Genevieve and John are engaged!

They have not picked a date or made specific plans yet, but Genevieve and her boyfriend John are now engaged.

The couple met in their junior year of college at Cornell. After their graduation in 2007, John went to work for Facebook in Palo Alto, Calif., and Genevieve to Tufts University near Boston, where she is studying for her masters in art history and museum studies. The two have kept up a coast-to-coast romance, but hope to find a way to inhabit the same Zip code after Genevieve completes her degree in the spring.

Over the holidays they visited John's family in Seaford, Del., and Genevieve's in Yonkers, N.Y. It was at Genevieve's parents' home that John presented her with a ring, asked the big question and got the answer he was looking for. The couple jetted to California a couple days later to ring in the New Year.

Click 'comments' below and add your congratulations or other messages

Rebecca heading to national curling tournament

Congratulations to Rebecca whose curling team won the Grand National Curling Club Women's Junior Championship in a bonspiel (curling tournament) held in Wayland, Mass., outside Boston, last weekend (Dec. 27-29).


Rebecca and her teammates are seen here in front of the scoreboard in the final game of the competition. Beebe is the last name of the team's skip, or captain. Team Beebe finished with a 5-1 record to take the championship.

The team will travel to Devil's Lake, North Dakota the second week in February to compete in a field of 10 teams from around the country in the U.S. Curling Association's Women's Junior National competition.

Rebecca, her sister Lizzie and parents Doug and Lisa joined the Potomac Curling Club in 2003. Rebecca was on the club's team that competed in the U.S. Curling Association Club National Championships in March 2007.

Another Christmas get-together

Hugh and Dolores paid a Christmastime visit to Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy on Dec. 28-29. They saw Christine and Andy serve as acolytes at St. Paul's Church in Westfield on Sunday morning, enjoyed Sunday dinner together at the family's home and returned for breakfast (as seen above) before heading back home to Maryland.

Christmas gathering in Yonkers - 2008

The annual Christmas party at the Midland Avenue homestead in Yonkers took place Saturday Dec. 27. In this year's group photo we have Daniel and Lorraine (seated) flanked by Shanna, Andy and Vivien; and behind them (left to right) are Dan, Ted, Kathy, Kevin, Kathy, Kevin (is there an echo in here?) Brien, Genevieve, Patrick, Genevieve's friend John, Julie, Christine and Christine's friend Matt (making his first appearance at the yearly event).

There were plenty of goodies, gifts were exchanged, the traditional game of Capture the Flag was played and everyone marveled at how tall Patrick and Andy have gotten. It's amazing that another year has come and gone, but it was great to get together once again and share in the food and festivities.

Please write in to the Birch Street Web and let us know where and how you celebrated. Or just click on "comments" below and add a note to this post.

Merry Christmas to all...

Hope you're having a wonderful Christmastime ... and will write in soon to tell us about it!

It's Christmas Eve!

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...

Continue reading the classic poem

Christine sings in SPFHS choral concert (Updated with video)

The Winter Choral Concert at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School showcased the various singing groups in the school's very active music department. The first half of the show featured performances by five specialty choirs and choruses, and then the full Concert Choir took the stage after intermission.



Christine and her boyfriend, Matt, are both members of the Concert Choir. Matt also belongs to and performed with the Men's Choir and Select Choir.

This first video clip has excerpts from a happy little number called Ding-a-Ding.



Next is a longer excerpt from a beautiful song called Can You Hear by New York composer Jim Papoulis.



This last clip, from "Let It Snow," shows the size of the Concert Choir - approximately 150 singers.



The entire show was very well done, with great performances by all the groups. In the spring the school's singing groups and bands will perform at Disney World in Florida.

Andy on percussion in winter concert

The holiday concert season continued Tuesday night (12/16) with the Park Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Winter Concert at the school auditorium in Scotch Plains. Andy played a variety of percussion instruments.

