So long, farewell

Here we are. End of another year. Where did it go?

We know. The same place 2023 will have gone with all its surprises and changes and even sameness.

Writing this from our nation's capital which was our plan B. Plan A was for Margaret and Andrew to spend this past week in Pittsfield but guess what? We both had a Christmas Eve surprise. Positive Covid tests. I guess we had been naughty. So we retreated into isolation/quarantine/hibernation for the week. Then we hit the road and came down here for a rockin New Years celebration. We had to come see Simon's new haircut.

We managed to spend part of the week together, at least virtually. We did a WhatsApp video call on Joe's birthday as he turned 40. They had gone off to a quiet lake for the day. Lots of photos celebrating the big day.

Annie, as we write, is somewhere in Mexico, having avoided the airline cancellations she surely would have encountered with her Plan A which was to come to Pittsfield for Christmas. Instead, she went back to Brazil where she and Sankar had a couple of weeks at different beach places. Hence the surfing.

John and Marilyn were not so lucky. Their flight from Albany, back to Daytona was canceled. Johnny hustled to arrange a rental car and they drive back, hitting all kinds of traffic in the way back. Part of our Plan A was to spend Christmas Eve with them but that was canceled too.

The weather wreaked havoc out in the Midwest as a pipe burst in Bill and Jen's house and spilled out onto their first floor. A few days away and repairs and they're back home. Dan and Claire were able to get home before the worst of the storm. The photo here is borrowed from Facebook and a culinary group Claire belongs to.

Rochester got hit hard too but not as bad as their neighboring city Buffalo. Hard to imagine, that much snow. And not too much that Everett couldn't try his luck on ice skates.

And, Kiernan spent part of Christmas with his grandparents, from what we saw on Facebook.

Update on our tree saga. We managed to get the tree in the house, with a little help from the snow and a sled to the screened in porch, and then onto a Home Depot rolling cart into the living room. Decorated and celebrated. And now it's back in the porch awaiting transfer to its new site. The promised thaw and rain this week means it might even find its way to its pre-Christmas dug hole. More later.

We were just reviewing resolutions for the coming year. Got any? Ours had to do with healthier living, decluttering, and even a dry January. All sound good, even do-ably realistic. We'll keep you updated. (May be easier now that they're committed to writing.)

And that's all for this year. Auf Wiedersehen

Beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

So winter did come after all.  But, why did we have to be on the Mass Pike when it decided to rear its ugliest head, with a splash of slush across the windshield from a truck, on a bridge?  Visibility to zero, until Mary reminded me, not so calmly, to turn on the wiper blades.

We were coming home from a swim meet in Worcester. You all remember that place, right?  Expeditions to Spag's, cheap gas, and donut shops come immediately to mind.  This time it was the New England Masters Meet, and since Mary no tiene abuela, I'll fill in by telling you she did very well.  Unsurprising, placing in the nine events she swam in, but you all know that already, how hard she works at it.  I should add that her whole team also did well. 

And the next day, from the pool to the woods. We dropped all our plans and went out snowshoeing.  Winter wonderland. Our annual selfie with the snow on the house. This year with solar panels on the garage which presented one small problem. The snow slid off the panels before the rest of the roof, but guess where?  Right on the path to the front door that I had already shoveled.  So two more attempts at clearing the path, and this looks like my future - triple shoveling.  Anyway, the solar was turned on today!  Take that Putin. 

Not sure he cares, but maybe Thomas will, along with his brother and sister and cousin. We spoke with Joe and Leonor for the first time since they had gotten their lives and routines back. Joe let us know he has a new job at Treasury, working on East Asia, but it means he will be coming back to DC a little earlier, perhaps sometime this spring. They have much to figure out, schedules and housing, but let me not add to that stress.  Congratulations Joe, and it'll be nice to have you all closer. 

News from out west included Annie seeing Jeff and Melodie on what might be their yearly trip, for work, and then for fun, to the Bay Area.  You saw the photos on Facebook. Looks more like fun than work, but then who posts photos of work on Facebook?  I should add that Annie is also looking to move in the spring, leaving the west coast for points to be determined.

And down in DC, Simon met Santa.  And, by all appearances, he kind of liked the old guy, and Mrs. Claus. Of course, he's been a good boy after all. Margaret had fun stories to tell of her work, especially the day of the attempted self-coup in Peru, our old stomping ground. 

In the Midwest, Claire and Daniel were home for Thanksgiving, and we hear that Jen is also moving along quite well in her pregnancy.  Due date, January.  All three kids are excited about another sibling, but only Eliott may not know all that that entails. 

