Christmas party in Yonkers, 2012 edition

Kevin and Kathy were the host and hostess this year as family members gathered in Yonkers for feasting and conviviality.



Here's a short video montage of the gift-giving portion of the festivities.

Do you have photos from this event? Please share!

A winter-break visit to Nashville

Cathy writes:
The kids and I took a much-needed vacation during the week before Christmas, the start of their winter break from school. Our destination was Nashville, also known as Music City. I’ve been there before, but it was the first visit for Chris and Steph - and hopefully not their last.

On our way there we stopped at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.


There are literally hundreds of miles of caves underground, some of which were discovered in the 1800s. We took a ranger-led tour that lasted nearly two hours and covered approximately two miles through the oldest, most historic sections of the famous caverns. Some sections had ceilings less than 4 feet high and passageways no wider than your hips, so it was a challenging trek. Despite the difficulties, it is quite breathtaking to witness - and to imagine visitors from past centuries being there. Chris and Steph really enjoyed Mammoth Caves.

That evening, we had dinner at the famous Loveless Café, just outside Nashville. It started out as a motel back in the 1950’s. Now it's a restaurant known for its homemade biscuits. Our dinner there was delicious.

The next day began with rain showers, but we didn’t let that deter us. We ventured downtown, which was just a few blocks from our hotel, We purchased visitor passes at the city’s visitor center, next door to the Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators NHL team.

From there it was only a block's walk to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. Besides the permanent exhibits about the history of Country Music, there was a special display featuring Patsy Cline. The photo at right shows Chris in the Hall where the plaques of all the Hall of Fame members are displayed.

Just outside the Museum is the Walk of Fame, which honors artists from all musical genres that have contributed to the music industry within Nashville. We passed through there on our way to Broadway to have lunch at Roberts Western World, one of the many honky-tonks at the heart of the city. Afterwards we grabbed dessert at the Hard Rock Café, located near the Riverfront Park area where concerts are often held in the summer.


Here is where we next boarded the Music City Trolley to tour many sights around town. You can hop on and off the trolley at a variety of locations around town. Our tour guide was a young aspiring musician filled with lots of facts about the locations we saw along the way. Highlights of the tour included Bicentennial Park, Antique Archeology (featured on the TV show “American Pickers”) and Music Row.

Click the image above (or click here) to see all Cathy's photos, and click below to read the rest of her account.)

More Christmas 2012: Cape Cod & Charleston

A Charleston Christmas tree

Owen, Tish and daughter Lizzie are splitting their holiday time between Cape Cod and their vacation home in Charleston, S.C.

Tish writes: We celebrated Christmas on the Cape a little early with Angela and Gerrit. Now the three of us are in Charleston for some vacation time. This photo of Lizzie was taken at the Grill 225 Restaurant at the Market Pavilion Hotel. We had our Christmas dinner there Tuesday evening.

More Christmas 2012: Manhattan

Vivien and her boyfriend, CJ, had a Very New York Christmas Eve. After checking out the tree at Rockefeller Center, they attended Midnight Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

More Christmas 2012: Ohio

Cathy, Christopher and Stephanie were home in Ohio for Christmas after a vacation trip to Nashville the week before. (Cathy's report and pictures from the Nashville trip are coming soon!)

More Christmas 2012: Yonkers

Brien had a nice Christmas visit with Mom (Lorraine) at Sunrise of Crestwood. They listened to Christmas songs, and Brien said Mom enjoyed the music very much.

More Christmas 2012: Delaware

Genevieve and John are visiting John's mother, Susan, in Delaware, joined by John's sisters Lindsay and Kellie, and by Genevieve's mom, Kathy, and brother, Patrick.

Lindsay and her husband, Mark, are celebrating their son Reuben's very first Christmas.

Merry scenes of Christmas 2012

Christmas is for kids - of any age!

Andy and Christine: Just what they wanted!

Xander and Brian: Jedi Christmas!

Click image at right for more Xander Christmas photos.
	Xander Christmas 2012

For a child is born to us...

'Tis the Night Before Christmas...

And someone of us are pretty excited! Waiting for this--

Illustration by Jessie Willcox Smith from a 1912 book
of Clement C. Moore's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, 

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, 

And laying his finger aside of his nose, 

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose...

Christmas greetings from Shelter Island

Courtney is sharing Christmas Eve with her mom, Nanette, on Shelter Island, where this lovely tree decorates the living room.


Then both will travel to Florida, where Nanette will visit with Courtney for the rest of the holiday season. (Scroll down to see Courtney's tree in an earlier post.)

Show us your tree! Please share photos of your Christmas decorations and celebrations.

