Distanced Thanksgiving 2: Game Night

Lisa and Doug continued, in a fashion, their tradition of hosting a party on the day after Thanksgiving. Although unable to share crabcakes and ribs, family members enjoyed seeing and talking to each other and, as in years past, playing games together - this time via video conferencing service Zoom and online gaming sight Jackbox. Joining in from their homes were Dolores and Hugh, Julie and Dan, Cathy, Chris, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Christine, Jamie, Andy and Wren. The virtual gathering went on for some five hours.

Distanced Thanksgiving: Sharing greetings online

Holidays like Thanksgiving are made for getting together with the people you care about. But caring about people means keeping them safe, so amid the continuing pandemic, our family's gatherings were sharply limited this year. Making the best of the situation, we used technology to share holiday greetings from our separate homes.

Dan and Julie held an "open house" on Zoom, with various family members dropping in at different points in the day. Marie, Brian and Xander joined from Virginia; Christine and Jamie (with kittens) from New Hampshire; and Andy and Wren (with chickens) from upstate New York. From various points in Westchester came Kathy and Robert; Patrick and Kelsey (with puppy); plus Kevin and Kathy (with Jasper), Shanna, Rick, Lucy, Kevin and Brien. Genevieve and John, Bea and Jack zoomed in from Manhattan and Vivien, CJ, Charlie and Austin from New Jersey. Jamie's mom, Bonnie, and dad, Paul, also popped in with Thanksgiving greetings.

"It was wonderful seeing everyone and getting to relax and chat together, even if not in person," Dan said. "To get to visit with so many of our favorite people made the day feel special. And without the holiday traffic!"

Autumn leaves and family visits

Fall view from Andy & Wren's porch

Dan celebrated his late-October birthday by taking some days off work, and he and Julie hit the road to points north and east. They visited Andy and Wren in upstate New York, then Christine and Jamie in New Hampshire. Along the way they checked out the fall foliage, which was just a bit past peak but still very colorful. 

Relaxing at home

Just a few of the chickens

In Middleburg, N.Y., Dan and Julie toasted Andy and Wren's recent engagement and enjoyed their hospitality - including fresh eggs from their flock of chickens.

The four set out for a Sunday hike at a nearby geological feature called Vroman's Nose, but changed their minds when they found the trail crowded with maskless people. They drove around a bit looking at the scenery, then took a stroll in a community park in nearby Schoharie that includes a covered pedestrian bridge over Fox Creek. 

On Monday, Dan and Julie took a drive through the Berkshires and across central Massachusetts, then dipped into northeastern Connecticut. The weather was alternately rainy, foggy and just damp, foiling plans to stop for a walk in the woods near Stockbridge, Mass., but the autumn scenery was colorful even without the sun. They spent the night in Connecticut (due to Covid restrictions) before heading to New Hampshire the next morning. 

The weather dried out for their Tuesday visit with Christine and Jamie - and their kittens, now almost six months old. It was Dan and Julie's first chance to meet Morgana and Lavenza in person. After catching up over lunch, D&J and C&J headed out to explore the Andres Institute of Art sculpture park in nearby Brookline, N.H.

It was a chance to enjoy a fall hike in the woods and observe some art along the way. This work, called "Bones of the Earth," incorporated an existing rock outcropping. It was along the park's "Quarry Trail," which turned out to involve some rugged, rocky climbing.

Along a smoother trail were other installations, such as the very cute "Animals" and a trio of metal figures called "The Debate." There were very few people in the park on that Tuesday afternoon, and the group never encountered anyone else along the trails - making it a very relaxing, socially-distanced outing.

Friendly-looking "Animals"

Christine engages in "The Debate"

Afterward, the four returned to the house Jamie and Christine are sharing with Jamie's dad, Paul. Jamie grilled a rack of ribs with her own spice rub, making for a fine dinner. Dan then invoked birthday privilege to get Julie, Christine, Jamie and Paul to join him in a game of Rail Baron - which Christine was leading when all decided to call it a night.

It was raining again as Dan and Julie started the drive home, but the weather improved as they crossed Connecticut, and they had another chance to enjoy beautiful fall foliage along the Merritt Parkway to conclude their mini-vacation.

Four weeks as a family of four

Vivien and CJ shared these photos, taking four months after Austin joined the family. Charlie, age 2, is head over heels with excitement about having a little brother!

