Four generations at Christmastime party

The 2007 Christmas gathering at the home of Daniel & Lorraine on Dec. 29 drew a bicoastal crowd of 21 ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages.

Traveling farthest to the festivities were Marie and Brian and their 1-year-old son Xander, visiting from Morgan Hill, Calif., on their first East Coast tour as a family.

The great-grandparents and everyone else were thrilled to meet the newest family member and re-connect with Marie & Brian. Xander was the life of the party, going strong for some five hours of fun.


Click the image above to see a slideshow of Dan's photos, or click twice to go to the album for larger views.

Click here to see another album of photos by Shanna, including the full group portrait at the top of this post.

The happy crowd included Kathy & Ted; Genevieve, on a break from studies at Tufts, along with her boyfriend, John; Vivien on holiday from Cornell; Patrick; Brien; Kevin and Kathy, Shanna, Kevin, Dan and Julie, Christine and Andy, and Lorraine's sister Pat, visiting from Malta, N.Y.

There was a feast of many dishes, the usual chaotic gift-opening, and the traditional game of capture the flag with Marie, who started that particular tradition, taking part once again.

Watch this video of the gift-giving fun:



Xander's presence made this the first gathering of four generations of the family, founded lo-those-many-years-ago by Daniel and Lorraine.

Holiday concerts 2007

Andy performed with the Park Middle School 6th Grade Band at its winter concert Dec. 11, 2007. Andy is a percussionist and played various instruments - snare drum, bass tom, wood block, triangle, etc. -- during the concert. In this rendition of O Little Town of Bethlehem he's playing the bass tom.



Chris performed a saxophone solo at the Cecil Manor Elementary School Christmas Concert. Says proud mom Cathy: "Some day when he's a star we can say that this is where it all began!"


(At the end of the video, links to other videos posted at Photobucket.com appear. They are not from Cathy or Birch Street TV.)

Videos of SPFHS marching band's 2007 championship season

Here are videos taken by Dan of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Raiders Marching Band.

On Oct. 27 the band won the New Jersey State Championship in its class, Group 6A, which includes the largest high school bands in the state.

The first set of videos below is from the band's performance at the Raiders football homecoming game on Oct. 20, 2007.

Quest: Visions of a Dream
Music from "Man of la Mancha" and "Zorro."

Homecoming show, Part One:



Part Two:



Part Three:



Part Four:

Finale: An added flourish

Here's the final minute of the band's performance at the USSBA Northern States competition in Allentown, Pa., on Nov. 3. A few little visual touches had been added - you'll see Christine lead her line of flutes in a cool move at 17 seconds into this clip.

Troop 33 visits Naval Academy, other sites

Andy was among members of his Boy Scout troop who took a whirlwind tour of some historical and other sites in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia Nov. 8-10, 2007.



While at George Washington's estate in Mount Vernon, Andy took part in the daily wreath-placing ceremony at the tombs of America's first president and first lady.

See the full story and more photos

Raiders Marching Band wins NJ title

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band won its second straight Group 6A New Jersey State Championship at a U.S. Scholastic Band Association competition in Sayreville on the night of Oct. 27, 2007.

Here the band's trio of drum majors marches off with the championship banner.



The victory is a credit to the many long hours of hard work that all the band and color guard members have been putting in since "band camp" began in late August.

Christine has been playing flute for several years, in school music classes and the Park Middle School band. Now as a freshman at SPFHS she's been learning to play more difficult music, while marching in complex formations. The band's show this year, titled "Quest: Visions of a Dream" includes music from Man of la Mancha and the movie Zorro.

The band's competitive season wrapped up the night of Nov. 3 at a USSBA competition in Allentown, Pa., which featured bands from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. In Group 6A, the Raiders came in second, narrowly edged out by a band from Pennsbury, Pa.

The band will continue to play half-time shows at SPFHS football games through Thanksgiving.

FLASHBACK: 1972 - Pike's Peak or Bust

Thirty-five years ago. Can it really be that long? The six of us who trekked from Yonkers to Colorado and back again in July 1972 will never forget it. Read Lorraine's summary of that memorable trip. (If that link doesn't work, click here instead.)

FLASHBACK: 1952 - The singer and the soldiers

The passing of Teresa Brewer reminded Hugh of the day she sang for the troops at a USO show in Boston on Thanksgiving, 1952. Read his account.

Busy weekend for SPF marching band

Christine and the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band had a very busy weekend Oct. 20-21, performing three times in two days.



