A multi-occasion celebration in Maryland

Dolores and Hugh hosted a family dinner last weekend to celebrate multiple birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions in the middle months of the year.

It was Dolores' idea to have a July get-together to mark the month's significant dates - her birthday (7/11), Lisa's birthday (7/9), Dan and Julie's anniversary (7/8) - plus events from:

• May - Stephanie's master's degree, Lisa and Doug's anniversary, Wren's birthday
• June - Hugh and Dolores' anniversary, Christine and Jamie's move east
• August - Andy's upcoming birthday

The result was a very enjoyable dinner-for-twelve at The Fireside restaurant in H&D's senior-living community.

Dan and Julie enjoy a visit to Alaska

Following in the footsteps, more or less, of both Dan's parents and Julie's, and as a 35th Anniversary celebration, the couple treated themselves to a sea-and-land trip to Alaska in late August and early September.

They booked a Holland America Lines package that included a seven-day cruise from Vancouver, B.C., up the Alaska coast to the port of Whittier, with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. That was followed by train travel on the McKinley Explorer to Denali National Park, and finally a bus trip to Fairbanks to fly home.

In the course of the trip, and despite some spells of clouds and rain, they saw black bears, whales, sea otters, seals, eagles, at least one grizzly bear, moose, sheep and sled dogs. They saw massive glaciers and amazing landscapes all along the coast and into the mountains. And they caught clear views of Denali, the highest mountain in North America, which is shrouded in cloud about 80% of the time.

• Click here to read Dan's writeup of the trip, illustrated with some of his photos. 
• Be sure to follow the SEE MORE PHOTOS links to albums of photos, with captions, from each leg of the journey.
• Or click here to see all those photos in one album.
• Bonus for rail fans: More train photos!

Hugh & Dolores celebrate 70 years of marriage

Surrounded by their family, Hugh and Dolores marked their 70th wedding anniversary with a dinner party in a restaurant at their residential complex in Maryland.

The couple's children - Julie, Doug and Cathy - organized the June 15 gathering, and fortunately all the grandchildren and most of the spouses and significant others were able to attend.

Julie and Dan drove down from New Jersey. Their daughter, Christine, and her wife, Jamie, flew in from Los Angeles. J&D's son, Andy, came down from Upstate New York. 

Doug and Lisa's daughter Rebecca also was visiting from NYS, along with her boyfriend, Greg. D&L; their daughter Liz; Cathy and her children, Christopher and Stephanie, all live within driving distance and came for the day. 

H&D's long-time friend and neighbor Gini Patterson also joined in the celebration.

Along with balloons and flowers, the table was decorated with cards relating bits of trivia about H&D's wedding and the date - June 12, 1954. Some examples: The ceremony was held at Christ Episcopal Church in Corning, N.Y. The officiant was Father Roger Alling. Dolores' sister, Noreen, was matron of honor. Hugh's father, Clyde, was best man, as most of Hugh's friends were serving in the Army. 

A reception was held in the church parish hall, organized by the ladies of the church, with non-alcoholic fruit punch. A second reception was held at Dolores’ parents’ house, with a keg of beer in the garage.

Other tidbits about that date: Bill Haley & His Comets released "Rock Around the Clock" and the top-grossing movie was "Three Coins in the Fountain"

"We both want to thank all of you for such a lovely weekend," Dolores wrote to the family afterwards. "The balloons and trivia were a nice touch, plus, 2  delish cakes! And all those cards too!"  

Andy and Wren announce their engagement

Ten years after they started dating, Andy and Wren celebrated the anniversary on Oct. 17 by taking a weekend trip to the Adirondacks -- and becoming engaged.

The couple rented a cabin in Keene Valley, N.Y., for the weekend and did some exploring of the area, including visiting Lake Placid and taking a drive up Whiteface Mountain.

No date for a wedding is set, and it will be some time before they can even begin to plan it.

The two met as members of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band. Here is the first known photo of them together, as they and band parents rolled a cart containing Andy's drums and Wren's glockenspiel toward the field for a competition in Sept. 2010. At that point, they were just getting to know each other.

That was the year when they and Andy's sister, Christine, were all in the band. This photo, from an Oct. 31 competition in Allentown, Pa., shows Andy at bottom left and Wren at bottom right. (Christine is in the second row of flutes, just to the right of the 50 yard line.)

Julie & Dan enjoy an anniversary-weekend trip

At Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Dan and Julie took a brief vacation to mark their 30th anniversary, with stops in Upstate New York and Montreal - and a lot of live music along the way.

Setting out on the Fourth of July, they visited with Andy and Shannon and took in fireworks in suburban Albany (see separate article). The next day, Dan and Julie headed up to Saratoga Springs, where they met Dan's cousin Mary for lunch at a favorite restaurant of hers overlooking Saratoga Lake. Along the way, they took a look at Cohoes Falls on the Mohawk River.


After lunch they checked out the Yaddo Rose and Rock Gardens.


After dinner in an Irish pub in downtown Saratoga Springs, they headed to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center to see Jackson Browne, one of their long-time favorites. They had seen him once before playing solo in New Jersey; this time he had a full band, joined on a few numbers by the opening act, female singing duo Lucius.

Closeup from video screen	With band and Lucius

The next day, it was north to Canada. Along the drive up the Adirondack Northway, they passed through some thunderstorms - but once through them, they had beautiful summer weather for their two-day visit to the Montreal area.

Their arrival coincided with the last day of the Montreal Jazz Festival. After checking into a hotel, Dan and Julie walked a few blocks to the city's Quartier des Spectacles, where music played on multiple outdoor stages and the streets were lined with food and drink vendors.

