[ Doug & Neely ]

Before heading home from a conference in Corfu, I stopped for two and a half days in Athens, and proceeded to soak up all that I could. I saw the Ancient Agora, Acropolis Museum, Acropolis, and National Archaeological Museum. more…

Speaking in a minisymposium on reactive mixing at Dynamics Days Europe gave me a great opportunity for my first visit to Greece. Specifically, the conference took place on the island of Corfu, off the northwest coast, near Albania. When a place is made up entirely of mountains, sunshine, and the Mediterranean, it's bound to be beautiful. more…

After enough miles rolling through the countryside, cycling does indeed become cyclical: climbs and descents, curves and straightaways, vistas and potholes all pass us by. Patterns materialize as emergent phenomena, aperiodic and never quite repeating but still giving hints, after many hours in the saddle, of what sort of journey a rider might expect ahead. Cycling, after all, is a particular and specific activity, governed by pedals and legs and minds and human nature. more…

The inaugural Adirondacks backpacking trip of the Mechanical Engineering Department turned out to be a fine time indeed. Eight of us (including two friends from The Institute) spent a weekend in the high peaks, starting from Adirondack Loj, camping by Marcy Dam, and walking to higher altitudes on Saturday. more…

The usual: pumpkin carving, silly costumes, and outdoor community-building fun with the whole neighborhood. Good ole Halloween. more…

Think you know your town well? Its census data may surprise you, and three brilliant maps bring the surprises right to the surface. First, race: one dot for each US resident, color-coded. Rochester, for one, is strikingly segregated, with blacks in the 19th Ward, blacks and Latinos north of the tracks, Asians around the universities, and whites everywhere else. Second, one dot for each US job. These make sense, with healthcare near the hospitals, retail near the malls, professionals downtown. Third, income and education statistics by zip code. These really drop my jaw. In my zip code (14607) the median income is $36k/year, but you can bike four miles to Pittsford (14534) where it's $105k or walk across the tracks to 14605 where it's just $18k. The lines are viciously sharp, and these three maps tell the story powerfully. My hat is off to those who gathered the data and displayed it so well.

We had a heckuva downpour on 20 August, definitely the worst I've seen in Rochester. The neighbors say something like this comes through only about once a decade, which is ironic, because today marks a decade since Neely and I got married. Though our basement walls leaked little or none (woohoo!), backflow from the storm drains, up through the sinks, flooded the place thoroughly. Between dumping buckets and emptying the shop vac 47 times, I removed 600 gallons of water from our basement this afternoon. Ugh. more…

To celebrate our ten—count 'em, ten—years of marriage, Neely and I set out for Montreal. Once there we dropped our bags, hopped on our bikes, and began a relentless, exhausting, brilliant, joyful, action-packed four day tour of that fine city. Here are photos. You'll see lots of outdoor landscapes from our rides and plenty of close-ups from visits to the Insectarium and the Rodin exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. You'll see bike-nerd reports on high-quality traffic engineering, and even the occasional gratuitous food photo. Hope you enjoy it, because we surely did. more…

Bike to School Day 2015 at Francis Parker was a blast. A group of us rode from the nearby Rochester Museum and Science Center, so families who live far away could have a place to park their cars and still ride to school. Lots more rode directly from home. The weather was good, the riders stayed safe, and lots of people told me how much fun they were having. At least two said they might make biking to school their regular routine. Ride on! more…

Headed down to Greenville for Christmas this year, and had times relaxing and mellow: big meals, Christmas shopping, long runs through the park. We're grateful as always to Jane and Jimbo for hosting. And a bonus: on the way back, we spent two days with Steve and Tammy and a huge progression of Virginia cousins seen all too rarely. Thanks to Steve and Tammy and Tom and everybody for throwing a great weekend party. more…

Physicists and engineers rely on repeatability: run the experiment over and over, making one change each time. Map the territory, ploddingly and methodically, until the problem is solved. But the grand experiment of life is an entirely different matter, neither repeatable nor even deterministic, a one-shot wonder built on nature, nurture, and faith. more…

Once again the leaves are bright, the days are short, and it's time for that annual celebration of creativity and frivolity, Halloween. This year Martha knew months ahead of time that she would be Ginny Weasley (mostly because Martha's hair doesn't look like Hermione's). Jessie vacillated, as she is wont to do, from witch to vampire to "fabulous lady"—but seemed happy enough in her mercurial and tough-to-call costume. First festivity, a week early: the School 23 Fun Fest, vaguely named but tonsa fun, culminating with 100 kids in costume parading down Park Ave. and trick-or-treating en masse through the shops. Great community stuff. more…

For months there had been no doubt about how Martha wanted to celebrate her seventh birthday: slumber party. Really this is an inaccurate name for the event, because nobody slumbers much. And to call it a “sleepover” is just plain misleading, since sleep is the thing you will not get. Martha's was, at any rate, a spend-the-night party. And it included all the requisite ingredients: pizza, Neely's fabulous ice cream cake, a movie, and even a pillow fight. The kids had a blast. Thanks also go to Nana, who was kind enough not only to make a surprise visit for the weekend but also to endure a night of noisy little girls with characteristic grace. more…

We salute the vision and good sense the City of Rochester is displaying with its Bicycle Boulevards Plan. The basic plan: blanket the whole city with bike-friendly travel routes, where cars drive slow and bikes have room, where many more citizens can feel safe and empowered to make pedal power a part of their daily life. According to the published maps, the planners really do envision a broad and connected network. Bravo! Now let's make it a reality.

The People's Climate March set out to be the biggest climate change rally the world had ever seen, moving through the streets of New York City. It succeeded, with 400,000 participants, and we were among them. Here are a few images. And the other highlight of our weekend road trip was a day spent in good ole New Haven with Jonathan, Leslie, and their kids—fine fine people kind enough to put us up for a coupla nights. more…

With one final day left before a very early flight home from Frankfurt, I booked a hotel next to the airport and spent the afternoon strolling the city. Nice town, mostly modern because it was largely destroyed by bombing in 1944. In particular, I spent a few hours at the excellent Städel Museum, with gobs of great art. more…

The first week of August, I gave a talk at the Turbulent Mixing and Beyond conference at the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy. Gotta admit, the highlights of my week were fruitful scientific discussions—but the scenery lived up to its reputation, too. Trieste sits on the shore, just down the hill from Slovenia, and if you're having trouble imagining the gorgeous Adriatic coastline, you're in luck: I took some pictures. more…

