Hawktoberfest

It's been roughly two months since we dropped Owen dropped off at college, and since Noa missed our last trip, attending parent's weekend (or as the kids call it, Hawkoberfest) seemed like a no-brainer.

While the festivities were all on Saturday, we had tickets to Billy Bragg that night which, coupled with the fact that Noa didn't have school on Friday, suggested that we front load our St. Mary's celebration. After Noa's parent teacher conference on Thursday (note: they attended while wearing a fake mustache, but since they had all As and A-s, we decided to just go with it) we headed down to St. Mary's, picked up Owen and went out for a lovely dinner, and checked into our airbnb before we all crashed for the night.

The next morning, Allen scoped out scenes for our annual holiday photo with some input from Noa. We usually use our friend Maria, but this year we weren't sure we'd be able to get in a DC-based photo in with Owen and have the pictures done in time to for the holidays, (and importing Maria to St. Marys seemed impractical). So instead, Allen decided we would all suffer through an extended photo shoot over the weekend, using a tripod that he specially ordered. Which also looks suspiciously like a selfie stick.

Allen insisted the morning shots were just tests as he was adamant that the light would be better at sunset. So while we played around with the best angles and poses, we didn't worry about Noa having their headphones on. Once satisfied, We headed off to Point Lookout State Park to take in the views and learn about how to housed a Confederate prison during the Civil War. 

Then we headed back to campus where Owen showed off his fencing gear and gave us a campus tour, including the cemetery (where we looked for the "Hidden" grave). Noa enjoyed the cemetery so much that they opted to hang out there and read a book while Owen, Allen and I went on a tour of the replica of the Maryland Dove – a 17th Century cargo ship that miraculously made it from England to Maryland and then disappeared on a return trip a year later. Afterwards, we grabbed takeout for dinner, did our official and unofficial photos, attempted to watch the comet, enjoyed a fire, and then had a lovely game night of Headbanz.

The next morning, we grabbed breakfast and packed up before heading to St. Mary's for Hawktoberfest. As soon as we got there, Allen was recruited to record a testimonial as a Seahawk dad. Afterwards, we attempted to watch the St. Mary's varsity vs. alumni baseball game, but as it started an hour late and we were then inundated by a barrage of foul balls, we decided to head to an art show and then have lunch. Afterwards, we went to the river and sampled the food trucks before boarding our river cruise, which Noa was less than excited for. Afterwards, we dropped Noa off at Owen's room for a nap to recover while the rest of us went to play pool in the commons and then enjoyed the "Great Bamboo Race" where teams build a boat out of bamboo, plastic bags and duct tape, and then one of its members races it on the river. It was pretty exciting and while four boats sank, no rowers were harmed in the racing.

Afterwards we grabbed Noa and headed to dinner. We knew that Noa wouldn't be into a crab boil, so we purchased a vegetarian option for them. What we didn't realize is that 1) Noa wouldn't enjoy sitting with other people as they enjoyed the crab boil; and 2) while Owen loves crab cakes, he was pretty horrified to see how the sausage gets made. In the end, the kids sat on bench outside the eating tent while Allen sucked down twelve crabs after which we bid Owen farewell (he headed to the dining hall to grab a less adventurous meal), jumped into the car (while still covered with crab bits) drove back to DC, dropped off Noa and headed off to see Billy Bragg.

It was a pretty amazing first parent's weekend, though we might tweak a few things for next year...

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

A Tale of Two Homecomings

When we were touring schools with Owen, we were advised by multiple colleges that we should make sure that our child spends at least the first six weeks of college on campus, rather than going home, in order to ensure that they develop those relationships that will get them through tough times and mid-terms. And so even though Owen actually came to DC (or rather to Movement in Crystal City) with the climbing club one month into his college experience, we didn't let him stop by the house to say "hi" (also, he didn't ask to) out of deference for his academic and social success.

But we still miss the kid and have been wanting to see him (not to mention we did sort of still owe him a birthday present), and while the administration had warned us about him coming home, nobody had said anything about us going to him. So we made a plan to get the band back together one Saturday after orchestra, where we could see Owen, drop off a brand new bike, and then take him out for a nice meal. Allen picked up a bike from the Daily Rider with all the extra accoutrements Owen requested (a kickstand and a water bottle holder) and made a reservation for the four of us at a lovely seafood place that also has some great vegetarian options.

And then Noa informed us that Burke's Homecoming was Saturday night and not the Friday that we had thought.

I was a little bummed not to get to see Noa get ready for the dance and take the obligatory pictures (they even borrowed a top for me for the "Hollywood" theme), but they promised to take at least one picture at the dance for us to see. So we got back from DCYOP, Allen and I headed to St. Mary's where we met Owen in the driveway in front of his dorm (apparently he inherited his grandfather's love of Find a Friend. After taking his new bike for a spin and securing it in the bike room, he took us on a tour of his favorite haunts on campus (including a demo of the climbing wall), demonstrated alternative entries to his dorm room, and then showed us how quickly he can get to the climbing wall and back after realizing he'd left his phone there. After he reclaimed it, we headed off to a lovely restaurant on the water where we talked politics, Allen and Owen talked baseball, and we all discussed how the semester was going. After splitting a slide of chocolate cake, we headed back to his hall where we got in a lot of hugs and told him we'd see him in a few weeks for Parent's Weekend.

Meanwhile, Noa got ready all by themselves and took the metro up to Burke to meet their friends for Pho before the dance itself. Once there, they rocked on, took a lot of photo booth pics and had a great time.

We headed back right around the time the dance was starting, got home and was about 30 minutes into the most recent episode of Rings of Power before we got a text from Noa asking for a ride home. So we headed back to the car, and drove 45 minutes to Burke where we found an elated and exhausted Noa who chatted with us for some of the drive home before we all crashed.

(To see all the weekend pictures, click here.)

50 Percent More than 10!

Fourteen started rough. September is always a hard month for Noa, but this past year it included entering high school as a freshman at a place they didn't originally want to attend and where they didn't have any friends. It was all very challenging. And then some other stuff happened. Things became overwhelming, which culminated in a break and a reset. 

Fortunately, October was better – upon re-entry they joined the school play as a Everybody's Dorito eating "Evil Acts" and became part of the theater clique. Noa went to Homecoming with a friend and started playing Diplomacy with a whole crew over lunch. Noa joined multiple craft and affinity groups. In the winter they were cast as an extra with a very involved backstory in Mean Girls. They once again jumped in the Potomac for charity (and this time they didn't fall). They joined Burke's softball team. Noa made baked goods for their friends (with various levels of success, but always mindful of food sensitivities). They made art and not so short stories and roasted eggplant. They were promoted to DCYOP's Youth Philharmonic. They applied for and got a job (which was only for a week and unpaid, but still!). The took more art classes and saved fellow students from exhaustion and poisonous plants. They finished the Capaldi arc of Doctor Who. They helped their big brother move into college and realized that they have strong thoughts about the brick ratio at academic institutions. And somewhere along the way, they found their smile again.

