Holidays at the OBX

After a successful inaugural Christmas at the Beach in 2020, we decided to repeat the experience for 2022 though with a southern twist (Happy Sol in Nags Head vs Pineapple House in Duck) and the absence of one of our revelers (Adrienne couldn't make it). And while the days leading up to the adventure were a bit stressful (John was hospitalized due to low oxygen levels related to his mitral valve) and leaving DC was complicated (Don had offered to be the initial proctor for Owen's driving lessons but we needed to get Owen's actual permit before we left town, which involved two trips to the DMV – who knew the under 18 crowd needed a birth certificate for a permit – which delayed our departure and resulted in our hitting bad weather and even worse traffic). Once we got there all was well, albeit cold due to arctic blast and bomb cyclone which forced us all to stay indoors and just eat and drink...

We settled in Thursday night, making pizzas and enjoying cocktails, and then the next morning we decorated a tree and readied ourselves for the sequel 2020's LARP Clue, "A Christmas Kracker Killing Mystery." While we were down one horse breeder, Felice Navidad, and one business woman, Rita List, Allen and I doubled up for Buster Kracker's posthumous holiday celebration where we (or at least some of us) ascertained that Phil Stockins (aka Danny) had murdered the father of his fiance, Ava Kracker (aka Sharon) via arsenic poisoning because he and her mother, Paula Kracker (aka Nancy) didn't approve of the match while the rest of us - wine merchant, Angel Shyre (Nora); conductor, Frank Incenses (Owen); Actress, Candy Cane (Katherine); Retired MI6 operative Robin Redbreast (Don); Veterinarian, Evan Song (John); Merchant Navy Captain/Illegitimate Heir, Si Lentnite (Allen); and wedding planner, Dee Coration (Elaine) - provided red herrings and colorful commentary.

For Christmas Eve, Allen, Nora and I prepared an homage to our Tuscan summer adventure while Mom Mom and Nora also prepared the Christmas cake. Christmas Day began with a bagel extravaganza in the morning followed by a beef tenderloin feast that evening, all thanks to Nancy and Danny at which point Katherine finally allowed us to open some presents.

 

Once the official holiday celebrations were over and the arctic blast had moved on, we were able to venture outside for a few activies. Don took Owen driving (including a highway) and he and Geoffrey took Nora flying (although technically, Nora took them). We had an outing to the Bodie Island Lighthouse and the bird sanctuary on Pea Island, a separate outing to Jockey's Ridge, and a sundry of games and activities including bridge, shuffleboard, puzzling, pool (Owen discovered 9 ball), marbles, hot-tubbing, bocce ball, corn hole, various movie watch parties (particularly, Maverick and Glass Onion), a polar bear plunge, and of course, long walks on the beach, as well as a meet up with the Violas who had just arrived to celebrate NYE week at OBX.

The next morning we headed back to DC where we unpacked, opened even more presents, and settled in to face 2023 and start planning for XMas 2024...

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

One Cello Playing

In addition to preparing for their own holiday concert, Duke Ellington's Orchestra was asked to accompany the vocal music department's Peace on Earth concert this week. The two night affair (and multiple late night practices) featured the entire orchestra for Gloria, Because this Child was Born, and Do You Hear What I Hear? with the strings and winds in the pit and the brass on close circuit tv (due to space limitations). But for us, the best part of the show was the freshman women's choir which was only accompanied by piano and a solo cello. For the Friday night performance, Owen joined them onstage in a really beautiful version of Winter Branches (Charlie, his stand-mate, took over the duties for Saturday night). We don't often get to see Owen in the spotlight, so it was really exciting to see him shine and watch his friends and strangers congratulating him afterwards.

 

A Long December...

It's been a crazy December for Noa, as they navigate applying to high schools while finishing all their end of year activities. On Friday we had a family interview for Georgetown Day, Saturday Noa had DCYOP's final rehearsal before the concert followed by Burke's open house, and then on Sunday we dropped Noa off at sound check for the DCYOP concert so that Allen and I could attend Maret's open house before joining Mom Mom and Grandpa Don for the concert.

After a few days reprieve we had Noa's Sheridan concert, which included Noa accompanying the rest of their class on the viola in Ain't No Mountain High Enough and them singing the Peace the Whole Word Over song with the honor choir, after which they were dismissed for Winter Break, which for Nora will involve their Sidwell math assessment, their Maret interview, and finishing up a few more private school applications before they start working on their Duke Ellington one...

 

Steeped in Tradition

 

Jacqui returned in December for our seventh annual holiday tea party (which is particularly impressive given we managed to continue the tradition during the Pandemic). We got a little nostalgic remembering Nora's early tea outings where they enjoyed hot chocolate, gingerbread cookies and spent much of the time reading. And while Nora still has book with them wherever they go, now they're more partial to a green tea blend of bergamot, kiwi, peach, and violet blossoms, the quiche and chicken salad sandwiches, scones, and conversing on the topics that one discusses at high tea.

It was kind of a crazy weekend. After a flurry of activity on Friday (specifically Nora's recital), a bevy or things on Saturday (Nora's DCYOP rehearsal followed by bread-breaking and dinner at the Telfair-Cha's -- which included the IKEA trans shark and a moose) and a morning of Meeting on Sunday (which included making sandwiches for the unhoused per Grate Patrol), we were finally able to get dressed up and enjoy a lovely afternoon tea including a lot of mini-sandwiches (and some trading), clotted cream and scones, strawberries and cream, and a bunch of fancy desserts we couldn't entirely decipher. 

