Tag Archives: Bill

43 years 8 months …

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Jan’s Mother Celina LaPierre Jutras, Lorraine Dziedzic Grant (James’ Godmother), Janet, Father Vincent Keane, Bill and John at Lorraine’s apartment in Arlington VA, January 4, 1975

For some reason the photo cube that sits on our kitchen desk caught my eye this morning as I was checking email. I see it every day, but today the photo to the right was pointed my direction and it brought back a flood of memories of the fall of 1974 & early 1975 - particularly January 4, 1975. Good memories. Two young people, newly met, in love and electing to cast their lots in life together and form a new family - or should I say 3 young people as John was part of it from the relationship’s earliest beginning. We didn’t know where our journey would take us, but we had hopes and faith that it would be an interesting journey full of love.

Lots of water has passed under our bridge in the 43 years and 8 months since, the memories are still good, the journey is still full of love and is still interesting.

We love you.

Dad

Ian’s Celebration of Learning

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The boys — Ian, Oliver, Everett, and Andrew — at Ian’s “Celebration of Learning” open house at Oakhurst Elementary on December 6, 2016.

We can’t think of a greater way to start the Christmas season than joining Gretchen D’Huyvetter Cobb and these four young men for an open house at Ian and Andrew’s school this evening. The topic was a Celebration of Learning by Ian’s class showcasing their recent studies of cultures. Gramma Jan and I were impressed with the material they covered and Ian’s good explanations of their studies. Thank you Ian!!

Lunches with Ian and Andrew

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Gramma Jan and Andrew, November 16th
 

Gramma Jan and Ian November 17th

Gramma Jan and Ian  November 17th

My, these boys are developing!!

Andrew and Ian invited us to join them for lunch at their school this week, an early Thanksgiving celebration.  We did not want to miss an opportunity to spend time with these special grandchildren, so off we went to their school in Decatur on Wednesday (lunch with Andrew) and Thursday (lunch with Ian).

They were perfect hosts, guiding us through the lunch line, making sure we got our meal and drink, helping us be seated at the child sized tables, and entertaining us throughout the meal with chatter about their day, classmates, what they are going to do after school, et cetera.

It was a grand experience, and reminded us how quickly these little boys are turning into fine young men.  It also reminded us how thankful we are to live close by and be able to drop in for celebrations like this.

Thank you Andrew and Ian.  We love you guys!

Chomp & Stomp

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Bill, Gramma Jan, Barbara & Fred Bradshaw, Claudia Gimson, Julie and Izzy headed for Chomp and Stomp in Cabbagetown on November 5th to sample Dan’s chili and cheer for him to win the chili cooking competition.

Dan, Izzy and Julie at Chomp and Stomp

Dan, Izzy and Julie at Chomp and Stomp
 

Izzy thought Dada's chili was the best!

Izzy thought Dada’s chili was the best!

Chomp & Stomp is a Chili Cook-off and Bluegrass Festival that benefits Cabbagetown parks and community center.  This year over 70 individual chili teams entered the competition, and Dan’s was one of the 70.

The day was gorgeous and the venue — a short walk from Julie and Dan’s Grant Park home — was absolutely packed with spectators.  We sampled lots of chili from lots of different vendors (verdict: it was all delicious!), visited with Dan and his team for a short time and then headed back to Julie’s to hang out and put Izzy down for a nap.  John and Sharon dropped by on their way into Chomp & Stomp so we also had a nice visit with them.

We have not heard if Dan won a prize for his chili.  He should have.

Kickin’ Back in the Keys

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Sunset at Curry Hammock State Park on Little Grassy Key, Marathon FL

Sunset at Curry Hammock State Park on Little Grassy Key, Marathon FL

Mom and I will wrap up a delightful week and a half at Curry Hammock State Park in the middle Florida Keys tomorrow.  We’ve had a very relaxed visit, spending our time enjoying local attractions, reading, and sampling the local watering holes and restaurants. We did make one quick trip into Key West for an event Mom wanted to see.

Weather has been surprisingly nice during our visit. We were expecting rain due to Hurricane Joaquin, but with a few exceptions skies have been clear with a few clouds scattered about.

We can see coming back to the area for another visit, but if we do it will take place a bit later in the fall or  early spring. This visit turned out to be a bit ahead of tourist season, so quite a few restaurants were not open or are just now opening for the season.

When we leave the Keys tomorrow (Friday), we will head to Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando. Abby is running in the Disney Cross Country Classic Saturday and we plan to cheer her to a good finish. After that we’ll head south to Bradenton and Sarasota to visit Claire and Sarah and their families for a few days before heading home to prepare for Pat Colon’s visit the following week.

Wyoming

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Devils Tower silhouetted against the evening sky behind our camper.

Devils Tower silhouetted against the evening sky behind our camper.

Finally, I have the photos from our trip to Wyoming organized and uploaded to the Gallery.  Click here to view them, or use the menu to go to the Gallery and scroll down to the Wyoming album.

Our agenda for the month long trip included Wyoming and South Dakota with a stop in Decorah, Iowa during our return journey. This let us visit the Bighorn Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Little Bighorn National Park, the Black Hills, the Badlands, and Mom’s eagle cam eagle family in Decorah.

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Its start was a bit challenging due to Mom’s respiratory issues at the altitudes we encountered. We should have known to expect them and been prepared, but the potential didn’t occur to either of us as we planned the trip. Regardless, with help from the good folks at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center we were able to continue our trip.  We slowed our pace, modified our agenda, and had a great time together enjoying the beautiful scenery and friendly people in Wyoming, South Dakota, and Iowa.

Thanks to all of you for your love and support during our trip!

Innkeeper’s Gazette changes

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We have reorganized Innkeeper’s Gazette from a traditional static web site containing a blog into a blog driven web site. The goal remains the same — to present family news and photos — but the blog format should make it easier to update our readers quickly as things happen. We tried the format during our Europe trip last fall and found that the approach worked well.

Continue reading→

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→

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.

.

October 18th

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Last day in Montepulciano with Tony & Diane.

Visited:
Sarteano (aad went to bank)
Saint Frances Convent – MondoX
Cetona
Had lunch at a restaurant on the square in Cetona.
Adventure drive through narrow streets in Cetona.
Piazza
Chiusi (rental car pickup for aad)