theparkerfamily.org

  • nelson mandela

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    in 1987, i joined the Model United Nations club at my school (james blair junior high school) and represented Nepal in my very first conference. i was in the social and humanitarian segment of the competition (third committee?) and i remember learning about two things that year that blew my mind.

    first, there was this thing called “terrorism” where people (not states?!?) attacked other countries. second, there was a guy named nelson mandela who was fighting against something called “apartheid,” a policy that (to my 7th grade mind) seemed about 100 years out of step with the rest of the planet.

    i didn’t do anything worth mentioning during that conference — i was so, so incredibly confused — but I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Mandela was the first public figure to teach me that the world could be a better place if we just fought for what we believe in.

    i’ll never be a Mandela, or a Gorbachev, or even a James Baker, but hopefully i’ll be able to make the ocean a little better, children a little safer, the climate a little more stable — and give my kids just a little less work to do to clean up our mess when they grow up.

    if only.

    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    nelson mandela

  • shopping in new york

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    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    shopping in new york

  • central park

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    we walked around for about 45 minutes in the section of central park call “the rambles.” besides being a hot-bed of GLBT free love in the 70’s, it’s also where the lady sparkler and I got engaged.

    unfortunately, that was in the days before foursquare, so we have no earthly idea where i actually proposed. it was on one of the trails, at the top of a small hill, with a tree that was growing horizontal from the elements. but turns out there are a lot of trees in central park (who knew?!?) and some of them are even growing horizontally on the top of hills.

    oh, well. figuring out where it happened gives us a reason to keep coming back.

    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    central park

  • travel: new york city

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    new york. and, lady sparkler’s and my first overnight trip without the kids, well, ever. we miss them terribly but, at the same time, they’re in good hands (thanks gram and gpa!) and it’s nice remembering what it’s like walking around a city without being hunched over, arguing that you have to hold hands when you cross the street.
    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    travel: new york city

  • birthday facepaint

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    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    birthday facepaint

  • out: bike ride

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    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    out: bike ride

  • out: radius

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    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    out: radius

  • out: lyttonsville park

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    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    out: lyttonsville park

  • grandkids

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  • out: american history museum

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    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    out: american history museum