It was a lovely afternoon and an incredibly rich and filling experience, so after Jacqui had a last glass of champagne, we headed home and crashed. Until next year...

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

Soloing

Noa's recital was originally scheduled for the same day as one of their Macbeth performances, but their teacher, Mr. Enrique, also had a conflict so the date was moved to the first Friday after Thanksgiving break, which meant that Jacqui was able to attend in addition to Mom Mom and the rest of us. The venue was a little tight as I don't think anyone realized exactly how many students Mr. Enrique has and how many fans those students have. But it meant that we actually got to see Noa perform the Allegro for Telleman's Viola Concerto No. 1. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2022

The last time we celebrated Thanksgiving in Iowa, the Pandemic was in full swing: school and work were both fully remote, vaccines were still a month away from being distributed to front-line workers, and only 272,000 Americans had died from COVID. As a result, we were the only ones that ventured to Iowa for the holiday (we celebrated with the rest of the clan via Zoom) and we did so by arriving a week and a half before the holiday and participating in school and work from the IC.

This year, the kids had in-person school through Tuesday and since Owen's now a junior and Nora is in their first year at a new school (and had a high school interview originally scheduled for Tuesday afternoon), we couldn't really leave early. But since most of the family was gathering (Kara had to cancel due to care for an ailing cat) and promises are promises, we headed out at 5:15 am EST on Wednesday morning to drive the 13 hours and 45 minutes and arrive at Grandma and Grandpa Z's for dinner.

After a night of visiting, eating and drinking, we woke the next morning in a frenzy to roast turkey, bake ham, make rolls, peel potatoes and fix a sundry of side dishes (Well, some of us did. Others spent the morning enjoying World Cup Soccer and various football games...). Around one o'clock, Pete, Jeannine and Bernie stopped by on their way to Jeannine's mom's to visit, fix a chair, and play the Zimmerman Family Memory Game (which includes such pairs as "Date Night," "Nucleus," "Fam Jam 2.0," and "Big Head").

After the Marshalltown Grady's left, we finished making dinner and sat down to the feast followed by pie and other sweets, and some adult beverages. Most of us faded quickly except for the Schaumburg Zimmermans, who rallied at their hotel for some hot tub time.

The next morning, it was fun family photo time before Dave had to leave for his flight to Colorado via Des Moines and the Schaumburg Zimmermans headed home. Once the house emptied, we took the opportunity to swing by the pond to snag some sweet corn and visit with Leanna and Grace (with a brief drop-in of Ken and Helen).

After celebrating festis lefteroveris with Grandma and Grandpa Z, we spent the night folding laundry and packing in anticipation of our two-day drive back. The traffic was light and the weather beautiful on Saturday, which probably should have convinced us to forge ahead rather than stopping at our usual halfway point in Maumee. But it didn't.  After an early dinner and bedtime, we awoke the next morning to pouring rain, fog and worsening traffic, which made the rest of the drive back less relaxing. Still, we utilized Wavze to avoid three separate accidents and made it to Katherine's by 3:30 pm in order to celebrate John's 79th birthday. Once the candles were blown out and cake consumed, we finally headed home at which point we declared Thanksgiving officially over and then crashed.

Before getting up the next morning for school and work...

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

The Scottish Play

Before Nora even started at their new school, they were already excited about the fall play and returning to their acting roots (which had kind of fallen away during the Pandemic). When they found out the play was about magic and madness and murder set in a post-apocalypse Scotland, well that was just the cherry on top.

So they auditioned (which involved reading scenes, improv, and reciting their resume, highlighting their extensive playwriting and acting experience, thanks to Camp Shenanigans) and were cast as Lady Macbeth. While it wasn't necessarily the role they would have chosen, they were pretty psyched to have a lead. It took a long time to figure out a suitable costume (we landed on Victorian grunge), learn their lines (and even longer to stop giggling through all the "milk" references), and the first performance occurred during a lock-down due to a nearby shooting, but the show much go on, so Nora and their classmates pushed through and did an amazing job.

And while Nora has announced that it was all exhausting and that they need a break from iambic pentameter, it was a great way for them to really get to know their new classmates and make some incredible friends – even if it did involve plotting their demise.

(To see all the pictures from the performances, click here.)

Yayoi Kusama

 

Noa's class at Sheridan has been studying the artist Yayoi Kusama this year. They studied her artworks and drew their own portrait study of her as well. One of the advantages of going to school in DC is the wealth of museums here, and conveniently One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama in the Hirshhorn Collection just happens to be here right now. We discussed this convenient fact with Noa's art teacher at our student-led parent-teacher conference, and he agreed they just had to organize a field trip, and even better invited Elaine and I to join as chaperones. Sadly Elaine had a conflict at work that day, but I was able to join. 

The kids had a wonderful tour guide who helped them explore Mark Bradford's Picket's Charge, Laurie Anderson's The Weather installation, and many other interesting artworks. The highlight of course was the Yayoi exhibit, with the Pumpkin, the Infinity Mirror Room—Phalli’s Field, and My Heart is Dancing with the Universe. Now we'll just have to find a time to get the Elaine there to see it!

