Last letter before Christmas

Only ten more sleeps 'til Christmas. Anticipation is what I remember most of Christmases in the past – mostly of Pop putting the clock on the stairs and setting it for some terribly late time (probably 6am) before which we were forbidden to go downstairs to see what Santa had brought.  

 
This year, we are trying something a little different.  Annie suggested a secret Santa arrangement and, of course, there's an app for that.  So, we'll see how that works out this year. I'm still going to be the lone guy at the top of the stairs waiting for the 6am alarm to go off.

It has made the lead-up a whole lot easier.  We got our tree last Saturday, at a nearby farm where we got to pick and saw down the one we wanted.  Unlike Pomfret, the farmers gave us saws, so we had more than a Swiss Army knife to cut the tree we picked out.

Unfortunately, there is still only one ornament on the tree so far.  The workers putting in our new bathroom have blocked the crawl space where we store the Christmas boxes with table saws and radiators (remember, Joe?) and other assorted items.  The one ornament?  A wooden chair, that Lur found, to commemorate the chair Andrew and I designed and built for his senior year at Lawrenceville.  I have a sneaking suspicion that that chair is still there since it would be too heavy for movers to lift.

Speaking of Andrew and Lur, they saw Johanna this past weekend who was out their way for her in-person learning at Northwestern.  Andrew passed along her good news on the grades, and the plight of students trying to learn in this time of pandemic.  I understand there were free tests involved.

Down in Brazil, Joe and Lenor went through the painful process of moving house.  No rest for the weary couple who had just managed to see two parents out of town before they took on this ordeal.  Anyway, they survived.  Tomorrow, they head over to Portugal for the holidays.  Leonor sent around ultrasound pictures of the baby, in color no less!!  Oh my.  What a miracle.  Comments from the sisters included references to resembling Thomas.

Erin who is even further along must also have her own collection of these photos.  A different kind of anticipation, and undoubtedly more consequential than a child's memory of sitting at the top of the stairs.

This past weekend, we went to Worcester for Mary's first swim meet in a long time.  She did very well, but looking forward to next year when she moves into a new age bracket for the Masters' events.  One small benefit for getting old.  

Trains, planes and automobiles this weekend.  Annie and Sankar taking the plane, and Margaret and Andrew and Simon braving the turnpikes.  John and Marilyn will also be braving the traffic to come north.  So, who's taking the train then?  Nobody I know, but I'm sure they'll be packed.

What this means is one full day of clean-up here and trying to put the rooms back together again as the crew clears outta here on Friday.  Mary and I have been hanging out in the basement, living out of suitcases, and kind of enjoying a change of scenery. I did say kind of.  What we enjoy more is seeing the progress each day, although Mary keeps saying she's afraid to look.  But with winter approaching, we'll be glad to have a tub, to soak in after a day of x-country skiing or hiking.  

Look what's for sale – 550 Ridgefield Road in Wilton.  The outside looks recognizable, but I am having a hard time placing any of the interior photos.  I thought I saw a Locke lawn mower in one of the outbuildings.  And, while I'm at it, the Kroger home, our neighbors in Indian Hill, is also for sale.  Anyone want to take up a collection?  

And with that, it's a wrap.  Love from up here, and Merry Christmas….Kermit

Back home

And we almost didn't make it. Mary and I rushed across terminals at O'Hare after a red-eye, ten-hour flight from São Paulo to make it to the gate for our final leg to Albany. No worry, since it was delayed. So we sat down and got immersed in on-line puzzles and card games, before Mary saw the departure lounge empty. We were barely seated on the plane when they closed the cabin door. Live and learn is Mary's new motto.  

But, what a time in Brazil. Joe and Leonor were such great hosts, opening up a country we have never fully or even slightly appreciated. Until now. One thing is for sure. We couldn't have done five percent of what we did without them. We were both surprised at how little English is spoken there, and how little our rusty Spanish worked. Obrigado.

Rio is an unbelievably beautiful city, as stated last letter. Brasilia has a reputation for a boring city, but we found it easy, clean, safe and green. Joe and Leonor took us on two side trips to smaller towns with touristy appeal - Parati on the coast and Pereonopolis, a quaint, historic town with a water park/hotel for children .... and Mary. We met their friends and co-workers, two of whom had worked with me in Mexico City.  

We had a small world experience.  A woman at the water park introduced herself to Leonor as having met her before Covid, as they live on the same street.  She and Mary were chatting in the pool, and she mentioned her father had been in the Foreign Service in Nigeria when we were there too.  Turns out we didn't know him then, as he was in a different city, but I did work with him back in Washington.  What were the paths we took to meet up in a pool in Pereonopolis?

Still, the whole point was to reconnect with Joe and Leonor and two grandsons, who are thriving in their environs. We played our grandparent roles to the hilt - reading and giving presents and treats, telling pirate stories and shadowing around the yard, fooling around, walking to school, and then collapsing for naps.

We even had Thanksgiving, with what we thought was a chicken (it did say "frango" on the wrapper) but turned out to actually be a turkey. Those sneaky Brazilians.

We followed other Thanksgiving events virtually, only to find out Simon spent some time in the hospital with a case of croup. Jeff and Melodie joined Margaret and Andrew and Andrew's parents for dinner, while Simon continued to be under the weather. Out in Oakland Annie and Sankar had a Friendsgiving complete with turducken, if that's spelled right. 

How bout chez vous? We heard Daniel and Claire came home for a quiet Thanksgiving, that Billy and Jen celebrated at her parents before checking in at Roslyn Ave.  We saw on Facebook a meal delivered to Matthew and Tina's house, we think???  And chocolate cake for Black Friday.  But, we also saw the word "quarantine" pop up.  Hope all is okay.

Speaking of Black Friday, I was surprised to see my first billboard announcing Black Friday in Brazil.  Joe and Leonor said, yes, it's a thing, and lasts a whole month.  Another great American export.  Couldn't they have picked Thanksgiving?

While away, work proceeded on our master bathroom/closet project. Having such a major change take place when we weren't present made us nervous, but it is actually coming along quite well. Hope it will all be finished by Christmas. It better be, as we are getting dates of Annie and Sankar's travel and the DC contingent plans for that time period.

