New year under way for our scholars

Our family's roster of scholars is smaller this fall after last spring's spate of graduations. On the other hand, we have a new teacher in the family: Shanna.

Here's our back-to-school rundown, for teachers and students alike. Please let us know of any errors or omissions.

Kathy - Back to school Tuesday, teaching science at School of the Holy Child in Rye.

Shanna - Starts Wednesday teaching at the Ann and Andy Child Care preschool in Elmsford. She has a class of 3-year-olds in the morning and a 4-year-old class in the afternoon.

Rebecca - Began her third year Monday at Rochester Institute of Technology, studying polymer chemistry in the College of Science.

Christine - Began classes Monday in her freshman year at Rochester Institute of Technology in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.

Patrick - Started classes Aug. 29 in his freshman year at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Lizzie - Starting her junior year at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.

Andy - Starts his sophmore year Tuesday at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.

Christopher - Started his freshman year at Hilliard Darby High School on Aug. 23.

Stephanie - Started classes Aug. 23 at Hilliard Tharp 6th Grade School.

Shannon - Starts Wednesday in eighth grade at Maple Avenue Middle School in Saratoga Springs.

Christine makes her move to RIT

Christine outside her dorm room.

Christine moved into her dorm room at Rochester Institute of Technology on Wednesday. She starts her freshman year classes on Monday in RIT's College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.

After hauling her belongings into her room, getting her official student ID and other moving-day tasks, Christine and her dad met with her cousin Rebecca and Rebecca's mom Lisa for a quick dinner. Rebecca is starting her junior year at RIT, and Lisa was passing through on her way to visit her father in Buffalo. The group stopped at Rebecca's apartment to meet her pet rat, Pete.

Rebecca introduces Pete to Christine.

Posing with the RIT Tiger just before Dad heads home.

More photos from Angela and Gerrit's wedding (Updated 9/7)

A great selection of professional photos from Gerrit and Angela's wedding day are now available for viewing on the web site of Lindsey Rae Photography. Click here to see them. A few that were posted earlier are below.

The wedding party, with Angela and Gerrit at left and Gerrit's sister Lizzie at right.

Patrick joins Johns Hopkins' Class of 2015

Patrick has begun his college career at Johns Hopkins University. Here he's seen with his classmates during freshmen orientation. You can pick him out, right?

Congratulations to Angela and Gerrit on their Wedding (Updated with first photos!

Angela and Gerrit were married on Saturday at the Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster, Mass. The ceremony was moved indoors due to the effects of Hurricane Irene, but as the photo above shows, the ceremony was beautiful nonetheless.

"The wedding was wonderful," Gerrit's mother Tish wrote on Facebook. "Angela and Gerrit are the most amazing couple. Thanks to everyone who shared in our happiness."

We hope to see more photos and hear more details in coming days. If you were there and would like to share your observations - or just want to extend your best wishes - please click the "comments" link below.

Waiting for someone we don't want to see: Irene

As Hurricane Irene churns its way up the East Coast, many of our family members are adjusting their plans for the weekend.

Gerrit and Angela were married late Saturday afternoon at the Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster, Mass., on Cape Cod. Showers ahead of the storm forced the ceremony indoors, but otherwise all went well. No word yet on whether any post-wedding travel plans might be disrupted.

Kevin, Kathy, Shanna and Kevin cut short a vacation in Noyac to return home Saturday. We're all hoping the Birch Street summer place rides out the storm as well as it did Gloria, Bob and other coastal storms over the years.

By late evening, the center of the storm was passing the Virginia coast. Marie said there was copious rain but not much high wind in Fredericksburg, where she and Brian and Xander were safe and dry in their apartment.

At Birch Street HQ in New Jersey, heavy rain began during the evening, and the electricity flickered a few times, perhaps a sign of things to come. 

We'll try to update this page as information becomes available and as long as computer connections allow.

STAY SAFE!

Links of interest:
Hampton Classic postponed

All are well after East Coast quake

Xander reacts as the TV news confirms what he felt:
"5.8 earthquake hits Virginia."

The earthquake that shook the Eastern Seaboard on Tuesday was centered about 35 miles southwest of Marie, Brian and Xander's home in Fredericksburg, Va. Marie, who experienced several quakes in California, said it was nonetheless a frightening experience as the shaking continued for many long seconds. Once it was over, she and Xander, their neighbors and workers at their apartment complex checked in and around the buildings and found no damage.

Brian was in Washington D.C., on layover between runs of the Virginia Railway Express, when the quake occurred. He was also fine, but Amtrak closed the tunnel under the Potomac for a while to inspect it, and imposed speed restrictions on the track pending further inspection, so his return run was delayed by a couple of hours.

The tremor at 1:51 p.m. measured 5.8 on the Richter scale, the strongest in Virginia since 1897, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Remarkably, it was felt from New England to Georgia, yet no serious injuries were reported anywhere, and damage seems to have been light even near the epicenter.