Merry Christmas from Birch Street to your street

Dan writes: Best wishes for a blessed and joyful Christmas from Julie, Christine, Andy and myself to all of our extended family.

Please share some of your Christmas scenes and stories with the family here on Birch Street Web. Remember to Keep in Touch!

Meeting in Manhattan for a Big 'Brass' Brunch

From Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey and Florida, 14 family members gathered in Manhattan on Saturday for some great food and conversation.

Nanette, who recently relocated to Shelter Island, and her daughter, Courtney, visiting from Florida, were in the city to see the Lion King on Broadway. A conversation between Nanette and Dan last month sparked a plan for a meet-up. Vivien then arranged for a wonderful brunch at Lexington Brass, the Midtown restaurant where she is a manager.

The well-fed folks seated around the table from the near left are: Christine, Andy, Patrick, Kevin, Kevin, Shanna, Brien, Vivien, Kathy, Nanette, Courtney, Kathy, Julie and Dan.

Showing their Christmas spirit

Lisa posted on Facebook this picture of her, Doug, Liz and Rebecca in seasonal headgear in front of the Christmas tree at the homestead in Riderwood, Md. Please keep the Christmas images coming! Let us see how you're celebrating the season!

Of trees and tradition at Christmas time

Here's another sign of the season, courtesy of Hugh and Dolores.

 
Hugh writes: Dolores and I were married in June 1954. We set up housekeeping when I was discharged from the Army four months later. Here is our fifty-eighth Christmas tree, for 2012. Probably, somewhere in our archives, are photographs of the other fifty-seven.

In recent years we have used a smaller, artificial tree, so all of the ornaments do not get used every year. There are some old favorites, however, that are usually on the tree. One such ornament predates our marriage.

When Dolores graduated from Syracuse with a brand new BFA degree, her first job was in an art department at Corning Glass. Her job was to illustrate a catalog showing Christmas tree ornaments that were manufactured by Corning. There were several different shapes, but one was a series of diminishing concentric circles that was very modern at the time. The company called it “Design Number 10.” Dolores obtained one, and it has been on her tree every year since.

Let's see the tree!

As Christmas approaches, some of us have put up our trees and decorated our homes. Others of us will get around to it, oh... soon...

Here are a couple of signs of the season that we've spotted so far on Facebook.

Courtney shared this photo: "XMAS time in my house!"

"Christmas tree acquired!" 
Patrick and John outside John & Genevieve's apartment

How about you? Please share your Christmas tree, decoration and preparation photos in the coming days. Thanks!

Visiting family and museums in Virginia

Dolores and Hugh visited Doug and Lisa in Norfolk the weekend of Dec. 8-9.

Hugh writes: We spent all day Saturday in nearby Williamsburg, now decorated for the Christmas season.


We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the town, had lunch at one of the colonial restaurants and took in the Museums of Williamsburg. Those consist of the Abby Aldridge Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, which are now housed at the same location.

On Sunday, we went to the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, where among other things we saw their glass-blowing exhibition.


Doug and Lisa are living in Norfolk while Doug oversees the Parsons Brinkerhoff engineering team working on that city's Midtown Tunnel Corridor Project.

Lizzie sets a course for Elon University

Lizzie will join the Elon University
Class of 2017

Lizzie has already decided what college she will attend next fall:

"Couldn't be happier, accepted early decision to Elon University!!!!!" she said in a Facebook post.

Her mom and dad, Tish and Owen, "are so proud of her."

"We visited Elon University over a year ago and from that point on it was her first choice," Tish writes. "Lizzie plans on majoring in education with a minor in dance."

Lizzie will be graduating in June from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.

Elon is rated by U.S. News & World Report as the #2 Southern University, noted for a "strong commitment to undergraduate teaching." Learn more about Elon here.

Christmas lights at Elon University

A weekend for feasting and family

Here's hoping all our readers had a fine Thanksgiving time. Please let us know how and with whom you celebrated the holiday.


Dan & Julie had a traditional turkey dinner with Christine (home from RIT) and Andy before heading to Maryland for the traditional crabcakes-and-ribs Friday feast hosted by Doug & Lisa.

Other guests at the Maryland homestead included Doug and Julie's sister, Cathy, and parents, Hugh & Dolores; Doug & Lisa's daughters Liz and Rebecca (also on break from RIT); Lisa's sister and brothers and their families.

As usual, various combinations of people played various card and board games over the course of the weekend.

Please share your Thanksgiving moments. Keep in touch!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

"First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" - Jennie Brownscombe, 1914

Best wishes to all of our extended family for a happy celebration of Thanksgiving. May you all have safe travel, good company and bounteous feasts!