And, we arrived home to snow.  Our first plow of the year, too.  That meant a fire in the fireplace, and a return to our quiet evenings.  Too quiet. Sigh

Love from up here.

South of the border

Dateline Rio

We made it. And if we can't ever leave, so be it. What a city. What views. Everywhere you look. 

And Joe and Leonor made it to Rio too, with Thomas and John, and then we headed south along the coast to a town called Paraty, pronounced parachee or para-dise.  

More later, because the big news this letter is not out of Brazil but comes from the Bay Area. Annie and Sankar are engaged. Yippee. So happy for both of them.  Annie called after they spent a weekend in the Mendocino area where the formalities took place.  Annie will fill us all in on arrangements but here's one bet: make  sure your passports are valid.  Happy day. 

Annie's news had made it down to Brazil, at least to Joe and Leonor. We've only been here a few days but feel like it's been longer since we've packed so much in. And we have until the end of the month before we head home. That means a new a Thanksgiving tradition in Brazil. 

Today, we hired a boat to take us around the large inlet and stop at a few beaches and a restaurant. We've also walked round the old colonial town and spent a day at the beach, a block away from the house we've rented. 

Tomorrow Joe and everyone head back to Brasilia and work while Mary and I return to Rio for a few more days at Ipanema. Yes, there really is a beach called Ipanema and there really is a hotel at the Cocacabana. 

Other news includes Margaret and Andrew hosting Andrew's parents this weekend. The other Andrew and Lur made it back to East Dundee in record time, it seems. 

I'm less and less a fan of Facebook, except for the news we get from family. If not for Facebook would we have known that Melodie and Jeff were with her parents, we think. We also see Oliver having what looks to be a successful cross country season.

We include here a few leftover Halloween photos that came in after I finished the last letter. 

Good news from Boston with Kara getting a big promotion. 

Finally, a blast from the past. I got an email from our lifelong learning institute forwarding a message from my childhood friend, Steve Bidwell who had tracked me down through the OLLI website. We arranged a zoom call and then spent 90 minutes trying to catch up on 50-plus years of absence. We covered a lot of ground, including confirmation of a suspicion I had that his ancestors lived in Berkshire County (there's a Bidwell house museum in Monterrey). I pass along his observations of our family as the family he wanted to be part of, that it was so much fun coming to our house, in Cincinnati or in NJ, wandering around the woods and he even remembered playing touch football - David and him against Peter and me. He has been living in Austria since he was 25 so not sure if I'll ever see him but it was more than fun to reconnect. Thanks internet. 

And with that, love from down here. 

Happy Halloween

Sitting on Margaret and Andrew's front porch and I can hear the sounds of excited children through the neighborhood. Anticipation at the coming few hours, I guess. Houses are decorated with skeletons and graveyards and all kinds of mayhem.  In the midst of it is one very non-scary Winnie the Pooh Simon. And of course he's not totally sure what to make of all of it. 

We came down to DC for the weekend as our last visit before we head to Brazil. We hope. The airlines has already canceled our flights and then sent another message changing the schedule. Then with all the tests and other requirements we'll see if we actually get there. 

Last Sunday night Andrew and Lur were in Pittsfield, and we didn't let them have a moment's rest. Museums, walks, a play, tv shows (Ted Lasso) and then the movie Love Actually were  the big distractions away from eating pies and donuts and steak and salmon. And don't forget the naps. 

The play we saw was a new musical featuring Billy Crystal who starred in an adaptation of his movie Mr Saturday Night. In Pittsfield!! If it ever gets to Broadway, we'd recommend it. 

News from the Illinois clan - Daniel's in a new apartment with one bedroom home to his barber chair for cuts. Billy had a big birthday party and Claire is now teaching macrame, as well as her school music duties. 

We had our first frost of the year, very late. I remember one Halloween a few years ago when Peter and Janet were in Pittsfield when it snowed. We picked the last of the tomatoes and had another crop of lettuce. But when we came down here and saw all of Andrew's tomatoes still on the vine. He harvested one crop but there's more on the way. 

Sad news this week as we learned that our good friend from Gabon, John Peter Lindeme passed away. A bit of a shock since a highlight of our trips back to Gabon was visiting with him. He had come to visit us in Claremont and then 30 years later in Bethesda. 

Annie hopped on a plane for a weekend in Maine with her Hamilton friends. And down in Brazil, Joe and Leonor have been coping with a cycle of sickness in their home. 

Our new bathroom project is supposed to start Tuesday after postponements for the past two months. It makes the timing awkward especially as we will be away for three weeks. But one bay in garage is now home to 17 boxes of bathroom fixtures. 

On the volunteer news front, I had my last tour of the season at Arrowhead. Just in time as my one morning a week in Springfield organizing donations for refugees started last Thursday. Mary continues to teach English to her adult student from Congo who is filling the role of recent immigrant, holding down two jobs, and trying to settle into his new life here. 

This week, we see the temps going down to the 20s at night. Just in time to head to the beaches of Brazil. 

Love from up here. 

It's a jungle out there

Two woods diverged in a family – one in Maine and one in Brazil.

Well, actually, the one in Brazil was more than woods – it was the jungle, the Amazon.  We got a text from Joe saying he was going into the jungle. At first, I thought he meant Thomas and Joao's room.  When Mary asked for clarification, he wrote back and said "the Amazon."  Well, I've heard that the Amazon is quite a big place, and that there are places in it that no one has actually gone to, or other places that some have gone into but never come out of.  Hmm.

Long story, to note that the photos Joe and Leonor sent back from their long weekend in the Amazon were spectacular, and I share a couple of them with you all.  I hope the two young boys will have some memory of it.  

The other woods was the Maine woods.  Mary and I went up to see our friends Cliff and Sheila, who live about an hour from the NH and Quebec borders.  Way up there.  Cliff told us that they were in the middle of a drought, and I pass that along only as an explanation for why the fall foliage colors were so spectacular, in comparison to what we're seeing around here, with all our rain.  Our leaves are turning….brown, for the most part.

Anyway, it was a beautiful drive up there, north of the White Mountains.  We were led on a walking grouse-hunt (no shots fired) by Cliff, and toured a local history museum.  But, what do I remember most?  The first Philly Cheese Steak I had in years.  Imagine that, a Philly Cheese Steak in Strong, Maine at the White Elephant Restaurant.  Almost as good as Fred's Café in Pocotello, Idaho.