On our fourth and final day in Paris, we were all tired, and so we spent the morning relaxing at Jardin du Luxembourg. Besides being lovely it offered a very popular playground. After lunch with Vanessa by the Pompidou Center, we bid Paris au revoir and headed back to Conoly's place with lots of new memories. more…

Our third day in Paris we dedicated to a visit to Chateau de Versailles, the opulent and tremendous palace of the French royalty. Turns out, on a lovely day in August, the entrance line is also tremendous; we opted to walk the gardens instead of waiting three hours. There we found impeccably manicured hedges and walks, a near-infinite collection of statuary, and Le Grand Canal (complete with boats). Not bad for a backyard, though I'd hate to have to cut all that grass. more…

We spent our second day in Paris visiting Notre Dame, then making our way to Jardin des Tuileries and spending a nice long while enjoying its walks, its playground, and its fair. As a bonus, we ran out after dinner to see sunset and rainbows and the lights on the Eiffel Tower from Sacre Coeur. more…

We set aside four days to visit a place Neely and I both love but have never visited together before, a place far from anywhere the kids have ever experienced: Paris. On the first day, we started with a bike tour around the central city, which covered much ground, and at the right pace. After dodging a rainstorm, we headed up the Eiffel Tower to make memories with some great views. more…

Friday started with an early morning search for coffee: no shops in sleepy Kintzheim opened until 8 am. That mission accomplished, we arrived at La Montagne des Sanges (Monkey Mountain) promptly at the opening hour, where we fed popcorn to none-too-deprived Barbary macaques. After lunch we spent some time at the museum of the former Natzweiler concentration camp. more…

Here's the first update from our 2014 European trip, based in Kaiserslautern (thanks Conoly!) and making explorations from there. Thursday we drove across the border to Alsace to see some sights. First stop: Haut Koenigsbourg castle, sitting high atop a mountain above the intersection of two ancient trading routes, first built in the 12th century and restored for tourists around 1900. Next stop: La Volerie des Aigles, a haven for birds of prey, halfway down the mountain. We saw the show there, with peregrine falcons, vultures, eagles, and owls. Finally we rolled the rest of the way down the mountain to an auberge at Caveau Brunstein in the little town of Kintzheim. Everybody was dog-tired and well-satisfied with the day. more…

Here's the run-down of our first-ever backpacking trip with kids, a three-family outing to Middle Settlement Lake in the Adirondacks, near Old Forge. In attendance: Rachel, Brian, Addie, and Harry; Zak, Jif, Henry, and Calvin, plus our usual crew. We walked three miles in on Friday to camp at Middle Settlement, took a day hike Saturday to Middle Branch Lake (thick with frogs and salamanders and fish), then came home on Sunday. We had great weather (OK, minor rain Saturday night), a full moon, s'mores, good food, and great times. Also swimming, campfire fun, leeches, and plenty of mud. Nice! Thanks to Rachel, Brian, Jif, and Zak for letting us tag along. more…

Here's an elegant use of Big Data by the MIT Media Lab: interactive maps showing the quickest mode of transportation from anywhere to anywhere else in (a few) US cities: walking, biking, transit, or driving. What do the maps show? If you live in a city, biking is often—or usually—the quickest way to get around. So grab some wheels, soak up some sunshine, burn less gas, and get there quicker!

Being from Alabama has endowed me with some musical interests that aren't always common in the northeastern realms I've inhabited for the last decade. One is the Drive By Truckers: high-decibel Southern guitar rock with lyrics so subtle you'd think they were written by William Faulkner. But I'd never seen them live. So imagine my surprise when they show up in Rochester, within walking distance of my house, for a five-dollar show. Nice! Neely and I went, of course, and found a spot right up front. Highlights: 18 Wheels of Love, Hell No I Ain't Happy, Ronny & Neil. Raise your glasses for a hard-working rock and roll band! more…

Eight days late, I'm submitting my annual performance review. That is, once we're grown, and birthdays don't bring new privileges or special excitement anymore, they're still good opportunities to take stock of our lives. Since this is my first such performance review, I'll report more than just one year's progress. In fact, I've been thinking lately about what I've learned over the course of my adult life so far, in the last fifteen years or so. Here's the executive summary:

1. To stay sane, exercise.
2. Life is short, and time accelerates.
3. Boys and girls are different.
4. Know where your limits are: how very much is possible, and how very much is not.
5. We can't make everybody happy all the time, and by trying, we fail at not just that goal but many others as well.
6. Growing older, we naturally become more knowledgeable, and hope to become wiser, but don't become smarter. Never be afraid to live up to your potential now.
7. Nobody can stomach a cocky jerk, but nobody's interested in a wet blanket.
8. “Waste not, want not” goes a lot further than most people realize.

I wonder, what's in your performance review? Write to share.

This time it was Father's Day. Again beautiful, again a good day to get outside, and this time I found among the list of nearby, kid-marketable hiking destinations, Corbett's Glen. Literally five minutes from home, it's an easy hike with a creek at the end—gotta have a reward for the kids, after all. Off we went to splash on the rocks. Nice times. more…

Mothers' Day sunny and warm, Neely needing some quiet study time, the girls and I decided that being inside was a terrible idea. Instead we went for an adventurous hike. In this case that meant Cobb's Hill Park, in the middle of Rochester, barely a mile from home. Still, we packed snacks and water, wore sturdy shoes, and found glimpses of God's natural world: trees, ants, chipmunks, thorns. We also saw one of Rochester's great outdoor art galleries, by which I mean the excellent and ever-changing spraypaint art (graffiti? tags?) on the water tank walls. I see it whenever I run but have failed to photograph until now. Misdeed rectified. more…

With Miriam in town, we gathered our passports and took a day trip to Niagara Falls, since none of us had ever seen them before. Thanks to the long, cold winter of 2014, the falls boasted a spectacular amount of ice—fitting given that they were formed by glaciers in the first place. But with a windy, gray day, temperatures in the 30s, and a deluge of cold spray coming off Horseshoe Falls, we didn't stay long. It was back to the car, back across the border, and a drive home with the final disc of Jim Dale's reading of the Harry Potter series. Good stuff. more…

In the Bay Area for the Physics of Sustainable Energy, I crashed with Will and Kat (thanks y'all!) and spent an extra day soaking up brotherly love and California sunshine. We walked and talked; we ate and drank well. What more to ask? In the afternoon we drove to the Sunol Regional Wilderness just out from town to walk hills and found very nice hills indeed: tall enough for great views without being terribly onerous. We topped out on Sunol itself, 1688 feet. And of course the weather was perfect. more…

