Summer's end

We just pulled in the drive after a short trip to see our grandchild, and Leonor and Joe, of course.  I can report that Thomas is doing well, gaining weight, sleeping almost through the night (seven hours at a stretch) and mesmerizing everyone within eyeshot.  I don't think I am the first grandparent to say how wonderful all this is.  Leonor and Joe are adjusting really well to their new roles, happy and in control.  How were we not like them?  I think it's because they have these "wipe warmers" now, which make the diaper changing easier.

We stayed at Margaret and Andrew's and kind of watched the cats and even Dee while they are away - I'll get to that.  Watching Dee meant that we had to pick him up at Jeff and Melodie's who had volunteered to watch the dog on those days we were not in DC.  They headed out on Saturday for a day of tubing down some river, that sounds both fun and dangerous.  I saw Melodie for just a few minutes as we made the dog transfer.

Margaret and Andrew were on the west coast, in Oregon and Washington State, as you may have seen from our good friends at Facebook.  They had made plans well before they knew that Oregon was ground zero for the eclipse, so they had some company on the first part of their trip,  They ran into smoke from Canadian wildfires, which limited visibility of otherwise spectacular scenery.  Right now they are in Seattle, loving it, and staying with our friend Valerie, who shared a room with Margaret in Lagos, when she was barely one year old.  Margaret, that is.  Where were you for the eclipse?  The next one in 2024, I think, comes close to Pittsfield - we're taking reservations,

On the drive home, we got a call from Annie, who told us she was driving back to Oakland from LA, and had been on the road for 3 hours.  We did the math, since to was 11:00 our time, and, yes, Annie had woken up at 5am to drive back.  Her shipment arrived this week at her new apartment in Oakland, so she is ready for visitors.  Almost.  Anyway, she sounds like she's loving California.  

I wonder how many of you know what the "big house" is.  I do, now.  It's the football stadium for the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and the only reason I know it is that Claire directed a marching band there this past weekend.  Take a look at this stadium behind Andrew, Lur and Claire.  Hard to believe that it is full every time they play there.  Seats something like a million people.  At least 100,000.  Andrew said he wore a Pomfret belt made by Pop to the game, and that the brats he had at the stadium did not measure up to Wisconsin brats.  Tuck that away for future reference.  Anyway, Claire, as a student teacher for Mona Shores High School this fall, traveled to Ann Arbor with the high school football team for an exhibition game there.  We hear that Daniel who has started Paul Mitchell hair salon school is thriving.

Peter and Janet were up here last weekend.  A "life is good" weekend.  The lure was a concert by Stephen Stills and Judy Collins in Great Barrington which was memorable, but so was pizza on the grill, a tour through the guitar exhibit at the Berkshire Museum, and the hours spent "hanging out."  One news item to pass along - Sean won his first jury trial case, that ended in a life imprisonment sentence.  Peter and Janet had just returned from a Texas vacation to Houston and Austin.

We've been following John and Marilyn's trip out west, that ended earlier than they expected due to the wildfires in Canada.  Trying to escape the Florida heat, they planned a long drive out to the Pacific Northwest but ran into the same visibility issues, and decided to come home early rather than stay in highway motels and see fog-like views. 

What else?  I did a book signing at Barnes and Noble for my Berkshire industry book, where I learned just how many friends and family Mary has around here.  Loyal.  Mary's back has been bothering her, but she's still swimming.  And, I'm slowly making my way through Massachusetts on the Appalachian trail - at least 45 miles so far, or half way there.  Great exercise, and I lose 5 pounds every time out there.  Makes it easier to go to Friendly's for a milk shake.  Speaking of food, anyone want cucumbers?  A bumper crop this year.  

On the way home, we saw a number of trees starting to turn.  The nights here are seeing temperatures in the 40s so that must mean we're getting close to the endof the most glorious season of all.  Followed though by another glorious season.  

And, we think of the Dickson cousins in Texas and hope they are coping with the flooding and weather. Love from up here.  

Welcome Thomas

Thomas Collins Fontoura Dickson arrived at 2am on July 29!  He weighed in just under 6 pounds but stretched out to 21 inches.  There was more than a little suspense and worry in the birth, but all was well shortly afterwards.  Leonor looked strong and happy when we first saw her the next day, but we knew she was in pain.  A week later, and she is much better, as both father and mother are adapting to their new roles.  That is easier every time you look at him!

