Christine earns Silver Award

Christine and seven other members of Troop 441 received their Silver Awards at a ceremony May 29, 2007. Read the full story of the award and the project Christine and two of her friends did as the final step toward earning it.

Cape Cod update, Spring 2007

Owen provided this update in late May:

Gerrit, who graduated May 5 from Nichols College, is looking to get into the field of sports management. On the side, he and four friends from his home area on Cape Cod make up a band called "28" that has been playing regularly around the Massachusetts/Rhode Island area. You can check out their music, photos and other information at their Web page.

Elizabeth is a 6th grader and is very involved in ballet through the school at the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans, Mass.

The family took a recent vacation trip to Charleston, S.C., and Owen promises to send along a picture or two when he gets a spare moment.

FLASHBACK: 2006 - Touring California and Arizona

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy made a memorable trip in April 2006 to California and Arizona.

We arrived in Los Angeles on a Friday night, they spent Saturday at Disneyland with Marie & Brian, Dan & Eyvonne. Here are a few photos from that visit.


(Click once to see slideshow, click again to go to the album for larger views.)

We all got together again for breakfast the next morning, then parted as M&B and D&E headed back north to their homes and D&J&C&A headed east to Arizona.

The drive took us across the Mojave Desert to Kingman, Arizona. Next day we took a scenic ride along old Route 66 and reached the Grand Canyon shortly before sundown.

It's easy to take terrific photos at the canyon, but no picture can capture its vastness and its breathtaking beauty. It really is an amazing sight.

Other highlights of our Arizona tour were a volcanic field outside Flagstaff, the cave dwellings in Walnut Canyon, and the red rock formations around Sedona.

Here's a slideshow of over 60 photos from Arizona - and even that is fewer than half the photos Dan took!


(Click once to see slideshow, click again to go to the album for larger views.)

Christine & her Girl Scout troop appear on CBS-TV

Girl Scout Troop 441 traveled to Manhattan to join the outdoor audience of the Early Show on CBS-TV Friday, May 25, 2007.



Christine was on-camera three times -- twice very briefly as the camera panned the crowd, and once for several seconds in the background as one of the hosts stood was speaking. Above is a video clip that captures those three moments, and below are still images.

Read the full article and see the freeze-frame pictures.

Update from Saratoga, Spring 2007

Pat writes:
We have all been busy. Mary graduated from the "Saratoga Leadership Program" which is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. She then ran for the Board of Education. Although she didn't win (there were 6 candidates) she did very well for a beginner with 960 votes. Better luck next time!

In sports... Brennan has been playing AAU basketball and averages about 18 points a game.





Shannon is on the YMCA swim team and will be cheerleading for Pop Warner Football in the fall.





I go to a Pilates class on Mondays and Osteo Prevention class on Wed. and Friday.

I went on a nice trip with my "Red Hat Society" friends to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont May 23. It was a perfect day for walking around the grounds. A good time was had by all.

Patrick receives confirmation

Patrick received the sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, May 6, at Our Lady of Fatima parish in Yonkers. Patrick and 34 other young men and women were confirmed by Bishop Ignatius Catanello.

Patrick was sponsored by his sister Vivien. His parents, Ted and Kathy, and his sister Genevieve attended, along with his grandparents Ted and Celestine and his Uncle Dan, who is also his godfather.

Double digit birthday for Christopher

Christopher celebrated his 10th birthday on May 5, 2007. As part of the festivities "he had a couple of friends sleep over Saturday night but there was very little sleeping on their part," reports his mom, Cathy.

Shown here in his current school portrait, Christopher is a busy guy these days. In Cub Scouts, he's a 2nd year Webelos, getting ready for the move up to Boy Scouts. "We have lots of camping trips coming up this spring," Cathy says.

"Also he is playing saxophone in the school band and continues to take piano lessons. He was also in the chess club at school this year." Christopher is an avid reader, and enjoys TV and computer games in his spare time.

Talent showcased at school art shows

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood (N.J.) School District Art Festival was held April 25 at the high school. Two pieces by Christine were shown, both stemming from art class assignments: The drawing above, of a dragon made from pencils of various sizes, and a self-portrait incorporating words and phrases of self-description.

