It's a Wrap -2023

As I climbed out of the pool today from my water aerobics class, I realized I actually kept one new year's resolution from 2023 – water aerobics. Easy, since it was good stretching, a tiny amount of exertion, and a little bit of social activity, checking all those healthy living boxes for people my age. Might be the first resolution I ever kept. The pressure's on for 2024, just hours away. How about you? How long were you able to keep your resolutions?

But first, how was everyone's Christmas? From photos off social media and elsewhere, it looks like there were a) get-togethers across the Dickson USA; b) sicknesses shared in those get-togethers and c) full meals and carols and presents and decorated trees and even movies. 

We saw photos of Aunt Johanna playing with Kiernan, and Kiernan watching a movie, shielding his Elmo's eyes from the scary parts. We saw a trip to a park in upostate NY and a Lego Camp photo with completed Tai fighters. We saw Christmas trees in Illinois, and heard all about the extended time spent at the table. We saw Simon and his family at the theater, and we went to "Migration," but to be honest, it's eminently skip-pable. 

What was missing? SNOW. At least here. We did have ice, and Thomas and John spent hours with their assorted swords chipping away at the ice on the edges of brooks and lake. But then, after a few days, even the ice melted. That hasn't stopped the sword activity.

Other activities around here with Joe and Leonor and family here, have been Legos, library trips, Star Wars books, Aladdin (closely reaching a Guiness Book of World Records for times read), trips to Panera, trips to the doctor and pharmacy, carol and church services, traditions in this household anyway of listening to John Denver and the Muppets and watching the Muppet Christmas Carol and Love Actually (not my idea, but no one had to twist my arm.) Meals included Duck Rice, a Portuguese tradition and stuffed shells and prime rib, with great cookies!

And, as this excerpt from Annie's letter indicates, some of those traditions extended to India this year:  "We spent Christmas in Chennai. I got the most syrupy sweet drink at Starbucks while we walked around a decked out mall, we sang carols at Christmas mass, I watched The Holiday and Home Alone 2 (the superior of the series), listened to John Denver & The Muppets holiday album while making pancakes, and we had a traditional Christmas dinner of Thai Green Curry and vegan pizza. Really great."

Before the DC folks arrived, Mary and I went to NYC for our wedding anniversary. It's amazing how much you can cram into one 24-hour period in that city, even if you arrive with no plans at all. We did go to a play, "How to Dance in Ohio," a musical about autistic young adults, with autistic performers. We also tracked down a few Herman Melville sites, and weaved our way over to the Strand Book Store and Greenwich Village. We even mastered the subway system, which looked to us surprisingly clean, a step up from pre-pandemic days.

Some medical news. Andrew had a heart check-up and it looks like he's in store for by-pass surgery, some time early in the new year. Not fun, but to quote David, he'll feel instantly better after the operation.

One more bit of news from here. I opened up our local paper to see that Darrow School might close down at the end of this year. They need $6-7 million to keep operating, and then the same for next year. Many Dickson memories from Darrow.

So, back to the resolutions. We heard in church this week about families, and choices. Choices to be gentle, patient, forgiving, polite. You get the picture; these are choices we can make. Resolutions are choices, in a way.

And with that thought for the new year, here's to choices in 2024!

Love from up here. 

Baby it's Cold Outside

Only ten more sleeps!  We have a little more decorating to do, but Mary has done a lot, and me just a little, like taking advantage of my height for the tree-topping angel and the lights and the outdoor wreath, and a new star that lights up the birch tree at night. We have not graduated to inflatables. But there's still time. 

Since our last letter was devoted exclusively to a certain wedding, there is much to catch up on other happenings. After the wedding, Jeff and Melodie headed to the beaches at the Maldives, which looked pretty spectacular and chill.  Daniel went to Paris for a few days which looked like a different kind of spectacular and chill. Johanna went right home, but she had told us she was leaving NYC, so home may be back at Pennington, temporarily. She's looking at places along the Hudson River, perhaps even Hudson itself. Fun to plan, and dream.

While away, we noticed that Tina had quite a trip herself, joining a group for a tour up and down the Nile. Incredible scenery and lots of smiles in her photos.

Out in the Midwest, Claire came back for Thanksgiving, and we pass along photos of the theatrical accomplishments of Auden and Elliot.

We also talked to David and Paula, who is coming along nicely on her recovery, as she said she's been doing stairs and is comfortable walking around, and perhaps even driving. It seems David has struck up a correspondence with Karl Rove after a cold email response to a WSJ op-ed.

Speaking of recovery, Annie has been nursing a foot problem, exacerbated undoubtedly by hours of standing during you-know-what. She's had different diagnoses from torn ligament to arthritis, which means different treatments. Staying off her foot has probably helped the most, but that means staying cooped up inside. She is now back to outdoor walks, but taking it slowly. Not too slowly though, as she wrote this morning that she and Sankar are off on their post wedding trip to points west, Kerala and Ooty.