In this video clip he's playing suspended cymbal, tambourine and triangle in a number called Hanukkah Begins Tonight. (Since he's at the rear of the stage you can't really see just what he's doing, but you can tell he's busy!)



This second clip is from a jazzy version of the Carol of the Bells. This excerpt features the percussion section, including Andy on cowbell.

Daniel in Glee Club's winter concert

The Male Glee Club of Yonkers performed its annual winter concert Sunday. The club is now in its 83rd year, and Daniel has been a member since 1976. He's one of the group's second basses. You'll see him in the right rear corner of the group in this video of the second number in the show, "Get Happy."

Here are excerpts from the final number of the program, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.

In the audience for the show were Lorraine, Dan, Kathy, Brien, Kevin & Kathy along with Shanna and Kevin. Following the performance, Dan, Kathy and Brien joined Dan & Lorraine at the club's "Afterglow" dinner at the Polish Center.

Look back at the club's spring concert from May 2008.

UPDATE: Track season off to a good start for Patrick

The 2008-09 indoor track season has begun for Patrick and his teammates at Fordham Prep. On Saturday (12/13) he won the gold medal in his category in pole vault during the Catholic High School Athletic Association Relay Carnival, held at the Armory in upper Manhattan.

It was his first vault competition of the season, and Patrick cleared the bar at 9 feet. He's been clearing 10 feet in practice lately, having come a long way from the 7-foot jump that was captured on video during training last winter.

Expectations are high for the Fordham Prep track team this year, according to this Journal-News article.

This fall, after playing as the starting goalie on the school's junior varsity soccer team, Patrick was added to the varsity team's playoff roster as a back-up. That gave him a close-up view of the varsity-level competition as the team made it to the Catholic High School Athletic Association finals, losing the Nov. 1 championship game 1-0 to Molloy.

Patrick hopes to be playing on the varsity team next year (and help it reclaim the title it held in 2006 and 2007). Meantime he's joined a New Rochelle team in a winter league to keep his skills up.

Thanksgiving 2008 in Yonkers

The Yonkers residents in the family all came together from their separate feasts for dessert at Daniel and Lorraine's home. And yes, pie was involved!



(If you click on the slideshow it will take you to Picasa where you can see larger images.)

UPDATE: Move east planned for January

Marie, Brian and Xander are now planning their cross-country move for mid-to-late January, rather than right around New Year's.

Marie writes that they've decided to stay in California a few extra weeks as they hand off operations of the Regal Ribbons business back to her mom. "We haven't settled on a firm date of arrival yet, but it'll definitely be January," Marie says.

Meanwhile they're getting ready for a fun Christmas with a 2-year-old. "We've been going out for evening drives to check out the Christmas lights around town. Xander's favorite house has an inflatable, light-up Thomas train and Mickey Mouse on the lawn, making it the coolest lawn he's ever seen." Yes, Xander is a huge fan of Thomas the Tank Engine.

Kevin's latest career move

Kevin moved to a new job this fall, becoming billing and operations manager at Smart Source LLC, a printing services management company.

Among other things that means that after a little more than a year of commuting across the Hudson River to New Jersey, he's working in Manhattan again, an easy trip by subway or express bus.

Following the merger of Lanier Worldwide, where he had been working, and Ricoh Inc., Kevin was promoted to Northeast manager of accounts receivable at Ricoh's regional corporate office in Fairfield, N.J. But the hassle and costs of the commute prompted him to look for another opportunity and he found it at Smart Source in September.

The company manages its clients' needs for printed materials ranging from stationery and forms to marketing and promotional materials. You can see more on its web site.

UPDATE: Shanna's return to MTV is on the Web

MTV has posted video clips from its "Britney's Fans: For the Record" special on which Shanna appeared.

Shanna tells us: "Today (Dec. 2) I went to MTV Studios in Times Square to be a part of yet another Britney Spears show! Not only was it a great experience, but it was extra special since today is Britney's 27th Birthday and the day her new album "Circus" hits stores.

