Happy Birthday to Brennan and Brooklyn Rae

Dec. 1 is the special day Brennan and his daughter, Brooklyn Rae, share as their birthday. Brooklyn is now four! This photo with her dad and mom, Shauna Rae, was taken in September when Brooklyn started pre-school.

Brooklyn's little brother, Brennan Alexander, turned one back on July 22.

Thanksgiving scenes around the family

Bea got a chance to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade up close and up on daddy's shoulders.

The weather was fine for a short stroll from Genevieve and John's apartment to the parade route.

And, yes, Bea is rocking a turkey hat!

Also marking his first Thanksgiving is Nolan, seen here at home on Cape Cod with his parents, Gerrit and Angela.


On Shelter Island, Courtney is spending the week visiting her mom, Nanette. They spent a few days together in Boston and picked up Nanette's brother, Larry. Here they share a cider toast with Nanette's friend Linda.

In New Jersey, Dan & Julie shared turkey and fixings with Andy and his girlfriend, Shannon. Christine, meanwhile, was visiting with her boyfriend James' relatives in Connecticut. Plans to travel and visit family in Virginia and Maryland were changed when Andy got a job for the holiday season at Kohl's - which included working the midnight shift on Black Friday!

In Maryland, meanwhile, Liz hosted dinner at her Baltimore apartment for her parents, Doug and Lisa, and grandparents Hugh and Dolores. Doug took this photo as Lisa was on the phone with Julie.

In Yonkers, Kevin and Kathy were joined by Kathy's mom, Shanna and Rick, and Brien, who sent along these photos.

"A puzzle was a big hit before and after dinner, as well as football on TV" Brien reports. "The puzzle was a gift to Shanna from Rick - a map of Pine Neck centered on Birch Street."

Please send along your pics to add to our collection of Thanksgiving scenes!

Happy Thanksgiving! Please share your celebration

We wish a wonderful Thanksgiving Day to all!  

Please share pics and stories of your holiday gatherings 

with the rest of our extended family 

on the Birch Street Web!

Rockwell, updated

Retro rock: Brien & Dan at special Hot Tuna show

Concert photos by Vernon Webb, via Facebook

Brien and Dan were at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan on Saturday night to see Hot Tuna put on a special show to mark guitarist Jorma Kaukonen's 75th birthday. He and bassist Jack Casady were members of Jefferson Airplane who started Hot Tuna as a side project -- which has far outlasted the original band.

Brien was delighted to see Jorma playing a Gibson Firebird during large portions of the show - being a long-time fan of both the player and the instrument, as seen here.



For the first half of the show, Jorma and Jack and drummer Justin Guip played as a trio. In the second half, they brought out guest musicians to recreate some of their work with Jefferson Airplane. 



The guests included Rachel Price from Lake Street Dive (right) and Teresa Williams and Larry Campbell, a duo who have recorded with many artists including Levon Helm. Also on stage were well-known guitarist G.E. Smith and singer Jeff Pehrson. It was a terrific show all around.

Dolores shares impressions of Bayeux Tapestry

During Dolores and Hugh's visit to Europe last spring, Dolores fulfilled a long-held wish to see the famous Bayeux Tapestry.

Now, her impressions and commentary have been published in the December issue of Needle Arts, the national publication of The Embroiderers Guild of America.



Click here to see her article (as pdf file), illustrated with details from the tapestry.

Related articles:
Dolores & Hugh's 2014 European Tour
A visit to Bayeux

Checking in with Nolan at 3-1/2 months

These images are captured from a video that Gerrit posted on Facebook of Angela and their baby Nolan, who is now about three and a half months old.

We're not saying he has magical powers, but it so happens that a certain football team has gone undefeated since Nolan began rooting for them.

Halloween fun for all ages (Updated 11/3)

We're collecting Halloween photos - Send us yours!

Beatrice became "Bumble Bea" for her first Halloween.

In Massachusetts, little Nolan (right) celebrated with his cousins Branson and Leila. 

In Virginia, Marie, Brian and Xander became Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi from the Mario Bros. video games.

Stephanie's band wrapping up successful season

The Hilliard Darby High School Marching Band capped another successful competition season, earning top marks and a Superior ranking in the Ohio Music Education Association state finals on Oct. 31.

It's the second year of marching for Stephanie, on clarinet. The band isn't quite finished for the season, as it will perform at football playoff games and in the local Veterans Day parade.

The beauty of Fall in the woods

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy visited the Dingman's Falls area of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on a late-October Sunday.


They took in the fall colors and Dan enjoyed taking photos of the foliage and the two waterfalls in that part of the park.


