Irene

We were in Tivoli for Irene, thinking it would be safer than Jersey as 45 mile an hour winds were predicted for Sunday. So Chris came up Saturday afternoon and we waited out the storm at Gigi and Grandad's. Tivoli lost power around 7 a.m. on Sunday and never got it back while we were there. Sunday was fairly uneventful for most of the day -- windy and rainy in the morning, but we played and hung out by daylight and candlelight. We were able to cook because G & G have a gas stove, so that was good. By late afternoon it seemed clearer, so we went out for a walk and found that the lane was flooded on one side, so we had to go back around on a very wooded road to get to the house from the other direction. This proved difficult when we returned from dinner in Red Hook, which did have power, and found a huge tree down in our way. We tried another approach, but more trees down, and the wind had picked up. I did get nervous when we went back to our original approach and the rather blustery construction guy who was helping clear the road said that he had seen 6 or 8 large trees come down on the road and there we were with our car and our babies in it!! We hightailed it out of there and waited at Matt and Christine's til the road was clear and then got home as quickly as we could, but in total darkness by then because there was still no power and we hadn't brought flashlights with us, thinking we'd be back from dinner before dark. We figured it all out, though, and amazingly the girls went to sleep fine and slept through the night.

Here we are at our impromptu hurricane party at Christine and Matt's:





Monday we drove back and made it home to South Orange safe and sound. The only glitch was that it took 8 hours rather than 2 with various road closings! Eventually we drove out to Pennsylvania and came back to NJ from there. Thank goodness Chris knows the road so well -- he didn't even need to look at a map. When we got home our house had power and water, and no flooding in the basement or elsewhere, so we feel very lucky. A few neighbors were not so fortunate, and Maplewood (the next town over) still doesn't have water, so we are counting our blessings.

Vacation in Tivoli 2011

After 5 weeks in South Orange, we headed up to Tivoli for a 3 week vacation at our house plus another week for me and the girls with my parents (thanks for hosting us Gigi and Grandad!). Fer and Wendy once again showed their amazing flexibility in enjoying 3 more camps in the Hudson Valley, bringing the camp total for the summer up to 6! They spent a week at the Dutchess Arts Camp in Red Hook with their good friends Apple and Milli where they painted, drummed, tie-dyed, acted, sang, made paper, and generally took part in all things artistic. Next, they went on to Camp Seewackamano, a YMCA day camp in the Catskills that was pretty much a total gamble, but true to form, they had a great time in a totally new and very outdoorsy setting with fishing, boating, hunting newts, swimming, drama, arts and crafts, and even a one-night sleepover! They had to ride a school bus to get to camp which they found very exciting, and made good friends with two little girls who were assigned to the same bus stop. We are so thankful for their counselor Tori, who was apparently the loudest and silliest of the bunch and who made their time there so much fun. We finished up camp experiences in Tivoli with four days at the Pottery Shack in Rhinebeck, where they were able to choose and paint different ceramic items. Wendy chose a dog cookie jar for treats for the dogs and also made a mug for me which of course warmed my heart, and Fer did a beautiful vase with carefully drawn polka dots and butterflies (as she said proudly, "I'm taking my time!"), as well as 2 small jewelry boxes. We finished up our vacation in Tivoli with some fun times at the Dutchess County Fair!














While the girls were enjoying all that camp life had to offer, Chris and I were very busy packing up our Tivoli house for rental. It's amazing how much there is to do when every single item in the house needs to be considered and disposed of, whether moved to South Orange, stored, or thrown away. Grandpa Jack and Grandma Deb came down for 3 days and helped us enormously by moving some loads to South Orange in their pickup truck (thanks so much again!!), and Chris and I did several trips on our own as well while the girls were in camp, moving loads and unpacking boxes at the house in South Orange. It's done now, and the tenants have moved in, and the house has definitely taken on a college vibe, complete with spare tire in the driveway and beer bottles on the porch! We will get the house back at the end of May to use next summer, and one great thing will be that we will definitely start off with a clean slate as far as stuff.

We also really enjoyed having the Cannings come to visit us in Tivoli for a long weekend. Patricia stayed on an extra day with her girls and we had the chance to host a tea party, do some back to school shopping, and visit Hyde Park and learn a bit about FDR, complete with some dress-up time.






And, the big excitement this past Monday was the birth of my niece Daphne Rebecca! It was a great birthday present for me, and we are so thankful that the birth went well and that she is so healthy (and beautiful, if an objective aunt may say so!). The girls are so excited for their new cousin! They had a chance to meet her in the hospital, and are looking forward to more visits before we head home to South Orange.

While we waited for news from the hospital, we had a small birthday dinner for me with Gigi and Grandad and big brother Jack.







The girls and I meet Daphne:




Now we count down to 3 more days in Tivoli, then another week in South Orange, and then the girls start school!

Again, pictures to come. I have lots of them on my camera, and also a new computer, so I am going to get some help next week transferring and organizing them all and then do one big upload. Happy rest of the summer, everyone!

Summer in South Orange 2011 Photos

Fun with new and old friends:











Mini-golf with Papi, up a tree with Abby:





A puppet show at the library:




Abby's princess-for-a-day birthday party:






Enjoying the town pool: