See you in September

Dateline. Canadian border 

In Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom, in particular. At our friend Charlie's lake cabin. It's a bit chilly but quiet and beautiful. We're on vacation. 

We're nearing a week with old Peace Corps friends so that means reminiscing and telling tall tales and sharing photos. Pretty amazing the ties that still bind after 45 years. 

The only bummer was we couldn't get together with Matthew and Tina who had decided to spend a long Labor Day weekend at Lake Taghanic State Park. Only a hour away. Too bad but you can always come back. 

Before that we enjoyed a week with Margaret and Simon. Simon went and conquered the same day camp that his cousins attended in July. Andrew had to work so his wife and son flew up for the week. They got back home in time for his kindergarten orientation session. 

Over in London, Thomas started his new school and John starts tomorrow. Everyone will remember the nerves on first day in a new school. Pretty sure they'll conquer their schools. 

They came back from a couple of weeks with their grandparents in Portugal  They moved into their new house with all their stuff thanks to Leonor. Joe is now able to do his job search and get ready to roll out the red carpet for Daniel who's heading there for a couple of months for a class, I believe. 

Out in Illinois, Jen and the kids returned for a quick visit. They must have been happy to see Andrew and Lur. Claire had been out to Denver as well. 

We caught up with John and Marilyn, one of whom had a nasty fall playing pickleball. Who says it's not a full contact sport?

We also talked to Annie a couple of times. She is knee deep in paperwork, trying to regularize her status.  That meant getting her parents' birth certificates. We found them but mine was a Cincinnati Hospital certificate that had Donald and Georgianna's name on it but not mine. So the question I'm asking is how long did it take them to give me a name?

Over in NJ we saw Johanna sporting a new, cute hairdo. 

Back here in Vermont, we saw a shirt today that said "Elbows Up'. I heard that's a hockey expression to defend yourself. Makes sense. 

Happy September everyone!!  

Dog days ... and kitties too

Sometimes you think nothing really happened when these letters get started and then … POW!  The memory kicks in.

The first of the month saw Margaret and Andrew moving to their new house. A block away. Mary and I went down to help in the only way we knew how. Watch Simon. And that meant the farmers' market, the pool, pulling the wagon with stuff, MacDonald's and other assorted diversions. Fun.  Meanwhile back at the ranch, Margaret and Andrew were exhausting themselves crating things back and forth and then supervising the professionals who came to move the big stuff. By the time we left Monday morning (and Simon back at camp), they were in their new house with a bit of a mess to clean up. But happy. It's  very nice. The best part, from Simon's vantage point, was the doorbell. I say "was" because his mother was threatening to dismantle it after the first 78,286 rings.

On the way home, we checked in with Paula who is feeling much better, and told us about Donald and Everett and their outdoor adventures. The picture of Everett fishing looks a little like his grandfather.

The group in London was settling in, visiting the sites, and then off to Portugal to visit Leonor's family until their shipment clears customs and they can move into their permanent quarters back in their new hometown. Fun to see the photos at Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower Bridge and the double-decker buses.

Further east, in India, Annie and Sankar continue to move forward on their project, breaking ground for a fence, a pond and making their first plantings. Progress.

Closer to home, we see that a New Jersey contingent went down to a Maryland contingent to spend time with Sean and Erin's two little boys, growing up so fast. 

Has the shine from the Poconos worn off yet? I found the letter written after our 2015 reunion, the first in the annual treks (except for COVID). Check it out and see how far we've traveled: July 2015. A thought: when you look at the website, you can find old weekly letters, dating back to 2008. Also, remember, you can add your own letters and/or updates simply by sending an email to popsweeklyletter.bubbles@blogger.com.

Winter in the Berkshires is kind of lonely, and every year we wonder if we have any friends left. Then summer arrives, and we play host to a steady stream of family and friends, and we forget about being lonely. But that's true with most folks in this neck of the woods. We were lucky to have Mary's book group descend, ahead of some Foreign Service friends and then another FS friend from Cornell, and tomorrow it'll be Margaret and Simon for a week. We also made time to head over to Northhampton for a day of hiking and bridge.

