Sings of spring and hope

As we begin a second year of life in a pandemic, there is at least some hope that the ongoing rollout of vaccines will reduce the risk before too long. Hugh and Dolores have received a two-shot course of vaccination through their Oak Crest Senior Living Community, and grandson Chris received his first shot through his employment with the Cecil County, Md., school system. Others of us are still waiting for availability.

Meanwhile, Spring approaches! These crocuses, on a church lawn, were the first to be spotted this year by Dan and Julie during one of their walks around their New Jersey neighborhood. "Our own little patch of crocuses was buried under a big pile of shoveled-up snow and hasn't emerged yet," says Dan. "We're looking forward to seeing them and all the other flowers that fill our neighborhood every Spring. Even more, we're looking forward to being able to travel and visit family again when it is finally safe to do so."

The first big snowstorm of 2021

Julie waves from the back door at Birch Street HQ

The beginning of February brought heavy snow to parts of the Northeast. The storm moved up the coast on Monday, Feb. 1, and the snowfall continued throughout Groundhog Day in parts of the region.

Among places of interest to our extended family, accumulations ranged from 2-6 inches around Baltimore to about a foot and a half in the northern Catskills. (The highest accumulations reported by the National Weather Service were 35 inches in Nazareth, PA, and Mount Arlington, NJ.) Coastal areas saw far less snow, mixed with rain. 

Cathy shared these views of her suburban Philadelphia neighborhood on Monday afternoon. Accumulations of about 8 inches were reported in the area.

At Birch Street Headquarters in New Jersey, Dan measured more than 14 inches on the ground on Tuesday afternoon, with occasional snow showers continuing.

In upstate New York, Andy and Wren had about 16 inches on their porch Tuesday morning, with light snow still falling. That was on top of about 5 inches already on the ground from occasional snow in recent weeks.

Southern New Hampshire had about 10 inches as of Tuesday morning. Here, one of Christine and Jamie's cats watches the snowfall on Monday evening.

Throughout the storm, Dan and Julie's backyard birdfeeder was very active. "It must be the only restaurant open for miles around," Dan remarked. As seen above, a female Cardinal, a Chickadee and a couple of sparrows were among the visitors. Others included Dark-Eyed Juncos, House Finches, Tufted Titmouses and two varieties of woodpecker. And, in the photo below, an American Goldfinch (the official state bird of New Jersey) stopped by briefly.

Here's hoping for a good year ahead

Dan writes: Before January passes by without a fresh post, I thought I’d share some New Year’s thoughts.

Buh-bye, 2020

The year past was difficult in many ways. There were happy highlights: Vivien, CJ and Charlie welcomed baby Austin; Andy and Wren purchased and moved into their home in upstate New York, and announced their engagement; Genevieve and John took ownership of the Noyac cottage that has been in the family since the 1960s. 

But there was also loss: Wren’s mother passed away, an early casualty of Covid-19. Family events were canceled and we missed one another's company. Risk of contagion forced us to limit our activities and made anxiety a backdrop to ordinary life.

The start of 2021 has brought hope for progress against the pandemic that is now in its 11th month in the U.S., but also doubts about when life can get fully back to normal. The development of vaccines provides hope; their disorganized distribution and the emergence of new virus strains create doubt. The formation of a government dedicated to overcoming the health crisis, and the hard work of healthcare providers, bring hope; the continued resistance from anti-science and anti-social forces raises doubts. 

While we hope for common sense to prevail, I wish all our extended family continued health and safety, and look forward to a time when we can again visit one another in gatherings large and small. In the meantime, please keep us posted on your activities so we can share them here on the Birch Street Web and continue Keeping In Touch. 

Thanks, and have a wonderful year!

A very 2020 Christmas get-together

Keeping up holiday tradition as well as possible under the circumstances, Kathy hosted a virtual version of the annual Yonkers Christmas party on Dec. 27. Family members Zoomed in from up and down the East Coast to exchange Christmas greetings as well as wishes for a much better 2021.

In this checkerboard version of a family photo, we see (top row) Austin in Florida, Dan & Julie in New Jersey, Kathy in Yonkers, and Genevieve with Jack (and John off-screen) in Manhattan; (2nd row) Kevin, Kathy and Kevin in Yonkers, Vivien, CJ and baby Austin in New Jersey (Charlie was napping), Andy and Wren in Middleburgh, NY; (3rd row) Ellen and Owen on Cape Cod (with Lizzie offscreen), Beatrice upstairs from her mom, Christine (with Jamie offscreen) in New Hampshire and Marie in Virginia; and (bottom row) Kelsey and Patrick in northern Westchester (visiting Kelsey's parents), Brien in Yonkers and Mary (with Roger offscreen) in Malta, NY. Also taking part but not captured in this screenshot were Shanna, Rick and Lucy. 

Snow scenes from mid-December storm

The first significant snowstorm of the season hit the Northeastern U.S. on Dec. 16-17. Among our family members, Andy and Wren seem to have had the heaviest snowfall: About 28 inches, as measured on their deck the morning of the 17th.

While they've had snow on their northern-Catskills property before, this was the deepest since they moved in at the end of January.

Most of their chickens took one look at the piled-up snow and opted to stay in their coop. This one ventured out, hopped atop the snow and tried to plow its way into the yard before retreating.

At Birch Street headquarters in New Jersey, there was far less snow than forecast: maybe 6 inches instead of a foot-plus.

With no need to go anywhere, Dan and Julie were able to just enjoy the view. (And paid a couple of enterprising young men with shovels to clear their driveway.)

The Philadelphia area was about as far south as the snow reached.

The city received 6-7 inches in what the Philadelphia Inquirer called the region's first major winter storm in 1,000 days.

Cathy took these photos of the pretty scene as the snow fell in her suburban neighborhood.

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.