We spoke with John and Marilyn who told us of their first walk on the Daytona beach since the hurricane – and the devastation there. All along the beach, they saw houses destroyed, the shifted beach, and even swimming pools unearthed.  This, in Daytona, that no one hears about because it must have been so much worse on the other side of the state.

This time of year is also time for family photos, and we pass along two from upstate New York and Brazil (Luisa was home.) 

There was another photo of a family member of sorts – Dasha turned 14 this week. How old is that in people years?

Finally, a cautionary tale.  Don't ever accuse me of thinking everything through.  Case in point, Christmas tree. I've been wanting to have a live tree ever since we moved up here. I kind of remember we used to do that in Cincinnati, or was it New Jersey? Anyway, this year, we both agreed to give it a go. We kind of knew it wouldn't be as tall as the sawed-off versions, but we/I overlooked that it just might be a little heavier.  So, now we're confronted on how to get it into the house.  I did manage to remove it from the car, but it sits in the garage now.  Should we decorate it out there and put presents under it?  I still have to get it over to the hole dug, before it snowed and the ground froze.  Either way, you can count on an update in the next letter. 

So, this may be last letter before Christmas, so we wish you the merriest Christmas ever.

Love from up here. 

 

A Thanksgiving to remember

It wasn't the day. We had no turkey, no pies, no mashed potatoes. No over the River and through the woods. No grandmother's house either. No football. I think the menu was takeout fish stew. The backdrop was coconut trees and World Cup soccer. 

But it was the fact we were all together. Far away, but together. In Guarajuba. In fact, we were there almost a week, with the exceptions of excursions into the city of Salvador known for its Afro-Brazilian vibe. 

And then we went our separate ways. After a bout of food poisoning??, Margaret and Andrew headed home on Black Friday only to arrive the next day. That's when Annie and Sankar split off for an extra day in Salvador before Annie heads back. The rest of us returned to Brasilia for a few more days before Mary and I give Joe and Leonor some much needed rest after playing hosts for several weeks.  

We turned their home upside down displacing children from their rooms and disrupting routines. That meant loss of sleep for Joe and Leonor but they never complained. They shepherded us around and translated for us. They made all the arrangements. We sat back and enjoyed the ride. 

A couple of other notes. Rarely have I ever, ever been on a beach more secluded than Guarajuba. Just beautiful. 

We fell into routines quickly, jumping in the pool right off the front door before breakfast and heading over to the beach for lengthy playtimes. Then back to the pool There was even time for a nap and World Cup and trips to a playground with a trampoline. 

And a special thank you to one five year old Thomas who, as the eldest, did such a good job keeping his brother, sister and cousin happy and entertained.  

Not sure we'll ever have another Thanksgiving like this one which makes it so special. 

So sorry to hog all the ink about our holiday, but we couldn't even check in via phone or Tik Tok. And there weren't even any photos of your turkeys or pie spreads. But we can guess you were all together with your families and enjoying the day. 

Dateline Brasilia

And it's snowing. In Pittsfield. But here we are swimming. Or at least Mary is. I'm eating a bacon cheeseburger. 

In fact the whole gang is here.  Mary and I arrived in Rio one week ago. Our first night, we met up with Joe for dinner who was there for work. 

And then on Friday Andrew, Margaret and Simon landed, and you'll never guess who they bumped into in Immigration. Annie!  

Sankar has been in Brasil for about a month, and he came over from Salvador de Bahia,  and we convened in an air bnb on Cocacabana Beach. Tough life. As Margaret said: she liked the Rio vibe. What's not to like?

A few days of sun and fun there, and then we made our way over to Joe and Leonor's in Brasilia.  They welcomed us into their new home where we met Luisa for the first time.  Happy girl! And got reacquainted fast with Thomas and Joao. And Joe served up a wonderful welcome barbecue.  

Leonor had a scare (and so did we) when her arm got caught in the driveway gate after she picked us up at the airport. But, she's okay. Too much excitement. 

And we still have two weeks to go!  Our motto? No headlines, no hospitals. 

That's us. What about you?  Well, raise your hand if you've seen Hamilton, the play. I think I see a number of hands and now one more as Tina and Donald took in a show. She said she paid $29 or something like that for each ticket. They didn't have that deal when we went. A great show at any price. 

Also saw Peter and Johanna enjoying a US women's national soccer team game. Getting ready for next World Cup and with equal pay now too!

Speaking of World Cup; we'll be here in Brazil when the cup starts on November 20. Who do you think we should root for?  Does Brazil have a team?  Did they qualify?

We spoke with John and Marilyn who were anticipating the next hurricane coming over the east coast of Florida. Turns out it wasn't as extreme as Ian but still dumped a lot of water. We saw photos of their town Port Orange under water. And we saw Heather and her daughters on Facebook taking in a Green Bat Packer game. A highlight for lifelong fans. Sounds like it was a good one too. Hope they stayed until the end. 

