A Father's Day gathering in NJ

A day after attending Liz's graduation party in Brooklyn, Hugh, Dolores, Doug, Lisa, Cathy, Christopher and Stephanie all joined Julie and Dan for brunch at their New Jersey home. For Hugh, it was a chance to spend Father's Day with his children and two of his grandchildren.

Family, friends celebrate Liz's master's degree

Liz celebrated her completion of graduate school with a party at a craft brewery in Brooklyn, Circa Brewing. She was joined by a crowd of friends, and by family members including her parents, Doug and Lisa; grandparents Hugh and Dolores; aunts Julie and Cathy; and cousins Christopher and Stephanie.

With her master's degree in transportation engineering and planning from New York University, Liz plans to return to Baltimore. She continues to work for WSP | Parsons Brinckerhof and will transfer back from its New York to its Baltimore office.

Meet-up at the art show

Marie, Brian and Xander made their annual visit to the Art All Night festival in Trenton on June 15-16. That gave Dan a chance to spend some time with his elder daughter, son-in-law and grandson on Father's Day weekend. Xander and Brian again entered pieces in the show. Xander's was an anime-style drawing of a character of his own design, and Brian's was a cubist version of one of his Electric Catnip felines.

Julie reps Rotary in Memorial Day parade

Julie drove her decked-out car as part of the Fanwood-Scotch Plains Rotary Club contingent in the local Memorial Day parade on May 27. Julie has had some involvement with the parade every year for something like 20 years, since Christine and Andy started marching with Scout groups groups and later with the high school marching band.

Julie returns to Friends School for reunion

Friends School of Baltimore held its annual alumni weekend in early May, and Julie joined in a reunion of her Class of 1974. Julie attended the school from first through 12th grade, so she has known some of her classmates since early childhood. Dan joined Julie at the on-campus reception and the class party that followed at one alumnus' home.

Celebrating Easter with family get-togethers

Hugh and Dolores had an Easter get-together with their daughter Cathy and her children, Christopher and Stephanie.

Cathy has moved back to Maryland, where Stephanie is now finishing her first year at Towson University. Christopher lives not far away in Delaware and works in the technology services department of the Cecil County, Maryland schools.


Earlier, Dan and Julie traveled to Massachusetts a few days before Easter to visit with Christine and Jamie. They went over plans for the couple's wedding in September, and spent part of a day strolling in a local park. They also had an amusing time bowling - mostly badly, although Jamie had a decent score.

On Saturday, Dan and Julie were back in New Jersey, and Andy and Shannon drove down from Albany for a quick visit. The four went out for dinner at a favorite restaurant. Andy and Shannon then spent Sunday visiting Shannon's parents, now living on Long Island.

Azaleas and cherry blossoms at Birch Street HQ

We hope everyone in our extended family enjoyed a happy Easter!

Andy & Shannon feeling at home in Upstate NY

Dan & Julie paid a weekend visit to Andy & Shannon in their new home in the Albany area. As previously reported, Andy is now working at Conduent in downtown Albany. The two have a spacious apartment in Guilderland, a suburb just west of the city, and are settling in nicely - although with very little furniture, as they await delivery of items like sofas and a dining set.

Since moving in a month ago, they've already explored some of the attractions of the surrounding area, including John Boyd Thacher State Park. On Saturday, they brought Dan & Julie there to take in the view from atop the Helderberg Escarpment, a steep rock-faced ridge that rises above the Hudson Valley.

Sunday was a somewhat rainy day, but D&J and A&S were able to visit the indoor Discovery Center at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, just a couple of miles from their apartment. The preserve is an area of sandy soil, pitch pine and scrub oak that's home to the endangered Karner blue butterfly and more than 45 other rare plant and animal species.

Rebecca a silver medalist in curling Mixed Nationals

A little more than a month after taking part in USA Curling's Women's National Championship tournament, Rebecca was on the ice again in the Mixed National Championship competition, held March 24-30 in Denver.

Rebecca played second position on a Rochester-based team that took the silver medal. It was one of two teams from the Grand National Curling Club, an association of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic clubs, that qualified for the tournament. The other was based at Rebecca's former home club in Potomac, Md.

The two teams finished the round-robin with 7-2 records, won their semi-final games and met in the final, where the Maryland-based team took the gold.

At 2 days old, Lucy heads home

Shanna and Rick took their baby daughter home on Thursday, two days after she joined the family.

New grandpa Kevin writes: "Lucy Jean surprised us all when she decided March 26th was the day to arrive into the world, a little more than two weeks before her expected day -- but we couldn't have been more thrilled to welcome her."

"Named after Rick's Grandma Lucille and Shanna's Grandma Jean, she is doing well," Kevin wrote shortly before Lucy headed home with her Mom and Dad. "We are all so thrilled that she is now part of our family."

Shanna and Rick have a baby daughter!

Rick and Shanna welcomed their daughter into the world on Tuesday morning, March 26.

Lucy Jean arrived at 7:22 a.m. at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, weighing 6 pounds 1 ounce. "Everyone is doing well," reports grandfather Kevin.

More details as they become available!

Owen and Ellen are engaged!

Owen and Ellen are engaged to be married. The couple broke the news to family members at Brien's St. Patrick's Parade Party last weekend (see related article). They plan a quiet wedding October followed by a trip to Europe.

7th annual St. Pat's Parade party at Brien's

Brien hosted his 7th annual St. Patrick's Parade Watch party on March 23, bringing family and friends to his apartment overlooking the McLean Avenue route of the Yonkers parade.

Long-distance travelers to the event included Owen and Ellen from Cape Cod (see related article) and Mary and Roger from Saratoga. Also in the house: Dan and Julie, Kathy and Robert, Genevieve with Bea, Patrick and Kelsey, Kevin and Kathy and their friends Bob and Adele.

The parade itself grows longer every year, this time lasting over an hour under sunny skies with a brisk wind.

The elementary school that Dan, Kathy, Brien, Kevin, Kevin and Shanna attended.

Lorraine attended Sacred Heart High School

After the parade was game time: Mary has often told of how much she enjoyed visiting her cousins in Yonkers as kids, and playing a game called Beat the Clock. Kevin found and bought a vintage-1969 edition of the game so we could re-live the experience. Hilarity ensued!