The next day, April 26, Towson (Md.) High School held its own exhibit of student work in fine art and photography from the art department. Each student mounted a portfolio of his or her work for display. The show filled the entire gymnasium. Lizzie, a senior, took a first prize for one of her pieces. Grandfather Hugh writes that "Grandmother Dolores was particularly proud. She was also very impressed with the overall quality of the work."

Visiting the Liberty Memorial Museum

Hugh and Dolores this spring visited Kansas City, where the attended the Assembly of the National Academy of Needlearts. While there, they visited the Liberty Memorial Museum. Hugh provides this account.

FLASHBACK: Christmas 2006 in Yonkers

Scenes from the annual gathering at Lorraine and Dan's house in Yonkers. Enjoy!

More teeth! More smiles!

Xander helps Dad compose a tune

Xander marked his half-birthday on April 4 and has come a long way in his first six months. He now has 8 teeth - four top, four bottom - is trying out so-called solid food (strained peas, yum!) and likes his new high chair. The teeth help give him that grown-up-looking smile.

"He's getting better at sitting up," his mom, Marie, said on April 24. "He can play with toys for a short time before he topples."

Read the full article and see more photos in Xander's gallery.

The strange tale of the enterprising barber

Genevieve was assistant director of a recent production of Sweeney Todd by the Melodramatics Theater Company, an independent student organization at Cornell University.

The musical ran April 11-21 at Cornell's Risley Theater.

Click here to read an article about it in the Cornell Daily Sun. Or here for an article at 14850 Today, a Web site covering Ithaca.

Martial arts: Andy moves up a belt

Andy succeeded in winning promotion from Orange Belt to Green Belt in the martial art of Tae Kwon Do on April 19, 2007.

Under the demanding eye of Master Yoo at the Martial Arts Institute of America school in Scotch Plains, Andy performed admirably to win his new belt and a trophy. Here he demonstrates his forms at home after his promotion.

Continental Congress on school stage

The School of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y. presented the musical "1776" April 13-14, with Vivien in the role of South Carolina's lead delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

The production was "great, terrific," and Vivien's performance was "fabulous," according to one critic. Well, more like a fan. OK, a mom.

Vivien adopted a Southern accent for the role, which includes a dramatic solo song, "Molasses to Rum." In the song, Rutledge attacks the hypocrisy of Northern delegates who rail against slavery yet profit from the "triangle trade" in "moasses and rum and slaves."

The Journal-News newspaper carried a feature article previewing the show. It quoted Vivien as saying her role "was a really big challenge at the beginning, but I'm getting to enjoy it more and more."

The strange tale of the enterprising barber

Genevieve was assistant director of a recent production of Sweeny Todd by the Melodramatics Theater Company, an independent student organization at Cornell University.

The musical ran April 11-21 at Cornell's Risley Theater.

Click here to read an article about it in the Cornell Daily Sun. Or here for an article at 14850 Today, a Web site covering Ithaca.

An Easter/Birthday gathering

Various members of the clan stopped by the Yonkers homestead on Sunday April 8 to mark the Easter holiday and continue celebrating Dad/Grandpa's birthday, which was April 7. See the full article with more photos.

NY-ers visit Florida in March

Back in mid-March, Nanette and her family were visited by her cousin Kathy and her children. Kathy's daughter Genevieve sent us this photo of the get-together. From right to left: Genevieve, her sister Vivien, brother Patrick, Kathy, Nanette, Nanette's mother Anamarie, Nanette's daughter Courtney and Courtney's boyfriend, Chad.

"We spent the day with Aunt Anamarie," Genevieve reports. "She drove us around and brought us to Nanette's turtle center, where things are really coming together and they'll be ready for their big move soon. We enjoyed looking at the turtles.

"Later in the day, Courtney came home from school and Nanette arrived back home from Ft. Lauderdale. We all went to dinner at the Four Seasons where we were staying, and Chad joined us.

"It was great to see everyone again -- I hadn't seen Courtney in years. Hopefully another reunion is in store for this summer, if Nanette and Courtney have the chance to visit Shelter Island."

FLASHBACK: 2006 - Holiday concert at Park MS

The student newspaper of Park Middle School recently published 8th-grader Christine's account of the 7th & 8th grade chorus and band's Winter Concert held at the school before the Christmas holidays.

Click here for an audio file of the "Carol of the Bells" as performed at the concert.

Read Christine's account as printed in the Park Press.