News from Dundee!

Do all roads lead to Illinois? They did this week.  What do you get when you have a holiday in Dundee? Food, and more food. Cookies, and more cookies. Kids, and more kids. Presents, and more presents. Getting the idea. A lot of fun.

Claire came home and has treated us to a veggie chili made with yellow squash and all kinds of stuff. Then, Christmas morning, homemade spinach and cheese quiche with rolls, then chocolate covered pretzels and cookies. A rib roast, mahi mahi fillet and racks of lamb, with Billy's signature creamed spinach, and roasted beans and asparagus. Livin' the dream. And, of course, leftovers.

Daniel treated Mom and Dad and Grandma to super haircuts. Quite the treat for Grandma. Daniel is starting to get back on the guitar so we are waiting for some homemade music, too. Claire had a successful December school concert, which she said went well. We know a lot of work goes into those things, even with other teachers involved. Quite a feat when it is only her. 

Had Billy and Jen and clan for Christmas eve bash. Brought back memories of long ago with small children. Lots of laughter, drama, excitement and singing! Auden got a karioke player. Lots of singing. Even Elliot chimed in. 

Lur was in charge of home decorations, and she did a great job. A wonderful tree and many Santas all over. Kids were in heaven. 

It is 50 degrees here. The weather outside is not frightful. Great dog walks and outdoor activities. But we know it is coming. What did Pop say? Winter is good, because spring is not far behind. Time to order the seeds!

Hope all is well! Hugs from Dundee!

I am a Rock

♪♪A winter's day, in a deep and dark December...... ♪♪   Except it's not winter; it's still fall, dagnabbit.  I have been waiting for Indian summer since September, and it's just not coming.  (Am I even allowed to say Indian summer anymore?)

Winter followed us down to Washington where we had another wonderful Thanksgiving.  Annie flew in from California, where she had taken to wearing face masks because of the smoke.  So, which would you rather have - cold weather or smoke?  Cold weather doesn't look so bad.

Anyway, she was able to join us at Margaret and Andrew's house for the big meal, that is getting smoother every year.  Andrew cooked a perfect turkey, and the table was full of all the side dishes and even rolls (my contribution, with a little help from a fellow called Pillsbury.)  Andrew's parents were there, as were Leonor, Joe and Thomas, his second Thanksgiving.   Do any of you remember your second Thanksgiving?

We saw a few photos of other family days, with the Peter Dicksons at Janet's cousin's house, and John and Marilyn in short-sleeves and short pants down in Florida.  They incidentally are off on a cruise to Panama, more sunny weather.  Any others?  

While in Washington, we stayed with Leonor and Joe which meant we enjoyed the good fortune to watch Thomas for an afternoon. Joe and I watched a college football game, and Mary, Margaret and Annie went to a movie called Boy Erased.  We saw our Peace Corps friends, Bob and Monette, and the days flew by.  On the way home, we stopped in and had a diner brunch with Peter and Janet but missed Johanna because of our early start, to beat the traffic.  And we did, beat the traffic, luckily as the Delaware Memorial Bridge shut down  later in the day.  Completely, in both directions.  Busiest travel day of the year.  I think there are still people waiting to get across the bridge,

What else?  We had a swim team Christmas party here yesterday, and they are a pretty rowdy bunch for such healthy people. Not really, but it was fun.  Our summertime neighbors, the Locherys, have packed up and headed back to Wales having had enough of the Berkshires winter to suit them.  And, Timmy has been nice to check in on the kitty while we're gone.

Some sad news, in fact, too much sad news.  They say news like this comes in threes, and this time that was true.  One of her swim team mates lost her husband recently, a high school friend of Mary's passed after a long illness, and her cousin Pat died after a short illness.  Too many funerals.

Filling out the routines include doctors and dentists and winterizing the place, hanging wreaths and greens for the flower pots and moving porch furniture this year in the snow.  We still haven't gotten around to getting a tree, and the paper today warns us that it may be harder to find a good tree.  We do see a tree up at Thomas' house, though.  He's so mesmerized he can't even turn around for the camera.  That's one sign of hope and joy for the dark and dreary days.

Love to all of you from up here.    

 

The Calm

Need a break?  I know I do.  I thought it best to write the weekly letter, when I did not know the results of the mid-term elections.  That way, I could still dream, or pretend.  Last night I told Mary that it felt a little like Christmas, the anticipation, the waiting, the nervousness.  She scoffed and looked at me like I was sick.  That may be true, but when we watched the News Hour later, Amy Walter of the Cook Political report said, and I quote, "It feels like Christmas."  Amy may be sick too, but at least we're sick together.

So, on to the really important stuff.  Here's a poll.  Who's seen A Star is Born?  Put your hands down.  Who did a little internet research to see the old versions of the movie?  Okay, hands down.  Who bought the soundtrack and is listening to it right now?  Just me?  As you can tell, we loved it, and I've heard from a few of you that you did too.

A lot has happened since the last letter, since Erin and Sean's wedding.  Like Halloween.  Another poll.  Who buys Halloween candy, even if you know you won't get any trick-or-treaters?  Just me, again?  Hope springs eternal, or maybe I just need an excuse to buy candy.  I did get a Halloween costume this year.  They sure are complicated now, battery operated blow-up costume so that it looks like I was riding a chicken, or quite possibly an ostrich.  Anyway, from Facebook, it looked like the next generation in Rochester and in Washington and in Illinois was fully on board.  Wonderful.

We did go down to Washington recently, and are headed back that way this weekend.  We won the lottery and were able to do some babysitting while Joe and Leonor had a weekend away.  Thomas was on his best behavior: we went to a gala, we went to a park a couple of times, we played with Legos, we took naps, we read books, or at least individual pages of books.  We had a lot of fun, and the best part was that he survived, and he doesn't have enough language to tell his parents what really happened.  Joe and Leonor went to Lexington Virginia for a break from the city in the rural mountains during fall foliage.  We saw Margaret and Andrew a few times over the weekend, including for dinner at an Afghan restaurant with our Maine friends, Cliff and Sheila.  

The big news from California happened today, as Annie let us know that GE had sold her division, and it will remain intact, at least for a while.  That's good news, I think, as she can keep working as long as she wants and doesn't have to find a job right away.  

