its own region such that the winner of the national tournament has an automatic spot in the International division of the Little League World Series. This year marked the second year where an Australian team was present and, once again, Perth had provided a team to represent the country. 

Pre-game introductions at Volunteer Stadium

So when the opportunity arose to go and watch some other Aussies in action we were only too happy to make the trip for a second time to Williamsport. It's about a 3.5 to 4 hour drive from Leesburg through some very lovely country.  Festooned in national colours and clothing, there would be no mistaking who we were there to support. In fact we got so many comments and questions between the car park and the stadium entrance, that we gave up explaining we were Aussies living in the US and just let people believe we'd made the long trip for the tournament.

The Fergusons go to the LLWS

The great thing about Little League is that it relies almost exclusively on volunteers. Consequently there's no fee to play, but better still there's no fee to watch. So we were soon ensconced in the stadium on opening day to watch Australia take on the powerhouse team from Puerto Rico who were representing the Caribbean region.

Puerto Rico is a strong side with great hitting and pitching

It was always going to be a hard game. However, given that the team had last played in late June, had only made the 35+ hour trip from Perth a few days before, and the first pitch took place at 5.00 am Perth time it was going to be even harder. 

Play Ball

After causing the scorer no trouble after their turn at bat in the first, the Puerto Rican side took the game by the scruff of the neck by posting 13 runs. We all felt for the Aussie kids who kept their heads up and toughed it out. Their coach was a great leader and motivator, keeping it positive in quite dire circumstances.

Australian Coach keeps the team motivated under fire from the Puerto Rican hitters

The result of the game was never in doubt but after that first inning the boys rallied and performed with great credit to them and their coaches. Unlike last year when it took three games for the Australian team to score, they were able to post 3 runs. One of the highlights was a spectacular diving catch by the young left fielder Carter Dowling which ended up being one of the top rated plays of the entire tournament.

Post game handshakes

Later that week, the team recorded the first ever win at the tournament for an Australian team when they outplayed the team from the Czech Republic. Apart from getting its first win, Javier Pelkonen hit the first home run by an Australian player. 

In subsequent games the team lost a very competitive game against another baseball power, Mexico. In fact, the team led for a substantial portion of the match before going down in a very close game.

Family and friends who'd made the trip from Perth

The expression "great ambassadors for their sport" is a term that suffers from so much use it seems to have lost any meaning. However, in the case of this Australian contingent, I definitely think the description is appropriate. The coaches, players, and parents did the country proud. An especially nice touch was that the team had brought hand painted balls by Aborigines from the Geraldton area to give to the other teams. These were featured in the "Parent Interview" segment during the game against the Czechs.

One of the highlights of the LLWS was watching the coach of the New England side. He is the type of coach every kid should have at least once in their lives. Here is his talk to the team after they lost a very close game that had knocked them out of the tournament.

A Brush with Greatness

Our next outing was to the DC United game against the New York Red Bulls at RFK Stadium in Washington DC. 

After watching the World Cup games while we were back in Australia and getting up at ridiculous times in order to do so, we had the opportunity to see one the Australian stars in action. So, while we'd be supporting the Red and Black, we'd be cheering for Tim Cahill. 

Tim Cahill

Who did we sing for? Not quite, but at least they're Red and Black

In addition, the New York team is captained by the French great Thiery Henry which made it a double brush with greatness.

Thiery Henry

We made a day of things by packing our esky and tail gating before the game. 

Tail Gating

The weather was perfect though the sun was intense. Fortunately, our row 2 seats were in the shade relatively early in the afternoon.

The game itself was entertaining and while Tim Cahill came close to scoring a couple of times, including a shot off the bar, the DC United team came out on top and moved 4 points ahead in their conference.

Cahill and Henry

Cahill is amazing to watch. The game was played in mid-30 temperatures with barely a breeze blowing. He ran from box to box, sideline to sideline for the 90 minutes he was out there. 