The "jazz" festival included many styles of music, with some of the biggest names playing ticketed shows in clubs in the evenings. Dan and Julie just enjoyed the free outdoor shows, on a warm but pleasant summer evening.

As they watched an act called Miche Love and the Dynamite Blues Band play at one of the stages, a dance party broke out right in front of where Dan and Julie were sitting. Apparently the locals knew that particular patio was the place to meet and dance, changing partners from song to song.

Later the couple found themselves on the edge of a huge crowd watching the festival's final outdoor act, local favorite Matt Holubowski and his band.

The same weekend marked the beginning of another music festival - the Tremblant International Blues Festival in the ski-resort town of Mont Tremblant, some 80 miles north of Montreal. So, why not a trip into the Quebec countryside and a little more outdoor live music?

Julie joins in singing a French folk song played on a hand-cranked music box

Mont Tremblant's faux-Alpine village of shops and restaurants was the setting for this festival. Dan and Julie wandered through, catching several acts and having lunch at one of the cafes while listening to music nearby.

After a few hours there, Dan and Julie took a drive through parkland to Lac Superieur, one of numerous lakes dotting that region of Quebec.

Back in Montreal, the couple found a restaurant that turned out to be the perfect place for an anniversary dinner. At Modavie, in the Old Montreal neighborhood, they had an exquisite meal while listening to - what else? - live music, by a jazz duo.

Modavie restaurant (TripAdvisor photo)

On their actual anniversary date, July 8, Dan and Julie made the long drive home. They enjoyed the scenery through the Adirondacks (in clear weather this time instead of rain). And they broke up the drive with a brief stop at Lake George, just to have a look at the scenery.

Photo: A special anniversary moment

Gerrit and Angela shared this wonderful photo on their fifth wedding anniversary this week. Gerrit captioned it "How many years, Nolan?"

Yes, Nolan's parents have been married for five years. Gerrit added: "Wow, life changes fast!"

Photo by Lindsey Rae Photography. More here.

Details of Hugh & Dolores' Alaska Adventure

UPDATED 8/12 - All 10 chapters added to travelogue!

As promised, Hugh has sent along photos and description of the trip he and Dolores took in June to celebrate their anniversary. They traveled to the Canadian cities of Victoria and Vancouver and then by cruise ship up the coast of Alaska.

We've created a page dedicated to the story and photos. It's a detailed travelogue, in ten parts, richly illustrated with photos.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE TRAVELOGUE

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.

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.

Visiting Oz, Times Square and Mr. Morgan's library

Julie and Dan celebrated their anniversary with a weekend in Manhattan on July 7-8.

Saturday evening they dined on Restaurant Row, saw "Wicked" at the Gershwin Theater, strolled through Times Square and then had a drink in the Marriott Marquis lounge overlooking the square - just in time to watch a thunderstorm from behind the glass.

On Sunday they were in the mood for a short visit to an uncrowded museum, and discovered the Morgan Library & Museum at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. The museum incorporates the library built to hold J. P. Morgan's vast collection of books, artworks and antiquities, along with two adjacent Morgan family houses.

This is J. Pierpont Morgan's study, a cozy room with a fireplace, red silk wall coverings and rare books and Renaissance artworks. Here Julie reads descriptions of some of the objects on the wall behind J.P.'s desk.

This is the East Room, or main library. The size of the collection of books is incredible, as is the age of many of the volumes. One wall is dominated by this tapestry.

"The sixteenth-century Netherlandish tapestry over the mantelpiece depicts avarice, one of the seven deadly sins, personified by the mythological King Midas." - Morgan Library & Museum

The library holds three Gutenberg Bibles, printed in 1455, and has one on display at all times.


There are many other books dated as far back as the 1500s, although many of those appear to have been re-bound. They include scores of other Bibles and religious texts as well as works of literature.

Famous mouse hosts anniversary couple

Genevieve and John were invited to the home of movie and television star Mickey Mouse to celebrate the second anniversary of their wedding.

Mr. Mouse threw them a huge party with thousands of guests. They roamed the fabulously wealthy mega-star's enormous estate, which is fitted out with rides, games and entertainment.

To mark Genevieve and John's special occasion, the spare-no-expense host treated all his guests to a fantastic light show set to music.

The Hollywood crowd is bound to be buzzing about this party for a long time!

Happy Anniversary to Dolores and Hugh, June 12

Hugh and Dolores write:

"Sunday, June 12, we'll be married for 57 years, but who's counting?

"We are currently at Deep Creek Lake, enjoying the cool (80s) weather, and plan to relax after a hectic month of traveling."

Dan & Julie's little anniversary getaway (Updated with slideshow)

Dan and Julie celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on 07/08/09 (that's gotta be some kind of good luck) by taking a little short-distance vacation in northwestern New Jersey.

We stayed at a B&B called the RoseMary Inn, in Knowlton Township near the Delaware Water Gap. The owners said they opened it about a year and a half ago after extensively renovating a former farmhouse. The house and grounds are beautiful, and as we were the only guests at midweek, we felt like we it was our own private getaway.



Our little trip included a stop at a winery for a tasting, driving in and around the Delaware Water Gap national park, walks in the woods to see waterfalls, a couple of great dinners, a play at a community theater, and more driving around the Jersey countryside checking out little towns.

The photo at the top of the entry is at Dingman's Falls, on the Pennsylvania side of the water gap. Below is another series of falls farther up Dingman's Creek, which comes down from the Poconos into the Delaware River.



Want to see more? Click the slideshow. Double-click for larger views.