Other big news out of Brazil is a girl.  Leonor and Joe found out today, confirmed, they are having a girl.  They have a name, but I've already spilled too much of their news to tell.

Out on the west coast, Annie and Sankar have moved into their new apartment.  Unfortunately, the day before their move, one of their kitties, Petta, was hit by a car.  Annie found him in the road; he is making a slow recovery.  

Speaking of slow recovery, we're pleased to note Peter's good doctor news last week.

Down in DC, the big news is Simon has mastered a playground slide.  All by himself, with squeals of delight, I would add.  Of course.

Birthday wishes galore for Janet this week, whose birthday used to be shared with Columbus Day, but now Indigenous People's Day.  How 'bout that for a lifetime of witnessing change?

And, this week, coming up is Claire's birthday, followed closely by Kathleen and Billy.  I do remember calling October birthday month.  And I forgot to mention that Auden also had her 8th birthday, the day after Johanna.  She had an old-fashioned tea party, that reminded me of a tea party Ann had when we were living in Indian Hill for her birthday.  I wasn't invited.  And I know why.

What else?  Mary went down to NYC for a day-visit to the Botanical Gardens to catch before it closed an exhibit by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama that looked sensational.  I wasn't invited to that either.

It meant we played host to Marj and Lew and had a string of breakfasts and dinners with Mary's high school crowd, and then watched the nail-biting Game 5 which the Red Sox pulled out.

I mowed the lawn today, and hope it's the last one of the season, but with the temps still in the 70s during the days, I may be mowing through December.  Ugh.  Is it better than shoveling snow?

With that, love from up here.  

Babies and babies

By now, hopefully, everyone has seen Sean and Erin's big news, expecting a baby in February next year.  They posted other news on our Facebook group, about their new house in Maryland and new jobs, but the baby was the big news.  Just wonderful and congratulations!

Right on the heels of that announcement, Leonor slipped into her Tiny Beans photo posting that she and Joe were expecting again, with the due date in March next year, right on the heels of the Maryland birth.  And also wonderful and congratulations.  Being the practical guy, my thoughts go to reserving more cabins at the Poconos!!  And a wider lens to take a photo of the growing clan.  

Not sure there's anything worth reporting after those FANTASTIC updates.

But, here goes.  Mary and I spent the weekend down in Washington with Margaret, and Andrew and a certain young man named Simon.  A barrelful of laughs and wonder; the little guy changes seemingly right in front of our eyes.  We were able to squeeze in visits with a couple of friends and return to our old church, where the minister remembered us by name, even with masks on!  I had a senior moment in ordering a Door Dash meal when Andrew and Margaret escaped for a night out.  I had the meal sent to Joe's old address in DC, so no wonder I couldn't find the meal on the front porch when I received the alert text.  I called the delivery guy (dasher) and overheard him talking to the people at Joe's old house who were complaining that that wasn't what they ordered!

 
There seems to be a common thread in the letter thus far – social media and the gig economy.  And, it continued when we had a conference call with our Encore de la Paix friends as we explored another Gabon project.  After discussing libraries and containers full of books, we settled on putting together a project of teaching English over Zoom.  That way, no travel, no heavy lifting, and, more gigabytes.

Out in Oakland, Annie and Sankar are settling back to their routines, and have found a more permanent home that they will occupy this weekend.  It's in an intentional community, and we look forward to hearing more of what that entails.  Down in Brazil, Leonor's father and step-mother are into their final days of visit, and this past weekend they all traveled to a nearby park full of waterfalls, parrots, swimming holes and hiking trails.  

We also heard from Timmy who was in the midst of his move from Washington to Montana.  And we checked in with John and Marilyn who are doing well in their Covid-free bubble down in Florida.  And from Dundee, we hear that Miles has started basketball practices.  I hear there are scouts in the stands already.

And it's birthday season.  Today is Johanna's big day, and we passed by both Tina's and Paula's.  Happy celebrations to all.  And to mark the occasions, I offer up the following portion of the October 5, 1983 letter, that adds a little to the famous cut-short fishing trip in the Adirondacks:  "It's fun to get calls from Washington.  Mom called last night to relate one more 'progress-things are getting better' report.  She had seen Johanna and was so glad to describe all the emotion of seeing a bright little girl.  Peter and Janet had held her during the day and so normalcy seems to be taking over,  Thank God……. "

Since I have scanned all the weekly letters in the files I kept, I am now going through old boxes of letters and envelopes I saved for the stamps and carted around the world for the past 40 years. I have unearthed a few stray weekly letters that didn't make their way into my files. Better, though, it's been fun to open up letters addressed to New Hampshire, Arlington VA,  and Lagos, many from parents, brothers and sisters-in-law.  First, I need to thank you all for writing over those years, since, as you might guess, getting a letter was so much fun and so special.  Second, though, it points to a bygone time when we actually spent more than a few seconds to reach out to friends and family and even wrote real stuff that mattered in relation to things that were going on in our lives. There was one quote in a weekly letter from Pop who hadn't heard from his sons during the week and asked if we needed pens.  A lost art form unfortunately.

Closing out, the photos here are of outings that parents plan in order for their young children.  Can you spot Donald?  A taste of what's coming your way, Sean and Erin.  Fun and memories.

Love from up here.
.  

Nantucket and beyond

Sometimes a weekly letter just writes itself, there is so much to report.

Once again travel is high on the agenda.  First to Nantucket, where the David Dickson family retreated (advanced?) as part of the 50th wedding anniversary celebrations.  Looks like they had good weather, and the posts on social media showed lots of sand, sun, fun and food.  Wonderful.  Jeff and Melodie left their dog Hopper with Margaret and Andrew, which resulted in this wonderful photo here.  Tina, by the way, replied to my question from the least letter that she is staying at Strong Hospital in "outpatient testing," that has more normal hours and less stressful Covid interactions.   

 
And then there was a trip to Chicago.  Johanna headed out to start her graduate program at Northwestern, that requires her to go out there a few times a semester.  And, she has a place to stay while out there!  Chez Daniel.  Andrew and Lur caught up with Johanna, hoping for dinner in the windy city, but settling for a ride to the airport.  Also, out in Illinois, Claire organized an outdoor concert for her parents in a place I never heard of, but probably should have – Ravinia, and the group performing which I am also told I should have heard of was Lake Street Dive.  Spotify here I come.