"The show is different from the last one I did. Instead of being interviewed one at a time, 25 Britney fans filled a Britney-themed studio and commented on her documentary 'For the Record' which aired a few days ago on MTV."

The show debuted Dec. 3 following a rebroadcast of the documentary about the pop star. It was rerun Dec. 5 and 6, and posted on MTV's web site in the form of four clips. The first 5-minute clip includes Shanna's comments, beginning at about the 4-minute mark.

MTV Shows

The other clips from the show can be seen on MTV's web site. There's no more commentary from Shanna, but in the fourth clip she has moved to a spot close to the emcee and gets a good bit of camera time.

If you've got nothing better to do...

...check out the little extras on these Birch Street Web pages:

The Family Calendar - Shows upcoming birthdays and other notable dates. Please send in any that you'd like to add.

The Weather Station - See what the weather's like for our far-flung family members.

The Just for Fun Page - Feed the fish, play with the penguins, try a game of Hangman or Suduko, etc.

Got any ideas for things to add to the site? Send me your suggestions. Thanks.

--Webmaster Dan

Keeping the beat

Andy, who plays percussion in his school band and has been taking lessons on his snare drum, was anxious to start working on a full drum set. His Uncle Doug's drums were sitting unused in the storeroom over his garage in Maryland. Thanks to Doug, Andy's now following in his uncle's footsteps, rocking out in his basement in New Jersey on this vintage set.

Andy also follows his big brother Dan in his choice of instruments. Dan was part of the award-winning drum line of the Live Oak High School marching band, class of 1999. This photo was taken around that time in the garage of his California home.

The story of the government grasshoppers

In his new post at The Star-Ledger, Dan's duties include writing occasional editorials. His first effort, a simple and fairly non-controversial comment about fiscally imprudent government, appeared in Sunday's paper and online on nj.com's opinion page.

Here is the text:

Thanksgiving gathering in Maryland

Doug and Lisa were hosts for a Thanksgiving celebration that included members of both sides of their family. Here they are with their parents, Hugh and Dolores; their daughters Elizabeth and Rebecca; Doug's sisters, Cathy and Julie; Julie's husband, Dan, and their children, Christine and Andy.



Lisa's sister and brothers plus spouses and children also were on hand. There was plenty of fabulous food, game-playing and conversations that went on into the night.

Elizabeth is in her second year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Rebecca is a senior at Towson High School. Doug has been spending a lot of time in Nevada lately working on engineering plans for an interstate highway project in Las Vegas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday. We hope everyone gets to spend some time relaxing with family and friends.

Wherever you are and however you celebrate, have a happy Thanksgiving - and please write in to tell us all about it!

R puters making us dummerer?

Hugh writes about The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein. Here's an excerpt from his review:

While my father often told me he remembered seeing his first automobile, I remember seeing my first jet plane, television set, desktop computer, cell phone, and countless other modern devices. Science has handed us more gadgets and devices in the last 100 years than in all previous human history, and the exponential pace of development is not abating.

If Mark Bauerlein is correct, the young people he identifies as “The Millenials,” those born between 1980 and 2000, have carried the process so far that they do not see the need to learn anything from the past.

Bauerlein’s primary thesis is that the media and digital revolution touted as a great boom to education has not fulfilled the promise, and, in fact, has stifled important learning from books, magazines, newspapers and other hard copy sources.

Read Hugh's full review.

Dan has new duties at NJ's largest newspaper

In his other life at The Star-Ledger, Birch Street Webmaster Dan is moving from the news pages to the editorial/opinion pages.

As Deputy Editorial Page Editor, Dan will be editing articles for the newspaper's OpEd page and helping shape the Star-Ledger's editorial position on important issues. He'll be working with the new editorial page editor, who previously was the paper's senior political correspondent.

Click on the newspaper logo to see the announcement that appeared in the Sunday paper.