On Saturday Oct. 20 the band played at the school's Homecoming football game (Union upset SP-F 22-13). Above they take the field to begin their performance; at right is a shot of Christine during the show.

Then after a dinner break the band took part in a competition at another school a few towns away.

On Sunday they went to the Central Jersey Regional competition held at the College of New Jersey in Lawrenceville, near Trenton.


Here are scenes from the Central Jersey Regional show Oct. 21, 2007. Above, Christine is at front left. Below, she marches past the musicians in the "pit" who accompany the marching musicians.

Below, Christine is at the front of the line of flutes.

Along with the color guard, the SP-F (or "spiffy") band has well over 100 students participating. At each competition, the bands are judged on various criteria of musicality, artistic presentation etc., and awarded point scores.

Xander's first birthday

Xander turned 1 on Oct. 4, 2007, and the celebrations went on through the following weekend. Grandpa Dan flew out from New Jersey to join the festivities. They included a party Saturday the 6th at Marie and Brian's home, and a visit to a pumpkin farm the following day.

Here's a slideshow of photos from the weekend.


If that's not enough you can look at the full album of photos.

But wait, there's more! See the videos in the post below...

Xander's first birthday weekend: The videos

A rousing chorus of Happy Birthday for Xander. (He looks perplexed.)



Here Xander meets the pumpkins at a local farm:



The farm has a train ride. Xander's ride was well-documented, as you can see.

BONUS VIDEOS: Here are a couple of short clips taken on a digital still camera during Xander's birthday weekend:
Xander chases Eyvonne across Marie & Brian's back yard
Xander answers the call of the wild
Relaxing at home

Stepping up in Scouting

Andy was awarded his Tenderfoot badge in a Court of Honor ceremony held by Boy Scout Troop 33 on Sept. 24. The previous weekend he hiked along a portion of the Appalachian Trail with his fellow Scouts. Details and photos are here.

Extending the summer season

Brien returned to the Long Island for a late-September visit, enjoying a week of excellent late-summer weather with his parents, Daniel & Lorraine, and with his long-time friend Madelon, who took thi "long shadows" photo on Jessup's Neck.

At the end of the week, Dan, Christine, Kathy, Ted and Patrick made it out for the weekend and helped Daniel and Lorraine celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary on Sept. 22. Among the highlights were a feast that night at Il Cappuccino Restaurant in Sag Harbor and a ride across Noyac Bay the next day on Ted's motor boat.



Here are a couple of brief video clips:

FLASHBACK-2001: Daniel and Lorraine celebrate 50 years

In August 2001, family members gathered at Long Beach near Sag Harbor to surprise Lorraine and Dan in celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary, which was coming up on Sept. 22.

The secret plans went off without a hitch. In this video, the surprise is evident as the guests of honor arrive at the beach. The afternoon at the beach was then followed by a fine dinner in a reserved room at a restaurant in Sag Harbor. It was a wonderful occasion from start to finish.

The cast of characters includes (in alphabetical order) Andy, Annamarie, Brien, Christine, Dan, Dan, Dan, Emory, Genevieve, Julie, Kathy, Kathy, Kevin, Kevin, Lorraine, Marie, Pat, Patrick, Shanna, Ted and Vivien.

Making the best of a bad break

Dolores recounts how she dealt with a setback just before she and Hugh flew off to Germany for a Rhine River cruise. The word "unstoppable" comes to mind.

SPFHS Marching Band's first performance of the 2007 season

The Scotch Plains Fanwood High School Marching Band performing in the stands at the SPFHS Raiders varsity football game on Sept. 8, 2007. The middle of this clip zooms in on Christine playing her flute.



Here the band performs its half-time show. This was its first half-time performance of the season, so the show was still a work in progress. This clip is the first one-third of the show.



The second third of the show is broken into two video clips. This portion features the color guard and a drum line solo.



Can you pick out Christine among the flute players in any of these clips? It's not easy in those uniforms!



The final portion of the program. Lots of percussion in this portion.



And oh yeah, there was a football game. SPFHS won 31-0.

Marching band season 2007 is under way

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band playing pep songs in the stands at the SPFHS Raiders varsity football game on Sept. 8, 2007.

It's birthday season for this family

It must be fate. All three members of this California family have their birthdays within a four-week span.

Brian's is Sept. 6. He and Marie celebrated by going out to eat at a "new-ish" Indian restaurant in Morgan Hill. Xander visited with Grandma so they could enjoy some grown-up time together. Marie's birthday is coming up Sept. 16, and Xander's 1st birthday arrives soon after on Oct. 4. Yes, it's been a year already!