Halloween Ends

We were pretty excited about Halloween this year as COVID had abated and Nora and Owen planned and assembled their costumes months in advance (going as the 11th and 12th Doctors, respectively). But Nora never coordinated trick-or-treating with their friends on the Hill, and Owen's plan fell through when his friends decided to go to a party instead. Given that no one at school understood who Nora was (not a lot of Doctor Who fans at Sheridan, apparently), Owen decided to hang out with Duke friends after school, and it was raining, it wasn't surprising that the kids decided not to actively participate in the door-to-door aspects of Halloween this year, and instead opted to watch Doctor Who as a family while occasionally handing out candy. But it was a little bittersweet.

See, next year Owen will be a senior at Duke Ellington and, if things go well, Nora will be a ninth grader there too. Since classes at Duke don't end until 5:00 pm, chances are the pair will decide (again) to hang out with friends after school on Hallow's Eve, in lieu of coming directly home. That means that much like this year, we won't have any kids trick-or-treating in 2023. It also means that 2021 was the last year we had kids participating in those activities, which we didn't realize at the time.

As the reality that Owen will be heading off to college soon and just how quickly both kids are growing up sets in, we keep experiencing final moments without realizing it at the time. And while I guess this makes for less emotionally fraught moments (which I'm sure the kids appreciate), it also makes us a little nostalgic for all those days and Halloweens of yore.

Though on the plus side, we'll always have Allen and Brad.  

St. Mary's

 

Owen's college tour continued this weekend with a visit to St. Mary's College of Maryland. Years ago when I sailed with Dad on Dan Reid's boat up to Booth Bay Harbor in Maine, we started our voyage on the St. Mary's River where Dan Reid kept his boat. On our tour of the campus we found out just how apropos that story was when we visited the boat house where students are allowed to check out a sail boat whenever they want! Owen was more taken with the climbing wall, though it doesn't really compare with what he's used to at Earth Treks. In the end Owen seemed more impressed with Grinnell, but St. Mary's having a similar small liberal arts school feel and being just 90 minutes from home with in-state tuition for DC residents certainly puts it on the application list.

King of Tidal

If you ask Owen what he would like to do with his mom when he has a day off of school on a beautiful fall day, chances are he's going to say, "Let's go paddle-boating in the Tidal Basin – it's so peaceful." And when you are his mom and aware that college is looming and the number of opportunities to share some quality time with Owen doing something he loves is limited, you say, "Yes, lets."

It was a really great morning with a really great kid.

Maybe September

September was a big month for Nora. Not only did they turn 13 and see Six with some of their closest friends, but just after after Labor Day they finally started eighth grade at the Sheridan School. In the span of three weeks, Nora presented a poem on social justice to their class, was cast as Lady Macbeth in the fall play, attended an overnight rock-climbing and zip-lining field trip in West Virginia, and started a chat group with their friends. In that time, they've mastered biking to Union Station and getting on the Red Line with Owen at 7 am for their commute (although we still seem to be driving to upper northwest DC a lot during rush hour, though oddly never by the same route), figured out their way home on their own, and have even incorporated the occasional stop at Whole Foods for fortifications.

They also colored their hair blue (specifically Manic Panic's Bad Boy Blue) and started drinking a mocha each morning to prepare for the day (don't judge). Nora attended their friend's Bat Mitzvah, started DCYOP's fall season and saw Verdi's Macbeth at the Strathmore (featuring their viola teacher, Mr. Enrique) - which helped with their understanding of Macbeth's plot, but may not be Verdi's best operatic showing.

All of which is to say that Nora has totally transitioned to Sheridan, which has been incredibly welcoming, and is having a great fall. Now we just have to figure out high school applications for next year...

Virtuosi

As a junior at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Owen is starting to take more of a leadership role in the music department. That means that he's now first cello in the orchestra and string ensemble, and is a member of Virtuosi - Duke's String Quartet (which currently has five members due to a recently healed broken arm). Virtuosi performs more often then the other ensembles, and had its first outing at Georgetown's Art All Night event, where they performed the Brandenburg Concerto #3 (above), Minuetto by Bocherini, Rondo by Mouret, Country Club by Scott Joplin, and Pachelbel's Canon (though you may not be able to hear that one since, despite being 300 years old and in the public domain, Facebook has decided that there are copyright issues with sharing it). It's was pretty amazing to see Owen and his friends performing so well only a month into the school year, and makes us excited to see what the rest of the year will bring.

Truman (1935-2022)

Allen's Uncle Truman (wife to his Aunt Janis) passed away at the beginning of the month. He was 86 years old and had suffered multiple bouts of cancer. He was also a gentle soul who Allen got to know well during his time in Austin. 

And so Allen flew down to say good bye, be with his family, and also catch up with some grad school friends, while celebrating a long life that touched a lot of people

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

Cyberpunk 2013!