And so, we are cautiously optimistic about fifteen. In the past 12 months Noa has become a lot more comfortable with who they are and have surrounded themselves with some pretty great people that appreciate their awesomeness. And while I'm sure there will be bumps in the road, it feels like Noa has gotten better at navigating them.

So happy birthday, little one. We love you and hope your next trip around the sun is filled with light.

1. "I am a golfing god."
2. So many spheres!
3. There is only one true father. There are, however, a number of "dads" up for grabs at Burke. 
4. In case of emergency, there is a "Mark as Lost" feature on your iPhone. It is your best friend.
5. You can put a Duck on a leash, but you can't make them walk.
6. Feed the faceless baby.
7. Will ski for socks.
8. Ovens are terrifying. Stoves are fine. And toaster ovens are amazing. 
9. Sometimes your brother will convince you to watch a Doctor Who that ends with you in tears. And sometimes said brother needs to then by reminded that, "It's your fault for getting me invested!"
10. And in the immortal words of Quentin Tarantino in True Romance, "That's the way it goes. But don't forget, it goes the other way too."

 

SMCM Move-In Day

The day finally came when our first-born is leaving the nest and moving in to his dorm for college. We've been getting in all the Owen time we can this past week, with 18th birthday celebrations (steak at St. Anslem), one last EPA softball game (Owen hit a home run!), lots of Doctor Who (we finished the Capaldi era!), and of course family cuddle time before packing up the car. But I'm not sure you can every get enough Owen time.

When the morning finally arrived we hit the road early to arrive at Owen's dorm in time for his 9:30am move in window. Unfortunately, so did seemingly every other freshman's family (except maybe for Owen's roommate Theo) and so there was a bit of a wait to actually get to his dorm. Once there (and once we finally located the email with his actual room number), the St. Mary's Move-In Crew helpfully unloaded our car for us and carried Owen's belongings to the his hall. 

We quickly started wiping things down, moving things around, and putting stuff away. We ran into a couple of hiccups with his refrigerator (too big to put under his bed, not a long enough cord to plug in anywhere else) and in hanging things on the wall (we didn't have the correct adhesive for Owen's Zelda canvas) so after we got things initially set up and briefly met Owen's roommate and his parents, we headed to the bookstore to pick up those items and a book Noa wanted.

We headed back and got the last thing put away and then went to the dining hall for lunch. After another stop at the bookstore to get a few things off Owen's syllabi (The Gulag Archipelago, Suicide of the West, and Intro to Macroeconomics), we took an extended tour of campus, including the waterfront.

By the time we headed back to Owen's dorm, they were getting ready for a hall meeting and were officially kicking parents out. We got in our last hugs and a final selfie before Owen walked us out the door. We didn't cry at the time, which was kind of amazing (though likely because I had cried profusely the night before while I wrote Owen a letter, and Allen and Noa being of stoic, Fawcett stock), but it was a pretty quiet drive home which was mostly spent wondering what Owen was doing now. 

Which was literally going over the rules of the dorm, but figuratively starting a whole new and exciting chapter, that we happily toasted to at the local wine bar.

(To see all the move-in pictures, click here.)

One last family cuddle before college

One more in our long history of taking family cuddle selfies before Owen leaves for college :-)

Home Run!

Owen has been involved in EPA Softball since he was in the womb and Elaine was still playing on the team. He went to Bad Air Daze games as a baby and I like to thinks some of his love of baseball has to do with all his time around our little informal softball league. He got his first hit in a real game just after he turned eight and has been playing in games ever since. Post-pandemic the format of games has been a little different as we most offices don't have enough players to field a full team, so we've been mostly doing pick-up games. We've been hoping to get one last game in before he goes off to college, but things were looking dicey for a while as weather cancellations and travel kept foiling our plans. But everything came together on the day between Owen's 18th birthday and the day he leaves for college and we were able to get one last game in. Owen and I biked down to the Mall, chatted with old EPA colleagues and teammates, tossed the ball around to warm up, and played some softball on a gorgeous day. Best of all, Owen hit his first home run! What a way to wrap up the season, and hope we can both play again next year when he's home from college for the summer :-) 

Adulting

When Owen was born, I remember reading a number of articles about how most baseball and hockey stars had birthdays in the fall, just after the age cutoff for their leagues. The timing meant that they would always be the oldest and biggest kids in their age group, and would therefore dominate their sports. Owen, being born more than a month prior to the cutoff, would never enjoy this benefit, but given that neither Allen nor I were particularly sporty people, this didn't seem like such a huge loss. What took me slightly longer to realize and internalize is that because of Owen's summer birthday, we effectively get one less year of him at home compared to all those October and November babies. Now as we prepare to send him off to college two days after his 18th birthday, I'm regretting not waiting a little longer to start our family.

Though I will say that we have crammed a lot into those years, particularly this past one. Owen composed and performed opuses. He received a provisional license. He went to a school dance (though he didn't actually dance...). Owen flew across the country by himself, went to a music festival in NYC with his friends. He applied, got in, and selected a college. Owen graduated. He rediscovered his love of baseball. He combed his hair.

Which is to say, Owen is totally ready for his next great adventure. And while I'm sad that we won't be there for the day to day of it all, I'm so glad to have had all the time that we did with him, so proud of what he's become, and excited to see what he does next.

So happy birthday, little man, we love you so, so much. Now go start your next chapter (and don't forget to call).

1. Never underestimate the healing power of Neosporen.
2. En passant isn't for posers.
3. Football is life. Unless it's Minecraft and you're the poor armadillo they're using as the ball.
4. Always remember there was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share a name. And that cannibalism sucks.
5. Strike a pose.
6. In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate but equally important groups: the police who investigate crime; and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. Also, on occasion, the art thief turned government witness.
7. "The six inning minimum is just an extreme suggestion to negotiate from. It's MLB announcing that they want starters to go deeper into games. When it all plays out we'll probably end up with the double hook."
8. I'll get by with a little help from my friends.
9. In the end, it all comes down to parallel parking.
10. And in the immortal words of the 11th Doctor, We're all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh.

Walk Off!

We thought that this Saturday might be the day for Owen's birthday party, but when Owen found out his friends had conflicts, our schedule was surprisingly open giving us the perfect chance for one last Nats game before Owen leaves for college. I was able to get five last minute tickets to the Nats v. Angels game behind the visitors dugout (all the better to see Anthony Rendon's first series back in DC since the 2019 World Series), plus it was Caturday at Nats Park so Noa was even willing to join us. Elaine and Noa did leave a bit early, after Noa enjoyed both their savory and sweet crepes and got their fill of watching the birds, but Owen, Mom Mom, and I stuck it out. We saw James Wood hit his fourth career home run and drive in another with a double to help the Nats come back to tie the game. Then in the 10th, Jose Tena hit a walk off single off of the center field wall for the Nats second walk-off extra innings win in a row. Let's go Nats!