Game Over

Our highlight was post-game when Cahill saw the Aussie flag that we'd brought along with us. It might be easily confused by others but it's like a secret handshake with fellow Aussies. He pointed up to us and motioned Kate andAdam (who were in their Australian soccer shirts), and Ashley (in her Sydney Harbour Bridge cap) to meet him at the fence. 

Cahill just after he spotted some Aussies in the crowd

He then spent the next several minutes talking and signing things. He was one of the only non-DC players to spend time with the fans after the game. As he was leaving the stadium he spotted the NY contingent who'd made the trip down I95 from New York for the game. He climbed the fence and made his way up to thank them, sign autographs, have pictures taken, and give his game shirt to one of the fans. Here is another worthy of the title "ambassador". 

Tim Cahill spending time with the fans after 90 minutes in intense heat

The day my grandfather played cricket against Clive Churchill

I was searching through Trove the other day looking for instances of where my father and grandfather played cricket with each other. I found a number of instances which made interesting reading (to me). However, I also came across the following match report that describes a fundraiser my grandfather took part in back in the 1950s. This will only make sense to people familiar with (a) cricket in Australia during that era, (2) the sport of rugby league. My American friends can probably return to the program already in progress...

The Biz - Thursday 1st March 1951 (courtesy of National Library of Australia)

For those who find the type a little hard to read:

INTERNATIONAL SPORTSMEN 

CRICKET MATCH AT FAIRFIELD

Aggressive batting and accurate bowling made very interesting a match in Fairfield Park last Sunday between a combined team of S.D. Cricket Association, and an eleven of international and first grade footballers, and a few first grade cricketers.

Although the public did not attend in very great numbers to help a worthy cause, a tidy sum will benefit the Fairfield Memorial and Honour Avenue.

The turf wicket was in excellent playing condition when the S.D. team went in to bat. Star of the team was Billy Wilkinson, of Fairfield Sports Club, who top-scored with 35, and later also kept wickets very safely; Roger Stimson and G. Diessell compiled a useful 15 each; S.D. total being 94.

The visitors replied with 98, with an exciting finish. They were led by former international cricketer, Tom Andrews, who bowled the first ball. L. (Bockeye) Bell, Newcastle Rugby League full-back, starred for the "Stars," taking five wickets for 11 runs, and top-scored with 37 runs. Promising young N.S.W. representative colt, Ray Flockton, went for two runs; and he subsequently denied a statement that he was going to accept an offer to play for an English club. Ray displayed outstanding fielding ability. Local "champions" Reg ("Bradman") Williams and Charlie ("Gregory") Watts, afterwards gave a very brief glimpse of their former classical strokes, Billy Kearns was bowled whilst trying to explain one of his jokes-his usual hard luck.

Southern District Cricket Association president and secretary, Messrs. Jack Ellis and Ron Hindmarsh, spoke highly of the wonderful hospitality of Fairfield Bowling Club, which made the players honorary members for the day, and the club's splendid amenities were made available to the cricketers.

The refreshment stall manned by Mesdames Williamson, Preston and Talbot netted a useful sum for the good causes.

Veteran umpires, Messrs. Bill Hatch and Bill Lavender, voluntarily officiated for the whole day.

Fairfield Citizens' Band, augmented by several Liverpool bandsmen, played during the afternoon and their musical numbers were greatly appreciated by the committee and the public.

The scores were: S. D. Association: R. Stimson 15, G. Diessell 15, G. Ferguson 0, P. O'Connor 3, K. Bryers 1, W. Wilkinson 35, J. Ellis 13, B. Jones 4, R. Stiles 1, K. Waights 0, R. Wilson 0, R Watts 6, sundries 1, total 94. Bowling: T, Andrews 0/3, L. Bell 5/11, R. Flockton 1/14, C. Churchill 0/12, B. Flynn 1/1, J. Graves 0/20, K. Wolfe 0/17, C. Cowie 1/6, Howick 3/0.

