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.

 

& Noa

Back in January, Owen had a random Wednesday off that we used to do a day trip up to New York to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway before it closed. Nora wasn't particularly interested in seeing Phantom, but when they heard we ran into their friend Anais at the train station also going to New York to see a show – we knew we'd need to go back. When Nora's spring break rolled around and Owen had school – we decided to hop on the train and go see & Juliet on Broadway – the same show Anais saw back in January. Noa and I caught a ride to Union Station with Elaine on Owen's way to school, and got into Penn Station in time to grab paninis in Bryant Park. After lunch we walked by the Hadestown and Moulin Rouge theaters to scope out a couple options for a summer trip to New York with Dave & Kara, and swung by the Lego Store just to be sure we didn't miss out on any cool things Owen did.

Our seats for & Juliet were in the front row – because I want it that way, i.e. a view that makes the cast really feel Larger than Life. We could feel the Roar of the crowd and the show really was F****in Perfect.

(click here for all the pictures)

Blues Alley

Owen's Duke friend and Jazz piano phenom Jose Andre played a great show at Blues Alley for his 17th birthday. Mom Mom and Grandpa Don came down and we all met up at The Sovereign for dinner then walked over to Blues Alley for the show and were all blown away again by Jose's talent on the keys!

Back Into the Woods

 

When one of our favorite musicals has an acclaimed revival that turns into a stint on Broadway and a tour with its first stop at the Kennedy Center, we can't help but go back Into the Woods!

High Fidelity

While Owen has been to a ton of concerts (vocal, instrumental, hootenannies, musicals, bluegrass festivals, the odd opera, and some things that defy labels), at 16 he still hadn't attended a "rock" concert (unless you count the Justin Roberts kindie-rock concert we took him to when he was five).  We're not sure that at this point in his career, Elvis Costello is still technically considered "rock," but Owen has been a fan since he inherited my ipod in elementary school which included all the hits, so when we heard he was coming to town with the Imposters, we made sure to get tickets.

Nora wasn't interested in attending, so it was just the three of us that headed to the Warner Theater after a leisurely dinner (maybe a little too leisurely as we arrived at 8:10 thinking the doors opened at 8:00 pm with an opening band when in fact that was when Elvis started playing). He played a number of hits – "Alison," "Radio Radio," "Watching the Detective," "Everyday I Write the Book," "Pump it Up," and the crowd favorite, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding" – and a lot of slower numbers that I didn't really recognize (including an LBJ protest song). At 68, Elvis Costello's voice isn't what is was even 20 years ago (when I last saw him in-person), but he's still an incredible musician who played for 2 1/2 hours straight without a break and clearly had a lot of fun doing so. Not bad for a first rock show.

Skiier's Thumb

Funny story: That last day in Whistler, when Owen came in too fast at 7th Heaven and banged his hand on a lift pole and Allen had him wiggle his fingers and then ski several more runs? It turns out Owen's hand wasn't necessarily ok, a fact which became clear to Allen on the first leg of their much delayed flight from Vancouver to Toronto when Owen's hand swelled up horribly (though according to Uncle L, the cabin pressure exacerbates injuries which is why you should always travel with compression sock). Allen, however, decided to withhold that piece of information from me until they landed in DC 24 hours later and I was picking them up from the airport, at which point he mentioned, "You might want to take Owen to Urgent Care."

Two hours and an x-ray later, we were informed that Owen had not broken anything (which meant that  Allen, at least in the strictest sense, had adhered to my parting directive to not "break my baby"). They put Owen in a brace, told him to take some Motrin, and scheduled an appointment for him on Tuesday with orthopedics so they could make sure that his thumb was ok. We did as ordered and he spent Monday trying to play the cello with a brace.

By Tuesday, the swelling had gone down and Owen was feeling fine so we really thought they would just take a quick look and send us on our way. Only they didn't. When they examined Owen's hand, they noticed that they could bend Owens right thumb back further than his left. While Owen attributed this to the Fawcett's hyper-mobility, the orthopedist attributed it to "skiier's thumb" – which means either a torn or sprained thumb ligament – and promptly order a cast for Owen for the next six weeks.

This is a problem. While Owen could play cello, albeit not to his usual standards, with a brace, the cast pretty much immobilizes his wrist which is an issue given has a school recital in March. We furiously scheduled an MRI (the earliest appointment we could get was for a week later in Gaithersburg at 9:30 pm) to see if we can get verification that the ligament isn't torn and then try to negotiate an early release from the cast so that Owen can perform Prelude as scheduled (and maybe also get back to rock-climbing and Zelda).

At least he can still cross his fingers ;-)

Whistler

This is the last year DCPS is having a week long February break, so we didn't want to let it go to waste. But since Sheridan didn't have that week off, we decided that Owen and I would have a Father-Son ski trip out West. We were a bit late getting started in our planning, but the stars aligned for us to go back to Whistler for the first time since 2015. The snow was historically bad that trip, so Owen and I had always wanted to go back and see what Whistler-Blackcomb was like with proper snow all the way down to the base – thankfully the snow this year didn't disappoint.

Our flight out was long but uneventful with a three hour layover in Toronto and a two and a half hour shuttle ride from Vancouver to Whistler Village. It was pouring rain in the Village Monday night when we arrived at Whistler Peak Lodge, but just a few hundred feet up the mountain the snow was falling. We took the Whistler Gondola up as soon as it opened in the morning to hunt for some fresh powder. Our plan was to make our way back to the Harmony and Symphony bowls, but Harmony didn't open until after 10 and it turned out Symphony was closed due to high avalanche risk from a shifting cornice. We managed to satisfy our powder craving though when we went to the top of Whistler Peak and found the black diamond Bagel Bowl. The visibility was terrible but the powder was amazing! Later we took the Peak-to-Peak Gondola across to Blackcomb, took the t-bar up and hiked over the pass to Blackcomb Glacier where we found even more amazing powder!

