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...

Swept Away

When Allen suggested that we go see a new musical by the Avett Brothers about 19th century whalers adrift at sea that resort to cannibalism, we all thought he was being a little nutty. But then we actually saw Swept Away on its closing night at DC's Arena Stage and realized Allen was percipient. It's the best cannibal musical I've ever seen (having never seen Sweeney Todd) and the only thing missing was a kracken.

Farewell EPA

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but after 20 amazing years today is my last day at EPA. From my early days toiling away in the Fortran code of a now defunct CGE model, to the wild ride of analyzing Waxman-Markey and other cap-and-trade bills for Congress, to the highs of supporting the negotiations in the lead up to Paris — the torture of dealing with the Biomass Accounting Framework and the SAB, and the intellectual stimulation of working with the Energy Modeling Forum — the fascination of working on the Long Term Strategy, the excitement of analyzing the IRA, and so much more — I can’t imagine a better way to have spent the past 20 years of my career. There really is no better place to do intellectually stimulating work on climate change and have a seat at the table to help make a difference in the world. And of course, the most amazing part of working here has been the people, it's a joy to work with so many friendly people dedicated to public service and furthering our mission to protect human health and the environment. For my next chapter, I will still be working in the same areas, taking a new position as Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute at DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Despite the name, I won’t be far — just up the road a bit in College Park, where I’ll also have an affiliation with the University of Maryland School of Public Policy’s Center for Global Sustainability. Looking forward to a new adventure!

Duck Walk

For Christmas this year, Duck received a cat harness in their stocking that Noa has been itching to get them for a while now. If you're wondering how walking Duck goes, let's just say Noa and Anais at least didn't have to call the fire department!

Years End

 2023 was collectively not our family's favorite year. Still we were able to end it on a nice note.

On New Year's Eve eve, we headed to Mom Mom & Grandpa Don's to see Jen, Ivan, Oliver and meet Sonia (Ahzer had already headed back to Utah). While most of us just chilled (especially Sonia), Noa, Ivan and Oliver spent the evening, running, hiding, making all manner of noise, and watching Captain Underpants, until we finally had to bid them a good night in order for them to make their flight home the next morning and so Noa could recover from hanging with the under ten crowd.

On New Year's Eve, we returned to Mom Mom & Grandpa Don's to finally open Christmas presents with them and Nancy & Danny and have a lovely dinner (followed by an epic marbles tournament) while still making it home in time so that the four of us could greet 2024 while watching Doctor Who together.

Here's hoping for better things and happier times.

(For the rest of our New Yearish pictures, click here.)

Home for Christmas

We were scheduled to be in Iowa this year for Christmas, and while we briefly considered staying home, we forged ahead. It was our first time driving out for the holiday in years without John, which felt a little strange (he would have marveled at all the construction). John would have been pretty amazed to see Owen duly take his driving shift through Ohio (and maneuvering through some tricky stretches).

We were the first to arrive at Mom & Dad's, and enjoyed a lovely meal before crashing Friday night. The next morning, we mistakenly thought that the rest of the Zimmermans would be arriving at any moment, only it turned out that Dave wasn't getting in until later that night, and Steve and his crew wouldn't be there until Christmas afternoon – a fact that we collectively learned when Allen, exasperated by the Zimmerman's collective lack of communications skills, texted Olivia and got the skinny. 

Fortunately, we had opted to spend most of the day with Ken, Helen, Thomas, Leanna and their families – catching up, reminiscing and making some tentative plans for John's memorial this spring at the pond while the grandchildren had a rousing game of Clue followed by a visual variation of the game Telephone where somehow a pictorial of "pain in the neck" led to an explanation of "decapitation." Awe, Christmas.

Dave finally arrived (Kara had to stay back in Colorado to cat sit) right after Mom and Dad returned from church. So we had a lovely dinner (and a lot of Christmas treats) before well all crashed again. The next morning, we mostly hung out (and had an blind eggnog tasting, which if anyone had any doubts, Anderson Erickson is by far the superior eggnog – if you like that sort of thing), before Mom, Dad and Dave headed to church again (which Dad took some issue with but invariably offered it up for those poor souls in purgatory) while we stayed home and made lasagna for dinner. Afterwards, mom and I made our to-do list for the following morning and made an extra pie, having already sampled the ones mom had made in anticipation for everyone's arrival (though we did decide, since we were lacking in filling, that the Schaumburg Zimmermans would have to make due with canned strawberry-rhubarb pie filling since they were the last to arrive).

Christmas morning, mom woke up early to prep the turkey (and declare to Dave that she is never cooking a turkey again). Noa and I made rolls while Dave set the table and then re-set it when we realized that Bernie, Pete and Jeannine would be joining us. Everyone arrived and after some socializing (and a impromptu game of "pass the chairs") we sat down to eat. Dinner was lovely and was followed by a preview of the video Steve put together for Mom's 80th birthday.

