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...) 

Senior Pics

Senior pictures were a big deal when I was growing up. But in DC, they tend to just be an extension of regular school picture day, but with fake formalwear for the student. That's not really our jam, so we reached out to Maria (who does our annual Christmas card picture) for a special Owen photoshoot in late October.

I really planned ahead. I made sure Owen had his hair cut two weeks in advance. I discussed multiple outfits and backdrops I wanted included. I suggested we bring a chair to make sure Owen had proper seating for lots of cello-centric photos. We even scheduled the session around the expected sunset to optimize lighting.

But I didn't anticipate getting COVID.

With me out of commission, Allen had to manage everything on Sunday, which in addition to Owen's photoshoot included: a Meeting of Clerks, Meeting, identifying gas leaks near Meeting, and getting Noa to their rehearsal/run-through for Friday's performance of Burke's fall play, Everybody. As such it shouldn't be that much of a surprise that mistakes were made and certain things were missed for said photoshoot, specifically Owen's cello bow.

Having scheduled it all around sunset, there was no time to go back and retrieve the bow so Allen, Owen and Maria forged ahead, with Owen playing pizzicato for all of the cello-themed photos. We haven't seen Maria's final product, but based on the pictures Allen was able to snap, we should have a lot to work with. And documenting that Owen forgot his bow probably captures his high school experience as much anything.

(To see all the pictures Allen took, click here). 

Women's Camp 2023 (Minus One)

The last time the Ladies of J1 gathered together was pre-Pandemic. Time passed, and a great deal transpired, including some loss and a great deal of change. So much so, that it seemed essential we reconvene. So we mapped out a central location (though technically, if we gave weight to Tracey being in Saudi Arabia, we probably would have ended up in Scotland), found a time that seemed ideal (when Tracey was returning stateside for her sister's 40th birthday), and booked an Airbnb and flights to Santa Fe, NM (ok, technically the flights were to Albuquerque which was much cheaper).

But then Tracey wasn't feeling well and wasn't sure she could make the trip. She soldiered on and made it all the way from the Middle East to Detroit, MI, where she became so ill she was hospitalized. She was discharged fairly quickly, but there was no way she was going to make it to New Mexico.

But Audra, Cecily and I could not be deterred, meeting at the airport, picking up the rental car and driving over an hour to our rental house where we promptly ordered food, went to the grocery store, ate what was delivered (which actually wasn't the food we ordered), and then crashed for the night. 

The next morning we went for a short (though fairly vertical) hike before coming back, cleaning up, Facetiming Tracey, and going to Meow Wolf, an immersive art experience. We made it through all 70+ rooms (some of them multiple times) and then went to the Santa Fe Plaza for a late lunch/early dinner. After which we headed home to enjoy some adult beverages and the hot tub.

The next morning we woke up (relatively) early for a longer (though significantly easier) hike in Bandelier National Park. The drive took us through Los Alamos and a security check point, where we were informed we were not allowed to take pictures (which wasn't a huge loss since it's not a particularly scenic National Lab anyway).  Once we got to the park, we had a lovely conversation with the Park Ranger and then headed out on the Main Pueblo Loop (1.4 miles), with a special side trip to Alcove House (1.0 miles) and its extreme ladder climbing.

 

After the hike, we had lunch (and beers!) at the park and then returned to our place before going out for a fancy belated communal 50th birthdays celebration.

We had a leisurely Sunday morning before heading to downtown Santa Fe to explore the Georgia O'Keefe Museum and various shops, grab lunch and check out Canyon Road (home to 80 distinct art galleries) before heading back to the house to pack for an extremely early departure time.

We departed Santa Fe Monday morning at 4 am in order for Audra to make her flight from Albuquerque to Detroit by 6 am. Then Cecily and I tooled around the city until we found a Waffle House to hang out in, returned the rental car and then killed time at the airport until our flights (which for me was another 5 hours...).

It was a good trip. Sure, Tracey didn't actually make it and I apparently picked up a raging case of COVID while there, but it was really nice to reconnect in a beautiful place with the people that have been there for the ups and downs of our adult lives and helped us get through it all.

(To see all of my pictures, plus some of Audra & Cecily's, click here.)

Climb On

The last time we went to Great Falls as a family was March of 2020 during the initial weeks of the Pandemic. A lot has passed, but when asked what we should do as a family for Indigenous Peoples Day, Owen suggested we go climbing and Noa requested we do it at Carder Rock. Being there again as a family felt pretty great.