Shanna on TV special - UPDATE: See the video

Shanna appeared along with other fans of Britney Spears in a half-hour program on MTV called "The Britney Collection." The show featured some of the pop star's hit music videos interspersed with quick clips of her fans commenting about them.

The program had its debut on Sunday night following "Total Finale Live," a special marking the end of the 10-year-run of the popular "Total Request Live" show.

Here's a montage of brief excerpts from the show. I've altered the appearance except for Shanna's clips, which appear as they did on the broadcast.

(Please do not copy or link to this video.)(If the player doesn't work, click here to see it on Google Video.)

According to MTV's schedule -- which they don't always follow -- "The Britney Collection" will be repeated Sunday (11/23) at 8 p.m.

By the way - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANNA (Nov. 24)

Marie, Brian and Xander plan to move back to NJ

THIS JUST IN:

After more than a decade in California, Marie and Brian are planning to move back to New Jersey with their son Xander, now 2 years old.

Marie surprised her dad with the news today, but said their plans have been in the works for several weeks. As much as they like California, Marie said, she and Brian see better opportunities for the future in New Jersey.

They plan a cross-country drive at the end of the year, arriving in Trenton shortly after New Year's. They will stay for a time with Brian's parents in Trenton while getting settled.

More details as they become available.

Xander was king for Halloween

Check out Xander's Halloween costume -- It's Tiny Elvis!



Here he is looking more like himself while pumpkin-shopping:

Our new way to 'Keep in Touch'

Welcome to the Birch Street Web's new "blog" (web-log), the latest innovation in our effort to help our extended family keep in touch.

This new format (launched Nov. 11, 2008) should make it easier to keep the hundreds of items in our family web site organized and easy to find.

The latest postings will always appear at the top of the home page, and as you scroll down you'll go back in time. At the bottom of each page you'll find a link for "Older Posts."

Down the right-hand column you'll find a couple of indexes to help sort posts -- by date, and by category labels such as "Birthdays" and "Travel."

There's also a Search window at the top left corner of each page where you can search the blog by a word, name or phrase.

Another new feature: Comments. This has the potential to make the Birch Street Web much more interactive, to get some conversations going among family members.

If you click to post a comment on any article, you'll find a box to type your message and a choice of ways to identify yourself. The simplest is to choose "Name/URL" and then enter your first name or nickname so other family members will know who you are. (You don't have to fill in a URL, but you can if you have a web site you'd like to link to.)

NOTE: Although the settings on this blog should keep it out of web searches, there's still a chance of a stranger wandering in, so we'll stick to our policy of leaving out last names and other specific identifying information.

At least for now, the old index pages of the Birch Street Web can still be accessed:
The Front Page
Birch Street Gallery
Birch Street TV
But they will no longer be kept up-to-date with new material. And because Google is restructuring its web-hosting system, the older pages may have to be moved to different locations. We'll do our best to keep you posted and to make sure everything can be found from this new blog site.

Let's all keep in touch!

WRITE TO US TODAY!

* RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE *

Walking in the woods, fall 2008

Photos taken by Dan in the Watchung Reservation in central New Jersey, on Oct. 26 and Nov. 9.


(Click to go to the photo album to see larger images)

INTRODUCING: Our newest way to keep in touch

The Birch Street Web continues to expand and to evolve. Since its founding in March 2007 it's format and design have changed a few times, and now it's time to rearrange the furniture once again.

The plans by Google to phase out its "googlepages" system -- where the Birch Street Web began and has grown into a network of more than 125 linked pages -- prompted me to look for alternatives. I tried out the new "Google Sites" system but didn't like it as much. Then I tried Google's "Blogger" system and realized it has a lot of advantages as an organizing tool for our family web site.

One benefit is that readers -- meaning you -- can add comments to the posts, so we can can have discussions among as many family members as care to join in. As you scroll through this blog please try out the comment feature and add your remarks to any posts you'd like.