Other recoveries are in the coughing department, Mary and Margaret have had lingering, mysterious coughs. Negative Covid tests, but progress is slow. Mary feels good enough to go to the New England Masters Swim Meet this morning.

More big news is Joe and Leonor got their household shipment and car from Brazil, at long last. They've been living like nomad/campers for a couple of months, so it must be a relief. It looked that way for three kids who got reacquainted with their beds and toys and books. What an ordeal.  Luisa has started day care for a couple of days a week, and seems to like it.

Also, down in DC, Simon graduated to the next level in swim class.  He had made a lot of progress while in India, putting his head underwater, jumping in with reckless abandon, and making his way to the side of the pool.  And loving every minute of it.

Cincinnati update.  David sent an article saying that Coney Island was closing. Some of us remember P&G days there. I wonder if we were told to wear coats and ties there too. Coney Island had been in operation since 1886. Now it'll hold Taylor Swift concerts.

Life is good. We're expecting Joe and Leonor and family this week, through Christmas and beyond. Happily.

That's the news from Lake Pontoosuc.  Love from up here. 

Wedding bells (or drums)

Probably best to let Annie sum up her own wedding: "It's hard to put into words everything from the past month. Not only because SO MUCH HAPPENED, but also because I can't fully remember and actually don't really know what happened." I suspect any of the family that was there would say pretty much the same thing. But there is an element of the blind men describing the elephant as each of us saw and experienced it differently. And, that elephant folk tale is an appropriate metaphor because it comes from India.

Anyway, let me add a few thoughts, for the record.

-          At least two Dicksons told me that this trip left them a changed person. Hard to argue.

-          It was REALLY wonderful that each of the brothers' families was represented (Jeff and Melodie, Johanna, and Daniel.) And it was wonderful to see these cousins interact, with Joe, Margaret, Andrew, Annie and Sankar, as much as it always is in the Poconos.

-          Thomas and Simon added an indispensable touch, as they bridged the cultural divides for all of us. People everywhere respond to small children.

-          I told Annie that she was going to get on a moving sidewalk, and over the course of the four days of the actual wedding celebration, that sidewalk would move at different speeds and become a blur. I should have listened to my own advice. At times, I had to remind myself that I had a daughter who was getting married; it was such a cultural experience.

-          The wedding. Day 1 was Annie's arrival ceremony in Thanjavur (Sankar's hometown); Day 2 was the henna ceremony and dinner/party for families and close friends; Day 3 was the reception, consisting of an extended reception line over several hours; Day 4 was the wedding, with its rituals, and in the middle of it, Sankar tying the knot was the main event, judging by the crescendo of music and drum roll and loud applause afterwards, followed by another extended reception line. The wedding hall where events were held on days 3 and 4, was actually three large halls, two taken over by endless buffets, served by hundreds of people for the thousands of guests.

-          I would hasten to add a HUGE note of gratitude to Sankar's parents, and brother and sister-in-law, who hosted all of these events and guided us through them.

-          Even with all the religious traditions that were hard to understand, there was a fair amount of flexibility, or maybe it was forgiveness, since we didn't know what we should or should not be doing.  Case in point was Thomas and Simon deciding on their own to go up and sit next to Annie and Sankar during the ceremony. Instead of being hustled away, there were smiles all around.  But that's just one example; I think I could write a book about all our misunderstandings, if I even knew that I was doing something wrong.

-          One highlight was the invitation to go to Sankar's family house after the wedding, to meet up with his parents and brother and sister-in-law in a quiet space, and get to know them better. Mary and I returned one more time as we were heading to the airport and met with a similar reception. I will add here, that Annie and Sankar will be staying there for a few weeks before they head off on a trip to other parts of India before determining where they want to settle down.

-          And there was media coverage. A phalanx of still and video photographers in the hall, questions shouted out in Tamul to Sankar and a few to Annie in English. Thousands of likes on YouTube and Instagram the next day, articles in both Hindu and English press.  We actually coasted on that for the rest of our trip, as we repeatedly saw people in different places who had seen us and exclaimed their joy at meeting us. The articles gave these foreign guests credit for dispensing with our coats and ties and dresses and wearing saris and dotis.

-          A word on the food. I was never sure exactly what it was I was eating, but I know it was different preparations of vegetables, with spices, and condiments, sometimes served on a banana leaf. Quite a range of tastes. I should add that we all tried to eat without cutlery, but I was probably the first to give in and reach for the spoon and fork.

-          We had travel experiences before and after the wedding, sampling the rich, deep history and culture along the way. One bonus was our witnessing and even participating in a little the Diwali celebrations.