The next morning, we officially celebrated Mom's 80th (one month in advance) before Dave headed back. The Schaumburg Zimmermans and us headed to the mall where they skated (and potentially contracted COVID) while we used up some gift cards at Barnes & Noble and watched them, followed by some additional cousin bonding time. The next day, we all headed out, though first we stopped at the pond to meet up with Ken, Helen, Kent and Adam for some more discussions regarding John's memorial and succession planning (as well as to supplement our corn reserves).

It was a weird Christmas -- we forgot to take many pictures and I forgot to even ask Allen how he was handling his first holiday without his Dad until Christmas night. It was hard for Allen -- he kept thinking he should text him or would think of things he wanted to tell him and couldn't. And while it was good to have so much other family surround us, there was still a pretty big hole this holiday season. 

(To see the pictures we have, please click here.)

And the Orchestras Played On

Much like Christmas and the Grinch, the kids' holiday concerts didn't stop but somehow or another still came. And despite everything else, we still managed to make Noa's DCYOP Repertory Orchestra Concert, and the Duke Ellington Vocal and Instrumental Department Holiday Concert.

John Thomas Fawcett

                                John T. Fawcett

              (November 27, 1943 - December 10, 2023)

Allen's father passed away on Sunday, December 10th. The day before, Allen and I had lunch with him and Jacqui to belatedly celebrate his 80th birthday. He seemed in good spirits, told stories and had seconds of desserts. The next morning he woke up, showered, ate breakfast, and then stopped breathing. He died with Katherine and Jacqui by his side. By the time Allen and I arrived he was gone.

John lived with us for 10 years, which were not always easy but were alway interesting. He loved crashing construction sites, trips to Costco, monitoring loved ones whereabouts on "Find a Friend," watching Phineas & Ferb (as well as Wildkratz and the occasional My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) with his grandkids, and viewing season after season of Air Disasters (I'll never understand how he was able to fly after a marathon of those).  He could charm anyone and struck up conversations with all the neighborhood characters who all looked out for him. He had amazing stories from his LBJ years which he loved to share, and was always up for dinner or a drink (his treat). He was a kind and generous man with an infectious smile who was loved his friends and family deeply and will be greatly missed.

Velocity Girl

Brad and Ben joined us for a great night of 90's nostalgia seeing Velocity Girl (with Tuscadero opening) at the Black Cat. 21 year old Allen would be very happy to know this night was in his future :-)

Thanks

Thanksgiving this year was a quiet affair at Nancy and Danny's house. They made the mains and most of the sides, Sharon made a trio of appetizers, and we were charged with rolls and dessert. And while there were some noticeable absences from the table who were sorely missed, we still managed to have a lovely day (and even got a game of marbles in). 

Venice

After failed attempts to travel to ether the IPCC AR6 SYR approval session in Interlaken or the IPCC Scenarios Workshop in Thailand due passport and visa issues, I finally was able to take my first international trip for work since the pandemic. Lucky for me that first trip was to the IAMC Annual Meeting in Venice, Italy along with Leon's Green Macroeconomic Workshop ahead of the IAMC. The workshop was great, and a really wonderful chance to catch up with colleagues from around the world. Especially nice was the chance to to take some walking meetings with Karen, Jen, Joe and Jim, and of course some amazing dinners! The exciting news that I can write about now through the magic of backdating this post is that PNNL offered me the position of Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute while I was in Venice. I accepted the position, but had to keep it quiet the rest of the trip as the news wasn't public yet. I was able to have a nice dinner discussion with Gokul who was in the loop, but had to keep my lips sealed talking with all the other JGCRI staff and collaborators at the meeting. All told it was a great trip, and I can look forward to next year's IAMC in South Korea! 

(click here for all the pictures)

Everybody

Fall plays tend to take on an intellectual bent (see Noa's performance as Lady MacBeth from last year). Private progressive high schools in the nation's capitol, tend to take that to the next level. Hence, Burke's Fall play, Everybody, a modern adaptation of a 15th century morality play based on Buddhist teachings. The play focuses on the randomness of death as the title character is asked to defend their life to God and is allowed to bring someone with them, but is abandoned in the end by friendship, family, and material items, facing God only with only Love and their Evil Acts (played by Noa – while eating chips) by their side as they jump into the abyss, after which Death, Time and Understanding make plans to hang out.

Mom Mom and Grandpa Don joined us for the premier and the Burke players did a great job. And while some of the material might have been a little over my head, I'm excited to be supporting Burke's drama program – especially for the the Spring musical, Mean Girls.

(We were not allowed to film the play, but Allen did get in a few pictures in addition to the trailer...)