And we even squeezed in a one-day trip to Waltham where I underwent a procedure to get ready for radiation in September. Kind of knocked me out but I'm back on my feet again. Mary's been in the water quite a bit, helping to teach school children how to swim.

Will someone tell the summer boss to slow down a little. We love these short, sandal and tee-shirt days.

Love from up here.

 

 

Poconos2025

When we used to teach, the end of July was a little scary. The summer's almost over. Even without the teaching deadline hanging over our heads, it's still a little sad that we're seeing too much summer in the rear view mirror.

But what a summer it's been so far. First of all, does anyone remember the Poconos? Seems like a long ways back. But, as Andrew wrote in a note afterwards, it was different but differently great. It was too bad David and Paula had to pull out at the last minute as Paula had come down with pneumonia.  We were able to give them a call on the last night and have them join the birthday celebrations.

We had a couple of new traditions, First, some of us stayed an extra night, Sunday, which allowed others to hang out longer on Sunday and even use the showers in the three cabins we kept. Second, Margaret and Andrew inherited a pinata, and one evening we watched as the boys took pretty vigorous whacks at the number five hanging from a tree. This time, the pinata was fully loaded, bringing to mind a Christmas pinata in Mexico when we didn't know you have to fill it with stuff.  There was disappointment then but an enduring story.

Highlights? I'm sure everyone has their own, but the five boys eagerly awaiting the birthday cake arrival was exciting. Wish it had lasted forever. And then there was the usual chatting, and eating, and swimming out to the dock, and playing in the sand, and swinging and tetherball, walking and boating. Those too I wish could last forever.

Melodie started us off on some musing over how many years we have been spending a July weekend together at Mountain Springs. We came up with a magic number 10, but then remembered that we took at least one year off in 2020 due to Covid. And, I just checked, we also skipped 2021 for the same reason. You can compare the two group photos from 2015 and 2025.

Anyway, we signed up for next year, and the dates are …. Thursday July 16-Monday July 20.

One more memory from the Poconos was of Joe driving up on Thursday at 11:30 after cleaning out their house in DC. His car was stuffed, and he had a box spring on the roof of his car, that he thought we wanted. Anyway, it was family reunification of sorts, for at least the boys in his family. Then a week later they got on a plane, in business class no less, and had a full reunification in London with Leonor and Luisa. They're off on their next adventure, and the photos they're sending along so far look fantastic. I should add here that we were sad to see them depart, as we enjoyed three never-get-back weeks with two wonderful boys.

Margaret and Andrew are having their own stressful days as they prepare to make their move to a new house, tomorrow. We are going down to help out with another wonderful boy while they pack up, drive the block to their new abode, and unpack. You can place your bets that there will be a lot of pool time this weekend.  Hope it doesn't rain.

There were birthdays and a lot of them.  Mary and Donald share one day, then Thomas, and tomorrow is Everett's. Oh boy! Ice cream cake is my downfall.

Finally, there's a story from India with Annie and Sankar taking a walk through the forest and getting attacked by leeches. Maybe attacked isn't the right word, but then again, maybe it is. Are they the first in the family to have too pull leeches off their bodies?

On that happy note, wishing you all happy days for the rest of the summer.

Love from up here.

 

This week, the Poconos

It's grandchildren, non-stop in Pittsfield. First, Simon and Margaret came up for a week at Camp Baba and Mimi that included, perhaps most importantly, Simon as the official groundhog chaser, done with such enthusiasm. We had campfires, did water slides, played baseball and went for walks over to the lake where, most importantly, we discovered a dead bird.

We also went to the 4^th of July parade and had a barbecue. Joining us were the John and Marilyn Boyle family, or at least most of them who could make it. John's grandson Robbie set up a tent along the parade route, staking his claim at 4:30 in the morning. Thank you! A lot of reminiscing and inspecting our no-mow lawn and pumpkin patch where Grandma Boyle's house used to be. It's actually turning out to be no rain-summer, making for a pretty slow-growing pollinator field/pumpkin patch next door.

They also inspected our latest project, a grape pergola in the backyard, built with posts from Grandma Boyle's porches. Before the teardown, we salvaged a few sentimental objects, including the number Seven that now adorns the pergola. We have two grape vines, so we're crossing our fingers.

We do have raspberries, the most we've ever had, and a few strawberries. Blueberries are just starting to come in, and lots of lettuce.