 

But your kids are going to love it...

During our various trips to NYC last year, Noa decided they wanted to see Back to the Future the Musical. While we weren't quite up for another trip up to Broadway for it, when I saw the touring company was coming to the Kennedy Center, the kids were totally on board with getting tickets. Things got a bit more complicated when we found out the alley work that was supposed to happen while we were in Iowa was happening this week and we didn't move our car out in time to avoid being trapped for who know how long. Fortunately it's pretty easy to get around DC without a car, and and we were able to have a lovely dinner at our usual pre-theater spot and catch the show. Noa even agreed to take a nice family selfie at the Kennedy Center (in exchange for a mini key chain harmonica from the gift shop that they are far more talented at playing than any of the rest of us!).

The show was fun. It's a great story of course, though Owen was predictably uncomfortable with the mother son sexual tension back in 1955. The music wasn't particularly memorable – outside of the diegetic Johnny B. Goode and Power of Love – but the DeLorean looked great and Noa in particular thought the show lived up to expectations. Now we just need a family movie night to see the original!

A Tale of Two Cornfests

Every year we go to Iowa for two weeks during the summer to visit family, swim in the pond, and eat a lot of sweet corn. This year was going to be a little different as Allen had to spend most of our first week in Richland, WA for work. But still, the plan was afternoons at the pond swimming, eating sweet corn, and hanging out with family.

And we did get to do that last one, just not necessarily in the way we planned. Having spent the previous summer finding mom a new doctor only to have her fail to make any follow-up appointments and observing that she wasn't looking well, I spent a few hours after we arrived talking to her health plan an eventually getting her doctor to squeeze her in for an appointment (and to finally take care of some of the lab worked she skipped), only to be sent almost immediately to the ER once they finally drew her blood so that she could get an emergency transfusion and be admitted to the hospital.

Mom was less than thrilled with the development while Dad was just confused as to what was going on. Fortunately, Owen now has his provisional driver's license and so he and Noa could at least get a little pond time in while I spent my days at the hospital and Allen was still in Richland. Allen made it home. We cancelled a visit from Blaine. Steve decided to come out a little earlier and without Erin and Sam in order to be there for a procedure to try and figure out why mom get losing blood. We cancelled a trip to Marshalltown to see Ellen, Bernie, Pete and Jeannine. 

In the end Allen and the kids were still able to make corn fest (Allen came in third in the sweet corn eating contest behind Ethan and Simon). I made a twenty minute appearance to say hi and pick-up Noa (they weren't up for all the late night fun that Allen and Owen were). Mom was eventually discharged from the hospital four days after she was admitted – looking and feeling a lot better – and willingly agreed to take her medicine, use a cane and even have a follow-up visit with her doctor. We got a few days of family pond time in and even picked some sweet corn so Mom and Dad could enjoy it as well. And while Dad is disappointed that Mom's been barred from drinking wine, he's excited to have her home (and I think a bit relieved that I was heading out and wouldn't be there to boss them around so much).

Though Dave is coming out for Dad's next medical appointment later this week...

(To see all of our Iowa pictures, click here.)

Driver

Owen got his learner's permit before Christmas 2022 and started on his required 40 hours of driving with some lessons with Grandpa Don. Over the course of the next year and a half, he did hours of professional driving lessons, lots of driving shifts on the way to and from Iowa, plenty of driving from Iowa City to the pond and back, some late night drives back from the Telfair-Cha's (thanks Owen!), and a several hours of intensive parallel parking practice before his first try at the road test. 

He had finished all the required hours so we scheduled a test before he left for Stanford. Owen drove us over to the DMV and instructor confirmed he could use our car (the parking brake requirements weren't entirely clear). The first thing they had him do was parallel park between two sets of cones in the DMV parking lot. It turns out all the practicing we did regarding real world parallel parking conditions wasn't quite what we needed to prepare Owen for the DMV requirements: you can only reverse once and pull forward once during your attempt, and the cones and cement block didn't quite provide the visual cues Owen had practiced with. Owen was more than 12" from the 'curb' and so the test was immediately terminated and they told him to come back and try again. Just for good measure, I tried parking between the cones and didn't manage to get close enough on my attempt, so it really wasn't easy.

We scheduled another try for the morning after Owen got home from Stanford (wanting to give us enough time for one more try before Iowa if needed). After reviewing a few DMV approved parallel parking tips, Owen was up for another try. This time the instructor told us we couldn't use our car, so Owen had to use one of the DMV cars for his test. I was nervous, but Owen wasn't phased and he nailed the parallel parking on his first attempt. 

Last time they didn't let him try any of the rest of the driving exam, so he wasn't sure what he was in for, but it turned out all he had to do was drive a few blocks around the neighborhood and he was done. We had a little scare when going through the paperwork to verify his 40 hours, it turned out that the 10 hours of night driving didn't count (the 40 hours need to be before 9pm, and the 10 hours of night driving are needed for your full license, not your provisional license), but he was just 30 minutes shy of 40 and the friendly people at the DMV let me add the time he was driving that morning to get him to 40, and we officially have a licensed driver!

Legal Eagle

Despite our best efforts, neither of our offspring has expressed any interest in going into economics. And while it's been a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, Allen and I are trying to be supportive of Owen's interest in the law. During the pandemic he started following a series of lawyers on Youtube that discussed various civil rights issues and court cases. Then last summer he participated in a week long program at Howard Law School which only fueled the fire. So this year, when he was invited to a 10 day Law Intensive at Stanford, it was kind of a no brainer.

They didn't lie about the intensive part. Owen started his day at 8:30 in the morning and didn't make it back to his dorm room until after 9 pm, which was after his Eastern Time Zone parents' bedtime. There was coursework and prep work and lots of reading. And while there was a little time at Fisherman's Wharf and general merriment, most of Owen's time was spent preparing for their trial, where Owen played an art thief who turned states evidence (a role he was oddly good at). 

Owen really loved it, and it was a nice way to ease in to the whole college life thing. Hopefully, the experience will cement his intention to study the law, and keep him on the right side of it...

(click here for all the pictures)

Here's to Good Friends...

When Owen started at Duke Ellington, he kind of had to give up baseball – Duke didn't have a team, and Owen's class schedule didn't exactly support joining a travel one. At the same time, the Nationals were in a bit of a rebuilding period, and so there wasn't a whole lot of interesting baseball to watch.

But with school ending, James Woods joining the Nationals and the prospect of college intramural baseball in the offing, Owen's gotten back into baseball which has meant watching lots of highlights, quoting stats to his father, and even meeting up with his daycare best friend Leo for a game.

