Tag: family

Christmas 2025

December 29, 2025 3:19 pm

I intentionally limited how much stuff I was going to try to do in preparation for Christmas this year based on how last year went. Last year I wanted to get a lot of baking done and ended up kind of worn out by the time we got to Christmas. Last year I also lamented it not feeling Christmasy somehow. This year we had a cold snap in mid December with overnight lows around 34 and daily highs around 50. That actually made quite a bit of difference in it feeling seasonal. Unfortunately, a warm, wet weather system moved in and brought the temperature back up leading in to Christmas which undid some of the effect. Anyway, I intentionally limited my baking to peanut-butter blossoms and cinnamon rolls while supervising the girls making sugar cookies (that was more-discretionary baking anyway, I still made fresh bread for Christmas-eve dinner and rolls for Christmas dinner). I think it felt more Christmasy this year, maybe that was in part from not having a leaking roof and a failing clothes dryer to deal with.

Anyway, we were at home for the holiday. Just us and the cats. On Christmas Eve we had our traditional cheese fondue with fresh-baked bread (and assorted other dippings). Heather and I played some songs together on cello and trombone while Corinne and Jess sang along. While Heather and I have the same book of Christmas music, they’re written in different keys. So for each song one of us had to play in an unfamiliar key, but it worked out fine.

Corinne read “Happy Narwhalidays.” Heather read “Mistletoe and the Christmas Kittens.” Heather played some more songs on her cello. I played some more songs on my trombone. And I read “The Polar Express.”

Then we opened the books chosen by the girls for each of us, drank hot chocolate, and read a little before putting the girls to bed.

In the morning we told the girls they had to wait until 7 to get us up–which they did. Then it was the usual whirlwind tour of stockings, presents, breakfast, and playing with stuff.

Thanksgiving 2025

November 28, 2025 8:17 pm

Another Thanksgiving at home just the four of us. Looks like we didn’t take much of any pictures. So here’s us with our dinner and then dessert (pies with fresh whipped cream).

Heather made the pumpkin pie and crust with minor assistance. I made the chocolate-cream pie and the butterscotch-cream pie. The chocolate-cream pie came out really well (having managed to correct an error in reading the ingredients using the power of math). The butterscotch-cream pie, I think, got too hot before I pulled the custard off the heat. It has a not-very-pleasant graininess to it. It’s an extremely fine graininess, but detectable. Flavor was good though.

I made rolls as usual. Jess prepared turkey, sweet-potato casserole, and fancy macaroni and cheese. We also had mashed potatoes, stuffing, and corn.

2025 Trip: Part 13 – Returning Home

August 30, 2025 10:46 am

Our flight home was Aug 5. It didn’t leave until the early evening so we at least were able to have a leisurely day packing everything up. We popped back down to Amato’s for Heather to pick out a souvenir since she hadn’t picked gotten one yet. She had seen a “Spudster” stuffed animal in Canada, but we didn’t buy it. But, lo and behold, Amato’s had a whole line of Spudster creatures. She picked a cat and named it Potato.

After lunch we headed to Friendly’s for one last round of sundaes. After several layers of miscommunication we ended up with ~15 of us there. So it was quite the farewell party.

Somewhere along the way in Cromwell I picked up three boxes of Funny Bones to take home too.

We flew out of Bradley with a layover in Chicago. We landed in Chicago early, but then couldn’t get a gate until 25 minutes late. We had just enough time to get across the concourse, use a bathroom, and get on the next flight. So it was good that we were getting fed dinner on the plane.

2025 Trip: Part 12 – Connecticut Day 4 – Gillette Castle

9:28 am

Monday, Aug 4, we decided to take a trip down to Gillette Castle in Hadlyme. While I have vague memories of having been outside the castle I don’t think I had ever been inside before.

Due to traffic on the highway due to an accident and then construction we just barely missed our tour time, but then found out it doesn’t really matter. We were told the tickets were good for any tour time within an hour. So we got in on the next one.

Then Corinne was feeling ill and Jess took her back outside. And then she felt better and Jess got back in on the next tour time and caught up with us. So it was a rocky start.

Once inside things went more smoothly. Just barely a hundred years old it was built by an actor famed for playing Sherlock Holmes on stage. Although intricately constructed and detailed it’s not as large as it seems like it should be when looking at it from the outside. Wikipedia says it’s 14,000 square feet, which makes me think there were significant areas not included in the tour or maybe the design deceives the senses as to the size.

He built a narrow-gauge railroad around the property too and gave rides to visitors. Sadly the railroad was dismantled long ago.

After the tour we went to lunch at the restaurant next to the Goodspeed Opera House. They put a blue flower on my pasta dish.

That evening Megan and Chad ran another “The Price is Right” game for the grandkids (the one at the reunion was really for Grandma & Grandpa’s immediate children). They all had a blast. Heather won a surprise prize which is a ball on a string you’re supposed to attach to your head and punch. What could go wrong?

Corinne won a set of the hand paddles with a ball that have Velcro to play catch with. She and I played in the backyard for a bit, and eventually it was grandkids everywhere running around and having fun.