While Noa did a little climbing over the summer, the only one that regularly goes is Owen, so of course he suggested we try a 5.10c, though Allen did make sure that some more reasonably 5.8 climbs were also accessible. After Allen, Owen and Noa set up the climb (while I safeguarded the gear and took pictures), we reconvened and decided Owen would be up first with Allen belaying for him.

Owen, of course, made the climb look easy and straightforward, which might be why the rest of us assumed we could similarly scamper up the face in just a few minutes. We were mistaken. Noa went next with Owen belaying (while utilizing his periphery enhancing belay glasses) and after what they claimed was years of their life attempting his the original route, they opted for the easier alternative. Next up was Allen, who also struggled to replicate Owen's passage, but was eventually triumphant. I went last with Allen belaying (which meant that no one actually documented my climb) and spent a little time investigating what all the fuss was about before shifting to Option B, which while still a struggle for a 50 year old that hadn't climbed in over a year, was at least doable.

It started sprinkling, but Owen wanted one last attempt to try a slightly different approach to the 5.10c, which he was able to quickly ascend. Afterwards, the kids permitted a few family selfies to document that we actually spent an afternoon together absent screens and other distractions in order to really enjoy each others' company and the great outdoors.

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

Here's to Good Friends...

When you have a child that hates documenting their life, you really appreciate them being close friends with a documentarian.

School Days

While Owen started his senior year of high school weeks ago, private schools are a little more leisurely with their academic start dates. So after an all-school picnic, the Labor Day break (is it a break if you haven't actually started school yet?), orientation and a placement/picture day, Noa finally started high school at Burke. And while the high school application and admittance process was a bit traumatic, we're optimistic about where Noa ended up and what lies ahead for them. Go Bengals!

Play Ball!

 When the Nats post-season prospects aren't looking good, at least there's always EPA Softball.

Because we can, can, can...

Not every family marks their youngest's birthday by taking the gang to a musical about sex workers and tuberculosis, but we're not most families. And while the kids weren't particularly enthusiastic about the movie version of Moulin Rouge (despite it starring a young Obi Wan Kenobi), they genuinely enjoyed its staging at the Kennedy Center (particularly in the front row with a full view of the pit), despite the elephant in the room.

The Fourteenth

Thirteen is a hard year to talk about. We had hoped that it would be a balm for all that had passed during Noa's twelfth year, and in a lot of ways it was. At their new school, Noa became engaged in an array of activities (theater, chorus, art, student council, Friends of Dorothy) and seemed to be in a better place. But in addition to all the highs that eighth grade brought, there were also some lows that were sad and painful and not something we really want to revisit. It's enough just to know that Noa got through it and for that we're incredibly grateful.

Noa found their people. They starred as Lady MacBeth and had a winning poem published. They finally started playing with a full orchestra. Noa was worshiped by a fifth grade cult. They officially outgrew me. They played an organized sport. Noa promoted composting for their school, jumped into freezing waters for the environment, debated ways to incentivize voting, and made sandwiches for the unhoused. Noa commuted. They slept in yurts. They organized a school dance that they even attended (however briefly). They were memorialized on a brick. 

And Noa spent much of the year visiting, applying and eventually getting into high school, where they will begin the next chapter of their life. And while it's maybe not the chapter they expected, I think their story will be a pretty amazing one. 

So happy birthday my not so little one. We love so, so much and are so thankful that you are in our lives. You've got this, Noa, and we've got your back.

1. If your day starts in Bethesda, your day isn't starting off well.
2. "Flannel is lesbian rice."
3. Middle. Always the middle.
4. "Look like th'innoent flower, But be the serpent under't"
5. Don't turn your back, don't look away and don't blink. Good luck.
6. Un, deux, trois... cat.
7. You can't second guess ineffability.
8. Step 1: Drink coffee. Step 2: Do things.
9. Any LGBTQ+ flag fan can tell you about the evolution of the Pride Flag, but only a true Queer Vexillologist has dug into decades old Tumblr discourse to opine on the perfection of the Neptunic flag.
10. And remember, always be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn. Then always be a unicorn.

Beach Week 2023

It was a very different beach trip this year. Instead of our usual Sunday to Sunday, the rental was Friday to Friday, which meant less traffic, a full beach weekend and some forced time off of work for travel. We were later in the season which resulted in celebrating Owen's 17th birthday two days into the trip (complete with a birthday banner but sadly, he left his rock & roll pajama top at home). Katherine, Lee and John skipped out (though Lee did pop in for an afternoon) so there was more seafood and fewer mandated activities (though we still got in a lot of marbles, walks on the beach, bocce, and sunrises). And because we had so much extra space, we invited Owen's friend Adam to join us.