Owen was supposed to see Leo at Leo's Eagle Scout Ceremony, but I messed up the time and location resulting in our briefly hanging out by ourselves in his yard playing stickball before leaving his card in the mailbox and heading home. We tried to meet up after, but Owen had prom and left for the beach while Leo had graduation and immediately left to be counselor at Boy Scouts Camp.

But the stars eventually did align and Owen and Leo were able to spend Leo's 18th birthday watching the Nats beat the Met's in what's being referred to as the best game of the season, which is only right since they spent Owen's 6th birthday watching the the same thing.

The Graduate

Owen's high school experience was not exactly what we would have wished for – it started during a pandemic, and spanned a period filled with a lot of loss and trauma. But despite some enormous hurdles, Owen persevered. He made some incredible friends, discovered a love of law and policy, played a lot of cello (and realized that that's not what he wants to do for the rest of his life), and became this fully formed person, who is one of the most generous, inquisitive and supportive people you'll ever meet.

Owen's graduation is kind of bittersweet. I'm thrilled to celebrate this person who spends so much time uplifting and celebrating others, even if it means stepping aside in order to let them shine; but the idea of celebrating Owen graduating and preparing for the next stage of his life, which will invariably involve him becoming more independent and separate from us, is kind of a bummer. So while I'm incredibly proud of all that he's accomplished and excited for all that's in front of him, the idea of him venturing out into the world, away from us, makes me sad.

But for now, we're going to focus on the joyful side of Owen's graduation, which was an amazing ceremony with two of his best friends serving as valedictorian and salutatorian, performances by each of the Departments, and the Instrumental Music graduates being serenaded by the band as they received both an official alumni jacket and their diplomas (the other departments had much quieter receptions and no outerwear awards).  Mom Mom joined Allen, Noa and I (we were only allowed 4 tickets) for the ceremony itself (which started at 10 am but the call time was 7:30 am which made for a long, morning...). The graduation itself concluded around 12:15 pm, but then we needed a full 30 minutes for pictures (though we lost Noa after five). Once we finally collected Allen and Owen, we headed back to our house to meet Don before heading to St. Anselm for a celebratory graduation brunch (Noa opted to sleep instead). Afterwards, I started preparing for Owen's party the following day, while Allen and Owen stopped by Gabriel's to see him before he headed to Europe, and then stopped by River's graduation party.

We were late in planning Owen's graduation party and so sort of drew the short straw – the 11 am to 2 pm Father's Day slot. Still, we woke early and began prepping. We made breakfast casseroles and a pancake/sausage variation of pigs in blankets (which worked better conceptually), ordered bagels and donut holes, and filled out the menu with fruit salad, various baked treats, and a variety of both adult and non-adult beverages. We also made a 30 minutes slideshow dedicated to Owen's life through graduation which we had playing in the background.

It wasn't a huge party (again, 11 am on Father's Day...), but we had close family and friends, and a lot of Owen's classmates stopped by too. Owen dutifully greeted each person and worked the room before he and his friends departed at 2:30 for the next graduation party...

We spent the rest of the day cleaning up and reflecting on it all – how far Owen has come, how proud we are of him, and how curious we are about the next chapter about to unfold...

(To see all the graduation pictures, click here.)

Prom-ises

Back in seventh grade, Owen was set to play in the middle school baseball playoffs, when Stuart-Hobson had to forfeit because the game conflicted with the eight grade dance. Owen was crushed, and swore he to never attend a school dance. And he didn't (although COVID might have played a role in that).

But then senior year came around and Owen's good friend Rosemary's aunt decided that Rosemary needed an appropriate escort to the prom and that Owen was such an escort. Since neither Rosemary nor her aunt brook dissent, Owen conceded and duly purchased a ticket to prom (or rather I did) and ordered a corsage and boutonniere (actually, that was me again). And while he didn't partake in the mocktail hour or the actual dancing portion of the evening, he was game for all the pre-prom activities and photo-ops which his friends graciously shared with us.

(To see all of Owen's friends' prom pictures, click here.)

The Grand Finale

When you go to a performing arts high school, the assumption is that you're going to perform... a lot. But when you go there during a pandemic, things change. Owen's Duke Ellington experience wasn't quite what he expected, but he did meet some great people and have some cool experiences. And while the number of performance for his senior year were limited, he did have a senior recital where he performed three pieces, including one he wrote himself.

Originally, Owen was supposed to perform before we left for Iowa. But then they changed the performance to the day Allen and Mom Mom were leaving, so we had it moved to the Tuesday after Memorial which meant: 1) we weren't able to record his trio's performance of the piece he wrote in honor of John for the Memorial, and 2) he might not have had the ideal pre-performance routine.

Regardless, it was really awesome seeing him perform after four years at Duke, and seeing him perform a piece he wrote himself with such an emotional resonance was pretty amazing. Thank you to the faculty, to Rosemary and Charlie for performing with Owen, and to Mom Mom, Grandpa Don, Megan and Gabriel and all of Owen's Duke friends that attended his senior recital.

Please enjoy the performance,

• Cello Concerto in A Minor, Movement 1, Camille Saint-Saens
• Arioso, Johann Sebastian Bach
• Memories of a Cold Spring, Owen Fawcett

Celebration of Life – John Thomas Fawcett

When Dad passed last December we knew the knew the way he would want us to celebrate his life would be to gather friends and family at the Pond. December wasn't the ideal time to make that happen, so working with family out in Iowa we decided that Memorial Day weekend was the right time - the weather would hopefully be nice, and it would fit in with the farming schedule. When the week finally arrived, there was a prodigious tornado outbreak in Iowa on Tuesday, and the weather was decidedly unsettled with continued severe thunderstorms on Wednesday and Friday. My flight in with Mom Mom on Thursday went smoothly, and we were able to catch Nancy's talk at the Hoover Library; Elaine and Owen had a bumpy ride with the storms on Friday, but we all made it in to Iowa safely.

Saturday morning dawned to one of the most spectacular spring days in Iowa of recent memory. Owen and I met Ken, Thomas, and Kent at Hickory Grove Cemetery across from Scattergood to dig the grave for Dad's ashes. We located Dad's plot – just behind Floyd & Mary Helen and Alfred & Helen – in the 'party row' where many of Dad's siblings and cousins already have plots reserved. We started to dig and quickly hit a massive root from a nearby tree. Providentially, Kent had left a mini-chainsaw by the tree when he was there earlier in the week, and it somehow had weathered the storms and still had a charge, so we were able to cut through the root and finish digging the hole. It probably wasn't as deep as the corner fence post dad was digging when he first made the switch from farming to Presidential Libraries, but it felt right to do it ourselves. 

Family and close friends gathered at the cemetery at 10 and we laid dad to rest. Tim Walsh gave some lovely remarks, we had a period of silent quaker worship, Katherine played a song that spoke perfectly to the day, and then we all went to the Pond for lunch before the public Celebration of Life.

