Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving scenes around the family


Bea got a chance to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade up close and up on daddy's shoulders.

The weather was fine for a short stroll from Genevieve and John's apartment to the parade route.

And, yes, Bea is rocking a turkey hat!

Also marking his first Thanksgiving is Nolan, seen here at home on Cape Cod with his parents, Gerrit and Angela.


On Shelter Island, Courtney is spending the week visiting her mom, Nanette. They spent a few days together in Boston and picked up Nanette's brother, Larry. Here they share a cider toast with Nanette's friend Linda.

In New Jersey, Dan & Julie shared turkey and fixings with Andy and his girlfriend, Shannon. Christine, meanwhile, was visiting with her boyfriend James' relatives in Connecticut. Plans to travel and visit family in Virginia and Maryland were changed when Andy got a job for the holiday season at Kohl's - which included working the midnight shift on Black Friday!

In Maryland, meanwhile, Liz hosted dinner at her Baltimore apartment for her parents, Doug and Lisa, and grandparents Hugh and Dolores. Doug took this photo as Lisa was on the phone with Julie.

In Yonkers, Kevin and Kathy were joined by Kathy's mom, Shanna and Rick, and Brien, who sent along these photos.

"A puzzle was a big hit before and after dinner, as well as football on TV" Brien reports. "The puzzle was a gift to Shanna from Rick - a map of Pine Neck centered on Birch Street."


Please send along your pics to add to our collection of Thanksgiving scenes!

Happy Thanksgiving! Please share your celebration

We wish a wonderful Thanksgiving Day to all!  

Please share pics and stories of your holiday gatherings 
with the rest of our extended family 
on the Birch Street Web!

Rockwell, updated

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Retro rock: Brien & Dan at special Hot Tuna show

Concert photos by Vernon Webb, via Facebook

Brien and Dan were at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan on Saturday night to see Hot Tuna put on a special show to mark guitarist Jorma Kaukonen's 75th birthday. He and bassist Jack Casady were members of Jefferson Airplane who started Hot Tuna as a side project -- which has far outlasted the original band.

Brien was delighted to see Jorma playing a Gibson Firebird during large portions of the show - being a long-time fan of both the player and the instrument, as seen here.



For the first half of the show, Jorma and Jack and drummer Justin Guip played as a trio. In the second half, they brought out guest musicians to recreate some of their work with Jefferson Airplane. 



The guests included Rachel Price from Lake Street Dive (right) and Teresa Williams and Larry Campbell, a duo who have recorded with many artists including Levon Helm. Also on stage were well-known guitarist G.E. Smith and singer Jeff Pehrson. It was a terrific show all around.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Dolores shares impressions of Bayeux Tapestry

During Dolores and Hugh's visit to Europe last spring, Dolores fulfilled a long-held wish to see the famous Bayeux Tapestry.

Now, her impressions and commentary have been published in the December issue of Needle Arts, the national publication of The Embroiderers Guild of America.



Click here to see her article (as pdf file), illustrated with details from the tapestry.

Related articles:
Dolores & Hugh's 2014 European Tour
A visit to Bayeux

Monday, November 9, 2015

Checking in with Nolan at 3-1/2 months

These images are captured from a video that Gerrit posted on Facebook of Angela and their baby Nolan, who is now about three and a half months old.

We're not saying he has magical powers, but it so happens that a certain football team has gone undefeated since Nolan began rooting for them.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Halloween fun for all ages (Updated 11/3)

We're collecting Halloween photos - Send us yours!


Beatrice became "Bumble Bea" for her first Halloween.


In Massachusetts, little Nolan (right) celebrated with his cousins Branson and Leila. 


In Virginia, Marie, Brian and Xander became Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi from the Mario Bros. video games.


Monday, November 2, 2015

Stephanie's band wrapping up successful season

The Hilliard Darby High School Marching Band capped another successful competition season, earning top marks and a Superior ranking in the Ohio Music Education Association state finals on Oct. 31.

It's the second year of marching for Stephanie, on clarinet. The band isn't quite finished for the season, as it will perform at football playoff games and in the local Veterans Day parade.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

The beauty of Fall in the woods

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy visited the Dingman's Falls area of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on a late-October Sunday.


They took in the fall colors and Dan enjoyed taking photos of the foliage and the two waterfalls in that part of the park.


Afterward they went to dinner at a restaurant they've visited before in the little village of Delaware Water Gap, Pa. The outing was to celebrate Dan's birthday a couple of days early.

Look closely - Christine & Andy wave from platform at top of falls

As they drove out of the restaurant parking lot, they saw a black bear sniffing around the dumpsters. But it ducked out of sight before anyone could get a photo.

Atop the falls