Another newcomer to in-person college was Sage who started her first year.  It wasn't a long trip, distance wise, to Berklee in Boston, but I imagine it was long in metaphorical ways.  Exciting adventure in music ahead.  Spotify look out!

Annie and Sankar made their way up the coast of California back to the Bay area.  They seem happy to be back, but need to find more permanent digs.  In the meantime, they are doing yet another month of air b&b until something opens up the first of October.  Quite a year of travel and adventure as well for them.  And their kitties.

Down in Brazil, Joe and Leonor joined Leonor's father and stepmother on a trip back to the state of  Bahia along the east coast of Brazil.  Funny that they were able to rent a place for a week that Leonor's father had lived in for many years.  The beach photos from there look spectacular.

Speaking of Brazil, Mary and I took the plunge and bought our tickets to Brazil for November, where we hope to spend Thanksgiving with them.  Pretty sure by then this Covid stuff will all be cleared up.  Ahem.
And, speaking of Covid and optimism, I took another plunge and rented a sixth cabin for the Poconos next July, since Bill and Jen said they might be coming.  Mark your calendars – July 14-17.
It has occurred to us that we have one week left of summer 2021.  As a result, we have a whole long list of things we wanted to do all summer long, but weren't able to.  So in the past few days, we pulled out the canoe and headed over to the lake for an evening paddle; we reserved a campsite in Pittsfield state forest last night for what could have been our best camping weather ever (almost hot this morning); we are trying to convince some contractors to put up gutters, seal the house from pests, and finish painting the porch, but everyone is so busy; we had our first and last lobster rolls of the season; and finally, I headed over to Wow Cow and had my first and last "Wizzard" with vanilla ice cream and Butterfinger pieces.  All I can say is, why did I wait so long?

On a more serious front, we signed up for teaching English to the 60 or so Afghan refugees who are supposed to be coming to the Berkshires at some point.  We took our cue from Margaret who spent a few nights in the past week at the in-take center near Dulles airport, greeting and processing the first arrivals.  She has pretty incredible stories of families, both relieved and nervous, about what lies ahead.
Our weekly hikes show more leaves along the paths and the first breathtaking colors to help us ease into the next season.  

Stay healthy – love from up here.
 
 

Where are your children?

Do you know where your children are?  Apparently, we do not. 

Except for Margaret.  She and Andrew and Simon just spent a glorious two weeks here, glorious for us anyway.  More on their visit later. 

But, as you can see from the photo, Annie clearly did not get her father's permission to go cliff hiking or canyon climbing or whatever.  And I thought Simon was "Johnny Danger."  She and Sankar were in Kanab, Utah on their one-week, different-city trek across the country, after spending a week in Santa Fe.  I reluctantly add that it sure looks fantastic, the scenery and the two adventurers. This work from home and air bnb stuff seems to be working for them.  And they have figured out how to do all this with a motorcycle and two cats.  Cover your ears Grandma when I say motorcycle.

Meanwhile, down in Brazil, Leonor is playing nurse for baby John who contracted some form of foot and mouth disease.  Looks painful for both parties. Joe is missing out on that fun, as he traveled for work and then went to an old colonial city called Ouro Preto in the state of Minas Gerais.  Anyone ever heard of those?  No?  Joe said Ouro Preto was once larger than New York City. 

 
It hasn't been a good summer for pets, particularly in Dundee and Washington DC.   Jeff and Melodie had to put down Codger, their long-time cat, as they join Andrew and Lur who lost both their dog and cat this summer.  I did see a whole bunch of Facebook posts for a day I never knew existed – national dog day.  What planet have I been living on?  So, here's to Brigitte and Molly and Hopper.  (Match the dog with their owner.)  Anyone else out there?

In the category "I wish we knew more," I see that Tina has a new job and congratulations are in order.  Hmm.  I have questions.  WHAT IS THE NEW JOB?  And second or third hand, I hear that Sean and Erin have moved, close to Baltimore.  More questions.  IS THERE A NEW JOB AS WELL?  What's the attraction  in Baltimore?  It can't be the longest losing streak in major league baseball this year?

You won't have any questions about the past two weeks here.  Margaret and Andrew came up here to work from home and enjoy the "cool" Berkshires.  This time they flew. That meant Mary and I helped out on the day care for Simon, but both parents were always in ear or eye-shot in case we (me) muffed up.  So, what's this little boy up to now?  He's walking a lot, those toddler walks with both arms up for balance. He has a few words, that parents understand, like more and again, and uh-oh.  Our morning trips to the end of the driveway to pick up the paper gave me another word, a version of "paper."  He likes cows and blueberry picking, big trucks and boats, eating while standing up, and grocery stores.  He sure made us laugh a lot. and had all four adults trying to figure out what he wanted on a few occasions.  Andrew and Margaret got short breaks for a few evenings out, golf, bird-watching, swimming, kayaking and museums. 

 
It's a lot to ask a small baby to change routine and environment, but we are thankful to have the opportunity to spend extended periods of time with all three!

Out in Dundee, Andrew and Lur are harvesting from their plot at a community garden near the hospital where Lur volunteers.  They missed the weather from Henri, but it looks like NJ got soaked, as did we.  None of the other dire forecasts for here panned out, fortunately. 

 
On the garden front here, we harvested enough beans for many meals with Margaret and Andrew, and the blueberries kept vanishing almost as soon as we picked them.  Lots of squash, and we are looking forward to four pumpkins.  I want to pick them right now but Mary is standing guard to save them.

Pumpkins means fall is in the air, and while we'll miss summer, it's nice to see the cooler temps and then the glorious foliage.

Love from up here.  

Superheroes

Starting this letter on Friday the 13th, but I'm just superstitious enough not to post it until tomorrow.  But not superstitious enough to postpone writing it.  

Mary's off on a ladies' night out with her book club group that consists of eastern Mass folks, but has been able to meet over the past year plus via Zoom.  Sounds like she had a good time, when she checked in this morning.  Glad that at least one of us did.

