Happy Halloween!

Got pumpkins? Let's see! Send us photos of your creations - and your costumes!

Shannon, Andy, Christine and their carvings

Back in time to Colonial Williamsburg

Marie, Brian and Xander spent a September day soaking up history at Colonial Williamsburg.

During the visit, Xander took part in "RevQuest," an "immersive game" in which he played the role of a colonial spy during the Revolutionary War.

Xander picks up intelligence from an innocent-looking fellow spy.

One of the highlights of the living-history museum is the blacksmith's shop. After all, Xander's great-great-great-grandfather was a blacksmith - not in Colonial Virginia, but in 19th Century New York.

From our archives:
Dolores and Hugh spent a day at Colonial Williamsburg in December 2012
Cathy, Christopher and Stephanie visited Colonial Williamsburg and other Virginia historical sites in October 2007

A fine Fall weekend, visiting in Virginia

Dan, Julie and Christine took a scenic drive to Virginia to visit with Marie, Brian and Xander in mid-October.

Dan writes: I took Friday off from work and we headed out through Pennsylvania and slivers of Maryland and West Virginia to Front Royal, Va. There we picked up Skyline Drive, which runs along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park.

The foliage wasn't at peak color yet, but the weather was beautiful and we took in the great views of the Shenandoah Valley to the west and the rolling hills to the east. We stopped at one of the west-facing overlooks to watch the sun set over Massanutten Mountain. Here's a handful of the photos I took.



We arrived at Marie, Brian and Xander's house Friday evening. On Saturday, we all went to the Fall Harvest Festival at Belvedere Plantation outside Fredericksburg. The attractions included some simple rides, a "maize maze," pig races and, of course, a hay ride to a pick-your-own pumpkin field. Here are some photos from our day at the farm, and back at the house.



We're not sure why the plants in the "maize maze" were only a couple of feet tall, but the pathways were so complex that it was still hard to find our way out!

We brought with us the costume Julie made for Andy in 2004, of Fluffy the three-headed dog from the Harry Potter stories. It still looks good!

On the way home on Sunday, we stopped in suburban Baltimore and enjoyed a visit with Julie's parents, Hugh and Dolores, at their Oak Crest residence.

Family team walks to win against Alzheimer's

Bea at Walk to End Alzheimer's in honor of Great Grandma Lorraine.

Ten members of our family team took part in the annual New York Walk to End Alzheimer's on Sunday. Nine walked the route through Manhattan's Riverside Park while the newest team member, Bea, rode in style.

Team captain Shanna, who has organized our family's participation since 2008, reports that family members and friends have contributed over $1,700 to our effort. "Absolutely amazing," Shanna writes. "Thanks everyone!"

For a brief time, donations toward our total are still being collected at our team page. The funds go to the Alzheimer's Association to support care and research programs as well as support services for loved ones of those affected by the disease.

Join the family team for tomorrow's Walk

Thanks to all the family members who have contributed to our family team's annual effort to raise money for Alzheimer's research and care. Now it's time to Walk to Win.

Shanna and other team members will gather at Riverside Park tomorrow for the New York Walk to End Alzheimer's. If you'd like to stroll along with them, contact Shanna for details. There's an e-mail address on our team page.

Also go to the team page if you'd like to contribute to the team's donation. Thanks to all who help!

This Sunday: We walk to win vs. Alzheimer's

Our family team at 2014 walk

The forecast is favorable for a brisk walk in Manhattan's Riverside Park this Sunday. Once again our family team will be "walking to win" in the New York City Walk Against Alzheimer's.

Shanna, our captain, is hoping for a good turnout -- but the team effort is already a success, as family members and friends have contributed well over $1,000 to the fund-raiser.

The annual walk raises money for the Alzheimer's Association, which supports research into prevention, treatments and a cure for Alzheimer's and assists families coping with the disease.
To join our team of walkers and/or add your donation, please visit the team page here.

Darby band plays at Ohio State stadium

Stephanie and her Hilliard Darby Marching Band performed last Saturday in the Buckeye Invitational competition, held at the Ohio State University football stadium.

Cathy writes: "Darby placed 5th out of 38 bands, earned a Superior rating (1 of only 9 bands that did so) and our Color Guard won the award for Best Auxiliary!"

Here's a video of the performance.



This fun photo was taken by a friend at an earlier performance held at Hilliard Bradley HS.

Stefanie and her bandmates in local news feature

A local news outlet did a video feature earlier this month on the Hilliard Darby Marching Band. Sophomore Stephanie (who celebrated her birthday today, Sept. 27!) is seen marching and playing a couple of times during the four-minute report. In particular, she appears on the right side of the screen starting at about the 3:15 mark.

Stephanie moves to the center of the camera's view at the very end of the video.

Click here to see the full report.

You can also watch this video of the band's full performance at the Hilliard Band Festival.

Walk to win against Alzheimer's

Our family team at last year's walk

The New York City Walk Against Alzheimer's is just a few weeks away, on Sunday, Oct. 18. Captain Shanna is once again organizing our family team.

"I have been doing this a walk ever since soon after my Grandma was diagnosed and continue to do it in her memory," Shanna writes. "Hopefully one day, Alzheimer's won't be a part of life, but until then I'd love to show support for this cause and those touched by it."