Some sad news from Dundee.  The Pomfret Ford Taurus station wagon is no more.  Claire had been driving it, but it needed a major repair, so she got a new car.  When she returned it to Dundee, Andrew took it to a mechanic who said it had rusted so much it was too dangerous to drive.  Lots of stories with that car.

We had a car story too.  An embarrassing one.  We had gone over to the other side of the state to see a museum, Fruitlands, joining Foreign Service friends at kind of a half way point from their home in New Hampshire.  On the way home, on the Mass Pike, we had a flat tire.  Fortunately, we were near one of only a handful of pull-in breakdown areas. I looked in the rear, and did not see a spare or even one of those little do-nut tires. I assumed that because it was a hybrid there was no room for a spare, as was true with our old Saturn.  (Are you bored yet?  It gets better.)   The state does not allow AAA on the Mass Pike, so we had to call the police and they sent out a registered tow truck, to tow us all the way home.  After a hefty bill for the tow, and another one for the new tire, I drove the car home and looked more closely in the rear of the car, lifted up a second tray and found a spare tire.  AAAAAGGGGHHHH.  

We see Timmy quite a bit, as he has moved back here and found an apartment.  It's nice that he offers to come over to watch kitty while we are away, and he has even made us dinner.  We went out to brunch for his birthday (November 2) and can recommend Otto's, a new (for us) restaurant on Park Square.

One more poll:  Anyone watch the World Series?  Anyone watch the Packers-Patriots?  Anyone sick of Boston winning all the time?  Not me.

So, happy November, happy end of daylight savings, and love to you all.  

 

Hooray for Erin and Sean

They've been married a week.  And what a wonderful wedding it was.  Something happens up at the altar, that makes a relationship of love different.  I'm not sure what it was, for me, but perhaps it was the making a commitment in front of friends and family. We are happy you found each other.

I think there are probably better people to do a re-cap of the wedding, but I think we all have our own slices of what we experienced, and taken all together, they add up to a pretty full picture of the entire affair.

First of all, on the fun-meter, it looked like the score was off the charts.  It was just plain fun, from the pajama-wearing bridal party getting their hair done, to the extended breakfasts talking about pretty much nothing and everything, to the crazy dancing on the terrace. Okay, there was that one brief moment when Janet was trying to track down Peter, who was at Target with David, but that's just one of the stories that make weddings, well, weddings.  At one point I heard Sean say he didn't like being the center of attention.  But he did a great job, and his sense of humor added to the overall fun of the event.

Second, on the thanks-meter, we add our voices to the many thanks to the couple for putting everything together.  I also heard Sean say that it was Erin who did much of it, even though she was quick to point out all he did do to help out.  We loved the photos on the tables of the two of them growing up, and the cakes that Erin made herself, and the tables that they put out themselves.  Thank you.

Third, it also scored high on the memory-meter.  For those of us of a certain age, who watched Sean grow up, and who just met Erin, it was really great to hear the stories from your friends. We are far away, and don't see you but once or twice a year, but these stories help us know you better. For being unscripted, Johanna's story also filled in a little background to how they, and their cousins, "played" with pets.

And of course, you hit the ball out of the park on the family meter.  It was nice to catch up with Janet's family who we had seen only occasionally over the years, some of whom we had a hard time recognizing, or was it the other way around?  It was really special to have another chance besides the Poconos to see everyone.  Mary did remark on the importance of the Poconos since we all just fell in with each other quickly.  And, you were so kind in your ceremony to mention those who could not be there to share in your joy.

It took us a few hours to get home, after dropping Annie off at the airport (and going to a small restaurant we recommend - Pop's Bagels.)  We jumped back into our routines, mowed the lawn one more time, watched the evening news, and then we got a text from Andrew and Lur that they had made it home.  That's a long drive.

Annie headed back to work but not for long  By week's end, she was on her way to Argentina and Uruguay for a short vacation.  Margaret and Andrew enjoyed Columbus Day, or as it is now known in Pittsfield schools - Indigenous Peoples Day - by going to see A Start is Born.  We went on their recommendation, and pass along the five stars to all of you, if you have not seen it yet. Leonor, Joe and Thomas spent the day in the park.

We close with a few pictures.  I know there were plenty of photos taken of both the wedding and the surrounding events, but here is at least one you may not have seen.

Love from up here.

Rain

I think I know how climate change will affect this part of the world.  Rain, and more rain.  The water over the dam at the lake is as loud as I can ever remember.  Our yard is swampy, and we even have had a little pond near our driveway.  The grass is green, and all the trees are healthy.  And we're still getting cucumbers.  

Anyway, I wanted to get a letter in before the big weekend, before Sean and Erin's big weekend.  Or is it Erin and Sean?  Then, we'll have enough material for another letter next week.  Looking forward to the big day, to seeing everyone again and to joining in Erin and Sean's happiness.  

This will be our third straight weekend of travel.  Two weeks ago we headed to Washington DC with Pittsfield friends, one of whom had never been there.  We arm-twisted Margaret, Joseph and Jeffrey into giving us tours of their respective government buildings.  I know they get used to it, but, seen with fresh eyes, they work in spectacular buildings, rich in history and, yes, even aesthetically pleasing.  I can only imagine what a foreigner must feel entering any of these buildings for meetings.  Thanks to each of them for their tours.  

We stayed downtown after joining a "consular club" that would admit us; they have a small guest quarters with reasonably good rates.  We spent another day doing Smithsonian stuff and eating food that was too good and too costly.  Fortunately, Andrew and Margaret invited us over for dinner one night, so we were able to eat more healthy and save a little cash at the same time.  Thank you. 

Did I mention Thomas?  Yes, we saw him, as Mary managed to "bump" into Leonor and Thomas as they were coming out of day care downtown.  He's more and more a boy, not a baby.  

This past weekend, we blew even more dough by going to New York City for the wedding of a college classmate, who was getting married for the first time.  These bankers know how to throw a party; I felt a little like Eddie Murphy in "Trading Places" as I entered their club for drinks.  Anyway, it was fun getting together with about a dozen classmates, most of whom were members of the soccer team.  And best of all, Mary seeemd to be enjoying herself.

David and Paula have also had busy weeks.  David attended the New York State Fair, where he ran a Shaker oval box woodworking demonstration for a few days.  His civic project, of building affordable housing units for seniors in Fairport, has also taken up a lot of his time.  They are still unpacking from their move, and find themselves in need of more bookcases.  Paula has helped out with some babysitting duties for Everett, who David says is the calmest, happiest baby in the world.  

