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A tribute to heroes

W ork began this past weekend on one of America's newest national parks. The families of the people aboard Flight 93, which went down in Somerset, Pa., in the Sept. 11 attacks, will gather at the crash site today for the ceremonial groundbreaking.

America's national parks preserve our most sacred natural spaces, such as Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, as well as important pieces of our national history such as the battlefields at Gettysburg. Construction of the first phase of the Pennsylvania memorial is scheduled to be completed in time for a dedication ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the 2001 attacks.

The Flight 93 memorial will be the only Sept. 11 site designated as a national park, which means that every citizen will be a part owner and steward of this monument. Since Sept. 11, tremendous work has been done to create this 2,220-acre park. While the memorial is surely important to those who lost loved ones that day, its meaning for the rest of us cannot be understated.

Budget-friendly national parks

''A moose!'' exclaimed my 10-year-old son Matt. ``A real moose!''

We screeched to a halt along the side of the road in Grand Teton National Park. Reggie, 8, was equally mesmerized, but 3-year-old Melanie couldn't quite grasp that we were in the moose's house -- and it wasn't a zoo.

I still smile years later when I think about the kids' excitement. Forget the Kodak moments. The chance to share something new together -- something you'd never see or do at home -- is what makes those indelible family vacation memories that last forever.

Proud dad sees new daughter -- from Iraq

Marine Lance Corp. David Reza was able to see his wife, Olga, and baby Jordan Izabella the day after she was born at Homestead Hospital. Never mind that he was thousands of miles away.

Reza may be fighting for his country in Al Asad, Iraq, but Freedom Calls Foundation doesn't want him and other troops to miss out on important family events.

Started in the fall of 2003, the nonprofit provides state-of-the-art video conferencing, phone and Internet services to allow troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to keep in touch with their loved ones at home, free of charge.

Miami Dade College Homestead Campus hosts lecture on chocolate

There is a right way to enjoy chocolate.

Just ask Anne Stewart, educator and Mayan historian.

And then take her advice: Take a bite and let the piece stick to the roof of your mouth, then savor all the flavors as it slowly melts with the body's temperature.

Bank takes back Watergate Hotel at failed auction

The Watergate Hotel was taken back Tuesday by the German bank that foreclosed on its debt-ridden owners at an auction that failed to attract any bids, despite international attention.

But the fate of the 251-room hotel that will be forever linked with the scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon is far from decided. PB Capital, a subsidiary of Deutsche Postbank, made a $25 million credit bid for the property, which has views of the Potomac. The bank, which is owed $40 million by developer Monument Realty, will now market the 12-story hotel to interested buyers in a private sale, the lender's attorney, David Astrove, said.

At least two developers, including Monument, plan to negotiate directly with the lender. Monument bought the hotel in 2004 with financing from now-bankrupt Lehman Brothers.