Also touched base with Andrew and Lur who were joined by Claire, down for the weekend. 

We had a busy last week before departing. My Afghan student had already saved enough money after 6 months of work to buy a car. As soon as he got a license he wanted wheels. So it was a good English lesson with a few stories. He bought a used car from a Ukrainian mechanic just down the road from our house. And then we did the paperwork. I even gave up my nap to help him one day. But he was successful. The immigrant story. 

First call. We put down the first deposits for  Poconos 2023. And by coincidence, look at the dates. July 20 to July 23. Easy to remember. We'll touch base in the new year and see where everyone stands. Right now we have seven cabins reserved. 

Just around the corner. Can't wait. 

That's all for from south of the border. Love 

Halloween!!

Some of you may have noticed that Pop's Weekly Letter has a decided "Lake Wobegone" effect, where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average."  I thought it was something I just made up, but there is actually a psychological syndrome called that: "The Lake Wobegon effect is the human tendency to overestimate one's achievements and capabilities in relation to others."  So, I've decided to create another blog called, "Not for the Weekly Letter," and there will be just one reader – me.  When I get permission from the appropriate person, then I will move it from that blog into the regular letter. 

So, the first item to move over, comes from the Midwest, where Bill and Jen gave me permission to announce that they are going to have another baby.  Jen is due in January, and when we saw her, she was just beginning to show a little bump.  Congratulations.

There's another syndrome, we found out about when we lived in Mexico.  It's called "no tiene abuela," which means "doesn't have a grandmother."  It refers to people who boast too much.  It recently occurred to me that my only grandmother passed away when I was six, so in fact, maybe I suffer from "no tiene abuela."  Fortunately, all the next generation do have abuelas, so we can brag about them all the time, and they just so happen to all be above average.

Cases in point – we had several performances in Andrew and Lur's home, by Auden and Elliot, singing and dancing, with Miles doing cameo comedic appearances in comedic nose, moustache, beard and glasses.  Talented, happy group.

In New York, we saw photos of young Donald at the symphony, loving every minute of it.  Like his namesake, but the younger version stayed awake!  And, he and Everett looked like they thoroughly enjoyed their weekend camping in a yurt!

In DC, Simon at first had nothing to do with his Halloween costume, opting for his pjs, until school day, when he climbed in his pumpkin(?) suit?

In Baltimore, Kiernan braved his way through vaccine shots, without a whimper. 

In Brazil, Luisa is sitting up, all by herself.  And, of course, smiling.  Poor John continues to have his health issues with foot and mouth disease, and once cured of that, got laryngitis.  Thomas is taking and loving ballet.

Convinced?  Yes, they have abuelas.  And abuelos, even.

Other than that, we had a wonderful continuation to our trip after the high school reunion in Indian Hill.  We went to church in Indian Hill, where they had an outdoor service (beautiful, sunny, fall day) featuring a "Kirkin' of the Tartan."  Kind of a blessing of the Scottish plaids and clans.  Nice tradition.

Off to Chicago, for three days in Dundee with highlights being the visit by Billy and Jen and crew, dinner with Daniel in Chicago and a slide show, successfully dusting off the old projector and carousels.  Should I add that many of the slides were put in upside down.  Challenging but still fun.

Off to Fairport, by way of Lorraine Ohio, picked out on a map.  It looked interesting but is definitely one for the miss-able category.  Depressed area, but not as bad as Gary Indiana which we passed through on the way to Chicago.  Anyway, in Fairport, we watched a little baseball, had a nice dinner out (thank you very much), chatted mucho, and admired David's woodworking and gardening.  After a leisurely breakfast we headed home to greet Mary's friend Gerry for the weekend. 

Phew.  A great road trip, all in all.

Finally, Andrew said that the next weekly letter will be just photos, and he's almost right.  There were too many to include, but still I couldn't resist all that are below.  (You'll have to guess who the Dia de los Muertos lady is.)        

 Love from up here.

 

Dateline Madeira



Ohio, that is. Yes, we drove out here for the 50th reunion of Indian Hill High School. Yes, I only made it as far as third grade here. Yes, I do feel a little odd for being here. But I'm wearing a Bengals shirt and a Reds belt and hat, so I blend. 

The backstory is that my third grade best buddy contacted me from Austria last year. He'd been living there for forty years. And he told me about the reunion and here we are.  Pictured here is Steve and me at Cunningham Rd this morning.  And another with Sarah Harrison whose family bought the house from us.  

It is high school reunion season as Mary went to her 50th twice postponed. Mark and Lew came up as well  They had way too much fun. 