-          That meant driving from place to place. Which brings me to the subject of driving.  We didn't, luckily. I think the overall motto was "share the road," so many different life and vehicle forms on the actual roads. And then there is the weave, India's version of passing. I was reminded of the old algebra word problems about time and distance (a car is driving 55 miles an hour leaves 15 minutes before another car driving 60 miles an hour. How long does it take for the second car to catch up.) Drivers in India seem to have the best grasp on time, distance and space, as they squeezed around trucks, motorcycles, animals, and still managed to not collide with the trucks, buses, cars, motorcycles coming the other direction.  And, after three weeks on the roads in India, we didn't see one accident, and we only saw, miraculously, one minor road rage incident. (Sorry.  Why did I spend more space writing about driving than I did about the wedding?)

-          I was about to write that we managed to achieve my motto – no hospitals, no headlines. But I've already mentioned that there were headlines (good ones) and there was one urgent care visit when Thomas needed a new cast on his broken arm after the protective bag was not so leak-proof, and his cast was ruined after a short time in the pool. I should also add that Annie's trying to nurse a torn ligament in her foot.

-          I will not write about the flights as I hope that amnesia kicks in on only that part of the trip.

-          There's more, much more, and I think it could even be never-ending. But probably best to stop and leave a little for in person chats. We put our hand on our chest as the appropriate way to say thank you to Annie and Sankar for making all the arrangements to ease our stay. And we put our hands together and take a slight bow to them as they start their journey as a married couple.

  

 

Where in the world?

It's wonderful to walk out of the airport in a different country and see someone you know! Annie and Sankar! And a few minutes later we were in our cars on our way to the hotel.

We had driven down to DC a week earlier to help Joe out while Leonor had gone to Portugal with John and Luisa for her mother's big birthday/retirement party. So we were in school pick-up/drop-off duty for a few days. We took advantage of school time for Thomas to catch up with friends in the area.

And then, inevitably, the final trip to the airport. Margaret, Andrew and Simon joined us for the looooong flight. We crashed in Dubai for an extended layover and then off on our second leg. We survived and not even barely. Simon set a record for number of movies watched, broken a few days later by Thomas who may have watched all 17 Star Wars movies, or at least that many, judging by his excitement in retelling the plots.

A few days in Chennai to recover, add another beach to our book, and do some shopping. Gradually our internal clock started to adjust.

Then off to a nice hotel on the beach south of Chennai, in Kovalam. When we woke up the next day Daniel was there and later that afternoon, Johanna came!

We tempted the fates by trying out a water protector for Thomas' cast so he could go swimming. It failed utterly and resulted in a trip to the urgent care, a long wait, and a new cast.

And the skies opened up and we lived through our first monsoon. 36 hours or more of rain meant most of all scrambling to try to keep little boys occupied. They did well. So did their parents.

And then we squeezed in a little sightseeing and somehow it stopped raining for both our excursions. First a trip to a bird sanctuary where the drive there may have been more interesting than the birds. Two hours through South India rush hour.

Later, a few of us went to see the shore temples at Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO world heritage site reminiscent of Macchu Pichu.

And there's a wedding! The first ceremony took place yesterday, called the Puja for Sankar who had returned to his home for this groom preparation. Today, our US group heads to Sankar's home town of Thanjavur and Annie will have her own ceremony of Pen Azhaippu, placing sandalwood paste on Annie.

And there Melodie and Jeff will join us. More events over the following days with actual wedding on Sunday, and the reception the day before.

What's clear in all this activity is how much preparation and problem-solving Annie and Sankar have done to help us in this far-away place. As if they didn't have enough to handle! Thanks to both of you!!

I should add one quick other family news as we see on FB Tina's in Egypt. Looks exciting.

Off to pack for our trip to Thanjavur.

Love from over here.

Halloween Special

How can we do a weekly letter without showing the costumes?  Such clever ideas, and pretty obvious the next generation was all in, even if only for a short time for the youngest of them. We're heading down to DC tomorrow, so we're hoping that there's still some candy left over. We were shut out again this year – 12 years running. We reluctantly bought a bag just in case.  Dark chocolate: nobody would have liked it.

I talked to David who was right in the middle of their big Halloween parade on their street. He estimates they get about 200 a night, and he was up to 70 when we were talking.  He had fully recovered from a sinus infection, recovered enough to trick the youngsters coming up their path into giving him their candy. He tried anyway. Paula continues on her rebound!

Two more medical news items.  John Boyle's heart valve procedure went perfectly, and he was magically all better, with little pain or discomfort. He said the change in his energy and breath was immediate.  Miracle.

Not in the miracle category was Thomas' broken arm. You would think with all the climbing and jumping on couches and beds and bike riding that he would have broken it in some extreme sport fashion. Nope. He fell off a cafeteria bench awkwardly, and broke it. They knew something was wrong by the way his arm was twisted, but it took them way too long in the emergency room for them to get an x-ray and get it set right. Early morning hours. Joe and Leonor did a tag team in the er staying with him, and Leonor didn't get home until 7 in the morning.  Thomas was a brave, slightly subdued little boy when we spoke with him.