In the Black Forest of Germany, in a town that customs agents have never heard of, sits Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach, a mathematics institute that hosts a new workshop every week, year-round. This week they hosted Mixing, Transport, and Coherent Structures, and I was there, and I took a few photos to boot. I can't say enough good things about the place, where every detail is considered and a mathematician's every need is anticipated. TVs and king-size beds? No. But great food, a beautiful setting, ubiquitous coffee, quiet common space, plenty of time for collaboration, German beer at low cost, a music room (Steinway Grand Model B included), loaner bikes, and one of the world's largest math libraries are all there. Oberwolfach might even outdo Les Houches. Here's a bit of the institute, the trails, and the towns nearby. more…

All you Rochesterians out there—and everybody else curious to know thie place—can glean great insight from the Democrat and Chronicle's RocDocs collection of databases and statistics. Find, for example, all New York real estate transactions since 1993, scores and demographics of every public school in the state, or an interactive map of homicides in the area since 2007. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Powerful stuff! A bonus for the rest of the country: the Washington Post's Graphs of the Year for 2013.

With all the spying going on nowadays, it's just not responsible anymore to post open-access photos of family, friends, and children on the public internet. Accordingly, I've added password protection to our photo gallery. It pains me to do so, as the point of this site was always to foster community and to be accessible to friends and family. So please: if you don't have the password already, drop me an email! It's only the tiniest hassle, a small price to pay for privacy, and anyway an opportunity to correspond and catch up.

Christmas is always about seeing the people you love, and for us in 2013 that meant a big, fat road trip. You might measure the trip with an odometer: we put about 2600 miles on the old Subaru. You might also measure the trip in audiobooks: we listened to all 17 discs of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, plus half of the first disc of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, plus another eight hours of Radiolab and This American Life on the Alabama leg of the trip (sans kids). more…

According to The Economist, brain scans have now confirmed what everybody always knew: males are hard-wired for monomania, an exaggerated preoccupation with single things. Perhaps it is an act of monomania on my part to set out to encompass an entire year in a single theme, one unifying idea, one ringing song. But every grand movement begins with a small melody, a rhythm from which to bootstrap ourselves into counterpoint, community, and emergence. more…

A big part of Neely's life lately is Mothers Out Front, a new organization mobilizing mothers toward tackling climate change. They're passionate, they're making fast progress, and Neely is no small part of the action—check their website and its Stories section for familiar faces. Then consider signing their declaration, attending a house party, or making a donation.

This time it was a bigger hike, both in group size and in altitude. With summer coming fast to a close and me traveling home from a conference in New Hampshire, I cajoled some MIT buddies into a trip to the Adirondacks (I didn't have to beg them too hard) and even convinced Neely to come along (with somewhat more effort). We started at Adirondack Loj and headed for some High Peaks. First was Wright Peak, then Algonquin Peak, then some went on to Iroquios Peak while Neely and I started the steep descent to Lake Colden, where we all camped. Major props to Rachel for a superb dinner—with wine to boot. Sunday morning we took a flat, beautiful walk out along the shores of Colden and Avalanche Lake, leaving time for a swim. To sum it up: great friends, awe-inspiring landscapes, and perfect weather. Yes oh yes. more…

With the kids away and a weekend full of possibilities ahead, Neely and I rolled down to Letchworth State Park for a little hiking. It's not the only place that claims to be the "Grand Canyon of the East," but by sheer scale it levies a stronger claim than anywhere else I've ever seen. The vistas are easy to find! And the food at the restaurant wasn't half bad, either. more…

Two quick news articles about climate: First, the no-brainer of living sustainably is actually starting to cross party lines, as four past Republican EPA administrators pointed out in this week's NYT that fiscal conservatism requires taking action now because clean-up will cost a whole lot more later. Second, a paper published this week in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology and featured in The Economist hypothesizes—and makes a pretty good case—that Earth's biggest mega-extinction, in which 80% of all species suddenly went extinct, was actually caused by sudden release of greenhouse gases. Ouch!

Here we are in Rochester! Settling in takes time, and so too will posting photos take time. But here's the place for odds and ends as we learn a new place and become New Yorkers! more…

Facebook, Google, Skype, Microsoft, Yahoo, YouTube, Apple, AOL, PalTalk…and soon Dropbox. That's the list of companies that give the NSA open, warrantless access to their domestic users' data—probably including yours—according to a government document leaked this week and published by both the Guardian and the Washington Post. The companies deny the report and the NSA is tight-lipped as usual. But if the verified document seems as convincing to you as it does to us, you'd better assume that everything you send through Gmail, FaceBook, Dropbox, and the rest is subject to surveillance. Don't like it? Tell Congress! Find a great campaign and more information at the EFF or from Security Degree Hub.

Spent some teambuilding time with the postdocs who work on liquid metal batteries in GroupSadoway. Hmm, a company outing—golf, right? No, it's much better than that: hiking in the mountains of New Hampshire. On a hot but beautiful May day we walked to the top of Mount Major, took in the view, and then walked down to take in a coupla beers. Fellas: nice doing business with you! more…

Another year past (life still accelerating with age), and Jessie is now a whopping seven years old. Time for a party! She's been asking for theme-parties for months, and has been especially excited about painting pottery at Made-by-Me, so we treated her and a few friends to a visit. Bonus: Jonathan, Leslie, Leila, Nora, and Alia came to visit for the weekend. We ate Paul Bunyan breakfasts, braved the snow for the Museum of Science, and thoroughly enjoyed time with good friends. more…

When the weathermen get their 15 minutes of fame, they need to make the best of it, to whip everybody into a frenzy—but if they call it wrong, they look like real jerks. The Boston weathermen (apparently hedging their bets) spent this week predicting a big, “possibly historic” snowstorm for the weekend. This time they came through: judging from the front yard, I'd say we got a coupla feet. Possibly historic. What do do next? Go sledding and skiing, of course! I love a blizzard. more…

Thanksgiving is beautiful for its simple routines. This year Neely's folks and sister joined us in the simple routines at our place. Neely cooked a huge turkey as usual. We caught up, slept late, and watched some football. Various cohorts also enjoyed the Gardner Museum the aquarium, and other fun tourism Nice times--thanks for coming, y'all! And thanks also to Conoly, who took nearly all the photos we share here. more…

Did you know that the National Counterterrorism Center can legally examine government files of any U.S. citizen, even if there is no reason to suspect them of wrongdoing? Entire databases—flight records, casino employee lists, exchange student hosts—can be retained for five years and shared with foreign governments. And the Obama administration wrote these rules without involving any lawmakers. We recommend contacting your congressmen and senators! And we are grateful to watchdog journalist Julia Angwin for covering this issue.