The day after the 4^th, we had the changing of the guard. Margaret and Simon left in the am, and later that afternoon, Joe, Thomas and John pulled in the driveway. Joe had to get back to DC for house-closing work and end-of-work work. He will be unemployed basically when he arrives in the Poconos.

In the meantime, John and Thomas have been in summer day camp which they love. They have managed to slow down only when one of their parents calls. Leonor went to Lisbon this weekend with Luisa who will stay there when Leonor goes back to London for work. Sound complicated? It is, but it's what you have to do in the middle of these big life changes. So far so good. Except for one 4am visit to the emergency room for Mary and John. All's well that ends well.

We are enjoying the short time we have with little boys, even those moments when things go off the rails. They love the outdoors, feeding the ducks, throwing and skipping rocks in the lakes, and seeing a beaver at the pond in the park. Of course, we've had campfires (with Simon too), and played all kinds of games in the yard.  At the end of each day, we all kind of collapse.

We didn't miss Annie's birthday, who called from a beachfront in Kerala where she and Sankar had gone for the occasion. It was a nice respite from their land building projects.

We couldn't forget Andrew's birthday either. And his and Lur's anniversary, which go hand in hand, as we remember the Oscar Swan Inn festivities so many years ago.

Quick check-in via Facebook reveals that the Matthew Dickson were at Fort Niagara for a battle reenactment, Claire wrapped up her Ireland and Scotland tour, Bill and Jen went to Colorado Springs. Here's a photo with Billy on a four-wheeler. At least, it's not a motorcycle, Grandma!

Finally, in anticipation for this Thursday, John told us the other day that the Poconos is his favorite place in the world, better than Massachusetts, Brazil, Portugal and Washington DC. Unfortunately, Paula came down with a bout of pneumonia so they're going to have to miss this grand adventure, again. They were so looking forward to it. What a shame.  We'll send photos but it won't be the same. We'll miss you.

Love from up here, and see you this week. 

 

Birthdays and travel and more

There's a thunderstorm outside right now. We've needed the rain, and even some wind to blow the humidity and heat away. Hope it works. But it's also a good time to write a letter.

Guess who's here, in Pittsfield? Simon.  And Margaret. Not Andrew, who stayed in DC since he still has to accumulate leave hours. Last year, they could work virtually. But not no more.

Margaret and Simon drove up yesterday, a few days after we left DC. We had spent a week down there, hoping to help out Joe and Leonor with their pack-out. Watching them, surprisingly we did not get PTSD from our many moves, but we did recognize it's a lot of work. The movers left them with a pretty empty house but with some borrowed items, they are making do for a couple of weeks. It was hot, so we spent a lot of time at Margaret and Andrew's pool they recently joined. Reminds me of the Indian Hill pool. Perfect for boys with boundless energy.

Timmy completed his move. He is down in his own house, near Daytona, not too far from John and Marilyn who have helped him tremendously in his move. They are escaping the heat of Florida to come up here for the 4^th of July, but I can't make any promises on cool, Berkshire weather.

Three June birthdays! First, Melodie, who looked to be enjoying the festivities in Minnesota!  Without Jeff, who's probably in the same boat as Andrew, accumulating leave hours. Then Miles, and then Leonor. Guess who went bowling on their birthday? Why not? Maybe Melodie and Miles also went bowling, but I didn't see any photos.

Andrew and Lur spent the week at their annual retreat on Green Lake in Wisconsin. They time it every year to coincide with the Ripon reunions, which they attended. A special place for them. Claire couldn't join them this year because she's in (cue the drum roll) …. Ireland. She joined a choral group a while back and they are singing their way through Ireland. The photos are great. 

There's a photo here of a new building on Annie and Sankhar's place. I have already picked out my room, so you better put your requests in soon.

So that's a lot of family travel, but I'm wondering if anyone went to Venice to attend Jeff Bezos' wedding. I checked the photos but didn't see anyone I knew.  Kind of upset I wasn't invited.