It's hot here, as I am sure it is wherever you are.  Rainy to hot means tons of mosquitos.  Out in Dundee, Andrew says they have been experiencing the impact of nearby tornadoes, with downed trees in the neighborhood.  Claire had been there, on her way to a return stint at the Green Lake camp to fill in for counselors who had to leave early.  

We also checked in with the Fairport gang, to hear about their upcoming trip to Nantucket in September.  Their stay is all part of their 50th wedding celebration, and Jeffrey, Melodie and Matthew and Tina and the boys will be joining them.  I told them we'd go down to the Mass Pike and wave as they went by.  And then, the voice of Donald echoed on the phone.  He had been staying with David and Paula while attending a day camp for music.  Going in to second grade this year, he has been doing choral and voice lessons this summer, but he mostly wanted to fill me in on all things superheroes.  His excitement about Black Widow, Spiderman and Black Panther reminded me of a young Matthew and Star Wars.  Or even Thomas.

I got a text this week from an unknown number, but fortunately Billy identified himself and asked for details of the Poconos next year.  He almost committed to joining us next July 14-17, which means we may need more cabins.  It would be great to see his family who are all grown up/growing so fast.

Paula had wondered that we probably could have made the Poconos work this year, but I suspect we would have been right on the edge.  We are back to wearing masks here when we're indoors.  Could be the new normal.  It was fun going around unmasked for a few weeks.  

Sickness seems to be a theme in DC and Brazil.  Simon has been missing a few days from day care which makes it hard or impossible to work with a sick baby at home.  He is really moving around on two feet.  And Margaret said in the midst of all that she had a root canal.  Down in Brazil, they have been passing around a stomach virus which as you can imagine doesn't sound pretty at all.  Fortunately, no positive tests for Covid anywhere.

A big thank you to Janet for putting me on to DeerScram.  It seems to be doing the trick, along with netting, coffee grounds, and spray.  All out war, or almost all out war – no guns.  Yet.  Anyway, they are leaving the peaches and blueberries alone and we are the beneficiaries.  This year I gave up a big chunk of the garden to two pumpkin mounds, and they are trying to assume control over the whole garden.  We do have three nice big pumpkins.  

What else?  We had visitors from DC, foreign service friends from South Africa, and we're looking forward to a visit from Margaret and Andrew who are coming up on Sunday.  With Simon of course.  
Also on the road were Jeffrey and Melodie who looked to be out In Minnesota, and Annie and Sankar who have finished up one-week stays in New Orleans and Austin, and are on their way to Santa Fe.

We had a busy Herman Melville week as well, with the annual marathon reading and the hike up Monument Mountain.  To everyone's surprise, Paul Giamatti, the Sideways and Billions actor, jumped on via Zoom, and we convinced him to read the ending for us.  Quite a thrill for our little museum.  In the process, I learned that he is the son of the former Major League Baseball Commissioner and President of Yale and literature professor, Bart Giamatti.

I have finished as much as I have for scanning Pop's Weekly Letters, but Johnny sent me his old photo scanner that can digitize slides and negatives.  A new project.  Thanks, Johnny, I was almost getting bored.

With that, hope you all are well and taking care – Love from up here.

  

Going too fast

The summer is going too fast.  The temperature this morning here was 48 degrees.

Some garden news to start off.  It's been a tough year, with the rain and pests.  Our harvest remains minimal, and we remain jealous of Andrew's and Jeffrey's tomatoes down in DC.  Our plants here are rotting, and those that have made it through are getting devoured by slugs, and we have now found we are host to the famed Asian jumping worm.  Mary pulled out a whole nest of them the other day from her flower garden.  They're enough to give you nightmares.  And I didn't even mention the deer, but Janet gave me a tip on deer repellent, which we were unable to use because of your week at the Jersey shore.

Did someone say Jersey shore?  I've been hearing about it for years, and even though we lived five years in the state as children (and Peter and Janet now for many more years), the only time I remember going there was a cold, spring vacation day when Pop had the big idea to take the family there, and Andrew stepped in dog poop. 

Nevertheless, we now know why people consider it so nice.  Long, unending beaches, manageable waves, warm water.  We rented a nice big house in Brigantine, which is on a spit of land just north of Atlantic City.  A block and half from the beach meant that we could come and go as we please and not have to coordinate rides or struggle with parking.  And we did go to the beach, as often as possible, even the day it rained.  Thomas gets the gold star for spending hours and hours in and out of the waves and the sand and then collapsing at night.  But Baby John and Simon were right there behind him, and of course parents.  Grandmother may have come in second to Thomas for time in the water.  Grandfather somehow disappeared every day shortly after lunch.

The house was full of activity, or should I say chaos?  Games and tv, toys and books, cheerios and apple slices and sippy cups.  There was a big kitchen island that was, within minutes of arrival, the repository for all things edible, drinkable and otherwise.  Leonor found a "shark park" nearby home to a ship and castle and a slew of other entertaining obstacles and swings and slides, and that became part of the daily routine, followed by smoothies and/or ice cream. 

Simon went from a couple of tenuous steps walking to a marathon of tenuous steps, and Baby John was cruising around, only to really take his first independent steps after returning to Brazil!  Other memories included Thomas' stories conflating Captain Ahab and Starbuck, with Gilligan and the millionaire and Captain Hook.  All fun.  Margaret had given Annie a surfing lesson for her birthday, and Sankar joined them.  The first day, they could barely get the hang of it; the second time they went out, they were pros, standing up and riding the waves repeatedly and endlessly.  I suspect more than one of them wants to quit working and become a surf bum.

And amidst all the chaos, sat Sankar with his headphones at the table getting his work done.  Quite an office. 

The week prior, we were happy hosts to the Brazil gang up here, that included toughing out some rainy days.  The sun finally emerged, and we were able to put out the small wading pool, and we even went swimming in the lake with fearless Thomas.  Joe and Leonor were able to get out a few times, as two grandparents, mostly Mary, were happy to hang with our homey little friends.

On Mary's birthday, everybody returned home from the shore, and Joe and Leonor have a trip to forget, I think.  But we were so glad they made the trek north.

Today, Annie and Sankar are supposed to start their trek back to the bay area, taking a month to wander through New Orleans, Austin and Santa Fe for a week of remote work at each place before moving on.

Timmy came east, and was able to stay here and attend to all of the kitty's many needs, mostly consisting of opening and closing the doors to let him in and out several thousand times a day.  He headed back shortly after our return to relocate to Montana.

