Camp Sunshine!

 Time for Anthony & Lucy's trip to Camp Sunshine on Sebago Lake in Casco, Maine!  I have written about this special place before, but every trip is different.  Check out their mission.  Lucy was only 18 months old the first time we visited.  Now she is a ringleader and improvised a beautiful ballet dance for the talent show!

 Those kids pack so much fun into their camp time.  We saw way cool comic jugglers, roasted marshmallows by the big bonfire, watched an outdoor movie - and that was all on day one.  Anthony had fun with his counselor Nattie and Lucy made lots of friends in her group, too.  We swam, played, ate and joined the talent show and costume party.  Busy, busy!

Here are photos of both kids with Nattie, who was, as I said, a big hit.  We listened to the L. Frank Baum classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz during the car ride.  Another big hit.  Yay!  I loved the Oz books when I was a kid.  We're already looking forward to next summer.

Bagels, Anyone?

I was born in Dallas, Texas (which, BTW, I hope to help Turn Blue in the near future) and lived all over the country and overseas with my family.  But I don't remember ever having a bagel until I was 26!  You have to remember, for a long time bagels were 'ethnic food' and didn't begin their palate takeover outside big cities and Jewish households until the 1980s.  Plus, my mother didn't like them: "Boiled dough??  Why would I want to eat boiled dough?"  So we never had them and were similarly deprived of avocados!

But Burlington, Vermont is home to some excellent bagel makers and one of my favorites is Meyers Bagel Bakery where the big brick oven turns out dense, crusty, chewy Montreal style hand rolled delights all day long.  My grandkids (along with every other young person and child I know) are bagel lovers and at trip to the bakery is always a hit.

OK.  Our tummies are filled, now on to visit the new dinosaur exhibit at the ECHO Center.

Gigantosaurus, w-a-a-a-y bigger than T-Rex is on display with lots of bones, robotic creatures and interactive learning games.

The displays are scary enough that A & L wouldn't go near the animated dinos until our second trip to the exhibit!

Check it out thru September 2nd.

Summer Fun

Back from my trip to Virginia, I got a close up experience with the weird New England summer weather we've been having.  It has been raining, more or less, since mid May, then June and July have been tropical!  Hot and humid for long stretches - ugh!  My friends know I start dreading hot weather in March!

So, when Elizabeth suggested I take the kids to Circus Smirkus, I had a mixed reaction: I love circuses and knew the kids would be thrilled, but I could see myself fainting away under the hot tent... but Huzzah!  Thursday was one of the nicest summer days we've had in years.  High of 75°, blue sky with little clouds, nice breeze and, on top of everything else, we met our other granddaughter Emily and her friend Maddy in the ticket line.  She was there with her mom Rachel, so we all got to hang out, sit together and catch up.

The performers were just wonderful, daring acrobats and silly clowns - just what you want in a homegrown circus.

 Friday morning we went to The Fitness Edge where I take a water aerobics class (we call it "Bubble Class").  There has been so much rain that Anthony and Lucy have not been able to go to the pool in their development very often and they are water-starved!  They are good swimmers and 45 minutes just flies by.  They only splash in the pool when the "ladies" are at the other end.  Thanks to Renee Allen for these new photos!

Our Western Heritage

My grandmother Annis Ruby Kurth, her sister-in-law Mamie, my Dad and his sister Virginia, for whom I was named.  I was Virginia Claire, named for both my aunts.  I did change my name, though, to Virginia Gillian later on.

This scanning is bringing up so many memories for me and Dad.  The western part of our family story seems a little distant to me most of the time, but my father and I were born in Texas, as were his parents and my brother Richard.  Many of our family vacations were to visit my grandparents in Texas or Colorado where they later moved.  My father and grandfather both worked on the Katy Railroad.  All of us kids were thrilled to be related to pioneer types.  Remember all the Saturday morning TV shows in our early lives were about cowboys - Fury, The Texas Rangers, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Wyatt Earp, I could go on and on, but you get the idea.  These photographs have me thinking about our grandparents and I'll have to write more one day.

89th Year

As you know I am in Fredericksburg visiting my Dad while my stepmother Najia is out of town.  He will be 89 in August, right around the corner!  I was anticipating having a lot of spare time in the two weeks I will be here so I brought a scanner and piles of old family photos, a project I have been saving for when I have some spare time.