Two years ago a group of us from high school got together at Billy's house in Great Falls to mourn the passing of our dear friend Madoc. Still at the height of the pandemic, we found the time together particularly restorative and nourishing and vowed to gather for reasons of joy before we let tragedy pull us together again. It took a couple years, but we finally all descended upon Billy's house to joyfully relive our youths together playing Cyberpunk -- a dystopian roll playing game set in the distant future of 2013. Chris planted the seed, Billy hosted, CiCi made sure we didn't go hungry, Nick spent weeks designing the campaign and GMed our adventure with an assist from Billy GMing the netrunning portions of our adventure that veered off into the realm of Paranoia. Daniel Roos flew in from Sweden, Darin drove down from Buffalo picking up Joe and Chris on the way in Pittsburgh. Steve flew in from Dallas and Trevor came up from North Carolina. Paul, James, Nick and I were all local, and we made up quite the team bringing down the Zetatech corporation's diabolical plot to develop combat drugs for the Pain Lords booster gang to overtake Night City. Next year we'll try to gather again for a weekend of Call of Cthulhu!

Junior

Owen started 11th grade this week, which means that he's now an upperclassman (or person) and things are getting real. In the span of a week he already made Virtuoso (Duke's string quartet), changed his schedule to make sure he took the SAT prep class, and had chair placement. This year he has multiple AP classes and he's also taking most of those classes with friends, which should make for a more enjoyable learning experience (though hopefully not a less productive one). We just hope that we get to see him occasionally in between school, performances and the odd social outing.

Orientation and Ovations

One of the many changes we made this year for Nora (aka Noa), was to switch them to a smaller, private school. Their commute is now an early morning, hour long metro ride instead of a less early 15 minute walk, but in every other respect, Sheridan appears to be a much better fit and healthier environment for Nora this year (knock on wood).

Sheridan doesn't start until after Labor Day, however it scheduled a new student orientation and ice cream social on Nora's birthday. And so, after opening presents and saying goodbye to Owen, Nora, Allen and I headed to Union Station in order to metro to Tenleytown, walk to school and then leave Nora to a morning of introductions, acclimation and frozen treats.

We met up with them around 1 pm and got to meet some of their teachers and other eighth graders before we headed home for the rest (and more substantial part) of their birthday celebration. Months ago, Allen bought tickets for the four of us to go to Six on Nora's birthday when it played at the National Theater. Owen immediately informed us that he didn't need to see it again and that Nora should invite a friend instead, at which point Allen suggested we get two more tickets for us and then Nora could invite three friends while we chaperoned...

So Anais, Audrey and Harper came over after school and hung out for a bit before we left for dinner and a show. For the record, you haven't experienced musical theater until you've done so with four thirteenish olds. They had an amazing time and it was the perfect way to herald in Nora's fourteenth year and all that is to come.

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

Thirteen

Twelve was heartbreaking – filled with loss and sorrow and not always the best of humanity. While there were moments of lightness and joy and lots of love from family and friends (and escargot!), it's still hard to look back at parts of this past year, knowing how much Nora went through. 

But they got through it, which is a testament to what an incredibly strong and amazing person Nora is. Despite it all, Nora made Junior Honor Society and climbed mountains this year. They threw axes and harvested honey. They puzzled. Nora plunged into the Chesapeake to save the environment, and into the Atlantic (just for fun). They made pasta and built a ukulele. They explored their artistic side and celebrated their love of musical theater. And all the while they leaned on their friends and their older brother, which involved some of the best of humanity, and also watching a lot of Doctor Who. 

Eventually, Nora was able to tell us what they needed and we were able to make some changes so that going forward Nora has less chaos in their life, and help with processing it. Hopefully, thirteen will be a less stressful year that gives Nora some peace and a safe space to be themselves, because quite frankly, they're awesome.

So happy birthday, little one. We love you so, so much and will always have your back. Now go blow us all alway.

1. Boba-Kiki, are they round or pointy?
2. Knowledge  is knowing tomatoes are a fruit; wisdom is not putting them in fruit salad.
3. Babies, from an artistic sense, didn't really come into their own until mid-fifteenth century.
4. "Think about all of those poor, orphaned highways just waiting to be adopted..."
5. Mochas!
6. Nora is good at things. Stuff is Nora's kryptonite.
7. It's Duck season...
8. She/Her, He/Him, They/Them. Us.
9. Never forget your emergency spoon. 
10. And in the immortal words of Jane Seymour in Six, 

You can build me up
You can tear me down
You can try but I'm unbreakable
You can do your best
But I'll stand the test 
You'll find that I'm unshakeable 

Beach Week

Because the world spins on its axis and calendars aren't evenly divided, our regular week at the beach slipped this year, which meant we were unable to rent Pelican Perch in Duck, NC. Enter Pelican's Nest in Pine Island, NC – which featured amazing beach and sound views, and a nicer (read less crowded) beach, but didn't necessarily have the best outdoor dining or sleeping options. 

But we are a flexible crew and managed to make do. Katherine seized on the change in scenery to propose rule changes for the Pelican Prize – including the introduction of negative points for individuals that failed to get a two mile walk in per day (runs don't count) and points earned for such tasks as killing flies. By mid-week there was a mutiny and a point compromise as well as a decision that future trips will include a pre-departure summit where rules and points will be determined in advance through a more democratic practice.

Despite the controversy, we had an amazing time. While the weather was cooler than previous years (the high of the week was 82 degrees) and the forecast routinely called for bouts of rain (which miraculously didn't really materialize), we pretty much managed to get in beach time every day (some of us more than others).  There was surfing, body boarding, skim boarding (which was mandated after Katherine sacrificed most of the skin on her ring finger to pack them), bocci, ladderball, kite-flying, and lots and lots of walks (though primarily during the day because night crabs are terrifying). Land activities included golf (once Katherine made it to the correct course...), dinners out, dinner's in, the occasional bike ride, marbles, cornhole, debunking of the "Lost Colony" tale, yoga, lots of puzzling, pool, and scouting of potential new houses for next year.