Accomplishing a life means investing real time. Sure, there's the turbulent helter-skelter, meetings upcoming and buses leaving, smartphones buzzing and Facebook flashing, activity pushed further and faster, load and unload, charge and discharge. But then comes Advent. more…

After two mass shootings in a week (13 this year, 62+ in my lifetime), we have to acknowledge two uncomfortable facts. First, in this broken world there is no invincibility, so we'd better live in the knowledge that lives are precious and work hard to cherish them. Second, our country is a violent one, with vastly more assault deaths than other rich nations. If we cherish lives, we have to ask why. Few of those nations are better off, few are better educated, few have lower unemployment—but all have more careful gun regulations. Sensible and specific weapons regulations like background checks, registration, and training are broadly supported by Americans. Isn't it time we cherished lives enough to do something about it? [Update:] For a clear statement of the facts, see this piece by Fareed Zakaria.

Alright Obama, you got your second chance, scraping by on attack ads and the fact that we'd settle for the devil we know. Now think of your legacy and in this second term resurrect your own grand first-term proposals. Heed Bill McKibben when he urges you to start by taking on climate change. Heed America's business community when they agree. Let's leave our children and grandchildren a sustainable society—or our whole generation's legacy will be marred by blind self-interest. Obstructionism be damned, let's do something.

Have I mentioned lately that Halloween is a great holiday? When else do we get so much opportunity to be ridiculous, creative, and outdoors enjoying our neighbors and community? more…

Tired of American presidents being elected without a majority of the vote? Tired of being ignored because you don't live in a swing state, or being flooded with attack ads because you do? Tired of the moderate majority being overwhelmed by the shrill screams of extremists? Here's an idea: let's elect presidents based on the popular vote! The folks at National Popular Vote are working toward that goal and actually getting laws passed. Outstanding!

Honestly, the kids have been asking to go camping for ages. Martha had never been before and Jessie was too young to remember. Fall is beautiful in New England, MITOC rents gear on the cheap, and we even convinced some friends to come along. So it was time to go camping! Paying no attention to the facts that it had rained for two solid days previous, and no hint of sunshine was forecast for the weekend, we set out for Bear Brook State Park. more…

Being reasonably settled in our new place and not yet engulfed in the school schedule, and lately blessed with friggin' great late-summer weather (70s, low humidity, sunny), well, we've been outside whenever possible. That puts us squarely into the tourism thing. It's a good idea, after all, to start getting acquainted with a place by learning what almost everybody knows, saving the hints and secrets for later. (And in our case, saving the museums and indoor kid activities for the long winter months, when we'll really need them.) more…

For our (7^th!!) anniversary I told Doug we would have a lobster dinner (the lobster harvest is really abundant this year so prices are the lowest they've been in decades—$5 - $7/lb). We've never cooked lobster before, so it was quite an adventurous afternoon/evening! The girls were very very VERY excited about the lobsters. Insisting on carrying the bags by themselves, making sure the lobsters were “ok” when we got home, and watching them all afternoon. Although after begging me to cut the rubber bands off the claws so she could watch, Jessie burst into tears when I dropped it in the pot of boiling water. Apparently I had failed to tell her that once the bands came off, the lobster was getting cooked. She told me (through tears) that she really liked the lobsters and didn't want them to die. Fortunately, I don't think she was permanently traumatized by the experience. 25 minutes later she was digging into the lobster claws! more…

Ten years ago an older and wiser friend told me that people are like ducks—they seem to glide along smoothly above the surface, but below they thrash like mad. I thought of this the other day. Installing miniblinds, I was dripping sweat among cardboard boxes and the realizations that all my screwdrivers were worn out and the oddball windows in our new place were slightly smaller than standard. Shortening vinyl miniblinds a quarter-inch with a hacksaw surely counts for thrashing below the surface—but it did, in the end, work. more…

New Haven, CT, I have loved you well! Here's a shout out to all the Yalies, East Rockers, 350 Connecticut activists, Davis Street PTA parents, Godly Players, Dads'-Nighters, play-groupers, Soup-Nighters, Elm City Cyclers, journal clubbers, stroller-pushers, UNH physics crowd, Koffee drinkers, kid-chasers, snow-shovelers, urban farmers, and hope-holders of this bustling old burg. Nowhere in my life have I fit in so well. God, I'm gonna miss this town.

As Bill McKibben points out in his recent piece in Rolling Stone, if we want to dodge the bullet and keep our planet within 2°C of where it ought to be, we have a lot of work to do. His 350.org is helping to lead the charge—check 'em out, because it matters. And while Bill mentions that weaning ourselves from fossil fuels may cost oil companies $20 trillion, I wish he'd pointed out that in the long term, failing will cost us all a whole lot more.

Thank Conoly, our newly-appointed family historian, for archiving the Ellefson reunion at Lake Hartwell for Facebook and posterity. Here's our own sampling of a few highlights, comprised mostly of boats, beaches, piñatas, and time with family. more…

We're back from another grand Southern road trip, spanning 1100+ miles from New Haven to Montgomery, stopping at plenty of great places along the way: Shepherdstown, Lake Hartwell, Birmingham, and Silver Spring, to name a few. Gotta admit—I didn't take so many photos this year. But at least I have proof that we were in the lake and together with folks we love. For vastly more thorough documentation of our time at Lake Hartwell, look to Conoly, who took a ton of photos with her gorgeous new camera. (Update: we've posted a sampling.) Big thanks go to all who hosted our traveling caravan of kids, greyhounds, and tired parents! And a special shout out to Todd and Jimbo for putting together the Ellefson reunion, where a good time was had by all. more…

O how do I love New Haven's annual Festival of Arts & Ideas! Anytime the whole family can bike from home to picnic in the grass and hear world-class music with gobs of friends, things are definitely good. We go every year, and have posted about it before; this shot could have been exactly the same two years later, except Jessie's a lot taller now! Anyway, this year we went two nights in a row, saw different friends each night, and had a blast as usual. more…

We don't recover our lost days, with time and causality and the Second Law working always one way, and usually against us. We've had no updates here for almost a year, a year of hard slogging and spending all the waking hours facing tactical goals, just getting through. It seemed like the right thing at the time. Maybe it was, but now the time has come for perspective and strategy. So dougandneely.com is redesigned, with more information out front and more bits under the hood to allow for frequent, quicker posts that keep better time with the rhythm of our lives. We hope you enjoy it.

