Team Ely facing tough competition in Alaska

The team meets a local resident.

Rebecca and her teammates are thrilled to be in Alaska and competing in the USA Curling Women's Junior Nationals. "It is so beautiful here, I'm going to have a hard time wanting to leave," Rebecca said after their first day in Fairbanks.

Competition began Sunday with Team Ely facing the top two seeds in the nine-team tournament. The first game was a see-saw battle in the early going but finished with a win for Team Solem from Cohasset, Minn., by a score of 8-4.

Next was another hard-fought contest against top-ranked Team Hamilton of McFarland, Wisc., which took a 10-3 win.

In Monday's early game, Team Ely and Team Lank, from Devils Lake, N.D., traded the lead several times. They entered the 10th end in a tie, but Ely rink came out with the victory, 6-5.

Team Ely was due to play a Monday evening game (midnight eastern time) against Team Sweet from Everett, Wash.

UPDATE: Monday's late game was a 9-6 win for Team Ely!

Follow the action:

• Team Ely's web site has live updates via the team's Twitter feed, plus links to linescores and webcam video.
• The USA Curling web site has live webcam video, line scores and other information (but is difficult to navigate).

Brennan and Shauna-Rae Are Married!

Brennan and Shauna-Rae were married Saturday (Jan. 29) in a joyful ceremony at St. Paul's Church in Saratoga Springs.

Above, the happy couple is introduced to the guests at the reception; at left, a tender moment during their first dance; below, they greet their guests.

The bride and groom graduated last year from Saratoga Central High School, and this fall Brennan entered the U.S. Marine Corps.

The groom with his parents, Mary and Brennan

A group hug with parents; sisters Brienna (back to camera) and Shannon (obscured); and grandmother, Pat.

Pat dances with her grandson

On Jan. 21, Brennan graduated from U.S. Marine Corps basic training at Parris Island, S.C. He will soon report to North Carolina for a few weeks of infantry training, after which he is scheduled to be assigned to aviation support in Pensacola, Fla., and Shauna-Rae will join him there.

More photos coming soon!

Snow just keeps piling up

Just another winter's day on Birch Street

Hey, how about another foot and a half of snow! Sure, why not?

Why would we want a day to go by without shoveling the driveway? Who wants to see the ground, with its boring dead grass? And the plowed-up mountains look so much better with a fresh coat of white every couple of days.

So bring it on! Pile it up! Bury us like Hagar! Maybe we'll all just hibernate until spring!

Please send your snow photos and stories to the Birch Street Web.

One guy loves the snow - Jasper!

Rebecca & team head to Alaska Friday

Rebecca and the other members of Team Ely are scheduled to depart Friday for Fairbanks, Alaska, to compete in the USA Curling Junior Nationals.

The tournament begins Sunday at the Fairbanks Curling Club. Ten men’s and 10 women’s teams from across the U.S. will play a round-robin schedule through Thursday, followed by playoffs. The gold-medal games will take place Saturday, Feb. 5. The winning teams will move on to represent the U.S. at the 2011 World Junior Championships March 5‐13 in Perth, Scotland.

Rebecca is vice-skip of "Team Ely," based at the Rochester Curling Club. It was one of two teams to qualify from the Grand National Curling Club playdowns in Schenectady last month (see story). This is Rebecca's second trip to the Junior Nationals: She was a member of "Team Beebe" when it came in fifth at 2009's tournament in North Dakota (see story).

Learn more about the team and follow the action throughout the tournament:

• Team Ely's web site has the team's draw schedule and plans to provide live video coverage of each match. It also has information on how to follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.
• The tournament web site promises frequent updates.
• The USA Curling web site will have information and streaming video.

Had enough yet?

Christine and Andy shovel out Birch Street Headquarters from the latest snowstorm on Friday morning.

Painting by Tish featured in Cape Cod show

The current show at the Cape Cod Art Association, "Love and Romance," features the above painting by Tish, titled "Friends."

The exhibit in the association's gallery on Route 6 in Barnstable, Mass., runs through Feb. 21.

See more of Tish's work in the gallery on her web site.

Patrick soaring through another season

Patrick is in the midst of the indoor track season as a varsity pole vaulter for Fordham Prep.

He cleared 13 feet in the Loughlin Games on Dec. 18, held at the Armory Track and Field Center in upper Manhattan.

Next up for Pat and his teammates is the CHSAA sectional championship meet on Sunday, also at the Armory.

Nanette takes on new roles

Nanette has moved from the Loggerhead Marinelife Foundation and taken on two new positions.

Nanette joined Charlotte Pelton & Associates in Palm Beach Gardens as vice president of planning and development. The firm provides research and planning, marketing, communication and development services to non-profit organizations, foundations and commercial enterprises.

Meanwhile Nanette is also sponsorship director at Pegasus Entertainment in Jupiter, Fla., a new firm producing "special events, festivals, and retail happenings."

Another round of snow in the northeast

The National Weather Service reports 12.5 inches of snow fell in Yonkers on Wednesday.

