Dan & Julie visit Toronto for a concert and some sight-seeing

It started with browsing concert listings. Julie noticed that Sheryl Crow was on tour and said that was an artist she'd like to see sometime. One of the dates was in Toronto, and Dan said that was a city he'd like to see sometime. Before long they'd booked concert tickets, flights, a hotel - plus baseball tickets - for a quick 60-hour visit to Canada's largest city.

Arriving on a Friday night, they checked into their hotel near the airport, navigated public transit downtown and strolled around the Harborfront area. On their way to the Rogers Centre baseball stadium, they checked out the outdoor Toronto Railway Museum and had dinner at one of the restaurants in the former Canadian Pacific roundhouse.

Despite being fans of the AL East rival Yankees and Orioles, Dan and Julie enjoyed watching the Toronto Blue Jays play the Texas Rangers - and win in exciting, come-from-behind fashion, 6-5.

 

On Saturday, the couple took a ferry across Toronto's Inner Harbor to Ward's Island, one of a group of islands that have a mix of parkland, small residential neighborhoods, an amusement park and a small airport. They strolled through the park, had lunch at a cafe alongside the main harbor, and walked through a neighborhood of quaint old houses before ferrying back downtown.

Making the most of their limited time, D&J then checked out the shops along the cobblestone, pedestrian-only streets of the Distillery District, with music in the background from a bandstand in a central plaza.

Then it was time to call a Lyft to get to the opposite side of the city for dinner and the Sheryl Crow concert at the Great Canadian casino complex. (Side note: The only highway through downtown Toronto, the Gardiner Expressway, seemed perpetually jammed.)

Photo from Great Canadian Entertainment

On Sunday, they continued their tourist-ing by returning downtown and visiting the Royal Ontario Museum. They spent the morning in the First People's gallery with its collection of native artifacts, including canoes and kayaks, and part of the afternoon in the Earth's Treasures, Dawn of Life and Dinosaur exhibits.

After a walk around nearby Queens Park, they said farewell to Toronto, and they and their tired legs headed to the airport.

See many more photos, including trains, canoes and dinosaurs

Doug's summer travels through the Midwest

Rock Maze trail

Doug and his camera took a rambling trip through the Midwestern U.S. this summer, visiting cities and towns, natural wonders and man-made oddities. He took a zillion photos, of which a curated collection can be viewed in a Google album here. Here are a few highlights and Doug's commentary on the trip.

"I started in western MD with a trail I never knew existed, the Rock Maze trail, something I'm surprised we never found in all the time at Arrowhead. It is an interesting rock outcropping which is great for kids to climb on. 

"Went through 13 states; added 4 new state highpoints, 10 peaks and three new National Parks to my been-there list. 

"Walked on the race track at Indy and saw Airstream trailers be built. 

"Had over a dozen really good local IPAs. Dipped my own bottle of Maker's Mark Whiskey. Ate in the oldest bars in WV and KY. Crossed the Ohio five times and the Mississippi 9 times (in central Minnesota near the headwaters it meanders so, yes, I'm still on the east side of the river.) 5,892.5 miles specifically, and the Toyota Highlander has now been in 46 states and has over 200,000 miles on it, still going strong.

US 35 crosses the Ohio River

"Drove on State Line Road south of Union City, IN/OH where folks on the left side of the road had Indiana plates on the cars in the driveway and folks on the right side had Ohio plates. There are lotsa places in the country where your neighbor is in another state, but this was obvious. If your mail box is across the road, you have to walk to another state just to get your mail.

"Went through some towns with interesting names including Coolville, OH; Twentysix, KY (they spell it out); Coon Valley, WI and Gnaw Bone, IN. Then the whole set of those named after something else: Cuba, MO; Lisbon. ND;  Athens, WI; Sparta, WI; Atlanta, IL; Virginia, MN; Boston, OH, El Paso, WI; Nashville, IN; Richmond, IN; Delaware, OH; Fargo, OH; Indiana, PA. Then there was Farmersville and Farmer City IL.; Murphytown, WV; New Douglas, IL; Webster, IN and Andrew, IA. Also traversed Winnebago, MN, Winnebago, IL and Winnebago, WI. FYI, Winnebago Campers are made in none of these places, they are made in Forest City, IA.