Chris starts his first season of marching band (Updated-New Video)

Heading into freshman year at Darby High School, Christopher has been spending a lot of time lately practicing with the school's marching band.

"He attended home camp at the high school during the first week of August, then away camp for a week," writes his mom, Cathy. "This is their last week of practice before school starts next week."

Cathy has posted four videos and a couple of photos from a preview performance. In the second video, "Fight Song," you'll get a good look at Chris on saxophone. And in the fourth clip, the camera tracks Chris through the opening segment of the band's half-time show, "Flight."

See the videos here.

Welcome to the family!

Our extended family has a new member!

On Aug. 6, Brienna and Clay became the proud parents of a 9-pound 6-ounce boy, named Cash.



Brienna's grandmother Pat writes: "We have already decided he looks like his Uncle Brennan in facial features. His size could come from his tall dad."

Congratulations to the new parents, grandparents Mary and Brennan, and great-grandmother Pat!

Shanna to begin teaching career

Shanna has accepted a teaching position at a preschool in Elmsford.

"I was hired at Ann and Andy Child Care to be the head teacher in their two-year-old classroom," Shanna writes. "I am really excited about the offer and to officially begin my career.

"I will be starting the job right after Labor Day and can't wait to set up my classroom and meet all of the kids."

Shanna, who received her Masters degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Mercy College in May, has been working this summer at Camp Hillard in Scarsdale, her second year there.

"Right now, I am completing my final few days of the camp season and looking forward to some time off before work begins again."

Balloons and music in the air

Dan, Julie and Christine, Andy and his girlfriend Shannon spent an evening watching hot-air balloons ascend and listening to music at the annual Quick Chek Festival of Ballooning in Readington, N.J. on Saturday. Click the slideshow to see lots more.



After the balloons took off and drifted away, the humorous Canadian rock band Bare Naked Ladies put on a fun show, including hits like "If I Had a Million Dollars" and "One Week." As the sky darkened, several balloons that had returned to the site were reinflated for a "balloon glow."

Introducing Xander to the sights of Washington

Marie and Brian took Xander to Washington last week to visit the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and the Air & Space Museum. They also made a stop at the U.S. Botanical Garden, and here's Xander and his dad on the Capitol Steps.



"It was a very, very hot day but we had a good time," Marie writes. "Xander enjoyed getting a chance to see 'Daddy's Train Station,' too."

PotomacLocal.com photo

Brian's work as a conductor on the Virginia Railway Express regularly takes him into Washington's Union Station. He recently marked his first anniversary on the job.

... Think cool thoughts ...

Hope this helps you beat the heat!

See how the rest of the family is faring:

Check out our new and improved Weather Station page to see the current conditions in our various home towns.

(Right now I think those of us on the East Coast would rather be in California!

Cathy wins 8 ribbons at county fair

Cathy's skills at photography, scrapbook making and cross-stitching won her eight ribbons at the Franklin County Fair in Hilliard, Ohio last week. Two of her entries - a photo and a scrapbook page - won blue ribbons.

Here are photos of her award-winning entries.

Marie & Brian, July 15, 2002

Happy anniversary!

Lakeside for the Fourth of July (Updated)

Ok, another place to be for the Fourth of July was Hugh and Dolores' place at Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland.

Cathy visited with her parents over the weekend, and being back in Maryland gave her a craving for steamed hard crabs. "We actually found a restaurant called the Crab Shack at Deep Creek Lake, and they provided us with a dozen still hot from the steamer," Hugh writes.

"Monday we had hamburgers and corn of the cob and then went to see the 'Fire on the Mountain' fireworks display at the Wisp Ski Resort."

Click here to see Cathy's videos of the fireworks

Photo by Hugh

Ohio update: Stephanie's concert, Christopher's award

Catching up on recent doings in Ohio...



Stephanie performed in her first school concert on May 15. The show included her 5th grade band from Hilliard Crossing Elementary School along with the Tharp 6th Grade School band. See two video clips here.

Christopher completed 8th grade at Hilliard Heritage Middle School, and received a certificate and medal for academic achievement, for having a grade point average over 3.75 for the year. Click on Chris' photo to see more.

A great Fourth of July weekend in Noyac

Kathy & Ted's summer house was the place to be over Fourth of July weekend.



Daughter Vivien and several of her sorority sisters were visiting, in between forays to conquer the Hamptons. Julie, Dan, Christine and Andy along with Brien spent the weekend at the cottage on Birch Street. On Sunday they and family friend Madelon joined Kathy, Ted, Patrick and Vivien for a barbecue. And the Fourth of July proved to be a fabulous day for a sail around Noyac Bay.

In between there was beaching, relaxing, and fireworks viewing - both an official display in Sag Harbor on Saturday night and an unofficial show from the "back beach."