It Must Be Spring-First Hummingbird Appears

While I haven't had the chance to get a photo of him (or her), both Janet and I separately saw hummingbirds feeding at our bachelor buttons and one of the three feeders that were placed out yesterday.  So it must be Spring!  Photos to follow (hopefully).

The "Boys" Remember Mama

Stephen, Jeffrey, and Douglas remembered Mother's Day by sending a lovely bouquet of flowers to Janet.  While the bouquet will end up on our kitchen table, tonight it will occupy the center of the dining room as we enjoy the beautiful arrangement at dinner.  They are really great guys!  (with a pretty wonderful Mother!)!

Paces & Bolands Gather in Springfield

With Marge Baker, Webster, NY, visiting her "Eastern" relatives Western Massachusetts and Vermont, it became an opportunity for the Pace and Boland clans to gather.   Jimmy and Paula Boland hosted the get-together and served a great meal for the "sunlight" crew (as well as liquid refreshments).  It was a great opportunity to great updated on everyone's medical condition as well as meet the "younger set" members of the family.  Pictured above is a photo of the "Elderly Set" while the Pace family is pictured below.  The really interesting news from this gathering was the realization that a good number of the "younger set" are approaching retirement - the fact that I used to baby-sit only compounding my difficulty accepting this realization.  But it was great to visit with our family.

We stayed overnight at Allan's and enjoyed an unusual Japanese dinner at the Toyko restaurant.  It was one of the few times I can remember enjoying food that had the word "California" in it ( a vegetable California roll).

March 2012 in the South (Sorta of) . . .

This past March we journeyed south (that is, after Janet retuned from a week at Sanibel Island in Florida).  Our purpose was threefold: obviously number one objective was to visit with our beautiful granddaughter, Emilia; to meet our dear friends from Canada, the Brownlies and participate in an Elderhostel (actually, now it's known as Road Scholar) program touring Georgia's barrier islands, and, to start the entire trip, a quick visit to Charleston, SC.

Our two day drive to Charleston included our "regular" lay-over in New Market, VA, thence to Charleston.  In Charleston, we stayed at a lovely hotel called the Ansonborough Inn, a converted paper mill.  And, of course, we had to have a meal at Hyman's - although I must forewarn those with a northern background not to expect too much when it comes to southern fried clams.   We toured the historic district in the city.  We even returned to the grave yard behind the largest church in the historic district to see if we could find the headstone for that departed lady whose engraved tombstone we found so interesting (we couldn't recall the precise verbiage but it seems the woman was considered chattel.  We visited the relatively new aquarium and thoroughly enjoyed it.  To check out our Charleston photos, click here.

We then drove to St. Simon, one of the Georgia barrier islands where our program was headquartered, and met Joan and John Brownlie to start our exploration of three of the thirteen barrier islands off Georgia.  We toured (and sometimes studied) the island of St. Simon, Jekyll Island, and Sapelo Island.  Jekyll was where the northern industrialists, suffering from the chills of the north's winter, decided to build their own island retreat.  It was also, like several of the other barrier islands, a cotton and rice growing enterprise. 

St. Simon was where we walked the beach with our group's expert to examine the marine life found there - retiring to the golf course complex where we stayed during the week.

Probably the most interesting island was Sapelo with its history of plantation development to support cotton and rice crops; especially of interest was the native population that had lived there for centuries.  It was on this island that a truly memorable estate was erected, last owned by the Reynold's family of tabacco fame.  We had the best fried chicken there for lunch that I've ever had in the States.  Then we toured the building with its many bedrooms, a private bowling alley, and, at the top of the structure, the circus room.  Realizing that this was an island withno road link to the mainland, it was quite a structure.  Click here for all of our barrier island photos.

Following our educational sojourn, we headed to Athens, Georgia to meet Douglas, Veronica, and Emilia.  It was a wonderful visit.  Emilia, then about 14 months old, was beginning the process of standing up - not quite walking but oh so close to it.  As usual, Veronica managed to create her extraordinarily exquisite dinners.  It was just the perfect conclusion to a wonderful adventure in a Georgia we never realized existed.  Click here for our photos in Athens.

Owls Head-10th Anniversary Trip

For the tenth year, the Paces met the Brownlies at Owls Head in Mansonville, Quebec to ski, tour the area, and just enjoy each others company.  Had usual, we enjoyed the good food prepared by Janet and Joan along with evenings out at the Lodge.  For the first time, rather than journeying through the Eastern Townships, we decided to visit Jay Peak in Northern Vermont to see the newly developed water park and hotel facilities there.  Had a great time viewing the "Pump House" activities (see photo below).  Alas, this will probably mark our final trip to Owls Head for skiing as our mutual legs, knees, and body aches seem to have reached that point where skiing is no longer that "rewarding".  But, who knows, the other attractions of the Eastern Townships may still draws us back.  A few photos of the trip are available by clicking here.

