Hood Circle Field Trip Team adds new member

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Photo of Oliver, Andrew, Ian, and Gramma Jan at Fernbank Science Center

Oliver, Andrew, Ian, and Gramma Jan at Fernbank Science Center

The Hood Circle Field Trip Team headed to Fernbank Science Center this morning with new member Oliver in tow. Gramma Jan and I have taken Ian and Andrew on a number of field trips to local points of interest. It was obvious as we left Hood Circle for the most recent outings that Oliver (who will turn 2 in early August) felt he should join us. Gretchen managed these situations well, but Oliver’s development and his new status as a Big Brother make it time to include him in our outings.Continue reading→

Andrew’s T-ball Season

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It’s a hit! Andrew heads for first.

Andrew was introduced to team sports this summer when he joined a t-ball team. James help coach the team which gave Andrew special time with him. He was quite proud that his Dad was one of the coaches. We are proud of Andrew for the energy he displayed during the games, and proud of James for making the effort to have the one-on-one time with Andrew despite a hectic workload at the office and at home.Continue reading→

Izabella’s first car ride

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IMG_1329Julie, Dan, and Izabella departed Piedmont Hospital for home earlier today. Mom Julie reports that they feel they are ready for the next step of their adventure as Izabella had several good nights at Piedmont and is nursing well. She seems to have quickly adapted to car travel, provided her pacifier is handy. Too cute.

Click on the photo to visit the Izabella photo album, or click on Gallery, then Izabella in the menu above.

Izabella Joan Fields

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Julie and Dan, congratulations on the arrival of Izabella Joan Fields!

For the rest of us, she arrived April 4th at 6:39am at Piedmont Hospital in downtown Atlanta. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long.Continue reading→

Julie and Dan are ready …

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Mom and I had a great visit with Julie and Dan last night. We both observed that they look fantastic! I guess we were expecting to see an exhausted Julie, perhaps swollen a bit and just plain looking uncomfortable. Not so! She was what I would call “glowing”. “Glowing” may not be the best term to describe a man … but Dan was glowing too!

Everything is ready at their home for the baby. Julie has done a great job of decorating and outfitting the nursery – it looks really cute in its yellow and gray colors. All it needs now is a baby!

We are packed and ready to move in with them for a three day shift of helping Dan, Julie and Baby Fields (Indie, too) start their lives together!

We are truly blessed to be able to join them at this important time in their lives.

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Saint Francina …

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Tony and Diane regularly tease Mom about being Saint Francina due to Mom’s love of animals.

The Medical community at the Providence VA hospital is beginning to buy into her Sainthood.

After Mom arrived yesterday, Jerry has had an amazing turnaround.  He has been alert, able to visit with Mom, jokes with the staff, able to confirm his medical directives with Mom and the staff, able to go without the BPAP device for longer periods, and able to comprehend his situation.  His medical team is elated.  They will continue to watch him closely, but have cautiously begun talking about returning him to Morgan Health Center, which is equipped to handle the BPAP machine that he uses to assist his breathing.  Their major proviso is that Morgan be able to return Jerry to the VA quickly should fluid buildup in his lungs increase to the point that it again impairs breathing.  His situation is still dire given his host of medical issues with liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, et cetera.Continue reading→

November 6th

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Our chateau is located on the south side of the River Loire and to the east of Muides sur Loire. Not on the scale of the chateaus of the royalty, it is still quite nice. Its owners used it for agriculture until shortly before WW II. It was occupied by the German Army for three months during WW II, and the family moved to a close by town. After the war the family returned and it was turned into a hotel; family members not involved in running the hotel found work outside the chateau. Patrick, our host and cousin of the current owner, indicated that the Allied forces crossed the River Loire at the west end of the chateau; a marker indicates the spot. The chateau was not affected by the French Revolution.Continue reading→

November 5th

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This morning we visited Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau. It is a small chateau and very beautiful, an appropriate start for our journey to three chateaus of the Loire valley today and tomorrow.

I found the construction details of the Azay chateau interesting. The support structure of the chateau was constructed in the early 1500s of massive oak timbers from a nearby forest. The timbers and their mortise and tenon joints were exposed to view in the attic and the lower floor. The tools used to construct the support structure were primitive by our standards, but I was able to see several complicated joints that were very well done and have served their intended purpose for over 500 years.Continue reading→

November 4th

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We departed from Le Pouliguen with heavy hearts after six wonderful days with our friends. We heartily recommend the commune as a vacation destination spot. Our hostesses Nicole and Anne Marie made our visit so nice – thank you Nicole and Anne Marie!! Anne Marie and her husband Pasquale own the residence in which we stayed – Les Goylands.

Mom and I are having lunch at a brasserie on the cliff on the south side of the Loire River in Saumur. Our table provides a beautiful view of the Chateau of Saumur and the Loire River below. A photo of our lunch view is posted on the WhatsApp Innkeeper chat.

We will drive up the Loire River valley this afternoon to our hotel in Azay Le Rideau. Azay is a very small town. Our hotel is in the middle of the town, and was originally – in the 18th century – a post house. Their post houses serve the same function as ours – a way station for travelers. It provided a place to rest the horses, swap a horse team, eat, or spend the night.

The Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau is several blocks from our hotel and we will visit it tomorrow.