We managed to fill our week well. The boys got in a golf trip (Don won but Owen dominated the back nine). Allen taught Adam how to skim board (though Adam did sacrifice his glasses to the ocean gods to do so and it took a few days for FedEx to get his spare pair there). Noa and Mom Mom made chocolate mousse. There was a Duck Donuts run and weirdly a Lego run. We played bridge and drank cocktails (which might explain why we lost the ace of diamonds). We watched the premier of Ahsoka. While the early days involved a lot of seaweed jellyfish and the later days were too windy for floating and boogie boarding, the middle days were quite lovely. And then we capped it off the week with a college tour of William & Mary (which just happened to coincide with freshman orientation) on our way home.

So while it wasn't the beach trip we had planned, it was the beach trip we needed this year as we prepare to start Owen's senior year and Noa's first year of high school.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

The Edge of Seventeen

Sixteen was a really good year for Owen, which makes writing this post a little bittersweet. Because while this year Owen did a lot - first chair cello, driving permit, college visits, the SAT, AP tests, law school camp - with the exception of the driving permit and maybe his cello development, all of it was to advance his pursuit of higher education. This inevitably means that this time next year whilr we're posting about the trials and tribulations of 17, we will be preparing to move Owen into a dorm somewhere across the country (money is on either Colorado or the Mid-Atlantic). And while we are really excited for all that is in store for him, it's hard not to start thinking about all the things we will miss when we don't have full Owen access.

So, this year we've been trying to savor our time with Owen, and squeeze in special moments with him even while we help with his college essays and schedule college tours. This has involved a spur of the moment trip to NYC to catch one of the final performances of Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. And side trips to Garden of the Gods and a Rockies game while on a college tour. It's meant risking freezing temperatures (and aggravating a potentially debilitating hand injury) to ski down the Symphony Bowl for Owen's last DCPS February break. It's included taking him to his first official rock concert and letting him go to performance of his friends at the Kennedy Center all by himself. We have watched proudly as he's been featured in Duke performances and watched anxiously while Owen took the wheel. And we have watched a lot of Doctor Who through it all.

And in these special moments, we've learned just how ready Owen is for his next big adventure and all that follows (even if we're not quite ready for it ourselves). So happy birthday, our not so little man. We know that you'll have an amazing year and are just glad we're just glad to have a front row seat for it all.

1. Skier's thumb = Cellist's bane
2. Ignorance of the law is officially no longer an excuse.
3. Some people enjoy being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
4. Estonia, now there's some quality vexillology.
5. Queen to Rook 5.
6. Sometimes in life, you just have to improvise.
7. Some projects are bigger than others.
8. Home is where the Washington Monument is, followed by a very sharp left.
9. When you're about to do something very clever and slightly against the rules of the universe, it's important to be properly dressed.
10. And in the immortal words of Doctor Who, I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a mad man. And I've watched the universe freeze, and creation burn - I have seen things you wouldn't believe and I have lost things you will never understand - and I know things. Secrets that must never be told. Knowledge that must NEVER be spoken! Knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze! So come on then!!! Take It!!! Take it ALL baby!!! Have it! You. Have. It ALL!!!!

Back to the Homeland

While Allen was in Iowa just a few weeks ago (dropping off his Dad for the month), the rest of us hadn't been back since Thanksgiving. Our departure was delayed since Owen was participating in the D.C. Summer Law Institute, which meant we didn't arrive until after the corn-easting contest was complete (congratulations Truman) and Allen wasn't able to defend his title. However, while Noa and I decided after the 14-hour drive to just crash at Grandma and Grandpa Z's, Allen and Owen decided to play catch-up and get in some quality corn-eating, s'mores and family bonding.

We made up for lost time. The next day we all got in some swimming and some Fawcett birthday time before Thomas's family had to depart. Fortunately, Leanna and her crew were still around and willing to join us for Barbie (though they demurred the double feature of Oppenheimer). While we missed Corn Fest, we were able to make all of Hoover Fest, including the luncheon at the library (with Steve and Olivia) and catching Grace (with the West Branch Marching Band) and Grandpa Z (with the National Park) in the parade (though sadly, Grandpa was out of candy by the time he got to us).