Marie writes: "Xander's getting very close to walking. He has taken a few very wobbly steps, mostly when he's very excited and distracted enough to forget that he might fall if he tries to walk. He's an active little guy, and a 'people person.' He gets cranky if he doesn't see 10 different faces in a day, minimum."

If you haven't already seen it, be sure to check out the video of Xander learning to stand on his own, taken in late July. And of course his photo gallery pages.

Andy celebrates 11th birthday Japanese style

Andy turned 11 years old on Aug. 23, 2007, and celebrated the following Saturday (8/25) with a dinner party at Arirang, a Japanese hibachi steakhouse. It's one of those places where the chef cooks the food right in front of the diners while entertaining with little tricks and jokes. Andy and his family and guests all had a great time.

A perfect August day

Shanna brings us this update:

On Saturday Aug. 11, Mom, Dad, Kevin and I took a trip out to Sag Harbor for the day. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kathy, Genevieve, Vivien, Patrick and Uncle Brien were all out there so it was very nice to see all of them. I was really happy to get a chance to see Genevieve and Vivien before they went away for school.

We spent the majority of our day at Long Beach with everyone. It was a beautiful day outside and we all definitely enjoyed it. Many of the boys spent a great deal of the their time in the water and the rest of us were chatting on the beach. (See the photos in the Gallery.)

We stayed at the beach literally until the sunset, which was amazing. We then all headed over to Aunt Kathy's house for a pizza dinner and spent the evening talking there.

Midsummer visits on Long Island, 2007

The week that lapped from July into August saw plenty of activity around the eastern Long Island vacation retreats of several branches of the family.

Dan & Julie & Christine & Andy spent the week on "Birch Street East," renting a house just footsteps away from the famed cottage where Dan and Lorraine are once again enjoying a summer-long stay.

They visited with Kathy & Ted at their summer home a few blocks away, which is in the midst of renovations that will make it an even more fabulous place. Patrick was there all week and Genevieve & Vivien part of the week.

On Sunday, Aunt Anamarie and Emory ferried over from Shelter Island to join in a gathering at Kathy & Ted's, and later in the week Brien arrived for a stay.

Throughout this week of comings and goings, the weather was consistently beach-y -- sunny with temperatures in the 80s and occasionally the low 90s. Trips to Long Beach and the ocean beaches in Bridgehampton were the main activities. Here's a photo from Mecox Beach.



There was also a visit to Jessup's Neck, where Christine, Andy and Patrick hand-fed the hungry chick-a-dees, and Dan & Dan got in a great sail across Noyac Bay.



Here are a couple of fun video clips:

Patrick, Christine and Andy leap from the lifeguard stand at Long Beach in Noyac, 7/30/07.


Andy, Christine, Patrick, Genevieve and Brien crashing through wild ocean waves in Bridgehampton, August 2007

Summer Scouting in Maryland

During the summer of 2007, Christopher's Cub pack presented the colors at a Blue Rocks baseball game...

...and Stephanie's Brownie troop visited a beauty salon.

Click here to see more photos

Both also attended scout camps. Chris attended both day camp, where the theme was "Land of the Pharoahs," and resident camp (at Henson Scout Reservation near Seaford, Del.) where the theme was "Exploring the New World." Besides swimming and crafts, he participated in fishing, games, fire building and camp cooking. His favorite activites were archery and BB shooting.

Stephanie attended Girl Scout day camp at Camp Grove Point near Earleville Md. She chose to be a "Slimy Scientist" for the week. By making various concoctions and doing experiments she earned the Science Try-It badge. Additionally she participated in swimming, songs and crafts. She even had a sleep over one night complete with a campfire and talent show.

A summer full of camps for Chris & Steph

Cathy writes: Christopher and Stephanie have been busy this summer attending various camps.

Chris attended the National Young Scholars Program for the 2nd year in Chevy Chase, Md. back in June. He stayed at the National 4-H Conference Center for a week. This is an academic and leadership camp for which he was originally recommended by his 3rd grade teacher. Last year he studied Greek Mythology. This year it was Crime Solving (CSI). He enjoyed conducting experiments to determine "whodunit" and made new friends as well.

Chris also attended day camp at Cecil Comunity College where he participated in a variety of different "classes." He learned print making, conducted science experiments, and expanded his knowledge of Dragons & Dinosaurs.

