New adventures for James & Christine

Christine and James are settling into new digs as James prepares to start a new job in the new year.

Having completed work on a bachelors degree in video game design at Rochester Institute of Technology in December, James starts Jan. 2 as a developer at Boston Productions in Norwood, Mass.

C & J were able to find an apartment just a few miles from the company's headquarters, and have spent the past week moving and starting to settle in. Their new home has a spacious two-level layout in a garden-style complex surrounded by a nice residential neighborhood, about a mile from the shops and restaurants in Norwood's village-like downtown.

Norwood Center

James is very much looking forward to working at Boston Productions (BPI), which combines game design and software development with audio-visual production to create interactive displays and "visitor experiences" for museums and other public facilities. Here are just a couple of examples of the company's installations.

At the Smithsonian Institution Castle in Washington, BPI created an interactive map for visitors navigating through the National Mall.

At the Georgia Aquarium, BPI created multiple game-like interactive educational displays.

Vivien and CJ become homeowners

After a couple of years of high-rise living in Jersey City, Vivien and CJ have made the move to the suburbs.

In a whirlwind couple of days at the start of December, they closed on and moved into this lovely house in Verona, New Jersey. We hope to get more details/photos soon.

A taste of winter: First snow of the season

The first snow of the not-quite-yet winter fell gently - and, conveniently, on a Saturday - at Birch Street Media headquarters in New Jersey. It put a pretty coating of white on the bushes and trees ... and on the big honkin' piece of construction equipment sitting across the street.

"New gas lines are being put in around the neighborhood," Dan explains. "Our street is probably next to get torn up. Yay."

Stephanie performs with Honors Wind Ensemble

Stephanie participated in the annual Honor Band Showcase held Nov. 18 at the Capital University Conservatory of Music in Columbus. She placed as 3rd chair clarinet in the Honors Wind Ensemble.

Cathy reports: The student musicians "spent time on Friday and Saturday rehearsing music that was performed on Saturday afternoon. They performed two pieces by guest composer Frank Ticheli. Steph was very excited to meet him and work with him, as she has performed some of his works over the years" in her high school concert band.

We have two video clips in which Stephanie is featured:

• Honors Wind Ensemble performs "Sun Dance" by Frank Ticheli 
• Honors Wind Ensemble performs "Earth Song" by Frank Ticheli 

Back at Hilliard Darby High School the following Monday, an awards ceremony marked the completion of the 2017 Marching Band season. "Not only is this the end of Steph's career in Darby Marching Band, but the end of my seven-year involvement as well," Cathy writes.

"Steph was recognized for being a Squad and Section Leader, for being Band President and for her Outstanding Musicianship.

"Also all the Seniors were presented with their plumes. This is the same plume that they wore on their hats for Senior Night (their last home football game) and for the OMEA State Marching Band Finals."

Another musical highlight of Stephanie's senior year is coming up in February, when she takes part in the 2018 Ohio Music Education Association All State Band.

Giving thanks with family

We hope all our extended family enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Please share your pictures and stories!

This is the crowd at Doug and Lisa's home in Maryland, where they were joined on Friday by their daughter Liz; Doug's parents, Hugh and Dolores; Doug's sister Julie and her husband, Dan; Lisa's sister, Sue, and her husband, Dave; Lisa and Sue's brother, David, with his wife, Christine, daughter, Lawson, and son, Ben; and Christine's brother-in-law Sean with children Emma and Owen.

Julie and Dan joined the Maryland gathering after spending Thanksgiving with Marie, Brian and Xander in Virginia. After the long drive down from New Jersey, they enjoyed a wonderful feast prepared by Marie and had a fine time talking and relaxing. Fifth-grader Xander showed how he's using a simplified computer-coding program to create his own games and Brian talked about his latest Electric Catnip art projects.

Because Christine and Andy weren't able to make the trip, Dan and Julie celebrated an early Thanksgiving with them and Shannon the previous weekend.

Kathy posted this photo of herself and Bea enjoying "Thanksgiving Part Two" at Kathy's house over the weekend.

And Mary sent this photo from Ohio, where she spent Thanksgiving with her daughter Shannon, currently stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Wishing a wonderful Thanksgiving to all

Here's hoping everyone's travels, feasting and other activities are the best they can be.

Please share stories and pictures of your Thanksgiving fun!

Coda: Stephanie & band perform at OSU

Stephanie participated in one last event to cap off her career with the Hilliard Darby HS Marching Band. On the weekend of Nov. 11-12, the band performed with the Ohio State University Marching Band and OSU Fall Athletic Band at their "Skull Session" before the OSU/Michigan State football game.


Cathy explains: "What is a Skull Session?" you're probably asking. It is essentially a pre-game rehearsal and pep rally held in St. John Arena on campus that is free to the public (so, it's a big deal in Columbus). Since it was a noon game that day, it meant for a early morning for the students however they performed well. The band played a variety of stand tunes, pre-game music and segments from their award winning 2017 show "The Bridge."

Afterwards, a few Darby band students had been selected to attend the football game with two of the band directors as guests of the OSU Marching Band. Stephanie was one of those lucky students! Despite the cold temperatures, she enjoyed sitting behind the band and having special field access during halftime. OSU went on to win the game 48-3.

Cathy adds: This was the LAST time Steph (and her fellow seniors) would wear the Hilliard Darby Marching Band uniform! (sniff!!)

