Vivien, CJ welcome baby Oliver!

Breaking news from our correspondent Kathy in London:

"Oliver Theodore arrived on April 23rd at 8 pounds 8 ounces. Both Mom and baby are doing very well. I'm lucky to be here with them." 

Proud parents Vivien and CJ, and big brothers Charlie and Austin, are looking forward to introducing Oliver to all his stateside relatives this summer.

What is happening up there in the sky?

Wearing their safety glasses, Dan and Julie gaze at the sun as it disappears behind the moon during the the total eclipse of the sun.

Dan and Julie took a little trip to Upstate New York to follow the sun, and the moon, and witness their rendezvous in the sky on April 8.

After enjoying Brien's parade-watch party on Saturday, D&J followed Andy and Wren up the Thruway. They visited A&W's five goats and two recently adopted cats. Later Sunday, they took a stroll through the campus of SUNY Cobleskill, where Wren is working toward a BA in cybersecurity and made the President's List with a 4.0 GPA in the fall term.

Cats declining to be photographed

On Monday, D&J headed north and west into the eclipse's path of totality. They found a park in the little village of Croghan, N.Y., where a few dozen people - mostly other out-of-towners - had gathered to watch the sky show. It was very near the center of the zone of totality, where the moon would completely cover the sun for about three minutes.

An amateur-astronomer friend of Julie's had said that the difference between an eclipse covering 99% of the sun and 100% is like night and day. Very true!

NASA photo

"Even when the sun was down to a tiny sliver, it was as bright as a typical cloudy afternoon," said Dan. "But once it blipped out, we were in twilight, similar to about a half-hour after sunset. And the thing in the sky looked alien - like a black disk with a shining circle around it." The view was very similar to this NASA photo taken elsewhere along the moon-shadow's path that day.

"It was an amazing sight - certainly worth the trip!"

A delayed St Patrick's Day parade and party

Rained out on its scheduled date, the Yonkers St. Patrick's Day Parade Past Brien's Window was held on April 6, and Brien continued his tradition of hosting a watch party.

Because of the rescheduling, the gathering was a bit smaller than past years (as was the parade), but no less enjoyable.

Our crowd waved and cheered at the marchers, and a number of them waved and cheered back.

Big thanks to Brien for continuing to host this annual event! We look forward to next year's parade and party.