We celebrated Mom and Dad's anniversary at our favorite Iowa City eatery (aside from Main Street Sweets), the Iowa River Power Company. It was a little bittersweet, since they just announced they were losing their lease and are closing in November. The next day, Allen and the kids had a lovely day at the pond while Grandpa and Grandma Z and I went to Marshalltown to see Pete, Jeannine and Bernie. Somewhere in there, Grandpa Z secured his record as the oldest high diver at the pond, we all helped with harvesting some sweet corn, we finished (minus one missing piece) the puzzle that Allen and Owen had gifted Noa and I from their Whistler trip, and Owen even got some driving in.  Which was helpful for the long drive back before we headed off to the beach...

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

Meeting the Mettenburgs

The last time we saw the Joe, Cate and the kids was last summer in Italy - since we no longer travel to Pittsburgh in the winter (having gotten stuck in their driveway two too many times), spring and summer are our only options and both sets of families have been busy. Still, in between Allen's trip to Iowa and the rest of the family's trip to Iowa we managed to squeeze in a quick visit with the Mettenburgs (though Gigi and Hugh left the morning after we arrived... for Iowa).

We got to their house around seven on Friday evening, just in time to enjoy tacos and their newly deer-fenced and professionally landscaped backyard (compete with a fire pit, a boardwalk that Joe built himself, and a lot of artistically placed boulders) which we failed to document completely. The next morning, after bidding Gigi and Hugh safe travels, we headed to downtown Pittsburgh to tour the University of Pittsburgh (the kids were not impressed by the Cathedral of Learning) and Carnegie Mellon University (the kids were impressed by their lawn chairs), before meeting up with the Pearsons for lunch. Afterwards, we enjoyed yard games, cocktails and a delicious dinner.

Sunday morning we had waffles for breakfast followed by a hike (where we got to see where Mr. Rogers's house used to be), before we grabbed lunch and headed home. It was brief visit, but one that was good to get in before the rest of our summer travels.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Direct to Iowa!

With dad no longer in shape for a 14 hour drive to Iowa, we decided to take advantage of the brand new direct flight from DCA to Cedar Rapids, and I flew with him out to Iowa to get him set up at Martha's for the month. It really was amazing to take off at 8:30 on Saturday morning and be at Martha's by 11am - too early for lunch! 

It was a quick trip as I was flying back on Monday morning, but I fit in a nice visit with Grandma & Grandpa Z, an afternoon at the Pond with the Cottingham's - including Carrol's family visiting from Oregon and Kentner's family visiting from New Zealand, a luau at the Pond for a friend of Ken & Helen's with dancing, music, and a fire eater (the advantages of Friends in the West Branch Quaker Church having members with Samoan roots!), nice visits with Leanna and Kent, a barbeque dinner at Wildwood, and even a facetime visit with Thomas and family! 

I also got some nice pictures of the old cottonwood tree on the lane up to the Pond that lost some major limbs in the last big storm. My grandpa Floyd used to tell stories about how big that tree was when he was a boy back in the 1910's - meaning that it was probably an original tree on the prairie before it was turned into farmland. It's always been one of my favorites, so it was a little sad to see it wracked by storm damage... 

Looking forward to a longer visit when the whole family drives back out in a few weeks!  

On Broadway

A few months ago, Dave and Kara mentioned that they had a wedding in New Jersey in July and wondered if we would want to meet up with them in New York. Intrigued with the prospect of seeing family and possibly a musical, we started researching and lobbying until we convinced Dave and Kara to join us for a matinee of Hadestown and whatever else we managed to fit in over two days.

We fit in a lot. We took the train up from DC and after a subway ride and a 10 block walk met up with Dave and Kara at our hotel where they had already checked in (membership has it's privileges). We dropped our stuff in their room and headed out for lunch followed by a quick stop at the waterfront before we could finally check into our room. While most of us were pretty exhausted from the heat and the travel, Allen was restless and managed to convince the rest of us to check out the MoMa. Allen was so inspired that he became a member (because membership has its privileges); meanwhile the kids were a bit more critical of the exhibits with the exception of what they interpreted as an homage to the Doctor Who "Snowman" episode.

After the MoMa, we headed out for a lovely dinner followed by a trek to get fancy gelato just off Broadway, which was deemed worth the extra steps (which totaled 21k for the day).

The next mornings the boys woke early in order to meet Dave and Kara and the hotel breakfast while Nora and I lingered (Nora wasn't a fan of Allen's snoring). After climbing 17 flights to collect us (and bring me coffee) we decided is was wiser to let sleeping Noras lie while the rest explored Central Park before I doubled back to get Nora and meet everyone for brunch. 

Brunch was a delicious albeit loud affair which involved Fruity Pebble pancakes for Dave and a mojito mocktail for Nora. Afterwards we killed time at the M&M store before heading to the Walter Kerr Theater for the Sunday matinee.

While we had seen Hadestown at the Kennedy Center, the Broadway version was something else entirely, Ms Hermes was played by Tony award winner Lillias White, the original Broadway Eurydice (who announced she was leaving the production the day after we saw it) Eva Noblezada performed, and Orpheus was played by Tom Hewitt who as Owen mentioned repeatedly, both originated and survived the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The staging was also pretty amazing with the cast descending into Hadestown onstage instead of walking off to get there. The performances were incredible and Dave and Kara loved it too.

Afterwards, we convinced Dave and Kara to take the subway to the Little Island at Pier 55 in order to catch a free concert with cellist/guitarist and Beatles coverer, Agustin Uriburu. It started to sprinkle so we grabbed dinner and then took the High Line (and several additional midtown blocks) to finally make it to Kara's preferred destination, Milk Bar, where she was finally able to compare how her high altitude cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie compared to the original (spoiler alert: they were very, very different). Having hit 23k steps that day, Dave and Kara opted to say their goodbyes and take an Uber back to the hotel while we forged ahead with the subway. This was a mistake: the heavens opened up while we were underground and we had to walk the 10 blocks back to the hotel via tsunami. All clothes (and more importantly, shoes) were soaked.

The next morning, Dave and Kara headed to the airport, I desperately tried to dry out everyone's footwear using the hotel hairdryer and Allen grabbed sustenance at the hotel breakfast bar. We then headed back to Central Park for some more bouldering and some lunch, before grabbing our stuff at the hotel and making our way back to Penn Station and eventually, DC.

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

Snowmass

 

One of my favorite conferences has always been the Snowmass workshop that brings together a small group climate people for a week of deep dives and fascinating discussions around the nexus of climate, energy, water, land, socio-economics, and policy all in the beautiful setting of Aspen. This year was the first time the conference has been held in person since 2019, and it was wonderful to be back in the mountains at Top of the Village again (the same place we stayed when skiing in Snowmass back in February of 2020!). Things were a little different - the pandemic caused a boom in summer travel to the mountains, so the conference's usual late July time slot wasn't available, but they were able to fit us in in late June instead, and the earlier date meant there was still a bit of snow on the ground and we didn't have the regular late afternoon storms. That all worked out well for me in one sense as the old slot often conflicted with Cornfest, but did mean that the first week was off the table since Elaine and I already had plans for our 20th Anniversary!

The best part of this year's workshop was that we had afternoon breakout sessions where we could often continue our discussions on a hike instead of sitting around a room. That meant I was able to do the hike around the lake at Maroon Bells for the first time! It really was as amazing as everyone says. Two majestic 14ers looming over an alpine lake with wildflowers all around. I was also able to do a 10 mile afternoon hike from Top of the Village, over on the ditch trail to the Campground lift, then up the mountain and across on the expresso trail all the way to the Elk Camp gondola. Luckily I made it the gondola right before it closed and was able to catch a ride down in time for dinner. On the last day I rode the gondola up and then went up the Elk Camp lift to see the summer view from the top, and hiked all the way back down to the village.

The only hiccup on the trip was my flight back home. I had a layover in Chicago, and due to some problems with the flight computer on our plane I was delayed overnight. Luckily, Steve & Becky were willing to put me up for the night and I had a lovely evening chatting with them and Olivia (though Maura was working and out until 3am, and Sam was out of town). All told, it was a lovely and refreshing trip.

(click here for all the pictures)

Roaring Twenty

Some time around our engagement, my father offered me some sage and sober words. "It's the struggles that make a marriage," he said. And in the early years of our marriage, when the kids were young and both money and sleep seemed scarce, I thought I understood what he meant. But it wasn't until the Pandemic and all the anxiety and heartbreak that followed, that I truly got it. Because on the days when we felt completely overwhelmed by events that were crushing, Allen and I were able to lean on each other and keep going. And while I wish we hadn't had to experience all that's transpired the past two years, I'm incredibly grateful that Allen has been by my side through it all.

So while there hasn't been a lot to celebrate the past few months (aside from Noa's graduation, my birthday, and a slew of concerts, of course), we figured for our 20th wedding anniversary we should go big and leave home. Mom Mom and Grandpa Don graciously volunteered to watch the kids, and the two of us headed back to the Inn at Little Washington to ring in the third decade of our marriage.

