Dan and Julie enjoy a visit to Alaska

Following in the footsteps, more or less, of both Dan's parents and Julie's, and as a 35th Anniversary celebration, the couple treated themselves to a sea-and-land trip to Alaska in late August and early September.

They booked a Holland America Lines package that included a seven-day cruise from Vancouver, B.C., up the Alaska coast to the port of Whittier, with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. That was followed by train travel on the McKinley Explorer to Denali National Park, and finally a bus trip to Fairbanks to fly home.

In the course of the trip, and despite some spells of clouds and rain, they saw black bears, whales, sea otters, seals, eagles, at least one grizzly bear, moose, sheep and sled dogs. They saw massive glaciers and amazing landscapes all along the coast and into the mountains. And they caught clear views of Denali, the highest mountain in North America, which is shrouded in cloud about 80% of the time.

• Click here to read Dan's writeup of the trip, illustrated with some of his photos. 
• Be sure to follow the SEE MORE PHOTOS links to albums of photos, with captions, from each leg of the journey.
• Or click here to see all those photos in one album.
• Bonus for rail fans: More train photos!

Shanna, Rick, Lucy welcome baby Daisy

Shanna and Rick are happy to share that they brought their newborn daughter, Daisy, home on August 1.

Shanna writes: "After a long a complicated journey, we are now a family of four! Daisy Samantha was born on May 31st, weighing 2 pounds 14 ounces. She was born 12 weeks early due to pregnancy complications, which caused me to be in the hospital for six weeks prior to her birth.

"Daisy spent the first 62 days of her life in the NICU, and is finally home with us now. She is doing well, currently weighing nearly 7 pounds, and will be weaning off of her oxygen over the next month. Her team of doctors are very pleased with her progress, especially considering she wasn't due until late August.

"Big sister Lucy adores her new role, and we are all thrilled to finally be away from the hospital and getting used to our new normal."

Daisy just after her birth May 31

Big sister Lucy visits Daisy, July 17

Daisy 'graduates' from NICU, Aug, 1

Oliver receives the sacrament of Baptism

Oliver Theodore, son of Vivien and CJ, was baptized on Saturday, Aug. 3, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Scarsdale, N.Y. Brother-in-law John and CJ's sister Grace are the godparents.

Three-month-old Oliver was calm, cool and collected through the service, never crying or fussing. He remained in good spirits through the lovely reception his parents hosted at the nearby Moscato Restaurant.

Pictured here along with Vivien, CJ and Oliver are Vivien's mother, Kathy; sister Genevieve with her husband, John, and daughter Beatrice; and brother Patrick with his wife, Kelsey, holding G&J's son Liam. The gathering also included Oliver's great-grandmother Celestine, grandfather Ted, grandparents Corey and Ellen, and other aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends. 

A grand summer gathering on Long Island

Kathy's summer house has been filled with family this summer. Genevieve, John and their children - Beatrice, Jack and Liam - are spending the season at their house nearby. Vivien, CJ and theirs - Charlie, Austin and little Oliver - are visiting from London and staying at the Fair Play cottage. It's three-month-old Oliver's first trip stateside. 

For a few days in late July, Dan and Julie stayed with Kathy, enjoying her hospitality and the chance to meet Oliver and the rest of the gang. Robert was there for part of the time, but CJ was back working in Europe for that week. Also in the photo above is CJ's cousin Allie, who was staying with Vivien and helping watch the kids. 

Click here to see photos Dan took at the house, the beach, and during a walk he and Julie took on the nature trail at Jessup's Neck.

Hugh & Dolores celebrate 70 years of marriage

Surrounded by their family, Hugh and Dolores marked their 70th wedding anniversary with a dinner party in a restaurant at their residential complex in Maryland.

The couple's children - Julie, Doug and Cathy - organized the June 15 gathering, and fortunately all the grandchildren and most of the spouses and significant others were able to attend.

Julie and Dan drove down from New Jersey. Their daughter, Christine, and her wife, Jamie, flew in from Los Angeles. J&D's son, Andy, came down from Upstate New York. 

Doug and Lisa's daughter Rebecca also was visiting from NYS, along with her boyfriend, Greg. D&L; their daughter Liz; Cathy and her children, Christopher and Stephanie, all live within driving distance and came for the day. 

