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.

Stephanie receives Masters from Towson University

Stephanie received her Masters degree from the College of Liberal Arts at Towson University at a commencement ceremony last week.

Her undergraduate ceremony was canceled due to the Covid pandemic, so "it was rewarding for her to be able to attend this ceremony in person," says her mom, Cathy. 

"Her MS degree is in Professional Writing with a concentration on writing for the non-profit sector. With this degree, along with her work and internship experience, she should be well prepared to obtain a grant-writing position."

Stephanie with brother, Chris, and mom, Cathy, before the ceremony.

Family festivities this spring in Maryland

On two occasions - Cathy's birthday and Easter Sunday - family members gathered at Oak Crest Village in Maryland to celebrate with Dolores and Hugh. This photo was taken at the birthday gathering. We failed to get a picture from Easter brunch, but the group was the same except for the absence of Stephanie's friend Abe (far left above). 

On Easter Morning, Julie and Dan brought Dolores and Hugh to their parish church, Trinity Episcopal in Towson, where they enjoyed greeting in person many of the friends they typically see only from behind as they watch the video stream of Trinity's Sunday services.

Christmas visits in New Jersey and Maryland

Christine and Jamie along with Andy and Wren visited Dan and Julie for Christmas in New Jersey. 

C&J had flown east from California the previous Saturday for a week of visiting family and friends. The traveled first to Cape Cod, where Jamie's mother, Bonnie, hosted her annual big family gathering. They also visited a friend in Rhode Island before traveling to Christine's parents' home. Meanwhile, Andy and Wren drove down from upstate New York.

Christmas morning was, of course, time to open presents. One highlight was a scrapbook Christine had made of photos and keepsakes from Andy and Wren's wedding.

The six enjoyed a big brunch of bacon, eggs, waffles and fruit, an afternoon of conversation and a board game, and a fine dinner (photo at top).

The next day, Andy and Wren returned home to mind their goats and cats. Christine and Jamie joined Julie and Dan in traveling to Maryland to visit with Julie's parents, Hugh and Dolores, at their senior-living community. They had a fine dinner at one of the restaurants there and continued the visit in H&D's apartment. Following that, the foursome were invited to Doug and Lisa's home for drinks, snacks and merry conversation, joined by Christine's cousins Stephanie and Christopher. 

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!"  

Christmas 2023: The celebrations continue

The annual family Christmas party in Yonkers took place on Saturday, hosted by Kevin and Kathy. 

It was great to have so many of us celebrating together. The gathering included the hosts' children, Kevin and Shanna, along with Shanna's husband, Rick, and daughter Lucy. Vivien, CJ, Charlie and Austin were in from London. Genevieve, John, Bea, Jack and Liam, who missed the 2022 party due to illness, were all on hand this time. Dan and Julie drove over from New Jersey while Andy and Wren came down from upstate. Kathy and Robert were there along with Brien, cousin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth. Patrick joined the crowd although Kelsey was absent, not feeling well. Christine, at home in California with Jamie, popped in via Zoom to greet the crowd. 

Fabulous food, convivial conversation and cheerful children made for a wonderful time to wrap up the year.

Earlier in the week, Kathy enjoyed a visit at her home from all her grandchildren: Jack, Charlie, Austin, Bea and Liam.  

At midweek, Julie and Dan paid a Christmas visit to Julie's parents, brother and sister-in-law in Maryland. Here the group relaxes in Hugh and Dolores' apartment after dining at one of the restaurants in their community. 

Meanwhile, on Facebook, we find this photo of Nanette visiting daughter Courtney in Florida.

We invite everyone in the family to send along your own Christmas celebration photos! Email birchstreetweb@gmail.com (or text to Dan if that's easier).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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.

Father's day gathering in Maryland

On Father's Day, Hugh was joined by two of his children and three grandchildren for a fine meal at one of the restaurants in Oak Crest. The waiter was kind enough to take this photo. Hugh, wife Dolores and daughter Cathy are in the front row. Standing behind are son-in-law Dan, daughter Julie, grandson Christopher and granddaughters Liz and Stephanie. 