Spent Memorial Day this year in Brooklyn with Laura, Imtiaz, and Zoe. We rolled in early-morning to find that most of New York had flown the coop, leaving us open highways and ample parking. So after carefully-crafted cold-brew coffee it was off to the Botanic Garden. (Gorgeous in late May, especially the roses, and don't miss the hot dogs—great value!) Froyo got us home, a nap on the rug gave a recharge, and then we hit the water park. Laura made a great dinner as usual, and I found myself singing Lou Reed's “Perfect Day” for the whole ride home. Thanks for having us, y'all! more…

Moving Connecticut was a big success—about 800 folks came out, and over 150 went along for the bike ride. Check out our giant human 350 and this highlight reel. You might see some familiar faces!

Congratulations to to Neely for finishing another multisport race, the Park City Mossman Triathlon!

Our stroller days are over now that Martha rides!

We went to Norwalk and saw a very strange sort of aquarium, which contained fish but also meerkats and robotic dinosaurs. Needless to say, the children had a blast nonetheless. more…

We spent lots of time with friends—and outdoors—through our Munchkin Spring.

High gas prices got you down? It's a great time to quit driving to work! Commute by bicycle for this year's Bike to Work Day on 20 May. Make bigger plans to move away from fossil fuels with a Moving Planet rally (more on that here soon). Riding in New Haven? Elm City Cycling is here to help.

Good ole birthday parties. Thanks to everyone who remembered Jessie as she turned five, either by spending the afternoon with us or by sending a gift. We promise those thank-you notes are in the mail. more…

George Washington had this crazy idea: keep government focused on governing by deemphasizing political parties. Even in the cable-news screaming match that is today's political reality, Washington's advice isn't quite forgotten. The group No Labels are thinking across the aisle outside the box to promote discourse, cooperation, and progress. Makes sense to us!

The Winter of Eleven will be one to remember. With 54 inches of snow and counting, it has broken all the records in New Haven. It's been cold, too—at least one morning the temperature (not even wind chill) dipped below 0 Fahrenheit. Ouch! The whole town has plowed and salted, shoveled and snowshoed to get along. Here are some of our snowy adventures. more…

We celebrate and admire the patriots of Egypt who have spoken out to reclaim their own government. Few have stated any cause more directly and passionately than Wael Ghonim:

I am ready to die. I have a lot to lose in this life. I work in the best company to work for in the world, I have the best wife and I love my kids, but I'm willing to lose all of that for my dream to happen and no one is going to go against our desire—no one—and I'm telling this to Omar Sulieman, he is going to watch this: You are not going to stop us. Kidnap me, kidnap all my colleagues, put us in jail, kill us, do whatever you want to do. We are getting back our country. You guys have been ruining this country for 30 years. Enough. Enough. Enough!

Somewhere Thomas Jefferson is smiling.

We spent Christmas this year in Alabama and got to see lots of folks we love, some of whom we hadn't seen in a long time (too bad Connecticut and Texas are so far apart!). We also took a day hike to McDill Point in Cheaha State Park, finding a few inches of snow on the mountain. Nice! more…

B-sides and extra tracks may not quite fit on the album, but sometimes they're great stuff anyway. Though dougandneely.com deals in images more than songs, the rule still applies. Here are a few of our favorite outtakes from 2010. more…

In this life, we don't call all the shots. Another year of work and preparation, ingredients carefully measured and mixed, hands sore from kneading, stretching, folding — they yield only dough, full of possibility and potential but also contingency, an initial condition incompletely specified. more…

New England's fall color is a great reason to get outside for Autumn walks.

Quick quiz: how much of America's wealth is owned by the richest 20% of our population? Answer: 84%. And the poorest 40% own just 0.3%. If you're surprised, you're not alone—most Americans think our wealth is distributed much more evenly than it is, found a recent study reported in Businessweek. The study also found unanimous agreement among all demographics that the ideal wealth distribution would be far more equitable. So now that we agree, how do we get there?

Once again comes Halloween, the silliest of all holidays—and a whole lotta fun, especially on Livingston Street. This year we kicked it off with the Awesome Authors Walk at the girls' school. The next day we carved not one but three pumpkins. And for the big event, want to guess the girls' costumes? O yes, princesses. Both princesses. (But who can complain?) more…

Just in time for the midterm elections, here are two fact-filled (and Pulitzer-winning) journalistic projects that we quite admire. PolitiFact is furiously checking the truthfulness of political campaign claims, while ProPublica does in-depth public-interest investigations speaking truth to power. Let's read up!

Don't you wish you could turn three every year? Such simple things can make a three-year-old so giddy! Anyway, we wish a belated happy birthday to Miss Martha.

Congratulations to Jessie, who learned how to ride her bike! Aho yeah.

After four visits, the Whites are starting to feel like home. The huge vistas, the endless rocks, the sore toes at the end of every day have become familiar, appropriate, ordered. This time I was pleased to have some company, and Jonathan and I found an awfully pleasant route among the three northernmost Presidentials. more…

Spent the second week of our vacation with Doug's folks in Alabama and at Callaway Gardens. Callaway hovers somewhere between an old-fashioned country resort and a nature preserve, which gives an interesting mix. Went hog wild taking close-ups of the very photogenic residents of the Cecile B. Day Butterfly Center (though I wish I knew proper names of any of the critters). Went twice to shows put on by the raptor center, getting up close and personal with an owl and a vulture. Also saw the FSU circus and took time to admire Mr. Cason's excellent vegetable garden (since we're into that nowadays). more…

Spent a week at Neely's folks' place at Litchfield Beach, which becomes more and more fondly familiar as the years go by. This year's highlight was a saltwater fishing trip on the Fore Gone led by the fearless Capt. Jimbo with Capt. Jerry and their crew. We saw a pod of dolphins, more flying fish than I could count or photograph, and many miles of choppy ocean. We also caught some fish. Thanks to the captains for taking us! more…

What if the federal government could shut off all internet connections for any reason, at any time? That's what Congress is considering as part of the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act. While cyber security is a real issue, so is freedom of speech—just ask the people of Iran. The Act goes too far in allowing massive censorship. (Instead of shutting everything down, how about we just disconnect power grids from the internet?) We urge you to contact your representatives and senators to let them know.