Andrew reports that he has played his first round of golf in years, and did pretty well.  Good news, on both counts.  Daniel has been coming home on off days.  

One good piece of news as we approach this weekend's wedding is that I may be able to hear people.  Yes, I broke down and got hearing aids.  Very fashionable ones too.  Thank you to John Boyle for a tip that saved me roughly $1300 in the purchase.  They're pretty incredible pieces of technology, and I'll be happy to bore anyone with all the details if the conversation slows.

It's getting cold around here; we've had the heat on a few nights.  I've been chopping wood for our winter fires, and we're easing into other end of summer chores, but not too quickly, holding out hope for some return to warm.  The good news about the change of seasons is mowing the lawn may be coming to an end, sometime soon.

Happy birthday to Johanna!  and to Paula!  and to Auden!  

I close with a picture from Provincetown, on my first time ever to the Cape, to watch Mary swim across the bay.  We went out for a bike ride the day before along the national seashore, a quiet counterpart to the fun in the center of town.

Love from up here.  See you all this weekend!  

Dundee News

Our last few weeks have been about young people, ages 2 to 35. 

Over Labor Day weekend, we had the pleasure of three nights with Miles, Auden and Elliot. Brought back many memories of now older children, and Pop (Andrew's name) snuck a lot of kid food. MMMMMM! Plus, I now am an educated fan of Sponge Bob. All told, thank goodness for Lur, who took care of the hard stuff.

We had the kids because Bill and Jen went to Pennsylvania to attend to their new member of their family, an RV bus. We hope it provides them with many memories, but for now a work in progress. 

Daniel is now a working man, spending two days a week (an apprenticeship) at a high end men's salon in downtown Chicago. One of the salon's recent customers was a prominent Chicago newscaster. He is excited about his new job, and is expecting to do Barber school soon. Unfortunately, his roommates, who are college gymnasts, learned their program was being cut. Hopefully, the school will reconsider. 

Last weekend, we went up to Michigan to take some stuff up to Claire and check things out. She, and roommate friend, are renting an old house in Pentwater, next to Lake Michigan. Beautiful little resort town and a outstanding beach. Claire will commute to another little town to teach music in a little school. We visited the school, and saw the music room. Claire is it. Grade school to high school, she is Miss Dickson, the music program. We are pulling for her. 

We also had the experience of buying a car. Considering the location, Subaru won hands down. Don't tell Claire, but we plan on visiting a lot, but maybe not in winter. We stayed in a little motel a block from the water in Ludington. Nice little city with a ferry destination. 

Unfortunately, Bill and Jen experienced recently what everybody else has gone through. A flooded basement. It stinks, but they will get through it. We have had water in our basement recently, and diapers do a great job. Another great Lur idea. It is tough though lugging a bag of water-soaked diapers. Very heavy.

Some recent highlights: Another legendary Packer comeback, Willie's unfortunate conversation with a skunk, ribs on the grill, going through old files, getting the kids to let go of a lot of stuff to Goodwill, and starting to wear sweaters. Now the annual search for car snow scrapers.

I decided to not go through a letter without our new word which I have not heard before: lodestar. I guess I don't get out often.

 

September already, Ireland

Where did the summer go?  It's still here, as far as the heat and the thunderstorms and green leaves and grass cutting go. I'd consider ourselves lucky since normally the temps have already moved lower.  The days are certainly shorter, and a few of trees are starting to turn.  

All this by way of saying we here seem to have finally caught our breaths after a long stretch of summer activity going back to the Poconos.  We dropped off at the airport a Peace Corps friend on Monday and then have settled back into our routines, just the two of us.

We had a magical trip to Ireland.  There's no other way of describing it, and I think I'm not the first.  I can sum it up in three words: family, churches and pubs.  The magic part had to do with the Boyle family we encountered.  Our purpose for going was to attend a reunion of Boyles who came from Strabane on the border in Northern Ireland.  We found out that their town was kind of a ground zero for The Troubles, which confirms why Mary's father was even born here.  His parents came to escape capture.  Anyway, we all met up across the border in a town called Stranolar, that took me about a week to pronounce.  Right away, we connected.  We saw Boyles from Pittsfield even who we never see here.  There were Boyles from Australia and of course people from close by.  Lots of long talks, a little singing, and as always good food and did I mention Guiness?  

We then headed over to County Mayo and a town called Castlebar, (pronounced cas-el-bear, if you ever need to talk like an Irishman, or woman).  Mary was on the search for the home of family on her grandmother's side in a village which I can still barely mouth, Cloncundra.  (I finally figured out how to remember places like this - I took pictures of maps and road signs.)  The magic part of the trip came from Mary writing a letter to "the family of James and Ella Walsh" with an address that she found from her mother's address book, and a postal code that Joe googled.  Well, the day before leaving, she got an email from the niece of James and Ell who gave us her contact points and we arranged to meet.  Her niece, Ann, told us when we met, that the postal code was wrong but since one of her family worked in the post office, whoever was sorting gave the envelope to him, and the letter made its way to this, perhaps the smallest hamlet in Ireland.  I exaggerate of course, but you will never see its name on a map.  I did see a road sign.  

Well we found her grandmother's house, and spent a day touring around the area with Ann, packing in a church and a basilica (where the Pope had gone two days earlier), a pub (actually two, one of which where we celebrated Ann's birthday) , a museum, tea and scones, and a shop or two.  

From there, we headed on our own down a very sad road cutting over to Connemora, sad because it was completely desolate and because we learned of the fate of 600 people who walked a great distance to escape famine but whose plight was ignored when they reached the next town.  A memorial marker with a quote from a visitor, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, told the story.

On our last night, in Galway, we were walking back to our B&B when another touring couple, lost, probably from Italy, approached us and asked how to get to the center of the town.  We told them, and then they asked if there were any pubs there.  "PUBS? How many do you want?" was our answer.  Blocks and blocks of pubs.  How do you choose.  Fun.

When we got home, we had a mini Peace Corps reunion of sorts, and I finally got to cut the grass.