This blog system also allows me to "label" each post, grouping them into whatever categories I choose. Now if you click on a label, such as "Birthday" or "Travel," you'll get a display of all the articles that carry that label. In addition there's a Search window at the top of each screen where you can type in any keyword - such as someone's name - and call up all entries that include that word. Yet another index allows you to select articles by year and month.

So my plan now is to use this blog as the entryway to the Birch Street Web, replacing The Front Page as the starting point for accessing all our content. At least temporarily, I'll keep The Front Page up-to-date as well, but eventually it will point you here.

Although I just launched this blog a few days ago, I've already copied many Birch Street Web entries here, and put in entries with links to just about every old article on the original site. If you notice anything missing, please let me know.

I welcome your ideas on how to use this new section of our family web. You can add comments to this post, or e-mail me at birchstreetweb@gmail.com

--Webmaster Dan

Walking for a good cause

Shanna, Kevin and their parents took part in the Memory Walk to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association on Oct. 26 in Manhattan's Riverside Park. Read Shanna's report.

See more photos in Shanna's album or slideshow

25th Anniversary for Kevin and Kathy

Shanna writes:

October 8th was my parent's 25th anniversary. Kevin and I took them out to eat at Sunset Cove in Tarrytown, NY.

The restaurant was really nice and had great views of the Hudson and the Tappan Zee.

Here are a couple of photos:

Mom & Dad


Kevin and Shanna

Christine's second season in marching band

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Raiders Marching Band moved up to a higher level of competition for the 2008 season, Christine's second year as a member of the flute line.

The band competes in U.S. Scholastic Band Association shows. After winning the 2007 state championship in Group 6-A, this year they went up against the biggest and best bands in the state and region in Group 6-Open.

With their show, titled "Destiny," the "Spiffy" band received higher scores while placing lower in its new, tougher bracket. It took third place in the N.J. championship competition and came in 7th out of 11 bands in the Northern States Regional event held in Allentown, Pa. on Nov. 1.

Here is a slideshow of photos from the Fall 2008 season.



This brief video clip shows the final segment of their 2008 show, "Destiny," as performed at the Allentown competition.



The show went off flawlessly, and there was a lot of emotion among the band members - seniors, especially - who felt they outdid themselves in their final competitive performance.

The marching band, as well as other SPFHS music groups, will be traveling to Florida this spring to perform at Walt Disney World.

Click here for more on the SPFHS Marching Band.
(If that doesn't work, click here)

Stephanie celebrates 8th birthday

Happy birthday to Stephanie! She turned 8 on September 27th, 2008, and celebrated with a small party at Chuck E Cheese.

Chris & Steph on a visit to Philadelphia

Cathy writes: We had some time before a concert so we visited a little bit of Philly's historical spots.

Remembering summer 2008: Brien's photos

Brien has sent along photos he took this summer in Noyac. Here is a selection. Enjoy!

Andy takes flight en route to merit badge

During the summer Andy and other members of his Boy Scout troop took an aviation merit badge course from a trained pilot who runs an aviation Explorer Post at Linden Airport. They learned about the parts of an aircraft and the basics of flight and navigation.

The lessons led up to a chance for each Scout to take to the air and help pilot the plane. On Aug. 11, 2008, it was Andy's turn along with fellow Scout Brandon to fly along with their instructor, Manny.

Rain showers cleared away and a rainbow arched across the sky just before their late-afternoon takeoff.

Once airborne, Andy took the controls as they flew across central New Jersey -- and right over his house -- to another airfield, where they touched down to refuel and switch co-pilots. On the second leg, Brandon took the controls for a time as they flew over the Hudson River and looked out at Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.



The Aviation badge was one of six that Andy earned over the summer. He received them in a Court of Awards ceremony held by his Troop 33 on Oct. 6.

The other badges: Geology, Metalwork, Mammal Study, Astronomy and Fingerprinting. He earned them during a week at Somers Boy Scout Camp in July.

