Fleetwood Mac: They 'Don't Stop'

The latest tour of the latest incarnation of Fleetwood Mac came to New Jersey on Saturday and Dan and Julie were there for an evening of classic rock. The current lineup has drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, plus singer Stevie Nicks and lead guitar/singer Lindsey Buckingham. Missing is keyboardist/singer Christine McVie, who retired from the band after a 1998 tour.



The band, which traces its history back to 1967 and saw its biggest success in the late 1970s after Nicks and Buckingham joined, can still put on a good show. Age has reduced Nicks' vocal range but she compensated well, reworking tunes to lower some of the high notes. Fleetwood can still be manic on the drums and Buckingham can still play a killer guitar.

The Mac played many of their big hits - Dreams, Gypsy, Rhiannon, Second Hand News, Landslide, Say You Love Me, Go Your Own Way, Don't Stop - and reached back to the pre-Buckingham-Nicks days for Oh Well.

These photos of the show were taken by Star-Ledger photographer Saed Hindash. See more in this gallery at the Star-Ledger web site, nj.com. And read the review by Star-Ledger music critic Jay Lustig.

Happy Spring!

The first crocuses appeared outside our house this week. What signs of spring have you seen so far? Add your comments below or send in your observations and photos!

Last look at snow?

Brian, Xander, Marie and an unidentified friend enjoy the aftermath of the March 1 snowstorm in Trenton. Say bye-bye, snowman! See you next winter!

Shanna's review: Britney's Circus

Shanna writes:
Mom and I went to the Britney Spears concert on March 11th at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. The show began with The Pussycat Dolls performing several of their songs. After they had finished, there was a 20 minute break or so before the "Circus" began.

At about 9 PM, several different types of circus performers took the stage. There were acrobats, martial artists, clowns, and so much more. My personal favorite act had two men holding a thin board in the air. A woman then balanced on the board, jumping into the air doing flips and and twists. She landed back on that thin board every single time. It was pretty cool.

Before we knew it, It was time for Britney to take the stage! Of course, everything Britney does, she does big. In true Britney fashion, she did not just walk onto the stage but was instead lowered from the ceiling into the center ring of the 3 ring circus stage.

Slideshow of photos from the Circus concert


I believe that this was my fifth Britney concert, and just like all the others, a Britney Spears concert is more than just singing and dancing on stage, it is a production. Something was always happening on stage. If Britney wasn't in the air, circling the main stage in a giant picture frame, she was sitting in a giant umbrella high above the center ring. At one point, a magician even put her in a box and sawed Britney in half.

Britney sang many of her hits, including "I'm a Slave for You" and "Baby One More Time." However the majority of the songs were from her past two albums entitled "Circus" and "Blackout." She was on stage for about 90 minutes of endless dancing, signing, pyrotechnics and circus tricks. To put it simply, Britney's concerts always exceeded my expectations and this one was no exception.

A fabulous finish to a curling match

Lisa describes it as the curling equivalent of a hole in one: an "eight-ender," in which one team succeeds in placing all eight of its rocks within the circles of the "house" and shutting out the opposing team.

On Wednesday night at the Potomac Curling Club, a team including Lisa and her daughters Liz and Rebecca accomplished this feat to win their game.

"The whole car ride home we took turns saying 'I can't believe it,'" Lisa writes. "Lizzie was phyched that she was home on spring break and agreed to spare on our team for us. I'm still really shocked, but it's a great feeling."

The club's web site has more details, and you can click on their "about curling" link to learn more about the sport.

Celebrating Girl Scout Sunday

Julie and Christine pose with other Girl Scouts outside St. Paul's Church in Westfield on Girl Scout Sunday, March 8.

March 12 is the 97th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Ga.

Keep us posted on your scouting news - and anything else you'd like to share. Call or e-mail us any time.

Happy birthday, and homecoming

After what was supposed to be a brief visit to Yonkers turned into a nearly three-week stay in a hospital, Pat was happy to head home today (March 4) -- her birthday.

It was on Friday the 13th last month, during a visit to her sister Lorraine and brother-in-law Dan, that Pat had a fall on an indoor staircase and ended up at St. John's Riverside Hospital. Fortunately there were no fractures or other serious injuries, but as she began recuperating she developed an infection that extended her hospital stay.

It will still take a while to fully recover, but Pat was glad tonight to be back in her house in Malta and reunited with her cat, Finnegan.

How much snow did you get? (Updated)

The winter storm that hit the New York area Sunday night and Monday brought about 6 inches of snow here at Birch Street Web headquarters in Fanwood.

Shanna reports about 10 inches piled up in her yard in Yonkers. Here's a picture of her yard taken the next day.


Let us know how you fared -- how much snow, and what did you do in it? You can add comments to this post, or e-mail us -- especially if you have photos to share!

It's cookie time for Christine's Girl Scout troop

Girl Scout Troop 441 held its annual cookie booth sale in downtown Scotch Plains on Saturday Feb. 28. Here's Christine with two of her friends a couple of hours into the sale.

The weather was chilly but there was plenty of traffic as people scurried to do their errands before snow that was forecast later in the weekend.

And by the way there are still cookies available if anyone has a craving...

Looking forward to...

No we haven't seen any of these yet this year, but ... it won't be long now!



Seen any signs of spring yet? When you do please let us know!