"During the trip I spent a lot of time not on interstate highways, although I did travel on quite a few. North Dakota has some stellar unpaved roads, straight, well graded and 60 mph is not out of the question. Some states have paved roads which aren't this good. On the little roads, you see more of the country, what people decorate their house and yard with, what they drive, and what "toys" they have too. Lotsa white Ford pickup trucks in Minnesota. Wisconsin allows ATVs on public roads. Michigan reinforces the roadway at snowmobile crossings (the trail is snow covered, the road is not.)"

Here are a few more photo highlights. The full album is definitely worth seeing! You may need to be signed into a Google (Gmail) account in order to view it.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Sunset at Grand Marais, MN

A multi-occasion celebration in Maryland

Dolores and Hugh hosted a family dinner last weekend to celebrate multiple birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions in the middle months of the year.

It was Dolores' idea to have a July get-together to mark the month's significant dates - her birthday (7/11), Lisa's birthday (7/9), Dan and Julie's anniversary (7/8) - plus events from:

• May - Stephanie's master's degree, Lisa and Doug's anniversary, Wren's birthday
• June - Hugh and Dolores' anniversary, Christine and Jamie's move east
• August - Andy's upcoming birthday

The result was a very enjoyable dinner-for-twelve at The Fireside restaurant in H&D's senior-living community.

Grandchildren fill Kathy's summer home

All six of Kathy's grandchildren were on Eastern Long Island in July, making for some lively times in her summer home.

Liam carefully constructs, then	deconstructs, a block tower.

The gathering happened as Kathy's daughter Vivien, son-in-law CJ, and their three boys - Charlie, Austin and Oliver - were just back in the USA after more than three years in London. They would soon be settling into their new home in White Plains.

Dan and Julie visited for a few days, staying at Ye Olde Fair Play Cottage, and joined the crowd at Kathy's Place for a Friday evening pizza party. Above: D&J with Kathy, Robert, Genevieve and Vivien. (Both John and CJ were at work in NYC that day.) Photo by Beatrice. 

Below: D&J with (back row) Charlie, Liam, Genevieve, (front L to R) Bea, Kathy, Jack, Austin, Vivien. (Oliver was asleep at this point in the evening.) Photo by Robert.

All this against the backdrop of another glorious sunset over the water behind the house.

Christine & Jamie complete move from LA to new home in NYS

Christine and Jamie have moved back across the country and into a lovely house in Schenectady, N.Y. They closed the sale and got the keys on June 25. 

Parents were on hand to congratulate the new homeowners and help with their move-in. Here next to Jamie and Christine are Jamie's dad, Paul; Christine's parents, Dan and Julie; Jamie's mom, Bonnie, and her husband, Jay. 

The house is a 1960-vintage split-level that's been very well maintained and updated through the years. Its large back yard has a swimming pool and plenty of room for entertaining.

And there's a finished basement that is destined to host many board- and video-game gatherings.

By the time they had been in the house for a couple of hours, the couple's two Bengal cats seemed to be adjusting well to their latest move. They were certainly enjoying their new surroundings more than they did the cross-country plane trip.

C&J spent a couple of nights on an air mattress before their furniture and belongings from their Los Angeles apartment arrived on Friday. By Saturday they were making good progress on unpacking.

More photos coming soon

Previous coverage: Christine and Jamie prepare to move back east

Andy, Wren and long-time friends play at suburban summer party

For a second year in a row, Andy and Wren and their friends were invited to perform at a "music fest" held in the large back yard of a house in New Jersey's outer suburbs. The homeowners invite family and far-flung friends to gather each summer and share their love of music.

Andy and Wren have been making frequent trips to New Jersey this spring to rehearse with their bandmates - who are friends from their high school marching band days. The lead guitarist (at left above) and his family (his father sits in on keyboards) are friends with the hosts of the event.

Although they played harder rock than any of the other groups at the party, they were well received, and complimented by many of the other musicians. 