Instead, we headed to Boston, the day after we got back from DC, giving our old cars a real workout.  I had a few appointments, check-ins mostly and my favorite – a blood draw. Next time I'll take a selfie of the experience. It'll show me with my head down, fists clenched, afraid to look up and see what's going on. Of more interest was our meeting with the nutritionist. I asked her what she gets when she goes to Dunkin' Donuts. You know what she said? She doesn't go there. Imagine that.

In a few short weeks we'll be in the Poconos. We'll have ample space this year, and the resort even took back one cabin, at no charge. Anyway, looking forward to seeing you all. 

Love from up here. Happy 4^th!

Moving days

 I wanted to write this letter yesterday, but it was FATHER'S DAY!  So much to do and take advantage of, naps and barbecues and phone calls and repeat. In between the Father's Day fairy was hiding my favorite snacks all over the house, on my pillow, on my computer, in my work gloves.  And then today, what a letdown. I have to wait 364 more days.  

But, let's reverse, and remember that since the last letter Andrew and Lur were here. And there and seemingly everywhere. If everywhere includes Princeton to see Peter, Janet and Johanna, and Fairport to see David and Paula. Oh, there was a 50^th high school reunion thrown in there too.  The highlight of their visit here, for them, must have been walking over to the lake to see all the construction there, on wet and uneven ground. I don't doubt that they never come back.  The highlight of their visit for us was sitting around and chatting. Or, as Paula says, "visiting." It was fun. And a correction – they had purchased and were driving their new Mercedes, not a Volvo. (Only kidding, it's a Lexus, with a cassette deck.)

We had other visitors as well, friends from Mexico, so we relived those days a bit. We even took these high-end gourmets off to Teo's one evening. They loved it!  I think.

Around the horn – Leonor is back from London for a couple of weeks; she'll be working from home and helping get ready for their pack-out. Margaret and Andrew have bought a house! Just down the street, a single-family house with a nice yard for you-know-who.  They close on August 1, so they are also moving.  And Annie and Sankar have fixed their land dispute, so they are spending more time in their new home. You'll need a map – it's near Kodaikanal.

Timmy's moving as well, as he hopes to get to Florida by July 1.  Are we the only ones not moving?

Around the horn for photos as well – the next generation. Billy and family in some wild west park/town, Oliver helping Donald with Ninja moves, a happy Ronan because he's in his Mom's arms, Joe at Great Falls, and Simon enjoying a birthday party.

We've been spending a lot of time in the garden, and we are far behind, but catching up, thanks to Mary. My ride-on mower broke last year, and I hired someone to finish out the growing season with the idea that I would make a decision this year on a new one. I hemmed and hawed and then no-mow May ended, and I still couldn't pull the trigger on a machine that cost in the thousands. So, my wife called in the reinforcements, and her swimmates all sent suggestions for guys with huge mowers. In a few hours, I had hired a guy, our new best friend named George, to mow the high grass and then come back every week. Crisis averted. That's what amounts to a crisis around here. 

Speaking of crises, we did attend our No Kings rally on Saturday. Thousands showed up with very creative signs and costumes. From there, we went to a supper for the international club, where we persuaded a friend from Cote d'Ivoire to play his drums. Fun.

In a few minutes. I'm heading off to my least favorite place in the world: the dentist. I have a cavity that needs to be replaced. I will not put in my hearing aids since I don't really want to hear the loud drill.  My doctors in Boston told me to get my teeth in shape before treatments. Oh well.

On that not so happy note, wishing you all the best.  Love from up here.

 

  

  

Chapters

Two birthdays mark the last two weeks. And they both had a five in them.  John turned five, and Matthew hit the big 5-0.  Wait, how did that happen?  What happened in the last 50 years that time flew by so fast?  Congratulations to both of you.

We missed Matthew's big day, but not John's. We drove down to DC in a fierce storm and stayed with Margaret, Andrew and Simon. They had just put in central air and heating and have a new garden container that holds strawberries which we picked! 

Across town, Leonor was getting ready for her departure. Her mom had flown in from Portugal and will help out Joe over the next few weeks while Leonor starts her new job in London. As you can expect, John was super excited (about his birthday, not his mother leaving). He gave us the memorable quote for the weekend when he shouted from the car the night before, "Don't remember my birthday!" I suspect he will never live that one down; at least I know I won't let him.  Kind of like Simon's famous phrase, "I don't want idea" when I told him I had another idea for an outing. A few years ago, but I still remember.