In the end, Nora won the Pelican Prize for the second year in a row (though they weren't thrilled to receive said award at 8 am). And despite a long drive home (that even included a college tour of William & Mary) we were still able to make it back in time to celebrate Owen's 16th birthday with some pizza and Doctor Who (followed by a family dinner the next night).

(To see all the beach week pictures, click here.)

Sixteen Candles

If fourteen was trying, fifteen was amazing -- apparently, in-person Owen is a lot more outgoing and responsible than remote-schooled Owen. Work was completed independently and on time. Classes were participated in. Friends were made. Outings were organized. Things were done.

Owen went from being anxious about public transit, to navigating his way across the DMV area in order to meet up with friends, attend climbing class and join the occasional protest. He had an Instagram fan account devoted to him (until said account was hacked and deactivated). He volunteered for homeless coat and supply giveaways. He made second chair and Honor Roll. He projected bouldering goals. He breached a fortification. He got a mild case of COVID and recovered. He took the PSAT. He became an ally and advocate. He ate fish and chips. He wore fancy pants and even fancier coats.

And while we're really proud of all of these accomplishments (ok, getting COVID isn't so much an accomplishment as a diagnosis, but he conquered it nonetheless), what we admire most about Owen is the person he's become. Owen is an incredible friend and brother who meets people where they are and becomes the friend they need, without ego or agenda. He knows when to engage and entertain, but he also knows when people need space. Owen offers support and advice, and he always provides a safe place for the people he loves. And he did that for a lot of people this year that really needed it.

So yeah, fifteen was pretty amazing, and hopefully sixteen will be even better. Happy birthday, little man. You're an incredible person and we love you so, so much. Now go conquer the world.

1. The Doctor is in.
2. Sometime you have to overthrow a tyrant to make the world a better place...even if said tyrant is your aunt and the world is our annual beach competition.
3. My axe is restless in my hand. Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me.
4. "That's illegal."
5. Wait for me, I'm coming.
6. The line between madness and genius gets blurry when you're skiing with your dad.
7.  Despite what you may think, nuclear reactors should not be the basis of selecting an institute of higher learning… though it can be a contributing factor.
8. And we talk and take in the view. We just talk and take in the view. All we see is sky for forever.
9. "Nostalgia is my favorite part of baseball."
10. And in the immortal words of the 12th Doctor, Hate is always foolish, love is always wise. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind.

Unconditional Pete

We haven't made West Branch's Hoover Hometown Days since 2010, as historically it has conflicted with our beach trip and after attending a Hootenanny and a Corn Fest, there's only so much Iowa celebrations we can handle. But this year, Uncle Pete was slated to present his one-act play about President Grant, Unconditional Surrender. at the festival, so we moved some stuff around in order to stay a few extra days. It meant that we got to see Steve, Olivia and Maura and snag front row seat for a very hot performance (both in the literal and figurative sense – it was a balmy 95 at the stage).

And it was totally worth it.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Corn Fest 2022

Last year we missed the Fawcett's annual celebration of sweet corn due to our regularly scheduled beach trip which had migrated from allowing a week in-between Iowa and North Carolina to not (stupid Gregorian calendar). Faced with a similar conflict this year, we decided to just rent a different house on a later date in order to allow our attendance and opening the door for Allen's reclaiming the corn-eating title that had since passed to Allen's cousin/nemesis Thomas.

It was kind of a magical corn fest: the weather was perfect; the wildflowers were at their peak; they added a second swing; additional safety features were installed at the zip line, making it "mom approved" for the under-18 crowd; all eight of the original Fawcett cousins (Martha, John, Nan, Dick, Ken, Jim, Margie and Becky) were in attendance; and for the first time in a long time, the celebration aligned with the Fawcett sweet corn harvest, meaning that only Fawcett corn was on the menu this year. The only thing that kept it from being perfect was that one of Thomas's crew tested positive for COVID shortly after arriving resulting in their departure prior to the days events (though, that did break the competition wide open...).

Allen won the corn-eating contest. Owen opted not to compete since he's have to go against his father, but did manage to eat 10 ears of corn (albeit at a far more leisurely pace). Dad successfully defended his title as the oldest person to jump off the high dive and may also have achieved divinity. Nora invented a new approach to making s'mores. And for the first time ever, we all (including the kids) got to be part of the sweet corn production team.

It made for a pretty magical weekend – and we still have another one to go!

(To see all of the sweet-corn pictures, click here.)

Give a Hootenanny

Last year, we were able to attend the First Annual Cold Spring Pond Hootenanny which included a performance by Owen as well as a lot of sing-a-longs. When they announced the date this year, we knew it was going to be a bit tight, but figured with a little ingenuity (and taking two days to drive out) we could make it.

