Pacific Nor'wester and more

In the midst of what has felt like an endless stream of east coast Nor'easters, the Pacific Northwest got snow too! Click here for photos. Emily was very happy to see snow in Bellingham, and Fig got to experience her first snow in Portland. 

We were sorry to say farewell to Jake last week after his month-long stay with us in Philadelphia. He had to return to Corvallis to complete his senior engineering capstone project - a test-tube rinsing device pictured below. Click here for some short video clips of the production process. 

We're keeping up with our weekly bi-coastal #hometask challenges, inspired by the show TaskMaster. Last week was all about being in sync, and this week called for us to write, illustrate and read an original story:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O90Evi3KYHU&t=2s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9tUTAl1_fE

Last but not least, here is a fun time-lapse of Fig getting big:

Nor'easters

Philadelphia has gotten more snow in the last week than the city has seen in five years, and it just keeps coming. First, we got around 12 inches over the course of 3 days, then another 6 inches fell today, in the space of just 12 hours. Click here for photos. We're glad Jake has been here to help us make the most of our snow bounty. 

While enjoying our snow days, we challenged the West Coast portion of our family and their friends to join us in a reverse challenge, similar to a challenge done on the British comedy show Task Master. Everyone had to film themselves doing something that would look impressive when their video was played in reverse. Click here to watch the results.

Wandering the Wissahickon + Welcome to the Family, Fig

We are excited that Jake has joined us in Philadelphia for a few weeks. We've been taking lots of walks through the Wissahickon Valley, and he's yet to meet a tree or rock ledge he hasn't wanted to climb. Click here for photos, which include a very brisk day trip we took last weekend to Cape May, NJ, and an evening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  

Meanwhile over on the left and slightly warmer coast, Drew and Grace have welcomed a 9-week-old puppy, Fig, to their household, where she is definitely finding lots of love. Click here for photos. 

Good Impressions

Last weekend marked our first visit to Philadelphia's Barnes Foundation, which has one of the largest collections of impressionist art in the world. It was amazing, both because of the impressive art and the unique, symmetrical way it was displayed. Click here for photos.

Meanwhile back in Oregon, Drew and Jake discovered some art of an entirely different form in Hood River today, and Emily captured a lovely sunset over Bellingham Bay. 

Baltimore

We kicked-off the New Year with a drive to Baltimore, a city we last visited with the kids in 2007 via sailboat.  The waterfront still looks very much the same (photo above is from January 2021; photo below is from September 2007) and brought back some fun memories from our time there aboard Jubilee.  Click here for photos.

A December We'll Remember

2020 will be remembered for a lot of reasons. Among them, this is the first Christmas we have not spent together as a family. Even while living abroad, we managed to get everyone in the same place for Christmas, no matter how complicated the logistics were. But in spite of our relative proximity of one another this year, the pandemic proved to be a complication we could not safely overcome.

It's been a less than ideal December, but we're trying to make the most of the holiday season none the less. That has included cross country skiing for the kids, who are together in Portland; some long walks and snowy hiking for us in Philadelphia, including a visit to Washington's Crossing, along the Bucks County Ale Trail and one of Philly's mural miles; Christmas crafting in the form of the beautiful felt stockings Emily and Jake made, pictured above; a bi-coastal Christmas-eve charcuterie show-down; and our annual Christmas morning family gift exchange via FaceTime. Photo links follow:

• Philadelphia Mural Mile (South) 
• Snow Day
• Christmas Weekend

Best wishes for a safe, healthy, way less chaotic, and happy New Year. 

Thanksgiving Weekend

Click here for photos from ourThanksgiving weekends on both coasts. Pat and I were in Philadelphia moving into our new house after 2+ months in an Airbnb - an apartment in East Falls in a building that used to be a women's medical college. It was a nice temporary spot, but now we can finally start settling into our 1920 twin in Chestnut Hill. 

Before we closed on the house, we enjoyed a Thanksgiving Day walk from East Falls into downtown along Philadelphia's boathouse row, pictured above. After closing, we made a quick trip to New York to get some belongings Uncle Jeff was kindly storing for us. 

The kids were able to be together in Portland and got to enjoy some kayaking, kick-ball, snowshoeing, and collaboration on a great Thanksgiving meal. Thank goodness for Zoom.  

After the long weekend, the twins returned to Corvallis and Bellingham to finish off their Fall terms. Jake is keeping us updated with a daily countdown to Christmas. Emily and her roommates got a tree. And sadly, we unbooked the flights the kids were supposed to be taking to Philadelphia this Friday. Last Christmas, we are all together in Malta. This year is another story. 

Happy Holidays.