Toddler birthday parties: a kiddie pool, water balloons, cake, and plenty of photos. What more could you need? Thanks to Luke and Erin for the invite! more…

Another great thing about this town: the annual Festival of Art & Ideas. Last year the headliner was They Might Be Giants. This year we saw a Roxy Fox puppet show and a mime followed by the soul-fortified Blind Boys of Alabama. Where else can you throw the munchkins in the bike trailer, pedal downtown, picnic with friends, and dance in the grass to a great band like this, for free? Not too shabby. more…

With a free weekend coming up and one New England backpacking trip under my belt, I cast around for a new place to see: the Adirondacks, the Catskills, the Green Mountains, the Connecticut AT. But fate stepped in, and I couldn't find many guidebooks, and the ones I found only had day hikes anyway. The Whites were calling me back. more…

Every year Neely's vegetable garden gets a little bigger and a little more elaborate than the last—this year it's taken a quantum leap. We've got raised beds, the square foot method, trellises, and Mel's Mix. With good weather and a little luck, we'll also have gobs of fresh produce as the summer goes on. (Anybody know a better way to think globally and act locally than growing your own vegetables? I don't!) You can see here what we've done so far, and we'll add more photos as the harvest comes in. more…

1. Plenty of eggs to be dyed and hunted. 2. What, we're all dressed up? Quick, somebody take a photo! 3. We spent a long Easter afternoon at the house of Uncle Ted and Aunt Katie, eating like royalty and soaking up sunshine but managing to take no snapshots of our gracious hosts or of their relatives (who you might have seen before). But thanks for having us! At least we got some fun shots of the kids in the backyard. more…

Spent a pleasant, sunny Saturday morning with Leila, Nora, Leslie, and Jonathan at the West Rock Nature Center. Two thumbs up on that place as a kid-friendly destination! They've got a small menagerie of critters, some of whom come out of their cages under supervision of the friendly staff, and some of whom can be found in the dirt and grass where all children ought to love to play. more…

Gave a talk at this year's March Meeting in Portland, Oregon. A fine city indeed, not exactly overflowing with blockbuster tourist attractions, but offering great coffee and fine food on every corner, ordered along streets full of bikes and scarce with cars. Free train rides downtown. Must be a great place to live. Here are a few images from my wanderings. more…

Jessie's 4th birthday did not turn out as planned. Her momma and daddy, staying up late to finish a surprise birthday cake, certainly didn't expect to be up again with a sick kid just three hours later. But after a day's delay, we made our trip down south as planned—great times with family and old friends. Many thanks to Ann and to Tammy and Steve (who all somehow eluded photography on this particular trip) for putting us up so graciously once more! more…

Just for fun, a hodgepodge of our favorite shots from the last year. Some we've posted before, but most are new, just random moments from daily life. Why not? more…

Of central importance to functional democracy is transparency of government—so we the people can keep track of what our elected officials are up to. (Just ask Google and China.) The US federal government makes lots of information available if you know where to look, and two good starting points are the US Budget Page and USAspending.gov. Meanwhile our hats are off to independent organizations promoting transparency, especially the Sunlight Foundation.

Ya gotta love seeing some friends and family at Christmas, and here are shots from three separate get-togethers. First there was a day in New York with Laura and her family. Then we had Haynes, Melanie, and Will in town for nearly a week of fun (but didn't manage to take any family photos, whoops). Finally we were off to Greenville to see Nana, Bobo, and the crew. Thanks to all for inviting us and/or coming to visit! more…

Causes and effects might be the only signs we meager humans are given that time passes at all. Buddhists point to causality as the ultimate source of existence, imposing eternal change without beginning or end, shunyata. Scientists tell a story not so different, bootstrapping always from cause to effect to cause, meticulously constructing the edifice. As Christmas comes again, past causes and future effects remind us that another of the best years of our lives has passed—time being precious. more…

Ah, Halloween—a dumb holiday until you have kids, and then all the magic of ridiculousness returns! Three stories here: 1. Carving pumpkins, woohoo! 2. The fickle nature of toddlers and their costumes. 3. How to consume ulcer-inducing amounts of candy before your parents even notice. Fun. more…

1. Congratulations to Laura and Imtiaz! They were good enough to invite us to the grand celebration of their nuptials—not one but two weddings, and a brunch to boot. So we'll share a few of our more memorable snapshots. more…

Our generation's greatest challenge is finding a way to live sustainably, beginning with understanding what that means. We have already sent props to the IPCC for their studies, but they are not alone. The journal Nature is spurring discussion with a characteristically well-written set of articles. At RealClimate you can see scientists banging out the details, and at Consumer Consequences you can get a straightforward estimate of how sustainable your own lifestyle might be. Particularly great: Yale Environment 360, with insightful articles and impressively well-informed discussions. Go read up!

Toddler birthday parties are simple: lotsa kids, a few toys, and cake—everybody has a blast. That pretty much sums up how we celebrated Miss Martha turning two, and it was a fine time with good friends, a few old and a bunch new. more…

Emerson wrote, “Get the soul out of bed, out of her deep habitual sleep, out into God's universe, to a perception of its beauty, and hearing of its call, and your vulgar man, your prosy, selfish sensualist awakes, a god, and is conscious of force to shake the world.” more…

Summertime has got to be the easiest season for life with toddlers, especially a summer so pleasant as New Haven has offered. (Isn't July supposed to be oppressively hot? This is new for us!) We like to go out in the neighborhood, get some exercise in the park, maybe go for a swim, and definitely get plenty to eat. But watch out for the wildlife! more…

With a little more room in our new digs, and with toddler travel being what it is, these days visiting us is the best of all ways to get together. Happily we've had a steady stream of houseguests, by car and plane and even bicycle. Here's a narrative in three acts: the beach with Nana & Bobo, at home with Tom & Ann, and out to a concert with Josh. more…

Not that I (of all people) am trying to sell short the high ideals and sacred rites of academia, but can a one-hour (or two-hour or three-hour) commencement ceremony really encapsulate the years of blood, sweat, and tears that go into earning a degree? Certainly not! more…

A fine thing it is to be reminded, every time you walk out your front door, how much you like your neighborhood. Close to everything, East Rock is chock full of toddlers, friendly neighbors, and whimsical architecture—with East Rock proper towering above it all. Here's a penny tour of some of those architectural bits, with a big view at the end. more…

Firm in the notion that democracy must be done by the people, we're big fans of governmental watchdog groups. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has an established history of ferreting out corruption, including their recent action regarding the alleged quid-pro-quo involving Rep. Jane Harman, AIPAC, and Alberto Gonzales. See for yourself.