People began arriving at two and when the time felt right we gathered people together on the screened in porch and I sat head of Meeting for our Quaker Meeting for Worship in Celebration of the Life of John Thomas Fawcett. We had some peaceful silent worship, but mostly people shared their stories about Dad. Stories from his youth, stories from his career, and stories of him as a brother, friend, and father. Owen played the score version of his composition – Memories of a Cold Spring: In Loving Memory of John Thomas Fawcett, and after we broke Meeting Katherine led us all in a Coors Light toast. It really was just the day Dad would have wanted.

(click here for all the pictures)

Trio

One of Owen's best experiences at Duke Ellington has been his senior composition class. He always loved his music theory classes, and composition has taken that to the next level. He's composed all manner of pieces this year, an impossible to play cello 'solo' piece for his friend Charlie, an achingly beautiful (and actually playable) cello piece for himself, a string quartet mourning his late grandfather, and quartet named 'trio' featuring the cello and viola while trolling the first violin with a boring part. The last piece he chose to play with his friends at the composition recital. The talent on display was phenomenal and we only wish they all could have played more!

Mother's Day

After getting back from our little early birthday outing to Field & Main and Sky Meadows, we all went up to Mom Mom's for a little Mother's Day celebration. Noa baked some amazing garlic bread and Allen made some decadent homemade chocolate ice cream. The ice cream turned out to need a little more time, but fortunately we picked up a strawberry rhubarb pie at the Red Truck bakery in Marshall that was perfect for Mother's Day, and the ice cream could wait until Elaine's real birthday on Monday night.  

Sky Meadows

For an early celebration of Elaine's birthday this year we took a little trip to Marshall, VA for a lovely dinner at Field & Main and a stay at the Rosemary Inn. We were hoping for a view of the spectacular aurora from the solar storm, but the solar flares had died down and the clouds were not cooperating. The rain did stop in the morning though and we were able to go for a nice little hike in the Sky Meadows State Park. Not a bad little birthday outing.

Lets Go Nats!

It's been a while since the Nats have been exciting. After the high of the World Series win in 2019 we had the lost pandemic season in 2020 where they struggled playing in empty stadiums, then they couldn't quite pull things together in 2021 and traded away Scherzer, Turner, Soto, Schwarber and more to rebuild the farm system for the future. That led to several years of the Nats being at the bottom of the league. They started to show some promise at the end of last year, and this year they've shown a ton of heart. Kids like C.J. Abrams are showing star potential, they lead the Majors in comeback wins, and after winning the first of a two game series against the AL leading O's, they finally have a winning record again.

Against this backdrop, Owen, Mom Mom, Don and I went to the Nats O's game Wednesday night, and saw the young really show their spirit. Down 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs they battled back to tie the game. The O's scored tow in the top of the 11th but the Nats wouldn't die, scoring two more to tie the game again at 5. The O's continued the pattern in the 12th going up 7-5, but the Nats could only manage one run in the bottom of the inning letting the O's squeak by with the win. The Nats may have lost, but we all had a tremendous time cheering our heads off – though Owen may have lost his voice for a few days – and the team is showing all sorts of promise for the future.

J1 Reunion

Historically, the Women of J1 meet up every few years. But as life has gotten increasingly complicated for us all lately,  we've needed to lean on each other a bit more frequently. Hence why we squeezed in TWO reunions in the past 7 months (though sadly, Tracey couldn't make either).

This time Cecily and Audra flew to DC to give me a little extra NU love. The pair flew in Friday night and after a few hiccups leaving National Airport (exits are hard!) we headed back to our house for dinner, drinks, a concert from Owen, and some quality socializing.

The next morning, I picked up treats at the Pretzel Bakery before we headed to Dupont to catch part of the annual Around the World Embassy Tour where we checked out the Trinidad (FYI, after experiencing the costumes, stilt walker and music, everyone should check out Trinidad), admired the line for Australia (it went on for blocks...) and eventually made it to the African Union Embassies. Afterwards, we braved a gentle rain and walked to Georgetown where we visited the Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Owen's school, before we grabbed some lunch and slowly made our way home (after racking up 19,999 steps). That night, Allen and the kids went to Steve & Megans while we enjoyed some adult beverages and a couple of movies before crashing.

The next working we were moving a bit slower, but Allen made us a lovely breakfast after which we rallied and headed to the Smithsonian Craft Show. Audra was inspired and got some hints on new materials, Cecily discovered the value of fallen trees in Oregon, and I got to catch up with Sharon (and pick up a birthday present for her). After hitting every booth over several hours, we grabbed lunch and then made it to the National Museum of Women in the Arts for their free first Sunday of the month entry an hour before they closed. We had only made it through two galleries before they started closing and we hadn't seen the Alma Thomas paintings Audra was particularly hoping to find. So she stopped by the front desk, where a very helpful curator offered to give us a private tour of two Alma Thomas pieces (one by flashlight since the gallery lights had been turned off), gave us some exhibit cards on the works, directed us to the Portrait Gallery which was having a full Alma Thomas exhibit, confirmed that museum was open until 7 pm, and then gave us directions.

We managed to make it and get in the full Alma Thomas experience, followed by the Presidential Portrait gallery and even saw Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey's portraits for good measure before I called it. We crossed the street and grabbed the metro, and then called Allen so he could pick up at Union to save us the walk home. He even dropped us off at Hiraya where I thought I'd made a reservation (I didn't). We grabbed dinner and then came home, had a drink with Allen and then crashed.

The next morning, Audra & Cec slept in and briefly Facetimed with Tracey while I took Owen to school for his A.P. Government test and then dropped Noa off at the metro. When I got back, we showered, cleaned up, grabbed some bikeshares and then headed to Capitol Hill for a monumental tour. We started at Tracey's old boarding house from our college days, followed by the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and the Capitol (where Cecily spied a taping of RuPaul's Drag Race and ended up in the background of one of its star's instagram). We then parked the bikes at the Botanical Gardens so we could see the corpse flower whose three day bloom happened to coincide with Audra and Cecily's visit.

Afterwards we got new bikes and then started on our epic tour of all the monuments, but around the Sculpture Garden, I realized that Noa's interview for a CHAW counselor in training position this summer was cancelled, which meant they could make their softball playoff game (which was short on players), but they didn't have their uniform or equipment. After some panicked texts from Noa, I sent Audra and Cecily on their way (Audra had visited just a few years ago for her kid's spring break so she knows the tour well) while I ran home, grabbed Noa's stuff, took the metro to Van Ness, handed Noa their stuff (they made the game, but ended up not playing), metroed home and called Audra and Cec to see if they wanted a ride home only to discover they were already biking back (having hit the Lincoln, Vietnam, Jefferson, FDR, MLK, George Mason and Einstein Memorials). I made them a quick snack before we packed up everything and headed to the airport where we said our goodbyes and started planning our next gather in six months or so...