We had a nice drive out here and the fall colors in NY and Pennsylvania and Ohio are better than home. The drought really did make a difference. 

That drought ended a month ago so the grass continues to grow and we harvested the last of our tomatoes. Beets and carrots and maybe green peppers and fall lettuce remain for our return. 

And we won't have long once we get home as we start getting ready to head to Brazil. Sankar is already there, in Rio, sending us photos of his climb up to the Christ the Redeemer statue and from a soccer game. 

Annie was back in Asheville NC this week at what she called "hippie camp". Looks like a very rural, internet free spot. When was the last time you weren't connected?

Other travel included Margaret's week in Peru working on the advance team for Secretary Blinken's attendance at the OAS meeting there. I bet she was busy and that Lima had changed. 

While she was away, Andrew held the fort with Simon. They went up to see his parents one weekend and then went over to see Jeff and Melodie as well. 

Other travel included Andrew and Lur making their way around Lake Michigan all the way up to Travers City. Their excuse was to attend a volleyball game with Claire as coach but they made a whole weekend out of it. 

We saw Kiernan making his way up to Hopewell to visit his grandparents and aunt. He's growing so fast, sitting up!

Down in Brazil, Leonor's father is visiting and paving the way for the crew to descend on them in November. 

Birthday greetings go out to Auden, Janet and to Tina who we missed in the last letter.  Happy, important days 

And hope they all are for you. Love from out here. 

Dateline Madeira

Ohio, that is. Yes, we drove out here for the 50th reunion of Indian Hill High School. Yes, I only made it as far as third grade here. Yes, I do feel a little odd for being here. But I'm wearing a Bengals shirt and acReds belt and hat, so I blend. 

The backstory is that my third grade best buddy contacted me from Austria last year. He'd been living there for forty years. And he told me about the reunion and here we are. 

It is high school reunion season as Mary went to her 50th twice postponed. Mark and Lew came up as well  They had way too much fun. 

We had a nice drive out here and the fall colors in NY and Pennsylvania and Ohio are better than home. The drought really did make a difference. 

That drought ended a month ago so the grass continues to grow and we harvested the last of our tomatoes. Beets and carrots and maybe green peppers and fall lettuce remain for our return. 

And we won't have long once we get home as we start getting ready to head to Brazil. Sankar is already there, in Rio, sending us photos of his climb up to the Christ the Redeemer statue and from a soccer game. 

Annie was back in Asheville NC this week at what she called "hippie camp". Looks like a very rural, internet free spot. When was the last time you weren't connected?

Other travel included Margaret's week in Peru working on the advance team for Secretary Blinken's attendance at the OAS meeting there. I bet she was busy and that Lima had changed. 

While she was away, Andrew held the fort with Simon. They went up to see his parents one weekend and then went over to see Jeff and Melodie as well. 

Other travel included Andrew and Lur making their way around Lake Michigan all the way up to Travers City. Their excuse was to attend a volleyball game with Claire as coach but they made a whole weekend out of it. 

We saw Kiernan making his way up to Hopewell to visit his grandparents and aunt. He's growing so fast, sitting up!

Down in Brazil, Leonor's father is visiting and paving the way for the crew to descend on them in November. 

Birthday greetings go out to Auden, Janet and to Tina who we missed in the last letter.  Happy, important days 

And hope they all are for you. Love from out here. 

Dateline Madeira

Ohio, that is. Yes, we drove out here for the 50th reunion of Indian Hill High School. Yes, I only made it as far as third grade here. Yes, I do feel a little odd for being here. But I'm wearing a Bengals shirt and a Reds belt and hat, so I blend. 

The backstory is that my third grade best buddy contacted me from Austria last year. He'd been living there for forty years. And he told me about the reunion and here we are.  Pictured here is Steve and me at Cunningham Rd this morning.  And another with Sarah Harrison whose family bought the house from us.  

It is high school reunion season as Mary went to her 50th twice postponed. Mark and Lew came up as well  They had way too much fun. 

We had a nice drive out here and the fall colors in NY and Pennsylvania and Ohio are better than home. The drought really did make a difference. 

That drought ended a month ago so the grass continues to grow and we harvested the last of our tomatoes. Beets and carrots and maybe green peppers and fall lettuce remain for our return. 

And we won't have long once we get home as we start getting ready to head to Brazil. Sankar is already there, in Rio, sending us photos of his climb up to the Christ the Redeemer statue and from a soccer game. 

Annie was back in Asheville NC this week at what she called "hippie camp". Looks like a very rural, internet free spot. When was the last time you weren't connected?

Other travel included Margaret's week in Peru working on the advance team for Secretary Blinken's attendance at the OAS meeting there. I bet she was busy and that Lima had changed. 