"Internationals." - A. Neilson 7, K. Wolfe 3, R. Flockton 2, B. Flynn 11, L. Bell 37, B. Purcell 16, C. Churchill 4, J. Graves 12, J. Raynor 4, C. Cowie 3, C. Curran 0, J. Brian 0, E. Spencer 5, Howick 1, sundries 3. Bowling: P. O'Connor 2/26, Wilson 2/24, K. Waights 5/33, G. Ferguson 0/15, K. Styles 3/7.

Jack Raynor, speaking at the mid-day meal, proved himself quite an orator, with a natural turn of witty humour.

The visitors were accompanied by some charming ladies.

Unfortunately for my grandfather, a very good cricketer, didn't trouble the scorer at this event.

The event had been advertised in the local paper the previous couple of weeks:

The Biz - 1st February 1951

The Biz - 15th February 1951

A couple of the notable names from the game include Clive Churchill, Bernie Purcell, and Billy Kearns. "Neale!" you exclaim, "I know who Clive Churchill and Bernie Purcell are, but who is Billy Kearns?" 

If I were to say "Hudson, that's 'udson with a haitch" does that ring a bell? Billy was the old man in the Hudson Hardware advertisements from the 1970s and 80s. Unfortunately, I can't find the ad on YouTube our elsewhere, but it still brings a smile to the face. Bill had a long and successful career as a comedian. He died in 1987. 

That's the joy of Trove, you look for one thing and stumble on something quite unexpected. I never knew my grandfather played against such luminaries of the Australia sporting world, let alone a voice from my childhood.

NCAA reaches agreement on Competitive Eating Program

At a meeting of college Athletic Directors, an in-principle agreement was reached to establish a college competitive eating program. A spokesman for the NCAA stated that following the popularity of the ESPN coverage of the Major League Eating (MLE) events and America's increasing desire for sedentary pursuits it became evident that the time was right for colleges to establish their own programs.

The spokesman went on to say that the new venture would fill a gaping hole in their college championship tournament schedule. "The culmination of the football season occurs in January and basketball has its March madness", he said. "There is a long gap from then until the College World Series, so a Competitive Eating tournament in the April-May timeframe would provide an exciting option for us."

"The colleges also have an obligation to the greater community to promote the next generation of leaders", explained Dan Guerrero, AD of UCLA. "Where are the future Joey Chestnuts going to come from? There is an enormous hole in gluttonous aptitude out there: look at the difference between first and second in the recent Hot Dog championships held over the July 4 weekend. Our goal is to discover and develop talent using the same dedication and scientific approach that goes into our other athletic pursuits."

School presidents are already excited about the potential of the new program. "We have been contacted by a major fast food organization which is proposing to establish a chair in Alternative Nutrition", stated South Carolina president Harris Pastides. "A whole new slate of scholarships will become available to find the best young talent to become Game Cocks."

Rising high school senior Todd Levington of Biloxi, Mississippi, is delighted with the possibility of obtaining a college education subsidized by the new scholarships. "For last three years I've watched as the best baseballers, cheerleaders, and footballers have been signed to full or partial rides that enabled them to study the discipline of their choice. Now it's my turn", he said. 

Levington is already famous for his ability to consume vast quantities of chicken nuggets at lunchtime. His dedication extends outside the cafeteria to the school dumpsters where he is often found honing his craft. "I intend to sit the FATs later this year and achieve at least a 5200 (calories) while maintaining my LDLs above 165."

In keeping with the NCAA's philosophy of promoting the culture of its member colleges, the intramural programs will feature foodstuffs of the region. "Of course our Varsity program will be devoted to the cuisine of the professional leagues, but we recognize that not all our athletes will end up in the professional ranks. So, as it is important to graduate a very well-rounded individual, we will allow the conferences to choose a regional specialty upon which their participants can engorge themselves. For example, the SEC is planning on using 'hush puppies', which will serve as a gateway food for the Varsity hot dog program."