"So much snow - so little puppy!" Shanna said after taking her family's new puppy, Jasper, for a walk in the snow.

About 9 inches fell around Birch Street Web headquarters. Long Island was hit harder, with 16 inches recorded at Bridgehampton. Much of Connecticut had 2 feet or more. As of Wednesday evening, it was snowing on Cape Cod and 5-6 inches had accumulated so far.

Please send us your snow stories and photos!

Courtney graduates from F.A.U.

Courtney on graduation day with her mother, Nanette.

Courtney and her boyfriend, Chad

Courtney graduated Dec. 10 from Florida Atlantic University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Intercultural Communication and a minor in Sociology.

"I am still working at the Police Benevolent Association as a Legal Assistant full-time," Courtney writes. "My plan is to hopefully, eventually move up to New York City and work in a corporation where I can expand on what I learned in my field."

Christine turns 18

Congratulations! Where does the time go?

Bonne Année: New Year's in Paris

Genevieve and John, Vivien and Patrick spent the New Year holiday in Paris.

They were visiting their Aunt Margaret, a managing partner in the Paris and Madrid offices of an international law firm.

Vivien posted these photos on her Facebook page. We're hoping she'll send along some more details of the trip!

Jasper joins the family

Kevin and Kathy, Shanna and Kevin have welcomed Jasper to their family. Jasper is a 10-week-old pointer puppy. He was recently rescued from a kill shelter in Kentucky by Tails of Courage, a volunteer pet rescue association in Norwalk, Conn.

"We all took the drive up to Norwalk to meet with him and his brother and sister," writes Kevin the elder. "After a short time the four of us agreed that this one fit best with our family."

"I am so in love!" Shanna posted on Facebook. "We met him and two others and he crawled up in my lap and my parents' and brother's and cuddled up to us."

"Within a few minutes of walking into our house, he curled up in his new bed and was fast asleep," elder Kevin said. "Definitely a friendly little guy."

Rebecca headed to curling nationals

Rebecca's curling team finished the eastern regional junior women's playdowns with a 5-1 record and will go on to compete in USA Curling's Junior Nationals.

"She made a gorgeous cover-the-pin shot to end her last game," Rebecca's mom, Lisa, posted on Facebook. "So proud and happy! Congrats to all four girls and their coach."

The national tournament begins Jan. 29 in Anchorage, Alaska. This week's Grand National Curling Club playdowns were held in Schenectady. (See the results.)

Rebecca is a member of the Rochester Curling Club's "Team Ely." (The teams are listed by the last name of their "skip," or captain.) Rebecca's sister also competed in the playdown as a member of the Schenectady Curling Club's Team Hillis.

Keeping Christmas: Yonkers gathering 2010

Kathy and Ted hosted a Christmastime gathering at their home on Tuesday evening that kept alive many of the family's traditions.

There was good food, there were fun gifts, and there was a great feeling of togetherness. Plus these hand-decorated gingerbread men!

Here's a very brief clip of the gift exchange. Check back later for updated video.

Sisters in Eastern regional curling competition

2006 file photo

Rebecca and Lizzie are on separate teams in the Grand National Curling Club junior play-downs now taking place in Schenectady, N.Y.

Rebecca's team (the Ely team) is seeded first among the six teams in this regional competition. Her team faced Lizzie's (the Hillis team) in the opening round Monday and came out with a 15-1 win. "No surprises and was pleased to see all 8 play well and have fun," said proud mom Lisa.

Two teams will advance from the Schenectady play-downs to the USA Curling 2011 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska, starting Jan. 29.

Follow the competition here.

The day after the Boxing Day Blizzard

Shanna writes: "Now this is what I call a snowstorm!!! Snow blocked us in the house. I can't see any walls in my yard. My street is covered. Roughly 20 inches of snow and I love it!!!

Webmaster Dan reports: The measurement on the back patio table at Birch Street Headquarters was 20 inches at about 1 p.m. But by then some of the piled up snow had blown off, so it's possible we got 2 feet. A National Weather Service spotter in Fanwood recorded 26 inches as of 1 a.m.

A shout-out to our neighbor Harry for clearing the end of our driveway with his snow blower!

Snow accumulation reports compiled by the National Weather Service:

Fanwood	26 inches
Yonkers	19.5 inches
Scarsdale	11.5 inches
Central Park NYC	20 inches
North Babylon LI	18.5 inches
Fredericksburg, Va -	1.5 inches

Please send along your holiday & blizzard stories and photos. If you like you can upload your pictures to our site on Picasa: Here's how.

Got snow?

Here's the view out the back door at Birch Street Headquarters in Fanwood on the morning after the Boxing Day Blizzard. Channel 2 News says Fanwood got 26 inches of snow.

From Yonkers, where Ch.2 reported 19 inches, here's an early-morning view from Shanna's window, looking down at buried outdoor furniture.

From last night, Dan & Julie's cars getting thoroughly buried:

Hope everyone made it safely through the storm and manages to dig out today. Please share your stories and photos.