Skyping with Douglas, Veronica, and Emilia

Since we won't have a chance to see Douglas, Veronica, and Emilia again until mid-January 2012 (they'll be spending Christmas and New Years in Mendoza, Argentina), we had a little visual chat with them today via Skype.  Pictured above is Janet as she talks to Douglas and Emilia in Athens, GA.  A couple of other scenes are depicted below with Veronica and the rest of the Athens contingent.  It's great fun to see Emilia as she grows and to witness that growth electronically since we can't be there.  Each time we Skype with them we can detect new growth; this particular visit involved the display of her first signs of a tooth!

Wonderful Thanksgiving in Athens

We journeyed down to Athens, GA for the Thanksgiving holiday to visit with Douglas, Veronica, and - of course, Emilia.  On our way down we stopped to visit with Jube and Mary Ann Stryker in Doylestown, PA.  The trip down was pleasant (which wasn't the case for the return journey - believe what they say about Thanksgiving traffic!).

While in Athens, we spent most of our time with Emilia.  My, but she has grown!  Veronica and Douglas are wonderful parents - and Veronica is one fantastic cook.  We never had to worry about the quality of our meals.  Douglas is doing a great job with his new grill (even had an extra special grilled cheese sandwich from his grill).

Veronica and Douglas served a great Thanksgiving dinner for all of us, including Melina and her family. 

Since they will be spending Christmas in Mendoza, Argentina, Douglas and Veronica decided to purchase their Christmas tree early and decorate it.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience.  For some photos (mostly of Emilia), click here.

Herb Celebrates 90th Birthday

A week before the actual day, 19 friends of Herbert C. Pace, Jr., met at Cal's in West Springfield to celebrate Herb's 90th birthday.  With a large contingent from the Rochester area and from Springfield, Herb had a chance to review his many gifts (for some reason, everyone seemed to think he needed gin) and orate on his interest in reaching a 100th birthday.  Everyone had a great time and, per Herb's plan, were leaving their calendars clear for a similar dinner in 2021.Prior to the historic event, we, along with Allan, decided to renew our acquaintance with the Quadrangle museums and library in downtown Springfield.

Photos of both events are available by clicking here.

Our First Snow and a New Fireplace

After many years of hauling wood (our boys well remember the efforts), we finally decided it was time to switch to a gas insert in the fireplace.  So today we had Proctor Gas arrive with our selected gas fireplace, install it, and, of course via a new remote, turn it on.  It's going to take a while to get used to the gas version of a wood fire but, with the first snow fall today of the season, it seems to make sense.  Photos of the installation are available here.  Below is a picture of the front year birches bent out of shape from our first wet snow of the season.

The Gang Takes a Tour of Portsmouth, NH

In lieu of its usual long weekend in Gotham, some of the Gang of Eight decided to go to Portsmouth, NH in late October to view the sights there.  You can see some of the photos of the tour, especially our visit to historic Strawbery Banke (no, it's not misspelled), by clicking here.  The Almonds, Kneebones, and Paces stayed at the Sise Inn, wandered all over Portsmouth (on foot), and, of course, took a look at the Kittery, ME shopping outlets (the women did the clothing saloons while the men concentrated on the Trading Post).  As usual, we did find time to consume some food and wine.  It was a fun trip.

Stephen Comes East to Rescue Pace Homestead

Stephen flew in from Park City this October to help the "old folks at home" deal with their home, especially winterizing it, repairing it, and, overall, cleaning up some of the outdoor mess and the cellar. 

In particular, Sephen was able to stack the half cord of wood lying outside the wood shed, clean the garage and breezeway roof of pine needles, fix the ailling garage doors, help prepare the garden area by the fireplace for the "hopefully" forthcoming propane tank for our new gas fireplace, clean up the inside of the garage (which, IMHO, was just fine-I knew where everything was in the mess), and begin the process of cleaning up the cellar (the remainder is for his hopefully next Spring visit).

 

In his idle time (about a half an hour), he did try to help us learn how to use our HD TV remote; this problem was fixed when Jeffrey came up and showed us how to properly use the device.

All in all, it was a very pleasant experience, even though I now have to relearn where items are in the garage and cellar.  I was able to prevent my desk and workbench from being impacted by this clean-up spirit.