Wait. There's one more medical issue. I had a bad reaction from my typhus vaccine; I think I even got the illness.  Fever, all the stomach bad things that you can imagine. I finally got some antibiotics which wiped it out, but we had to cancel our weekend in Maine (not Lewiston) because of it.  

Mary went to a swim meet up in New Hampshire where she, of course, did very well. She found out her relay team from a meet in August placed fourth in the nation. I stayed home and did my old people water aerobics.

I did do my last tours of the season at the Melville house museum. And my last classes through the lifelong learning institute – one on Paradise Lost, which I actually read, and kind of understood.

Mark your calendars. We got our first downpayment on the Poconos for 2024 – July 18-21!

We talked to Annie and Sankhar a few times this week, finalizing last minute preparations. They had been staying at a place called Buddha Gardens, where they shared a room with a pair of scorpions. Serious.  Annie also mentioned she was mastering the technique of drinking water from a bottle without letting the bottle touch her lips.  And, on that score, in preparation for our visit, I've been reading a history of South India, where the author quotes from a Marco Polo journal, stating among other things "And when they drink they do not put the vessel to the lips but hold it aloft and let the drink pour into the mouth."  Some customs endure – that was 1292!

Our next weekly letter will come from Tamil Nadu, with Daniel, Johanna, Melodie and Jeff, Margaret, Andrew and Simon, Joe and Thomas all in attendance. I should mention that Annie and Sankhar have both done an amazing job in getting all of us ready, and comfortable, as well as all the preparations they need to make.  As they say in Tamil, "Nandri."  Now if I could only figure out how to say "I'm sorry," I'd be all set.

Next time, we'll have a ton of photos.

Love from up here. 

 

 

Falling into fall

I just decided.  October is the best month of the year. And the foliage this year isn't that good. I just like the cool, crisp nights, the warm days, pulling out the hooded sweatshirts and corduroys, the sports, the Halloween decorations and more.

I know one person who likes Halloween decorations too. Thomas. Moving around his new neighborhood, by car, on foot or on bike, he was scouting out all the decorations.  With a little encouragement from his grandfather, he even was shouting out, "C'mon guys. Decorate your houses." 

We went down to DC last weekend to help out with Joe and Leonor's move to their more permanent home.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, it doesn't matter if you're moving across continents or across the street, it's still a pain in the neck. But their new quarters are very nice, so it's worth it. Our help consisted of grandparent day care, and it was fun, for us. We'd wake up each day, wondering how we would make it to the end of the day, especially on Saturday when it was raining. We did, and it was not always predictable, but included dancing in the streets, lunch at McD's, swimming, wet playgrounds, hanging with Simon, watching Luisa with her dolls, telling stories, the list goes on. We made it and so far, no colds up here.

Wish I could say the same for Annie and Sankar who have been battling -- and winning the war against --  a few indecipherable illnesses.  But they recovered enough to do a day of sightseeing, that turned into a couple of days when their car battery died. Anyway, here's part of her latest missive: "Tiruvannamalai is a spiritual temple town in the mountains, with Arunachaleshwar Temple being its main draw. It's one of the largest temples in India; the main structures date back to the 9th century, but it's been a spiritual hub for much longer. It took us about an hour to walk through, as we had to pass through 5 different structures before reaching the innermost sanctum, where we received a blessing from the priest. In other temples we've visited, I haven't been allowed to go very far as a non-Hindu, so it was special to be able to see the full site."

Out west, or, as far west as the family goes, Claire has finished up her volleyball season; Andrew and Lur went to a concert of Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 (quick – what was their big hit?); don 't ask Jen about skateboarding; and Daniel is getting ready to join the crowd heading to India next month.

We've had some birthdays as well. This time Janet's – a great day. Claire's and Billy's and Kathleen's are coming up. I already mentioned Auden's birthday, but at her age, you need to celebrate it many times.

We'll be thinking of John Boyle this week as he goes in for his heart procedure. He's ready to get back to his exercise routines,

The book project proceeds, and I got advance copies.  I must say they look nice. Mary and I are going through one last time trying to catch small typos. Did you know that there never was a company called Procter and Gamble? It's Procter & Gamble.

On our way to DC, we took a detour through eastern Pennsylvania. A soccer teammate and captain (Tom Donley) from Princeton had invited us down to give a talk about my book on history and foreign affairs at his Rotary club. We stopped first at their "cabin" in the Poconos, not too far from Mountain Springs. Then off to York for the talk and dinner with his family. After, we headed over to Gettysburg. I think this was my fourth visit, and I am finally beginning to understand what happened, or pieces of it anyway. We were looking for the site of the famous photo during the visit with Pop and the boys, and then, on our way out, decided to stop at the spot where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. There it was, with a new sign up since the last time, "Silence and Respect." I wonder if that sign went up right after our visit in 1994.