The walk through Manhattan's lovely Riverside Park raises money for the Alzheimer's Association, which supports research into prevention, treatments and a cure for Alzheimer's and assists families coping with the disease.

To join our team of walkers and/or add your donation, please visit the team page here.

Marie starts new job with web-developer site

UPDATE: CodePen's announcement of Marie's hiring is here.

Marie started a new job this month, working for an online site where web developers can try out ideas and build portfolios of their work.

"I'm the all-around support, social media, and community outreach person at CodePen," Marie writes. She became the company's first employee, as the site's growth promoted its three co-founders to start building a staff.

One of the CodePen co-founders also runs another site for web developers, CSS-Tricks. Marie has been a writer and editor for that site since January (see previous story), and will continue to do so while working for CodePen, all from her home office.

Marie adds: "So, what the heck is CodePen? It's a front-end developer's playground where devs can experiment with code and share their experiments with the world. There's more info and a video here."

As it happened, Marie's first week in the new job coincided with her birthday. (The CodePen crew sent her donuts!) Her first post on the site's blog is here.

Together again on Birch Street

Dan, Kathy, Brien and Kevin managed the rare feat of being in Noyac at the same time on the weekend of Sept. 12-13. They posed together in front of the Birch Street cottage, like they did each year as kids spending summers there with Mom and Dad.

The three brothers spent Saturday doing some clean-up work on the property.

In the process, Brien and Kevin found a "time capsule" -- a handful of items that they and friends Madelon and Eric had buried in a plastic bag more than 40 years ago. They dug up the remains of a sneaker inscribed with their names, a toy car and an aluminum-wrapped piece of paper bearing cryptic phrases, whose significance has been obscured by the mists of time.

Kathy arrived later Saturday, and along with friend Robert, the group went to a local steakhouse for dinner -- followed by an amusing round of pool at a table on the premises.

Marching Band season under way for Stephanie

Stephanie and her bandmates in the Hilliard-Darby Panthers Marching Band made its debut performance of the season at a football game on Friday night.

It's Stephanie's second year playing clarinet in the award-winning band.

Beautiful late-summer days on Long Island

Dan writes: For the first time in a few years, Julie, Christine, Andy and I were all available to spend more than a couple of days at a time in Noyac. And by great good fortune, the weather was exceptionally beautiful for every minute of our five-day visit. So we made the most of it.

We spent an afternoon watching horses and riders compete in various events at the Hampton Classic in Bridgehampton.


That evening, we met Nanette for a nice dinner at a Noyac restaurant.


We strolled around Sag Harbor during the early part of the next day. Then we headed over to Cameron Beach on the ocean, where Christine and Andy showed they haven't forgotten how to enjoy the surf.

The following day, we drove out to Montauk Point to visit the lighthouse.

Christine, Andy and I climbed the long spiral staircase to take a quick look from the top. And we all explored the museum that now fills the former lighthouse-keeper's quarters.

The exhibits have grown over the years. They include the original commissioning document signed by President George Washington and other historical items and information. There's also an exhibit about the successful efforts of Georgina Reed, Dan Rattiner and others in the late 1960s and early 1970s to raise funds and build a system of terraces that saved the lighthouse from erosion, which threatened to topple it into the sea. I well remember the articles in Dan's Papers reporting on the problem and Georgina's solution.

As many times as I've seen it, I'm not sure this view of the light has ever been as picture-postcard-perfect as it was on this occasion.

We then enjoyed a seafood dinner at Gosman's Dock, arriving just before the rush to get a good table (as if we'd planned it that way). And we topped off the evening with dessert at another iconic establishment, Big Olaf's ice cream shop.

On Friday we returned to Jessup's Neck, one of our favorite spots, to commune with the wildlife and take a dip in Peconic Bay.

Chickadees and white-breasted nuthatches took sunflower seeds from our hands, wild turkeys sauntered by, a family of swans swam in the pond and an osprey surveyed the beach from a treetop.

That evening we joined Kathy, Vivien and CJ for a cookout dinner at Kathy's house, against the backdrop of the sunset. A fine finish to a wonderful late-summer week.

Postcards from summer travels

Several family members have traveled far and wide this summer, and while we don't have much information about their trips, we have collected some photos they posted on Facebook.

In August, Kathy visited Switzerland:

Chermignon d'en Bas

Feeding 6-month-old calves

Hiking above the tree line, 6,200 feet

In late July, Genevieve, John and five-month-old Beatrice vacationed on Nantucket:

At Dionis Beach

In June, Vivien and CJ were in England's Cotswolds:

The Roman Baths in Bath, England

Whatley Manor

What are we missing? Tell us about your travels or other summer activities!

It's Band-Camp time for Stephanie

This congregation of clarinets, with Stephanie at top center, is one section of the Hilliard Darby Panthers Marching Band, which is in the midst of summer Band Camp.

Last week was "home band camp" at the high school. Then on Sunday, the band boarded buses for a week of "away band camp."

The band will spend the week in intensive learning and rehearsals at Heartland Conference Center, finishing up with the annual Ice Cream Social.