The Tree is Down, Farewell to 2014

We took the tree down Sunday evening, while watching the pain of the Bengals lose to the Steelers.  Double sadness.  Triple that feeling when the house was quiet, as Margaret and Andrew were the last to leave, with a Saturday departure.  Okay, the Bengals losing was not that big a deal.  

Still, we had our memories of a wonderful time.  At some point, all the planning comes to a halt and the festivities just take over.

Ours started with what seems to be a nice tradition of heading to New York City for at least part of the extended break.  We stayed at Annie's apartment (thanks) and she took us to a great barbecue spot in the neighborhood and then on to Lincoln Center for a movie, The Theory of Everything, which was a remarkable story, or at least a story about a remarkable man, and woman.  We met up with Peter the next morning for our first foray into the Strand, the used bookstore that we heard so much about, and then over to Eataly, a food market with restaurants.  Is it any wonder why we love New York?  So much to do and so much new, always.

We then stood in the cold for tickets to a play, Constellations, that was an interesting concept but was short.  We felt a little jipped, but not by the acting.  Anyway, we headed to St. John the Divine for church in the morning (and to see the Xu Bing Phoenix sculpture again) and then over to our favorite Hungarian pastry shop across the street.  We met up with Annie, and then headed back to Pittsfield by train.  That was a first, and worked out just fine.

Margaret and Andrew (and Dee) arrived that night, and we officially started the Christmas week.  Much of it was a rotational experience, between eating and exercise in order to be able to eat more.  Cookies and great baskets from Nueske's and Harry and David's sure helped out.  

We talked to Joe a few times, through the magic of Facetime, an app that lets you see the person you're talking to.  We're getting closer to the Dick Tracy watch.  Anyway, he was in London, then Lisbon and then outside Lisbon with Leonore and her family for Christmas and then his birthday.  Remember his birthdays in Pomfret with everyone there?   On Facetime, he was able to show us the sights of Lisbon, without getting a postcard or getting on a plane.

John and Marilyn came over for dinner Christmas Eve and they were preparing for their children and families to descend on them the following day.  Out in Dundee, they had quite a crowd on Christmas eve as well, with Bill and Jen and Lur's family over.  Miles who is three and a half was just the right age for the Christmas spirit, and I think we can guess that means excitement.  Auden was probably also excited, but probably more so next year.

We saw a lot of photos and video of Peter and Janet at her family's house for Christmas, with merriment coming from music making.  Fun.  And we also saw a few photos of young Donald on Facebook, and he is growing fast.

Our Christmas included an early roast beef meal, and then a trip to the train station to drop off Annie who was catching a flight the next morning to South Africa, to attend a friend's wedding.  She sent us the photo above of her in the pool with the Cape mountains behind her.  After a grueling flight, she earned it.  Spectacular.

Our next weekly letter will be next year, halfway through the decade.  And, we'll be writing from Gabon; we leave on New Year's Day and after a couple of days in Paris, we arrive in Libreville.  We are loaded down with all kinds of stuff, but the most important will be unlocked phones that we hope to make use of there, for e-mail and connection back home.  Sure has changed since the 1970s with the blue airmail letter/envelopes.  We'll also be posting updates on our website: http://encoredelapaix.org/blog-from-doumandzou/

So, Happy New Year, and love from up north.   

We Have a Tree

But it's not decorated yet.  Wreaths are up, candles in the windows, and more than a few trips by the UPS guys to the front door.  And, we've finished three candles on the advent wreath.  And there's a fair amount of white stuff on the ground.

Not in Boston, though,  We headed over yesterday for the New England master's swim meet, where Mary swam in three individual events and two relays.  In one day.  She did well, beating her personal times and giving some younger swimmers a bit of a chase.  But in Boston, we actually saw the yellow round thing in the sky.  Seems like it's been a while since the sun popped out here.  And sure enough, as soon as we hit the Berkshires on the turnpike, we lost the sun and clouds took over, with a major drop in temperatures.  It felt like we had gone to Florida for the weekend.  No coats, gloves or hats.  We even saw in the paper today people in short sleeves in Washington.  Anyway, we touched base with old roommates, dinner out with Mary's high school friend Judy, and we stayed with my college roommate, Steve, who is head of school in Chestnut Hill.  A tough job.