Andy and Wren announce their engagement

Ten years after they started dating, Andy and Wren celebrated the anniversary on Oct. 17 by taking a weekend trip to the Adirondacks -- and becoming engaged.

The couple rented a cabin in Keene Valley, N.Y., for the weekend and did some exploring of the area, including visiting Lake Placid and taking a drive up Whiteface Mountain.

No date for a wedding is set, and it will be some time before they can even begin to plan it.

The two met as members of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Marching Band. Here is the first known photo of them together, as they and band parents rolled a cart containing Andy's drums and Wren's glockenspiel toward the field for a competition in Sept. 2010. At that point, they were just getting to know each other.

That was the year when they and Andy's sister, Christine, were all in the band. This photo, from an Oct. 31 competition in Allentown, Pa., shows Andy at bottom left and Wren at bottom right. (Christine is in the second row of flutes, just to the right of the 50 yard line.)

Vivien, CJ, Charlie welcome baby Austin

Vivien and CJ are proud to announce the birth of their second son, Austin Daniel.

Big brother Charlie, 2, was thrilled the meet his younger brother and new best friend after “discovering” him crying in his bassinet early on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 27.

Austin was born at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, in Livingston, N.J.  He weighed 8 lb, 3 oz, and was 21.5 inches. He received a perfect 10/10 skin-color rating from the nurse and was allowed to come home to Verona, N.J., after only one night in the hospital.  

Austin Daniel is named in honor of Vivien’s maternal great-grandmother, Marie Cornelia Austin (1893-1974), and her son, Viven’s grandfather Daniel (1928-2010).    

Vivien and CJ look forward to introducing Austin Daniel to all family and friends over the coming months.

Enjoying late summer on Eastern Long Island

Dan writes: For as long as I can remember, I have spent at least part of every August in Noyac on Eastern Long Island. And even in this very strange year, I was able to keep that tradition going.

Ocean breeze

Julie and I headed out Aug. 26 to the Birch Street cottage that's been in the family for 35 years. The next day I stopped in a lawyers' office to sign the papers selling the property to Genevieve and John (see previous article). Then (as guests of the gracious new landlords) we spent the remainder of August and the very beginning of September enjoying the nearby beaches, parks and villages in very relaxed fashion.

Long Beach

Although limited by the need for social distancing, we were able to spend time visiting Genevieve, John, Bea and Jack, as well as Kathy and Robert, in outdoor settings. And Andy and Wren drove down from Upstate New York to join us for a few days. Fortunately, they were able to adjust their schedule to avoid some rain and enjoy beautiful sunny-and-warm-but-not-hot weather.

Of course, we took the nature walk on Jessup's Neck to feed the chickadees (and, increasingly, other species such as tufted titmouse and nuthatch) and check out the other wildlife.

We happened to be on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor just as the setting sun put on a spectacular show.

Here's hoping we can spend more time, see more family - and do without the masks - next summer.

Historic cottage changes hands, stays in family

Fair Play, circa 1968

The Birch Street cottage where many of our family members have spent summer days for more than six decades was purchased Aug. 27 by Genevieve and John from Dan, Kathy, Brien and Kevin.

The property has held a special place in the family's collective heart since Daniel and Lorraine rented it for summer vacations with their children in 1961-1965, and acquired it in the fall of '85. 

In her autobiography, Lorraine wrote that when a cottage up the street that they had rented in 1959-60 was unavailable in '61, "we chose an adorable red-and-white cottage down the street, one we had admired the year before, called 'Fair Play.' It had a nice big sandy yard, four rooms, a screened porch, and all paneled in knotty pine. We loved it more than the other cottage, and the kids thought it was like sleeping in a log cabin."

That description is still mostly accurate. The screened porch was later enclosed and other improvements were made over the years, but its original configuration and rustic charm remain.

2013 photo

Over the years, in addition to Daniel, Lorraine and their children, the little house has hosted friends, spouses and grandchildren. Love of its setting, in a quiet neighborhood near Noyac Bay, Sag Harbor and the other attractions of Long Island's East End, also inspired Kathy and later Genevieve and John to buy their own houses close by.