Another traveler who was living the dream was Natalie, Heather's daughter, who is a college student and bought a used "retro-camper" for a trip around the country.  She stopped in Florida to see her grandparents and then on to points west, south and north.   

It looks like Tina has found yet another conveyance, as we see many pictures of her on the water in kayaks and canoes, along with Donald, who's getting so big!

Out in Dundee, Andrew and Lur helped Daniel move to a new place in the big city, as his roommate, his childhood friend Satchel, is moving to Detroit.

Birthday wishes to close out – Mary, Thomas and Everett. 

Love from up here!

THE YEAR UNLIKE ANY OTHER…

(This is Janet's account of the past year of teaching in the time of Covid.  The photo is a drawing by a PDS student that appeared in the school newspaper and is on their website.  Thanks, Janet for this and for persevering. )

 

Princeton Day School closed for spring break on March 6, 2020. We had warnings that the school might not reopen after the break, so students were told to clear out their lockers and take home anything they would need if we had to go remote.

And in fact, we did. We were remote until September 2020. It was a very difficult time for all. We started out working with Google Meets. Getting attendance in the morning was a nightmare. If the students did show up to homeroom, they usually turned off their cameras. I would tell them I knew what they were doing… turning on Google Meets, turning off their camera, and going back to sleep. A couple of them admitted that I was correct.

There is no doubt that even though this is a private school that endeavored to keep up to date with New Jersey and CDC regulations while making every effort to create a learning experience, a lot of learning was lost. It was a tremendously difficult and frustrating time for both teachers and students.

Summer programs are PDS's big money maker. They offer all types of programs, in class academics, outdoor activities, outdoor sports. They are always overbooked. Well, not the summer of 2020. Teachers were asked to come up with programs that could be offered virtually. I worked with my library colleague, Sheila on a couple of books clubs for younger kids. Not the greatest experience I have ever had. But! We did it.

School opened in September 2020, right after Labor Day, as usual. Because the pandemic seemed to be lessening and following CDC regulations, PDS opened to hybrid learning. Those that wanted to attend school, came. Those that wanted to stay remote, did. No more Google Meets. Now we had Zoom. Not only did we have Zoom, each room had a DTEN, a very large screen. Each morning we opened up our homeroom Zoom and were able to see our advisees at home, while they could see all of us in the classroom.

PDS, as I said, is a private school. To work within this pandemic and its restrictions, they dotted every "i" and crossed every "t." The school divisions were in "bubbles." In the middle school where I work, each grade had its own entrance. Grades could only mix on the playground for recess. Lunches were outside in different places. If they had to be inside, they were in homerooms. Each classroom has a DTEN, as I said, no desk for the teacher, and tables that were bisected with plexiglass, enabling four students to sit at each table. Masks were required except when eating and no one was allowed to talk while eating (which I pointed out was rude manners to begin with). Social distancing was enforced. Middle school students were not allowed upstairs in the upper school, or in the lower school. We library people had to do double duty as the lower school had no librarian. One of the assistants was present in the lower school classroom, while a librarian taught the class remotely. I teamed up with Nadia, the library assistant, and together we taught one Pre-K class and three K classes. Well, actually, I didn't teach, Roary did. Roary is the library lion. He is also a puppet. I just did his voice. I often had to go to lower school library to deliver books or to help out. I could not take the short way through the upper school. I either had to walk outside or go under (the Middle School is one level below the Upper School). No one was allowed in the library to browse the books and I desperately missed all the student contact I had in years gone by. Four teachers taught classes in the library. My part of the circulation desk had plexiglass running along the exterior of the desk. I still had to keep my mask on if anyone was in the room.

Every three weeks or so, students who no longer wanted to be remote, would return to school. By the end of the school year, there were not a lot of remote students. I had two advisees who returned toward the end of the year. Remote learning will not be allowed this upcoming school year.

It was exhausting. We had to be constantly on guard to make sure masks were on and social distancing was observed. We had to spray every table after every class. It was so sad to watch kids who love to interact with each other, love to play contact games with each other, love to fool around be constantly told to stop. Some teachers were very emphatic with the kids, I found myself apologizing to them. They all tried very hard to comply with all the new rules.

To add on to everything, George Floyd was murdered. The head of school advised us to all look at "Black at (name of school)" on Instagram. The stories were heartbreaking. PDS and Lawrenceville stories were filled with racism and just plain meanness. Our head took it to heart and called in a consultant. We spent the entire year in bi-monthly department Zoom meetings. A teacher was named DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion) Coordinator. He, in turn, asked all of us to be on different task forces to explore and analyzed behavior at the school. It was a very full year.

I usually do work in the library during the summer, but this summer the Middle and Lower school libraries are being renovated to add a STEAM center to each. The "A" stands for Arts.

I know how lucky we all are at PDS. We are in a private school that has the money to make the school safe. It hurts to see schools struggling, losing students, not able to cope. I so wish it could be different.

Not sure what this year will bring, but having survived last school year, I am ready for anything. I hope.

 

July is flying by

Lots of news in the first weeks of full-on summer, but the arrival of the Brazil folks tops the report this week.  Joe came back for a week of work in Washington and then met up with Leonor and the boys a week later io Newark to drive them up to ….. Pittsfield!  I think the trip highlight was a tour of the cockpit that Thomas managed to charm out of the pilot. 

Joe stayed with Margaret and Andrew in DC and met for the first time his nephew, and Jeff and Melodie came over for an evening get-together.  At some point along the way, Simon got to meet their dog and there are precious photos of Simon with Hopper.

We packed it in this week.  There was baseball, swimming, 'man overboard' in the hammock, cake making, trip to a farm and ice cream, story time, throwing rocks, baby pool splashing, tractor driving, napping, of course, and shopping.  It was almost a washout as the first few days were full of heavy downpours.  We even had to turn the heat on for basement sleeping. Then the sun came out, just like at Camp Granada.

The shopping part reminded us of when we used to come home and help the local economy by loading up on items we couldn't find or were just too expensive.  Let's just say that I hope you all own Apple stock.