It has been pretty fascinating and fun to see everything, some images I remember well and some I don't think I've seen before.  I am struck by how many photographs we have.  My mother's family the Schindlers, Campbells and Speichers were photo maniacs and regularly hired professional photographers.  My father's family the Kurths also had some professional work, plus lots of snapshots.  By the time I was born Dad was a madman with his camera and there are there are so many photos of me and my four siblings that it is going to take a long time to scan, sort and catalog them all.  I expect to have a lot less time for all this when I get home to Vermont, but am energized about the whole endeavor.

Yesterday Dad and I went on a short outing for some exercise and, yes, I had my camera.  The above photo is Dad on his graduation day from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, 1948.  He studied mechanical engineering.  The photo below was taken yesterday here in Fredericksburg.  I think he still looks amazing and has always been very photogenic.  If you had asked me years ago why I chose photography, I would have said it was because I always wanted to be an artist but found I did not like painting.  Now I might say I inherited the gene!

Happy Father's Day!

Our stepmother and her sisters are visiting their family in Morocco so my brother Rob and I are staying with our Dad in Fredericksburg, Virginia while she is away.  Rob arrived first in early June and will be heading back to Vermont today.  I'll be here until around June 27 with Ed holding the fort at home.  Our Dad is in his 89th year and going strong, though he thinks he should be able to do all the things he did fifteen years ago!

Anyway, our sister Barbara (Durham, NC), brother Dick and his wife Ginny (Raleigh, NC) and cousin Janet (Rockville, MD) joined us yesterday for some great conversation and Rob's fabulous lamb, feta, kale, basil pizza and peach-blueberry crisp.  Dad was laughing all evening, a joy to see.  We did miss our brother Peter who is working, alas, back in VT.  Of course we had to have a photograph and here it is.  For anyone who has to know who took it, I'll just say it's Photoshop® Magic.

As Betty Gudaitis would say, "What a handsome family!"

But enough about Lucy...

Then again, you can't really get too much of Lucy.  We barely remember the shy baby, very reserved and cautious.

If you know her now, you'll agree she was born to be a star.

She is strong and capable, theatrical and thoughtful, imaginative and always able to "do it herself".

She attends the Vermont Ballet Theater School and has been practicing a recital piece for the end of year performance in June.  She and her classmates are Morning Glories.

Miss Mel has been teaching at the school since before Anthony (son, not grandson, now 31) attended and performed in The Nutcracker for many years.  She is perfect for these slightly scattered little girls, firm, but kind and patient.

Lucy's other grandmother and I will be helping backstage this year.  Bring on the crafty projects to entertain while the girls wait for the big finale!

Graduation Day

Lucy went to a graduation / end of school party at Saxon Hill Preschool in Jericho on Tuesday.  It has been a wonderful environment and she is the sixth member of her Dad's family to attend.  Her little cousin will be next.

Lucy was thrilled to be the bearer of the cake.

Lucy is a great planner and is preparing strategies for riding the bus to kindergarten in the fall.

She is brave, daring and fun-loving.  She has never seen a tree she wouldn't want to climb.  That's her self-portrait on the cover of her school binder.  This is Christine, one of her teachers.

 And, did I mention there was cake?

Erin Go Bragh

Winter is not ready to leave us yet.  I was not expecting much, as the last few big coastal storms that were predicted to bury us, fell flat with only a few inches each time.  The jury is still out on this one.  We had about 4 inches overnight, but it has been snowing most of the day, so...maybe.

My sister Barbara, who would have loved to see some real snow (as she is currently in Durham, NC where snow is rare), but, alas, she left this morning after a short snowy ride to the airport.

The neighbors-we-don't-want-to-ever-lose came over later in the morning to shovel our porch and walkway.  Jon and Wolfie, who had the day off from school (so I guess it really will keep snowing) are a great team and like to do outdoor chores together.  Thank you!

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Barbara and I joined our brother Rob and Sarah for dinner and an Irish music evening on Saturday.  We ate at Ri` Ra on Church Street where they were out of Irish Stew!  Oh, well, they had Guinness stout and the food was fine.

I decided on Irish breakfast: eggs, toast a rasher and three kinds of sausage. No wonder I look like I do!

Extra aerobics this week, I guess.

Next we went over to Burlington City Arts for the Irish Music Showcase, part of the week long Burlington Irish Heritage Festival.  As you probably know, my son Anthony is an Uilleann piper.  He's pretty booked up around St. Patrick's Day and we don't always get to see (or hear) him in the flesh, so this event was a treat.