I should add that Gettysburg took on a whole new meaning in light of our current situation. And, that's not only from me, as we heard it from a couple of park rangers as well. One more thought – the place was packed, and it wasn't even peak summer season.  So, thousands of people must be getting the same lessons, I hope.

And with that, we also hope all of you are happy, healthy and hungry!  Love from up here.  

Happiness is a ....

You may wonder - but you probably don't - how the photos are selected for these letters. It's easy.  As many as possible. And this time, there are so many that I'm tempted not to write anything at all. Except, that there's so much to include. And every picture tells a story.

For example, the picture of Simon at school jumps out when you look at his shirt and fill in the blanks of how it got so dirty. Or, the picture of Kiernan and Sean tells the story of a visit to the doctor, but neither of them look sick. Or, how about Joe and Thomas at the baseball game, where Thomas would have outlasted all of us, even though he had had a full day at school. What about Claire with friends (teachers?) soaking in the joy of a convertible. What's that backstory?

But there are others I couldn't squeeze in. Let's start with the birthdays. Happy birthdays to Paula and Tina, and looking ahead to Johanna and Auden. That's a lot of photos of blowing out candles. Or singing, as Donald and Everett show us.

All these pictures remind me of a friend who recently sent me a George Bernard Shaw quote – "A happy family is but an earlier Heaven." Or of a holocaust survivor's quote, "Happiness is a choice."

That last quote came from a play we went to this week called The Happiest Man Alive, which recounts the true and obviously harrowing story of Eddie Jaku, and there's a book and a TED talk to go with it.

The other quote comes from a friend who read through the book Have a Great Week, Love! Pre-publication activities are proceeding, and we are looking at a November date.

Happiness, for us, was a couple of visits to Washington, with a delayed rain date tickets for a baseball game. We wanted to invite Jeff and Melodie but they were getting over illnesses.  We watched Simon one night while his parents went to a wedding, and we had a marathon swimming pool outing.

Hearing Andrew and Lur recount their trip up to Kohler Wisconsin sounds like happiness too. They all went to a concert by a group we should have heard of before, called Guster. They also squeezed in a field hockey game with a Lawrenceville friend.

And happiness in Jersey is Janet back at the theater doing audio description.

Not so happy was our furnace situation. With temps going down into the 40s and 50s, the house was chilly when we got back from DC. What was supposed to be a quick visit by the plumber to turn on the pilot light turned out to be a major fix to the fan, along with a major bill. I have a picture of the broken part, but it's not so happy, except that we now have heat again. And, it gave us an excuse to get a free consult from Johnny, who filled us in on the next steps for his heart valve procedure.

Back in DC, Joe and Leonor have found more permanent quarters which they hope to move into soon. It's not far from where they currently are, and still walkable to school. It's near Sherman Circle which seems to be a busy place for families. We'll head back down there next weekend to see if we can help out with the move or with daycare during the move.  Is there such a thing as move-care??

We also had a consult with Annie about trip plans and what we'll do before and after the ceremonies. She and Sankhar have both been sick, but they still managed to squeeze in outfit preparations – one line from her latest chronicle stuck out for me: "for our wedding, we'll spend 25 times more on the bride outfit compared to the groom (and this does not include makeup, etc.). I'm starting to understand why the wedding industry is the fourth largest industry in India."

And with that thought hanging, we'll close this letter out with a final happiness wish for you.

Love from up here.   

Too dark to see

It's dark this morning when I woke up. And this week is the official end of summer. And don't even talk about the garden. What a weed fest. We do have pumpkins, small ones, one for each of the grandchildren. Why did I plant pumpkins?  They have drowned out the cucumbers, which I actually like. Oh well. As Mary says, live and learn. Next year.

We headed back to DC this week to help out the only residents in that city who are recently arrived from Brazil by way of Portugal. Joe was off for a week of travel to Taiwan and Korea. Everyone is settling in nicely, and it is a big adjustment. We went to grandparents' day at Joao's pre-school, and it was nice, even if he didn't know the word for "grandparent." He is rapidly picking up English, and speaking it so proudly. We walked to their school a few times, led by Thomas who knows his way around the neighborhood. Luisa mostly watches her brothers, but as soon as they're gone, she lets fly with jibberish that must mean something to her. Fun.

One day after school we took the two boys over to Simon's school and playground and then surprised Andrew for dinner. And we had all gone to an indoor playground on the rainy Sunday, followed by lunch at my favorite restaurant. Micky Dee's. Nice to be so close to cousins. Remember that?

Another day, while everyone was at school, we took the bus down to the mall and walked over to the Library of Congress. I had an appointment in the Manuscript Reading Room, trying to track down anything I could find on John Shields and the Dalton Gang. I struck out, looking through a box of Pinkerton Detective Agency records, because Jay Dean had told me that John Shields was employed there. Well, all the records I could find had the names of the outlaws but only a few of the actual lawmen. Hmm.  Where to next? Do I give up? No way.