Saturday we celebrated his one week birthday, with his mother and father, aunts and uncle as well as two grandmothers and a grandfather.  

In Mexico, there is a saying "no tiene abuela" which means "has no grandmother" and is used for people who boast about themselves, because they have no grandmother to boast about them.  In Thomas' case he has Patricia and Mary, two grandmothers who couldn't keep grinning and laughing and staring at him.  He'll never have to boast.    

Thomas and his parents reminded us when Joe, Margaret and Annie were born.  Newborns are so small, their hands and feet and ears.  They look so fragile as they start life - Joe said their doctor spoke of the first three months of life as the "fourth trimester."  

Seeing Leonor and Joe also reminded us how time stops with the birth, how nothing else is going on in the world, and how everything changes.  

And we all know, but it's worth repeating - he's a miracle.  

There's other news to report, but we'll let Thomas have his own page.   ​

 Love   

 
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Mt Springs - recap

Fun, fun, fun.  

That's the only way to summarize another weekend in the Poconos, by the lake, reading, walking, running, fishing, playing guitar, singing happy birthday, playing games, chatting, and of course, eating and drinking.

I hope on your drives home, that you did what Mary and I did.  Review the weekend, relive its highlights, forget the downlights (rain), and talk about how to make it even better for next year.   

Mark your calendars, by the way.  Last weekend in July 2018 - July 26, 27, 28.  We've signed up for three nights, Thursday through Saturday, with the possibility of adding a Wednesday night for one or more cabins if there's interest.

In the what-a-difference-a-year-makes category, consider this

-- Donald is now walking, running, talking, playing on screens and laughing heartily

-- David and Paula are in a new house

-- Sean is in a new job, and has a caseload in his first year that would fill up its own mini-series on tv

-- Margaret has a new job; Andrew has one year of MPH program under his belt and they're off to Oregon in a few weeks for well deserved vacation

-- Annie has moved to Cleveland and is now leaving for San Francisco in the next couple of weeks

-- Peter is working his way through a transmission line case, and replaced the transmission on his Saturn (the two may actually be connected - one paid for the other)

-- Janet has sold her Solara 

-- Johanna has a new job with an office in the "flatiron" building in New York City

-- Matthew continues to make progress with his mobility, and it shows.  He has a new car Kia Soul

-- Oliver is heading toward a quantum physics summer program - enough said.

-- Erin made a nice, happy new addition to the weekend retreat

-- Jeff and Melodie have a new house, and so do Andrew and Margaret

-- the rest of us are happily plugging along.

We missed the Dundee Dicksons and Joe and Leonor, who called in to say they were happily, anxiously awaiting the first signs that it's time to get to the hospital.  So are we all.  When Joe called, we all immediately thought he was on his way to or at the hospital.  Soon come.

We are unpacked but still have some reminders of the weekend - photos to organize, bagels in the freezer, Paula's broccoli recipe, a few extra pounds on the scale. One way was for me to start my walk on the Massachusetts portion of the Appalachian trail - we ticked off 7 1/2 miles yesterday in 5 1/2 hours, and I can say one thing - it's not like walking in Pittsfield State Park.  Rough and exhausting. Steep and scary in parts. But I got to sleep in my own bed last night, and not in a tent.  It was a good reality check.

We're off to Vermont for a couple of nights today 

Love from up here.  (our panorama photo had some glitches, sorry)

Say it Ain't So

A whole month slipped by and no weekly letter?  Lots of interpretations, I guess.  Old age comes first to mind.  Too much on my plate, but only as a distraction, not that I didn't have time.  Time flies would be the best explanation, though, especially when you're having fun.

And we're having fun.  It's summer.  Sandals and t-shirts, lettuce from the garden, sitting on the porch, walking in the woods, mowing the lawn, Tanglewood, and the list goes on.

So a lot to catch up on.  Father's Day!  In DC for the weekend, we celebrated with Joe and Leonor, Margaret and Andrew.  Barbecue and brunch and time to hear about their work gossip, their studies, their travels.  Annie was in Cleveland celebrating, but also pondering her next move to San Francisco which is now official.  She'll be moving shortly after our get-together in the Poconos.  We also crashed Melodie's birthday party celebration at their new house, which they have set up nicely.  