The musicians comingled pretty fluidly for various sets.  Pictured with Anthony here are Ruarri Serpa, fiddle and Jim Curtin, flute.  Wow - pipes, flutes, whistles, fiddles, harps and lots of step dancing made for a lively evening.

Anthony rushed back to New Hampshire later for more musical events on Sunday but it was wonderful to connect briefly!

Plus, it seems the leprechauns came to my grandchildren's house Sunday night and played some very naughty tricks!

Sugar on Snow

We finally got a light coating of snow and it was actually cold on Saturday, so my sister and I thought a trip to a sugar house was in order.  Barbara is visiting for a few days so we have been relaxing, visiting relatives, etc.  We picked up Anthony and Lucy for a day of fun.

Our first stop was the ECHO Center in Downtown Burlington.  Barbara began her science career as a biologist and it was her first rip to ECHO.  This place is a favorite with A & L so I have a family pass and we go there a lot.

Lucy likes the eel best, but there are enough slimy fauna to make every trip interesting.  The huge snapping turtle was a pretty big draw on this trip, along with information about the spectacular wreck of the canal boat General Butler on the Burlington breakwater in a winter storm in 1886.

Next we drove to Palmer's Sugar House in Shelburne.

Our family moved to Vermont when I was 12 and Barbara was 11.  Up to that point we had never experienced real maple syrup, as we were Log Cabin brand kids.  Real maple syrup takes some getting used to, but once you are hooked nothing else will do.

We went on lots of family trips to explore VT and one favorite was the University of Vermont Agricultural building, very near our house where we first had sugar on snow.

Perhaps you are "from away", so I will explain.   When you think of "maple syrup", what comes to mind?  Forget that Bob Newhart show where Larry, Darryl and Darryl sported the worst New England accents EVER, but, be honest, you think of Vermont, right?  And you should as tiny Vermont is the largest maple syrup producer in the U.S., making 5.5% of syrup world wide.

So, they tap the trees and put the sap into a big evaporator, fire it up with lots of wood and boil away.  It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.  The finest grade A fancy is the benchmark, but our family prefers grade B dark amber, a stronger flavor.

Anyway, the weather was a little to cold for sugaring as it needs to get above freezing during the day and yesterday didn't quite get there.  But there was plenty of sap in the boiler and when it reached the "soft ball" stage (candy makers, you know what this is) the Palmers helpers poured it onto shaved ice (not enough snow on the ground, alas) and it hardened into sweet, sticky goodness.  Sugar on snow is served with a plain doughnut and a sour pickle.  Yum, yum!  John Holland of Williston was on hand to play old time music and people drifted in and out all day.  You can only get sugar on snow in a sugar house in the spring, after the deep freeze and before it gets too warm, maybe four weekends a year, more if we are lucky.  We left with a big bag of maple cotton candy.

Grandparents' Tea

What a lovely idea!  Anthony's school held a social tea for grandparents of the kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders and, yes, their grandparents. 

The cafeteria was so fancy, beautiful teapots and flowers on all the tables.  There were two seatings and the place was chock full.  Everybody went away happy after the yummy tea and cookies.

Thanks to everybody who worked to put on such a heartwarming event!

A New Year, Again

And a not so sad goodbye to 2012.  Strife, gridlock, tragedy and vitriol seem to overshadow the many good and happy events, alas.  But things could be worse.  Elizabeth Warren is a Senator!  So, on we go, ever hopeful.

We had a big pile of snow (always good news for true Northern Spirits) and, after last year's snow drought, it was a welcome sight.  Light snow was falling on New Year's Eve, but it was 30° - balmy.

Here's some of the snow on our deck.  I thought it was 30", but Ed says, no, only about 15".


 He declined to come to First Night with me, my brother Rob and his lady Sarah.  He preferred to sit in his chair with the remote and headphones, polishing silverware.






I cannot figure out the formatting on this darned blog!  It should not be rocket science!  Oh, well, blundering on.

We started out the afternoon at my mother's apartment for a game of Liverpool, the Kurth family card game.  I lost both games.

 Rob, Sarah and I saw some great performances including Twist of the Wrist, John Roberts and Tony Barrand (of Nowell Sing We Clear fame), the Burlington Taiko Drummers, the Bluegrass Gospel Project and the Tammy Fletcher Band.  WOW!

This was Burlington First Night's 30th year.  My son Anthony Santoro, who says I never took him anywhere when he was a kid, loved the Dragon Parade and fell asleep in innumerable churches and other music venues until he was old enough to be a First Night performer himself.

So, Happy New Year and keep your fingers crossed!