Speaking of John Shields, it was sad to hear that Mike Kline, our cousin from Kansas passed away. His mother was Dorothy Shields Kline, technically Grandma's aunt, but not that much older, so more like a cousin. Mike had a difficult struggle with cancer, and when we saw his daughter Alden in Hawaii in March, she told us the cancer had returned and spread.

Also, sad to read about Tina's grandmother. I remember her at the wedding and reception. And, in many of Tina's posts.

One more item from DC - look out Coco and Serena because Margaret is taking tennis lessons.

On the way down to DC, we checked in with David and Paula, who continues to make good progress on her recovery. She's been out a few times, and working hard at PT. A long road.

Also on the medical front, John Boyle went into the hospital for a procedure to check out heart blockages, before he has to return to get his heart valve repaired. Fortunately, they didn't find major problems which means he doesn't have to have open heart surgery, but a less invasive procedure, similar to the one Mary had a few years ago.

One of the photos here must be the luckiest coincidence in the history of humanity. Look at the hat Andrew found at a thrift shop in Illinois. Now there's a story I'd like to read, how that hat made its way out there. Or maybe we should just make one up. Perhaps with the help of artificial intelligence. Claire is back at school, and coaching volleyball this year. And here's a photo of four visitors to their grandparents.  

And now for the latest from Annie, who unfortunately is also suffering from a prickly heat rash on her back: "In today's Tamil class we learned probably the most important question: "Sappiteengalaa?" - "Have you eaten?" Over the past six weeks, I've learned that the best form of small talk is anything revolving around food. "Have you eaten?" is usually asked after "How are you?" Followed by, "What did you eat? Where? Was it good? Are you hungry?" or "What? Why haven't you eaten!? Are you hungry?" Even while eating, you can spent half the conversation talking about food - what else you ate that day, if you like the food you're eating, what we should eat next. And I'm slowly learned to be prepared to share whatever I'm eating."  I'm already hungry.

As I head to the kitchen, sending you our love from up here. Look out for hurricanes this weekend!

Vacations and Stay-cations

Say goodbye to August. Not Pat and Jen's 4-month-old, but the month. We actually saw them yesterday, down in Westerly RI, which is one reason why the letter is late. 

No, say goodbye to the summer. How did that happen?  It went by in a whirl. I wonder if we didn't pack it in, then it would go by slower. Hard to even remember that Annie and Sankar were here with us for a couple of those months. Seems like ancient history. But fun ancient history.

Speaking of Annie and Sankar, here's a little snippet from her latest missive: "Big news is last weekend we went wedding saree shopping. Sankar's Mom and aunt met us in the South Indian capital of silk, and especially silk sarees: Kanchipuram. Apparently, it was an auspicious day, at the start of wedding season, so there were about 1000 people in the shop. Everyone was seated on the floor in groups of 5-12, with an assigned shop attendant who unfolded and refolded what seemed like hundreds of sarees. Yes, I got mine for the reception and wedding - exciting. But we also got 20+ more. We spent four hours there (not to mention Sankar's mom who arrived two hours before us), and most of the time was spent picking out sarees for specific family members to wear to the wedding. The best part - there was a tea and samosa shop on the second floor."  A photo is below.

The other big news is school started. We had almost hourly updates as Thomas started kindergarten, and John and Simon went to pre-school. There were some tears at the start of the day, and fatigue at the end of the day. I'm not sure if John was crying because he didn't have the language, or he missed his mother, or his backpack was almost as big as he was. His brother, though, even wanted to stay for after-school day care. Did he want to sleep there too? 

One Dickson family opted to go south before their sons went back to school. Matthew and Tina headed to Orlando, which fortunately wasn't in the direct hurricane path, at least not Idalia. Maybe Hurricanes Donald and Everett. I can't help but ask, in relation to the photo here who was the goofiest. Looked like a lot of fun.

Margaret also had a vacation, but didn't go anywhere, so I guess it qualifies as a stay-cation. Sounds heavenly. Joe and Leonor continue their house-hunting, trying to squeeze in visits in between school drop-offs.

After not going to Tanglewood almost all summer, we crowded three visits in a week. To John Williams film night, Star Wars, and Jackson Browne. All three were terrific, the last one with the Super Blue Moon rising next to the big screens.

We too had kind of a stay-cation, but not planned. We were supposed to go up to Vermont for our by now annual visit to the "northeast kingdom," but a few days before Charlie (where we stay) wrote us with pictures of his home in North Carolina that had been demolished by a tree falling during a micro-burst. They had better things to do than go bike riding and maple ice cream eating.