David and Paula got creamed with a major snowfall this week.  More than a foot..  Fortunately for us, by the time it got here, most of it was rain, before it turned cold, just dropping a few inches of snow.   We kept hearing in the fall about how much snow we would have this winter, and, though I'm not sure how they knew, the predictions have come through.  Oh, and it's still technically fall.

Sounds like everyone had great Thanksgivings.  Ours was quiet but special and relaxing.  Joe and Annie came up by train, and it was a bit of an adventure driving over to Hudson New York to pick up Joe in a snowstorm.  But the trains were running, and my last minute snow tires mounted in the morning did the trick.  I saw four cars off the side of the road on my way over.  

The storms here saw a lot of branches come down, including one off our flowering hydrangea tree in front.  We got off easy, as Johnny lost some huge branches off his pine trees.  Joe and I went over to help him haul the stuff out of his back yard so that someone could take it away.  This was part of a string of bad luck for John and Marilyn who were in accidents in each of their cars, as the result of other drivers.  Long repairs and insurance discussions.  

Thanksgiving up here also included movies, with kind of a food theme, or at least hunger theme.  We wanted to see the new Mockingjay movie, but we had to watch the second installment before, so it was a Hunger Games weekend for us as well.   

It's end of college semester time for many of us - Claire, Annie, Margaret, Sean, Maura, and Tina.  Am I missing anyone?  Do you hear the sighs of relief?  Last year this time, it was me, and it is not fun.  A lot of hard work.  For Tina, a special shout out, since she not only finished the semester but graduated.  Congratulations.  A long haul, but you made it.  

Margaret celebrated by heading to Austin TX with Andrew.  She had a work commitment there, but they spent a few extra days taking in the city's great music scene.  And, on the travel scene, we see Bill and Jen headed for Los Cabos after Thanksgiving with Miles and Auden.  Warmth!

And there's more travel coming up.  Joe's heading over to London this Friday; he'll be in Portugal for Christmas.  And Annie is off to South Africa the day after Christmas with Greg; and we are putting final preparations for our trip to Gabon, leaving January 1.

Before all that, we're going to New York this weekend for a couple of nights.  The city is wonderful this time of year, a little crowded, but with all the lights out, and the stores full, it's fun.  Look for a photo of Christmas decorations from New York in the next letter.  

Hope everyone is enjoying the season.  Love from the north.  

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Dundee News

Well it sure has felt like winter here. Very cold at times and some snow. Even the pets have hesitated going out the door.

We had a pleasant and quiet Thanksgiving, with Lur's parents our only guests. Lur's brother and wife were recovering from surgeries and thought the better to stay close to home. Claire made the trek from Hope and was a big help in organizing the dinner. Lur decided to join Costco, so we overwhelmed the freezers. It is quite a thought process to go through to justify buying massive quantities of food. We are set for a while.

We were treated again to Claire playing the oboe at church during her brief visit. I commented to the pastor that it was nice to here the oboe soften that usual staid Lutheran music. We remembered her Halloween concert at Hope where all the student performers were allowed to dress up in costume. The three oboe players (including Claire) had big mouse ears and sunglasses- three blind mice.

Claire has a busy few weeks ahead, as exams approach. She also has to perform in front of a professor "jury" with the oboe, which we have heard is a stressful process.

Over Thanksgiving, Daniel had a busy basketball tournament, with the host school being about an hour away. Much driving. They played their first conference game on Wednesday, on the losing side. It looks like it will be a long year. 

I have been filling the bird feeder about every other day. We see the same bird every day just sitting there. We call him our "homeless" bird. The squirrels just sit underneath and grab the mess that comes down. A few fights have ensued, with a lot of drama. Claire made the comment that our squirrels are much fatter that the ones in Michigan. Gee.

The other night while grilling dinner, I saw my first owl ever. They are pretty big birds, with quite a wing span. He must have noticed the busy bird feeder.

We are getting ready for the Christmas season, but this year I made an executive decision. We are going to drive an hour to a tree farm and cut one down. Based on past events, I will bring a bigger saw. It is always such a treat to have these holidays with Miles and Auden. Can't wait.

And if he is listening, a big congrats to Timmy on his wedding!

Take care. Love