Grandma and Grandpop were our first visitors at Pfefferkorn on July 19. Grandma persisted in her efforts to teach Allie knitting. Allie was a willing pupil for a while but I’m not sure she retained any skills. It was a little like most of her sports and music endeavors — learned that, move on.
One of Allie’s summer camps was a program at Earth Treks in Columbia that included rock climbing, both indoors at the center and at various outdoor sites around Maryland. Allie really enjoyed the program and her set of camp counselors.
Another of her camps was the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, Toby’s Summer Performing Arts Camp where Allie was in productions of The Music Man and Free to Be You and Me. I think Allie may have done this with Sydney. Sorry, we have no photos or program material available and, sadly, very little memory of the productions. I’m sure they were wonderful.
Now ensconced in our new home, Barb and Allie conspired to get a new kitten. Barb learned of a woman who had a bunch of kittens available. On July 31, Barb and Allie went to have a look and picked out Buster, with the caveat that we would take her at the end of August after we returned from vacation.
We had only one small casualty in the move, a bent leg in one of our tables. This table had traveled with the Fisher family since Italy, so was of sentimental value to Barb even though we hardly used it. We filed an insurance claim on August 3 and the moving company paid to fix it. We continued to hardly use the table for many years to come.
On August 6, Allie and I flew to Denver to see the Embreys and start our Great American West vacation. Over the next two weeks we had adventures seeing Mt. Rushmore, national parks in Utah and the Grand Canyon, Aunt Leona and Uncle Larry in Flagstaff and finishing in Phoenix. Barb joined us midway for the road trip. Our journey is recounted in more detail here (Denver, Mt. Rushmore) and here (Utah and Arizona).
On August 23, two days after returning home, Buster came to his new home and family. We set up a little pen in the basement to for his food and litter. Allie visited frequently and soon Buster was comfortable all around the house.
Laurie visited at the end of August, to see our new house and new kitten.
In September, Allie started 5th grade at GCS and we continued to settle into our new home and neighborhood. Blair came over on Labor Day to see Buster and have an American Girl party.
We had a party for Allie’s 10th birthday at Earth Treks in Columbia where she’d taken her summer camp. Allie showed off her climbing skills. This was perhaps the most athletic of Allie’s birthday parties. She and the other girls seemed to all have a good time, despite the exertions.
Time for cake!
Watch the master…two hands!
Halloween was a multi-day affair, starting with a party at school on Friday, October 29. Allie’s costume was a teenage “Rocker Chick.”
On October 30, Leila hosted a Day of the Dead party at her house. Allie was taking notes for a school assignment.
The next day, October 31, was Halloween and Allie turned in her assignment:
Dia de los Muertos
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a day that most Mexicans celebrate on either the eve of November first or November second to honor their deceased loved ones. Here are some traditions that the Mexicans use to celebrate Day of the Dead. Firstly, most Mexicans use a big wooden frame called an arcos to attract the dead to their altars or offrendas. They scatter flower petals to lead the dead to the offrendas. The Mexicans also sleep all night at the graveyards where the dead are buried. They decorate the graves and offrendas for their deceased ones’ personal interests. They also eat food that they left out for the dead to “eat the spirit” of. Pretend that you just traveled to Mexico to celebrate Day of the Dead with relatives. You see lots of cut paper which is called papel picado. You and your family see a famous Spanish play called Don Juan Tenorio during the day. Later, you go shopping and buy lots of sugar skulls to put on your grandmother’s offrendas, and pop-up skeletons in cardboard coffins. So, when you go trick-or-treating this year and get spooked out by monsters, think of the Mexicans sleeping in the graveyard.
Allie also put together a PowerPoint presentation with her class partner, Lexi Markham (we’re not sure what Lexi did):
But enough with education. Time to transform into a Rocker Chick! Halloween poses at home.
Allie went trick or treating with Blair and Lily in their neighborhood.
On November 6, we went to a book fair in DC (I think at the Kennedy Center) where Allie met Laurence Yep, author of some of her favorite books, including The Tiger’s Apprentice and the Golden Mountain Chronicles. He had a nice chat with Allie and Barb and kindly autographed one of his books.