And, happy birthday Melodie and Leonor and Matthew and Andrew and Marilyn, and happy anniversaries to David and Paula, Peter and Janet.  Who did I miss?  See what happens when more than a month goes by without a weekly letter?

We had a week down memory lane, with visitors here who joined the Foreign Service in the same class as us, the Dickmeyers and the Nealons.  Both men are still working, and the question came up how our lives would have been different if we hadn't been selected.  Well, we found out a few days later when we went to a retirement party for our colleague from the Deerfield NH school where we taught in the 1980s.  Paul had stayed on to become principal in the same school, retiring after 39 years there.  We saw a number of teachers who we worked with, as well as our landlords from Claremont NH, who were also both teachers, one of whom worked at Deerfield after we left.  A lot of fun, and really wonderful and inspiring to see them at the end of a career where they had such an impact on so many people.  I am confident I made the right choice, as teaching was just too hard, especially the classroom management side of the work.

We went from there to the Rhode Island beaches for a weekend with Marj and Lew, and a drive by our summer rentals, Trustom Pond, the market and East Matunuck beach.  We even passed the famous Moonstone Beach, and relayed our favorite story from there.  You know the one.  And, we reflected on another case of what could have been, since we might have offered to buy that summer house if we had known it was up for sale.

But then there might not have been mills in town to write about.  Speaking of mills (notice how the topic gets around to my projects?), my historic images book came out this week.  Nice to hold the final product in my hands after many hours huddled over this keyboard and in the archives.  

Oh and did we mention July 4?  Where were you?  Andrew and Lur were at Green Lake, on a boat, and we assume Danny was up there, and Claire was at the nearby camp.  We saw lots of Facebook entries from Washington and New Jersey and upstate New York, with young Donald attending classical music concert.  I know Peter and Janet didn't go to the Jersey shore, since the beaches were closed, except for their &##$*@* governor.  We were enjoying the parade and later lobsters and smores with Maura and Steve and Elsie who were up for a short visit.  

We also missed this month Canal Days in Fairport, that David and Paula had a front row seat from their porch, with 200,000 visitors to the village.  I would have liked to have the ice cream concession that weekend.  

What else?  Leonor is doing well, though tired, updating us on her doctor's visits with good news.  Johnny landed back in the hospital with an infection from his neck surgery, but all is cleared up, and they are getting ready for a cross country driving trip coming up.

And we're getting ready for the Poconos.  Can't wait. 

So, I have now set a reminder on my phone so I won't forget making my irregular twice a month submissions.  And, it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, that anyone can post their own letter simply by writing an email to popsweeklyletter.bubba@blogger.com.     

Love from up here!!  

 

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You know life is good when....

Joe calls and asks what's new and the only thing we can think of is that there's a robin made her nest in the hanging flower pot on the back porch.  Maybe not so good for the robin, as the cat has been perched under the flower for a few hours each day, trying to figure out how to get up there.  But we keep chasing the cat away.

Memorial Day.  I remember Pop's weekly letters including the Memorial Day parade in Pomfret, sometimes his marching.  Here's one from 1995:  "Memorial Day.  And in Pomfret, it's a bigger day than any other. Half the town marches, and the other half watches. There are Lions (the sponsors), Girl Scouts, Brownies, Boys Scouts, Little Leaguers, Fire Engines, Ambulances, Horses, Sheep, National Guard, an Air Guard fly-over, etc. And the inevitable recitation of the Gettysburg Address by Howard Baker, now in his '90's, and afterwards, many people will say, this may be Howard's last year... and we have been hearing that since we moved here."

Did anyone go to a Memorial Day parade?  Sheepishly,no, I admit, but next year I will do better. 

Joe and Lenor were on their way to the Eastern Shore for a week of vacation, baby-moon, they are calling it.  Leonor is well, albeit uncomfortable.  They had just gotten back from a wedding in Minnesota.  Margaret was here, for half the day anyway.  She had come up for her 10th college reunion (10 years?) and then spent Sunday here before heading back to Hartford to catch a plane.  Andrew stayed home with the pets, but mostly to do school work.  At this moment she should be flying the friendly skies.  Annie found those skies are often unfriendly, as she had one of the experiences with cancelled flights, layovers, and arguments before finally arriving in Paris a day late for the wedding of a Hamilton friend.  But she made it, and will spend a few days this week in the city of lights on vacation.  