See more SCOUTING NEWS

Becky in parade honoring Olympian

When Baltimore threw a welcome-home party for Michael Phelps, winner of a record eight gold medals at the Beijing games, Becky and her Towson High School Marching Generals band mates were in the parade. Becky was shown in an AP news video of the parade. Unfortunately it's no longer available for viewing on the web.

Celebrating 30 years

Kathy and Ted marked their 30th Wedding Anniversary on Sept. 30. A few days later daughters Genevieve and Vivien surprised them by both coming home for the weekend -- Genevieve from Boston and Vivien from Cornell. Along with brother Patrick they took their parents out for a fine dinner to celebrate. (Click photo for a larger view.)


Genevieve writes: "The restaurant we went to, 42, is on the 42nd floor of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in White Plains, which is where my sister worked all summer. We had a wonderful dinner, and we got to meet some of my sister's former colleagues, who couldn't say enough nice things about her!"

Congratulations to Kathy and Ted!

Genevieve at MFA

Genevieve has added a research job at the Museum of Fine Art, Boston to her already busy schedule.

While pursuing a Master's degree in History of Art and Museum Studies at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences, Genevieve also serves as a teaching assistant there. Over the summer she interned in the Registrar's office at the MFA, and was asked to stay on in that position through the fall semester.

"Basically the Registrar is in charge of tracking all of the objects which enter and leave the museum, including gifts, special exhibitions, and out-going loans," Genevieve writes. "The Registrar's office has all of the paperwork from the founding of the museum in 1870 to the present day, and one of my jobs this summer was to do research on objects previous ownership before entering the museum. This is particularly important in light of recent repatriation lawsuits that have been brought against museums.

"As a result of the work I did this summer, I was offered the position of Lamb Mellon Researcher -- which means I'll be working an additional day a week for the museum doing similar research projects for objects in the permanent collection. The title is really silly, but I am excited about the job and this new opportunity at the MFA."

Related articles:
Genevieve's studies focus on museums (June 2007)
Genevieve graduates Cornell (May 2007)

California: September 2008

In mid-September, Dan traveled to California to visit with Marie - who was celebrating a birthday - her husband Brian and almost-two-year-old Xander, as well as Dan and Eyvonne.

Xander, his parents and Grandpa visited the Monterrey Aquarium and also took an excursion train ride that runs through Redwood forest near Felton, Calif.

Both Dan and Eyvonne are busy with both work and studies these days, as they pursue their college degrees. So their time was limited but they joined Dan, Marie and Brian for a nice long Saturday evening meal at an Italian restaurant in Gilroy.

Here are Dan's photos. As always, click once to play the slideshow, twice to go to the album on Picasa for larger images. (Videos are in another post.)

Videos from California, September 2008

From Dan's visit to California... Here are a couple of videos of Xander, at home but on the move!

In memory of Austin

Family members gathered at Resurrection Church in Rye, N.Y., on Sept. 27, 2008, to say farewell to Austin, father of Austin and Owen, grandfather of Rachel, Gerrit and Lizzie, brother of Daniel and Anamarie, and "Uncle Austin" to so many of us. Born Nov. 20, 1917, Austin passed away on Sept. 9.

We have dedicated a page to Austin's memory and invite all family members to write in to add their remembrances.

Settling in to a new home

Cathy, Christopher and Stephanie have settled in to a new home and new routines in Hilliard, Ohio, near Columbus, where Cathy was relocated by her employer over the summer.

These pictures of their new house were taken in June 2008 at the start of the moving process.







This is Hayden Falls, at a park in Hilliard.

Midsummer on Long Island

Summer is coming to and end but here's a look back at the week of July 26-Aug. 2.

(Click once to see the slideshow on this page, or double-click to go to the photo album for larger images.)

Visiting northern neighbors: Saratoga, Quebec, Maine

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy took a road trip north this summer, starting with a visit to Aunt Pat at her home in Malta, N.Y. They enjoyed a pre-season festival day at Saratoga Racetrack and visited Saratoga Spa State Park. From there, D&J&C&A headed north into Canada, stopping briefly in Montreal and then spending two nights in Quebec. Next it was down to Maine, where after an unsuccessful attempt to find moose in the woods, they visited the coast at New Harbor.

