At the 11th hour we figured out a way to get CNN hooked up to our TV. Three friends let themselves in at 2am, John woke up at 4, I woke up at 5, Iola woke up at 6 and we all watched as the results came in. We went for a walk at 7, and came back in time to see McCain's concession speech. We watched Obama's acceptance speech over pancakes. I've been moved to tears imagining the scene in DC. I've only been there for the palpable depression of defeat.
Julia Pallares wrote:

"Everyone is out partying in the streets of DC tonight. The police have blocked off streets, people are honking horns and cheering up and down 16th, Connecticut and U. A spontaneous party is going on in front of the white house. David and I drove down 16th toward the white house in a long line of cars honking horns and cheering the whole way. People were running up and down giving us high fives out of the our car window. We set off fireworks in Georgetown and I think the party will go on for the rest of the night."

We've been baby obsessed and election obsessed for months now, so it's only fitting that Iola laughed for the first time today. She's giggled in her sleep a couple times, right after nursing, and I wondered what could be so funny to a three-month old. Now I know: John's silly faces. It was such a delighted chuckle, the cutest thing in the world. We gave her a haircut because her birth hair was looking so straggly and long while her normal hair comes in. So she has a new, clean look.

John wrote a cover story for the Arts and Life section about our hospital Al Corniche: Ward of Plenty, The National, November 3.

Old Growth Arts, the non-profit we started, had its first artist residency at Leonard Lake last month. It went well, and I'll write up the inaugural newsletter soon. For more info, go to www.oldgrowtharts.org.

I have started using facebook to upload more photos because it's so convenient and easy to share. So you'll have to sign up for facebook to see them all