Calling Houston! Calling Houston! Come in, Houston!

No, this was no call from any Space mission. It was pretty much how I tried to get in touch with Vance through Yahoo Messenger at his parents' home in Houston, TX this evening!

About 5 mins after we got in touch, I heard Vance greeting Susan and her friend, Wilson. I just love his natural curiosity (above)! Immediately after he arrives, he goes and looks at Vance's computer to see what's going on! Who wouldn't? Then I heard Vance introduce his online friends: Arthur in Ulster, Teresa in Lisbon and his son, Dusty, in Abu Dhabi. Things went quite well for the first 15 mins. But then. . .

Problems! Problems! Problems all connection long!!! (Doesn't that sound like the Everly Brothers?)

However, Rita in Argentina and I finally meet virtually f2f for the first time. It was a happening!

I just love her sweet way of confirming that we are finally together! You can also see that connections are not as usual.

In the meantime, I await Vance's permission to see his webcam, which had gone down for a while.

And while I'm Conferencing with Rita in one window,

Vance and I are Instant Messaging in another.

There are problems:

notice my comment to Rita.

As if I were a great photographer, here I am asking Susan to. . .

Doesn't she look much better? Of course she does!

Smile! You're on Teresa's Candid WebCamera!

I love Susan's attention while I'm babbling away about the bad quality of the image and thanking the photographees (?!) for all the 'hard' work with the posing!!!

Rita and Juani seem real happy to see each other!

Aren't these synch tools just something?

While I was having the time of my life asking everybody in Houston, Argentina and Colorado, including myself in Portugal, to say 'cheese',

I was also frantically pressing the Print Screen key for different shots and hurriedly saving every picture I could get. Look right to see the results! I just love that sequence! Wish the quality were good.

As everybody was bidding their farewells and making kind remarks, in true Webhead fashion - I love it! -, Juani is happily having her drink. I wonder what it is!!! Could it be one of Dafne's favorite 'caipirinhas'? Or just a plain shot? She is Rifle, isn't she? Too big a glass for that! On second thoughts, why not a cold cafe latte? After all, Juani is in a Cyber Café and the weather does seem to be warm!

And don't you just love Vance's emoticon for goodbye?

Well, friends, the photos may not have come out anything special,

but we sure had our share of fun when Vance's cybergypsies did not get in the way!!!

They are certainly a great souvenir of Vance's weekend with his parents in Houston,

Susan and Wilson's visit with them - loved meeting all of you! -,

and our attempts to make things work.

Above all, our attempts to make the best out of the technology available!

And things wouldn't be half the fun if there wasn't some kind of challenge, would they?