SPF Marching Band returns to MetLife Stadium

Andy and Shannon outside MetLife Stadium before performance.

Hurricane Sandy scrambled the high school marching band schedule in New Jersey, with the result that the Scotch Plains-Fanwood band wasn't able to compete in the State Finals. But things turned out well in the end because the band was instead able to perform for a second time this season at MetLife Stadium.

Despite missing a week and a half of practices due to power outages after the storm, the band put on a great show and placed 2nd in the USBands season-finale competition. Andy, a Junior, plays tenor drums. His girlfriend, Shannon, who plays marimbas, is a Senior, so this was her final high school marching band competition.

Glimpsing the president in campaign mode

A few days before the election, Stephanie's Girl Scout troop leader got tickets for the girls to see President Obama during his visit to Hilliard, Ohio.

Cathy writes: "Since both candidates were here in Ohio so often during the past few months I'd become very nonchalant about their frequent visits." But still, "it's not every day the president comes to your neighborhood. He was making a campaign stop at the Franklin County Fairgrounds just a few miles from our house. The tickets were free, which made me happy, and the girls would have to miss part of school, which made them happy. To be fair I got an extra ticket for Chris to attend as well..."

"Naturally we had to go through airport-like security. The event was held inside a barn at the fairgrounds. There were some bleachers near the stage but most of the crowd was standing. Plus there was a line of camera crews on a platform in the back representing the various media outlets covering his visit.

"A few local speakers addressed the crowd prior to the president taking the podium around 11 a.m. He spoke for approximately 30-40 minutes, then shook hands and greeted many of the people in the front rows. He made a complete circle around the front edge of the stage with the Secret Service agents all around him before being whisked away behind the curtained off 'backstage' area.

"The best comparison I can make is that I felt like I was at a Kenny Chesney concert. Everyone was cheering and holding up their cameras. The only difference was that he didn't autograph a guitar..."

"Now that the election is over I'm just glad I don't have to listen to any more political ads!"

Cathy posted more photos and brief video clips here.

Rite of passage: First school portrait

Xander appears quite pleased to be posing (against a wild backdrop) for his first official school portrait. He's enjoying kindergarten at Hugh Mercer Elementary School in Fredericksburg.

Here he is sporting a different look - joining his dad in sporting a mustache for "Movember," a men's-health-awareness initiative.

Long arm of Sandy reached far western Maryland

Some 300 miles inland from where Sandy made landfall on Oct. 29, it toppled a number of trees around Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland, as Hugh and Dolores discovered when they went to check on their lakeside retreat the following week. Two apple trees came down just behind their unit at Arrowhead.

The combination of Hurricane Sandy and a winter storm moving in from the west dumped more than two feet of snow on the area, and Hugh surmises it was the weight of the wet snow more than the wind that caused the trees to fall.

Hugh writes: "I do not know for sure, but have always assumed that the apples were the remnants of an orchard that was here when the lake was originally flooded. That was in 1925. If that is where they came from, they were very old apple trees and probably near the end of their life cycle. In any case, we get a better view of the water in the summer now. The house is undamaged and everything is in good shape."

Birch Street Back on the Grid!

This photo shows the moment at 12:24 p.m. when a PSE&G lineman reconnected Birch Street Media Headquarters to the power grid. It was 12 days, 19 hours and 38 minutes after Hurricane Sandy knocked down a backyard tree that tore the power, cable and phone lines off the side of the building. Eureka! Electricity!

Weather woes continue in Northeast

This Star-Ledger photo pretty much says it all: An out-of-state power crew working on lines in Bridgewater, N.J., that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy, amid snow from today's wintry storm.



This post is being filed from a hotel near Newark Airport, where Dan and Julie are sheltering from the storm because Birch Street Media HQ still has no power and therefore no heat. Andy is sleeping over at a friend's house - a good choice, since word came late today that his school will reopen tomorrow.

From Barbara and Steve (Brian's parents) we learn that Sandy caused significant damage as far inland as Hamilton, N.J. "There were many downed trees, which took out electricity, cable, Internet and landline phones. It has also caused a lot of property damage," Barbara writes. "We feel fortunate because we didn't have much damage to our home. We have a wood stove for heat, running water, and gas for cooking and hot water."

Hamilton, N.J., Oct. 29.

Quick updates on Sandy aftermath - 11/3 & 11/4

Still no electricity at Birch Street Media HQ, so here's a quick dispatch via the WiFi connection at the Fanwood Public Library:

Shanna reported on Facebook Friday night that power came back on at her family's house in Yonkers. In Scarsdale, Kathy says there's still no power and "Con Ed says maybe Wednesday."