(To see all the pics, click here.)

Burke Softball

Noa joined the Burke softball team for the spring season and they're really enjoying the team. They've improved significantly since taking up the game at Sheridan last year, and enjoy the practices, supporting the team, and getting out of a term of gym class. Owen and I have made it out to see two of their games this season. The first was a home game couple weeks ago where Burke hung on to win a nail biter. The second one was right in our neighborhood against the Model Secondary School for the Deaf at the Gallaudet Softball complex. Elaine had to leave early to pick up Audra and Cecily from the airport, but the Owen and I stuck around to see the Tigers dominating 30-9 win.

 

Senior Skip Day

Owen doesn't really take any pictures when he's out with his friends, but thankfully Reb does and she let's us follow her on instagram! Just reposting some her nice ones of the group here – paddle boating on the Tidal Basin over spring break and hanging out at the Zoo for senior skip day. 

And the Winner Is...

After many a college visit, tours, interviews, admitted students day, shadow classes, a steak dinner, and some voting way back when on the blog, Owen finally has decided where he will matriculate: St. Mary's College of Maryland! Given the May 1st deadline, we were getting anxious to force a decision, so we went out with Gabriel's family for a meal at Steak Frites and pried it out of them (Gabriel is off to Oberlin). Owen's decision triggered an announcement on Duke's Senior's Instagram page, and allowed him an actual response to the question at his SWS class reunion, "What are you doing next year?" In the end it came down to SMCM and Goucher (Washington College came in third), and we're all feeling very good about his decision. 

Allen promptly paid the deposit, applied for DCTAG, started planning a ski trip over Owen's five week winter break, and figured out how to write SMCM OWEN in nautical flags. I just breathed a sigh of relief that Owen will be close to home as he starts the next chapter of what I think will be a very good book.

SWS Reunion

With High School graduation rapidly approaching Owen's SWS class got together for a reunion. They were the first class to graduate from SWS after it expanded to a full elementary school, so it was a little special for them all to see their old teachers and tour the newly renovated school. After the tour they all went over to the Rubin's house where Owen proved to be quite the pool shark, while Elaine chatted with the other parents, and Allen went to pick up Noa after a birthday party at the Black Cat.

Earth Day & Ohtani

To celebrate Earth Day Owen and I joined some of my old CEB colleagues and about 700 other EPA folks to see the EPA Administrator throw out the first pitch, Chief of Staff Dan Utecht say 'Play Ball' and the Nats take on the Dodgers. Jim, Shaun, Morgan, Aksay, and David Lopez, plus more folks from across OAP all had a group of seats together. We had a great time catching up even got to see Shohei Ohtani's first home run at Nats Park – a 118.7 mph exit velocity laser beam into the second deck. The Nats were stayed in it the whole game and even had a chance to walk it off with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn't quite pull out the win. We all had a great time though, and Owen even gave some advice about high school to Jim's son who is a rising ninth grader.

Eclipse!

 

Back in 2017 Noa and I went to Columbia, South Carolina for the total solar eclipse. It was Owen's first day of middle school, and we decided that was too important for him to miss, so Owen and Elaine missed out. Fortunately the eclipse cycle was going to bring another total solar eclipse to the U.S. seven years later in April of 2024. 

With a path of totality sweeping from Austin to Maine it was tempting to make a trip to Texas for this eclipse, but school schedules meant that we were better off sticking somewhere closer to home. We decided to visit Joe & Cate in Pittsburgh for the weekend, then drive up to a field in Greenville, PA for the main event. 

Sunday in Pittsburgh was a stunningly gorgeous day. We went for a walk in the park by the river, roasted marshmallows by the fire, and played a late night game of hide & seek in the Mettenburg woods. The forecast for Monday though had been trending cloudy, and when we woke up to rain falling on the skylights, I'll admit I was nervous. We pressed ahead though and drove up to the path of totality, stopping to pick up lunch in Hermitage. The rain stopped and we started to see the sun peaking through the clouds on the drive. By the time we reached our field there was enough blue sky to feel cautiously optimistic.

When we reached C1 – first contact – the clouds were thin enough that you could generally make out the moon taking the first bight out of the sun with our eclipse glasses on. Everyone's excitement built as we gradually moved towards totality. The light felt strange, darker than it should be, and the shadows became eerily sharp. The temperature began to fall, and the clouds began to clear. Owen, Noa, Gigi, Hugh, and the Mettenburg's French exchange student Nya paused their game of ultimate frisbee to give their full attention to the eclipse as we approached C2 and totality. Bailey's beads and then the diamond ring appeared and we took off our eclipse glasses to behold in awe the inky black hole in the sky surrounded the by the gossamer white tendrils of the corona. Unlike the last eclipse we saw, this time there was a red glow on the limb of the sun – a giant solar flare tens of times larger than the earth itself leaping out from behind the moon. For our one minute and thirty seven seconds of totality we stood in wonder – awed by an experience that has inspired humanity since time immemorial.  

After totality ended we shared stories with the others in our field and texted with friends that saw the eclipse from other places along the path of totality. Steve and Megan sent a picture from Indiana where their friends set up a telescope and saw the solar flare in all its glory. We quickly hit the road, weary of eclipse traffic, and headed home so the kids could be back in school on Tuesday. The next eclipse that will be easily reachable in the U.S. won't come until 2045 – though if we really can't wait the next total solar eclipse will sweep through Iceland and Spain just two years from now... 

Opening Day

Hard to believe it, but this year was the last Opening Day before Owen goes off to college. It's not quite the same buzz as it was back when the Nats were perennial playoff contenders, but Owen, Mom Mom and I made it down to ballpark to see the Nats take on the Pirates. We got take in the new scoreboard and LED field lights, cheer for Michale A. Taylor's first game back at Nats Park with fans since the World Series, high five for Riley Adams game tying home run in the bottom of the 7th, and hang our heads as the bullpen let the game slip away. Above all though, it was just great to be back at a baseball game together!

Ski Bums

It's had been two years since Noa and I had hit the slopes (though the boys went last winter), and with the school year waning and Owen's departure for college looming,  I was adamant that we needed to get some sort of family trip in this year. This was challenging because Allen started a new job with more travel, the kids have completely different school schedules and I've been in the throes of finalizing regs to beat the Congressional Review Act. Allen finally identified a long weekend he though would work, right after he got back from a trip to Richland (assuming he made it back), Noa was still on Spring Break, and Owen's various instrumental performances were cancelled. So while the stars were briefly aligned, Allen booked a four day (two of which involved skiing) trip to Deer Valley, UT. Over the Easter weekend.