The weekend was more than a little sad since we knew that Joe and family were leaving and these last two years of living so close were a gift. At this writing, early Sunday morning, Leonor should have already landed in London. We realized, though, that it probably takes as much time to drive to DC as it does to fly to London. We're excited for them in their new chapter.

And, Timmy has a new chapter, as he is also moving. To Florida. He spent a couple of weeks with John and Marilyn, and they helped him pick out a house in a community. He seems happy to leaving the cold and owning his own place.

Health update – Mary was my Uber driver to Boston and back on Thursday for doctor's appointments. I started hormone therapy which consisted of a shot, every three months for a year or more. The whole thing is no longer an abstraction.

We had a long chat with David and Paula on the way home from Boston, and they filled us in on gardening and health and a conversation they had with Janie who's now living near Sooz on Martha's Vineyard.  They are looking forward to being in the Poconos after a couple of years of absence. So are we.

In a few hours, Andrew and Lur will pull in the driveway here in Pittsfield. They are coming from Princeton where they attended Andrews's 50^th reunion at Lawrenceville. There's that 5=0 number again. They did it right and stayed at the Nass in Princeton. We will hear all about it, including the dinner they had with Peter and Janet on Friday night.

And speaking of reunions, Peter showed up at the Princeton reunions for a talk with the alum General Mark Milley.  And did you know the oldest alum in the P-Rade was from Pop's class? Another sign of the passing time.

That means that we are passing into summer as well, as we've spent a fair amount of time getting gardens and porch ready. My no-mow May experiment is over, and now I have to buy a new tractor to get it back under control. Big decision – electric or gas-powered? The former is at least twice as much as the latter, but the former helps our climate. I know what I should do, but will I?

And with that quandary, hope you are all well and enjoying the season. Love from up here.

 

 

 

Happy Mother's Day

I had hoped to write Dateline Boston on this letter, but I couldn't squeeze in the time to write when we were in Boston. So, we're back in Pittsfield.

First things first. Happy birthday Sean! Wonderful photos of Kiernan serenading you and helping make your cake!  And belated happy birthday to Elliot out in Colorado.  Everyone's growing up too fast, including you Sean!

Next up, in order of importance, Luisa has graduated to a bed, no longer in a crib, and I think she's feeling pretty chuffed about it.  Congratulations!

And not a moment too soon, because the other big news is that Joe and his family are moving to London this summer. Actually, Leonor will be heading over in a few weeks to start a new job with the same bank (EBRD) where she worked when she and Joe first met. A major move like this means many moving pieces, most importantly with the young ones. But they are very organized and have worked out a logical plan. Joe is still unsure about what his work situation will be.  TBD. But we are excited about going to the mother country over the next few years. It has been nice to have them closer, but we figured that it may be quicker to fly over there than to drive down to DC.

And, of course, we will continue to drive to DC as well. In fact, we are going there this weekend to see them all, staying with Margaret, Andrew and Simon.

Speaking of children, did someone say Mother's Day? We saw a lot of pictures across various platforms which were wonderful. We celebrated here as well, with phone calls and a fancy dinner and all the pampering which takes place on this one day. After mothers work their tails off all year long, they get one day. This, of course, means Father's Day is right around the corner. Never too soon ….

In the wild west of Illinois, we heard that Claire came down to celebrate the day, and possibly to inspect Andrew's new car. Actually, old car, but new to them. And it's a Volvo! Hope to see it in the Poconos! And them.

Speaking of cars, John and Marilyn have given up on their Mercedes. Too many bells and whistles and screens and voice commands, and not enough buttons. They are doing well, but still perplexed by Marilyn's slow recovery. Colleen had emergency back surgery, but is out and on her own path to recovery. And, Timmy is heading down there this week to scout housing for his next move.

David is busy with the second phase of his housing project, important giving the nationwide problem of insufficient housing. He also sent a story citing Fairport as the "hottest" place to live – of course they live there.

We talked with Annie and Sankar, and they are still out near their new property in Kodaikanal. They are looking at various types of structures to put on their land so they can occupy it and work from there.