While she was away, Andrew held the fort with Simon. They went up to see his parents one weekend and then went over to see Jeff and Melodie as well. 

Other travel included Andrew and Lur making their way around Lake Michigan all the way up to Travers City. Their excuse was to attend a volleyball game with Claire as coach but they made a whole weekend out of it. 

We saw Kiernan making his way up to Hopewell to visit his grandparents and aunt. He's growing so fast, sitting up!

Down in Brazil, Leonor's father is visiting and paving the way for the crew to descend on them in November. 

Birthday greetings go out to Auden, Janet and to Tina who we missed in the last letter.  Happy, important days 

And hope they all are for you. Love from out here. 

Dateline Washington DC

Down here in Simon's town for the weekend. We just saw him a couple of weeks ago but he has grown so much in such a short period of time. More words, more coordination, more memories.

It's also Margaret and Andrew's town. And Jeff and Melodie's. And Joe is in town too. He came up from Brazil this week for work. And we were all supposed to go to a Nationals game this evening. We'll see. I think the remnants of Ian may have a different idea. It seemed like a good idea a week ago.

It was easy to get tickets. Go figure. The Nationals have the second worst record in baseball. And they won the World Series just a couple of years ago. Looks like they finished the fight and then just gave up.

Speaking of Ian, John and Marilyn missed the brunt of the storm. They evacuated but a week earlier to England for a long-planned trip. (Haven't heard yet of their theatre or queen's funeral experiences.). They got back to Daytona just on the tail end of the storm, and the photo is the view from their front door. Luckily, no water inside. And lucky their flight home wasn't affected.

We hosted Annie and Sankar last week. Annie had come out for work on the east coast and Sankar is on his six month sabbatical. We took advantage of their visit to spend a night at the summit of Mt Greylock. Something we always wanted to do. There's an old CCC lodge up there and we enjoyed a talk on boreal forests, dinner, and a comfortable evening with a roaring fire in the large Pomfret-like fireplace. The room next to ours had two bunk beds. Hmm. I wonder who would like to sleep in the bunk beds. I get the top. We had gone for a walk on the mountain as well, hence the photo here. I also gave Sankar a quick tour of Shaker Village, but don't tell anyone it was after hours and we snuck on the grounds. I felt like a teenager again.

Other travel? Jeff went up to Fairport we learned when we sent birthday wishes to Paula.

Medical news from Illinois. Billy had his hip replaced. He's too young for that but you never know. Anyway, we hear the recovery is good and he'll soon be back running the 440 high hurdles.

And another birthday shout out to Paula and tomorrow to Johanna!

Here's a mystery. The critters attacking our garden I call groundhogs. Pop called them woodchucks. Huh? The final photo is from my sketchbook when I attempted a woodchuck. Just a long way to say I'm still accepting sketches of Pops Weekly Letter scenes.

Love from down here.

No brainers

It's quiet around here.  And not just in the house, as Simon and his parents went home last Sunday.  The whole town, the area is emptying out.  Summer must be over, and it's too early for fall foliage. 

Not too early to shut down the garden though.  I almost pulled up the beans a week ago, but with the rain, we're into a renewed bumper crop.  How does that happen?  We're also harvesting more tomatoes than ever, both cherries and big guys.  We have another day of canning coming up, but we've run out of jars.  Off to the hardware store.

We had a wonderful time with Simon and his parents.  Margaret's new job keeps her going at all hours it seems.  She was helping get papers ready for the Secretary's visit to Mexico earlier this week.  I remember those days.  Glad they're behind me.

Anyway, we did all the things mentioned in the last letter, and more.  Two days of rain hampered our ability to go outside, but did not deter Simon who just wanted to be outside, even in the rain, even in bare feet, even in his pjs.  Andrew got in a couple games of golf, and they all hit the rail trail, with Simon on the back of Andrew's bike and Margaret briskly walking.

Mary talked to her brother Timmy, who is leaving Montana and moving back to southern California.  He said there's nothing in Montana.  Of course.  That's the point.  He's more of a sunshine, warm weather guy.  Speaking of warm weather, John and Marilyn said they've had a string of 115 days of temperatures over 90 degrees.  I'll never complain about heat up here again.

Here's a story.  Of a desk.  A desk you all will remember.  Pop's roll-top desk.  Even though we think Andrew got the majority of stuff from Pomfret, somehow I ended up with the desk, and all the stuff inside.  There's three hole-punchers, a staple remover, two magnifying glasses, a drawer full of cuff links, buttons, matches, keys and coins.  And of course, I've added a few things to the numerous cubbies over the years.  But the wood stain was wearing off, the cubbies were cracking and bending, odd pieces of wood were floating around.  So, ten years ago when we moved in, I showed it to Paul, a local furniture restorer who quoted me $500 to fix it all up. I should have done it then.  Guess what?  When I showed it to him again this past June, he quoted me a price that must have approached Opie Adams quotes to fix up the Woodie. 