We were all a little anxious given Allen's last work trip to Richland, but amazingly (after he rebooked his flight out through Salt Lake City instead of Minneapolis due to a snow storm) he made it home on Wednesday in time to pack for an early Thursday departure. Everyone got up at the proper hour, we made it to the airport early enough to window shop for socks and get breakfast before we boarded the plane. We did not check in early enough, however, so that we could all sit together, which meant that we all took various middle seats throughout the plane and Noa got to sit next to someone that ate hardboiled eggs the entire flight.

When we arrived in Salt Lake, we retrieved our luggage, took a shuttle to the rental car place, and then found a lovely brewery in downtown Park City for a late lunch. Afterwards we stopped by a grocery store for supplies before heading to Deer Valley as some incredibly fat snowflakes started falling.

We dropped stuff at the house and then walked down to the main lodge before we swung by the rental place to pick up skis (we'd decided to not bring skis since Noa's don't fit and the rental cost versus the hassle of checking them was a bit of a wash) and then headed back to the house for a pseudo dinner and some quality hot tub time (and strangely a snow angel from Allen).

The next morning there were several inches of fresh powder and kind of ideal conditions for skiing – cloudy but good visibility, temperatures in the low thirties and not too many people (oddly, not a lot of people go skiing on Good Friday). The morning was good. We'd promised Noa we would get them a pair of socks from the sock store at BWI if they found some form of currency in the snow, so when Noa saw a run called "Legal Tender" they renegotiated so that as long as they made it down the trail, socks would be theirs.

Noa had a few falls in the morning (one of which was pretty bad) so after a hot chocolate break, Allen took them back to the house while Owen and I got in a few nice blues, then we met Allen for lunch before I headed back to the house so that the boys could go do some crazy stuff (but not too crazy given Owen has a senior recital coming up next month and Ms. Purdie was not excited about this trip). After the boys got home, we cleaned up and headed out to a lovely dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant and then gathered for another night in the hot tub (Noa demurred) as it began snowing even more. Then we all crashed.

Noa and I didn't sleep that well, and so the boys headed off in the morning to explore the fresh powder while the two of us slept in. We met up with them at the base where they gave us the skinny: foggy with terrible viability up top and melty, icy snow lower down. After a equipment related fall at the top of the lift, Noa informed us they had three falls for the day and then were done. Despite the fact that they didn't fall again, they still wanted to cut it short and so after a late start and early lunch (it was still pretty crappy conditions), so Noa and I turned in our skis and went home. The boys lasted a little longer but came home an hour or so later. We had one more dip in the hot tub, ate leftovers, did laundry, packed, had then crashed.

We woke up the next morning to some serious snow fall, which was bit bittersweet for Allen. It also made the drive back to Salt Lake City pretty painful. But once we returned the rental car, checked in, made it through security and had breakfast we all relaxed. And while it was a short trip, hopefully we'll still manage to get some more ski outings in after Owen leaves for school.

(To see all the ski pics, click here.)

Meanies

Burke's Spring Musical this year was Mean Girls. As a freshman, Noa was largely relegated to the chorus, though that didn't stop them from developing a fully fleshed out back story for their alter-ego, 

Theodore, the younger brother of popular, over-achiever, Calvin, who has a love/hate relationship with Rachel, who they propose to at the Spring Fling, are turned down, and then celebrate the end of the toxic relationship by dancing with their friends (or something like that).

The cast and crew did a great job and it was especially exciting for us since in addition to seeing Noa, we got to see Owen's best friend (and the villain in many a Stuart-Hobson theater performance) Adam perform as Kevin G – head of the Mathletes – for his last (and only) high school musical performance. He kind of slayed it and as the kids say (or at least try to), the whole thing was very fetch.

(To see all the pictures, click here).

Color Wall

 

My great uncle Joe Cox was a professor in the School of Design at NC State and designed the ‘Color Wall’ light mural installation at the University library in 1972. The original installation used a mechanical timer and switching device he invented to control a row of 23 lights with seven different colors that projected on a wall creating different colors as they overlap and black metal vanes casting casting colorful shadows as they block the light from different angles. The ‘Color Wall’ was restored in 2010 replacing the original mechanical switching device with a digital controller. 

I have so many fond memories of visiting my Aunt Bets and Uncle Joe as a child, but I never had the chance to see his ‘Color Wall’ until a work trip took me to NC State. Seeing it in person was a moving experience, and it was wonderful seeing how much the community here still loves this wonderful artwork. So glad to see that the University has established an endowment to preserve the ‘Color Wall’ for generations to come.

 

(Click here for all the pictures)

The mural takes light apart and puts it back together again on the white mural surface. The black creates maximum contrast to the lightness of the colors for heightened emotional response.

 
It creates a color experience as you walk down the hall. It was designed for the space. It is a space in which people are in motion. The light patterns change at irregular intervals about 32 times every two minutes. This is about two changes in the time that it takes a person to walk past it. The changes restimulate you so that you don't have to look at a static situation. Change and variety are important to us.

 
Actually the mural reverses the process of painting. Paint breaks up white light and the paint subtracts some of the light frequencies. But the wall of the mural is white and the individual colors are added. The black anodized forms that are set on various angles perform the subtraction by casting shadows. The light also provides a luminosity that paint does not have.

-Joe Cox, 1972

Saints Alive!

On a very raining Saturday morning, Owen, Allen and I headed to St. Mary's City, MD for Accepted Seahawks Day. While Owen is still waiting to hear from several schools (including favorites Grinnell and Colorado College and Allen's alma mater, William & Mary), of the colleges he's been accepted to already, St. Mary's College (a small, public liberal arts honor college in southern Maryland) is at the top of the list. And despite the gloomy weather (and a very odd play list for the schools premier vocal group, Ping, which included Welcome to New York and Shake It Off), Owen had a great visit.

After the intro session, we forced Owen to talk to the Econ Department. Afterwards, he independently had some really good conversations with faculty and students from the Political Science, Public Policy and History Departments. We checked out the climbing gym after which Owen talked extensively to some members of the climbing club about student setting, ratings and local climbing outings. We toured dorms, the docks, the fine arts hall and the baseball fields. We had lunch at the Niche Rated #1 Best College Food in Maryland Dining Hall. And we had break out session for the parents and students, so we could find out all the logistics of St. Mary's while Owen heard about the challenges of choosing a good roommate.

By the end of a long the day, the sun had come out and Owen seemed really happy and comfortable with the school. And while Allen may have confused a lot of people by sharing an Instagram post which suggested Owen had already made his choice, he's still waiting and mulling things over (we promise there will be a blog post once he decides). 

But at least he has some good options to mull.

(To see all the St. Mary's pictures, click here.) 

Visitation (Part 1)

Having suffered through the part of the college application process that involved test-taking, essay writing, list making, and applying, we're now in the period of waiting and responding (which will then be followed by deciding and committing). So far, Owen has been admitted to three colleges (Goucher, St. Mary's and Washington College), deferred at two (Colorado College and University of Denver), and still awaiting responses for three (Grinnell, University of Maryland and William & Mary).