Back to Boston. Thanks to Kathleen who works at Dana Farber, we had a couple of appointments with doctors there, and left feeling encouraged at the non-surgical options. One of the doctors was excellent, in both his manner and information-sharing. We learned a lot. The next day, we had an appointment here in Pittsfield with another radiologist, who we also liked. So, now we're faced with a decision where to do the treatment. No clear path, but the good news is that it looks like I can't go wrong either way.

Lastly, I found a box with stuff from Mom/Grandma, that somehow I had just tucked away and never looked at. It seems she had saved many, if not all, of our letters, including our childrens'.  Many memories, all good. I also found the photo I was looking for of Pop painting shutters. I had wanted this for the cover of the weekly letter book, but couldn't put my hands on it. Now we have it.

With that, love from up here.

 

 

 

May is here!

Dateline Charlotte. Yes, we're in Charlotte on a layover on our way back home from a few wonderful days in Daytona with John and Marilyn. 

First things first. Charlotte qualifies as the worst airport. At least among all the ones we've been to. Too crowded; too much construction; too little food. Looks like a Jersey Turnpike rest area. Not as good though.  

Someone asked us in Daytona if we were on vacation. Can you go on a vacation if you're retired?  The answer is yes. It sure felt like a vacation. We went to the beach (it was Jeep week down here) a couple times; went house scouting for Timmy who wants to move down here; went swimming, walking; played all kinds of card games; and went out to eat a few times. Mary said she felt like a teenager since John and Marilyn took such good care of us. Marilyn is still on the long road back from her knee replacement. 

Also in Florida recently was Daniel who had come down here for a WWF fight. We didn't see him at the bout we went to. Ok we didn't really go to one. 

We had a long chat with Paula who's feeling a lot better. Her cough has almost disappeared and she's looking forward to the Poconos. Speaking of the Poconos, I hope to get a message out to everyone in the next few days. July 17-20. 

In the pictures Annie sends from India, she's always smiling. A good thing. Then again, she didn't take any pictures of the rat she wrote about. She's back in Thanjavur with Sankar's family for a couple of weeks to attend a few ceremonies. 

I've been brushing up on all things Gettysburg for a class I got roped in to teach. I'm finally learning about the full extent of the carnage and its consequences. Sorry Pop, it didn't take on the previous trips. I do see why he was so taken with learning about it. Lots to learn. 

Mary helped teach a group of school kids how to swim in a prevent drowning program. Last year, a young girl did drown on a class trip to a state park. The program made it in the papers a couple of times. 

Seems like a long time ago but we had a wonderful Easter with Joe and Leonor and children. We did Easter egg hunts and lots of soccer, baseball and volleyball games. One day was so warm that the boys took off their clothes and jumped in the stream behind the house. A few minutes after they left the stream a pair of mallard ducks came swimming by in the same area. 

Margaret and Andrew and Simon went to Pennsylvania for Easter with Andrew's parents!

I think everyone who reads this knows of my diagnosis of prostate cancer. I was able to schedule a series of appointments at Dana Farber in Boston for the month of May. I'll know then more about my treatment schedule. I'm feeling fine and confident. 

They're calling our boarding group so I better post this and hop on the plane. 

Love from down here. 

 

 

Bouncing around

Our last letter was from Paris. That seems so long ago.  So much has happened. And this time, it's not all about us!

Let's start farthest afield. Annie and Sankar finished their two-week class on permaculture. And part of the class was drawing up a plan on what they intend to do with their new land. And even more, they have promises from other people in the class to come visit, and even help!  Anyone else ready to join them?

Closed to home, a lot's going on with the Illinois clan. Andrew and Lur went up to Milwaukee to watch a Brewers baseball game with Claire, the first game of the year for any Dickson, I believe. And guess who they were playing?  That's right, the Cincinnati Reds. And guess who won? Easy. The Brewers, or the Cerveceros.

There are some new jobs, we can report. Leonor has a new job, and so does Jeffrey.  She got a job with the development bank where she used to work, and Jeffrey, I understand, is the CEO of a law firm that help veterans get benefits. Congrats to you both. I will let them fill in the details. Also on the job front, Margaret, Joe, and Andrew still have theirs!  Also congrats.

Back to Illinois, where Andrew and Lur saw Billy who had come east for a work trip. And Daniel was on the move, heading to London for a class!