Get well wishes to Aunt Pat (Updated)

While visiting her sister Lorraine and brother-in-law Dan in Yonkers, Pat had a Friday the 13th mishap - a fall on an indoor staircase that left her with a very sore back. Fortunately there were no fractures or other serious injuries, but she'll need need some time to get back on her feet.

Update as of 2/22: Pat has been transferred from St. John's Riverside Hospital to Riverside's physical therapy facility in Yonkers. If you'd like to say hello, the best way to reach her is on her cell phone. (If you'd like the number you can e-mail us for it.)

Back home in Saratoga, Pat says, it's been a very wintry winter, and snow is piled up about 3 feet high. Daughter Mary and her family lost electric power for a couple of days during a December ice storm.

Other updates from the North Country: Mary and Brennan's daughter Brienna is a student at SUNY-Plattsburgh's branch campus in Queensbury, N.Y. ... their son Brennan is a sophmore at Saratoga Central Catholic High School, where he plays center on the basketball team ... youngest Shannon, now 10, is on the Y swim team (which Mary coaches) and in a snow-shoe club at school.

Happy Birthday Genevieve!

Genevieve, seen here looking absolutely fabulous with her fiance, John, at her grandfather Ted's birthday party, celebrates her own birthday on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Best wishes, Genevieve, for the exciting year ahead!

Keep track of birthdays and other notable dates on the Family Calendar. And let us know of more dates to include.

Our nutty language

Hugh sent along an amusing essay on some of the oddities of the English language.

It raises such thought-provoking questions as "Why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?"

Check it out!

Fordham Prep repeats as city champs

The Fordham Prep indoor track team dominated the CHSAA city championship meet at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York on Feb. 14.

Patrick cleared 10 feet in pole vault again in his final meet of the indoor season.

Next up: preparing for the spring track season, which starts in late March.

See more at the team's web site
Read coverage from the Journal-News

Rebecca's curling team 'really proud' of its play in Junior Nationals

Congratulations to Rebecca and her curling teammates on their performance in the U.S. Curling Association Junior National tournament this week.

The team finished the qualifying round in a tie for fourth place, sending it into a tie-breaking game Friday afternoon (2/13) against a team from Minnesota. The lead changed back and forth through the game until the Minnesotans pulled out an 8-7 victory. (See the linescore.)

"Both teams played REALLY well, so we went out on a high note," Rebecca said in a post-game interview with The Birch Street Web. "We're really proud."

The team in the first game on Saturday Feb. 7.

Team Beebe (the teams are named for their skips, or captains) came into the tournament as the 6th seed, having won the Grand National Curling Club Women's Junior Championship in Wayland, Mass. in December.

The Junior Nationals tournament was held in Devils Lake, N.D. Ten teams from around the country took part in the competition.

The whole experience, Rebecca said, "was incredible -- and the town was so small that they were all behind us. We're going to drive around and take pictures of all the 'welcome curlers' signs."

Read the back story:
Previous blog items on the Junior Nationals
Team wins GNCC Women's Jr. Championship (Dec. 2008)
Becky curls in Olympic qualifying trials (Jan. 2009)

Celebrating Grandpa Ted's 80th

Family and friends of Grandpa/Ted Sr. gathered last Saturday (Feb. 7) for a celebration of his 80th birthday.

"It was a great time!" reports Genevieve. "It was in the Trustees Room in the New York Public Library, and there were 60 people, mostly extended family and some close friends."

"In the picture above, from left are Aunt Diane, Uncle John, me, John Allen, Christie, Patrick, Alex, Nick, Aunt Margaret, Vivien, Emily, my dad and my mom. My Grandpa Ted and Grandma Celestine are seated in the front."


"After dinner my Uncle John and my grandpa's cousin Oliver gave toasts, and they showed a slideshow of pictures of my grandpa through the years. It was a fun walk down memory lane, and my grandpa (and everyone else) had a wonderful night!"

Christine performs in school "pops" concert

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School music department put on a Pops Concert on Feb. 4, featuring music by its various bands and ensembles. Christine plays flute with the Symphonic Band, which performed "Three Scottish Vistas" by William Owens and a medley of selections from "Phantom of the Opera."



The Symphonic Band and the Freshman Concert Band also teamed up for some Motown tunes. The concert also featured segments by the school's wind and percussion ensembles and its acclaimed Moonglowers jazz band.

The various bands and choruses at SPFHS will be traveling to Florida April 29-May 3 to perform at Disney World. The Raider Marching Band will march down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, and the school's musical and choral groups will take part in a "Festival Disney," where they will perform and be evaluated by college professors and professional musicians.

A Jersey get-together

Marie, Brian and Xander made a quick trip up the New Jersey Turnpike to visit Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy on Sunday.

After their years in California, Marie and Brian are re-acclimating to their native Jersey, enjoying fine East Coast cuisine like pizza and Tastykakes. Xander seems to be adjusting to the change well, too.

Xander and his young aunt & uncle had a great time playing with old toys pulled out of storage for the occasion. Although his parents say he has his "terrible two" moments, Xander's generally a happy guy as seen here. (Especially when there's a train around.)

It was Super Bowl Sunday, so we put the game on in the background, and then cranked up the volume during Bruce Springsteen's halftime show. Here Xander and Christine dance to the music.