Too short

A week later and the verdict remains the same.  Wonderful.  Wonderful to see everyone, especially Donald, for the first time for many of us.  Wonderful to chat, to play games, to swim and to fish and make meals and to chat again.  Wonderful to just be close enough to everyone to walk over and share a cup of coffee.   If anything, it was too short, but as Mary says, it's better to feel that way than to feel it was too long.  We should do it again.  WE ARE!

Here are a few things I learned about our family this past weekend.  That Sean who could not make it is taking the bar exam in two states, and still has a sense of humor about it.  That Jeffrey recently had surgery to correct some stomach issues.  Now he can eat as much as he wants.  That Daniel is playing tennis, and is now the tallest Dickson, taking over from someone who held that claim for 40 plus years.  That Donald can sprint across a room on his hands and knees, that he loves cars and plastic rings.  That we can make a lot of noise, just by talking.  That we know how to plan for and prepare great meals.  That Janet takes a group of middle schoolers to NYC every year.  That Matthew and Tina are both so patient parents.  That we take our "Heads Up" games quite seriously.  That Lur is busy volunteering at a hospital.  That Melodie is game for learning how to fish.  That Oliver is a boy scout and can now clean a fish.  That we all get along so well.  

And there were some things I have known for a long time.  That David knows how to catch fish.  That Mary knows how to swim.  That Peter knows how to play the guitar.  That Andrew D. knows how to make everyone laugh. That Paula knows how to organize meals.  That I know how to eat, and eat everything in sight and to eat fast.  That Andrew S. knows how to play golf, and recruited Daniel to play a round with him.  That we all know how to post pictures on Facebook, with one possible exception (who?  you know who you are.)  

The weekend was a welcome respite for those who work, even if it was a little complicated getting to the Poconos.  Joe had this past week closed on his first house, so he was ready to relax.  Tina has long, compacted hours at her new job, so she was eager to just hang out.  Annie had just finished her first pay period at her new job, so she was ready to kick back.  Margaret had completed many weekends of Fulbright orientations, so she was primed for a few days off.  Johanna had brought some work reading with her so she could work and relax at the same time.  

Friday was Mary's birthday, and she celebrated in style.  She spent much of the day on the phone and computer with all her well wishers.  Marj and Lew met us at Tanglewood for an all Beethoven concert; and then in the birthday weekend tradition, we had a pizza cookout on Saturday and a fire in our fire pit.  Today she went to a play "Bells are Ringing" and out for dinner with her girl friends, at least they became friends when they were young girls so I can still call them girlfriends.

I am sure each of us has our own slice of memories of the weekend.  We reached a unanimous verdict to try again next year, and David was already hot off the mark and has reserved a weekend early in July, but is holding out for one later in the month, around the same time.  We'll confirm early next year.

Thank you all for taking days off and for making the long drives from all directions.  We have grown up with the Poconos so it has a special and familiar feel for all of us.

Love from up here.

AWOL

Been a while.  And there's been so much news that we need to get a letter off before the big family reunion.  The next letter will be all about the Poconos.

July 4.  Baseball for some, fireworks for others, parade for some, strawberry margaritas for some and lots of food for all, I bet.  Here, it was a soggy parade, that I helped capture on tv, as a volunteer cameraman for the local tv station.  Most of the time though was spent holding an umbrella.  Mary rode her bike down in the rain for the parade.  In the afternoon, we went over to Bob and Jody's for a picnic, and fortunately the rain had ended and even the sun had come up.  Someone there told us about the fireworks on the lake, so at dusk we went over and saw an incredible show.  I can't believe we never knew about it.  Five or six houses around the lake were competing and put on a long display.

We had a nice long visit from John and Marilyn who came up to escape the heat and to go to high school graduation for Haley, their granddaughter (Heather's daughter.)  They were back and forth between Albany and Boston area, before settling here.  We went to a play -- "Thoreau," a one man show -- and out to eat one night.  Then when we went down to Washington last weekend, they stayed and watched the kitty.....go in and out all day long.  Colleen and Pauline, along with Julie and her fiance Tommy joined us for a barbecue one night, yes, in the rain.

Yes, we went to DC, to go see another play, "The Book of Mormon," with Margaret and Andrew.  It lived up to its billings, very creative, entertaining, funny, good music, and edgy.  But a lot of fun.  We went to a barbecue at Joe and Leonore's to round out the weekend.  I took the train home, and Mary stayed in DC to catch up with her friends.

David and Paula had a few days in NYC where they saw the play "The Kind and I," which they recommend highly.  We see on Facebook pictures of Donald (with glasses) coming up on his first birthday and of Oliver the track star.  There may be a foot race or two in the Poconos.

Peter found an article about the monstrous house next door to our Cincinnati home, that burned down a few years back and that he snuck into last summer.  As we all expected, the firse looks like arson for a house that got out of hand.  And, we may have some NJ peaches in the Poconos.  Can't wait.

Annie got back from her month long train ride across America, and she used up all 18 train trips, from Chicago to San Francisco to the Grand Canyon, New Orleans and Washington DC, and lots of stops in betweeen.  She returned in time to come up here for a day and then she started her new job last Monday.  And she likes it!!   And, she had a birthday on Sunday.  Wonderful.

What else?  All star game, women's soccer, tour de france, toe surgery (you don't want to know) and bad coughs.  Rounding out the weeks.

Photos above are from Bill and Jen's boat with their house in the background.  Andrew and Lur and Daniel had gone up to Green Lake for their annual vacation, where they saw Claire who is working at a camp on the lake, and loving it.  

Some sad news; Marj's mother passed away last week.  Marj had been taking care of her at home, unwilling to put her in a nursung home, and gave her extra years, and it was an awful lot of care and work for Marj.  

We are looking forward to seeing almost the whole clan this weekend.  Love from up here.