The same day, we headed over to the Mall and caught part of a simulcast of Porgy and Bess from the Kennedy Center.
This fall semester Allie was on the GCS field hockey team with some of her friends. We bought the requisite gear and I made some small efforts to practice with Allie in various locations. Neither of us were terribly committed or competent.
I knew Allie’s field hockey career was over when I started attending team practices and games. A few of the girls were quite good and several others were just big and tough. One little girl, Megan Whittle, played with the team occasionally. She was the smallest girl on the field but extraordinarily fast and a great ball handler. It turned out that she was even better at lacrosse and went on to star at McDonogh and then the University of Maryland (along with Zoe Stuckenburg from Allie’s early lacrosse days). Seeing the skill levels of the other girls made it clear that Allie wasn’t going to get much playing time and neither of us were going to put in the work needed to get to their level. Another sport came and went.
On November 12, Allie and I worked on a science fair project of hers (and Katie Friedman…where was Katie?) that involved burning various nuts to measure something or another, maybe calories generated? I can’t remember the science involved but it was fun burning things…until we messed up one of our plates.
Hold the presses…I found the science fair file, Peanut Power. I’m still not quite sure of the science, but evidently cashews burn hotter than peanuts. We proved it!
Barb’s tradition of baking Christmas cookies became more and more regimented. She had an early December “Dough Day” where she made all the dough (ingredient table below…this is not even all of them — where are the brandy balls and bourbon balls?), then a progressive sequence of baking days, culminating in decorating the sugar cookies. Then there was bagging day where we got all the cookies out from the freezer and wrapped individual portions to put in gift bags for the dozen or more recipients. Finally there was distribution day where Allie, Barb and I all piled in the car and drove from friends’ house to friends’ house delivering good cheer. Allie and I were increasingly reluctant participants in this annual ritual but there was no refusing Barb’s relentless drive to get these done.
December 8 brought our first snow at the new house, so December 9 made for a whole series of glamor shots of the house in its first coat of snow.
Later that day, Allie inaugurated sledding in our back yard.
One of the annual traditions at Allie’s school in 4th and 5th grades was a recitation competition called the Barlow Prize. Every student had to memorize a poem or passage and recite it to a large audience. It was always a nerve-wracking experience for the kids except for born hams like Allie’s friend, Sydney. Allie chose a passage from Patrick Henry, worked hard to memorize it and practiced it earnestly with us for many evenings. When the time came for the competition, however, one of the more emphatic performers (either Sydney or Nicole) won.
A Section of “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”
A Speech by Patrick Henry
Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation?
It is in vain, sir, to extentuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace–but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
December 14 and 16 brought dual holiday parties for Barb’s work, first a bowling party and then a proper party at someone’s house.
December 17: time for photos by our tree for our 2005 Holiday Card. Our first Christmas at Pfefferkorn.
Now to wrangle some cats.
Sue and her girls, Jill and Susanna, came up north to spend a few days (December 22-23) skiing at Wisp Ski Resort in Western Maryland (I think they were on their way to Indiana for Christmas with the Blythe family). Allie and I headed out to see them. We arrived on the 22nd and did some tubing, then stayed overnight and got in some actual skiing on the 23rd. This was the first and only time we’ve been skiing at Wisp. It was fun seeing Sue and the girls but there was just no comparison with skiing in Colorado. We spent way more time in lift lines than we did actually skiing.
Our first Christmas Day at Pfefferkorn, including a lucky double rainbow.
Boxing Day. Buster is the gift.
On December 28, I took Allie and Paige on an outing to Washington, DC. We went to the Botanic Garden at the Capitol to see the flowers and their gingerbread house version of the Capitol building.
We headed across the Mall to the National Gallery East Wing where we looked at the modern art and had a bite to eat at the underground cafe.
Then we had some fun posing by the skylights over the cafe.
One more round of poses (in a very fuzzy shirt) by the tree on December 29. I think this was to show off the sweater Grandma knitted for Allie.
Next Post: 2006 First Half
Previous Post: 2005 First Half
You must be logged in to post a comment.