It's Official

Sean's engaged.  And Erin's engaged!  To each other!  Wonderful news, and, piecing together the posts on Facebook, I would venture to say that Sean popped the question on a hike.  For those of us scared of heights, we were thrilled with the news, but a little worried about the drop behind an otherwise very happy Sean and Erin.  Or is it Erin and Sean.  And did we say CONGRATULATIONS!  

Speaking of Facebook, an idea came up over the weekend to start a Pop's Weekly Letter group on Facebook.  And so I did.  I invited whoever I could, but some of us are not on Facebook or at least not my friend (hint, hint).  That's okay, since I'll continue to write the blog posts.  But this may encourage everyone to share shorter stuff with the group, and just so you know, it's a secret group so only the readers of Pop's weekly Letter can see it.   Plus the Russians.

It begs the question.  What would Pop say?  Well, we know he was resistant to using Grandma's computer, and he enjoyed his pencil and paper and carbon copies and individual letters to each of us, sometimes filled with articles he cut out.  So, we can probably guess.  Still, I think if we start a Pop's Weekly Letter Twitter feed, that might be one step too far.  So, please feel free to post stuff on it, not that anyone is shy about posting stuff on your regular accounts.  

What we have already seen there are a couple of photos from Margaret who ended her Thanksgiving weekend by heading to Haiti on Sunday.  From there, she's going to Santo Domingo, before heading home.  All work, and maybe a little fun.  Hopefully. By the way, she did have a little fun on a work trip to NYC when she met up with Johanna for dinner.

Margaret and Andrew hosted all of us on Thanksgiving, and this year we had a new person at the table - Thomas.  He did so well, even with all the commotion.  By the end of dinner, he had ended up with Annie and Margaret, dancing and singing.

Jeff and Melodie were also able to join us.  They had tried a couple of years ago, but they had come down with colds and pulled out at the last minute.  This year, with mac and cheese, with baked brie and apple pies, they made it.  

Annie made her first trip back to the east coast since moving out to the other coast.  We had toyed with the idea of her catching an Uber from the airport, but when I went to pick her up, I realized how impossible that might have been.  There were a few other people there who were also probably looking for an Uber.  She might have missed Thanksgiving.  Anyway, she left DC for a week in Montreal.  For work, and hopefully a little fun as well. 

How come Joe didn't go anywhere after Thanksgiving?  Well, because he had just gotten back from a week in Australia.  Holy shrimp on the barbie!  (Do they say that down under?  Do they even say down under?)

All in all, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving, and you guessed it, there was way too much food.  Even more than last year.  It was nice to have Andrew's mom and dad there with us - they had come down from Lancaster for the night.

Thomas by the way is growing up rapidly, by the day.  More alert, more happy, and more intellectual.  Leonor takes him to story time at the local library and yoga classes!

So, how was your Thanksgiving?  We heard that David and Paula were with Tina's parents, along with Matthew and Oliver and Donald, who also seems to be growing by the day, and happier by the day.  We see regularly see him flipping the pages of a book as well, so he must also be more intellectual.  

Andrew mentioned that they had a houseful with Claire and Daniel home, and Lur's sister up from Florida.  And Peter and Janet headed for Janet's cousin Dede's for the day, along with Johanna and Sean and Erin.  Was there too much food at your celebrations as well?  

We touched base with John and Marilyn on our long drive down to DC, and they were going to friends for the big day.  We made plans for a trip to Florida this spring.  That's hopeful.

More importantly, how did you spend Black Friday?  We went to the mall, as we were told but we didn't see anyone else shopping.  (The mall between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol Building.)  Or small business Saturday?  Or, cyber Monday and giving Tuesday?  So what's tomorrow?  Weight loss Wednesday?  Sounds good to me.

Has anyone else been receiving catalogs?  I don't know how they make money printing all those catalogs.  We must get 4 from Land's End and LL Bean each week.  I did read that only 20% of retail is on line so I guess there's still money to be made out there somewhere.

So, the wreath is up, but I won't turn the lights on until December.  Just a thing I have.  I did see something from Jeffrey that he may get the award for the Dickson with the most lights.  Send us a picture.

Anyway, it's a wonderful holiday, everyone's favorite.  Hope you all enjoyed it.  This year was made special by Sean and Erin's announcement.

Love from up here.

