November
After recovering from a mild Halloween sugar high, Nancy and I packed up the next weekend and made one of our periodic visits to the Toronto area to see the Canadian cousins (see previous post Canadians for more on this beloved branch of the family). As always on these trips we hung out with Nancy's cousin Lynne and her husband Ron and cousin Ann and her husband David, and their kids.
In truth, Lynne and Ann are more like sisters to Nancy than cousins, being the daughters of close sisters and having spent much time together at each other's homes and the family cottage at Ipperwash Beach over the last 60 years. The result being that I have gratefully enjoyed the role of honorary uncle to the next generation of Canadian cousins since my entrance into the family in 1980.
As usual much overdo catching up was held during the weekend and we ate like visiting royalty (the MacKichan girls really know how to put out a spread, a skill inherited from their mother, the legendary Evelyn "no pants" MacKichan who usually cooked in heels and pearls). The highlight of this visit, however, was a luncheon at the home of Lynne's daughter Heather, and her very young children Emily and Reid. Also attending were Ann and her daughter Lauren. Here are some shots from this memorable event.
First a shot of cousin Lauren assuring Heather's son Reid not to be concerned about the strange people in the living room, with niece Emily and family dog Madden looking on.
Here Reid and Emily, showing a healthy skepticism, are sizing up the new people for themselves. They've already learned one cannot always trust adults. Madden on the other hand, having been around the block a few times, has quickly determined that the new people have no dog treats in their pockets.
Here's a shot of that old ritual - a trans-generational discussion about some recent or anticipated, desired or undesired behavior (this technique can be applied in a wide-variety of situations).
And this final shot of the young dynamic (way) duo demonstrating just how ice cream is supposed to be enjoyed. You can't teach this; it's a gift.
The weekend after our trip abroad, Nancy and I retired to Wiser Times for the annual leaf burning festival. Now, I refer to this as an annual activity, and that part is true. It just doesn't always happen on schedule. While we always trek up to Wiser Times in November planning to burn leaves, the weather and/or other events often intercede. In 2013, Nancy and I and our crew sat inside and looked out at the rain for three days and assaulted nary a fallen pest (however, we did get a lot of Music Night tech work accomplished as we knew of the forecast and had laid in a respectable Plan B). Oddly, there seems to be no photo record of this dreary but socially pleasant weekend.
In 2014 the barn infrastructure work was well under way, which sort of torpedoed any hope of working in the yard. And, oh yeah. It had already snowed.
Ah, but on day two we pulled out the stops. The leaves were still a bit damp. So I built a small wood fire in the middle of the leaf pile, and as it gradually caught we scooped leaves onto it until the fire was large enough to overcome the dampness. From there, it was burn-ness as usual. Here's the documentation.
But finally the deed was done and it was time for the victory party.
The bird,
We also had a weekend guest for the holiday, Coco's buddy Abby (on loan from our friends the Reinharts). The puppies had a great extended play date which involved a fair amount of begging,
A little posing,
And a great deal of time sleeping it all off by the fire.
There was also this impressive array of Nutcrackers adorning the hearth.
In 2014 the barn infrastructure work was well under way, which sort of torpedoed any hope of working in the yard. And, oh yeah. It had already snowed.
So the leaf work for both 2013 and 2014 was performed by the permanent Wiser Times staff the following spring as part of the general winter cleanup. Not optimal, but sufficient. The last time the whole thing actually worked out was 2012, the details of which were shared in the previous post Leaf Burning.
But 2015 saw our return to leaf burning glory. It was a little tricky at the outset due to the rain earlier in the week. On day one, we gathered our first load of leaves and put them to the torch. But the best we could do was a little smoke. So we spread the gathered leaves out as best we could so they would dry, and retired to lick our wounds. Well, we poured whiskey on the wounds first, then licked them. Here's a shot of our day one "fire". Pathetic.
But 2015 saw our return to leaf burning glory. It was a little tricky at the outset due to the rain earlier in the week. On day one, we gathered our first load of leaves and put them to the torch. But the best we could do was a little smoke. So we spread the gathered leaves out as best we could so they would dry, and retired to lick our wounds. Well, we poured whiskey on the wounds first, then licked them. Here's a shot of our day one "fire". Pathetic.
Ah, but on day two we pulled out the stops. The leaves were still a bit damp. So I built a small wood fire in the middle of the leaf pile, and as it gradually caught we scooped leaves onto it until the fire was large enough to overcome the dampness. From there, it was burn-ness as usual. Here's the documentation.
Shots of the basic equipment.
Staff members rotating their breaks.
Working in the occasional personal text (on the clock),
Or shirking leaf duty to dig (yet another) hole in the already hazardous work area.
But finally the deed was done and it was time for the victory party.
Of course, November wouldn't be complete without the traditional Thanksgiving dinner gathering, this year at our place. Here are pics of the venue, all spiffed up for company,
The chef in her element,
The bird,
And the diners, from left to right Nancy, daughter Christine, yours truly, daughter Cathy and her husband Matt, Nancy's nephew Matt, her brother Dave and his bride Barb. A fine time was had by all.