And we were able to keep up a little with all your happenings.  Wonderful photos of Everett on Facebook.  He's home and already more awake and alert, from the photos, it looks like.  Daniel finished his year of school and has a job at a high end men's salon with people who pay tons of money for what Pop paid $2.50 for in Putnam.  But then again, I bet they've never had a tripleheader - haircut, trip to the dump and Spag's.  Claire has started her job where she's the sole music teacher in a K-12 school in Michigan.  Sounds challenging; she's trying to raise money for instruments - read about it on her Facebook site.  Andrew and Lur took their grandchildren over Labor Day when Bill and Jen went to Pennsylvania to work on their new project - the mobile home/bus.

We also saw a lot of photos from Portugal where Leonor, and Thomas, were able to spend a couple of weeks with her family and friends.  Annie spent Labor Day with China friends in San Francisco and Margaret was getting ready for a short trip to Mexico.    

John and Marilyn were also traveling, on a cruise along the Rhine, which sounded very nice were it not for the fact that they may have had a series of mishaps on their flight over that caused them to be delayed for 9 hours, or was it even more?  

Sean and Erin are closing in on their big day, and we're looking forward to that, and to seeing all of you again.

Love from up here.  The photo below is of the Mary and Ann checking out the Walsh family house, the grandmother's stone house in the background and James and Ella Walsh in front. Mary visited here in 1973. 

 

Welcome Everett

A happy day it was when we learned of Everett Lee's arrival. And that the birth went so smoothly, perhaps even too smoothly, as I understand Tina wasn't in the hospital long before he took his first cry of air! We spoke with the excited grandparents who tell us that Everett's name comes from a dear family friend. Special. Already looking forward to the Poconos next year, and if we're lucky, maybe even before then to see Everett. And, of course Donald has a little brother and Oliver another little brother.

I have been waiting to write this as my computer is out of commission for the moment, but I couldn't wait any longer or it will be October. So I'm writing on an iPad. Does it make a difference? We'll see.

We've been happily and summer-ly busy since the Poconos, first with a visit from Annie who helped celebrate Mary's birthday and joined us for an evening at Tanglewood. My college roommate Steve was here with his wife for more Berkshire cultural things including Thursday morning French conversations at Edith Wharton's museum home.

Then we went up to Vermont where our car broke down about an hour away from our destination. What could have been a disaster turned out much better than expected as a series of fortuitous incidents and very nice people helped us get it towed and repaired at a much lower than expected price. Anyway, we enjoyed being with Charlie and Annie at their lake cabin.

And then, Thomas arrived. So did his parents. Joe and Leonor were here for almost a week and we had a grand grandparent time with toys and books and strolls and hugs. We managed to take Thomas to a Moby Dick marathon reading, that both his parents and grandmother read at. I should add that Thomas did not last 26 hours through the marathon reading but a respectable 30 mins or so. Margaret and Andrew arrived too late for that but they joined us the next day for a hike up Monument Mountain where Melville met Hawthorne! 168 years ago.

Not everything revolves around Melville, though, and we have gone to a movie (Eighth Grade), a play (West Side Story), a baseball game, King Kone, more hikes and swims and canoe rides, and golf games. It's been raining quite a bit but that hasn't dampened our ability to rest and relax. Margaret and Andrew took a few days off and went to the Rhode Island beaches, and stopped at Pomfret and the Vanilla Bean on the way back here. We got to watch D while they were gone!

Mary's brother Tim has moved back to Pittsfield with the aim of staying here in the glorious warm weather months and then head back to warmer climes at the first hint of snow. He's found an apartment in town, and we have seen quite a bit of him. We even ran into him at the hot dog ranch one night.

We see that Janet, and I think Peter, were in Atlanta for her annual conference on audio description. Out in Dundee, Claire is back home from her summer camp job, armed with a big bag of juicy peaches. She starts her new job soon, and we hear Daniel has his first job at a high end men's salon.

The other day, we were outside a coffee shop, on our way to Northampton for the day, and Mary said out of nowhere, "this is summer!" That captured how sunny, warm, carefree, content, green, everything was. Hope you are having a little, or a lot of that.

And welcome again to Everett! Did you hear someone say "Fantastic?"

Love from up here.

Vive la France!

We had a truly wonderful sixteen day trip to France, made possible in part by cashing in ten years of frequent flyer miles. We had a lot of Claude Monet (in Giverny, Rouen and three different museums in Paris), a lot of D-Day (Omaha and Utah Beaches, an American and a German cemetery and several museums), six glorious Loire Valley chateaux (Aizy-le-Rideau, Chambord, Chenonceaux, Amboise, Chaumont and Cheverny), Leonardo's tomb and last house (Amboise), some World Cup antics (I watched the Russia-Argentina penalty kicks courtesy of Johanna via Face-Timing her television), four full days in Paris and best of all for me, two of the most transcendentally beautiful holy places I will ever see, Mont Saint-Michel and the massive Chartres Cathedral.

We had interesting hotels and great meals. We drank rosè at every dinner. We went up and down endless spiral and irregular stairs and did a great deal of walking. Just about every Loire Valley chateau figured in a very long-running complicated feud between Catherine deMedici, a queen of France, and Diane de Poitiers, the king's mistress. I still can't figure it all out. We saw other Gothic masterpieces in Rouen, Bayeux and St-Chapelle in Paris. (Notre-Dame in Paris was ridiculously mobbed and we left.) The Bayeux Tapestry is not a tapestry but an embroidery.

Our rental car's navigation system made some weird decisions and spoke with a proper English accent, and Janet named her Clementine, in honor of Winston Churchill's wife. We also experienced ample amounts of today's travel headaches: long delays at airports both ways, uncomfortable flights (why do they even bother to serve such awful food?), glitches on everything technological, a card problem with our bank, crowded Metro cars in Paris (Parisians still do not use deodorant). The weather was much hotter than the forecasts had predicted, but we had no rain on any day, thank goodness for that. When we spoke with people from England, or Belgium or Canada, their subject was, well, you-know-who, which was annoying (I usually answered "I'm on vacation," but we couldn't avoid the subject altogether).

The French:
- are polite drivers, who obey speed limits
- have well-maintained roads
- have way too many narrow roads
- do not rush meals, which in the U.S. would be called "poor service"
- will not bring you a meal check until you ask for it; it's considered an insulting request to leave if you are given the check without asking
- tolerate many many rude tourists
- are much more polite than their reputation
- do not believe in shower curtains
- believe in hand-held showers
- actually understood my French! (well, mostly)

It was the fifth time in France for each of us. We've seen all but a small portion. What made this trip work was planning, and not trying to do too much, so that it was relaxing and we were never in a hurry. About 75% of the trip went as planned and the rest are now stories.