We had planned to get there early to explore the sights of Washington, VA, but a work call and a lot of rain delayed our arrival. Still we were greeted with a lovely tea service and were able to briefly check out the grounds before the skies opened again (and our room was ready). This was the third time we celebrated an anniversary at the Inn and the second time we stayed in the Julia Childs room, which has two balconies, a soaking tub, and a definitive french vibe. 

We dressed for our 8:15 seating and proceeded to order off of competing tasting menus (Allen went with the Gastronaut's and the wine pairing while I opted for the Good Earth and a couple of nice glasses of Sancerre). And while every course was pretty amazing (ok, the Graffiti Eggplant Cutlet Slathered with Black Olive Tapenade was merely good), Allen's clear winner was, a Chartreuse of Savoy Cabbage and Maine Lobster with Caviar Beurre Blanc (so delicious he forgot to capture on film) while mine was the Sweet Bell Pepper Tartare in an Artichoke Bottom with Burrata and Parsley Vinaigrette. 

Feeling completely sated, we headed back to the room and crashed – seven courses will do that to a couple. Without a cat to demand food at the crack of dawn, I slept in, only waking once Allen intervened. We had breakfast at the Inn, packed up, and took in Skyline Drive before returning to the kids and married life in DC, which is a pretty great thing to return to.

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

WOODMOORstock II

Many of us who lived in Austin in our youth look back on those days fondly with great memories of so many shows, be it the weeks binging on bands at SXSW or just knowing you could always see a great local band at a bar any night of the week. If you're Brad Brown though, you don't just reminisce about the good old day in Austin – you go right ahead and create your own music festival in your neighborhood! WOODMOORstock is now in its second year with 55 bands on 11 stages (with two of those bands featuring the man Brad Brown himself – and one of those a newly formed super group with old Austin friend and guitarist extraordinaire Tony flying in from KC for the big event!) and even got a call out in the Post. Well done Brad!

Moving on Up

A year ago, we were furiously searching to find a middle school that was accepting eighth graders, that we could realistically get a child to each morning without having to quit our jobs and who's philosophy aligned with ours and what our child would respond to. After a lot of emails, phone calls, Zooms and backroom conversations, we found our unicorn, the Sheridan School, and Noa started there this fall.

Noa had to deal with a lot in seventh grade (grief, bullying, Instagram inspired fight club) and by the end of it, they were pretty withdrawn. So it was kind of miraculous how engaged they became at Sheridan: they slept in yurts at mountain campus, starred as Lady Macbeth in the fall play, was a finalist in a city-wide poetry competition, wrote and performed a monologue, debated mandatory voting, performed an original piece for the poetry slam, painted a legacy block, joined student council, played softball, and led a cult of fifth graders (we're note entirely sure how we feel about that last one). And while this year wasn't without it's own trials and tribulations, we got through it, developed new supports and coping skills, and in the end, we were able to celebrate it.

And celebrate they did. There was bowling, and Six Flags, luncheons, a dinner which included a slideshow, speeches about each graduate from the Head of School, musical performances, student speeches from Student Council leadership, and some parental hijinks that Allen and I opted out of. The next morning, Mom Mom and Grandpa Don joined us at Sheridan for the official graduation, which involved the formal march, more speeches (with tears), musical performances, and each graduate being accompanied off the stage by their kindergarten buddy. It was incredibly sweet and a nice way to cap off a year of ups and downs.

Afterwards, there were lots of pictures (and unicorns!) and contact info exchanges followed by one last lunch with their classmates. There was another pool and graduation party later that night, but Noa opted to instead meet up with their Stuart-Hobson friends for a performance of the Spring Musical, Spongebob Squarepants, which was kind of the perfect epilogue to their (and our) middle school experience.

Let the high school years at Burke commence.

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

Fandom at the Opera

Every year, Duke Ellington's Vocal Music Department puts on an Opera Workshop and every year, the Instrumental Music Department accompanies them on some of their pieces. This year Owen and crew performed Verdi's Traviata, Offenbach's Entra'acte et Barcarolle, Menotti's Steal Me, Sweet Thief, and Mozarts Papagena/Papageno from Duke's orchestra pit, where he was only mildly harassed by Nora and Gabriel. Later on we got to harass all three of them for some pictures...

Happy Pride

 

(Artwork courtesy of Noa Fawcett)

In Concert

We are a musical family. We've all played instruments (some better than others), we all sing (some better than others) and we all enjoy live music performances (that's pretty universal though the decibel level tolerated is higher for some than others). So we genuinely enjoy performing and attending concerts. That being said, four in a single week may be a bit much...