No summer would be complete with out Scout camp! (Read about their summer Scouting activities.)

Earlier, Stephanie attended day camp at Fair Hill Nature Center here in Elkton. The theme for her group was "Little Waterworks." They learned about water creatures and water life while they explored many of the nearby streams.

Phew! Add to that piano lessons and a couple of trips to the beach and you can see how the summer has just flown by. Back to school time is right around the corner.

Cathy also sent along some photos from a visit to Gettysburg in July. See them here or here.

Jersey cousins visit the Floridians

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy flew down from New Jersey to Florida in late July for a brief vacation trip and to visit with Nanette and Courtney in Palm Beach Gardens.



The travelers had just two full days to enjoy some of the sights and to catch up with the Florida branch of the family, but had a fine time doing so.

The main point of interest, of course, was the new home of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, where Nanette is executive director.

Read the full story here or here.

"Fluffy" a hit at Harry Potter book party

Andy was in costume as Fluffy, the three-headed dog, at a late night party leading up to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at a central New Jersey book store July 20, 2007. He won honorable mention in the costume judging and drew the biggest cheer from the crowd. His mom made the costume for Halloween 2004; this photo is from that date. The costume is a bit short on Andy now, so this was probably its final appearance.

Xander's photo galleries and videos

Webmaster Dan says:

Because it's not clear what will happen to our original Birch Street Web pages when Google discontinues its googlepages service, I'm starting to move some content to other places. To begin with, I've taken the photos of Xander that fill two Birch Street Gallery pages and put them into online albums. (The date on this post, July 18 2007, is when the most recent photos were originally added to the web site.)

Click to watch the slideshow, or click twice to go directly to the album and see larger versions.





And here are some early videos that were on Birch Street TV:

Xander Stands!

Sent by Marie and Brian 7/31/2007: "Here's a video we took of Xander learning to stand. He can stand for a few seconds on his own without holding on. Enjoy!"

Xander kicks!

Video from November 2006

A birthday celebration marked by lucky 7s

Lorraine, known to many of us as Mom or Grandma, celebrated her birthday on the 7th day of the 7th month of the 7th year of the millenium. She and Dan/Dad/Grandpa are summering in Noyac, and went out for a celebratory dinner with daughter Kathy and grandchildren Genevieve, Vivien and Patrick. They dined at the Oasis, formerly the Inn at Mill Creek.

Genevieve writes: "The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed watching the sun set while we ate. At dessert, they brought out a candle for Grandma (stuck in her Banana's Foster) and we all sang happy birthday. Grandma made a wish and blew it out!

After dinner we went back to our house and watched fireworks that were being set off in honor of the Fourth of July (and Grandma's birthday!) It was a very fun night and everyone enjoyed themselves."

Anniversary on the Hudson

Dan and Julie celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary July 8, 2007 by taking a dinner cruise on the Hudson and East River and around New York Harbor. The three-hour tour (really!) on Spirit Cruise on a balmy evening made for a very pleasant mini-getaway.

Coincidentally, they met friends from Fanwood who were taking the same cruise with their two daughters to celebrate the older girl's 17th birthday. It's thanks to them that we have these photos taken on board. In the one at right, the (blurred) background is Brooklyn, in the approximate area of the neighborhood where they lived when they got married lo those many years ago.

Selling "the camp" on the lake

Pat completed the sale of her vacation house on Saratoga Lake in June 2007:

"Well, it finally happened. 19 Fathom Drive (my camp) has been sold. YEAH!!!!!" Pat wrote on June 24. The closing was set for the 26th.

"Thanks to all of you who have kept me in your prayers. They worked. It really hasn't been on the market all that long (since March), it just seemed that way. Selling a house can be a very nerve wracking experience. I'm glad it is over. I know the people will tear it down and build a new one -- it should be fun to watch. I live nearby so I can check on the progress once in a while."

Our 2007 Grads-at-a-Glance

Spring of 2007 saw an amazing number of graduations among the various branches of the family connected by the Birch Street Web.

Check out our
"Grads at a Glance" page for a quick look at all the grads and links to their schools.

Or find links here to full articles and photos.

Genevieve's studies focus on museums

After graduating from Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences, where she majored in art history, Genevieve will be continuing her studies in the fall at Tufts University near Boston. She will pursue a Master’s degree in History of Art and Museum Studies, with a focus on Islamic Art.

“My main interest is in areas of interaction between the Islamic and Mediterranean world during the Medieval period, particularly in Sicily, and how the art and architecture of those regions relates to trade relationships,” Genevieve writes.

