Container Ship Allides with San Francisco Bay Bridge

Heard about this on the radio and immediately checked the website gCaptain that a coworker maintains. Aside from learning about the allision between the Cosco Busan, a container ship, and the San Francisco Bay Bridge I also learned a new word....you might have figured it out by now or you think that my spelling skills are slipping. The word allide is different than the word collision in that it is predominately used in the maritime industry to describe an incident where a moving vessel strikes a fixed structure or anchored vessel. The word collision is used in the industry when the two vessels involved were both underway.

The case of the Cosco Busan is considered an allision due to the fact that the ship was underway and the bridge was a fixed object. Without getting too deep into maritime law, the vessel that was underway at the time of the allision is generally responsible. If the vessel can prove that the stationary object (in this case, the bridge) was obstructing the navigable waterway which is usually uncommon.

From reports, the spill check out gCaptain coverage of the incident and the Coast Guard press release. The page has quite a bit of interesting information as well as more links for additional coverage. For my friends that were with us coming back at night from Alcatraz and we saw the pilot transfer in the bay, there is a good description of the pilot's duties and responsiblities.

Engagement Photos are Up

Hey guys,
Just a quick note to let ya'll know that the engagement photos are up for viewing by following the links to the right. Our photographer Julia Bailey did an amazing job in the French Quarter capturing the two of us (and the dogs). In case you could not tell by looking at the dogs, it was pretty hot that afternoon but we had a great time and are very pleased with the results. The link to the slideshow is off of Juilia's blog (www.juliabailey.blogspot.com).
As promised this is the end of it........

Crazy Basil

Well all this rain has been great for the lawns and gardens.....I have never seen them so lush. Now I am not complaining so don't take it the wrong way, but I have spent the past two mornings hacking the growth back so my beds do not look like an overgrown jungle. I am very happy at the rate that the plants are growing after looking at the scraggly branches this spring after the ice storm and wondering what was going to regrow.

My crop of basil has been taking off and was over 3.5' tall when saw the start of flower buds, a sure sign that it was time to cut it back. So what to do with a lot of fresh basil, make pesto of course. After carefully pruning the plants back and stripping the leaves, I was left with a massive pile of basil. Added a little olive oil, toasted pine nuts and garlic.......a quick chop in the food processer and I was left with 4.5 cups of fresh pesto. I did not have any plans for the pesto so I split it into 3/4 cup bags and vacuum sealed with my foodsaver.

Fund Raising

Dear Friends & Family,

It is with great excitement (and some very tired and sore muscles) that we tell you we have begun training for the San Francisco Marathon as members of Team in Training (TNT). The marathon is on October 21st, 2008. It is with a very humble heart that we ask for your contribution to our undertaking.

We should tell you up front that running a marathon has been a goal for both of us for quite some time, so when the opportunity came to join Team in Training we did not hesitate to sign up. However, now being a couple of weeks into it we realize we have to get our “butts” in gear and start raising money so that all of this training and hard work will pay off in October.

Not only does TNT provide us with a four-month training program, but they are part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a non-profit health organization dedicated entirely to finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. There are 63 chapters of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that support research, patient financial aid, education and community services. Everyone on the team is raising funds to help stop these diseases from taking more lives.

We have committed to raise $4,200 each (yes that is a whopping $8,400) to support the cause and would love your support. Your donation will help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission of finding cures and saving lives. What’s more….. it is FULLY tax deductible.

There are two ways to make a donation:

1) go to our personal TNT training websites:
www.active.com/donate/tntctx/RunStacieRun
www.active.com/donate/tntctx/GoScootGo

2) Complete the enclosed form and return it to me by August 1st, 2007.

We will gladly accept donations after July; however, the sooner we meet our fundraising goal, the better we can focus our energy on preparing for the marathon. We also encourage you to pass on this letter (or the URLs above) to anyone else who might be interested in helping this cause. Whatever amount you can give will help – every penny counts!!

We are running this marathon in honor of all individuals battling leukemia; these people are the real heroes of our team. On behalf of those people and TNT, we thank you for your consideration.

With Love,

Jered & Stacie

The First Post

Hey Guys,
This being the first post and all we wil keep it short. We are just starting the web blogging and are learning as we go so please be patient with our content.
We are starting this blog to update family and friends on the excitement that is our life; planning a wedding in March, both of us starting new jobs, keeping up with the gardens, providing constant attention and stimulation for 2 dogs and a cat, and training for a marathon in October.
Enjoy the site and please leave comments for us!
Scooter and Stacie