The count starts on Friday night, when Allen and I went to see the New Pornographers at the 9:30 Club while the kids stayed home and introduced Mom Mom to Doctor Who. Sunday, Nora had their first performance with the Repertory Orchestra at DCYOP (and then left for their last Sheridan School retreat at Mountain Campus the following day). Thursday, Allen watched as Owen and the Duke Orchestra performed the fourth movement of Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony at the Kennedy Center before picking up a returning Nora from school, dropping them off at home, and then heading out to Wharf to meet Brad and Marlo for the Flaming Lips (I was supposed to go as well, but we figured at least one parent should be home Nora's first night back).

It was a lot for a single week, but definitely worth it and filled our cultural cup until Opera Workshop in June...

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

Go Owls!

  

This spring Noa surprised us a bit and decided to join the Sheridan softball team. Maybe it had something to do with Burke (Noa's future high school) exempting you from the P.E. requirement if you play a team sport, or that softball seems like a great sporty LGBTQ+ activity, or maybe it was simply the family love of "base" based sports finally rubbed off on Noa. Whatever the motivation, we're super proud of Noa for trying something new and donning the "tools of ignorance" to play catcher for the Owls.

On Wednesday the Owls took on Westminster in the Capital Athletic Conference Varsity Girls Softball playoffs. With Noa behind the dish, Westminster loaded the bases in the top of the first, but the Owls worked their way out of the jam and escaped the inning without giving up any runs. In the bottom of the inning Sheridan scored a run to take an early1-0 lead. Things got a bit dicey in the second with Westminster scoring four runs, but Noa made a great play at the plate for a one-two put out that limited the damage. The Owls scored again in the third to cut the lead to two, but Westminster put up two more runs in the fourth to take a 6-2 lead. 

With five minutes left before the no-new-inning time the umpire called for one more inning, and the Owls were ready. Noa came up to bat with one out, nobody on, and with a keen eye drew a walk. The next batter hit the ball sharply to short and when they bobbled the ball and threw late to first, Noa made the smart play and hustled around to third. After the next batter struck out, the Owls got a clutch hit driving Noa home to make it 6-3. Then the flood gates opened and Sheridan strung together a series of hits to cut the lead to one. 

With a runner on first, the Owls hit what looked to be a sure double. But with an understandable TOOTBLAN, the lead runner stopped at second while the batter made the turn around first as the ball confounded the outfielders. When both runners met at second and realized their problem, the lead runner broke for third, and the batter ran back to first. While it looked like they were both safe when the throw to first was late, the umpire called the batter out for making contact with the opposing player at first. 

There was a bit of frustration amongst the Owls having their comeback thwarted and their season ended on such a controversial play, but they quickly decided it was one of their best games of the year and celebrated their third place finish and a great season of Sheridan softball.

Mid-Century Modern

While 50th birthdays are generally a big deal, mid-May birthdays are kind of a scheduling nightmare. With Mother's Day looming and end of school year events in full swing, organizing an elaborate celebration can prove overwhelming. At least that's what I told Allen...

Allen was still adamant that we had to mark my entry into the latter half of the century, so we enjoyed tapas at Jose Andre's Bazaar (housed in the hotel formerly owned by they who shall not be named), a night out with the kids to see Spamalot at the Kennedy Center, and finally sushi with Steve & Megan (and Megan's sister) at Love, Makoto. There were also lots of presents and flowers and cards and facebook postings, but to be honest, I kind of leaned into the quiet. All of which made for a low-key yet fully acknowledged and lovely fiftieth birthday. Thanks everyone.

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

24601... again

Whenever Les Mis is in town, we as a family feel compelled to see it (Owen is on his fourth viewing...). And while Nora had a conflict, resulting in Owen's friend River subbing in, we still had a lovely time hearing the people sing (and watching the musicians play).

Mice Playing

While I'm not really sure that either Owen or I could be characterized as cats, while on our Colorado College adventure, the remaining Fawcetts enjoyed a night out together, sampling Swiss delicacies at Stable and marveling at the different forms ice cream can take.

Going West

Owen's college counselor advised us that spring break should be spent doing college visits. While we initially talked about going to Chicago to see Northwestern and the like, she balked since 1) Owen isn't really interested in schools in the Chicago area, and 2) we can go to Chicago any time, spring break should be dedicated to the outer reaches of Owen's college orbit.