H&D's long-time friend and neighbor Gini Patterson also joined in the celebration.

Along with balloons and flowers, the table was decorated with cards relating bits of trivia about H&D's wedding and the date - June 12, 1954. Some examples: The ceremony was held at Christ Episcopal Church in Corning, N.Y. The officiant was Father Roger Alling. Dolores' sister, Noreen, was matron of honor. Hugh's father, Clyde, was best man, as most of Hugh's friends were serving in the Army. 

A reception was held in the church parish hall, organized by the ladies of the church, with non-alcoholic fruit punch. A second reception was held at Dolores’ parents’ house, with a keg of beer in the garage.

Other tidbits about that date: Bill Haley & His Comets released "Rock Around the Clock" and the top-grossing movie was "Three Coins in the Fountain"

"We both want to thank all of you for such a lovely weekend," Dolores wrote to the family afterwards. "The balloons and trivia were a nice touch, plus, 2  delish cakes! And all those cards too!"  

Vivien, CJ welcome baby Oliver!

Breaking news from our correspondent Kathy in London:

"Oliver Theodore arrived on April 23rd at 8 pounds 8 ounces. Both Mom and baby are doing very well. I'm lucky to be here with them." 

Proud parents Vivien and CJ, and big brothers Charlie and Austin, are looking forward to introducing Oliver to all his stateside relatives this summer.

What is happening up there in the sky?

Wearing their safety glasses, Dan and Julie gaze at the sun as it disappears behind the moon during the the total eclipse of the sun.

Dan and Julie took a little trip to Upstate New York to follow the sun, and the moon, and witness their rendezvous in the sky on April 8.

After enjoying Brien's parade-watch party on Saturday, D&J followed Andy and Wren up the Thruway. They visited A&W's five goats and two recently adopted cats. Later Sunday, they took a stroll through the campus of SUNY Cobleskill, where Wren is working toward a BA in cybersecurity and made the President's List with a 4.0 GPA in the fall term.

Cats declining to be photographed

On Monday, D&J headed north and west into the eclipse's path of totality. They found a park in the little village of Croghan, N.Y., where a few dozen people - mostly other out-of-towners - had gathered to watch the sky show. It was very near the center of the zone of totality, where the moon would completely cover the sun for about three minutes.

An amateur-astronomer friend of Julie's had said that the difference between an eclipse covering 99% of the sun and 100% is like night and day. Very true!

NASA photo

"Even when the sun was down to a tiny sliver, it was as bright as a typical cloudy afternoon," said Dan. "But once it blipped out, we were in twilight, similar to about a half-hour after sunset. And the thing in the sky looked alien - like a black disk with a shining circle around it." The view was very similar to this NASA photo taken elsewhere along the moon-shadow's path that day.

"It was an amazing sight - certainly worth the trip!"

A delayed St Patrick's Day parade and party

Rained out on its scheduled date, the Yonkers St. Patrick's Day Parade Past Brien's Window was held on April 6, and Brien continued his tradition of hosting a watch party.

Because of the rescheduling, the gathering was a bit smaller than past years (as was the parade), but no less enjoyable.

Our crowd waved and cheered at the marchers, and a number of them waved and cheered back.

Big thanks to Brien for continuing to host this annual event! We look forward to next year's parade and party.

Birthday(s) visit in Los Angeles

In celebration of two January birthdays, Julie and Dan took a little hop to Los Angeles for a visit with Christine and Jamie. The visit was two weeks after Christine's birthday and coincided with Julie's. J&D flew in from New Jersey on Saturday and spent the afternoon and evening with C&J at their West LA apartment, relaxing, playing board games and talking.

One of the conversation topics was how well Jamie is enjoying her new job. After two years at Riot Games, she started about three months ago as a system designer at Skybound Entertainment, working on a new project that has yet to be announced. The company is based in Los Angeles, although Jamie works almost entirely from home.

It was rainy on-and-off all weekend in "Sunny California," so museums were on the agenda. On Sunday, the four visited UCLA's Hammer Museum, which featured an exhibit of intaglio prints (made via engraving and related methods) from the 1500s to the present. They then took a window-shopping walk around downtown Westwood (photo above).