Anyway, we bit the bullet and weeks (months?) later, he finished.  He fixed it all up new, but then locked the roll top down so we couldn't open it up.  A locksmith had no luck either.  Paul and I look a risk and lifted the entire top up and dislodged the lock.  Phew. it's back in the study, looking and feeling much better.  Taking all the stuff out to give to Paul meant a golden opportunity to throw away, give away stuff.  Marie Condo I am not.  A lot of it ended up back in the desk for the next generation.

We had a long chat with the folks in Brazil, including some reading time for Thomas and John.  Fun.  Thomas has been battling an ear infection among other symptoms.  We have bought our tickets for Brazil, as have Annie and Margaret and their best friends.  Thanksgiving in Brazil, again. 

We see a couple of babies getting older and bigger on the Tinybeans feed.  Kiernan is sitting up and eating solids.  Still no Fluff yet, I imagine.  Luisa is super alert, and watching her older brothers intently.

School starts means that Claire is back with her musical bands, and Donald is entering third grade.  What?  We also see he got a trip to the concert hall for some classical music. 

Annie and Sankar are heading this way this weekend.  We were worried about the train strike as they had plans to head to the city on that mode. Crisis averted. Looking forward to seeing them. 

Finally, we are doing our bit for climate change.  Solar panels installed.  Using the finance option, it's a no-brainer.  We're paying the same in finance charges as our electric bill.  Like I said, no brainer.

With that, hope you're all well and enjoying the transition to a new season.

Love from up here.

Cabos and Owls and Paw Patrols

Simon's on his way.  With his mother and father.  I better write a letter, since before I know it, a whole week will have passed.  A week full of laughter and racing around the kitchen and playing in the yard and walks to the lake and excursions to playgrounds and Panera and don't forget the naps.  Or the Cocomelon.

The above paragraph is how I started the weekly letter yesterday.  As I was writing Simon pulled in the driveway, and here we are 24 hours later, and all, or almost all those things happened.  We also added a bike ride along the rail trail (for Andrew and Simon) and a dip in the lake.  Let's see how far I get this time.  (Interruption.  Simon just handed me a wheel that had fallen off his truck.  Thank you.)

But all you parents of young children know how that goes.  And we grandparents only vaguely remember the interruptions.

I wonder how many interruptions Bill and Jen had on their way to Los Cabos, Mexico with the whole family.  Loved their slide show that they posted on Facebook, and I've stolen two of the photo highlights. Looks like paradise. I would also note the very thick book that Miles was reading.  Could it have been Moby Dick?

They must have just got back in time for the start of school.  Summer's over.  Sigh.  But not so far gone that we aren't inundated with tomatoes, big and small.  Tonight it's gazpacho, courtesy of Andrew, and cherry tomato and corn salad.  We might become tomatoes.

We see that Jeff and Melodie also hit the road, or the skies, that is.  They headed up to Minnesota for a family week.  That meant Simon got to take care of Hopper.  Or was it the other way around?  Either way, Hopper must be a very patient dog.

And also on the travel list.  Don't spread this too loud, but Annie and Sankar are at Burning Man, right now.  Call me old-fashioned, but that is not on my bucket list.  It would have definitely have been tempting when I was their age though.

We had visitors both weekends in August.  Our Foreign Service mates who we walked the Camino with were here.  We got shut out of the John Williams 90^th birthday party at Tanglewood, since they were sold out.  Check out the Yo Yo Ma and James Taylor tribute on Youtube.  We did see Itzhak Perlman though in the morning for a rehearsal, and I have to say that I didn't detect any mistakes that needed rehearsing.  Marj and Lew were also here, and after going on an owl prowl in state forest, where we heard no owls, we saw a bald eagle at the restaurant on the lake where we ate the next night.  So much for nature.

The big news from the Boyle world is that Colleen retired.  Either she's too young.  Or I'm too old.

Other than that, when I look back at my calendar for the past two weeks, it is taken up with OLLI meetings.  That's a sign that I've taken on too much.  Mary's calendar is full of tutoring English to now four different recent immigrants.  One, though, is not so recent.  She's been living in this area for at least five years and doesn't speak a word of English. 

Made it to the end of the letter.  Mary's been watching Simon, following him outside, then back inside, then back outside, and coming back inside one more time.  Gripping.  But cute.

Hope you all are healthy and happy and feeling as fortunate as we do, every day.