After the first day the temperatures plummeted with mid week highs in the single digits and lows on the mountain around -16F! Due to the cold, the high Alpine and Peak-to-Peak lifts weren't running, so we started the day off on Blackcomb – focusing on some runs around Jersey Cream, including three runs on a slalom course (I took 2 out of 3 races over Owen, still have it!) before trying out 7th Heaven and deciding that was too cold. We skied to the bottom and avoided the Whistler Gondola line with a ride up Fitzsimmons to Garbanzo and some lovely fast runs down Dave Murray Downhill – the 2010 Men's Olympic Downhill run. We repeated the Fitzsimmons to Garbanzo trick on Thursday morning to avoid the lines and had a great morning avoiding crowds and cold by looping runs around Garbanzo and the Creekside Gondola. Our luck ran out after lunch when the Gondola stalled for twenty minutes while we were in line – at least it was warm down there and we could always bail out of the line if it was stuck too long we told ourselves. We decided to work our way over to Harmony where on our fist ride up the lift stalled in an exposed spot in the high Alpine. The first ten minutes stuck there weren't too bad – we had a great view of the Harmony bowl and some gnarly terrain and saw two skiers send it off of some 20-30 foot cliffs. After nearly a half hour stuck on the lift though we were pretty much ready to pack it in for the day. Thankfully when they finally got us running again they gave us $20 in lunch vouchers and closed the lift for the day.

Our last day was a bit warmer and finally sunny with amazing views. We started out on Blackcomb and made our way up to 7th Heaven for some amazing views and fast groomers. Owen banged his hand ona pole coming in a bit too fast into the lift line, but it didn't seem to hurt too much when I tried squeezing different spots on it. Still, we decided to take a break, grab some lunch, and take the Peak-to-Peak glass bottom gondola back over to Whistler Mountain. We skied a few of our favorite mid-mountain runs, and then noticed that Symphony was finally open, so we raced over to the last bit of the mountain we hadn't explored. We managed to find some more powder way over in Rhapsody Bowl and then skied down into the Glissando Glades, before booking it back to Whistler Peak chair before it closed to finish off our trip with a run from the peak to the village. We just made it in time and I'm so glad we did since the sky was amazing at the peak. We took in some of the most amazing views of the whole trip, and that last run down from the peak was a worthy close to an epic week of skiing.

While the skiing was the whole reason for the trip, we also had lots of fun off of the slopes. In the evenings we had some great dinners together (21 Steps was particularly tasty for future reference), watched some movies (Owen picked X-Men First Class and I convinced him to watch O' Brother Where Art Thou?), and generally had a nice time hanging out. The trip back turned out to be exhausting – 5:45am shuttle ride, delayed flight, missed connection, really swollen hand (uh oh, remember that 7th Heaven run...) stuck in Toronto overnight, finally made it home a day late without our bags, and Owen needing a trip to urgent care to check out his hand (but that's another story)... 

(click here for all the pictures)

Polar Plunging

Last year, Allen and Nora were the sole in-person representatives of the "Quaking Quakers" team for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network's annual Polar Bear Plunge, owing to Covid and other complications. This year, however, more than a dozen other Quakers joined them, including Owen, on Saturday morning at the National Harbor and jumped into a very frigid Potomac to raise over $20,000 (with Team Fawcett contributing more than $1,500) to support environmental initiatives and #KeepWinterCold. 

Apparently last year's efforts were already having an impact, for while the 2022 plunge was a balmy 60 degrees, 2023's event was in the low 40s with a breeze. Despite the chill, our brave plungers, sporting just water shoes and swimsuits (though with hats, towels and parkas at the ready), braved the elements and led the Quakers through their watery trial while still managing to make it home in time for Owen's climbing class (while Allen and Nora sought nourishment at Union Market).

And while this year's plunge has ended, you're still welcome to support Team Fawcett's efforts here.

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

It's Over Now the Music of the Night

 

Owen has always been a big fan of the Phantom of the Opera, so when he heard it was finally closing after 35 years on Broadway he really wanted to see it one last time. Nora on the other hand, while a huge fan of musicals in general, is not a Phantom fan. So when we saw that Owen had a random Wednesday off of school – the one weekday with matinee shows on Broadway – we scooped up the last two seats available and bought a couple train tickets for a quick father/son trip to the Big Apple! After Nora went to school and Elaine went to work Owen and I biked over to Union Station and before we knew it we were eating fish & chips for lunch in Times Square. 

After lunch we walked over to the Majestic Theater for the main event. From the moment of that big opening chord and the chandelier rising up over the audience, Phantom didn't disappoint. After the show we took advantage of a break in the rain to walk over and have dinner with some aspiring broadway stars waiting tables at Ellen's Stardust Diner. Then with a little more time to kill before catching our train home, we checked out the Lego Store before walking back to Penn Station in the pouring rain. We were home before midnight, a great NYC day trip in the books.

(click here for all the pictures.)

Driven

Continuing his momentum from the holidays, Owen got behind the wheel again, though this time with Allen riding shotgun. While Grandpa Don took Owen along the Outer Banks scenic highway, Allen opted for the less scenic, more brutalist parking lot of RFK. Both sessions went well, though Owen seemed to prefer his time with Don, who suppressed his urge to document Owen's the actual driving experience far better than Owen's father did. 

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.)