Mt. Springs, the sequel

A week ago tonight, we were eating a wonderful dinner put together by the Paula-Lur-Melodie-David-Andrew-Jeffrey team.  Do you remember what it was?  

If you don't, that's okay since all three days folded into one another to make for a delightful time together, with so much packed into such a short period of time.

What were your highlights?  Ticket to ride, Asia?  Walks around the lake?  Fishing?  Saving Russians?  Catching up with cousins?  Meeting Thomas?  Swimming to the dock?  Teasing each other? Seeing and fleeing from a bear in the woods?  Eating non-stop?  Surviving the rainstorms?  Happy birthdays?  I know one that was not a highlight - hitting traffic on the way home, probably for each of us.

Here are a few observations.  

-- The noise level on the porch the first night surpassed the other two evenings, leaving me to conclude we were all enthusiastic about seeing one another again. 

-- We did miss Matthew and Tina, and are looking forward to seeing all their family next summer.  We'd also love to see Claire and Daniel out here again, and we hear that Bill and Jen have a bus/rv so maybe that would make it easier for them to come out next year.  

-- Small ones, like Donald a couple of years ago, and Thomas this year, are hard work for the parents but just wonderful for the rest of us, to engage in the silliest of ways, to stare at for hours on end, to try to get the smallest reaction from, in the form of a smile, a tongue sticking out, a wave, or a "bbbbbbbbb" of a car-type sound.  (That may be Thomas' first word.)

-- Mary and I weighed ourselves on Monday morning and saw numbers we had not seen since February.  It will be a long haul back, and we're still not making much progress (King Cone is to blame.)  I suspect we may not be the only ones who indulged these three days.

-- Mountain Springs has all the right arrangements of cabins and proximity to lake and each other that gives us, yet again, the freedom to get up and go to bed and nap when we want, to visit each other and even to hide from each other, if we need to.  No names.

-- There's a bit of familiarity with the place and the area so we almost feel like its "ours."  We know the drill and even know where the glasses are kept in the cupboards.

In all the chit chat, we learned about new jobs and highlights from those jobs; we learned of wedding plans; we heard about trips to France, and to Gabon; we talked a little politics, but not sure we learned anything new there; we cracked jokes and told stories.

All that said, we also signed up for another year.  Mark your calendars.  Thursday, July 18-Sunday July 21.  We have reserved five cabins, in the event we are able to lure everyone there.  

In the other stuff happens besides Mt. Springs, Annie prolonged her trip east and came back to Pittsfield with us for the week.  She just left on her way to a couple of nights in NYC before she heads back to Oakland on Sunday.  She did a little work here, and joined my college roommate Steve and his wife, for an evening at Tanglewood and a barbecue and more extended conversations.  She even got us over to the lake a few times for swimming, reminding us how we don't take advantage of that scene enough.  Also, Timmy showed up on Monday night, having decided to move back to the area, at least for the warmer months.  He's looking for a place to call his home over the next few weeks.  

And, this week is a new birthday week.  With Mary and Donald on the 24th and Thomas on the 29th.  There will be another one soon, a real birth-day, as we're awaiting news from Tina and Matthew.  Happy days to all of you.

It's hard to believe it's almost the end of July.  I saw a little golden rod, this week, but still no leaves turning, thankfully.  We want to slow down the time and enjoy the sandals and shorts weather.

So wonderful to see all of you.  The time passes so quickly on these three days together, but when we're in the middle of it, I somehow can't appreciate that it will have to come to an end. 

I can't leave on that sad note, so I'll just point out he obvious how we treasure the time together.  Love from up here.  

And check out these two pictures; first the posed one, and then the one waiting for instructions to pose.      

Dateline Rhode Island beaches

First of all happy birthday to Andrew and happy anniversary to Lur and
Andrew! Memories a very fun weekend in Illinois around that big
event!

More memories too as we drive around the beach towns in Rhode Island
where we had five summer vacations, with picnic suppers of lobster and
corn on the cob, squeezing into Grandma and Pop's station wagon with
children and beach accessories to save money on beach parking, walks
to see the snapping turtles at Trustom Pond, closing our eyes at
Moonstone Beach, dancing to Billy Joel with vacuum cleaners as air
guitars and mikes. We thought they would never end. Well, they
didn't; just a different venue: the Poconos!

Anyway, we came down for a weekend of beach, AAA baseball, good food
and good company. Staying at Marj and Lew's and continuing to explore
the area.

Joe tracked us down yesterday for a FaceTime chat with Thomas who took
his first independent step yesterday. We saw a few photos of him in
the pool yesterday. Leonor also had a bom anniversario last week.
(Excuse the bad translation for happy birthday.)

Annie also tracked us down as she was driving back to the Bay Area
from a weekend in LA, where she said the thermometer hit 118. She
said it felt like an exhaust fan blowing hot air. I bet that was even
hotter than it got in Florida, where John and Marilyn usually receive
the summer heat awards.

I think heat was a common theme for almost everyone, with the
exception of Peter and Janet who were blissfully unaware as they
toured around the French countryside, castles, cathedrals, museums and
good dining offerings! Quelle chance!

We had talked earlier with Margaret who recounted Washington heat
stories as well as Leonor's birthday party that Jeff and Melodie also
attended. Despite the heat we see photos of baseball games and porch
parties. Does anyone work? Why don't people post photos of work on
Facebook? I think I know the answer.

How was your 4th of July? I think I know the answer to that as well:
hot. It was hot at our parade, hot at fireworks and barbecue. Mary's
high school friend Judy joined us with her daughter Bridie and husband
Tom, who enjoyed a more rural respite from the eastern part of the
state.

The garden has been a little disappointing because of a family of
groundhogs who figured out how to squeeze through the fence holes.
So, I declared war, put out peppers, did my best imitation of farmer
Magregor (from Peter Rabbit) and then pulled out the two useless
haveahart traps in the basement. Final result, two young groundhogs
have a new home miles away, and the garden is coming back to life. I
was afraid my garden was going the way of Pop's who finally gave up
and just left the gate open.

Other big news: Claire got a job! Her first teaching job, in
Michigan, near Luddington. I know, she had been teaching, but that
was connected to her student teaching, I think. Anyway, what a
relief. We also saw a short video of her on Facebook playing a silly
game. Looks like fun.