Back to DC, where everyone is enrolled in some kind of sports activity, soccer, tennis, swimming, ballet.  I'm sure I missed one somewhere. Baseball?

And over to New York, where David has been busy working with his old insurance firm, on a consultancy retainer. I thought he was retired, but why retire if you enjoy it?

Down to Florida, where Marilyn's recovery from knee surgery is going slower than expected. She and John also are helping Timmy on his house search in Florida. They also sent us a video of Sage's final concert at Berklee College of Music. That went fast.

We are heading to Florida at the end of the month for a quick visit. Because, it was snowing here today. The weather is tricking us and the poor daffodils. One day, up in the 60s, and then snow. We are ready for full on HOT!

And here, in Pittsfield, we are playing host to Leonor and the children, during their spring break. I bet they wished they had headed south. But so far, it's still been fun, with activities every day. Mary had flown down on Friday and drove back up here with Leonor and the children. We're calling their spring break Camp Avo Mary, since she has arranged for swim lessons for the two boys every morning. Joe, who is, as you can imagine, very busy at work, will fly up this weekend and spend Easter with us.

Did anyone notice that yesterday was tax day? We did, because we already got our refund, even though we filed just five days ago.

One highlight for me was to do a book talk with Sarah Vowell for the lifelong learning institute. She wrote a book about Lafayette, and she has a very entertaining approach to history. And she was both informative and entertaining in the zoom talk that 250 people joined, from all over the country.

That's a lot, and I'm sure there's more in each of your households.  Happy Easter, and love from up here.

Dateline - CDG

Dateline - CDG

With our flight home delayed, there's time to write a weekly letter. On April Fool's Day. Something in here is not true. Can you guess?

After spending two weeks in the same place, Montpellier, we hit the road. Or the trains. We had bought a Eurail pass before leaving so we had 7 days of free rides. Or so we thought. The trains have taken a page out of the airline travel industry and are charging to make a reservation. That led to some last minute, not-fun juggling. Nevertheless, it is pretty incredible on board a high speed train that is so smooth and comfy. And fast.

The other problem was luggage. Our suitcases were stuffed and heavy. And the French don't believe in elevators. Our air bnb's were on the 4th, 6th, and 4th floors. We did not need to go to the gym walking up and down those stairways. And why are they circular, with no lighting? If USAID hadn't been eliminated, I'd suggest a grant to help the French build elevators for the elderly tourists.

Destinations? A medieval, walled city called Carcasonne, Toulouse, the pink city, Paris, Woerden in the Netherlands and back to Paris. When you ask what we did, it was pretty simple. We walked and we ate.

We actually squeezed in a few museums but that's just a different way of walking.

Highlights? Many, but Leyden in the Netherlands stands out. Beautiful city where our Dutch friends Henk and Marja went to university. By the way they pulled out a photo album with pictures from their Rhode Island visit in the 90s with Kathleen, Patrick, and Pop.

We tried to stay in touch with family. Annie and Sankar went to another extended wedding and are off to Hyderabad for a course on permaculture in preparation for their new project. Joe had work travel to Honolulu. Thomas and John started tennis lessons. And we see Ronan growing so fast!

And there were birthdays as well. Simon had several parties, including one at an indoor gym that school friends and cousins attended. Some very brave parents. I'm not sure how many parties David had, but I did see photos of him jumping on trampolines.

We heard from Timmy a few times who's in Pittsfield watching our kitty. Or is it the other way around?

We're coming home to spring and excited about that. We have a busy April ahead and we're excited about that too.

Love from CDG.

(Did you guess the April Fool's? Too easy!)

Dateline Berrias, France

We're visiting a village in France that we first came to in 1985, weeks after Margaret was born and after Joe had the cast on his leg removed. Our friend, Lawraine, who was in the same Gabon town as Mary, moved here and has lived here for a long time.

The last time we were here was 2018, but on one of our other visits here, Peter and Janet, Johanna and Sean, showed up and we stayed here for a week or so. What everyone remembers from that visit were that church bells that rang every hour. Yes, through the night.

The village is a 90 minute train ride from Montpellier where we are half way through two weeks of French classes. It was something we've been wanting to do for a couple of years, and we finally jumped in. After one week, even after one day, we knew it was the right choice. A lot of fun, and we might even be getting better in French.