Instead, we stayed home and played host to other Peace Corps friends who have a home in Michigan, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, and on the western shore of Ireland. It was fun reconnecting, but we had nothing to do with the coup the day after our friends left here.

It was interesting that Gabon had so much news attention, likely due to the other coups in Niger and elsewhere in Africa. The electronic talking drum was busy that day with friends all exchanging news about the fraudulent election and military takeover hours after the winner was announced. One friend had presciently written the day before the election and said, "Wonder who's going to win?" I guess it was one election "victory" too many for the Bongo family. Except that it was a cousin of Bongo who is the general in charge now.

On our last trip to Washington, we went to the Independence Day reception hosted by the Gabonese Ambassador. He used to work at the Peace Corps office in Libreville, and he used his remarks to gush about Peace Corps and to say he was hopeful that Peace Corps would return there. Pretty sure that prospect is on hold.

Anyway, happy Labor Day to everyone, happy start of school and fall and football.

Love from up here.  

 

 

Welcome!!

Dateline Washington.  Guess who's making her first appearance in the US of A?  Luisa!  She's arriving with Leonor, Thomas, John and Avo Patricia later today.  So, of course we're here. And in 50 years when they ask us where were you when Luisa first came to the US of A, we'll be able to say, we were at Dulles Airport in the greeting party.  (50 years?)

We drove down yesterday, and went straight to Joe's temporary quarters where they'll stay until they find something more permanent. They look like they've had a fun-filled, glorious time in Portugal the last few weeks, and now they're coming back to ???? 

Moreover, we saw Simon this morning before he went off to school/daycare. Surprised him actually, since we got here after his bedtime last night. He's a real boy now, getting dressed by himself and more. They grow up so fast.  (We also saw Margaret and Andrew!) 

And, while we meet family, we also said goodbye. To Annie, who started her adventure in India, with a long plane trip, but probably welcome after all the last minute crush of stuff to do before leaving. She's in Chennai, staying at Sankar's family apartment, getting over jet leg and doing, she says, touristy stuff. Here's a snippet from her letter:  "It's been a week since I arrived in Chennai, and overall, things are going great. As I've likely told some of you already, it is much more chill than I was led to believe. With the exception of the traffic - now, that is nuts. Sankar has been chauffeuring us around in a Maruti Suzuki Swift, a small white four seater that seems to have come right out of Roger Rabbit - it can pivot on a dime and squeeze into virtually any gap. I've found the best way to get through a particularly treacherous stretch of chaos is to simply close my eyes."  We have spoken to her a couple of times, the latest when she was watching Sankar and his friends play cricket.

We spoke with David and Paula.  They had hosted Matthew and family for Everett's birthday party.  Paula says she's on the mend, and she sounded strong. She's been doing PT, and her caregiver (David) is doing it all, except when he's on the porch recovering with a glass of something in his hand. Along with this new job, he has rejoined the board of the state insurance agents association.

Out in Illinois, Andrew and Lur have been cat-sitting for Claire's kitty. She was back in Michigan supervising her move, only to find that the ferry across Lake Michigan has shut down, making her journey longer than expected.

It's been a busy first part of August back in Pittsfield. The highlight has been the work done by an arborist last week, who came out to save our storm-battered hydrangea tree, and the old crabapple tree that blooms so rarely now. It was a real treat to talk to someone who had insights into each of our trees, and admired quite a few.

What do you do when they close the Y swimming pool for annual maintenance? Mary swims in the lake, and yesterday before we left, she did a lake swim in the rain. Who cares, she says? You're already getting wet! John stays home in the dry house.

We had our annual Melville weekend, marking his birthday and his hike with Nathaniel Hawthorne up Monument Mountain. I was able to corral a few of my college roommates to read at the Moby Dick marathon.  Maybe next year, I could get family members to read with me!  I think Kiernan might be ready, since he's getting in a lot of practice!

More on the cultural front – we went to "Film Night" at Tanglewood along with 20,000 of our closest friends.  We all braved the traffic and tight quarters to listen to John Williams conduct music from his many film scores.  We also went to a play, Fences, performed at Shakespeare and Company.  Magnificent. And the New York Times carried stories about both recently!

Oh, I should mention the cover. Thanks to all who voted – the cover with the photos was the clear favorite, although the publisher thought the typewriter and blank space one was an award-winning cover.  Wouldn't think of trying to overturn this election. (Ouch)

And so, hope you're all well.  Love from DC

 

 

 

Poconos 2023 - It's a Wrap

The Poconos seems like ancient history, but it was only a week ago that we came home (and celebrated Mary's birthday, while others were celebrating Donald's birthday.)