She will be studying with a professor who is an expert in the field, Eva Hoffman. “I've read many of her articles during my time at Cornell and I liked them,” Genevieve said. “She's a well known figure in the field of Islamic Art history, and I feel really lucky to have the chance to work with her. I also met with her when I went to visit Tufts in March and she's really wonderful and friendly.”

Tufts School of Arts and Sciences offers two art history M.A. programs. Genevieve chose the one that also leads to certification in museum studies “because it will give me the opportunity to have an internship at a Boston museum, which I'm excited about.”

Last summer, Genevieve was an intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. While there she recorded a podcast about the museum’s collection of Assyrian reliefs. To listen to her audio tour of the exhibit, click here and scroll down just a bit to the “College Intern Audio Feature, then choose to download the file or just listen to it as streaming audio.

Moving up -- to the Jersey side

Kevin received a promotion and his new post means a change in scenery. As of June 5, 2007, he has been commuting to Fairfield, N.J., leaving Manhattan behind.

"I have been working for Lanier Worldwide in Manhattan since July 2006, but with the merger of Lanier and Ricoh, Inc., I received a promotion and moved to the corporate offices for the Northeast region, where I will be the Manager of AR, Billing and Collections for the Northeast," Kevin writes. "While I will miss working in the city, I am looking forward to my new position."

Visiting in Texas

Dolores and Hugh have recently returned from a trip to Comanche, Texas, where they visited Dolores’s sister Norene and her husband Alan.

Read their account here and see a gallery of their photos here.

Christine earns Silver Award

Christine and seven other members of Troop 441 received their Silver Awards at a ceremony May 29, 2007. Read the full story of the award and the project Christine and two of her friends did as the final step toward earning it.

Cape Cod update, Spring 2007

Owen provided this update in late May:

Gerrit, who graduated May 5 from Nichols College, is looking to get into the field of sports management. On the side, he and four friends from his home area on Cape Cod make up a band called "28" that has been playing regularly around the Massachusetts/Rhode Island area. You can check out their music, photos and other information at their Web page.

Elizabeth is a 6th grader and is very involved in ballet through the school at the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans, Mass.

The family took a recent vacation trip to Charleston, S.C., and Owen promises to send along a picture or two when he gets a spare moment.

FLASHBACK: 2006 - Touring California and Arizona

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy made a memorable trip in April 2006 to California and Arizona.

We arrived in Los Angeles on a Friday night, they spent Saturday at Disneyland with Marie & Brian, Dan & Eyvonne. Here are a few photos from that visit.


(Click once to see slideshow, click again to go to the album for larger views.)

We all got together again for breakfast the next morning, then parted as M&B and D&E headed back north to their homes and D&J&C&A headed east to Arizona.

The drive took us across the Mojave Desert to Kingman, Arizona. Next day we took a scenic ride along old Route 66 and reached the Grand Canyon shortly before sundown.

It's easy to take terrific photos at the canyon, but no picture can capture its vastness and its breathtaking beauty. It really is an amazing sight.

Other highlights of our Arizona tour were a volcanic field outside Flagstaff, the cave dwellings in Walnut Canyon, and the red rock formations around Sedona.

Here's a slideshow of over 60 photos from Arizona - and even that is fewer than half the photos Dan took!


(Click once to see slideshow, click again to go to the album for larger views.)

Christine & her Girl Scout troop appear on CBS-TV

Girl Scout Troop 441 traveled to Manhattan to join the outdoor audience of the Early Show on CBS-TV Friday, May 25, 2007.



Christine was on-camera three times -- twice very briefly as the camera panned the crowd, and once for several seconds in the background as one of the hosts stood was speaking. Above is a video clip that captures those three moments, and below are still images.

Read the full article and see the freeze-frame pictures.

Update from Saratoga, Spring 2007

Pat writes:
We have all been busy. Mary graduated from the "Saratoga Leadership Program" which is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. She then ran for the Board of Education. Although she didn't win (there were 6 candidates) she did very well for a beginner with 960 votes. Better luck next time!

In sports... Brennan has been playing AAU basketball and averages about 18 points a game.





Shannon is on the YMCA swim team and will be cheerleading for Pop Warner Football in the fall.





I go to a Pilates class on Mondays and Osteo Prevention class on Wed. and Friday.

I went on a nice trip with my "Red Hat Society" friends to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont May 23. It was a perfect day for walking around the grounds. A good time was had by all.