While Jamie worked on Monday, Julie, Dan and Christine visited the Getty Villa, one of two campuses of the J. Paul Getty Museum. It's a recreation of a Roman villa built in Herculaneum, near Pompeii. The original villa was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in the 1st Century and excavated in the 18th Century. It houses the museum's collections of Greek, Roman and Etruscan sculptures and antiquities. Our trio also saw a temporary exbibit on the ancient Egyptian "Book of the Dead," consisting of papyrus scrolls and linens bearing heiroglyphic "spells" intended to enable a deceased person to navigate the afterlife.

Jamie rejoined the group for dinner, and the four then went to a night club in Hollywood to see an LA indie-rock band, Night Talks, perform. "I've been playing their music on Birch Street Radio for years," says Dan, "and because of that, we were on 'the list' to attend the show as guests of the band." Jamie and Christine enjoyed the show, and Night Talks now has two more LA fans.

Christmas 2023: The celebrations continue

The annual family Christmas party in Yonkers took place on Saturday, hosted by Kevin and Kathy. 

It was great to have so many of us celebrating together. The gathering included the hosts' children, Kevin and Shanna, along with Shanna's husband, Rick, and daughter Lucy. Vivien, CJ, Charlie and Austin were in from London. Genevieve, John, Bea, Jack and Liam, who missed the 2022 party due to illness, were all on hand this time. Dan and Julie drove over from New Jersey while Andy and Wren came down from upstate. Kathy and Robert were there along with Brien, cousin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth. Patrick joined the crowd although Kelsey was absent, not feeling well. Christine, at home in California with Jamie, popped in via Zoom to greet the crowd. 

Fabulous food, convivial conversation and cheerful children made for a wonderful time to wrap up the year.

Earlier in the week, Kathy enjoyed a visit at her home from all her grandchildren: Jack, Charlie, Austin, Bea and Liam.  

At midweek, Julie and Dan paid a Christmas visit to Julie's parents, brother and sister-in-law in Maryland. Here the group relaxes in Hugh and Dolores' apartment after dining at one of the restaurants in their community. 

Meanwhile, on Facebook, we find this photo of Nanette visiting daughter Courtney in Florida.

We invite everyone in the family to send along your own Christmas celebration photos! Email birchstreetweb@gmail.com (or text to Dan if that's easier).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas! How we're celebrating in December 2023

Merry Christmas to all our extended family from here at Birch Street Headquarters in New Jersey. Please share glimpses of your own celebrations!

The season began early for Christine and Jamie, who traveled in mid-December to Cape Cod for the annual family gathering at the home of Jamie's mom and step-dad, Bonnie and Jay (pictured at far right).

Christmas arrived just a bit early for Dan and Julie, as they were joined by Andy and Wren on the 23rd and 24th. They had a Christmas Eve-Eve feast and exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve morning. The newlyweds would spend Christmas Day with Wren's dad and family on Long Island before heading back to their farmstead upstate.

Thanksgiving up and down the East Coast

Family members gathered in various groups around various tables this Thanksgiving. Dan and Julie spent Turkey Day at Marie, Brian and Xander's home in Virginia, along with Brian's parents, Steve and Barbara. Marie served a fabulous dinner, after which the seven played an intense game of Settlers of Catan. As this group has now played that game at Thanksgiving more than once, it has officially become a tradition! 

Meanwhile in Maryland, Dolores and Hugh were joined for dinner at their Oak Crest residence by son Doug, daughter-in-law Lisa, daughter Cathy, grandddaughters Liz, Rebecca and Stephanie and grandson Christopher. 

The next day saw the traditional Black Friday gathering at Doug and Lisa's home, with some of the same characters - minus Stephanie, busy with school work, and Rebecca, driving home to Rochester, but plus Dan and Julie, en route from Virginia to New Jersey.

Back in the Garden State on Saturday, Dan and Julie spent the evening with Andy and Wren, who had visited Wren's dad on Long Island Thursday and some of their New Jersey friends on Friday. (Here they hold engraved glasses that were a wedding gift from Liz.) The four had a fine meal at a local restaurant before Wren and Andy drove back to their upstate New York home.

On Facebook we see that Austin, Cindy and Rachel enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner together in Florida...

...and Rick, Shanna and Lucy continued their Thanksgiving weekend tradition of driving up to Connecticut to choose their Christmas tree.