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Giving thanks

The papers that arrived at the end of our driveway today were so big they could hardly fit in the protective plastic bags.  That could only mean one thing:  one day closer to Black Friday.  If only Thanksgiving didn't get in the way.  (You're supposed to be laughing, not cringing.)

It's not as if we haven't had enough cringe-worthy news lately.  Uggh.  At the same time, Mary has retreated back to the marvels of Andy of Mayberry, which she watches with her Aunt Mary every Tuesday afternoon when she goes to visit.  You can get Mary going on the subject, but it may be time to start streaming Andy Griffith.  

Anyway, we headed south to Washington last week for a colleague's retirement party ostensibly, but really that was just an excuse to check in on Thomas, who is wonderful.  Healthy and happy, growing and alert.  We even got to watch him all by ourselves.  I should say all by Mary's self, although as luck would have it, after holding him for all of 30 seconds over a two hour period, Leonor chose that moment to come home and see Thomas in my arms.  Grandpa John got and took all the credit.   

We were able to spend time with Margaret and Andrew, enjoying dinner with them, thanks to a lamb and corn pie that Uncle Andrew had sent.  Gerry and Dennis joined us and they were busy doing door-to-door canvassing in Virginia for their candidate.  (Guess??)  Joe was not home, since he had traveled to Sydney for a week's worth of meetings.  That's not Sydney Maine or Ohio.  Australia.  The wonder of technology is that he could do video calls from there every day to check in on his son, who became animated every time he saw his father on the little screen.

Both Margaret and Andrew are busy at work, with Margaret taking Spanish classes and Andrew in the middle of another semester of public health schoolwork.  

How do you measure how wonderful the weekend was?  The scale.  I gained five pounds.  Too much, so when we got back we spent the new few days on a "cleanse" but I think I've gained it all back again.  It's hard this time of year, especially because of my wacky theory that we humans are just like animals and need to beef up for the long winter hibernation.  A good excuse for indulging between Halloween and Christmas. 

On the drive home, we talked to Annie, who was just finishing a long hike through a nearby redwood forest.  Heavenly.  We also checked in with John and Marilyn who were planning their schedule over the next year, to include a cruise along the Rhine River.  And Mary finally reached her brother Tim, to wish him a happy birthday.  Tim threw out that he was thinking of moving back to Pittsfield.

News from Dundee is that Billy has a new job with Cisco.  Congratulations!!  

 Other news: We had dinner one night with Colleen, who had stayed here looking after the cat while we were in Italy.  We saw on Facebook that Matthew had had a twinge of sorts in his back which they were worried might be a return of his spine issues.  After a day of tests, it looks like all is well.  Phew.

We just finished the makeover of our basement, which has involved going through all the stuff we had stored in there, including boxes that had been taped up as far back as Silver Spring so many years ago.  One box, which must have come from Pomfret was labeled "Ann."  In it were a number of letters and photos that were in Ann had in her apartment in Cincinnati.  I will send around a few of the important, sad letters, but I did want to share a couple of photos in this letter.  One is of a Thanksgiving in Wilton with Grandma and a very young Paula; the other I'm not sure if it's from Wilton, but featured is a very happy auntie holding a very young Matthew with a very young father.

When we were young.  

With that, love from up here.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

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It's dark outside

First off, apologies are in order if what follows appears too much like a travelogue.  But, we had a grand old time in Italy and recommend a trip there to everyone.

The short version is Siena.  It's a city that is as close to seeing what it must have looked like in medieval times as any that I have seen.  It has it all: narrow alleys, buildings dating back to the 1300s and earlier, magnificent churches, with no effort or expense spared to praise God, what must be one of the most dramatic plazas on the planet, and of course great restaurants and shopping.

The longer version is that our expectations starting off were low.  We remembered Pop asking Margaret what she thought about Rome after we stopped there on our way home in 1990: "old and dirty," was her childlike, direct and honest answer.  And, with somewhat low expectations,we were pleasantly blown away by our ten days there.  The history, the art, the food and wine, the scenery, the culture.  I mean, how did they build these domed churches and palaces with such ornate mosaics on every square inch inside over a thousand years ago?  How have people been living in buildings surrounded by a maze of endless canals of water (Venice)?  Maybe we'll be seeing more of that in the future.  

We had some wonderful coincidences.  In the three minutes we were in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, the Pope decided to walk out.  How does that happen?  When told the line for the Sistine Chapel was two hours, it turned out to be ten minutes -- and then another hour winding our way through room after room of art and treasure to get to the chapel.  We also had some unfortunate coincidences, such as arriving in Florence on the day the two major museums were shut down.