The plan was to pick up Nora Friday afternoon from their camp on artificial intelligence and code breaking located at George Washington University Mount Vernon campus - which is incredibly inconvenient from our home in NE Washington, but happens to be directly on the route to Iowa - and then drive to Cleveland, spend the night at a hotel, and then have a reasonably easy drive to Iowa Saturday morning, putting us in West Branch in plenty of time for the festivities. But the plan hit a snag when Allen started packing up the car only to discovered that one of the tires was about to explode (probably due to my rubbing up against a curb while driving Nora to said horribly inconveniently located camp a few days before). Allen quickly ran to Costco to get the tire changed and I contacted Nora's friend Violet's (who was also in the camp) parent's to see if they could pick Nora up and bring them home. Allen beat Nora by 45 minutes and once we actually had everyone and everything packed into a newly serviced minivan, we slowly made our way to Cleveland (just two hours later than planned).

The second half of our drive was mostly uneventful (save for some rainstorms and a lot of construction), and so we made it to the pond in time for dinner and some socializing before the main event.

The kids wanted to play Simple Gifts, so I had ordered a viola and cello/bassoon duet book for the kids (or Uncle Steve if Nora every grows tired of Owen) which included it. However, they hated the harmonies in that version and so spent the week before we left creating their own arrangement (without a lot of time to practice it). Despite the rush job, they sounded wonderful. Afterwards, Owen treated the crowd to some pop-culture treats including Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.

But our kids weren't the only performers for the night. Grace performed a dance solo and then had a trombone duet with Troy (you haven't heard A Whole New World until you've heard in on the trombone). Dick Fawcett was able to perform again, this time including an original composition dedicated to Linda. There was a poem, a pirate shanty, a Hawaiian ukulele protest song, a parody of Memories, and a lot of sing-a-longs.

Which was a great way to celebrate our arrival in Iowa.

Italia Due: Tuscany

It was a six hour drive from the Dolomites to Tuscany (seven if count the stop for lunch). When we neared Bologna we broke into groups: The Hyatts were off to a game store because apparently we hadn't packed enough; the Mettenburgs headed to a grocery store because Joe & Cate know food; and we headed to a wine store in Lucca because we know wine (and our little Opal Mokka couldn't fit much more in it). Our errand took the least time which meant we arrived at what we thought was the meeting place for the house manager first, but instead turned out to be some random guy's house (who only spoke Italian and German, which is more than any of us, though still not particularly helpful). Somehow he understood what we were trying to convey and so hopped on his motorbike and led us through what were roads if you use a generous definition until we stopped in front of a large gate. Shortly after he left the house manager appeared and led us up a winding olive grove until we reached Il Frantoio del Bartolomei.

Just after we arrived, so did the chefs for the night, followed by the other families. We chose rooms, got organized, and relaxed while the chefs prepared an amazing five course meal. The next day we mostly played games and luxuriated by the pool, but the following day, we opted to celebrate the Fourth of July with an Italian cooking class.

Everyone but Owen and Kaden gathered in the kitchen with Chef Valentino and Sommelier Larisa to make a pasta dinner including parmesan salad baskets, pasta dough, pesto (light on the basil; heavy on the olive oil), pork loin with stuffed squash and a lava cake. Most impressive though was the pasta bench which the kids (save Owen and Kaden) took turns operating (it was quite a production) to resulting in some beautiful, indeterminate shaped pasta. It was a great day and an amazing meal... until Caden (who hadn't been feeling well) and Megan tested positive for COVID and had to quarantine in the house.

The next morning, Allen, Nabeel, Joe and Cate hiked to Castelvecchio, the small town just up the trail which overlooked the villa. After a relaxing day at the pool, most of us (save Nora and the patients) headed to the walled city of Lucca. Lucca was the birthplace of Puccini and so we were able to catch a concert of his works, before grabbing dinner and attempting to storm the barricade. 

Wednesday we took the train to Firenze (aka Florence), home of Michelangelo and the Renaissance. We started the day out at Museo Galileo which houses the Medici collection of 15th-18th century scientific instruments, including telescopes, armillary spheres, and some disturbing obstetrical wax models. Afterwards we attempted to have lunch, only to discover that restaurants in Firenze don't open until 12:30. Facing a rebellion, Nabeel was able to locate a juice bar which bought us enough time for a lovely lunch place to open. Alas, the adults once again opted for appetizers, delaying their meal and angering their offspring who signed a petition threatening to strike (fortunately, they're more the disorganized type and we were able to break them).

We had timed tickets to the Uffizi Museum which meant we had some time to kill. We headed to the square to entertain the kids by finding "fake David" and Michelangelo's graffiti, but they were not amused. Finally, we made our way inside the gallery, home to priceless works of the Italian Renaissance, only to face resounding ennui from the under 16 crowd.

But fortunately we had Nabeel, who had to take three semesters of Art History in College and somehow engaged the kids in understanding why baby painting from the 14th century are so ugly, the importance of perspective, the evolution of light, and Medusa. Despite calls to leave 15 minutes after arriving, Nabeel was able to get close to two hours of active exhibit going (the promise of post-visit gelato may have helped). We made a lovely meal of leftovers that night, that was only marred by my aggressive gesticulations while holding a wine glass resulting in the glass exploding in my hand. Fortunately, Joe is a doctor and I was able to avoid stitches.

Thursday I finally made it to Castelvecchio and Megan and Kaden finally (mostly) made it out of quarantine. The crew had a quiet day relaxing and game playing before the men seared steak for dinner which meant Allen could use all of the Thermapens he'd packed.

