Halloween

This is the only picture of Graham and his buddy Milo that I was able to get on Halloween. They moved too fast! By the end of the night those candy buckets were full.

Go Giants!

This is how we root for the Giants around here. Tonight is the night they could take the series...or go one more.

1st day of school

1st day, 2nd grade, not excited at all. The "B" is for Beacon Bulldogs. He's feeling like a big guy since he got to play baseball with 8 year olds this summer and he got a cap from the Beacon High School coach at camp.

Maine 2014

We just got back from our annual trip to Maine where we spent most of out time at Flying Moose Lodge. There was  swimming, canoeing, hiking, mini-golfing, sailing, rock skipping, and not enough lobster. There was time spent with family and friends, some good weather, some quiet moments. Check it out: 

Lobster dinner cooked on the shore

million dollah view of Frenchman's Bay

Graham (pre-haircut) with his cousin Gabriel

Sunset on Craig Pond

Flying Moose Canoes

Evening on the beach at Gaga's house

Sailing w Addie on Craig Pond 

Inside Fort Knox in Bucksport 

I found a 1920 copy of Tom Sawyer which I really enjoyed reading but the language was too complex for Graham. 

August already

I can't believe its August already. As we prepare for our trip to Maine, I'm trying to get the house in order for us to be gone  for 2 weeks. Just as the garden is beginning to produce some vegetables, too. This year I'm growing cherry tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, some herbs and a lot of flowers. We've had a lot of rain and not a lot of intense heat so things are coming along slowly. Its ok though. We belong to a CSA and every week we go to the farm to pick up 2 big bags full of produce. Greens, fruit, herbs, its all wonderful stuff. 

There are 4 weeks left of summer. 2 will be spent in Maine, the last 2 at home then school begins again. Feels like its going so fast! When the tomatoes start to drop it will really feel like full summer. 

our very first cherry tomatoes

a pattypan squash although i swear i planted zucchini!

lunch at Blooming Hill Farm

and there was some baseball camp this summer

Trip to Fenway

On July 7 Graham and I made a quick trip up to Boston to go to Fenway Park and watch our beloved Red Sox get beaten by the Chicago White Sox. Even though the Red Sox pretty much suck this year it was still quite a thrill to be that close to the field. Our amazing seats came to us thanks to our friends here in Beacon who have season tickets. We had a great time and went back to Fenway the next day to take a tour of the place.

Here is the trip in pictures, with my notoriously camera shy boy ducking and making faces at the camera, refusing a straight-up smiley shot.

Ticket-holder's line into Fenway Park

There was a storm delay before the game, a tornado watch no less! so we began by watching the ground crew remove the tarp. 

Big Papi (David Ortiz) takes the plate

2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia, Graham's hero

Clay Buckholtz pitching, notice the capacity crowd 

On Yawkey Way before our tour where we found out, among other things, who Yawkey was (former beloved team owner 1933-76)

This is the view from the Monster Seats, some of the best seats in all of baseball

On the Green Monster, you are never far from hamburgers, sausages and beer

Graham stares pensively out at the field of his dreams 

The hand of Mickey holding a BoSox ball

This red seat commemorates the farthest hit ball in all of Fenway history, hit by Ted Williams 

This is what 3 World Series rings look like all together. Graham got to touch them for good luck

Got the boy to willingly pose for a photo with last year's team

On our way our of town we stopped at 36 Ardale St in Boston, childhood home of my mom Marie Gallagher

Not the sweet smiling face I'd hoped for in front of Gaga's house but I'll take what I can get. 

Last day of 1st grade

First grade is officially over today. From now on I will have a second grader in the house, how did this happen? I think we are all ready for summer. No more homework, piano practice, running to activities. Just us and the pool and trips to the lake. Baseball and day camps and barbeques and dinners on the deck.

Check out The Hair Experiment: Graham got a real haircut to start off the school year but I let it go for the rest of the year with the exception of one or two trims I gave him to shape things up. We have to wash it with AquaSwim shampoo every night after swimming and combing it out is not the most popular activity in our house. But I told him that unless he wants to cut his hair it has to be washed and combed every night. We'll see how long this lasts.

One unwavering detail of first grade: the baseball tee shirt every single day

Father's Day

For Father's Day Liam got breakfast in bed, followed by some backyard baseball. Then he and G went to the Strawberry Festival for a bit before going to the pool. Later we all went to a Renegades game, our local single A minor league baseball team. It was a good day.

Author's Tea

Graham's first grade class celebrates the end of the year by having all the parents to the classroom to read stories each student has worked on all year. This is the Author's Tea. Graham wrote three stories. Here he is reading to the room and goofing off at the end with his class. 

toothless!

The first tooth has been lost, a major milestone in the life of a 1st grader.  Sometime last week the wiggly bottom tooth finally fell out at breakfast. Later that night a visit from the tooth fairy yielded 2 dollars. I've been trying to get a photo of the new smile with no luck. In typical Graham fashion he does not like the attention from the missing tooth, even though he was desperately wanting to start losing teeth just like all his friends. He was one of the last to join the Toothless Club.

I'll try to sneak a smiling pic soon. Until then I'm sure he'd like you to know that his baseball team is doing great although they don't keep score in his age group so there are no winners or losers. He's making big hits and some excellent defensive plays. Many of the other coaches, including the high school varsity baseball coach, have been seriously impressed with his playing. He has no problem with attention for his baseball skills.

Springtime antics

Baseball season is underway here in Beacon. Graham's team is the Red Sox and I am the coach, which he is pretty happy about. No one keeps score in in his league, the kids pitch for the first 2 innings then the parents pitch for the rest of the game. We have some really good kids and some who have never played before. All of the parents have been great and really helpful pitching in to help with the kids. 

School field trip to the Poughkeepsie Children's Museum

Working the booth at the museum radio station

Some recent work of mine that will be showing at a gallery here in Beacon in a few weeks. 

This piece is in a gallery in Saugerties right now

This one also in a gallery in Saugerties