Out in Illinois, Andrew and Lur got back from a glorious, relaxing week at Green Lake, where they met up with a former Ripon professor.  Claire joined them for a couple of days, and then again for Andrew's birthday.  She is spending her summer on macrame projects.  Her roommate is moving out, but rather than seek a new place herself, she is content to keep her current abode for the time being.

Speaking of moving, I saw on some social media platform that Johanna is moving, this time to a Harlem address.  Correct?  I have been known to get social media posts wrong, as I congratulated Janet on her retirement when in fact she was commenting on a colleague retiring.  Now I know how some fake news gets started.  Right here on my keyboard. 

Also, I am wondering if I ever mentioned that Johanna will be starting a masters degree program at Northwestern in the fall, in communications.  Congrats.

Speaking of courses, Annie has started a leadership training/coaching class which will take up several weekends over the next few months.  She also celebrated her birthday, and we did as well, with a Zoom call, and then a birthday cake here, made by Mary and Thomas.  Annie and Sankar had a fun weekend camping in Tennessee.

There were a couple of birthdays coming up – Mary, Everett and Thomas.  We have celebrated those in the Poconos in the past, and hopefully in the future again.  Speaking of which, this was the weekend we would have been in the Poconos.  I checked the weather there today, and it calls for rain tonight.

More on the travel front, John and Marilyn took a road trip to Tennessee and ran into the crowds eager to get out from pandemic, that we have all been hearing about. They had to cut short their vacation.

We ran into the same crowds in Boston when Mary had her one year follow up medical visits.  All is well.

Other excitement this week had to do with championship soccer in Europe and South America.  What a way to end a game – penalty shots.  It just doesn't seem right.

Today, we are all packing up and heading for a week at the Jersey shore, down by Atlantic city.  We'll be able to see what drew Uncle Bob and Aunt Ruth there for so many years.  Forecast has no rain.

Hope you all are well, love from up here.

Summer days

The beginning of summer, and already we worry about its end.  The days are getting shorter, but ever so imperceptibly (now that's a big word; too much reading Melville).  The days are certainly getting hotter, and we have moved down into the basement for our cool sleeping quarters.  We call it our summer palace, a la Dr. Zhivago.

Still, there's a lot to report.  Where to start? 

The garden.  It's the year of the strawberry.  And the rose.  But not the asparagus.  We've had some lettuce harvests and radishes.  It could also be the year of the deer.  We have seen a doe and two small fawns in the yard, and a young buck, with just the beginnings of antlers.  Did you send them up here, Peter?  Have they finished eating everything down in NJ?  You can have them back, as they have started eating the peach tree, the apple tree, the blueberries, the hastas, etc.  Go back!  So, there's a run on netting at the hardware store that seems to be slowing down the devastation.

We had our first visitor in a while.  Genuine visitor.  And we did visitor-type things with our friend Monette from DC.   The Clark, the Red Lion Inn, dinner on the lake, hiking and turtle sitting.  That's right.  We are taking care of Harris the box turtle over at the Locherys while their owners are away for a few weeks.  It's good material for some laughs, like taking Harris for a walk.  I actually don't remember holding, or even seeing, a box turtle for years.  Mary thinks Harris likes her.  No kidding.

Big news in DC – Simon is taking steps.  Pretty soon, he'll be going to the Olympic tryouts.  With his mother who has delighted her mother by starting to swim again. Over in Asheville, Annie had taken an art workshop over the weekend.  She and Sankar have decided, or their workplaces decided for them, that they will be heading back to California, by summer's end,  at least for a while.

Down in Brazil, the whole gang, along with Leonor's parents, had a weekend at a nearby resort with a water park.  The pictures showed long, fun days, followed by exhausted boys collapsed in their beds. And, tomorrow is Leonor's birthday!  (Same day as Gramps – Grandma's father.)  Feliz aniversario!  We're looking forward to their visit back to the U.S., before the next weekly letter.

Some items off Facebook, include pictures of Johanna with tatoos!  Did you get your parents' permission? How can I not post that photo?   And, we say pictures of Donald on a bike and in a kayak!

A bit of sad news down in DC is that Jeff and Melodie had to put down their cat.  It's been a bad string of loss of pets in the family.  So sorry.

Out west, Andrew and Lur are up in Green Lake, as of this writing.  They missed out last year, but they're back.  We understand Claire will join them for a few days.  They will celebrate their 30^th wedding anniversary this coming week.  How's that for timing – within the space of a year David and Paula had their 50^th, Andrew and Lur their 30^th, and Mary and I had our 40^th. 

More good news.  My box of saved weekly letters is all digitized.  But there's bad news in that when I started saving the letters, I was saving the stamps, not the missives, so I have many empty envelopes from the early years.  I also realized that I never saved letters when I was physically at home.  Pop would leave them on the kitchen table, next to a job list, and whoever was home would share reading that copy.  The end result – I'm missing many letters, but I understand some guy out in Illinois has binders full of letters.

Anyway, here's one entry from one of the earliest letters I found (1971) –

"Dear Wonderful Workers,

I'm only kidding, as you know, for you really didn't work during your visits home, except to saw wood, creosote, trees, steam wallpaper, rake leaves, wash dishes, iron sheets, clean ponds, move logs, etc.  But it was simply great to hear your laughter, wild music, late snoring and all those other great sounds of a busy home." 

And with that, see you all in the Poconos. (Next year.)  Love from up here.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roller coaster

Some highs and lows in June, so far.  We were saddened to hear that Lur's father passed away.  He had been in physical and mental decline for some time and required continual care, but we understand his final days were markedly different.  No matter how much you prepare for this eventuality, the departure still comes as a shock.  Claire, Daniel and Billy came home for the service, where the minister mentioned his work as a carpenter, a biblical profession.  Lur's mother, with her own issues, seems to be aware she's missing her life partner.  Very tough for all involved.

Over in Rochester, it was a different life commemoration, this one for 50 years of marriage for David and Paula.  5-0!  Wow!  Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Grandma and Pop's 50^th in Princeton.  How does time pass so quickly?  That said, I do remember the wedding, beautiful in so many respects, traditional and a model for those that followed, but hard to match.  One thing did not get repeated - Pop's near meltdown over David and Paula's lingering to enjoy their party with their friends.  No word on the nature of the celebration in Fairport yet (photos??), but we saw Jeff and Melodie made their way up from the nation's capital, and it's a safe bet that Matthew and Tina came over as well.