Let me start by quoting Janie who wrote such a lovely note that I wanted to share with everyone.  "At last I am finding a moment or two to tell you how much it meant to all three of us to be part of your terrific celebration of family with the continual chorus of praise (and humor) as we thought of those two Dicksons - Mom and Pop or Sis and Don or Aunt Georganna and Uncle Don - however we named them over the perfect weekend ….. It was special for me to get to know or at least get acquainted with the next generations and their spouses and offspring.  Fond memories:  The beauty of MSL resort and its seductive silence.  The sun shining through the dense trees.  The beauty of the lake and the beach with the Dicksons scattered on or in it. The delicious food and good conversation.  The apparent ease of it all happening. Thanks to you all for what you've given me and my family."  And, of course I wrote back about how we obviously enjoyed having their joining us. 

Her account is a good enough wrap-up, for me.  But, I'll add a few more thoughts, things we learned.

-- Two Dicksons have added tattoos since last year, making a total of at least three who have made that leap!  Can you name all three?

-- Rell has started her own art studio and is selling clothing made of her art work.

-- It's hard but not impossible to get everyone to follow directions – think of group photo, lining up for chow, etc.

-- We had a few firsts, but one that I remember is pizza night.  That may not be the last time we do pizza, even though we probably didn't need ten large pies.

-- Fernando is not a chef, contrary to what I've been saying for years.  He works for the Department of Health which taps into his language skills to reach the sizable Brazilian community on the Vineyard.

-- Jacob has lost 70 pounds by eating only between the hours of 12 noon and four pm

-- Kiernan loves the water!! Everett loves dinosaurs!! Simon loves tetherball!! Donald loves to swim to the dock!!

-- I think I know where everyone works, but I'm not confident enough to match people with places of work.

Donald made it all worthwhile when he ran up to me upon arrival and asked where was Thomas.  Next year, Donald.  

And there is going to be a next year. And we have better cabins.

And next year, we hope that David and Paula are there, the Bill Jones family, and the Joe Dickson family. We missed you all.

Janie passed along these photos that  typify the random chaos of beach and meal time.  There's also one here of Thomas' birthday in Portugal.

Oh, and before leaving, there was a resounding consensus on the title of the weekly letter book – Have a Great Week. Love!  The publisher says there's still time to make that change.

Love from up here!  And Happy day tomorrow Everett.

 

 

Mission Impossible

Sure feels like the tropics around here. Wouldn't be surprised to see palm trees lining the roads soon.

We're back home after our annual camping trip. To Pittsfield State Forest. Five miles away. Makes it easy if you forget something (flashlight) and can run home and get it. Makes it easy if there's thunderstorms (at 6-ish this morning) and can run home for proper shelter. But we made it through the night.

You ask why? Well, Annie had invited some friends for Saturday night and we offered to get out of their hair. They went to Tanglewood for music and we went to the woods for the music of the roaring brook by our tent.  Mary got there after dark so the tent was already set up. She claims she had a swim meet in Connecticut somewhere but I just don't know.

Another busy week at the Hancock Road B&B as Charlie and Annie came over for a night and we were changing the sheets when Annie's friends arrived.

If our week was busy, I'm not sure how you describe Joe's. Mission Impossible, perhaps. He accompanied Secretary Yellen on her trip to China (see NYT photo) and after four days of meetings and jet lag, boarded planes for Brazil. He had one day to adjust when the movers showed up and then three days of packing out. I bet Thomas and company were a big help too. They leave tomorrow, for Portugal. He'll have a short vacation there and return. Leonor and the children stay until mid-August when they return, with Leonor's mother. Are you exhausted reading this? We barely remember doing these moves, but we never had to contend with relocating across four continents.

Did you all have a memorable 4th? So did we. Parade and fireworks and rain and barbecue. We had invited over the two Afghan families we're tutoring. Not sure we get high marks for cultural sensitivity as we had planned on a barbecue of burgers and chicken until someone reminded us they only eat halal meat. So with no halal butcher for fifty miles, we grilled fish. And it rained on and off. But we all managed.

To round out Simon's stay up here (and Margaret and Andrew) we headed to our old Rhode Island beach haunts for a couple of nights. The excuse was Kathleen Boyle's baby shower so we extended it. And well worth it. Simon loves the beach and sand.  We saw almost all the Dan Boyle family which was nice too. Kathleen is due on August.

John Boyle stopped in this week. He had come up from Florida for the funeral of a friend and we compared heat notes. Florida beats the Berkshires hands down.

Out in Fairport, Paula is home and looking at a long recovery. But she's home and has an attentive care giver.

If you're on Facebook, you saw Peter and Janet's new dog. We should hear all about it later this week.

This WEEK! Yes, it's here. Thursday night we'll see everyone in our own compound of cabins. Hope the weather cooperates.

Old news. Billy has been coaching a girls baseball team. With Elliot. Player-coach team! Here's a photo of her holding her rapidly growing younger brother Theo.

Not old news. Happy birthday to Andrew and Annie. I know we had a festive day here; how bout in Illinois?

The rain has started coming down in buckets. Sure glad I'm not in a tent.

Love from up here. And see you Thursday.