While we wait to hear from the rest of his options, we've started scheduling admitted student visits. Our inaugural one was Friday at Washington College, established in 1782 and named after the then General, who contributed 50 guineas to its founding, in order for Owen to interview for its Presidential Fellows Program.

The day started with the one and a half hour drive (over the Bay Bridge, mind you) to Chestertown, MD. After checking in at the Visitor's Center, we headed to the Gibson's Center for the Arts auditorium for an overview of the Presidential Fellows program. An hour later, the applicants were sent to mock classes (Owen attended, Brewing up Trouble: The History of Tea and the American Revolution) while the parents participated in a more direct question and answer period with college staff. Owen and I then met up in time for his interview for the program, followed by lunch in the Dining Hall.

After lunch, we had the option for a guided tour, but Owen wanted to explore more freely so we went off on our own. One of our first stops was at the library, where a helpful librarian (who clearly knew her audience) asked if we ever watched Doctor Who. Inspired by the series, Washington developed its own VARDIS (Virtual/Augmented Reality Digital Imaging Studio) where students can create virtual reality experiences. Two students happened to be working on some museum studies projects while we were there and gave a rather lengthy presentation about the technology and its application. Next we swung by Ideaworks, the lab which features a laser saw, multiple 3-D printers, and all the tools to build a battery powered boat for student-led projects.

After the library, we attempted to get into a few buildings unsuccessfully before heading back to the car – though we managed to time it perfectly to catch Washington's baseball team's warm-up. After taking the mandated pictures for Allen, Owen and I headed back over the Bay Bridge to DC. where Owen announced it wasn't his top choice, but that he liked it (though that was before he learned that the nearest climbing gym was in Delaware...).

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Polarities

Since Allen hasn't managed to solve global warming yet, it was time once again for the Chesapeake Climate Action Networks annual Polar Bear Plunge. Owen, having braved last year's frigid conditions, decided not to participate this year. And since someone needs to take pictures and hold stuff on shore while our environmental heroes venture into the icy waters of the Atlantic (or rather its chilly tributary), only Allen and Noa represented for the Fawcett/Zimmermans.

They were joined by 20 or so other Quaking Quakers and dozens of other climate soldiers on a semi-balmy, overcast Saturday at the National Harbor (which didn't prevent Allen's toes from getting cold). After checking in, grabbing some snacks and listening to a few speeches, we marched with the others to the beach where the Plungers submerged themselves (or at least waded in) as us onlookers documented their efforts and cheered.

After drying off and a quick change of clothes, we started to head to the car to leave. But as we passed the Capital Wheel, we decided that since we didn't have any major plans for the rest of the day (Noa had already missed orchestra) a ferris wheel ride would looking out over the harbor would be the perfect ending for the morning's adventure.

(To see all of the Polar Pics, click here.)

Forty-Niner

To be honest, we haven't had a lot to really celebrate in a while. So while 49 isn't normally a go all out kind of birthday, the need for a celebration combined with both Allen's passage of youth and new job, coupled with his return following a dramatic and taxing business trip for said job, plus a really nice promotion (free gift certificate for Rose's Luxury with the purchase of a reservation) meant that Allen and I got to take in all four courses, four amuse bouches, and a bevy of drinks at Pineapple & Pearls while donning gold lamè pants (at least for me) and celebrating Allen.

While as parents we don't like to play favorites, as foodies, there were definitely some standouts: Beggar's Purses a la Quilted Giraffe had both an incredible presentation and tasted amazing (scallion pancakes with creme fresh, red onion and caviar); Marco's Gnocchi involves no eggs, but some amazing black truffles; the World Class Wagyu seemingly melted in your mouth; and the Taste the (Berry) Rainbow was just what a couple of kids from Iowa need to end a lovely evening (and the Tomorrow's Lunch wagyu cheeseburgers made for a couple of lovely lunch breaks for Allen).

It's not something we do very often, but if you have the means and opportunity, we highly recommend a night our at Pineapple & Pearls. It definitely made for a special 49th. Happy birthday, Allen Fawcett.

(To see all the courses, click here.)

Air Disasters

This week was Allen's first work trip for PNNL. It was kind of a disaster. He was scheduled to fly to Richland, WA on Monday, with a short layover in Minneapolis, in order to make a manager’s retreat on Tuesday. But his 40-minute layover turned into 1.5 hours, then 2.5 hours due to a flat tire on the plane, then into the next morning due to a missing flight crew. Allen grabbed a hotel room in Minneapolis and headed back to the airport the next morning at 5:30 am CST in the hope that he could make the second half of the retreat.

But then that flight was delayed another 2.5 hours due to the still missing crew. Then 4 hours due to weather. Then they finally boarded but made Allen check his carryon bag since it was such a small plane. Things finally seemed like all would be ok, until they tried to land in foggy Richland, got within twenty feet of the runway, pulled up and circled around to try again, almost landed again but pulled up and diverted to Portland, OR. Because the fog was getting worse in Richland, they cancelled the flight until the following day, which meant Allen, having already missed the retreat, would now miss a full day of meetings unless he took action. So, he rented a car and drive the four hours to Richland, though that meant that he wouldn’t have his luggage. "No problem," said Delta, "we’ll drop it off when we land the following day." Tuesday night, after a long day and a long drive Allen arrived in Richland, WA in order to make his Wednesday and Thursday meetings… but without any of his clothes or toiletries. 

The bag didn’t arrive the next day either, having stayed for some reason in Portland. I suggested Allen at least find a Target and pick up some fresh underwear, undershirts and socks, particularly since the following day they were taking his “portrait” for PNNL, but Allen was resolute and so headed off Thursday morning in the same outfit he’d been wearing since 4:30 am CST on Tuesday for a photoshoot to be immortalized on the PNNL wall. 

Having now finished all of his meetings, Allen returned to his hotel room Thursday night to discover that his bag was still not there. It was, however, at the Richland airport (unclear why Delta didn't deliver it). Allen planned to just pick it up the next morning on his way back out of principle, but I convinced him that it would be better to drive the 20 minutes to the airport in order to have some fresh clothes to fly home in. So he skipped dinner (opting instead for bagels and yogurt from the hotel’s breakfast bar) and finally got his bag with all his toiletries and fresh clothes. There was a brief moment of celebration as he planned to head to bed in order to be relaxed for his flight home Friday morning.

Only then he got the call that his flight had been cancelled and he was being rebooked on a later flight that would get him home Saturday morning. He was pretty frustrated, but eventually the PNNL people found him an alternative flight so he slept in and then drove 2.5 hours to Spokane, WA where he and his bag (which he was not required to check on the flight home) then flew to Minneapolis before finally landing in DC after which he arrived home around midnight Friday night, where he immediately crashed.

At least he doesn't have to go back until next quarter...