We also had a weekend guest for the holiday, Coco's buddy Abby (on loan from our friends the Reinharts). The puppies had a great extended play date which involved a fair amount of begging,
A little posing,
And a great deal of time sleeping it all off by the fire.
December
After the busy November, Nancy and I settled into the holiday routine of shopping, wrapping, baking and prepping for our traditional family visit to Florida. The highlight of the month was the Music Night Christmas celebration (the topic of the night was Generations, our 121st collection). Always a good time with a fine spread, here are some shots from the evening. First up are a few pics of the decorations our hosts the Forest-Bauers prepared for us. The sparkling front entrance,
The gorgeous tree,
The gorgeous tree,
A very cool Christmas card and photo montage,
And this little guy. You've heard of the Elf on the Shelf? I think this is sort of Santa in a Chevy.
There was also this impressive array of Nutcrackers adorning the hearth.
Of course, there were people there, too. Like our hostess Laura shown here with good buddy Lydia.
And host Brian with good buddy Jeff.
Mid-town retirees, Pat, Linda M,
John and Louise.
And mid-town working people, James, shown here calling the evening to order,
Christine, shown here in official headgear at the keyboard, updating the Music Night recording history with the night's events,
And social photographer Quinton, shown here with hostess Laura,
Here we have east-siders Dave and Robyn,
Christine, shown here in official headgear at the keyboard, updating the Music Night recording history with the night's events,
And social photographer Quinton, shown here with hostess Laura,
Linda C,
And Lydia again, shown here with hubby Joe.
To complete the geography of the crowd, we have west-sider Tom, shown here with Robyn,
And far west-siders Jeff and Deandra who live at the edge of the known Music Night world.
But the evening did include a bit of intrigue. As has been noted in previous posts, Music Night has just enough structure to keep it recognizable. One of our tools is this magnetic board which lays out the order in which members will be making their music offerings.
Mid-way through the evening, it appeared that the board had been tampered with, ostensibly in an attempt by the perpetrator to improve his (or her) chances of getting an extra track. Here's a shot of several group members in shock as the discovery was made. Note there is one prominent attendee who doesn't appear to be that surprised,
In this shot Laura is explaining her theory of the crime, while that same prominent attendee has assumed a sort of "who me?" posture.
In this picture several group members are weighing the evidence, and slowly working things out. All except for you know who, who believes he's almost home free.
Then in a rare moment of clarity, James and Nancy think they've solved the mystery and excitedly share their analysis.
After hearing their conclusions, I express my usual disbelief that anyone I know could be guilty of wrongdoing.
Finally, the disciplinary committee holds an emergency session in the dining area to consider appropriate action.
The final decision, as usual, was to do nothing except have another drink and play another song. Hey, there are no rules in the Music Night world so who cares about the list. Here is a shot of the obviously relieved (alleged) suspect (and a little too happy possible accomplice) upon hearing of the committee's lame decision.
Finally, here is a shot of me making my year-end report on the state of Music Night (budget shortfalls, staffing needs, warranty loopholes),
And one of me assuring my Bride that I can continue with my music night activities and still get my chores done .
After the big party it was back to important family activities. There was an early celebration at Cathy and Matt's, in anticipation of their planned holiday with Matt's side of the family. Here is the first Christmas tree in the home of the Beverly Hills Kuhlmans.
And shots of the happy party goers (yes, I was expecting a little high water).
Here's a picture of actual Christmas morning at the Burks, our 35th in a row with at least one child present. Representing the next generation this year was Christine, in her working hat. It was also Coco's first as a member of the family.
To close out the year, two puppy pictures. First, Coco recovering from the Christmas hullabaloo gnawing on one of her new treasures in one of her favorite spots - the hearth in our Grosse Pointe living room. A girl needs her private time.
Traditionally, we head south after Christmas to visit family and enjoy a couple of weeks in the sun. We did that this year as well. But as most of the trip was in 2016, the details of that trip will have to wait for my next year in review. But I do have this shot of me and my Florida dog buddy Laci, my sister Wendy's pet. Due to house improvement work on my sister's home, Laci has spent the last several weeks at my mother's. She's a pug/Yorky mix almost 10 years old and very lovable. Here Laci and I are enjoying a post-dinner quiet hour in a favorite recliner. She has a little fang on her lower right jaw that her lip catches on and makes it look like she's growling. But that's the furthest thing from her mind.
So that wraps the year up for me. I must say that this review of 2015 took much longer than I had thought it would. It seems that a lot more gets packed into a year than we think. In many ways, 2015 was much like previous years - the family traditions, the annual golf and music parties, trips to Florida. But in just as many ways it was unique.
One of my purposes in creating this blog was to document family history. And while I've made limited progress in telling the story of the early years, I take comfort in the fact that at least I've started keeping up with the present. So the backlog shouldn't get any bigger.
One of my purposes in creating this blog was to document family history. And while I've made limited progress in telling the story of the early years, I take comfort in the fact that at least I've started keeping up with the present. So the backlog shouldn't get any bigger.
Now, on with making new memories in 2016.