We're planning to post a more complete travelogue, but meantime here's a slideshow of some of the photos from the trip. Click once to start the slideshow; if you click it again, it will take you to bigger versions of the photos in our Picasa album.

Dolores and Rehoboth Art League present annual outdoor show

As chairwoman of the Rehoboth Art League, Dolores was busy this month with the league's 35th Annual Outdoor Fine Art and Fine Craft Exhibit.

The Cape Gazette, an area weekly newspaper, carried a report on the show. The original article had photos but unfortunately they're not available online.

The article begins:

There’s something magical about the Rehoboth Art League’s outdoor shows where more than 100 artists present their works on three and a half beautiful acres surrounded by tall trees and flowering gardens. Drawing thousands of people annually, the two-weekend event is a highlight of each summer season.

If the first weekend is any indication, this year’s 35th Annual Outdoor Fine Art and Fine Craft Exhibit will be among the most successful ever, said Chairwoman Dolores Andrew.

Read the full article on the Cape Gazette web site, or in our archives.

Another birthday, but who's counting?

Birthday girl Dolores and her husband Hugh pose outside their Rehoboth Beach retreat with daughter Julie, son-in-law Dan, and grandchildren Andy, Christine and Stephanie on July 13. The visitors helped Dolores celebrate her birthday weekend with dinner at the nearby Just in Thyme restaurant, despite her protestations that there was no reason to make a fuss over "just another number."

Birthday at the beach

Lorraine celebrated her birthday July 7 with a pleasant afternoon at the beach - Mecox Beach on the ocean at Bridgehampton. That was followed by dinner at Il Cappuccino in Sag Harbor with husband Dan and son Dan.

Roll on, Columbia, roll on

Hugh and Dolores spent a week in mid-June cruising aboard a sternwheeler on the Willamette, Columbia and Snake rivers in Oregon and Washington.

CLICK THE PHOTO to see a full-page report with more pictures.

Happy birthday to Brien

Kevin and Kathy played hosts for a small gathering July 28 to celebrate Brien's birthday the day before. Fittingly for the long-time Yankees fan, he and Kevin and Dan watched the Yanks beat the Mets in a "subway series" game. That was followed by cake and other appropriate festivities with Kathy and Ted, Lorraine and Dan, and Kevin the younger joining in.

Chris and Stephanie in piano recital

Christopher and Stephanie (posing at right with their teacher) performed in their Spring Piano Recital in early June 2008.

Here are a pair of videos.

First up is Stephanie playing her composition "British March."


Here is Chris playing two songs: "Pavane" and "The Statues are Dancing."

Whitewater fun on the Lehigh River

For a second year, Andy went with his Boy Scout Troop 33 on a weekend camping trip featuring a day of whitewater rafting. They rode a stretch of the Lehigh River near Jim Thorpe, Pa., on a very hot Saturday, June 7, 2008. In the photo, Andy is on the left in the middle of the raft.

Chris performs in spring concert

Christopher and his 5th grade band mates performed in the Cecil Manor Elementary School Spring Concert in May 2006. Here's Chris on saxophone in a number called "Jazz Riff."

Brien visits the North Country

Brien visited Aunt Pat, Mary Lorraine and the rest of the Saratoga-area branch of the family on May 28, 2008. CLICK ON THE PHOTO to see his report and photos.

California update: Hard-working Dan gets a break

Dan checks in from California where he has been, in his words, “CRAZY busy with school and work.” He’s just finished another semester at Gavilan College, where he recently received the school’s Scholarship for Academic Excellence in recognition of his all-A grade performance.

Dan has earned a certificate of achievement in Communication Studies and is working on his A.A. degree in Spanish; he expects to complete that in the fall semester. After that he’ll likely continue his studies at San Jose State University.