2001 photo

Dan, Kathy, Brien and Kevin jointly inherited the property from their parents. Now, it passes to third-generation owners who share in the emotional attachment to the cottage. Genevieve and John plan to use it as a rental for visiting family and friends. "We are excited, and looking forward to many many more years of family memories out here," Genevieve said.

Christine and Jamie welcome kittens to their home

On the way to new home

Christine and Jamie became the owners of two kittens on Aug. 13. They are pedigree Bengal cats, sisters born in May.

The kittens came from a breeder in Massachusetts who gave them excellent care and provided C+J with extensive records of their health and their family history.

Called Morgana and Lavenza, the kittens took only a day or so to start feeling comfortable in their new home - and particularly in Christine's and Jamie's desk chairs. Soon they were exploring the house, playing with toys and trying out various perches.

Lavenza	Morgana

The Cat Fanciers Association describes the Bengal as "a medium to large domestic cat most renowned for its richly colored, highly contrasted coat of vivid spots or distinctive marbling ... Bengals are generally confident and devoted companions. ... Active and interactive, Bengals are curious and athletic and maintain a kitten-like energy and attitude well into their senior years. These affectionate cats engage their owners in play, learn tricks, learn house-rules, or just like to be close."

At work with Jamie

Catnap in Christine's lap

Morgana and Lavenza now have their own Instagram page! You can see more photos and follow their activities @velvetbengals

President Julie leads Fanwood-Scotch Plains Rotary Club

Julie has become president of the Rotary Club of Fanwood-Scotch Plains.

After serving as secretary and then as president-elect, Julie began her one-year term as president July 1. A formal installation dinner planned for that month was canceled due to the coronavirus. Instead, the installation ceremony was conducted via Zoom on Aug. 12.

Following her swearing-in by the district governor, Julie gave an address outlining her goals for the year. Those include: Increasing the diversity of club membership, energizing new members, finding ways to conduct fundraising virtually, continuing to improve the club’s visibility in the towns, and hosting the District Conference in May. Given all the disruption caused by the pandemic, she stressed the need to stay flexible!

The Fanwood-Scotch Plains club is very active in community service and currently sponsors charitable projects in Puerto Rico, Uganda and Nicaragua. (See details here.)

In recent months, club members have been sewing face masks, initially for donation to health-care and other essential workers, and then for sale at the weekly Scotch Plains farmers’ market, with proceeds donated to area food banks.

A midsummer night's sky-gazing

On a warm July evening in New Jersey, Dan and Julie headed to a spot on the shore of Raritan Bay that offered a northwest view over water. They thought Bayshore Waterfront Park might be a good spot to watch the sun set and the stars come out - and, perhaps, spot a comet.


They were in luck. There was just enough thin cloud that evening (Sunday, July 19) to create a spectacularly colorful sunset. Then, after the sun went down, the clouds mostly dissipated as the sky darkened and stars began to emerge.

Now, a warm, humid evening in the metropolitan area will never be ideal for stargazing, but the air was clear enough to easily see such bright lights as Vega, Arcturus and the Big Dipper - as well as Jupiter and Saturn rising in the east.

Guided by a couple of articles and illustrations indicating that Comet C/2020 F3, a.k.a. Neowise, would appear between the Big Dipper and the Northwest horizon, Dan and Julie searched that area with binoculars as, gradually, more stars became visible. It was a good hour or so after sunset when they spotted what looked like a little white smudge, or a brushstroke, close to two small stars they later determined were Talitha and Talitha Australis, in the front paw of Ursa Major.

Although it was faint and blurry, Dan and Julie felt pretty confident they had found the comet, with its tail pointing away from the sun as comet tails do. They were further convinced when, the following evening, they were able to spot it again from just outside their house - in a slightly different position, now between Ursa Major's paws, just where the charts said it would be.


The comet was much too dim for Dan to make a photo. But along with the stars, Bayfront Waterfront Park also afforded a view across the bay and New York Harbor to another light show, the Manhattan skyline.

Any other skywatchers out there? This image from Earthsky.org shows where the comet is expected to be on the night of its closest approach to earth, this Thursday, July 23 - with an added mark showing where Dan and Julie spotted it on Sunday night.

Josie, Nolan celebrate big birthdays

With their birthdays just two days apart, it makes sense for Josie and Nolan to combine their celebrations, right?

Brother and sister marked important birthdays this week - Josie's first (July 19) and Nolan's fifth (July 21)!