So here we are in Connecticut! The weather turned snowy and cold right away—but that's only temporary. Meanwhile our neighborhood is great, our place is twice as big as the last one, and we're pleased as punch to be settling in. Here are a few early snapshots and a brief tour. (Gotta admit: we left off the bedrooms, which are still in an upheaval after a month.) Big thanks go to both sets of grandparents, who kept the girls while we packed and moved. more…

Saying goodbye to Maryland was a long process for us, largely because we've found so many great friends there. Here are a few moments along the way. Special thanks go to Jennifer and Steve, who showed everybody a fine time at Brandon's birthday party; and to Bob and Mary Lou, who hosted a going-away shindig in their usual great form. more…

Snip snip, chop chop, buzz buzz—another drastic haircut! Neely had been growing her hair out for a few years now, since that last big haircut, and decided enough was enough. Doug wanted to be in on the fun, too, so he did some trimming of his own this time. See below for time lapse photography! more…

Really we should call this album “Christmases 2008,” because there were three this year. We spent Christmas day at our place with our very own little tree and a chance to share the holiday with our friends at St. A's. Then we made the trek for some holiday fun with the Ellefsons, and we also got to spend a few days for Christmas #3 with the Kelleys (and company). It was great to see everybody. (Though we sure did get sick a lot.) Here are some highlights. more…

Maybe hindsight is 20/20 and foresight is hard to come by, and the two together span all of past history and all of future eternity. But one neglected moment remains: the point-wise discontinuity we call the present, whose content is not yet specified. Reaching the Advent of Christmas again, with 2008 to contemplate and 2009 to anticipate, let us this very moment pause in the hope that between hindsight and foresight we might find insight. more…

I had honestly forgotten how much fun Halloween can be. But with cute costumes, crisp fall weather, and more friends around every corner, Halloween with toddlers is a blast. We went to a neighborhood party on Sunday, then got out for the real trick-or-treating on Friday. Thanks to the Riggses for the pizza and to Abhi for Jessie's beautiful costume! (She won "cutest toddler" at the party, and we weren't even the judges.) more…

Neely's summer of long, hard workouts climaxed in late September in tiny Naylor's Beach, Virginia. She raced in the Naylor's Beach Triathlon, swimming and cycling—doing an aquabike, as they say. She finished without any trouble and is psyched to take on the running leg as well during next year's season. Also: big thanks to Laura and Imtiaz for keeping the girls all weekend! more…

Since we've been crazy busy and neglecting to update the site much, our photo backlog has grown and grown. Here's the first new dispatch: Toddler Time, Zoo Crew, and Naylor's Beach.

Time marches on. It's hard to remember anymore the days when Jessie was easy to keep up with, and nowadays Martha crawls and climbs at high speed—plenty fast enough for toddler-class racing. She even takes a few steps on her own sometimes. So in our house, it's definitely toddler time. Here's a hodgepodge of recent moments in our lives. more…

If this country is great, the apex of its greatness is the United States Constitution. Concise and readable, this single document provides checks and balances, limits on governmental power, and an explicit Bill of Rights, just to name a few. From these few pages came a representative democracy that has stood for centuries. When was the last time you gave it a read?

We took a long weekend for the 4th of July to meet up with Haynes, Melanie, Will, and Jessie in quiet Brevard, NC. We rested, hiked with the girls, biked a tad, and enjoyed the quiet. Bonus: we saw a bit of the Greenville crowd, too. more…

Since we last posted photos, it's been a couple of months—a heckuva long time in the life of an infant. Martha has progressed from wiggling to rolling to sitting, and nowadays is threatening to crawl. She has come to love proper hygiene and the occasional concerto, not to mention hair pulls and the timeless shank. Here's the highlight reel. more…

Senators McCain and Obama have released the tax plans they would implement if elected president, which differ strikingly. The non-partisan Tax Policy Center boils it all down to a no-nonsense analysis of the two plans. Before you vote, do some reading—at least the introduction!

Here we chronicle not one but two road trips, both taking the girls to the family timeshare at Litchfield Beach, first in the spring and then in the summer. Basically you've got babies, beaches, pools, boats, and plenty of time to enjoy it all. more…

Went out to Austin, that fine Texas town, with a great reason to celebrate: Conoly's college graduation, commemorating her completion of nursing school at University of Texas, followed by her being commissioned as an officer in the US Army. Congratulations! While we were there, we also hung out lots with the family and did a little touring in San Antonio. more…

We took a short spring break to meet Haynes and Melanie for a few days at Shenandoah National Park. Thanks for having us! Skyline Drive is an outstanding place to cycle, and not too crowded in late March. Then there's the hiking and the views—we had a fine time. more…

On Easter this year we went out to Bob and Mary Lou's for a characteristically elegant lunch with plenty of friends. Not to mention tasty! Thanks also to Laura and the other co-hosts. more…

Did you know world hunger could be cut in half if just 1% of the US budget were used to fight poverty? The One Campaign, in partnership with a huge number of organizations including the Episcopal Church and nearly every other US denomination, works to fight extreme poverty and AIDS around the globe. Now is a great time to take action.

On the other hand is the ever-lurking toddler ennui—exhibiting itself in sudden outbursts of crying, over-zealous pats to the head of the baby sister, and desperate pleas to “watch pig! watch pig!”—tending to get us Out & About before our heads explode. more…

There are competing forces that must strike a balance in any family with both a toddler and an infant. On the one hand is massive logistical complexityi—exhibiting itself in the form of diapers, wipes, snacks, bottles, jackets, hats, gloves, blankets, burp cloths, baby dolls, and the like—tending always to keep us in the familiar territory that is Home Base. more…

Lo and behold, another year is past, and Daughter #1 has turned 2! Not one but two shindigs got canceled/downsized due to our incessant winter illness—Jessie had an ear infection just in time for her birthday. But a week later we threw a little party anyway, of course with Ella coming along, and fun for all. This year the girls were big enough to know what cake is, and what to (very quickly) do with it. Join the fun! more…

Wonder what the presidential candidates have to say about energy, education, and other science-related questions? Physics Today posts candidates' various positions. While you're reading, check out the Union of Concerned Scientists. They offer no-nonsense information and well-informed advocacy about a myriad of social issues that hinge on science: clean vehicles, missile defense, global warming, political interference in science, and more.