“I finally have a small break in between this last semester and summer classes,” Dan writes. He starts his days before dawn working at the Morgan Hill branch of Peet’s Coffee and Tea, a mostly-California chain whose founder basically invented the modern specialty-coffee-shop business.

“We started opening 30 minutes earlier a couple months ago, so I now have to be up for work every morning at 3:45 a.m. It gets a little rough on the days when I'm at school until 5:30pm, but that's over for the time being.”

Still flying after all these years

Some 36 years after the band formed in California, the Eagles are currently on tour, presenting a three-hour show that includes selections from their new album Long Road Out of Eden and many of their greatest hits.

Dan and Julie went to the show at the Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday May 24.

Read Dan's review.

Marching on Memorial Day 2008

As in years past, Christine and Andy took part in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Memorial Day Parade.

Andy and his Boy Scout Troop 33 participated in Fanwood's memorial ceremony before joining the parade.


Christine marched with the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band, in its last appearance of the 2007-08 school year.

See the full Memorial Day 2008 report with photos and video.

Christine the equestrian

Since she was 9 years old, Christine has been taking riding lessons at the Watchung Stable, operated by the Union County parks department. As a member of the Watchung Mounted Troop, she learns equestrian skills, goes on trail rides through the 2,000-acre Watchung Reservation forest preserve, and competes periodically in troop shows.

The stable held its 75th Anniversary Spring Troop Show on Memorial Day weekend 2008. Christine, who moved up this year to A-level, won a fifth-place ribbon in an event Friday (5/23) with ten riders, to add to her collection or ribbons from past years.



Here's a brief clip of Christine riding in another event on Saturday (5/24). As the riders approach the camera, she is second in line along the rail at the right.

Highlights from past years:

Posing with a red ribbon won in the 2007 Spring Show.

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After winning a red ribbon in the 2005 Spring Show.

The famous Preakness Party, 2008 edition

The 2008 version of Doug and Lisa's annual Preakness Party was held May 17, 2008, and was a great success.

The couple have been hosting the yearly gathering of friends, relatives, and friends of friends and relatives for many years at the family estate in suburban Baltimore.

There was a great crowd, all ages from grandparents to toddlers. Elizabeth was home from college, and she and Rebecca each had a group of friends join the party. Cathy, Christopher and Stephanie were there, and Dan & Julie & Christine & Andy made it down from New Jersey.

See lots more photos of the festivities.

The weather was fine and there was food and drink aplenty, games of badminton and ultimate frisbee, and plenty of good conversation -- interrupted briefly for the viewing of the Preakness Stakes being run not far away at Pimlico Race Course.

Here's a clip of the crowd cheering the horses down the stretch.



Big Brown, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and the overwhelming favorite, won the race by 5 1/4 lengths after flying away from his competitors in the stretch.

Playing hard: Christine on the soccer field

Christine saw plenty of action as her Scotch Plains-Fanwood soccer team took on its crosstown rival team in an Intercounty Youth Soccer League game May 11.



The two teams tied in their previous meeting this season; this time the other team edged Christine's team 1-0.

Spreading Springtime Glee

The Male Glee Club of Yonkers held its annual Spring Concert at Saunders High School in Yonkers on May 4, 2008. The club, in its 82nd year, performed a dozen numbers during the program.

This 10-minute video features two highlights: Alexander's Ragtime Band and a medley of songs from the musical Guys and Dolls. Daniel, who sings second bass, is seen in the back row at the far right of the screen.



In the audience were Daniel's wife, Lorraine, sons Dan and Brien and daughter Kathy, along with Lorraine's sister Pat, who was visiting from the Saratoga area.

After the concert, all repaired to the restaurant at Dunwoodie Golf Course for the "afterglow" party, which featured a send-off for a member who first sang with the club more than 70 years ago.

Click this link to watch the first song in your computer's video player: Alexander's Ragtime Band