Let's start with the good news. Great news indeed. Jen and Bill are parents of three children, welcoming Elliot Grace into the family on Saturday around 10am! The picture here shows the happy family, and raises a few outstanding questions. Why isn't Jen more tired? Is Auden closing her eyes because she's in denial, and doesn't want to be the middle child? When did birthing rooms have cool couches (I could have used one to take a nap.) And can it really be true that Elliot will grow up to be as big as Auden and Miles (and Bill and Jen?) Congratulations to Bill and Jen, and to the proud and happy grandparents.
I was tipped off that Jen was due during a phone call with Andrew who was worried that with a cold going around that it might be hard to see and hold the baby. But photos showed everyone around and holding Elliot, so there must have been some quick recoveries. Andrew also said Saturday night was Daniel's senior prom, so there was a busy weekend in Dundee.
Other life events included Peter's birth, day. And he had previously announced that on the eve of his birthday, he caught the first fish ever in his life. Two of them, to be precise. We also send out congratulations to Sean, who, as we saw in the last letter from Peter, has started a new job as a clerk for a judge in New Jersey. Wonderful.
We've been back a little over a week, and still feel tired, although our hours are getting synced. We stayed in Annie's new apartment in South Boston the first night, and drove home the next day, only to return on Sunday to help her with the move-in process. Then a week here, and down to Washington for this past weekend. Margaret is heading out to Nigeria and Cameroun as part of her work, so we wanted to see her and everyone before she left. It was a fast visit, but worth it. Dinner at Joe and Leonor's the first night (where someone ate three hamburgers!) and then a visit to the Arboretum to see the azaleas in bloom. And a movie - "Spy". On the silly side, but we could all use silly.
We spent a fair amount of time discussing Portugal in September and are trying to work out an excursion to northern Portugal for a few days after the wedding on Saturday the 24th. Getting excited. We'll let everyone know soonest what we've cobbled together. I learned an indispensable word in Portuguese "Shcoop." It means sorry, I think.
From Fairport, we heard there were a few cases of pretty serious flus that took quite while to shake. Hopefully everyone is better now. David also attended a Shaker box workshop and got a band saw, so expect some great projects out of his garage!
John and Marilyn have moved into their new home, and sold their old house. There are a couple of nail biter stories that went along with those two events, but all turned out well. Heather went down to Daytona to help out. When we talked to Johnny, he was out on the golf course, and he put the phone down to tee off. We heard a pretty solid whack.
We saw a lot of photos from Guadeloupe, and it looks like to was a great vacation for Johanna and place to visit.
We are slowly getting back to our routines. UMass, swimming, naps, regular food, history projects, teaching. I did do some spring things last week, including a brush burn and a lawn mower tune-up, including my first mow. But, as it sinks in, we realize that as hard as the living and work was in Sam, there's a lot we miss.
In our travels, I discovered a new punch line that can be used in almost every single conversation: "Well, when Trump becomes President....." It's a sure way to get people to laugh, and to like you. Check this space next November to see if you're still laughing. And if anyone likes me.
On that, we end as we opened, congratulations to Bill and Jen and we're looking forward to meeting Elliot.
Love from up here.
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