Balloons and rock-n-roll at Jersey festival

Julie and Dan, along with Christine, Andy and his girlfriend, Shannon, once again enjoyed a visit to the annual Festival of Ballooning in Readington, N.J., on Sunday.


Under hot sunny skies, they watched an afternoon concert by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, still rocking their hits from the 1980s and still making new music as well.



Then came the balloon ascension - always a fun sight.

Dozens of balloons took part, filling the sky and drifting off to come down in nearby farm fields and neighborhoods.

This year, many of the balloons seemed to have trouble maintaining altitude, and some of the larger ones never lifted off.

We speculated that the hot, humid air make it difficult to generate enough of a temperature difference inside and outside the balloon to get a good lift.

A notable exception was this very large, three-faced balloon depicting the see-no-evil, hear-no-evil and speak-no-evil monkeys.

A big day on the Cape: Running and rocking

In this great photo taken by her son, Gerrit, Tish crosses the finish line Saturday after completing the 3-mile walk portion of the the 37th Annual Dennis Road Race.

Gerrit, as recreation coordinator for the Town of Dennis, organized the event, which included the walk, a 5-mile race and a 1-mile kids' fun run.

"I visualized kicking cancer with every one of the 7,000 steps that I took," Tish posted afterward. "I discovered that this was an empowering experience. It was hot, sunny, and the hills were tough, but I proved something to myself. I hope that others that are fighting this battle will be inspired."

The event was a big success, with 646 registered participants. And that was only part of the busy day for Gerrit. That evening, his band, 28, put on the latest of its summer concert series at the Lost Dog Pub in Orleans. A fan posted this photo on Facebook.

Brennan, Shauna-Rae welcome baby boy!

Brennan and Shauna-Rae now have a son, and Brooklyn has a baby brother!

Great-Grandmother Pat writes: "Here he is, the latest addition to the family! Brennan Alexander was born July 22, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 22 inches long."

Shauna-Rae, Brennan and Brooklyn, who's now two-and-a-half, have been living in North Carolina for a little over two years, as Brennan is stationed at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Base.

Catching up on earlier news: 

Shauna-Rae graduated in May from Craven Community College.

Below, Shauna-Rae poses with Brennan after the ceremony on the school's New Bern, N.C., campus.

Here's a photo, also from this spring, of Brooklyn flying a kite with her dad on a sunny day at a park near their home.

More travel photos: Paris and Versailles

Here's a selection of photos from the second part of the trip Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy took to London and Paris in late June and early July.

Paris:

Versailles: Palace and gardens

See photos from London, Stonehenge and Bath in previous post

Photo album: London, Stonehenge, Bath

Here's a selection of Dan's photos of highlights from the visit he, Julie, Christine and Andy paid to London at the end of June.



Coming soon: Photos of Paris.

Marie, Brian and Xander welcome Hans

Hans has joined the family.

Marie, Brian and Xander welcomed this kitten to their home in late June. It looks like Hans and Xander are already fast friends.

Family gatherings on 4th of July weekend

Lisa, Doug and Rebecca were among members of Lisa's extended family who gathered at Conesus Lake for a Fourth of July weekend party.

Meanwhile, on Shelter Island, Nanette and her daughter Courtney (visiting from Florida) hosted a party that seemed to blend Independence Day with Mardi Gras. Guests included Kathy, Genevieve and John, Vivien and CJ.

Chris marches in July 4th parade with HS Band

Ready to march. Chris on sax at right.

Christopher and his Hilliard Darby High School Marching Band took part in the town parade on the Fourth of July.

Panthers on the march

For more photos - plus a video clip - click here.

A quick tour of London and Paris

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy are back home after a very busy and very enjoyable eight-day visit to London and Paris. It's going to take some time for Dan to sort through hundreds of photos to properly show the highlights, but here are just a few quick selections.

Christine and Andy at Stonehenge

Buckingham Palace

In front of the gardens at Versailles

A vacation begins in London

Dan, Julie, Christine and Andy arrived in London on Friday at the start of a trip that will also take them to Paris. While waiting for their hotel rooms to become available, the jet-lagged foursome took a walk through Westminster, seeking sights including Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

A view of the pub, with the hotel in the background.

After a nap, then a meal at a pub across from their hotel, they strolled past Buckingham Palace.

Check back soon for updates.

A meet-up in Trenton, with art and music

Marie, Brian and Xander were visiting Brian's parents, Barbara and Steve, in New Jersey last weekend, and attended Trenton's annual 24-hour art-and-music event called Art All Night.

Dan and Christine drove down to meet them on Sunday morning, arriving as Brian's dad, Steve, was on stage drumming with the Trenton Makes Band.

The event was held in a former factory building at the site of the Roebling steel works.

Inside were hundreds of artworks by professionals and amateurs alike; any artist could submit one work for display. Here, Xander points to his conception of a game screen.

Steve exhibited a painting (at right).

