Grandkids Rock II

The next grandkids I'm going to feature are the three whose parents are Sean and Sasha. (I have to check-in with Aunt Meghann to make sure its OK to post pics of Seamus and Rowan).

Sean and Sasha were married in the Spring of 2006, both having waited into their 30's before tying the knot. With the biological clock ticking away they got started on a family and the first bundle of joy arrived in July of 2007. "Devan"

Devan was an instant hit with all who got to meet her. In the photo at left, she has her uncle Collin right where she wants him.

Having two very active parents, Devan soon started collecting frequent flyer miles. If memory serves me correctly, before she even had her 2nd Birthday, Devan had flown to Hawaii and to Paris, not to mention several trips across the USA, both east to west and north to south.

Devan became an 'Older' sister in November of 2008 when the 2nd bundle of joy, Bria, joined the family. Devan was fascinated by her baby sister and enjoyed being right at hand to assist with bath time and other baby care duties.

Devan was always very careful when holding and playing with her little sister. Little sister's do not, however, stay little. They get bigger, start to crawl and well they begin to get into your stuff!  Mom and dad do their best to keep things in order.  Daddy really enjoys his two "Irish" girls.

Something was missing though, oh yes, a boy! That oversight was fixed on April 1st of 2010 when the 3rd bundle of Joy arrived. Conor came to join the happy family and he had not one, but two big sisters to give him all the love and affection a boy could stand. It is a wonder he survived the attention. Devan actually showed a great touch with her baby brother.  Bria, however, did not yet have command of her own strength. Conor, in the pic at right, wonders - "who is this girl?"

Sean, Sasha, Devan, Bria and Conor are lots of fun. Conor, who turns two next April, is walking and now holds his own with his two sister's. In fact, he even invites the rough n' tumble with Bria, they'll probably enroll in Judo together.

One of the great things the kids enjoy is lots of attention from family and friends. At right the kids pose for a photo with uncle Kevin, earlier this Summer - 2011.

Grandkids Rock

Now that the firewood preparation is under control, I'm taking a little time to reflect on what it means to be a grandparent. Sue and I have six grandchildren in our combined family: I had two kids with my first wife, a daughter Sasha and a son, Collin, while Sue had two daughters with her first husband: Carrie and Meghann. I guess you could say we are right in step with the modern American Family.

There are many things I like about being a grandfather. One is that you can sort of get "do-overs," experiences you might have missed the first time round. For one, I take lots more photos now than I did when Sasha and Collin were very little. I did take quite a few photos on our boating trips, starting when they 6 and 4 respectively, so that was good, but I didn't take many everyday photos - so to speak.  With our grandchildren I've tried to capture everyday life, when we visit them or they visit us. This Summer Sue and

I were blessed to have all our grand kids visit Berryridge Farm.


I guess the place to begin is with our oldest grandchild, Meghan, who is now ten years old,

Meghan's family at left,  L to R are Carrie, Meghan and Kevin.

Meghan is named after auntie Meghann, Carrie's sister. Little Megs was a very cute baby from the git-go but especially so the older she got. She stole many a heart at almost 2, when she danced at her Aunt Meghann's Wedding, see photo at right. Meghan's mom has a flare for the dramatic and Meghan often has Great Halloween costumes. A couple of years ago Meghan dressed up as 'Dorothy' from the 'Wizard of Oz', as you can see at left. 

In 2010 she dressed up as a 'Corpse Bride', as shown in the photo at right. 

This costume was the inspiration for Susan's Middle-Grade novelette, The Curse of the Corpse Bride. I actually hope that Sue is inspired by many more of Meghan's Halloween costume choices, because it is fun to see what books might spring from said inspiration. In fact it won't surprise me if Megs takes up acting, perhaps in High School. Both her mother and aunt were putting on little skits as girls growing up.  One of Meghan's talents is that of being a good baby sitter. She gained lots of valuable skills playing with her two younger boy cousins, Seamus and Rowan, who are aunt Meghann's sons.

OK, that is the introduction of the 1st of 6 grandkids. Stay tuned for more.

Falling Fast

October has given way to November, we have a fire in the wood stove every day now, and the first traces of snow have fallen on the upper reaches of Black Mt. Most of our garden has been harvested, with the beets, carrots and parsnips coming out of the ground last.

The last couple of weeks have been so colorful, with reds, oranges and yellows predominating. The only green plants are mostly evergreens. In the evening the western Sunlight hits Red & Black Mountains and adds a richness to the yellow-gold which turns pink when the the Sun dips below the visible edge of the earth.

The air is brisk, nips at your nose, there is no chance to forget you're alive, one's senses are on high alert. The country is beautiful but it plays no favorites to the careless. It is not uncommon to see a hawk flying away with dinner in it's talons. The coyotes call in the evening and the owl hoots in the nearby forest.

As each Fall approaches I tell Sue, "this year we're just going to have to set out our Autumn figurines on 'Michaelmas' (Sept. 29th) but we're always a few days late. We pick 'Michaelmas" because it is a date often mentioned in the various Jane Austen novels-made into movies that we love to read and watch. Besides, it makes a convenient on which to mark the Autumn Harvest Season. It makes no sense to wait until late November. In productive gardens, harvesting starts in Mid-Spring. We keep our Fall figurines displayed until December 6th,

St. Nicohlas' Feast Day, when they are replaced by our Christmas figures.

Sue and I are very fond of the evening and night sky. We especially like the Fall and Winter night sky because we love to look at Orion. I'm also a big fan of Moon scenes as you can see at the left.

Thanksgiving is not long off and I can hardly wait. I love turkey, cranberry sauce - home made of course and pumpkin pie - also home made. Got to now, have to start the evening's fire. John