Gavin Turns Twenty

Two simultaneous posts: I know, it's weird. However it didn't seem right to put the photo from Gavin's birthday into Hannah's post. A separate post seemed more appropriate. Check out the huge candle in the cake. Dinner was my responsibility that evening; I forgot the birthday candles.

It's weird that G's no longer a teenager. While sitting down and thinking about how old we're getting (yes, that's a bald spot in the last post), I thought about how much the world has changed since Gavin came into the world. Here's a short list of things that come to mind:

• We've fought in two wars in Irag and one in Afghanistan. Except for the first gulf war, the outcomes and long term impact are still uncertain.


• There was no internet in 1989. Ok, there was a an internet, but virtually no one was using it. Personal computers ran MS/Dos or an early Mac OS. No one surfed the web. I got my first windows computer with AOL in 1995. We all sat down in the family room and cruised the web at 28.8 speed.


• Cell phones were the size of small boom boxes with huge antennas. Today, kids don't even talk on them. At least my kids don't.


• VHS was just beating out Betamax to become the standard. No one was watching movies on DVD.


• Music was purchased on cassettes, but CD's were becoming more common. Today, CD's and record stores are becoming a thing of the past. iTunes and iPods have fundamentally changed the industry. I saw an interview with Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic recently; he was announcing the closure of the last Virgin Megastore in the US.


• The Berlin wall fell, Germany was reunited and Russia became a democratic country, or did it?


• Many South Africans lived under Apartheid. Mandella was an opposition leader yet to lead the country through the truth and reconciliation process.


• Gavin has lived in Cleveland Heights, Rocky River, North Royalton, Gurnee, Grayslake, Shaker Heights, and Simsbury. He's gone to elementary, middle, high school and is now in college. Happy birthday, Gav!

I'm sure I've missed a ton: if you're motivated, add them to the bottom of the post.

Jeff

Hannah Rides, Play Basketball with Dad

Hannah has worked this summer at a stable in Granby, Connecticut. Each summer the stable holds a day camp for little children. They ride, learn about horses and generally have a good time. Hannah helps with the horses and looks after the kids.

In return, her riding time is complimentary. Saturday mornings have become the default riding time. Driven to the stables by Mom, Hannah will spend several hours riding. Here's a photo of Hannah jumping. A rumor exists that Susan also did some riding, but there are no photos that exist of this. An inside source tells me that she also jumped. Next week's mission: get photos of Susan jumping.

I'm throwing in this photo of the daddy daughter basketball game. Hannah is celebrating a basket that she made from the top of the key. I've just gotten the rebound.

Hannah & Christina

In March of this year, Hannah's good friend Christina moved back to her home near Manchester Center, Vermont. While she had only lived in Simsbury for about nine months, Hannah and she became fast friends.

Early in June Hannah made the trip to Vermont (about a 3 hour drive) to see Christina's graduation and spend some quality time with her BFF. Dropping her off, and being a complete geek, I realized that there was a historical landmark on their property. Situated right next to her house was an 18th century blast furnace used in the revolutionary war era. It's worth mentioning that her home is right near the Bennington battlefield site, where Hessian soldiers were defeated soundly during the war.

I digress. After the graduation ceremony, Hannah and Christina returned to Simsbury for two full weeks of fun. The two of them palled around and generally had a good old time seeing old friends and attending end-of-the-year parties.

All photo credits go to Susan, who made multiple trips to Vermont.

Erick Graduates High School

Fighting through high temperatures and near 100% humidity, Erick walked across the stage on Saturday morning (June 26th) to receive his high school diploma. Like just about everything else that he does, he took it in stride.

Needless to say, we're proud of him. Nights spent rocking him on my knee seem as if they happened yesterday. A colicky baby, Erick seldom went to sleep easily or on time. Coaching him in little league, camping together, or playing at the cottage in Michigan are some of my favorite memories. I distinctly remember him and me throwing his cousin, Simon Jillson, high in the air and letting him splash through an inner-tube into Lake Michigan (not to worry, Simon loved it.)

Writing about how time passes in the blink of eye is truly cliche. When you're in the midst of it, it's hard to focus on the forest and not the trees in front you. Time does pass. Kids go to elementary school, then to middle school, and finally to high school. We look back and wonder where the time has gone. Love and memories are all that is left. Congratulations, Erick.

Erick is bound for Tunxis Community College in the fall; he wants to become a police officer.

On hand for the festivities were my parents, Larry and Virginia Boulden; Susan's mother, Marisue Besse; Evangeline Plattner, Erick's girlfriend, and Erick's friends Derrick Magnon and Bill Williams. I've tried to include a representative smattering of pictures. Take a look.

All for now.