The NCAA has denied its members are being pressured to change their school mascots during Competitive Eating events. Rumors have abounded about Virginia Tech's Hokie Bird being fitted with a  "ButterBall" sash, or that Louisville had created prototypes of the Hamburgler in the livery of the famous college. "Signage and advertising restrictions will be identical to our other sports" stated Morgan Burke, AD at Purdue. "However, we are working with various groups interested in the food and beverage concessions." He went on to add, "Purdue has always had a commitment to quality."

A meeting of NCAA officials in September will finalize details including menus, recruitment guidelines, and scheduling. The current plan is for the first competition to take place in February 2015, a rib-fest at the University of Texas at Austin campus. ESPN-U will be providing coverage of all Division I events.

Trove - A National Treasure (or how I got my C8 PhD)

As an amateur genealogist these days are a golden period for doing family research. The Internet is a technology made for this type of investigation. There are so many great sources of information from the New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages website, to Ancestry.com, to the numerous newspaper sites around the world.

One of the real gems for Australian researchers has been Trove. In its own words:

"Trove is a discovery experience focused on Australia and Australians. It supplements what search engines provide. If you are researching in the fields of the social sciences, literature, local or family history, or need inspiration for your school assignment, then this is the tool for you."

"Trove is the National Library of Australia's flagship discovery service for the public.  It supports the discovery and annotation of items in Australian collections.  The term "Australian collections" encompasses libraries, archives, university repositories and major online collections such as biographical databases, digitised book collections and digitised newspaper collections."

Grandparents' Wedding [1]

I've used it extensively to get all sorts of information about family. I've found game reports from cricket matches of the early 1900s, wedding reports of grandparents and great aunts, the drowning of a great great uncle, and discovered a relative who disappeared under one name to appear under another. This type of information has greatly enhanced the family tree by providing colour and background to the raw data of births, deaths, and marriages.

Trove also allows (and encourages) you to submit corrections to the optical character recognition process that creates transcripts from the text images. There are thousands of contributors, including me, that have provided hundreds of thousands of updates to the site.

In addition to family research, just reading the old newspapers is fascinating. Reports filed during World War 2 have a real sense of immediacy and urgency than a history text book. 

Trove has also allowed me to have some great fun.

A couple of years ago, as a devoted reader of the Sydney Morning Herald, I came across an item in Column 8 (a section devoted to weird and amusing readers' questions and observations). In this particular item a reader had recalled a memory from the 1940s when, as a child, he overheard someone talking on a public 'phone. All he recalled from that snippet of conversation was the telephone number "FL3289". 

As a past contributor to Column 8 I decided I'd see how far I could get tracking down information about that number. My tool of choice was Trove given its vast archive of Australian newspapers that go back to the early 1800s.

By using the 'phone number as the search keyword I was presented with a few pages of hits, most of which were misses but one, a classified advertisement for a car, seemed to hit the mark. I contributed the information to Column 8 who published it:

1938 Dodge D8 - credit Alf van Beem

We have to hand an astonishing piece of research, undertaken by Neale Ferguson, of Leesburg, Virginia, into the mysterious phone number FL3289 (Column 8, for some days): ''From the Herald of Saturday March 16, 1940,'' Neale quotes, ''in the section 'For Sale. Motor Cars, Lorries, Etc.: DODGE 1938 D.8. 7-Passenger Sedan, driven by owner only, dark blue duco. Great opportunity for private hire businessman. Registered for 12 months with H.C. Plate. No dealers. 1 Ormond Street, Paddington. Phone FL3289.'''