I can see why Italy is the most visited country for foreign tourists in the world.  On any city block in Rome or Venice, there was a palace or a church or a plaza, or a fountain that would be the major tourist attraction in any other country.  So much to see and so little time, and so many crowds.

We were there near the beginning of the off-season, ostensibly, but, the crowds were overwhelming in Florence, in Venice, at the Vatican.  Perhaps that's why we, and our traveling companions from Pittsfield, Jody and Bob, liked the relative calm of Siena and the surrounding countryside.  Mary confirmed her status as the go-to driver in foreign lands, with just a short hair-raising cliff climb, that scarcely approached the Douro valley in Portugal.

There was a lot that did remind us of Portugal: the dry terrain, the vineyards, the hospitality, the old world beauty and charm.  But not the prices.  Oh my.  We did splurge. 

So we came home to a darker, but not colder climate.  It was chillier in Venice than in Pittsfield, but there were fewer daylight hours here than we remember on departure (ought not to be surprise.)  I managed to keep my track record of getting sick on vacation, sharing my cold with Mary and Jody, if not every other person on the plane home.  So generous.

We traded travel photos with Joe who had gone to a wedding in Portland Maine and sent us a picture of his lobster dinner; with Margaret and Andrew who joined Leonor and Leonor's brother Sebastian, and Melodie, and, of course, Thomas, for an outing in Virginia; with Annie who had gone to Colorado to prepare for her role as officiant in a friend's wedding in Nicaragua next year. 

We kept up with Facebook news, mostly showing Halloween preparations and early costumes try-outs in San Francisco, Washington, Illinois, Provincetown and New Jersey - did I see Dasha in a Halloween costume?  

And there were birthday celebrations.  A few nights ago was Billy's 35th birthday party (can it be?) followed by Kathleen's big day and earlier in the month was Janet's happy celebration.  

Finally, we want to thank Colleen for staying here and watching our furry friend while we were gone.     

We end with a few photos of the next generation.  Love from up here.

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The Endless Summer

Just ended.  After several false starts, fall weather is finally here.  We complained last week about how hot it was, but now I'm complaining that I had to turn on the heat.  Mary's not looking back but is ready to enjoy the change of seasons.

It's quiet here.  We enjoyed Andrew's visit for several days here.  The last time he was here?  2011, for Grandma's 80th birthday party, and our house warming.  We remember that weekend, right?  Check out the photo below.  A lot has happened in all our families since 2011.  

Anyway, with Andrew here, we did a butcher and old car tour of Pittsfield, and then we went to the Norman Rockwell Museum with him, stopping at the Red Lion Inn to complete his "36 hours in the Berkshires" tour.  A couple of barbecues later, he left Friday morning to make the two-day trek back to Dundee to make sure he got home in time for Auden's birthday party.  We spent endless hours chatting, but the conversation always seemed to veer towards a certain resident of the White House.  I think we covered every possible angle of the national anthem at football games as well.

Speaking of parties, I gave birthday wishes at the end of the last letter and thought I was forgetting someone.  Thanks to Facebook, I know it was Tina's birthday this past week (sorry).  Johanna's birthday is tomorrow.  Enjoy the festivities!

Andrew had stopped in Fairport on the way out to see first-hand David and Paula's not-so-new home, as they've been in it for over a year now.  He was able to take in the local sites with David, and joined Matthew and Tina and Oliver and Donald for dinner one night.  

One morning this week, both Mary and I were awakened by a crash, from obviously somewhere in or near the house.  It sounded like some animal had tipped over the compost bucket on the back porch.  I ran (ok, cautiously edged) downstairs and saw the bucket intact.  When I went into the kitchen, I noticed that there was a cushion on the ground on the porch, and the sofa cushions had fallen on their sides.  Hmm?  A few seconds later, a big furry raccoon came out from behind the sofa, and then another one followed him (her?)  Thee screened door must have shut behind them and they couldn't make their way out so they were busy knocking over as much as they could on the porch.  I got a long pole and from the outside, pushed the door open, and this time I actually did run.  Mary saw the raccoons cautiously edge their way off the porch and back into the woods.  Too much excitement for 6 in the morning.

