Happy Birthday Grandma

It's 6pm Sunday night.  As I write now, I am looking at a group photo of our first weekend together in Mountain Springs, maybe in 1990.  And I am reminded that we did not get a group photo this time around.  

While much has changed since then, we did keep up the fine tradition of eating, drinking, chatting and playing.  And collecting memories.  Swimming, boating, shopping, hiking, campfiring, guitar playing, dog walking and more.  It all happened so fast. And now, we are back to the quiet sounds of ... our busy road.  Come back!    

It was wonderful to see everyone and have everyone here.  And we know there was a little bit of selfishness on our part, especially because so many of you had to come from so far away.  We heard from a number of you throughout the day, while we were taking naps and doing a little tidying up.  and I know that at least five Dicksons are not at their final destination yet.  I hope everyone else is home by now.

Grandma celebrated her 85th in the best way of just being with her family.   Can't top that.  I will try to finish the recording and transcribing over the course of the next few months.  

So let's end up with a big thanks and a pat on each others' collective backs.  Everyone pitched in to make the weekend a special occasion!  

Happy July 4th

Uncle Sam at the Pittsfield parade. A year ago we saw a picture of Jeffrey proposing to Melodie on the 4th!

Lots of news. First off, happy birthday Andrew; happy anniversary Andrew and Lur. We talked to the birthday boy who said Jen and Miles were able to stay in the hospital a week but all checked out and came home in fine health. Andrew on the other hand hurt his back again.

Speaking of anniversaries, we heard David and Paula had a good trip to Stratford Ontario to celebrate their 40th. Stratford hosts Shakespeare festivals all summer long.

And Annie has a big birthday coming up. Did we tell you we saw her? In China?

Got to give that girl credit. She has figured out the most complicated, most foreign place I have ever seen. She's speaking the language, moving around the city like a native. And it us one tough, fast, huge city. But extremely interesting, rich in culture and history and an exploding economy. Annie showed us around, gave us a tour of Chinese sites and culinary diversity. She and her friend Greg have rich lives, exciting jobs and a nice circle of friends. We have pictures! And stories!

One of the big heroes of our trip was Peter who got up at 5am to take us to Newark airport and then stayed up til midnight to pick us up at the end of the trip. And all he got was a hat and a Rolex watch. Does it still work? We saw Janet who joined us for a Fathers Day supper. And that was after a Fathers Day brunch the day before with Joe and Margaret in Washington.

Another hero was Grandma who let us use her pad to store what remained from our move out of Bethesda and park our cars and our tired bodies both before we left and after we got back. Grandma is well but still has trouble with her eyesight.

And then we fought our jet lag and drove north. We're almost there. The construction is winding down. Yesterday we turned on a kitchen faucet for the first time in three years. We have a screened in porch.

And we have boxes. Our shipment came this Wednesday and we started the long unpacking process. John and Marilyn came over and helped us place and rearrange furniture. That means heavy lifting!

Lots to do before you all come for Grandma's birthday. But we did go up to Jiminy Peak and confirm rooms. I'll send details via e-mail.

Well, it's a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Think I'll unpack some boxes.

Love from over here.

Welcome Miles!

Pingyao

Either Mary has learned Chinese or that guy speaks English. Can you guess which?

Not again

Yes again.  But it could be our last big move.  Ooops I just jinxed it.  There will be more I'm sure.

The movers pulled out yesterday on their third day of packing and loading.  We had spent the weekend closing out Joe's storage unit and taking some stuff down to Margaret which gave us a chance to check out her new place, which she has set up nicely.  She was without air conditioning, though, and the temps were in the 90s.  A throwback to the old days.  No wonder it was a small city.

We're not the only ones moving.  Peter said Sean is looking for a place in NJ before he goes to law school this fall, and Johanna may also be moving.  Joe is getting ready for his move up north later in August.

Things are shaping up for the big July 28 celebration, with everyone decided on their attendance.  We're looking forward to it!

The planning has been the fun part as I get e-mails from Matthew and Jeffrey and Melodie, and phone calls from David, Peter and Andrew!   On one of those chats we got the latest from Bill and Jen, who are getting closer to the due date.  Billy may be moving to a new job!  Congratulations!

We also heard from Patrick who just graduated from Manhattan College.  And cum laude.  He said his group, The Facelifters, recently won an award for New England's best new band.  I googled Facelifters and came up with a MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/thefacelifters.  Two things stood out - first they have over 500 fans and second, it merits a parental advisory.  Looks like fun.

Last week, Peter and I went to Meadow Lakes for lunch with Grandma, Aunt Ruth, cousin Debbie and her husband Rod Barnes.  Everyone looked great.  That's a feat for Aunt Ruth who is 92 and coming off cancer treatment this winter.  But so did Debbie and Rod, and so did Grandma!   And we talked - politics!  Anthony Weiner.  Among other things.  

Our social life also included attending a wedding of the daughter of friends of ours from Peru.  Very nice.  And, on the nature front, as the movers were packing I sat on the deck and watched a chipmunk moving food back and forth, with full cheeks going one way and then empty cheeks the other way.  The the tables were turned when I got my lunch and sat down; he watched me eat!