Dolores gives talk on historic tapestry

Dolores this week gave a lecture at the Oakland, Md., library about the Bayeux Tapestry, a 900-plus-year-old embroidered record of the Battle of Hastings that's housed in a museum in Normandy, France.

As we've previously reported, Dolores filled a long-standing wish to see and examine the tapestry when she and Hugh visited Europe in 2014. She later wrote an article about it for the publication Needle Arts.

"The lecture was a great success," Hugh reports. "More than 40 people showed up and filled the room to standing-room-only. At the end of her talk, Dolores laid out her 1/4 scale model of the tapestry. It was a great hit."

The week before her talk, the local newspaper in Oakland published a very nice write-up about it, which probably helped draw the crowd. You can read the article on the Garret County Republican newspaper's web site, or click here to see how it was displayed in the printed paper.

Catching up on her other recent activities: In October, Dolores judged the 34th annual miniature show held by the Fells Point Gallery.

"Dolores selected prize winners ​in various media including oil, watercolor, pastel, drawing, mixed media and sculpture from among 220 entries," Hugh writes. "The entries were all limited in size to no more than 48 square inches overall including the matte and frame, and most were much smaller."

On Sunday, Oct. 8, Dolores and Hugh attended the opening reception for the show. (Hugh notes that the gallery is no longer in Fells Point, having moved to the Hamden neighborhood of Baltimore).

Stephanie wraps up 4 years of HS Marching Band

Senior Stephanie has completed her four years as a member of the Hilliard-Darby HS Marching Band, finishing as the lead clarinet player and the band's student president.

Oct. 20 was Senior Day at the school's home field, where the soon-to-graduate band members were honored.

The Class of 2018

Cathy writes that Oct. 28 was "an emotional day of lasts" for her daughter: "Last band competition. Last time marching on Darby's field. Last OMEA State Finals."

The Darby Panthers went out in top form at the Ohio Music Education Association finals. "They earned straight Ones (superior ratings) from all judges and an overall rating of Superior," Cathy writes. "The finished the season strong and remained unbeaten all season. They won every contest in which they competed."

Here's a video of Darby's performance at the OMEA State Finals.



The band got one more chance to perform this year's show when Darby's football team played a playoff game on Nov. 3.

Pregame pep talk to clarinet section

Click here to see an album including the photos above and a bunch more!

Coming up in February: Stephanie is among the students selected from across Ohio to perform as a member of the 2018 OMEA All State Band.

Family photos of Halloween 2017

Here's a selection of photos, mostly pulled from Facebook, of Halloween around our extended family. Above, Spiderman/Nolan prepares to head out trick-or-treating.

Above, a trick-or-treat trio: Bea visiting with cousins Scarlet and Reuben in New Jersey.

And at right, Princess Bea in her New York neighborhood.

Brennan and Shauna Rae's daughter, Brooklyn, took part in her school's Halloween parade, and this photo of her in a purple-and-black witch-queen gown appeared on the school district's website.

Here's another costumed trio: Xander as Sans (from the Undertale video game), Marie as "Panda Wizard" and Brian as "Cat Dracula."

Christine, Andy and his girlfriend, Shanna, took care of dispensing candy to trick-or-treaters at Birch Street HQ. Here they pose with their pumpkin creations.

And in Florida, Courtney and her co-workers all dressed for the day. There's Courtney at the right, representing the USA.

Happy Halloween from Birch Street HQ

Pumpkin carvings by Christine (left) and Shannon (right)

Julie travels to Ohio for Girl Scouts and family

Julie traveled to Ohio in early October to attend a Girl Scouts national convention and visit with her sister, Cathy, and niece Stephanie.

The Girl Scouts took over the Greater Columbus Convention Center for their 54th National Council Session and an exposition called G.I.R.L. that included speakers and workshops, entertainment, demonstrations and exhibits. "Like a big trade show, all about Girl Scouts," Julie said. The speakers included Chelsea Clinton and Barbara Pierce Bush.

One of the highlights for Julie was an evening sing-along that brought back memories of campfires past.

By having the event in Columbus, the Girl Scouts made it convenient for Julie to attend while visiting Cathy and Stephanie.

That Saturday, Hilliard Darby High School hosted a marching band competition, giving Julie a chance to see Stephanie and the Darby band in action.

Stephanie, a senior, is the band's student president and its clarinet section leader. At one point in the band's show this year, titled "The Bridge," she takes part in a woodwind sextet that performs "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

Here is a link to a YouTube video of a Darby Marching Band performance in September, cued to the start of the woodwind feature.

Before Julie flew home to New Jersey, she and Cathy and Stephanie toured the grounds and greenhouses at the Columbus Botanical Garden. They enjoyed the seasonal displays, which included a lot of pumpkins and chrysanthemums, along with the gardens' regular collection of flowers, plants and topiary.

Genevieve enters the theater world

Genevieve has made another career move. She started this past week as Director of Foundation Relations at Roundabout Theater Company in New York. She'll head the theater operator's efforts to obtain grants from charitable foundations that support the arts.

Genevieve most recently was manager of foundation relations at the Museum of Modern Art, and before that, worked on foundation and government grants at the New York Public Library for about four years.

Roundabout, a nonprofit company founded in 1965, now operates several Broadway and off-Broadway theaters - the American Airlines Theatre, the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Studio 54, the Laura Pels Theatre and the Roundabout Underground Black Box Theatre.