Laughing and dancing

In an annual tradition, Dan and Christine attended their hometown Girl Scout Father-Daughter Dance on March 29, 2007. Two dances are held each year, one for Brownies and their dads, the other for older Girl Scouts and their fathers. For Dan and Christine this was their seventh year attending one of the dances.



As in past years Christine had a great time on the dance floor, sometimes with friends (as pictured) and other times with her ol' Dad. This year the event for older scouts (mostly middle-school-age) was held at a local catering hall, which contributed a full buffet dinner -- a nice step up from the sub sandwiches of past years. But of course the important part of the event is not the food; it's the chance for some quality time for dads and daughters. And on that basis it's been a big success every year.

New Scout completes first camping trip

Andy went on his first Boy Scout overnight camping trip in March as a new member of Troop 33.

The troop headed up early on the morning of March 24 to Alpine Scout Camp, in northeastern New Jersey along the Palisades.

After setting up camp, Andy set out with his and another patrol for a day of hiking. The plan was for the younger scouts to take one route while older scouts took a longer route. But there was a bit of a mix-up, and it seemed that the younger group, including Andy, took the long route. Tiring, but a lot of fun, Andy says.

They followed one trail that wound down the from the ridge of the Palisades to the bank of the Hudson River below, where they had a picnic lunch beside the Alpine Boat Basin. Then they hiked south along the river a couple of miles to another trail that climbed back to the top of the cliffs, and finally back north to their starting point.

Back at last at the campsite, the troop built a campfire, cooked dinner, and then put on a series of skits before retiring to their tents for the night. There was a bit of rain during the night but fortunately nothing heavy.

The trip wound up next morning with breakfast and breaking camp. Andy said some of the leaders remarked that this camp-out had more work and hiking, and less fun and games, than some of the troops trips, and perhaps wasn't the easiest introduction for new Scouts. But Andy enjoyed himself and is looking forward to future trips with Troop 33.

Andy just recently moved up from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. Having earned his Arrow of Light award, he qualified to bridge up to Boy Scouts before turning 11. He was scheduled to receive the award patch at his pack's annual Blue and Gold dinner on March 16; unfortunately the dinner was postponed by a sleet storm and is now scheduled for late April. Meantime, at a Troop 33 Court of Awards on March 27, he received his Scout badge as he begins his Boy Scout career.

Here's Andy (2nd from right) with members of his Webelos den after participating in a Pinewood Derby in February 2007, just before moving up to Boy Scouts.

Marie, Brian and Xander back in California

Editor's note: This was the lead article on the home page when The Birch Street Web debuted in March 2007.

After an eventful 10 months in Sparks, Nevada, Marie and Brian moved back to California in February along with young Alexander. They found a very nice duplex rental in Morgan Hill.

"We're really loving our new house," Marie writes. "It's a huge step up from anywhere else we've rented. All the fixtures and appliances are nice and new."

Brian and Marie are now taking a larger role in the family business, Regal Ribbons, which has its shop in the same town. "Bridal season is starting, so work has been very busy," Marie writes. "We're doing well, and Brian is very happy with the work environment."

Brian worked for Regal Ribbons previously before going to work as a printer for Block Graphics in Paso Robles, Calif. It was Block that later closed that plant and transferred Brian to a new plant in Sparks. However, the company was then sold, and the Sparks plant was never properly staffed; Brian was its mainstay, and as soon as he gave notice that he was leaving, the owners decided to close the Sparks plant.

Of course the highlight of their brief residence in Sparks was the birth of Alexander on Oct. 4. As he approaches the 6 month mark, "Xander is getting really big," his mom reports.

"He's a little over 16 pounds now and wearing 6 and 9 month sized clothes." His top front teeth are starting to come in, too. These two photos are from early February.

Friends and family can get more information by contacting the Birch Street Web.

Time Warp??

Just in case you're wondering why there are blog entries dated Jan. 1, 2007, even though the Birch Street Web didn't get started until March of that year...

These are links to other parts of the BSW that I didn't want to appear sprinkled throughout the blog. So I backdated them to 1/1/07 to sort of hide them at the bottom of the blog, while giving them labels that will cause them to show up when you search for articles by category labels like "travel" or "birthdays."

Just a little webmaster trick. Clever, eh?

Links to Christmas Past

Check out these Christmas goodies:

Andy and Christopher in school Christmas concerts on Birch Street TV.

Videos from Christmas 2006 as well as 2007 on Birch Street TV.

Group photos from Christmas past in the Family Groups gallery.

The Gallery Pages

In addition to all the photos, slideshows and photo links here in the blog, there are several collections of photographs and artworks in The Birch Street Gallery. Find links to it all on the Gallery Guide page.

Dateline: California

Check out earlier articles from the California branch of our family by following the links on the Dateline California index page.

Summertime, summertime

Endless summer... You can look back at past summer activities any time you like by following the links on the Summer Fun index page.

Scouting news

Look back at all the Girl Scout and Boy Scout activities our family members have experienced, from camping trips to a TV appearance. Check out the links on the Scouting News index page.

School days

Look back at 2007 when our family had an extraordinary cluster of graduations from 8th grade, high school and college. Find links to all the articles on the School Days index page.

Show time! Concerts and other performances

Check out the shows we've been in, and the shows we've seen.

Find links to older articles on the Performance index page.

Play ball! Or kick, or curl, or ride, or whatever...

Find articles on the games we've played and the games we've watched on the Sports index page.

Traveling tales

Various members of our extended family have been to:

Gettysburg, Williamsburg, Disneyworld, the Everglades, Kansas City, Texas, the Grand Canyon, Oregon, Washington, Alaska... and Germany.

All in 2007-2008.

For older articles about family trips, which have not yet been moved into this blog, follow the links on the Travel index page.

Milestones: Links to earlier articles

Birthdays, anniversaries, confirmations, promotions...

Find links to our older articles on these and other family occasions on the Milestones index page.

Archives: The way-back machine

The Birch Street Web began in March 2007. Articles from its earliest days, including some that are no longer indexed elsewhere, are collected on the Archives page.