Using the address information I attempted to find out about the possible seller of the Dodge and the owner of the FL3289 telephone number. Trove came up with a number of candidates. I chose the most likely of these and (again) submitted it to Column 8 who printed it the next day:

The game was afoot! Neale dug deeper: ''A search of this address shows a death notice in the Herald from Wednesday, December 7, 1949: 'CUTHBERT, Alexandra [sic] - December 4, 1949 of 1 Ormond St. Paddington, beloved husband of Maria, aged 73. Privately interred, Botany Cemetery, December 6, 1949.' NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages lists his name as Alexander, possibly the son of John Thomas Cuthbert and Amelia White (m. 1859). He married Marie Saunders in 1920. The 1943 and 1949 Electoral Rolls lists his occupation as a 'Houseman' and hers as 'Home Duties'. Hopefully, this is not just sticky-beaking and is C8PhD-worthy!''

Next I used Trove, Wikipedia and Google Maps to see if I could find out a bit more about the 1 Ormond Street address which is next to 250 Oxford Street where Juniper Hall is located:

''Further to my email linking the phone number FL3289

Juniper Hall Paddington

with the address of 1 Ormond Street, Paddington,'' adds the diligent Neale Ferguson (Column 8, yesterday), ''this address turns out to be the site of Juniper Hall, originally the home of Robert Cooper, a gin distiller. He designed the house himself and had it built circa 1825. It appears the location may have been used for flats around the time in question.'' Ah, it all falls into place. This impressive building still stands, across the road from the Paddington Town Hall.

A search of Trove also revealed a large number of articles about the property and its owner, including some correspondence from Robert Cooper in the 1820s.

Following another exchange or two with Column 8 they bestowed the C8PhD title upon me. Better still was the original author of the FL3289 question had been following the exchange and contacted Column 8 to wrap things up:

''I am completely gobsmacked,'' sputters John Martin, of phone number fame. ''Arising from my mention in Column 8 a few days ago, of the phone number FL 3289, which I overheard being repeated in a public phone box over 70 years ago and still strangely remember, the following has transpired. Thanks to the amazing research conducted by Neale Ferguson, who clearly hasn't got a real job, I now know that the number FL 3289 was that of an Alexander Cuthbert. I also now know his wife's name, where they lived, when he died and where he is buried. I even know what type of vehicle he drove and when he sold it. In addition to all this, since explaining that my remembering of the prefix FL was based on the initial letters of a schoolmate of the time at Drummoyne Primary, Frankie Lampard, I have since been contacted by a Rod Moffet, who was also a contemporary of ours at Drummoyne Primary. Rod has sent me a class photograph from 1941 in which Frankie Lampard is in the front row. Column 8 certainly works in mysterious ways.''

Trove really is an Australian National Treasure, one that puts the history of the nation as close as a URL.

Citation

1. WEDDING BELLS FERGUSON—KOBOROFF. (1939, April 20). The Biz (Fairfield, NSW : 1928 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article76294816

Finally, about some cats

Ashley and Sydney

Almost four years ago when my middle child moved away to college some four hours or so from us, we knew she'd miss our menagerie of animals - especially her favourite cat Sydney. So I decided I'd try and send her a picture of one or more of them as close to daily as I could manage.

Ashley will graduate in a just over two weeks and the count of "Puss of the Day" (POTD) pictures - which includes a dog

Dylan

- is nearing or may have surpassed 800. In that time there has been no net change in the clowder but there have been changes in the personnel (or felinenel) as two have shuffled off this mortal coil, three new ones joined us, and one of those

Scruffy 2000-2014

Simpson (aka Duddles) 2003-2012

taken when our eldest moved to her own apartment.

I created a photostream on Flickr with most of the POTD album to place them somewhere off premises (and camera) just in case.

Our other two children joined in on getting POTD updates but with our youngest in his junior year the end may be nearing for this ritual. However, Ashley has indicated she'd like to return to Australia and do her Masters over there so may be the animals aren't safe from the camera just yet. 

Howard

Raj and Mr Boodle

Stella

Max

The Muffin