Patrick receives confirmation

Patrick received the sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, May 6, at Our Lady of Fatima parish in Yonkers. Patrick and 34 other young men and women were confirmed by Bishop Ignatius Catanello.

Patrick was sponsored by his sister Vivien. His parents, Ted and Kathy, and his sister Genevieve attended, along with his grandparents Ted and Celestine and his Uncle Dan, who is also his godfather.

Double digit birthday for Christopher

Christopher celebrated his 10th birthday on May 5, 2007. As part of the festivities "he had a couple of friends sleep over Saturday night but there was very little sleeping on their part," reports his mom, Cathy.

Shown here in his current school portrait, Christopher is a busy guy these days. In Cub Scouts, he's a 2nd year Webelos, getting ready for the move up to Boy Scouts. "We have lots of camping trips coming up this spring," Cathy says.

"Also he is playing saxophone in the school band and continues to take piano lessons. He was also in the chess club at school this year." Christopher is an avid reader, and enjoys TV and computer games in his spare time.

Talent showcased at school art shows

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood (N.J.) School District Art Festival was held April 25 at the high school. Two pieces by Christine were shown, both stemming from art class assignments: The drawing above, of a dragon made from pencils of various sizes, and a self-portrait incorporating words and phrases of self-description.

The next day, April 26, Towson (Md.) High School held its own exhibit of student work in fine art and photography from the art department. Each student mounted a portfolio of his or her work for display. The show filled the entire gymnasium. Lizzie, a senior, took a first prize for one of her pieces. Grandfather Hugh writes that "Grandmother Dolores was particularly proud. She was also very impressed with the overall quality of the work."

Visiting the Liberty Memorial Museum

Hugh and Dolores this spring visited Kansas City, where the attended the Assembly of the National Academy of Needlearts. While there, they visited the Liberty Memorial Museum. Hugh provides this account.

FLASHBACK: Christmas 2006 in Yonkers

Scenes from the annual gathering at Lorraine and Dan's house in Yonkers. Enjoy!

More teeth! More smiles!

Xander helps Dad compose a tune

Xander marked his half-birthday on April 4 and has come a long way in his first six months. He now has 8 teeth - four top, four bottom - is trying out so-called solid food (strained peas, yum!) and likes his new high chair. The teeth help give him that grown-up-looking smile.

"He's getting better at sitting up," his mom, Marie, said on April 24. "He can play with toys for a short time before he topples."

Read the full article and see more photos in Xander's gallery.

The strange tale of the enterprising barber

Genevieve was assistant director of a recent production of Sweeney Todd by the Melodramatics Theater Company, an independent student organization at Cornell University.

The musical ran April 11-21 at Cornell's Risley Theater.

Click here to read an article about it in the Cornell Daily Sun. Or here for an article at 14850 Today, a Web site covering Ithaca.

Martial arts: Andy moves up a belt

Andy succeeded in winning promotion from Orange Belt to Green Belt in the martial art of Tae Kwon Do on April 19, 2007.

Under the demanding eye of Master Yoo at the Martial Arts Institute of America school in Scotch Plains, Andy performed admirably to win his new belt and a trophy. Here he demonstrates his forms at home after his promotion.

Continental Congress on school stage

The School of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y. presented the musical "1776" April 13-14, with Vivien in the role of South Carolina's lead delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

The production was "great, terrific," and Vivien's performance was "fabulous," according to one critic. Well, more like a fan. OK, a mom.

Vivien adopted a Southern accent for the role, which includes a dramatic solo song, "Molasses to Rum." In the song, Rutledge attacks the hypocrisy of Northern delegates who rail against slavery yet profit from the "triangle trade" in "moasses and rum and slaves."

The Journal-News newspaper carried a feature article previewing the show. It quoted Vivien as saying her role "was a really big challenge at the beginning, but I'm getting to enjoy it more and more."

The strange tale of the enterprising barber

Genevieve was assistant director of a recent production of Sweeny Todd by the Melodramatics Theater Company, an independent student organization at Cornell University.

The musical ran April 11-21 at Cornell's Risley Theater.

Click here to read an article about it in the Cornell Daily Sun. Or here for an article at 14850 Today, a Web site covering Ithaca.

An Easter/Birthday gathering

Various members of the clan stopped by the Yonkers homestead on Sunday April 8 to mark the Easter holiday and continue celebrating Dad/Grandpa's birthday, which was April 7. See the full article with more photos.