Love from up here.  

August highlights

Let's start out with congratulations to Johanna who finished her Master's degree work at Northwestern.  Peter and Janet flew out for the graduation, with Andrew and Lur also in attendance.  They got together with Bill and Jen and family for a barbecue to see their growing family.  Jen is all better from her bout with Lyme disease.

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?  Or at least Margaret?  Three guesses.  No?  Norway., until yesterday.  Was she the first Dickson to go to Norway?  She was there for a week, with friends attending a wedding.  The original plan was for Andrew to go and us grandparents to watch Simon, but somewhere along the way that got changed.  The two men stranded in DC seemed to be enjoying themselves, at least from the perspective of Tiny Beans.

We see that Donald was attending and having a blast (at least from the perspective of Facebook) a summer camp. Wonderful. Also, from the same perspective, Peter and Janet were also having a blast hosting their grandson.  Jeff and Melodie were having a similar blast in the Shenandoah region.  Were they really spelunkers as well? 

They also posted a garden haul to be envied, at least by me.  The weather turned cold and dry last week, and we have still not gotten a red tomato, our cukes shriveled up, the groundhogs ate the zucchini plants and the blueberries are through.  Lots of green beans and second crops of lettuce and radishes in the ground.

Annie and Sankar are still on track for their travel plans.  Sankar is taking a leave of absence from work, and he sold his motorcycle, in anticipation of leaving the Bay Area.  Grandma would be happy, about the motorcycle (as if I needed to say that.)

Down in Brazil, life is getting back to normal.  Almost, as John has had his sleep patterns disrupted and is vying with his sister for most number of middle of the night wake-ups.  Speaking of Brazil, we bought our tickets for Thanksgiving.  So did Annie and Sankar, and so did Margaret and Andrew  (and Simon).

And, in Daytona, John and Marilyn have been under the weather, and not just the heat of Florida summers.  They have been battling Covid and a cold, respectively.

Two items of note came in the mail.  First, a collection of odds and ends from David, including buttons, old Christmas cards and report cards.  One read, "John is the finest human being I've ever encountered."  Okay, I exaggerate. Maybe it said something about studying harder and speaking up in class. The other were three drawings from Rell, of the Poconos.  Speaking of which, I'm still looking for pen and ink drawings of paintbrushes, garden chair under a tree, eyeglasses, the dump, leaf raking, garden, Mickey Mouse, etc.  Merci.

Here's a story I'm not particularly proud of.  Mary was pulling out of the vet's the other day, when a man in a truck behind her got out of his car and approached the driver's side window.  He held out his hand and showed her a cellphone that had been sitting on top of the trunk of her car.  It was mine.  I had inadvertently left it there, and she had driven at least ten miles with it on the back of her car.  She has since reserved a spot for me in the memory unit.

Speaking of memory units, turning 70 ain't so bad after all.  Mary graduated this week to an electric-assist bike, and loves it.  She cruised by me the other day on a hill, so maybe they're not just for the 70-plus age group.

Travel and visitors round out our two weeks.  We hosted friends who were in South Africa with us and down the road from us in Bethesda.  Highlight – Teo's hot dogs.  And then, we headed up to northern Vermont for our, now almost annual, retreat to Charlie's cabin on a lake.  In the process, the temperature dropped thirty degrees between Pittsfield and the northeast kingdom as they call it.  Highlight – Was it the two moose (picture below) we saw on our way to April's Maple, where they sell syrup and a soft serve called Maple Creamie.   Why are the highlights about food?

Hope your August is full of highlights.

Drama in July

The other day, someone asked me what I had been up to.  I didn't even know where to start.  The Poconos seemed to be a good place.  What a wonderful time.

We returned, and Mary got sick.  Bedridden sick, for three days before she went to the doctor who prescribed antibiotics.  And her biggest worry?  That she may have given it to others in the Poconos.  Hope not.

Then Joe's friend, Omar, from St. Andrews came for the weekend with his wife, and Mary rallied.  As soon as Omar left, Joe got sick, bed-ridden sick as well, until he went to the doctor's and they put him on antibiotics.  One small hitch.  He was supposed to leave the next day.  It was touch and go for a while, but he knew he had to get on the plane.  He rallied to pack and do his best to move in the right direction, lying in bed up to the minute we loaded the car. 

Travel these days is no fun, they say.  Joe is case in point.  We drive to JFK and he's checking the departure on his phone the whole way. Scheduled for 10pm. He's feeling a little better (thank you Mucinex and adrenalin) and as soon as they head off to security with John screaming because he can't pull his own suitcase, Joe gets a text message that the plane was delayed five hours. 