Barbara showed a photograph she took in Vermont (below, pointed out by Xander).
The show was quite impressive. Christine and Xander enjoyed checking out and discussing the many and varied artworks.


It was a great day for some fun outside too!

Andy graduates from SPF High School

* Updated 6/20 with more photos & video *

Andy graduated from Scotch Plains Fanwood High School in ceremonies at the school stadium on Thursday evening, June 19.

His parents, Dan and Julie; sister, Christine; grandparents, Hugh and Dolores; and girlfriend, Shannon, were all on hand to cheer for Andy and his classmates as they completed their high school careers.

Below is a slideshow of a dozen or so highlight photos.



And here's a brief video clip of Andy being awarded his diploma, and the graduates tossing their caps.

Dolores, Hugh renew vows after 60 years

Hugh and Dolores celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary by renewing their marriage vows Sunday, June 15, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Oakland, Md.

The couple married on June 12, 1954, in Corning, N.Y., where Dolores grew up. They later settled in the suburban Baltimore area where Hugh grew up and raised their three children, Julie, Doug and Cathy.

Doug and his wife, Lisa, Cathy and her son, Christopher, were on hand for Sunday's ceremony. This photo was taken at the restaurant where they went out to dinner the night before.

St. Matthew's, which Hugh and Dolores attend when vacationing at Deep Creek Lake, marked the occasion in fine style, incorporating the renewal ceremony into Trinity Sunday services and having a reception with cake afterward.


Below is an album of photos shared by Cathy.

Andy, Shannon attend senior prom

Andy and Shannon attended the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School senior prom on Friday, June 13. They and their friends enjoyed dinner and dancing at the Pines Manor banquet hall in Edison.

Andy will graduate from SPFHS on Thursday (June 19).

Dolores & Hugh's 2014 European Tour

Dolores and Hugh took a three-week trip to Europe this spring, touring three European countries, seeing historic, artistic and cultural sights in The Netherlands, Belgium and France.

The peripatetic couple first flew to Amsterdam and embarked on a cruise through Holland to Brussels.

Dolores had long wished to see the famous Dutch tulips in bloom. Here is a set of photos Hugh put together of Holland's tulips and windmills.



In Belgium, Hugh and Dolores spent time in Brussels, Ghent and Bruges. They visited with longtime friends: Miguel, who lived with them as an exchange student in the 1970s, and his mother, Phaedra.

They also made a side trip to Maastricht and to the American World War II cemetery there. (See earlier article.)

From Brussels, Hugh and Dolores traveled by train to Paris, where they met granddaughter Liz, who had just flown in from a separate trip -- a Caribbean "curling cruise."

Along with touring Paris, the trio drove to Giverney to visit Monet's gardens. They then drove on to northern France, with stops in Rouen, Bayeux and Caen.

In Bayeux, Dolores checked off another bucket-list item: seeing the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered cloth nearly 230 feet long and more than 900 years old. (See earlier article.)

They also visited the World War II landing beaches at Normandy, about a month before the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion. (See earlier article.)

Here's another set of Hugh's photos from various highlights of the trip.



And here's an album of photos by Liz.

Happy anniversary to Hugh & Dolores

It was sixty years ago today, on June 12, 1954, that Dolores and Hugh were married at Christ Episcopal Church in Corning, N.Y.

The happy couple will mark the occasion by renewing their marriage vows on June 15 during the Sunday service at St. Matthew's Church in Oakland, Md., near their vacation home at Deep Creek Lake.

Hugh and Dolores recently returned to the States after their latest overseas adventure, when they visited The Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Services held for Lorraine

A funeral Mass was held Tuesday at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Yonkers for Lorraine, who died June 5. Burial followed at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne.

Lorraine's children, many of her grandchildren, her sister, other family and friends gathered over the past few days to celebrate her life and enjoy many happy memories. Those who were unable to attend sent their sympathies and good wishes.

In Lorraine's memory, the family encourages donations to organizations that support Alzheimer's research, treatment and support.

Please visit our page dedicated to Lorraine.

In Memory of Lorraine (Updated with arrangements)

The family is saddened by the passing of Lorraine, beloved mother of Dan, Kathy, Brien and Kevin; grandmother of Marie, Dan, Genevieve, Vivien, Patrick, Shanna, Kevin, Christine and Andy; great-grandmother of Xander; and sister of Pat.

Lorraine died peacefully on Thursday, June 5, at home at Sunrise of Crestwood, with Kathy, Brien and Kevin at her side. She is now rejoined with her husband of 59 years, Daniel, and will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all who knew her.



UPDATE: Visitation will be Monday, June 9, 2-4 and 7-9 p.m., at Flynn Memorial Home, 1652 Central Park Avenue in Yonkers. Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, June 10 at 10 a.m. at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 602 McLean Avenue in Yonkers, with burial to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, N.Y. Directions and other details are on the Flynn website (click here).

Please visit our page dedicated to Lorraine.