New photos! Andy & Wren's wedding

The digital album of professional photos from Wren and Andy's wedding is now available, and it's a fabulous collection capturing the special moments of the day.

Here is the link to the whole 1,000-photo album:

Wren and Andy Wedding Photos

In addition, we have a selection of "behind the scenes" pictures taken during the wedding weekend by Christine. Here, for example, the official photographer takes romantic shots on the porch of the house where the wedding party spent the weekend.

Here's the link to the album of Christine's pictures: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ckzM1SZihtvY4jhA7

In addition, more photos - and dancing videos! - have been added to the album of photos taken by Dan and Cathy: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/R28sSt2yVMLhbMjW6

Get-togethers in Maryland, Virginia complete Dan's birthday tour

Dan's traveling birthday celebration finished up finished up on the last weekend of October with visits to his in-laws in Maryland and his daughter, son-in-law and grandson in Virginia.

Dan and Julie set out southbound on Friday, his actual birthday, and arrived at Oak Crest Village for dinner with Hugh and Dolores, Doug, Cathy and Stephanie. Afterward, they enjoyed an overnight visit with Doug and Lisa at their home

The next day, Dan and Julie drove down to Fredericksburg to Marie, Brian and Xander's home, where they spent the afternoon talking and catching up. Xander is now a high school junior, preparing for college by taking AP courses. He is also an accomplished video-gamer, having been on a very successful team in a local e-sports league, and now focusing on a single game in hopes of moving up in competitive ranks.

That evening, the family enjoyed a wonderful meal at a Bonefish Grill restaurant and then a movie night back at the house. On Sunday, they met at the house again for lunch and more conversation before Dan and Julie hit the road back to New Jersey.

California get-together: Dan's birthday tour part 3

The Northern and Southern California branches of the family came together on the Central Coast last weekend as Dan and Julie continued their traveling celebration of Dan's "significant birthday."

The New Jersey residents flew to Los Angeles on Oct. 21 to visit with Christine and Jamie. The next day, they set out northward, while the younger Dan set out southward from his home in Santa Cruz. They met in Morro Bay, the Central Coast city known as the site of Morro Rock.

The 561-foot-tall rock, the remains of an ancient volcanic core, sits on the shore looking like it dropped out of the sky. 

On its north side is a wide ocean beach, and on its south side, the entrance to the bay.

The five family members spent the afternoon sightseeing around the rock, viewing sea lions and sea otters in the bay and swimmers and surfers along the beach. They then enjoyed an excellent meal at the Harbor Hut restaurant as the sun went down behind the rock. 

This was the first time in several years that Christine and Dan got to spend some time together, and the first time Dan met Jamie. Everyone had a great time catching up with one another while taking in the sights. 

After a night at one of the many hotels in town, they found a great local spot for breakfast (Frankie and Lola's Front Street Cafe) before parting. 

On the way back to LA, Jamie, Christine, Dan and Julie made a quick stop at El Matador State Beach, where they looked down from the cliffs at the rocky Pacific coast. (Jamie and Christine previously spent a summer day down on the beach with Jamie's mom.)

A Downstate NY get-together

Continuing Dan's traveling birthday celebration, he and Julie met his sister, Kathy, brother Brien, brother Kevin and sister-in-law Kathy for a fine dinner in Yonkers on Oct. 15. Although they'd all seen each other at Andy and Wren's wedding a few weeks earlier, it was a great chance to catch up in a smaller-group setting. And there was no better place for the occasion than Rory Dolan's, the neighborhood restaurant where the siblings' dad celebrated an equivalent birthday 25 years earlier.   

An Upstate NY get-together

Dan and Julie headed North for the weekend of Oct. 7-9 and paid a visit to the newly married couple, Andy and Wren, at their home in the northern Catskills.

The trip was the first of several D+J will be making this month, to visit various relatives as a way of celebrating a significant birthday that's coming up for Dan. The four had a fine meal Saturday night at the Bulls Head Inn in Cobleskill (which dates to 1802).

The next day they spent some time hob-nobbing with A&W's Nigerian dwarf goats (currently two males, two females and three kids).

Sunday afternoon they met up with cousin Mary, whose new home on the shore of Sacandaga Lake is only about an hour from Andy and Wren's. They took the short walk past a few neighbors' houses to Mary's slice of the lakeshore, where she keeps her kayaks, and later headed to a nearby brewpub to taste some local beers.