Owen had previously said that he was only interested in schools where he had family nearby (also liberal arts in a not terrible urban setting), which meant his counselor's preferred option, Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR (known for its undergrad to law school program and well funded endowment) was off the table. However, Dave & Kara just happen to live in Colorado Springs which is just minutes from Colorado College and an hour from University of Denver (and also mountains for skiing and rock climbing), so we booked a flight and a rental car (ok, technically Allen booked them), scheduled some tours and headed out to the Springs.

Our flight was relatively painless (it was on Frontier so it wasn't entirely painless) and while they initially tried to give me pick-up truck at the rental place (which deep down, no one wanted) we eventually picked up some midsize SUV and made it to Dave & Kara's by 5:30 pm. Sadly, Dave was at a work retreat and wasn't there, but Kara greeted us and with cookies and homemade cheezits and snacks galore. After some homemade pizza for dinner, Dave joined us for some homemade ice cream cake as an early birthday celebration for me.

The next morning we slept in and puzzled before exploring downtown Colorado Springs with Kara. After lunch, Owen and I headed to Colorado College for his first tour.

We didn't know much about CC beforehand, but quickly learned that it's on the block plan which means you take one class at a time (for three and a half weeks), eight over the course of the semester. We also learned that they love hockey, rock climbing, public transport, study abroad, and llamas.

We also learned that it's a short drive from campus to Garden of the Gods. So after the tour, Owen and I headed there so that we could explore, although not above 10 feet since 1) we didn't have permits, 2) we didn't have climbing equipment (and Owen was wearing horrible shoes), and 3) Owen technically was still recuperating from his ski injury and wasn't supposed to climb for another few days.

I had purchased tickets for a Rockies-Pirates game, so after the Garden, we headed back to Dave and Kara's for a quick change before driving to Denver. I got a little confused finding the parking garage, but we eventually made it to Coors Field. While we missed the Rockies scoring three runs in the first inning, we were there when the Pirates scored 4 in the fourth and got to see a really fun, low-stakes game from amazing seats.

Wednesday, we headed back to Denver for a tour of University of Denver (or weirdly DU due to some copyright loss to the University of Delaware). The day didn't start off great -- the weather wasn't as glorious as it had been for CC and Owen was pretty exhausted from the previous day's events. Owen started perking up at the tour, though, where he learned that DU also loves hockey (and lets the kayaking team use their olympic pool to practice), mountain campus, study abroad, public transport discounted epic passes, Dungeons & Dragons, and merit aid.

We headed back to Dave and Kara's where we ordered take-out and packed up for the trip home. Having gotten a warning about extreme long lines at the airport (which wrapped all the way around baggage claim -- though we learned about a semi-secret bridge security check which saved us probably an hour in line) so we left their house by 7:00 am in order to return the car, take the shuttle to the airport, check-in and make it through security, before having a lovely brunch and getting on our noonish flight back to DC where we arrived in time for dinner.

In the end, Owen really liked both schools (CC slightly has the edge) and loves the idea of being near mountains, so I suspect he will be definitely applying to at least one of them, and may be moving to the mountain time zone in the fall of 2024. And while thinking about that makes me a little sad, I was really glad to have some fun one-on-one time with him.

 

(To see all of our Colorado pics, click here.)

Easter Yardwork

We've been trying for what seems like ages to have a Spring yard work day at Katherine & Lee's but the weather has been distinctly uncooperative. Easter weekend finally looked like the weather would hold, so I arranged for my co-clerk to cover Meeting for Business and we all went to Katherine's on Saturday for a weekend of Easter yard work. Katherine had an epic list of chores, and we at least made a dent – Owen burned a massive pile of two years worth of sticks, Nora pulled a bed of ivy, the kids both stained fences, I leveled bird baths, hung ladders, and dug up bamboo roots, and Elaine cleaned up 'piles' filling a nearly uncountable number of yard waste bags. When Sunday afternoon finally rolled around, we all cleaned up and went over to Mom's for a lovely Easter dinner.

 

German Bowing

Owen is (fingers crossed) schedule to finally have his cast removed this coming Monday. Unfortunately, that means he wasn't able to play during the Instrumental Department Solo Recital in March (hie piece was too complicated to perform without the full use of his hand). He was, however, able to use a German bass bow to play with his cast on for the Virtuosi set during the Duke Ellington Instrumental Department Spring Chamber Recital on Thursday afternoon. Despite the lack of wrist and thumb mobility in his bow hand, we thought Owen and the whole string quartet sounded great!

  

Sometimes you just need a date night :-)

And a lovely evening out at Little Pearl is just perfect.