We spent a couple of days in Paris before coming south in order to acclimatize. We stayed on the left bank, steps away from Notre Dame. I had been reading A Moveable Feast by Hemingway and underlining the names of the streets he mentioned. So on our first day, we found Gertrude Stein's house and his bar, too fancy for us but we had a cafe across the street and retraced his steps back to the Seine and the famous bookstore. Sunday morning we went to church at Notre Dame, quite beautiful inside, like there had never been a fire. We then hopped on the TGV for Montpellier.

Everywhere we've gone, everyone we meet, they all want to talk about the political situation in the US. A lot of head shaking, and that's not even us. They just can't believe their partner is cutting the ties that made both regions so prosperous and safe for so many years.

The weather is warmer here but not by much. Mary grabbed her winter coat as we headed out the door in Pittsfield, and she wears it every day. I spent an hour chopping wood for Lawraine as she had run out just like I have back home.

We've found a pool, went on a hike, did a walking tour around the town and hit the Monoprix every day. I missed class one day as I came down with a bad cold. All better now and luckily Mary did not get sick. Did someone say the French make good wine? Yes, we have done one formal wine tasting and a few informal ones.

What's up back home? We saw Erin had a birthday, and it sure looked like a happy one. David's got one in a few days and then it's Simon's turn. Timmy's back in Pittsfield taking care of the kitty and watching the house. Merci.

We've enjoyed seeing photos of Simon trying a violin, Thomas and John and Luisa doing yoga. We're expecting smooth, continued recoveries for Marilyn and Lur.

Two more days, besides David's birthday, is the first day of spring. We made it. Flowers and gardens and winter cleanup await us. Something to look forward to.

Until then, prenez vos soins et adieu

Dateline: our nation’s capital

It's birthday week. Four of them in one week. Luisa, then Daniel, next up Kiernan, and finally Lur. 

We drove down in time for Luisa's official party, but then we were also here for her party with friends. Someone's brave for having all these little children under the same roof. But it worked out well. Lots of parents keeping their eyes on their children. Everyone behaved, especially me. 

While down here, we saw the first of what we hope will be many basketball games, this time for Thomas. We had a couple of babysitting gigs with Margaret and then Joe which gave us plenty of opportunities to spoil grandchildren. I should say Mary had the babysitting gigs. 

Sharing a picture of Simon who wanted to be Barack Obama for his school's Black History Month fashion show. At their school Thomas dressed up in the colors of Nigerian and John in Kenya's red and black. And there's a picture of Theo reading his favorite book. Or should I say re-reading it. 

Friday, everyone was in school so Mary and I met an old Foreign Service friend at the USAID building and "clapped out" the workers who have been summarily dismissed. It was very sad; we've known many USAID families over the years which makes it very personal. We also took in the African American History Museum. Also pretty sad. 

Not sad are the warm temperatures down here. We even saw some crocuses and forsythia. Not for long as we headed home to single digit temps. 

Two of us had surgeries this week. Lur fell and broke her left wrist so she had an operation to line it all up the right way again. Then, down in Florida, Marilyn had her knee surgery and she is on the long road to recovery. Look out pickle ball!! 

From far away, Annie and Sankar have purchased a parcel of land. Big news. Sixteen acres that are about 5 hours away from his family's home in Thanjavur. It's up in the hill towns so it's a little cooler. Now they can start dreaming of what they want to put there. We vote for a guest house. 

A miserable weather day and a computer in the repair shop led me downstairs to tackle the mess in our basement closet. In one box I found two bags of letters that Grandma had saved. Letters that Mary and I had written over the years. I would say most of them were thank you notes, for one thing or another. There's a lesson in giving. Also buried in the papers were some old photos and two obituaries, of John Shields and Mary Law Shields. I'll have to get a good scan and share them with all of you. 

Finally, before leaving Washington, we went to our old church, Joe and Leonor's new church. They are ministering to a community in shock right now. But the minister had a nice message that can be summed up, "we don't need a map, but a compass."  

Our next letter will be postmarked Montpellier, France where Mary and I are heading this week to take French language classes. 

A la prochaine!  Love