Weekend on the Chesapeake and Happy Graduation, Jake

Drew and Emily were able to join us for a long weekend on the Chesapeake this past weekend. Click here for photos from our sail from Havre de Grace to Chestertown, Maryland.

Meanwhile back in Oregon, Jake is graduating from Oregon State University's College of Engineering later this week. He takes his final final on Friday. Click here to see the photo book we created to mark his transition from mechanical engineering major to mechanical engineer.  

Snow Goose

We have a new boat, Snow Goose, and a new weekend port of call, Havre De Grace, MD. Click here for photos. Snow Goose is a Catalina 28 hailing from Lake Cayuga in Ithaca, NY. She's now based in the Upper Chesapeake where we have been spending most weekends.

Meanwhile back in the Pacific Northwest, the kids spent Jake and Emily's 22nd birthday together in Bellingham, enjoying Puget Sound, engaging in some mushroom hunting, and making sure Fig had a fabulous time, while Drew coached at a regatta. Click here for photos. 

Spring Break 2021 & Emily's Graduation

March has been a good month for reconnecting with the kids (Thank you, Covid vaccines!).  Drew made a visit to Philadelphia, and I paid a visit to the Pacific Northwest to see all three kids and celebrate with Emily on the occasion of her college graduation. Several photo albums follow.

Click here for photos of Drew's time in Philly which include a LOT of cheesesteak. Using Bon Appetit as a guide, we sampled some Philadelphia favorites, from Delasandro's to Woodrow's, and decided the locals are right. Cheesesteaks really are best wit wiz. 

Meanwhile in Bellingham, Emily was completing her final term as a Fairhaven student at Western Washington University and teaching a class called Sex and Shame for her senior project as an education and social justice major. Click here for cap and gown photos taken around the WWU campus and here for photos of our time together enjoying Bellingham, which included long walks along Boulevard Park and Whatcom Falls.  Click here for a link to the All About Emily photo album we created to mark Emily's graduation. 

Next stop Corvallis, where Jake was enjoying Spring Break ahead of his final term as a mechanical engineering major at Oregon State University. We took some pre-graduation photos around OSU, bought a car, made a day trip to the Oregon Coast, and tried to hike Mary's Peak, though it was too snowed-in to reach the top. Click here for photos. 

Drew, Grace and Fig spent Spring Break Week and Drew's 25th birthday in Boise, but I got to see them at the end of my trip. Click here for photos from Boise, their day trip to the John Day Fossil Beds, and Portland. My visit ended just as Drew was starting up the spring sailing season as assistant manager and head coach for the Willamette Sailing Club. 

The only person left in our family who still needs a Covid vaccine is Pat, but thankfully he is scheduled for his first shot next week! 

Happy Easter Weekend. 

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.