We've been to Tanglewood a couple more times and I finished my summer
lecture requirements. And a few too many trips for ice cream!

This is what we wait for all year long. Summer! Hope yours is super enjoyable.

Love from up here.

Summer's here!

At last.  We made it and are making the most out of the short time.  I hate to say short; in a few weeks we'll be lured into the trap that it's always like this - shorts and sandals, windows and doors wide open, playing in the garden, outdoor hiking, swimming in the lake, daylight stretching into the night hours - you get the point.

So, what do we do when summer comes?  We get in the car and drive away from here.  Last week, we celebrated Father's Day in Washington, with a new member of the club, Joe.  Thomas is growing up so fast, he's a different person every time we see him.  This time, I sharpened my left tackle skills, blocking his crawling path to parts unknown (dining room, stairs) and we took him on a couple of wonderful walks where he proceeded to pretend to show us the sites - he had just learned how to point his finger.  While there, we joined Leonor and Margaret at a downtown pub for a World Cup game, Spain vs. Portugal, which the paper said the next day was a game for the ages.   Can you guess who Leonor was rooting for?  Yup, that's right, but she was magnanimous enough to invite a friend from Spain to join the fun.  Fortunately, it was a tie and everyone left happy.  If you haven't seen it yet, watch Ronaldo's third goal on YouTube.   

The next morning we put on our painting clothes and went over to Andrew and Margaret's to paint their new back fence, and put together a picnic table.  They have done a great job and will be able to spend much time out there. We had a wonderful meal that Joe put together; first time I've ever had brisket, I think.  On the way home, we talked with Annie who has been putting in many miles on long hikes in the Bay Area.  I went for one the other day that was just 7 miles, but Annie easily doubles that and has come close to tripling that, I believe.

On the travel schedule, Joe took a week off and headed to Spain for a friend's wedding; Leonor's mother came to get some quality Thomas time; Jeff and Melodie are out in Chicago (I think, from Facebook, for a wedding); John and Marilyn flew up to Albany for their granddaughter Natalie's high school graduation, and Peter and Janet are getting ready to take off for an extended vacation/tour of France.  Bon voyage.  We know a great place to get chocolate croissants: pretty much everywhere.  

Andrew and Lur are right now up in Green Lake for their annual retreat, that coincides with a Ripon reunion every year.  Clair is nearby at summer camp, but Daniel had to remain in Chicago to finish up his year of school/apprenticeship.

We send congratulations to Peter for winning his big case, and to David and Paula for their wedding anniversary.  From Tina's photos on Facebook, we see their big day approaching.  

After an exhausting month of May getting the garden ready, we are nor reaping some of the early fruits of that labor, literally.  At first, we were able to beat the chipmunks and rabbits to the really red strawberries, but they have since become smarter and faster.  I think they like the white berries, before they ripen.  Strawberries means picking rhubarb for Mary's great pie.  We haven't had to buy asparagus or lettuce.  The other stuff will take longer into the season, but looking forward to tomatoes, beans, squash, cukes, and beets.  I think I mentioned that last time, and will likely raise it again later in the month.

Other than that, we're enjoying the many cultural offerings around, including our first evening at Tanglewood this summer to watch a radio show.  Yes, Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me was performed live here, and while the radio show only lasts one hour, their live version takes a couple of hours, before it's edited down.  Very funny, and what a great spot.  We also went to a bird lecture at the top of Mt. Greylock, and were lost after about ten slides.  I gave mill talk in Dalton to an SRO crowd of 15 or so.  Still fun.

Anyway, Poconos is less than a month away, and we're looking forward to seeing you all   But there's lots more between then and now.

Enjoy the summer. Love from up here.    

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Reunions!

My 45th Reunion has come and gone and left many, many sweet memories. Princeton Reunions are like none other in the world and go on for four days, although most people only attend the Saturday festivities. I was part of the planning for our class's Reunions this year and came to appreciate how much planning and work is involved. One roommate and friend, Hugh Thompson and his wife Judy, came to their very first, which was very special. I also got to see other old friends and quite a few I did not know as a student, including that digital age phenomenon, those I only knew from social media and met in person for the first time. Lots of fun conversations: who did what as undergrads, who has done what since then. I especially love hearing about things I had forgotten. There were a few sad stories, too.

My additional treat is to see and hear from former students, several this year. On Sunday at the farewell brunch, I had a funny meal with a classmate whom I did not know as students, and whose son had been in a precept with me. The son was there, too. A bit awkward at first, because the son had been lazy in class and I wrote him a somewhat caustic note at the end of the semester. But it was years ago and I obviously didn't bring it up and we all had a pleasant time.

In what is apparently a first, the P-Rade, in which all attendees march in order through the campus in front of the other classes, all dressed in their orange and black garb, and many spectators, and which normally takes two hours, was canceled one hour in as thunderstorms rolled in and lightening threatened. A little rain, but nothing to get worked up about. Lovely fireworks on Saturday evening after a concert from the University Orchestra. Our Saturday night music was a group called the Blushing Brides, who have been doing Rolling Stones covers for forty years and whose lead singer does uncanny Mick Jagger moves and dances (and voice, too). At the Friday dinner, I became a class Vice-President, something I would not have predicted in several million years. As we have usually done, Janet and I danced the night away on Friday and Saturday nights.

In the very small world department, the student crew for our class's Reunions was headed up by two football players, one of whom was Tom Johnson, an All-Ivy linebacker last fall. I happened to mention to him that Erin was a sideline doctor for last fall's home games, and he said that she had stitched up his leg at halftime in one game after a cleat gash. She confirmed it.

It goes without saying that these friendships old and new gather new meaning and depth of emotion as the years go by. And they get better, too. One of my favorite parts of the year.

Happy Memorial Day

Remember when Memorial Day was always May 31, no matter which day of the week it landed on?  Let's go back to those days.  No long weekends.  I think I'll run for office on that premise.  See how far I get.  Actually, even though the holiday was last weekend, it was nice to see everyone celebrated/commemorated the day in different ways.  I seem to remember it was one of Pop's favorite holidays, and he always participated in the Pomfret parade and ceremony.

We hosted Marj and Lew who had come up from Rhode Island for a memorial service for a friend/neighbor of theirs.  We had a barbecue and watched two basketball games.  We saw that Joe and Lenor had gone off to the eastern MD shore for a few days, and that Thomas enjoyed eating the sand.  Playing in it as well.  Margaret and Andrew spent the weekend in Charlottesville, and Annie headed south to Big Sur.  Wow.  Other travel??

It's been a busy month for gardening, and for us Memorial Day means planting time.  We were just in time to get flowers and vegetables in on Monday, and hope to be enjoying lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, beets, beans, cukes and squash later in the summer.  For now, we've been harvesting asparagus and rhubarb, for Mary's famous strawberry/rhubarb pie.  We ordered four cubic yards of compost and have been enjoying the back-breaking work of filling wheelbarrows and hauling it around the yard.  It sure looks good, no matter what my back feels like the next day (week).

David and Paula hosted cousin Debbie and her husband Rod for a few days.  They had come up from Houston for a visit, and they took in Niagara on the Lake, Niagara Falls, the Welland Canal and other sites.  David said that he and Paula had also gone to New York City for a meeting and city fun stuff.  They were awaiting the influx of visitors for the annual Lilac festival.  

Yesterday, we headed south to Princeton to attend a memorial service for my college roommate's mother.  Mrs. Tobolsky passed away at the age of 99 just shy of her 100th birthday.  The ceremony was in the Princeton Chapel with a reception at Prospect House afterwards.  Sound familiar?  Mary and I got the chance to walk around campus a little, and saw a number of Princeton and Lawrenceville friends.  We stayed in the Palmer Inn on Rte 1 (sound familiar?) and Peter joined us for a free breakfast.  He filled us in on Johanna's new job and Sean's jury trial that had recently finished.  I had seen Sean's legal opponent in that case, another college roommate at Steve's memorial service, and Joe Krakora passed along that Sean was a "sharp" lawyer.  This weekend is reunions, and as a class officer, Peter is busy with all the planning that goes into that.  We saw a lot of preparations as we walked around campus.  I could not stay so that I could coe back here and attend the Berkshire Community College graduation where a young immigrant student I've been mentoring will receive the school's highest honor tomorrow.   

John and Marilyn are back from their trip/cruise to Cuba which they enjoyed, but said they wouldn't recommend.   

 

The photo this week is of a new friend, or couple of friends, who have placed their nest right outside the kitchen windows.  Last year we had a robin's nest on the back porch; this year, it's nice and easy to see the pair of cardinals tending their nest.  I do need to clip the hedge they've selected, but it can wait.

Summer is here, and the only sad part as we sit out on the porch, walk outside in sandals, hike outdoors and eat barbecues, is that we know it will all end in a few months.  Still, we have a lot to look forward to, including seeing you all in the Poconos.

Love from up here.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Week!  It's a celebration that never ends.  It looked like a big Mother's Day barbecue down in DC, with David and Paula visiting Jeff and Melodie who hosted Sean and Erin, as well as Margaret and Andrew and Leonor, Joe and Thomas.  One of Mary's best Mother's Day gifts was to see Thomas in a little play pool at Jeff and Melodie's.  She went out right away and bought him the latest infant Speedo racing suit and goggles.   Look out Michael Phelps.  It looked like a fun afternoon.  A prequel to the Poconos in July.  I think it got even more fun for Andrew and Margaret who were later seen by the paparazzi at a David Byrne/Talking Heads concert in DC.  

Sean and Erin had come down for the weekend, that must have been a sorely needed rest for both of them.  They spent the weekend with Joe and Leonor, and were able to get around and see some DC sites.  Later, we saw that Sean's big, terrible murder case returned a guilty verdict.  Congratulations Sean on justice served.  

What was your Mother's Day like?  We had a barbecue, too, and went for a bike ride, punctuated by a deluge of phone calls.  Or should I say a trio of calls.  A trio is a deluge for us, except for around supper time when the robo-calls start coming in.  We took a trip to a local nursery to start our garden planning, and, with warm weather finally, it does seem like we're almost there.

There have been a couple of birthdays - Sean's and Elliot's.  Big days.  And probably before our next letter, Matthew will mark another year.  Congratulations to all.  

I neglected to mention in the last letter that Annie had attended a conference in Chicago and she made a point to check in on her good friend from Mexico days.  She had kept up with Nicole for a few years, and thanks to Facebook she has been able to maintain the thread of her relationship.  Speaking of Facebook, we're seeing photos of Oliver in track meets and Tina growing!!

Since our last letter, Mary and I have concluded our spring fling trip down to DC and Daytona.  We had a great visit with John and Marilyn and went to a baseball game (Reds farm team) and the beach every day there. Good waves meant hours on the boogie board. They have a nice new home, with guest bedrooms!  They, by the way, are off on a cruise to Cuba this week.

We also checked in with Charlie in North Carolina on our way back.  He had been in Gabon with us this past March, so we rehashed those experiences, including a memorable trip back to the village where he had been posted in the 1970s,  On the way back, we had lunch with our friend from Seattle who was in DC for a few days.  Valerie is volunteering at a school for refugees and immigrants, so we shared stories.  I have been drawn into the Peace Corps refugee project a little more, so you'll see more, probably too much, from me on that.

Mary stayed a few extra days in DC, hanging with Joe and Leonor and Margaret and Andrew.  And did I mention Thomas?  Anyway, she saw first-hand how full all their lives are, working and studying and doing errands and daycare and commuting and exercising.  I'm sure it's the same for that whole generation.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  

I missed all that as I drove home in order to attend a meeting where we handed out the funding for the first Community Preservation projects in Pittsfield.  This was the first slate of projects since the referendum passed in 2016.

Speaking of projects, Margaret and Andrew are having their back yard done over, with a new fence and patio.   

Finally, it's allergy and tick season, so we're popping all the pills and spraying ourselves up here.  At least, we're not shoveling snow.

Love from up here.

  

Still snowing in April

It snowed in Pittsfield this morning. The last day of April.
Fortunately, we're not in Pittsfield, but in Washington, at the start
of our spring break road trip to Daytona Beach. Break from what, you
might ask? From snow, of course. Anyway, we're not the only Dicksons
to have snow. We understand it snowed in Fairport yesterday.

The first leg of the trip saw us in Washington visiting Thomas. Oh,
and our own children and spouses as well. We stayed with Margaret and
Andrew (thank you) but checked in with Thomas' parents as well. The
big boy had a cold, and despite coughing and runny nose, managed to
smile and laugh quite a bit. He's got his own style of commando
crawling and is pulling himself up on his knees and even standing,
with a little help.