Afterward they went to dinner at a restaurant they've visited before in the little village of Delaware Water Gap, Pa. The outing was to celebrate Dan's birthday a couple of days early.

Look closely - Christine & Andy wave from platform at top of falls

As they drove out of the restaurant parking lot, they saw a black bear sniffing around the dumpsters. But it ducked out of sight before anyone could get a photo.

Atop the falls

Happy Halloween!

Got pumpkins? Let's see! Send us photos of your creations - and your costumes!

Shannon, Andy, Christine and their carvings

Back in time to Colonial Williamsburg

Marie, Brian and Xander spent a September day soaking up history at Colonial Williamsburg.

During the visit, Xander took part in "RevQuest," an "immersive game" in which he played the role of a colonial spy during the Revolutionary War.

Xander picks up intelligence from an innocent-looking fellow spy.

One of the highlights of the living-history museum is the blacksmith's shop. After all, Xander's great-great-great-grandfather was a blacksmith - not in Colonial Virginia, but in 19th Century New York.

From our archives:
Dolores and Hugh spent a day at Colonial Williamsburg in December 2012
Cathy, Christopher and Stephanie visited Colonial Williamsburg and other Virginia historical sites in October 2007

A fine Fall weekend, visiting in Virginia

Dan, Julie and Christine took a scenic drive to Virginia to visit with Marie, Brian and Xander in mid-October.

Dan writes: I took Friday off from work and we headed out through Pennsylvania and slivers of Maryland and West Virginia to Front Royal, Va. There we picked up Skyline Drive, which runs along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park.

The foliage wasn't at peak color yet, but the weather was beautiful and we took in the great views of the Shenandoah Valley to the west and the rolling hills to the east. We stopped at one of the west-facing overlooks to watch the sun set over Massanutten Mountain. Here's a handful of the photos I took.



We arrived at Marie, Brian and Xander's house Friday evening. On Saturday, we all went to the Fall Harvest Festival at Belvedere Plantation outside Fredericksburg. The attractions included some simple rides, a "maize maze," pig races and, of course, a hay ride to a pick-your-own pumpkin field. Here are some photos from our day at the farm, and back at the house.



We're not sure why the plants in the "maize maze" were only a couple of feet tall, but the pathways were so complex that it was still hard to find our way out!

We brought with us the costume Julie made for Andy in 2004, of Fluffy the three-headed dog from the Harry Potter stories. It still looks good!

On the way home on Sunday, we stopped in suburban Baltimore and enjoyed a visit with Julie's parents, Hugh and Dolores, at their Oak Crest residence.

Family team walks to win against Alzheimer's

Bea at Walk to End Alzheimer's in honor of Great Grandma Lorraine.

Ten members of our family team took part in the annual New York Walk to End Alzheimer's on Sunday. Nine walked the route through Manhattan's Riverside Park while the newest team member, Bea, rode in style.

Team captain Shanna, who has organized our family's participation since 2008, reports that family members and friends have contributed over $1,700 to our effort. "Absolutely amazing," Shanna writes. "Thanks everyone!"

For a brief time, donations toward our total are still being collected at our team page. The funds go to the Alzheimer's Association to support care and research programs as well as support services for loved ones of those affected by the disease.

Join the family team for tomorrow's Walk

Thanks to all the family members who have contributed to our family team's annual effort to raise money for Alzheimer's research and care. Now it's time to Walk to Win.

Shanna and other team members will gather at Riverside Park tomorrow for the New York Walk to End Alzheimer's. If you'd like to stroll along with them, contact Shanna for details. There's an e-mail address on our team page.

Also go to the team page if you'd like to contribute to the team's donation. Thanks to all who help!

This Sunday: We walk to win vs. Alzheimer's

Our family team at 2014 walk

The forecast is favorable for a brisk walk in Manhattan's Riverside Park this Sunday. Once again our family team will be "walking to win" in the New York City Walk Against Alzheimer's.

Shanna, our captain, is hoping for a good turnout -- but the team effort is already a success, as family members and friends have contributed well over $1,000 to the fund-raiser.

The annual walk raises money for the Alzheimer's Association, which supports research into prevention, treatments and a cure for Alzheimer's and assists families coping with the disease.
To join our team of walkers and/or add your donation, please visit the team page here.

Darby band plays at Ohio State stadium

Stephanie and her Hilliard Darby Marching Band performed last Saturday in the Buckeye Invitational competition, held at the Ohio State University football stadium.

Cathy writes: "Darby placed 5th out of 38 bands, earned a Superior rating (1 of only 9 bands that did so) and our Color Guard won the award for Best Auxiliary!"

Here's a video of the performance.



This fun photo was taken by a friend at an earlier performance held at Hilliard Bradley HS.