Friday morning the Mettenburgs left for Pittsburgh. The rest of us (save Nora) headed back to Lucca for some sight-seeing and lunch. When we got back we started packing before one final dinner in Buti at Ristorante I Maggi.

We had an early flight out of Pisa the next morning, so we left the house around 7 am in order to return the car, check-in and grab breakfast. And then we sat. And sat. Or rather, we stood around since the Pisa Airport is really small and doesn't actually have room for many chairs. See, in Pisa you need a bus to take you from your gate to the airplane and for whatever reason, our flight attendants couldn't get one. For forty minutes. Eventually we made it on the plane for our flight to Frankfurt but arrived an hour late into our hour and a half layover. But for once the travel gods were kind: our airplane to DC was leaking jet fuel! They needed to get a new plane! And then they needed to find workers to clean it!

While the rest of the passengers weren't thrilled by this development (especially the Peabody Children's Chorus of Baltimore who'd apparently been up for 36 hours), it mean that we actually made our flight to Dulles, where Katherine dutifully picked us up and drove us home.

Where we promptly, and contently, crashed.

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

Italia Part 1 - The Dolomites

Allen started planning our trip to Italy while vacationing in Aspen with the Hyatts and the Mettenburgs back in February 2020. Finding that winter ski trips were becoming increasingly complicated to plan with all the competing school schedules, it was decided that a summer 2021 trip to Italy would be just the trick. But then shortly after we returned home, the Pandemic hit, delaying the trip until summer 2022. And then a labor strike in Belgium, an ill-timed rain storm at Dulles, a missed connection in Amsterdam, multiple canceled car rentals, a night in the Venice suburbs, and some confusion regarding how to put our manual transmission rental car in reverse, delayed us an extra three and half days. Eventually, though, we made it to the Dolomites.

And it was amazing.

To be fair, it was a little terrifying driving there from Venice, as Allen had to navigate winding mountain passes filled with cyclists, touring busses and locals all while driving our neon green, Opel Mokka, but once we made it to the Chalet Rönn in the Alta Badia area of South Tyrol Tuesday afternoon, we could finally relax. I read and unpacked, the kids quickly got sucked into some games with Kaden, Liam, Gigi and Hugh while Allen, Joe and Nabeel headed out for a short hike to a nearby waterfall.

On Wednesday, I nursed a migraine while the rest of the crew hiked Trail 645A (or maybe some other trail -– the Italian trail map numbering system is a bit of a riddle which we seemed to have trouble cracking) around the shoulder of the Sella Group mountains. Afterwards there were more games, some swimming and sauna time and a lovely dinner in town.

Thursday we drove over the Gardena Pass to the town of Ortisei in Val Gardena where we took the cable car to Seceda. The intention was for a long hike, but while the children quickly finished their lunch, the adults lingered (and ordered appetizers in addition to entrees) at Sofie Hütte, which ate into our hiking time. Fortunately, the kids had other distractions while we finished our meal and then set about taking in the amazing views of the Fermeda Towers.

For Friday we went more local, taking a gondola to Gardena pass, and hiking trail 2 (at least we think it was trail 2...) up into the high mountains. As we neared the summit, we discussed continuing to the other side, but after we were passed by a number of other hikers heading back due to storm clouds, we opted instead to trek the high meadows on trail 8. We climbed above our house, stopped for lunch at Ütia Forcelles, and eventually headed back into town for a fancy meal before we had to pack for our drive the next day to the second half of our trip: Tuscany.

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

Honey Daddies

Father's Day this year, coincided with Meeting's annual harvesting of the Friendly Bee Honey, so we headed up in the morning and left Nora and Owen (and his friend Reb) to extract honey while we worshipped in the garden, only to have one of the not so friendly pollinators attack me for a full three minutes. Allen defended my person and I emerged unharmed.

Katherine and Mom Mom had headed to Austin for Father's Day (we're been told it was a coincidence and not to read too much into that), so we invited Don and a couple of his friends over for a night of barbecue takeout from 2fifty and a cherry pie that Nora and I had made while everyone else was at the Nats game the day before. It was a lovely evening and a nice sendoff before Jacqui arrives and we all head to Italy.

(To see all the honey and Father's Day pictures, click here.)

Farewell Employee #11

Ryan Zimmerman has been a big part of our lives here in DC, particularly Owen's.  From the early days of seeing him play at RFK, going as him for Halloween,  meeting him in-person at the opening of Ryan Zimmerman Field, celebrating birthdays with him (in theory), to the more recent experience of seeing him lead the Nationals to their Game 5 win of the NLCS championship and eventually winning the 2019 World Series, we've shared a lot of special moments with Ryan Zimmerman (as well as a name).

When he announced his retirement, we were a little sad. But when they announced they were retiring his number, well that just meant there was one more experience that Allen and Owen needed to share with him.

Friday night was "Employee #11" t-shirt night as well as an interview with Ryan Zimmerman and his former teammates: Jayson Werth, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinoza, and Adam LaRoche, so Allen picked up Owen from school and went directly to the game to make sure they got their t-shirts, heard the interview, and even had dinner at Red Porch. It was a great game with the Phillies, until former National Bryce Harper hit a 2RBI double that tied up the game, resulting in extra innings that led to a terrible call culminating in a National loss.