Here's a sign.  Mary left for work yesterday, on the third and final day of moving.  She said to me: "don't you wish you were going to work?"  The answer was no; I'd even rather be moving.

Next letter comes from China!  Oh and did I mention it was Fathers Day on Sunday?  Only three more shopping days.

Love from down here!  

June Swoon

Our heading refers to a famous event north of here.  No, there was no snow in June, as the picture indicates.

But, a HUGE congratulations to Tina and Matthew!  Great news.  Could you hear the cheers from Illinois stretching all the way to New Jersey and DC?

So, even though the official proposal took place in May, we didn't get to officially congratulate them until June.

It sure is nice to see June.  Thought I'd throw in a February photo so we could all appreciate a little better the joy of green. What a difference four months makes!

We got a little greener in Pittsfield last week due to a torrential rainstorm.  At least that's what I thought it was.  Andrew called that night to ask if I had been hit by the tornado!  That storm turned into a tornado a short while later as it descended east of Pittsfield into the Connecticut valley.  Scary video and photos.

All is well in Illinois, especially after what sounded like a great long weekend at Green Lake.  Andrew recounted his story of the one that got away.  At least it was not a snapping turtle.

Our time on Beech Avenue is winding down.  We held our last barbecue this past weekend, with Joe, Tamara, Margaret and Dee, as well as the Schwartz's, friends from South Africa.  Tomorrow, I unhook the gas and drive the canister north.  Movers come next Monday.  Did I mention the peach pie that Joe and Tamara brought over?

The Sunday over Memorial Day we moved Margaret into her new apartment, just north of Dupont Circle.  It's nice, especially as it is close to her work, and there's a nice dog park nearby.

And, we're getting ready for our trip to China - Annie has been helpful in sending us ideas of what to do while we're there.

I stayed overnight in Hightstown last week on my way north to help Grandma clean out some of her papers and her clothing shift to summer wear.  Grandma kept a list of what each of her four sons inherited from Pomfret.  Interesting, and almost incriminating material!  But also a little inaccurate.  Unfortunately.

Our house project is moving forward as well.  Floors are done, the upstairs bedroom part is almost all done and ready to receive visitors.  Kitchen cabinets are in; just waiting for the screens on the porch.  My job?  Mow the lawn.  Johnny came over to help me move the couch back into the living room, following the sanding of the floors.  Three generations of Boyle women participated in a running and walking race this past weekend in Albany.  They all look healthy!

We saw on Facebook that Jeffrey and Melodie picked out their rings last weekend!  Another congratulations to them.  We can't wait til October!

And we can't wait until July to see everyone in Pittsfield for Grandma's 85th party. 

Love from down here.  

Two Games in One Week

First things first.  Happy birthday Matthew; happy anniversary Janet and Peter.  That was a warm weekend, too warm for a wool blazer.  Anyone remember?  The world's highest paid male model, when he was a teen?

It's hot here now, and it has been raining.  It used to never bother me, but with a driveway dug up by trucks, rain brings mud.  I blame climate change and the melting of the glaciers.  Just not sure how to turn that into a lawsuit.

We had a Massachusetts weekend, highlighted by a trip to Fenway Park.  I drove to Boston to pick up Joe at the airport and we headed to Fenway.  It was a few hours before the game, but that didn't stop us from getting an early start on the beer drinking.  The rain stopped right before the game, and then by coincidence the team was honoring Paul Cellucci, former governor, former Ambassador to Canada who has contracted Lou Gehrig's disease and is raising money for ALS research.  I wrote him an e-mail when we got back to Maryland and he responded right away.  The cameras at the game made clear that he has lost use of his arms in this terrible disease.

I spent the night at Joe's friends' house and then picked up Mary the next day also at Logan airport.  We drove to Pittsfield and put in about 75 hours of work in the next day and a half.  We joined John and Marilyn for a folk/bluegrass music concert, organized by their cousin.  Impressive musicians.

On the way back home, we stopped in to see Grandma who is well.  We did a few chores for her, but she says she has a longer list waiting for the next trip!

Another highlight came earlier in the week when Peter came down to DC to take up an invitation from a former student of his who is now clerking at the Supreme Court.  I was fortunate to be tagging along as Natalie took us around on an insider, behind the curtain tour of the building, including a hike up the stairs to another court, where they play basketball.  Peter was supposed to get here in time to go to a Nationals baseball game, but was delayed, so Mary joined me.  Fun for us, but Peter's delay didn't sound so fun.

Joe got back from a week in Jordan and was in Boston to check out Tufts and to go to his friend's bachelor's party.  Margaret went out to Denver for an orientation program for Fulbright teachers who will be heading overseas this summer.  And Annie has a great blog post on her Chinese name, which roughly translated means "peaceful concrete."

Speaking of blogs, check out Kathleen's blog on her work/stay in Tanzania:  http://kathleens-crazy-fun-adventure.tumblr.com/

We saw on Facebook that Jeffrey went to the airshow in town; and going back a ways, we enjoyed Mother's Day with three mothers - Grandma, Janet and Mary.  We went out to dinner on the the eve, and then the next day went with Grandma to a sculpture garden in Hamilton New Jersey.

Work is proceeding on our house, and things are coming together.  Should be ready well in advance of July 28!

Love from down here.