Christmas brings family members together

After two missed years due to the pandemic, the annual family Christmas party in Yonkers took place on Monday, hosted by Kathy at her home. It was wonderful to be able to get together in person to celebrate the holiday.

The guests included Kathy's daughter Vivien with her husband, CJ, and their boys, Charlie and Austin - all currently living in London but on holiday stateside. Kathy's son, Patrick, and his fiance, Kelsey, joined the party, but left before this photo was taken. Robert arrived in time for the photo and is seen in back by the Christmas tree. Kathy's daughter Genevieve, her husband, John, and their children, Bea, Jack and Liam, were unable to attend because of illness, and were sorely missed. 

Kathy's three brothers were there. Dan and his wife, Julie, drove in from New Jersey with their son, Andy, and his fiance, Wren, who were visiting from upstate New York. Brien and Kevin arrived along with Kevin's wife, Kathy; their son, Kevin; and their daughter, Shanna, her husband, Rick, and daughter, Lucy, who is front-and-center in the photo. There also was one virtual attendee: Christine, who circulated through the crowd via a Zoom call on Julie's phone.

Hugh and Dolores invited family to a Christmas meal at one of the restaurants at Oak Crest in Maryland. The red-and-green-bedecked couple are seen here with their son, Doug, and (standing l to r) granddaughters Liz and Stephanie, grandson Christopher, daughter-in-law Lisa, daughter Cathy and granddaughter Rebecca.

Dolores writes that they had a private area in the restaurant, "and a good thing, because everyone was still sharing Scotland stories and experiences, sometimes all at once!" She particularly enjoyed hearing Chris and Steph's reactions to their "their First Trip Abroad. It was a great opportunity for them."

Mother's Day visit in Maryland

Dolores and Hugh were joined for Mother's Day by their son, Doug, daughter Cathy and grandchildren Christopher and Stephanie. They enjoyed brunch in one of the restaurants at their Oak Crest complex.

Gold medal for Rebecca's team in national curling tournament

Winning a national championship in your own house is about as good as it gets in any sport. That's what the team from Rochester Curling Club accomplished Saturday in USA Curling's 2022 U.S. Mixed National Championship.

With Rebecca playing the role of Second, the team won the gold-medal game in thrilling fashion. The game was tied 6-6 going into the final end. Rochester's skip, Caitlin (at left in photo), sent her last stone toward the center of the rings. Rebecca and teammate Jason (at right) swept hard, joined by vice-skip Jeff (2nd from left), to bring it to rest right on the button (the bulls-eye of the scoring area).

Split-screen view of the finale: At left, Caitlin begins celebrating. At right, Rebecca lifts her broom after sweeping the stone to the button.

VIDEO: Watch the final shot!

Rebecca's parents, Lisa and Doug, attended the competition and joined in the celebration.

The victory earned the team the berth to represent the United States at the 2022 World Mixed Curling Championship - date and location yet to be determined.

The same Rochester team took the silver medal at the last pre-covid Mixed Nationals, held in Colorado in 2019.

MORE: Read USA Curling's press release here!

A send-off for Christine and Jamie as they prepare for California move (Updated 12/3: more photos)

Members of Christine's family gathered on Sunday to wish a fond farewell to her and Jamie as they get ready to move to California next week.

Christine's parents hosted a brunch in a private room at the Stage House restaurant in Scotch Plains, N.J., bringing together relatives from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Traveling farthest were Marie, Brian and Xander, who made a weekend of it by visiting Manhattan the day before.

Some of the attendees hadn't seen each other in person since Christine and Jamie's wedding in September 2019 - and in some cases, it was a first chance to meet.

In the official group photo, Jack, Bea, and Charlie are front and center. Seated left to right are Dan and Julie; Dolores; Christine and Jamie; and Andy. Behind them are Kevin; Kathy; John and Genevieve; Kelsey; Kathy; Vivien; Cathy; and Wren. And in the back row are Patrick; CJ with Austin; Hugh; Doug; Christopher; Stephanie and Jackie; Brian and Marie and Xander.

