Monthly Archives: February 2022

Easter 2014

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This week, we’re going nearly eight years into the past to bring you a set of previously un-published photos from Easter 2014. As old as these images are—and bearing in mind that William was barely six months old at the time—their personalities shine through to an impressive degree. In particular, William’s expression of sheer joy at the experience of playing with empty plastic Easter eggs is a favorite of mine.

In more timely news, Joe and Julia are both preparing for the next school year, even though this one is only halfway complete. Joe has signed up for no fewer than five AP classes in his junior year, while Julia is still waiting to hear back from some of the colleges she applied to. She remains very happy that she was accepted by Santa Clara University, as the idea of staying close to home—and Felix—is strongly appealing to her, but it’s always nice to have choices.

For his part, William is very excited to have a very small speaking role in his school’s production of Peter Pan Jr.. He had actually planned to try out for a bigger part, but he somehow didn’t hear when the second graders were called in to audition. He was upset at the time—tears were shed—but he’s happy to have a role in the play.

Baseball season has started up again, and William was glad to learn that he’s on the same team as a bunch of kids he knows from school. It will be hard to top the experience he had last spring, but he’s having a great time so far. My only gripe is that we had a practice at 9:00 this morning, the first day of a long weekend. William didn’t have any trouble getting up for it, but I certainly did. I may have taken a nap when we got home.

Gallery: Easter 2014

Late 2021 Odds and Ends

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As we were going through photos for the fall post, I realized that we’d missed a few gems from the November/December timeframe. Because my personal quirks make it impossible for me to tolerate leaving a gap like that unfilled, we’ve put together a collection of odds and ends covering the second half of November and the first half of December.

As it turns out, quite a bit happened during that time. In November, Julie and Julia flew down to Los Angeles to visit colleges (and do a bit of sightseeing while they were there), including Scripps and Occidental, and William finally got his second dose of the COVID vaccine.

In December, Julia played the role of Lloyd in the UPA production of Noises Off. As it turns out, she didn’t get a role in the spring play, so this was her high school drama swan song. I’m told that opening night was a little bit bumpy—apparently there was quite a bit of improvisation—but by the time I saw it Saturday morning, things had settled down quite a bit, and it was a delight to see her on stage.

The next week, Joe performed in the winter band concert. Because of the pandemic, the performance was held outdoors in the early evening. As you can see from the photos, this made for a somewhat chilly experience for the audience, particularly as the evening wore on. Of course, Joe, flaunting his teenage metabolism, sat on stage in short sleeves, seemingly unaffected. He’s happy and proud that he’s been getting a chance to play the first chair parts of during these shows; it’s a testament to the hard work he’s put in during practice and his weekly lessons.

Finally, Joe passed the written driver’s test and picked up his learner’s permit. He is strongly motivated by his goal of being the first among his group of friends to get a license. Unfortunately, actual driving lessons have been on hold, first because of the holidays and later because of the Omicron surge, which saw case rates jump more than tenfold here in the Bay Area. He’s eager to get started again once things settle down. Our numbers seem to be falling just as quickly as they rose last month, so we’re looking forward to returning to a more relaxed posture in a week or two.

Gallery: Late 2021 Odds and Ends