In addition to work on the home, Stephen also participated in the audio upgrade at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium and managed to take two photos of the upgrade and a play rehearsal.

Quite a talented guy!

Emilia - Really Eating Now

By October, Emilia was eating "real" food.  Here are a few photos of the result!

Wonderful Surprise for 50th Wedding Anniversary

For our 50th Wedding Anniversary we enjoyed the company of our three sons, our lovely daughters-in-law, Barbara and Veronica, and our wonderful grand-daughter, Emilia.  But what really came as a total surprise was the anniversary party that our boys (I mean men) managed to put together at the Putney Inn in Putney, VT, on Saturday, July 9. 

We were told to pack a bag for an overnight stay (I thought the time had finally arrived when they had decided it was time for the old man to go into a nursing home!).  But to our joint surprise and amazement, we were taken to the Putney Inn.  When we started to walk into the dining area, suddenly we saw friends who we hadn't seen in years along with some of our dear friends from Ludlow.

The Brownlies had come down from Canada, Mary Ann Stryker had come up from Doylestown, Leslie and Marge had come from the Cape, Herb and Shirley came up from Southwick, Allan came up from Springfield, and the Almonds and Kuntzs travelled from Ludlow.

Both Janet and I were simply dumbfounded; I think we both had tears in our eyes when we realized what was happening.

To be with friends and family as we celebrated 50 years of marriage with the young Emilia there was just a marvelous experience. 

Stephen and Barbara and Douglas and Veronica and Emilia left us for an overnight stay at the Inn with friends who had shared many of our 50 years.

You can checkout some of the activities and impressions of this memorable day by clicking here.

Our sincerest thanks to everyone for making this possible, especially Stephen, Jeffrey, and Douglas who made it all possible, along with the help of Allan.

Our Caravan Tour

WE enjoyed a great tour of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana in early June.  We took a Caravan tour that include, in sequence, the Crazy Horse and Mt Rushmore monuments in western South Dakota, the Little Big Horn Battle Grounds (Custer's Last Stand), Billings Montana, Sheridan and Cody Wyoming, Yellowstone And Grand Tetons National Parks, and ended in Salt Lake City where Stephen picked us up for a stay with Barbara and Stephen in their new home in Park City.  Haven't had time to work on the photos (776 of them!) but did manage to put together a short book of memories you can access by clicking here.

Hail and Violent Rain Hit Ludlow

While Northern and Central Vermont were getting hit with historic floods, Ludlow has been on the edge of very rainy weather.  Today, after a day of 80 degree weather, we had a hail storm along with severe lightning.  Pictured above is the hail by the side of the house.

Easter Weekend at Mt Washington

In keeping with our Easter tradition, Janet and I journeyed to some place in the area where we'd never been before - this time for a brief weekend visit to the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, NH.  While the weather was bit iffy (it snowed driving up and we never did see the peak of Mt. Washington), everything else worked out perfectly.  The hotel, originally built in 1902 by a gentleman named Stickney (who happened to own the Pennsylvania Railroad), houses a lot of tradition.  It was also the site of the creation of the International Monetary Fund as a result of the Bretton Wood Conference in 1944.  At any rate, we had a very pleasant stay - the employees never stopped asking if everything was all right.  We even found time to visit the motel where we had had honeymoon stay, almost 50 years ago.  All told, it was a great experience.  You can see some of our photos of this adventure by clicking here.  If you're interested in the hotel's history. click here.

Emilia's First Easter

The Latest Pix of Emilia

Emilia as of March 21, 2011 - what a beautiful baby!

A Visit to See Emilia, Our New Granddaughter

In late February, we drove down to Athens, GA, to visit Veronica and Douglas - but most especially to see Emilia, our granddaughter.

Emilia was born January 24.  She was a pre-me and didn't leave the hospital until the week before we journeyed down to visit. 
What a beautiful baby!
Veronica's mother from Argentina was also visiting while we were there so it was a real family affair.
Rather than ramble on and on about Emilia (her middle name is Janet) I'll let the photos describe this beautiful baby.
Just click here to see the photos.
Needless to say, Emilia is the apple of our eyes.

Our Ninth 'Season' at Owls Head

In early February, we joined the Brownlies in Apts 211 & 212 at Owls Head for our ninth year in a row of skiing, eating, touring, and renewing acquaintances. 

We had excellent weather (no need to shovel our cars out from our usual snow storms).

In addition to great food prepared by Janet and Joan, we also enjoyed our usual dinners at the auberge and a fantastic lunch at the bakery in Mansonville.
For more photos, particularly of our tour the Abbey of St. Benoit, take a look at a few photos by clicking here.