We saw on Facebook that a)  Billy and Jen went camping with their children.  I wonder if I should rustle up a few Dickson camping photos, from the 1950s.  Their posts looked great, but they admitted to exhaustion.  Kids love camping.  b) that Jeffrey had some help in completing his raised bed gardening project. ​c) that Donald has a little tykes car that is the same as the one Joe got in 1982.  I wonder what other auto company could survive with the same style from 1982.

We do have news from here:  Mary did her usual record-setting times in a swim meet last weekend, especially as she had never swum the backstroke in a meet.  I went to a stone-wall workshop at Arrowhead, with a group of teenagers and a ranger who worked at the Weir Farm National Park, in Wilton Conn.  Another small world.  And, we've been gardening, getting the flower beds and vegetables in.  In fact, we've even had some asparagus, our first year from the garden.  As soon as I finish this, I'm heading out to put the rest of veggies in the ground.

But before that, we can also report that David and Paul have put their flower beds in order, with a new dagwood tree and their own hanging baskets gracing their porch.  And Johnny reports progress in his recovery from surgery on his neck.

Reading recommendations: Underground Railroad (although I think I'm the last one on the planet to have read that) and Man of Good Hope, which Mary was riveted to for a couple of weeks.  Film recommendation - Finding Oscar, which featured a few people who I knew in Mexico.  And finally, how many of you have done this: order a movie from Netflix that you've already seen?  Our Kind of Traitor, we watched with Margaret last night, but could only vaguely remember.  Embarrassing.

With that, out to the garden.  Love from up here.  

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Happy Mothers' Day

Happy Birthday to Sean, happy birthday to Elliot, and Happy Mothers' Day to all the mothers.  In honor of this big day, there was a wonderful New York Times article about the life of mothers before they became mothers, prompted by a photo.  So, the photos for this letter are of Georganna and Loretta, before they became wives and mothers.  It doesn't end there.  Last night, we went to an intellectual movie of sorts, Snatched, with Amy Shumer and Goldie Hawn where a photo of the mother before she became a mother featured prominently.  A very funny movie, at least the first part which sent me into an asthma attack I was laughing so hard. Happy Mothers Day, again.

How did you spend your mothers day?  We went to brunch, to the nursery, to the garden, to the bed for a nap, and to our easy chairs for reading and for telephone calls.  Tonight, steak on the grill and chocolate ice cream.  Perfect.

Last weekend, I went down to Lawrenceville for my 45th high school reunion.  I remember going to my first reunion, but not since then.  So, it was a little strange to see people I had not seen since 1972.  There was one guy who not only went to Lawrenceville but also Drake Road Elementary in Cincinnati.  There were a few who had gone to Princeton, and who I had seen in the intervening years as well.  Other impressions?  People were for the most part in good health, and keeping fit. I think it was seeing David at his 50th reunion at Darrow last year that inspired me to return.

I stayed with Peter and Janet and had a chance to catch up with them as Peter related his recent court case, Sean's first trial, and all the books Johanna gets as part of her job publicizing books.  Johanna was there as well, and you'll have to ask her about the choice e-mails she's been getting related to Bill O'Reilly, an author her company publishes.  Janet and Peter went out to a McCarter gala that featured Wynton Marsalis.  Very special.

David and Paula spent a couple of days in New York City this week, where David had meetings, but more importantly, they went to see Hello Dolly with Bette Midler.  Fun.  Not so much fun was the news from Florida where Johnny had surgery on his neck to clear an artery.  A successful surgery but an uncomfortable recovery.  He says the incision went from his ear to his collar bone.  

More congratulations are in order for Claire who graduated last weekend from Hope College.  She won an award for music performance.  Andrew, Lur and Daniel went out for the weekend, and it took two cars to haul her stuff home.  Andrew is still struggling with his back issues.

More news - Joe went to Switzerland last week for work, and Leonor went to Canada, I think.  They have started childbirth classes.  We spoke with Annie after her week in San Francisco, and she sounded tired.  Last weekend Margaret and Andrew joined Jeff and Melodie for a tour of wine country in Virginia.

A quiet few weeks for us, staying home and catching up.  I'm taking two classes through the life long learning institute on Shakespeare tragedies and fly fishing.  Mary did double duty teaching swimming two nights a week in April, and she has been spending time with her Aunt Mary who is recovering from a couple of falls.

