A vacation begins in London

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy arrived in London on Friday at the start of a trip that will also take them to Paris. While waiting for their hotel rooms to become available, the jet-lagged foursome took a walk through Westminster, seeking sights including Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

A view of the pub, with the hotel in the background.

After a nap, then a meal at a pub across from their hotel, they strolled past Buckingham Palace.

Check back soon for updates.

A meet-up in Trenton, with art and music

Marie, Brian and Xander were visiting Brian's parents, Barbara and Steve, in New Jersey last weekend, and attended Trenton's annual 24-hour art-and-music event called Art All Night.

Dan and Christine drove down to meet them on Sunday morning, arriving as Brian's dad, Steve, was on stage drumming with the Trenton Makes Band.

The event was held in a former factory building at the site of the Roebling steel works.

Inside were hundreds of artworks by professionals and amateurs alike; any artist could submit one work for display. Here, Xander points to his conception of a game screen.

Steve exhibited a painting (at right).

Barbara showed a photograph she took in Vermont (below, pointed out by Xander).
The show was quite impressive. Christine and Xander enjoyed checking out and discussing the many and varied artworks.


It was a great day for some fun outside too!

Andy graduates from SPF High School

* Updated 6/20 with more photos & video *

Andy graduated from Scotch Plains Fanwood High School in ceremonies at the school stadium on Thursday evening, June 19.

His parents, Dan and Julie; sister, Christine; grandparents, Hugh and Dolores; and girlfriend, Shannon, were all on hand to cheer for Andy and his classmates as they completed their high school careers.

Below is a slideshow of a dozen or so highlight photos.



And here's a brief video clip of Andy being awarded his diploma, and the graduates tossing their caps.

Dolores, Hugh renew vows after 60 years

Hugh and Dolores celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary by renewing their marriage vows Sunday, June 15, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Oakland, Md.

The couple married on June 12, 1954, in Corning, N.Y., where Dolores grew up. They later settled in the suburban Baltimore area where Hugh grew up and raised their three children, Julie, Doug and Cathy.

Doug and his wife, Lisa, Cathy and her son, Christopher, were on hand for Sunday's ceremony. This photo was taken at the restaurant where they went out to dinner the night before.

St. Matthew's, which Hugh and Dolores attend when vacationing at Deep Creek Lake, marked the occasion in fine style, incorporating the renewal ceremony into Trinity Sunday services and having a reception with cake afterward.


Below is an album of photos shared by Cathy.

Andy, Shannon attend senior prom

Andy and Shannon attended the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School senior prom on Friday, June 13. They and their friends enjoyed dinner and dancing at the Pines Manor banquet hall in Edison.

Andy will graduate from SPFHS on Thursday (June 19).

Dolores & Hugh's 2014 European Tour

Dolores and Hugh took a three-week trip to Europe this spring, touring three European countries, seeing historic, artistic and cultural sights in The Netherlands, Belgium and France.

The peripatetic couple first flew to Amsterdam and embarked on a cruise through Holland to Brussels.

Dolores had long wished to see the famous Dutch tulips in bloom. Here is a set of photos Hugh put together of Holland's tulips and windmills.



In Belgium, Hugh and Dolores spent time in Brussels, Ghent and Bruges. They visited with longtime friends: Miguel, who lived with them as an exchange student in the 1970s, and his mother, Phaedra.

They also made a side trip to Maastricht and to the American World War II cemetery there. (See earlier article.)

From Brussels, Hugh and Dolores traveled by train to Paris, where they met granddaughter Liz, who had just flown in from a separate trip -- a Caribbean "curling cruise."

Along with touring Paris, the trio drove to Giverney to visit Monet's gardens. They then drove on to northern France, with stops in Rouen, Bayeux and Caen.

In Bayeux, Dolores checked off another bucket-list item: seeing the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered cloth nearly 230 feet long and more than 900 years old. (See earlier article.)

They also visited the World War II landing beaches at Normandy, about a month before the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion. (See earlier article.)

Here's another set of Hugh's photos from various highlights of the trip.



And here's an album of photos by Liz.

Happy anniversary to Hugh & Dolores

It was sixty years ago today, on June 12, 1954, that Dolores and Hugh were married at Christ Episcopal Church in Corning, N.Y.

The happy couple will mark the occasion by renewing their marriage vows on June 15 during the Sunday service at St. Matthew's Church in Oakland, Md., near their vacation home at Deep Creek Lake.

Hugh and Dolores recently returned to the States after their latest overseas adventure, when they visited The Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Services held for Lorraine

A funeral Mass was held Tuesday at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Yonkers for Lorraine, who died June 5. Burial followed at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne.

Lorraine's children, many of her grandchildren, her sister, other family and friends gathered over the past few days to celebrate her life and enjoy many happy memories. Those who were unable to attend sent their sympathies and good wishes.

In Lorraine's memory, the family encourages donations to organizations that support Alzheimer's research, treatment and support.

Please visit our page dedicated to Lorraine.

In Memory of Lorraine (Updated with arrangements)

The family is saddened by the passing of Lorraine, beloved mother of Dan, Kathy, Brien and Kevin; grandmother of Marie, Dan, Genevieve, Vivien, Patrick, Shanna, Kevin, Christine and Andy; great-grandmother of Xander; and sister of Pat.

Lorraine died peacefully on Thursday, June 5, at home at Sunrise of Crestwood, with Kathy, Brien and Kevin at her side. She is now rejoined with her husband of 59 years, Daniel, and will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all who knew her.



UPDATE: Visitation will be Monday, June 9, 2-4 and 7-9 p.m., at Flynn Memorial Home, 1652 Central Park Avenue in Yonkers. Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, June 10 at 10 a.m. at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 602 McLean Avenue in Yonkers, with burial to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, N.Y. Directions and other details are on the Flynn website (click here).

Please visit our page dedicated to Lorraine.

The rocking return of Twenty-Eight

Twenty-Eight is back! Gerrit and his bandmates have reunited for a series of shows this summer on Cape Cod. The first was Saturday night (May 31) at The Woodshed in Brewster.

The band put on a great show before a packed house that included friends, old fans and people who became new fans by the end of the night.

Among the crowd were Gerrit's wife, Angela (watching him closely in the photo above); his parents, Owen and Tish, and his sister, Lizzie; plus Dan and Christine, who drove up from New Jersey for the weekend to see the show and spend a little time with their cousins.

The family members gathered the next day at Owen and Tish's to visit and chat in a quieter atmosphere. Lizzie just completed her first year at Elon University in North Carolina. Tish was feeling well after her latest treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. When not rocking out, Gerrit is recreation coordinator for the Town of Dennis, and Angela is an administrator at a local assisted-living and nursing facility.