What could he do?  What could we do?  Then he calls us a little later and we're about an hour away on our way home to tell us the flight was delayed until 9am.  The team rallies.  He gets a hotel room nearby, Leonor starts working on the follow-on flight that they will miss, and Margaret orders diapers and milk through some DoorDash grocery app.  They get to the hotel about the time we get home.  Uggh.

We get a photo of the three guys the next morning on their way back to the airport – Thomas and John look fresh and raring to go, Joe looks like he's been through a ringer.  A ten-hour flight, with a two-hour layover to make the connection, after customs and immigration.  They did make it and arrived home safely and into the arms of their mother and wife..

How could I forget to mention the tree that fell on our house in the midst of all this?  Well, grazed it actually.  One of those micro-bursts that for three minutes had us running around the house shutting windows, but by the time we got to the second floor the huge maple limb had crashed down from our neighbor's property all the way across our peach tree and on to the side of the garage.

Besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?

Anyway, all's well that ends well.  Maybe.  Joe and the boys are reunited with Leonor and Luisa, and their toys, and their pillows.  They were fresh and ready to go in time for Thomas' birthday on Friday, and a party at home on Saturday.  Kids are resilient.  Grandparents, I'm not so sure.

We're actually fired up and raring to go now as well.  We feel blessed to have so much full time with Joe, Thomas and John.  It's the only benefit to living so far from our children that when we see them it's all in, no two hour visit and we're off.

Returning to normal, it was all things Melville this weekend, the annual Melville birthday celebrations.  We went to a fund-raising "gala' and silent auction that was surprisingly fun. Yesterday, we read at the Moby Dick marathon, and our sections included references to Berkshire marble!  This morning we went on our annual Melville/Hawthorne hike to the top of Monument Mountain with a group of academic types who launched a little seminar at the top of the mountain. 

How could I forget birthdays?  Mary's birthday last Sunday was actually a little subdued since she still wasn't feeling that good.  Ice cream cake always works though.  We saw pictures in upstate New York of Donald's birthday.  These parties started on our last night in the Poconos and will end with Everett's party in a few days.

Hoping you all have had less drama but as much fun.  Love from up here.    

Poconos recap

We're home. And you may be as well, although I know a few of you had longer drives and more fun things scheduled. There's probably no need for a breakdown since everyone was there and saw it with your own eyes but there was a lot going on and a lot of moving parts. On second thought, not everyone was there.  Some of us had to back out.

 

Highlights?

 

— well, just the fact that we got together, emerging from our lockdowns and sicknesses.  Mission accomplished, and more.

 

— newcomers in Rell and Jacob who blended in right away. Also Kieran, Simon and Joao were first timers. Did they blend in? Kind of, but in some ways, they took over. Happily.

 

— not seen in a while we're Claire and Andrew S.

 

— the dynamics of the youngest generation, playing together and getting along, mostly. Swords and Star Wars chatter, pirate ship and tetherball and swimming and sand kept all these little boys occupied. And they were all boys. C'mon Luisa grow up fast. Missed Auden and Elliott in the gender balance as well.

 

-- rentals. David got a motor for his row boat, and I think he and Jeffrey set a record for hours fishing. Did you know David caught and released a pickerel who acted like a great white whale upon release? Tina also rented a kayak and got her exercise in.

 

— other records? Joao for booboos. John (moi) for consumption of Klondike bars. Claire for pages read. Pages attempted was Joe who optimistically took a book to the playground. Oliver for fastest sprint around the lake. Paula for number of plastic ware purchased. We tied the record of four birthdays celebrated - Mary, Thomas, Everett and Donald. Annie?  Naps goes to Kiernan, who seemed to be either just waking up or just going down for a nap.  But there were quite a few runners up. I think there were a couple of records set for decibels reached at dinner the second night with a runner up being the after party in the same cabin later that night.

 

— I got some good drawings for the Pops Weekly Letter project. I'm still accepting entries so just take a picture of your finished product and send it to me via email. Annie and Bill and families can also partake.

 

What else? Food glorious food. Who brought all those cookies? Thanks. Lots of liquid diet to spur chatting and catching up.

 

In the catching up department, did you know Oliver was a Ninja warrior trainer? How about that Mary spent the last six months finishing a quilt from Lur's family? That Donald was right already? That Margaret starts a new job this week? That Johanna lives in Harlem? That Peter settled his case that kept him from coming? That Sean now works for Baltimore County as a DA? That Andrew had a moustache? That Melodie can draw a martini?  (Phew. Out of breath).

We'll let everyone know about next year, as I will sign up for their "same time next year" deal in the coming days.

 

Thanks everyone.  I know it's a long drive and a lot of work, but so much fun and so important to get together.

 

Love from up here.