The move West comes as Jamie is now working as a game designer at Riot Games. She and Christine will move to an apartment in nearby West Los Angeles, minutes away from Riot's headquarters in Santa Monica.

Dolores wins 2 awards in county arts contest

Two pieces of Dolores's artwork took first-place awards in an annual Creative Arts Contest conducted by the Baltimore County Department of Aging.

The prizes were in the watercolor category, for a painting titled "Glengarry," and the fabric arts category, for a collage called "Monday Morning Breezes."

A delegation from the county, with a TV crew in tow, visited Oak Crest Village to present certificates to Dolores and to another resident of the complex, who won a second-place award for woodworking. In the photo here, Dolores is holding the collage and a county representative holds the watercolor.

"With each presentation, I was asked how I came to do each, what were my inspirations, and especially with the collage, describe some of the textures, things that I used in the piece," Dolores said. "The collage is a copy/derivation from a watercolor that I did in high school of some back yards in Corning. I found it a few years ago, and did a larger, better (I hope) version. The collage is loosely based on that. I also have a miniature version, so I’m getting a lot of mileage from it!"

Sings of spring and hope

As we begin a second year of life in a pandemic, there is at least some hope that the ongoing rollout of vaccines will reduce the risk before too long. Hugh and Dolores have received a two-shot course of vaccination through their Oak Crest Senior Living Community, and grandson Chris received his first shot through his employment with the Cecil County, Md., school system. Others of us are still waiting for availability.

Meanwhile, Spring approaches! These crocuses, on a church lawn, were the first to be spotted this year by Dan and Julie during one of their walks around their New Jersey neighborhood. "Our own little patch of crocuses was buried under a big pile of shoveled-up snow and hasn't emerged yet," says Dan. "We're looking forward to seeing them and all the other flowers that fill our neighborhood every Spring. Even more, we're looking forward to being able to travel and visit family again when it is finally safe to do so."

The first big snowstorm of 2021

Julie waves from the back door at Birch Street HQ

The beginning of February brought heavy snow to parts of the Northeast. The storm moved up the coast on Monday, Feb. 1, and the snowfall continued throughout Groundhog Day in parts of the region.

Among places of interest to our extended family, accumulations ranged from 2-6 inches around Baltimore to about a foot and a half in the northern Catskills. (The highest accumulations reported by the National Weather Service were 35 inches in Nazareth, PA, and Mount Arlington, NJ.) Coastal areas saw far less snow, mixed with rain. 

Cathy shared these views of her suburban Philadelphia neighborhood on Monday afternoon. Accumulations of about 8 inches were reported in the area.

At Birch Street Headquarters in New Jersey, Dan measured more than 14 inches on the ground on Tuesday afternoon, with occasional snow showers continuing.

In upstate New York, Andy and Wren had about 16 inches on their porch Tuesday morning, with light snow still falling. That was on top of about 5 inches already on the ground from occasional snow in recent weeks.

Southern New Hampshire had about 10 inches as of Tuesday morning. Here, one of Christine and Jamie's cats watches the snowfall on Monday evening.

Throughout the storm, Dan and Julie's backyard birdfeeder was very active. "It must be the only restaurant open for miles around," Dan remarked. As seen above, a female Cardinal, a Chickadee and a couple of sparrows were among the visitors. Others included Dark-Eyed Juncos, House Finches, Tufted Titmouses and two varieties of woodpecker. And, in the photo below, an American Goldfinch (the official state bird of New Jersey) stopped by briefly.

Distanced Thanksgiving 2: Game Night

Lisa and Doug continued, in a fashion, their tradition of hosting a party on the day after Thanksgiving. Although unable to share crabcakes and ribs, family members enjoyed seeing and talking to each other and, as in years past, playing games together - this time via video conferencing service Zoom and online gaming sight Jackbox. Joining in from their homes were Dolores and Hugh, Julie and Dan, Cathy, Chris, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Christine, Jamie, Andy and Wren. The virtual gathering went on for some five hours.