Saturday was the official retirement ceremony, so Mom Mom and Grandpa Don joined Owen and Allen. It was a beautiful, tear-jerker of a celebration, though the game was  a bit of a repeat of the previous night (the Nats lost to the Phillies in extra innings). Still, in the words of Ryan Zimmerman,

It was one hell of a ride we had together and I can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing.

Us too, #11, us too. 

(To see all of our Ryan Zimmerman's retirement photos, click here.)

WOODMOORstock

Nine stages, 36 bands, food trucks, kegs, hundreds of neighbors and fans, and so much music. Somehow Brad managed to organize his own little SXSW right in his neighborhood! The kids were at climbing and Pride with Elaine on call, Mom was hosting a lunch party and a dinner party, Katherine was in Florida, but I was rocking out at the first (hopefully annual) WOODMOORstock. Hopefully we can get the whole family there next time!

Pride 2022

It's been a tough year for a lot of reasons, but as they say, after the storm comes the rainbow. 

Owen has an incredibly supportive group of friends at Duke Ellington and a number of these friends are LGBTQ+. So when they invited him to join them at Pride, he immediately said yes and then in turn invited Nora. I was more than a little anxious about the two of them going off on their own in downtown DC, surrounded by throngs of people (Saturday was both the March for Our Lives protest and the DC Pride Parade), but they assured me they could handle it. And they did. On Saturday, after climbing with Gabriel, Owen and Nora metroed downtown and met up with the Duke crew.

It turned out that Owen was actually not just meeting up with his friends at Pride, but rather, he was joining his friends to march with Duke's Gender & Sexuality Alliance in DC's Pride Parade. After a flurry of texts to get a DCPS Field Trip Form in place, Owen and Nora became flag bearers for Duke.

For Owen, it was cool experience (although exhausting after two-hours of climbing followed by two-hours of marching), but for Nora it was something more. Hearing everyone cheer as they marched by felt as if everyone was cheering and celebrating Nora being themself.

As everyone should.

(To see all of Nora and Owen's pictures, click here.)

Play Ball!

 

We weren't sure it was going to work out, but Owen and I met up on the Mall after work and school, and found some of our Bad Air Daze teammates wandering around. We were about to give up on the EPA Softball League pick up game since we couldn't find a field or any of the players from the other teams, but at the last minute we some of the folks from the other teams who were squatting on a field. It was just five on five, Owen got to play short stop and I covered the entire outfield, and we all got more at bats than we could count. I hit for the cycle a couple times over, Owen made some stellar plays at short and got some solid hits, and we all had a great day in the shadow of the Washington Monument!

Pit Master

Every year, Duke Ellington puts on an Opera Workshop (well, maybe not every year – 2020 was pre-empted by the pandemic and 2021 had to be remote, but otherwise...). The event features Duke's vocal music program and its seniors, but sometimes the instrumental music program gets to help out. So this year, Owen joined the pit orchestra (and his friends) for Una Notte di Mille Stella. 

Allen went the first night, and found the performance so compelling that he joined Nora and I for the Sunday matinee. Afterwards, we took Owen out for a steak dinner to celebrate what's been a pretty amazing sophomore year, with hopefully, so much more to come.

Katherama

For the past few years, we have tried to organize a celebration of Katherine's birth which is commiserate with both our collective love of her and her unparalleled love of games. We have largely failed, due to the Pandemic (which resulted in a Zoom celebration for her 40th), weather (which hampered her 41st) and scheduling conflicts (which meant we celebrated Katherine's 39th birthday in NYC without her). But for her 42nd the weather and scheduling gods granted their favor, allowing for a full four-day, mostly out-door celebration of Katherine (though the COVID gods weren't totally on board, forcing Grandpa Fawcett to quarantine for part of it).

On Katherine's actual birthday (Thursday, May 26th), she went to dinner with Mom Mom, Grandpa Don, Uncle L and Adrienne while we continued to mask up and test John. On Friday, Katherine and Uncle L saw the sequel to Katherine's favorite movie (Top Gun) and enjoyed (possibly too much) her new present from Adrienne, the Bartesian, while we had family game night followed by COVID testing (all negative, except for John). On Saturday, we convened at ThROW Social (site of Katherine's cancelled in-person 40th birthday party) for some cocktails and games. The kids and I had to leave after 20 minutes due to noise issues, John was still quarantining, and Nancy had to cancel, but Katherine, Uncle L, Adrienne, Mom Mom, Grandpa Don, Danny and Allen had an amazing time showing off their cornhole-football-bowling skills in a game which clearly was designed with the Fawcett-Suggs in mind. Afterwards, we reconvened at our place for some barbeque and cupcakes where we allowed John to join us (albeit only outside) and Katherine was forced to open her presents.

While Katherine typically balks at opening presents in a timely fashion, we insisted she open the joint present from Mom Mom and us, a Solo Pi pizza oven, as it directly impacted Sunday's final celebration of all things Katherine. The next day, we brought homemade dough for 12 full-size pizzas, a variety of toppings, and a masked John for an evening (and early morning) of pizza, cocktails and yard games. There was thai-chicken, barbecue, meat lovers, cheese and pesto wood-fired pizza. There were rhubarb shrubs, margaritas, and lots of beer. And there was cornhole, bocce, marbles, beer pong and shuffle board. And all on a clear, lovely night with seemingly no mosquitoes.

So it was kind of the perfect birthday celebration for Katherine, which probably means we won't have its equal for another five years...

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