We are coming off a week with Simon.  Enjoyable, funny, predictable, growing, learning, unpredictable, tiring – so much wrapped into one full week.  Margaret and Andrew made the courageous drives up and back, and paid the price of a little boy who didn't want to be in a car seat that long.  They set about trying to work from Hancock Road, with the inevitable interruptions, despite our (admittedly mostly Mary's) day caring.  We went on little outings, played in the pool, walked over to the lake, watched Simon scoot around each of the rooms in the house, looking back to make sure someone was on his tail.  He's standing and walking with support and crawling as fast as Carl Lewis.  Unfortunately, he got a cold on their return home, and has had to stay home while Margaret and Andrew try to work with a sick little boy.  I should add Simon had a couple of firsts - Shaker Village and a Pittsfield Suns baseball game.  It was also a first for Margaret and Andrew at Shaker Village.

Down in Brazil. Joe and Leonor had, by all accounts, a wonderful sejour in Rio, that seems to live up to its reputation.  All you have to do is hear the words Copacabana and Ipanema, and fun and sun and beaches and spectacular geography spring to mind.  Leonor's parents are down there and watched the boys back in Brasilia.

The news from Asheville was highlighted mostly by the sighting of a bear on Annie's street, just a ten-minute walk from the city center!  Yikes. 

One more piece of sad news from Dundee was Andrew and Lur had to put down their dog, Willie.  This followed the loss of their cat a few weeks ago.

In the eastern part of this commonwealth, Kara's daughter Sage graduated from high school and the John Boyle family congregated for the occasion.  Sage is off to Berklee Conservatory in the fall.  A talented musician/guitarist/singer.

Here, we're inching back to normal lives.  At church on Sunday, the hymnals were back in the pews, and they even took collection.  We're playing bridge, in person, with no masks. We even went to a Tom Rush concert, albeit outdoors under a tent.  Did I mention we washed the windows?  Does that even count?  Yes, because for some reason, the windows didn't get dirty during the year of Covid.

And, from the archives – on June 10, 2021, the letter that was at the top of the pile for scanning was from June 10, 1974.  And what was happening forty-six years ago, three years after David and Paula's wedding?  "It was so great to have everyone in Princeton, and your father deeply appreciates the effort that all of you made to come to the 25th. I know it was loads more fun for Pop than it was for you. I'll come to your 25th."

Love from up here.  Welcome summer!

Memorial Day

The gardening columnist in the Berkshire Eagle (yes, they have one) last week warned his readers not to transplant seedlings before June 1, despite the warm weather.  It was already too late by the time I read it.  The voice in my head responded that may have been true 10 years ago, but not now with climate change.  Well, guess what?  Temps went down into the 30s this week, but luckily no frost, so far.  Plants are struggling.  But the heat is back on, we fired up the fireplace last night, and probably again tonight.

The good news is that the cold came with badly needed rain, so everything is looking wonderfully green again.  We're almost finished with our May projects of compost and mulch and weeding.  We have even had a couple of harvests, from the disappointingly meager asparagus corner and one spinach plant that I think Annie and Sankar planted and has sprung alive this year.

Birthdays, though, are the big news, not cold weather.  Happy days to Matthew and to Joao-John.  From photos on Facebook and Tiny Beans, their days looked as if they were passed in grand, happy style.  
And Matthew's birthday is forever linked to Peter and Janet's anniversary, which in turn calls up one of the greatest photos in family history.  Happy anniversary.

And, I guess, there's another birthday of sorts, at least above ground.  The cicadas are back, in DC, in NC and NJ, too?   Andrew S. passed along a few photos worthy of science.  

In Brazil, Leonor's mother and step-dad arrived for a long delayed trip.  That means that Thomas and Joao-John are sharing a bedroom now, with mixed results, that look cute from here, but, with sleepless nights there, maybe not so cute.  I think I forgot to mention that Leonor started her job at the Embassy, in the same public diplomacy section that I worked in, headed up by a guy who I worked with in Mexico City.

Down in DC, Simon has been struggling through a few days at home with fever, coupled with the heat and the cicadas make for some uncomfortable days.  We spoke with Annie a couple of times, and she is back to work and dreaming a little of future plans.  She also sent photos of a bear wandering through her downtown neighborhood in Asheville.

David called, and the topics barely got beyond baseball (the miserable Reds) and lacrosse, before Mary pulled in the garage, just back from the dentist with news of her broken tooth.  He pulled it out, and she is bracing for an implant in the near future, but calls herself Snagglepuss for the moment.

Last night, Ms. Snagglepuss made a toast to our post-COVID world, which I hope isn't a jinx.  It's so refreshing to see long lines of cars at traffic lights and go out to eat, which we did this week, indoors and all.  In fact, we are about to head off for church, for the first time without masks or on Zoom since March last year.  

 
And speaking of no masks, we see Jeffrey and Melodie have been venturing out to baseball games, probably wearing masks, and perhaps even seeing the Nats play the Reds.  But still, baseball, in person.
And, here's another story from old weekly letters.  Perhaps too long.  This week, I came across a handwritten letter from Pop, from the ICU, from June 17, 1977.  It read, in part, "I drove down to the City on Thursday for a 10 AM meeting with Mr. Rahr of the Alumni Council.  About 10:30 I began to feel weak and have chest pains, and by 11:00 AM, after a wild ambulance ride from the Princeton Club, I was in a room with nurses and doctors swarming all over me.  And the head doctor was Princeton '60 – and you can't beat that can you?"  On the back of the letter was another note that read: "This is the letter we sent you in June!  It was just returned."  Another letter, dated August, spoke of a phone call from Libreville, where, upon my return from a lengthy tour of West Africa, I finally got a number of letters, all mentioning how much better Pop was feeling, with no reference to an "event."  So, I called to find out what happened, and it was then we figured out that I had not received the first letter from the NY Hospital ICU.

 
I kinda feel sad for next generations who will never have such a tale, since a) no one writes letters any more and b) while mail still gets lost, such important news travels instantly, to even the remotest places.  Two years ago, I was in a remote corner of Gabon, when Mary called me on WhatsApp to ask me how to work the remote on the TV.

With that, wishing everyone a happy day off on a day of solemn remembrance.  Love from up here.