Family and friends celebrate Daisy's 1st birthday

Dozens of family members, neighbors and friends gathered to celebrate Daisy's first birthday. Her parents, Shanna and Rick, hosted the gathering at the Rockland Gaelic Athletic Association on June 8. Here, the guest of honor poses with her big sister Lucy and her parents, Shanna and Rick - plus Shanna's parents and brother, Kevin (above) and Rick's parents and sister, Stephanie (below).

Daisy, whose actual birthday was May 31, was presented with a "smash cake" - which, after a few tentative pokes and licks, she dove into wholeheartedly.

Click here to see an album with MANY more photos!

Julie returns as president of her Rotary club

Her arm having been well twisted, Julie will spend the next year as president of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Rotary Club. She was sworn in at a club dinner on June 5, and her term officially begins July 1.

Julie previously served as president of the self-proclaimed "greatest Rotary club in the universe" in 2020-2021 - keeping it operating and continuing its mission of community service despite the pandemic by moving its meetings, fund-raisers and other activities to various online platforms.

Dan's Class of 1975 feted at Fordham reunion

Class of 1975 group photo. Dan is 3 rows back, 3rd from left.

Dan and Julie attended Fordham University's Jubilee 2025, its annual class-reunion celebration. At a dinner in the Rose Hill campus center on May 30, Dan and the rest of the Class of 1975 were welcomed as the newest members of the Golden (50-year-plus) Rams Alumni Society. More than 40 of Dan's classmates attended, including a handful of old friends he was happy to see.

The event included a brief address by the university's president, Tania Tetlow.

Dan and Julie are seated just outside the right margin of the photo!

Dan decided to go back to campus the next day for a tour of the studios of WFUV - much modernized since his tenure there - plus a "picnic" lunch held in the athletic center due to rain, and a nostalgic walking tour of the campus.

Stephanie receives Masters from Towson University

Stephanie received her Masters degree from the College of Liberal Arts at Towson University at a commencement ceremony last week.

Her undergraduate ceremony was canceled due to the Covid pandemic, so "it was rewarding for her to be able to attend this ceremony in person," says her mom, Cathy. 

"Her MS degree is in Professional Writing with a concentration on writing for the non-profit sector. With this degree, along with her work and internship experience, she should be well prepared to obtain a grant-writing position."

Stephanie with brother, Chris, and mom, Cathy, before the ceremony.

Christine and Jamie preparing to move back east

After three and a half years in Los Angeles, Christine and Jamie are packing up for a move back across the country.

They are in the process of buying a house in Schenectady, N.Y., and expect to close the purchase and move in during the last week of June.

Their decision to move was spurred by their wish to own a house (prohibitively expensive in L.A.) and their desire to be closer to family. They focused their search on New York State because it's the one Eastern state where Jamie's company, Skybound Entertainment, is set up to have employees. And they zeroed in on the Capital District for its affordable suburban neighborhoods and its easy highway access to many of their relatives. They will be about 3 hours from Christine's parents, 4 hours from Jamie's mother, and only about 45 minutes from Andy and Wren's home in Middleburgh, N.Y.

The couple are no strangers to Upstate New York: They met while students at Rochester Institute of Technology. And while the area gets more winter snow than Christine's native New Jersey, it's comparable to southern New Hampshire, where Jamie grew up.

Xander graduates high school, heads to university

Xander graduated from Courtland High School in Spotsylvania Courthouse, Va., on May 17. 

Entering to "Pomp and Circumstance"

Nearly 400 graduating seniors walked across the stage during the commencement ceremony on the high school's football field. 

Xander was among the Distinguished Honor Graduates wearing gold cords over their graduation gowns, signifying that they achieved a 4.00 or higher cumulative grade-point average.  

Xander's parents, Marie and Brian, and grandparents Dan and Julie; Anne Marie and Os; and Barbara and Steve were among the crowd of family and friends that jammed the bleachers on either side of the field.

After the ceremony, Marie and Brian hosted a lunch at their home, and later a dinner at a nearby restaurant, giving the grandparents ample opportunity for conversation - and for quizzing Xander on his plans.

Xander is joining the Class of 2029 at University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. He'll commute to the campus, about a 15-minute drive, and initially plans to major in philosophy.

MORE PHOTOS - CLICK HERE