"Proud to Be"

Today I am more proud than ever to be an American. As I caught a glimpse of the Presidential Inauguration today, I couldn't help but be proud of what our new President has accomplished and what this country has accomplished by electing its first African American President.  I feel blessed to have been able to witness this moment in history and to have been partly responsible for making it happen. 

Even with all of the challenges facing our country and our new President, I feel a renewed sense of hope for our younger generations and I am optimistic  that together we can find a way to overcome the challenges ahead of us and that the world will follow our lead in striving for greatness and peace.

Park Weather

Well I can't really complain about the weather. Although it's been a bit on the chilly side, it's been beautiful for mid/late January. The nice weather comes just in time for the long holiday weekend. I took the family to the park over the weekend and to the movies. I got a few shots in with the video camera on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we went to Fort Vancouver National Park and to Esther Short on Sunday where I was able to catch the sunset. It got really cold after sunset so we took off shortly after. Here are a couple of short video clips from Fort Vancouver and Esther Short Park:

Fort Vancouver from Don Lee on Vimeo.


Esther Short Park from Don Lee on Vimeo.

Strange Weather

The weather has been strange in the Northwest over the last several weeks. Heavy snowfall, major flooding, high winds, and now sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures. It almost looks like an early spring as today I noticed the buds on the bushes in my garden. Take a look at the video below. 


Winter Buds by Don Lee                                   © 2009 www.leeshots.com

Big Al's

Can't Bowl for Chit

Of all things the family could possibly do to celebrate James' birthday, James chose bowling. Bowling is right up there on my list with Miniature Golf. Well having a family is about sacrifice, putting your kids before yourself, blah...blah...blah, so I pulled myself together, put a smile on my face, and took the family to Big Al's. I'm not the best bowler but I was pretty sure I could beat my 7 year old....WRONG!. Jared lead the entire evening and cleaned up with a final score of 108. 

You can play the video below to see some of the highlights you may have missed on ESPN 4. Since I was working the camera, I had the good fortune of not being in any of the shots....so all you will get of me is my voice.

View at your own risk as those with weak hearts may die of a laughter induced heart attack!

Bowling at Big Al's from Don Lee on Vimeo.

The "Man Cave"

As part of our recent remodeling work, we are mostly done with our home theater or what I like to call my "Man Cave". The theater is designed to comfortably seat 6-8 people with room for additional seating if needed. The theater is located in our day basement (ground level) and is accessed by a new stairway addition off of the kitchen/dining area. It took approximately 3 months to finish and includes an additional bedroom and bathroom. Central heating and air conditioning along with an electric wall heater near the lower deck exit helps to maintain a comfortable living climate.

Besides comfort, the theater is full of goodies like a large 103'' screen for ceiling mounted High Definition (HD) projection. This gives way to a full range of audio/visual entertainment options such as HD satellite television, Blu-Ray movies, XBOX 360 with wireless controls, and Apple TV for digital entertainment libraries. For those interested, below are the detailed specifications:

Mitsubishi HC6500 3LCD HD Home Theater Projector

Vutec Lectric III 103" Motorized Projection ScreenV

Pioneer Elite-770W 7.1-Ch. Satellite Radio-Ready A/V Home Theater Receiver

Klipsch Audio Technologies Home Theater Sound

More photos and video of the entire remodel project will be available in the remodel blog post.

Siniva's World

So Siniva got a new video camera for Christmas and she is already putting it to use. Siniva has began a creative video podcast project called "Siniva's World". The video podcast project is a collection of comedic life experiences. Siniva's podcasts can be found on iTunes or at her website: http://www.sinivasworld.com. A link to her website is also provided under the blog list links.

The Lee Foundation

The Lee Foundation

Help us to influence social change and to make the difference in the lives of others by making a tax deductible contribution. 

Our Mission

The Lee Foundation seeks to build community and influence social change through the support of charitable endeavors that bring opportunity to the underrepresented and disadvantaged, strengthen the bond of families, and improve the quality of people's lives.

Philanthropic Interests

The Lee Foundation is interested in programs that strengthen families and improve public service. Gifts in the form of donations, grants, etc. are awarded in the areas of Health and Social Services, Education, and Community Programs. High priority is given to charities and programs that address the needs of economically or socially disadvantaged families.

Mail your check or money order in any denomination to:

Independent Charities of America

C/O The Lee Foundation

1100 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 340,

Larkspur, CA 94939

Birthday Boy

James celebrates his 10th birthday today and I can't believe how fast he is growing up! Last night we decided to take him and the other kids out to dinner at the Last Frontier....the boys were in rare form.

Leeshots.com

Leeshots.com is up and running with a selection of new photo albums and older albums from my previous Webshots site (FYI...all the Webshots photos have been removed). Leeshots.com is where you will find a collection of my published photos.