Another exciting story.  Yes, there were actually two this week, apart from Andrew's visit.  I had a tour to do at Shaker Village on Friday, and as usual, I secretly hope no one shows up, so I can go home.  When I walked into the ticket desk, I was told there was one person, and this woman came around the corner, and she looked familiar.  I asked her if I knew her, and she answered, maybe.  Then the woman at the ticket counter, introduced me to Natalie who would be on my tour.  I looked at the woman, and said, I love your music.  It was Natalie Merchant, and I gave her a tour, and was glad I did not go home early,  A nice, normal, classy lady.  If you don't know who she is, I suggest downloading "My Skin," among several others.  

Mary had spent last weekend with Joe and Leonor in Washington, as well as Thomas.  She sees so much growth and happiness - he's smiling and looks like he might even be laughing.  Margaret and Andrew came over for dinner one night.  I couldn't go as I had a conference on historic preservation in Lowell where I had been asked to present about our campaign last year to pass the Community Preservation Act last year.

Speaking of last year, Mary reminded me that at this time a year ago, we had returned from our tour to northern Portugal and had a day or two left before heading home.  That was one fun trip.

So, hope you all are well, healthy and happy and enjoying the new season.

Love from up here.

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Summer's back

On this first day of fall, it does feel like the middle of summer.  At least for the past week or so, since we had the heat on in the house earlier in the month.  High temps, barbecues, swimming, mowing the lawn, gardening.  

Speaking of the garden, it's been a banner year for cucumbers.  Each time I go out, it seems I bring back another 5 cukes, and say this is the end of it.  Until I go out the next day, and sure enough, five more.  We're in the middle of tomatoes and and at the tail end of green beans.  We haven't even really made a dent in the beets, which just keep getting bigger and bigger.  Not so good this year: I tried brussel sprouts but got nothing, and once again my bad luck with green peppers holds as I will never try them again.  Oh well.

But, you say, who cares about your garden?  Especially when there's so much more family news to report.  Like Tina and Matthew's cruise adventure, into the eye of the hurricane.  I gather there were some unscheduled stops and off-the-grid moments along the way, and the Facebook photos seem that Donald didn't mind.  John and Marilyn waited out the storm at home, on the eastern coast of Florida, and lucked out.  John took a picture of a leaf on his front porch and was wondering when FEMA was going to come by to clean it up.  Sounds like the Deans (Aunt Georgia, Rell, Sarah and Hope) had a bit more dramatic time closer to Miami.  Meanwhile in Houston, we see the affects of the hurricane on Dickson cousins there.  As long as we're on the disaster theme, we heard from friends in Mexico City and beyond that they had pulled through the earthquake with minor damage to homes but after a few very scary moments.  Annie was also on the periphery of the storm, as she headed to Charleston SC for a friend's wedding, but I think the only impact may have been a delayed flight.  She, by the way, is really enjoying her new home in the Bay area.  

Mary is back to work, this time at the local high school, two days a week.  It looks like she will have a whole new book of stories from the high school experience.  Worth a phone call.  Her schedule cramps our travel plans, but only a little.  She's off to DC tomorrow to check in the smiling, cooing, growing Thomas.  This past Sunday, he sat with Joe through the entire Patriots game.  I can't say for sure if he watched any of the game, but the few times we have seen him on FaceTime, his eyes are keenly following his mother and father.  That's a definite step up from his earlier fixation with the ceiling fan.

David and Paula celebrated their first anniversary in their new home, and this year were able to take part in the annual block party in their new neighborhood.   Peter went to his first Princeton football game, where he saw Sean's girlfriend Erin, working the sidelines as part of her residency, tending to a torn ACL and a broken metacarpal.  Translation??  Anyway, I hope Thomas is listening because this is not the sport for him.

Margaret has plans to visit Haiti and Dominican Republic for work later in the fall, and Andrew is back at his studies, as well as probably up to his neck right now in health care legislation.  And Daniel seems to be thriving in his new school.  The photo below is of him and his roommates, all gymnasts.

I found out a good way to lose weight.  Hike the Appalachian Trail.  For several years I had wanted to hike the Mass portion of the trail, and this year arranged with another wanna be hiker from Pittsfield who just retired to embark on this adventure.  We did this section in day hikes, over the past two months, with two overnights.  I can say this - it is hard. That about sums it up.  But, I lost ten pounds over the course of the period, and have managed not to gain it all back since I finished.  

We started work on finishing our basement, so we have another room for guests.  With a half-bath.  So you're all welcome.  

Birthday wishes to Auden and to Paula!!  Anyone else?  I'm sure I'm missing someone.  (sorry)

Love from up here.

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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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