However our nation moves forward through the difficult situation in Iraq, we Americans must humble ourselves in the knowledge that our reasons for going to war were inaccurate at best. Lest we forget, the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity has compiled a detailed database of 935 false statements about Iraq made by top Bush administration officials in the two years following 9/11. We hope that next time war is proposed, the citizens of our nation will question their leaders with greater diligence and skepticism.

Awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the place to go for consensus, hang-your-hat-on-it scientific information about climate change. They gather and summarize worldwide knowledge, publishing only what is so scientifically solid as to be approved unanimously by all member nations (including the US). They continue to conclude that we humans are causing climate change. For charts and details, start with the summary of their 2007 report.

When you wonder whether the statistics your favorite (or least favorite) politician is quoting are actually true, FactCheck.org is a great place to find out. A non-partisan group, they accept no funding from parties, unions, corporations, or anybody else—literally. They just research and debunk the statements of politicians, separating truth from falsehood. Added bonus: our friend Jess, always a voice for voracious veracity, is one of the writers.

Despite being out of commission most of the weekend with a stomach bug, we enjoyed a great celebration of Martha's baptism with family and friends. Big thanks to Martha Wallace, the interim rector of St. Andrew's, who performed the baptism. And what's a baptism without some pink cowboy boots? more…

Been thinking about how to vote in the 2008 presidential election? Getting the media to talk about issues instead of spin and popularity is like pulling teeth. Sidestep the hype with our first recommended resource: VoteSmart.org. They offer full voting records, biographical information, transcripts of speeches, endorsements, alignment with special interest groups, information about campaign funding—everything. Check it out. Real facts are powerful.

We traveled the southern loop through Covington, Greenville, and Montgomery for Christmas this year, visiting with as much family as possible. So here's a few snapshots. Added bonus: a trip to the Greenville zoo. more…

Conversation presents this problem: nowhere in the vast literature of science do there exist consistent rules by which to construct it properly, sharing ourselves without boring each other, showing enthusiasm without dominating, touching deep issues but avoiding the uncomfortable. So then conversation, like Christmas letters and like the short years of life we are given, requires improvisation. What we say, we find along the way. With 2007 coming to a close, we say a bit here about all the things we have said this year. more…

So you start out as a cute, young couple. Then you add the adjective "married" to that phrase, which doesn't necessarily make such a difference. Then a baby comes along, and now you think of yourself as a young couple that has a baby—sometimes you do things with the baby, sometimes you do things without the baby. But when your second child comes along, there's no shade of doubt anymore about what's the most accurate way to think of yourselves: as a family. Here, then, are a few recent moments of our growing family. more…

Spent a Saturday at and around the Baltimore Marathon. Conoly and Becky were in town for the run, and it gave us a fine chance to get everybody together. (And to give Aunt Conoly some much-sought-after face time with her new niece, Martha. We should be taking grip-and-grin photos and asking for campaign contributions!) A lovely afternoon in the city. more…

And so into our family's tiny part of the long and holy line of humanity comes a new person: Martha was born 9:20 pm on 5 October 2007 at Special Beginnings Birth Center, Arnold, MD. She emerged pink and wide-eyed after a long labor but only half an hour of pushing. "You are so wrinkly!" said her mother right away. At 7 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long, Martha is a bit bigger than her sister at birth. Once again a warm tub was key to Neely's laboring—Martha was actually born in the water. more…

We dare not even say her name aloud, because it sends Jessie into convulsive fits of excitement: Ella is definitely her best baby friend! And so here are a few shots dedicated to that little cutie, not to mention our dear grown-up friends who happen to be her parents. We hung out one afternoon over coffee at Mayorga and then got together the next weekend for Frederick's Oktoberfest. Good times for all. more…

Got invited up to Baltimore last weekend for the Charm City Housewarming Brunch to celebrate the new crib of Hannah, Edith, and Cecilia. It also turned out to be a bit of a baby shower for Neely and (by proxy) Number Two. Great food, good coffee, and a delightful little row house—thanks for the invite, y'all! Added bonus: a few more cute photos of Ella and Jessie around the house. more…

We set out early this weekend, a group of seven headed for Le Brevent. But trails closed after recent landslides added an extra 5 km to our climb, and so the group split at Planpraz, some going on to Le Brevent and a very long walk back to Les Houches, us descending on an easier walk through the woods and back to the train in Chamonix. A beautiful day walking either way. more…

Another great Alpine hike: climbed up from a bus stop in Chamonix as a group of eight, with our rough destination being La Jonction, the meeting place of the two great behemoths Glacier des Bossons and Glacier de Taconnez. Knowing we had to be back at the bus stop by 6:25 to make it home for dinner, most of the group turned around about 3:30. Three of us decided to miss dinner if necessary, climbing awhile longer to reach La Jonction. Standing next to a pair of glaciers, staring up at the snowy peaks and down into the crevasses, gives a person a special sense of awe. Dominik, in a superhuman feat, finished the afternoon by descending all the way back to the trailhead (with Kyle and me struggling to keep up) in 1:40. We made bus and collapsed! A fine day's walk. more…

A few of the daily sights of life at Ecole de Physique. more…

First weekend in Les Houches, weather beautiful, and so no doubt could possibly remain that I would go hiking! On Saturday took a killer walk with a big group to Les Rognes, rattling home exhausted and thankful just before dinner. On Sunday took a shorter walk with a buddy to Le Prarion. Vistas abound! Can't wait until next weekend. more…

The goal: peace and quiet in that unexplored (to us) territory known as New England. So we ended up out of cell phone range and (gasp) away from internet for a Fourth-of-July week in Warren, New Hampshire. We played in Baker's River right behind our cabin, hiked in the white mountains, biked, kayaked, read, and relaxed. Fine times. more…

First summer vacation: we've been to Litchfield Beach with the Ellefsons. Had easy times on the beach and at the pool, did some quiet kayaking, found time for a little genealogical research, and took plenty of photos.

Jessie has only four months left to exert herself as the alpha female and only-child princess before competition comes along. But she continues to declare her cuteness loud and clear, with every wiggle and word. So here, esteemed judges, is a sampling of evidence. Enjoy. more…

Neely had graduated and we'd had no vacation since Christmas, so we set aside the usual chores and cut out for a weekend relaxing. Jessie stayed with the grand-rents and we went to play at friendly, mellow Merlefest. Brother Will and his buddy Kenny came up to meet us. The four of us heard a buncha outstanding bluegrass (and also Elvis Costello, oddly), threw frisbee, camped, and soaked up the contentment. Ahhh. more…