Margaret and Andrew hosted a barbecue yesterday, and Joe and Leonor
came over, as did Jeffrey and Melodie. Yes, Thomas stayed as long as
he could, as dinner extended past his bedtime. Anyway, we covered a
lot of topics, including David's birthday party, the due date for Tina
and Matthew, this summer's Poconos weekend, other summer plans, David
and Paula's trip to DC in a couple of weeks, Sean and Erin's trip to
DC in a few weeks, the baseball season and the highlights of our Gabon
trip. Jeff and Melodie had come from an animal rescue shelter
(looking for a dog) and Margaret and Andrew are starting a project to
fix up their back yard terrace. Should be nice. And, we got a card in
the mail confirming my suspicions about a save the date fro Sean and
Erin - October 6, Hackettstown NJ.

Speaking of baseball, I figured out the Reds have already been
mathematically eliminated, even before May. Ugghh. The worst record
in baseball. Looks like the Mets, the Yankees, the Red Sox, and even
the Nationals are off to fair to great starts. Everyone is, except
for the decimated minor leaguers from the Queen City. Can I say Ugghh
again in the same paragraph?

Don't ever accuse us of making simple travel plans. I'm heading back
to Pittsfield for a community Preservation funding meeting, and will
fly back down tomorrow morning when Mary will pick me up at the
airport and then we start our trek south. Looking forward to a few
days with John and Marilyn at the beach. Big question for us is where
do we break on the way down, Charleston or Savannah? Suspense.
You'll have to wait for the next episode to find out.

We're not the only road-trippers. Timmy has been posting on Facebook
about his drive up the west coast to Seattle. Beautiful scenery.
Jeff and Melodie had a break in Colorado, in Denver and Boulder also
with beautiful scenery and a Rockies game.

We spoke with Annie, and she is up to her neck with work, but we also
chatted about books we were reading. Now if I could only
remember...... I do remember talking with Andrew as well, with health
and job updates, jobs for Claire and Daniel. Claire's going back to
work at the summer camp on Green Lake.

Big decision in Pittsfield this week. With our unexpected tax refund,
I have decided to buy a ride-on mower, giving in to age and common
sense about how much time to devote to mowing our lawn. I wonder if
there are any made in America mowers? In fact, I went ahead and got
myself a used John Deere. To be delivered next week. What a flabby
sell-out.

Happy birthday to Peter. Hope it was spectacular. Who else? I think
I'm missing someone. Gonna be in trouble. Sorry, in advance.

Anyway, hope everyone is well. Love from up here.

Snowing in April

Hey Mother Nature.  It's April.  Daffodils, tulips, robins, April showers??  That's rain showers, not snow showers.

Yes, we came home to snow, yesterday evening and today.  Not a lot, but cold enough for snow squalls.

Still, even that does not make us want to turn around and head for the heat of Gabon.  We're glad to be home, to sleep on memory foam mattress, to eat our regular diet, to catch up on Homeland, to be an easy phone call away from all of you.

It does mean mountains of mail and dirty clothes, bills and disorganized suitcases.  But still, nice to be home.

The best for me is that within a few hours of being home, I feel fine.  I left on the tail end of a course of antibiotics to deal with my pneumonia, and coughed through the month of March, threw out my back trying to lift 50 kg bags of cement, and came down with intestinal stuff, all of which went away as soon as I got home.  Makes me think it was all psychosomatic.  In any case, I have vowed to become the bubble boy and never leave the confines of my house, or the neighborhood anyway.  At least the state.  OK, maybe the eastern seaboard, as we're planning a drive down to Daytona at the end of the month.

We missed a lot, but even without access to Facebook, we were able to follow some of the family happenings.  For example, we heard all about a great celebration in Fairport, for David's 70th.  I swear he doesn't look a day older than 50!  Peter described it below very well.  We're sorry we missed the event.  We did see this one photo on Facebook (below) and we can only guess what Jeffrey is doing.  I'd say he's imitating Donald, but I think Donald has another 5 years or so before he tries that.  

We also saw photos of Margaret and Andrew's trip out to California to see Annie, which included hiking in the redwoods and touring the city by the bay.  Margaret has a new job, or should I say another one in addition to her current one, as she's juggling duties on the Cuban affairs desk.  

Thomas started day care which is not without its adjustments for him and his parents.  Leonor went back to work this week, after a long maternity leave, that all mothers ought to have.  He's in a daycare near both Joe and Leonor's work, which makes it convenient.  

Andrew and Lur have spent a couple of weekends out in Holland, to see Claire in performances.  She's the only oboist around, and has been invited to sit in on the school orchestra, and she's getting paid for it!  She's enjoying her teaching job, and looking for a permanent one for next fall.  Daniel is in his final months/weeks in hair salon school, and he'll be hitting the job market soon.

When we arrived in Paris, and turned on our U.S. phones, Mary was bombarded with a string of messages about Johnny's hospitalization.  It seemed he had some kind of temporary amnesia that sounded a little scary.  He's back to normal now, but people were wondering if he'd had a stroke.  

Speaking of Paris, for the second, third and fourth time this trip, we were affected by rolling transport strikes.  We had to advance our train travel by a day, in order to head to Berrias, where our friend Lawraine lives, and where Peter and Janet met us for a few days in 1989.  We toured those old haunts, including the church apartments, the courtyard where the kids played, the vineyards, the nearby towns, and most of all the little boulangerie where we got our warm bread and chocolate croissants each morning.  When we arrived back in Paris, we received another message that our flight back to the U.S. might be canceled because of the strike, but someone must have taken pity on us and exempted transAtlantic flights.  We enjoyed our last day, with a long visit to the Musee d'Orsay, the impressionist art museum.

Timmy who so bravely put up with kitty while we were gone, picked us up at JFK when we returned.  Thank you very much.  On our way out of the airport, he told Siri to route us back to 5 Hancock Rd, and we were off.  It was only 30 minutes later, when we were wondering why we were driving through local neighborhoods that we realized that Siri had found the closest 5 Hancock Rd, in eastern Long Island.  Didn't matter.  We were happy to be home.

I won't bore you anymore with Gabon, as it's all there on our blog.  Mary summed it up best, though, when she said how the time we spend back there is always stimulating - not always easy, or fun, but stimulating, fulfilling and rewarding.

Love from up here.  

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