It looks like spring and maybe even summer may be returning this week.  I've had to mow the lawn a few times, and we're working on the flower beds and vegetable garden.  Ahh summer.

Hope you all are well and enjoying the season and the day.  Love from up here.

Spring break

Most people (of a certain age) go south for their spring school break.  For Mary's spring break, we followed Horace Greeley's advice and went west.  All the way to Michigan, through Rochester and Cleveland, and back home via Stratford, Ontario.  There were many highlights, but top among them was seeing you all - David and Paula, Annie, Andrew Lur and Claire.  More later.

First, though, we begin our spring letter with Easter, which we hosted here with Joe and Leonor, Margaret and Andrew and Annie joining us for the long weekend.  We were pleased that Lenor's mother, Patricia, was able to see this neck of the woods, as she had come over from Portugal for a two-week visit that coincided with Easter.  It was the first time we overflowed, but we figured out sleeping arrangements with Joe drawing the short straw and getting the couch.  The experience caused us to bring in a local architect to figure out how to finish the basement.

Anyway, back to the weekend, with first arrivals coming Thursday.  Margaret called to say that D had been attacked by dogs at their park and as a result of his wounds they were unlikely to be able to come.  When they woke on Friday, the dog was normal despite the wounds around his neck and leg, that included some plastic tube to drain the yucky stuff (medical terminology).  So they made it up.   It was another 36 hours in the Berkshires with trips to the outlets, to our favorite wine and food store, a special lecture at the library (featuring me expounding on the old mills in the county,) Easter service, and our latest tradition, dinner at the Red Lion Inn.  

With our house emptied out, we welcomed Maura and her 7-year-old daughter Elsie the following day.  It had been a while since we had seen them and Elsie had grown up.  One of her favorite things is writing.  She left little notes around the house, for Joe and Leonor with names for boys, and other things.  Cute.  Elsie also helped plant our first crop - potatoes.  We set out on our journey the following day, but they stayed in Pittsfield a few more days, taking care of the kitty, and then performing a heroic service that saved one day of our trip.

Anyway, on to Rochester and David and Paula's lovely village home, that looks even lovelier in the spring.  What a great town.  I keep saying it looks like a movie set.  Besides heading to our favorite ice cream place (only once - will power), we sampled local cuisine, including a nice Mediterranean place, and went for a walk around the canal which only partially balanced the ice cream.  We then weathered a day of rain to take in one of the Finger Lakes, going through Geneva and seeing their colleges and then touring some of the local wineries.  

Our next destination was Holland Michigan but to get there you have to drive through Cleveland.  So we stopped to see Annie for lunch, and she showed us around the GE lighting campus, with buildings from the early 1900s.  Annie was getting ready to head off for her own spring break, to Philadelphia and San Francisco.  A wedding and work.

We made it to Hope College in time for a concert where Claire conducted the wind ensemble.  Wow.  She was great, and playing the oboe, she gets to sit right up front.  We stayed at the campus hotel with Andrew and Lur, who showed us around the area the following day.  This part of Michigan has not lost its manufacturing base.  Nor its prosperity.  Andrew is still struggling with pain from his back surgery, unfortunately.

Claire had one last concert, her final one at Hope.  We are lucky to take in a number of classical performances here with Tanglewood close by, but none have moved me as much as the Symphony No 4, of David Maslanka that the ensemble interpreted.  Check it out on YouTube with the US Navy Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2xcMoQ6ML4.  It's 30 minutes long, but worth it if you can make it to the end!  Needless to say, Claire was magnificent and has a wonderful group of friends.

Now here comes the part where Maura saved one leg of our trip.  We had decided to stop in Stratford Ontario on the way home, just a short way off the quickest route home.  Having worked at the Embassy when the passport requirement for cross-border travel came into effect, you'd think that I'd know or at least remember that we needed passports.  Nope, we left them home.  Anyway, Maura found them and had them delivered to the Hope College Hotel so we were able to cross the border with ease.  And get a view of Niagara Falls along the way!  

Now we're home, and the house is quiet.  We have some work to do in losing the many pounds we collected along the way, but I have to say they were worth it.

Other news:  Peter and Johnny had birthdays, Joe is on his way to Switzerland for work for the rest of this week, and Annie is enjoying her final leadership retreat in San Francisco this week.

Baseball has started, and we have lots of seedlings ready to get in the ground.  Spring is here.  

Love from up here.