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.

 

& 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.