Just one of many trees down in Fanwood, this one blocks the street in front of the municipal building.

(Updated 11/4:) PSE&G estimated Saturday that it would restore most of Fanwood by Monday night - but who knows if they'll meet that schedule, or when they'll get around to fixing individual house lines like Dan & Julie's. Andy's school gave up on Monday and now plans to reopen Wednesday. Dan's office and possibly Julie's will be open Monday.

From Cape Cod, which escaped the wrath of Sandy, Tish reports area residents are collecting relief supplies for the NYC area: "I just dropped off seven bags and was so pleased to see all the other bags of clothing, food, blankets and personal items that are being collected by Cape Cod Relief for Hurricane Sandy/NYC Area, at the Cape Cod Community Media Center in Dennis Port, Mass."

And Courtney in Florida - where hurricane disaster is certainly well known - posted: "I just donated to American Red Cross Disaster Relief and you can too. ... Any little bit helps! We've been there - let's help them too." Texting "REDCROSS" to 90999 on a cell phone donates $10, which will be added to your phone bill.

In Noyac, a neighbor reports no apparent damage at the Birch Street cottage. He told Kevin the bay waters never rose above the beach.

Sandy leaves many of us powerless

As far as we've heard, our family came through Sandy the Post-Tropical Cyclone without injury or major damage. But many of us have been without electricity since the high winds hit on Oct. 29.

At Birch Street Media Headquarters, a backyard tree fell and tore down the electric, phone and cable connections. The surrounding towns remain largely without power Friday, although a few nearby areas started to come back on that morning. But even when as service is restored to the surrounding area, Dan, Julie and Andy will probably be without power longer, waiting for their individual line to be reconnected.

Dan was able to post this update by using a wifi connection at the local library. If you can read this, please ADD A COMMENT and let us know how you're doing post-Sandy.

What we know so far:

Lisa and Doug in Norfolk, Va., were not affected by the flooding on nearby streets (they're on the third floor) and did not lose power because the lines there are underground. Marie, Brian and Xander in Fredericksburg, Va., stayed safe and dry. Likewise Hugh and Dolores in Maryland, who then headed to Rehoboth Beach, Del., for a weekend art show that seemed still on schedule.

In Yonkers, power went out Monday and was still out Friday at Kevin & Kathy and Kathy & Ted's homes, but Brien's apartment never lost power(!)

From Facebook: Shanna reported hunting around for gasoline, finally after spending two hours on line succeeded in getting gas on Thursday evening. Courtney reported her mom, Nanette, had power back at her Shelter Island home by Wednesday night: "They didn't get it too bad out there at all."

There's no word yet on how the houses in Noyac fared, as no one's been able to get out for a look.

Again, please add a comment on how you're faring. Or e-mail birchstreetweb@gmail.com - but there's no telling when Dan will be able to retrieve it. Or call and let us know how you're doing!

Surrounded by Sandy (Updated 4:30 p.m. Monday)

Google storm map as of noon 10/29. Click for larger view. Get updated version here.

As of midday Monday, the monstrous merger of Hurricane Sandy and an inland storm system encompasses most of our extended family, from Virginia to upstate New York and from Columbus to Cape Cod.

Let us know how you're weathering the storm!

Last week, Sandy brushed Florida on its way north. Courtney reports there was "just a little bit of rain and wind but nothing too crazy." But by late yesterday, rain and wind were hitting coastal Virginia, and overnight it spread across much of the Northeast.

From Norfolk, Va., Lisa sent these photos today of flooding along the waterfront, several blocks from the apartment where she and Doug are living while Doug oversees engineering on the Midtown Tunnel Corridor project. (The ship is the USS Wisconsin.)



From Fredericksburg, Va.: Marie reports a lot of rain and some wind but no problems at the apartment where she, Brian and Xander are sitting out the storm. Brian had the day off as the Virginia Railway Express canceled service for the day, and will not resume until Wednesday.

From New Jersey: No ill effects so far (as of 3:30 p.m. Monday) at Birch Street Media headquarters, but the winds are picking up. The National Weather Service reports gusts of 40-55 mph in the area. Here's a little video clip of the wind in the trees behind our HQ.

Dan, Julie and Andy are all at home, as school is canceled until Wednesday and a state of emergency is in effect, keeping non-emergency vehicles off the roads.

And how about this: The needle on the Birch Street Media Weather Station barometer has fallen below the 28.3 low point on its scale!

From eastern Long Island: This amazing photo was posted at easthamptonpatch.com by a resident who listed the location as "Atlantic Avenue" - presumably the Atlantic Avenue beach in Amagansett.