Thanksgiving

Better late than never! Here we are enjoying a beautiful Thanksgiving day in New York City. We went to see the parade, we played in Central Park, and we had dinner at a restaurant. No cooking! No cleaning! Leftovers! It was a great day

Piano recital

Graham's piano teacher held an informal recital today. He really nailed "When the Saints Go Marching In" which he has been woking on for quite some time.

3rd grade

Today was the first day of 3rd grade. The enthusiasm is palpable. Its the end of morning TV, swimming every day, mid-week sleepovers, staying up late, after dinner bike rides that end up at the ice-cream shop. OK, I'm a little sad too.

Summer in Maine

Skipping rocks on the beach at dusk

Sailing on Poppo's boat

Taking the Only One out for a cruise on Penobscot Bay

Cousin Gabriel, soon to be a big brother

Go jump in a lake

Fun with Ferguson kids in Massachusetts

discovering selfies

Cousin Love

Goodman at the plate

Graham is on the Beacon All-Star team. They began their tournament on Saturday with a rainy double header. The weather did not say "summertime" but the boys played their hearts out. 

The Beacon 8U All Stars

Goodman at the plate

Open Studios

Beacon Open Studios happened a few weeks ago. Some highlights: 

some of my smaller encaustic and print pieces that sold. 

Liam in character for his radio show

Graham also in wig character in front of my largest piece

His first museum show

The second graders in the Beacon Schools have been working with artists at the Dia Beacon to learn about the creative process and create conceptual works of art. Today the museum hosted a reception for the show of their work and even Graham was proud of the drawings he made.

This is a really great program where artists come into the schools and give kids a different perspective on learning about art making from the usual "lets color and paint things" point of view. They worked with ideas like making a visual response to a sound or movement, for example.

The artist with one of his drawings

drawings by second graders

a drawing about stacking cups OF COURSE. What else could it be?

some very long drawings in a big room at Dia

Second grade drawings installed

totally toothless

And just like that, there go the baby teeth. Now he speaks with a little lisp and he's learning how to eat without front chompers. Here he is in fine spirits on Mother's Day bringing me his hand-made card while I await my breakfast in bed. Love this kid!

the front tooth is gone

After weeks of dangling, one front tooth has finally left the building! The notoriously camera-shy boy would not sit for a gap-tooth portrait but was happy to be photographed being silly. Here we are, the two of us inside of one very large shirt. The shirt is meant for the coach of Graham's baseball team (that's me) but they gave me a size 2XL, a size more in line with some of the other coaches. I think I'll have to cut out the logo and sew it on to a shirt my size.

side down up

Its a pants on top shirt on the bottom kind of night

Our house, its a very very fine house

Dining room with bay window

DIning table seats 6

lots of light

eat-in kitchen with view of Mt Beacon

Kitchen table seats 8 comfortably

Pantry

gas stove

counter space & utensils

French doors lead to a large deck

bedroom w queen size bed

A child's bedroom with one single bed

Child bedroom is in the front of the house

playroom

living room w TV

entryway

RIP Lucille

Lucille Goodman, beloved dog and friend, passed away on Wednesday January 7th, 2015 after complications from a brief and unexpected battle with cancer. Lucy, Luce or Lu-dog was born on March 5th, 2002 near Telluride, Colorado as one of a litter of eleven puppies. She was daughter of Ocito and grand daughter of Nakima, a fine lineage of German shepherd, Akita, Wolf and who knows what else, all mixed together to produce a canine with a smooth furry finish and a lot of love inside.

Two months after her birth she went on a road trip to San Francisco to meet her human parents, Liam and Theresa Goodman. Lucille very much enjoyed growing up on the hills and streets of the city by the bay. She made many friends in the dog parks there, as well as at SandBox Studio, where she often worked. Lucille graduated Summa Cum Laude from the San Bruno Obedience School, where she majored in Sitting.

In May of 2006 Liam and Theresa were married at The Boonville Hotel in Boonville, California. At the wedding, Lucille served as the Ring Bearer with a floral garland around her neck. She played the role well and seemed especially happy that day, greeting everyone with big tail wags and lots of kisses.

Soon the Goodman family moved to the East coast and where Lucille got a taste of Downeast Maine before they eventually settled in Beacon, New York. Beacon was a good fit for Lucille as she had nature, a backyard and soon a baby boy brother named Graham, whom she adored. Lucy took her role as guardian of Graham very seriously, often standing between him and those she did not know.

Around Beacon Lucille was well known and often received compliments from passersby. She loved her walks; whether they were on the beach, the streets or in the woods. Lucy had a loyal heart and a friendly disposition - unless of course a cat was too close to her food dish. Lucille was a mouthy girl with a comic’s timing, she could always be counted on for sigh, groan or whine at the perfect moment in conversation. Additionally she had an impressive alto bark and howl. Lucy never forgot those whom she got to know; if someone she had not seen in many moons showed up at the door, she would sense it right away by folding her ears back and wagging her tail. She also had a good memory for shops in Beacon that handed out dog biscuits and was known to stop in front of them, demanding to go inside.

Lucille is survived by the Goodman family and all the friends she made along the way. We will miss you Luce and love you always and forever.

“I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?” - Sir Walter Scott