Eclipse

April 11, 2024
Ever since I learned that a total solar eclipse would pass through Northern New York and Vermont on April 8, 2024, I felt compelled to go. I had seen a few partial eclipses, but never experienced totality; it seemed like this might be my best (if not only) chance to see one in my lifetime. So I was determined, considering different options to be in an observational position. We decided on an excursion to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which lay at the Northern edge of the path, with a plan to drive South and catch it along the centerline near Plattsburgh.…

Renewal

June 17, 2021
Last night, we had a movie date: dinner and "In The Heights" at the local Nitehawk Cinema. We have watched countless movies at home during the pandemic, but returning to a theater was monumental! Sharing the experience with strangers, laughing and cheering while being served delicious food and beverages, felt like a real return to the community that I love and missed over the past 15 months; I look forward to more concerts and theatre in the near future! I have shifted into summer mode, with reduced work schedule and expanded travel plans. Vaccination rates are high and COVID levels…

Four Months

June 28, 2019
Time felt rapid and compressed for the past four months and I haven't found (made) time to post here, but I am about to embark on a two-week excursion to visit Buckland family in Warwick, then Taylors in Cape Cod and Maine. I have about 150 minutes before I leave without anyone home to distract me, so I figure this is my chance to put something down here before it becomes five months... I don't take a lot of notes on my daily activities so I'm looking over my photos from the past four months to see what happened and…

Then and Now

February 20, 2019
Life was different before kids! I lived for myself and the activities I loved, especially music, skiing, sports, travel and friends. Children can make it harder to find time for hobbies and passions, but they can also make those activities even more enjoyable as you teach and share your joy with a beginner. My career has been a training ground and now it's personal: I'm doing everything I can to instill a love of music in Ivy and Miles. I just really hope they are inspired by melody, harmony and rhythm. Likewise skiing. I absolutely need them to like skiing…

Door to Door

October 21, 2018
From my point of view, we are in a dire political situation in this county that requires an immediate correction. The stakes are incredibly high in this midterm election and races all around the country are converging on election day, November 6, to determine our future vector. Beyond reading Twitter and freaking myself out, I have not personally made any effort to convince anyone else to vote until today. Luckily, Alaina has been fully committed to the cause of encouraging citizens to make good decisions at the ballot box and today she brought me to Mastic Beach, Long Island, to…

Fall From Summer

September 26, 2018
Autumn is undeniably here. The air is cool and my scholastic schedule returns. The shift back to work mode can be a bit bumpy and this year it has been inflamed by an infected corneal laceration sustained by my own fingernail while getting Miles dressed for the Sean and Kate’s wedding in France. But after a few weeks of adjusting to classes and schedules plus eight opthalmologist appointments, I am pain-free and ready to play music with kids! Sometimes it takes a break or an injury to come back and appreciate how wonderful it can be to work and be…

England and Scotland

August 29, 2017
We just returned from an incredible Buckland family trip to the U.K., first visiting G and Grand in Dorset, followed by a two-day overland voyage through London, Glasgow and The Highlands to The Isle of Raasay, a remote island of The Inner Hebrides with ferry access from Isle of Skye. The  beauty escalated throughout the journey with stunning vistas in every direction; endless open fields, lochs and mountains jutting out of the Sea. And at the furthest reaches of pavement on Raasay, we settled into Arnish cottage, supplied electrically by Wind and Sun, and made it our base for exploring…

Winning Winter

March 22, 2017
It has been months since I've been able to sit a write, partially due to a computer failure, and mostly due to a long stretch of work and life business. The high and lowlights from the Chill: • Patriots win Super Bowl LI with impossible comeback. Down 28-3 with 2:00 left in the 3rd quarter, it looked bleak (and that was being optimistic). But some textbook mental toughness and Tom Brady being the greatest ever, they complete the most fantastic comeback in Super Bowl history. Legendary. • I have been dealing with a Lyme disease diagnosis and have been through several rounds of…

Brentrance and Brexit

June 27, 2016
I woke up this morning in my Brooklyn bed for the first time in 10 days. It was 4:00 am when Ivy rolled in, roaring to start her day before the sun rose (acknowledging it from our bedroom window - Look Dada! So beautiful! - when the sky began its awesome daily hue evolution), experiencing the easy side of jet lag and its 5 hour shift from the previous week and a half in England... The impetus of the trip was cousin Piera's wedding, which was an absolutely stunning camping party at a farm in Devon. While we were granted…

Barbara Elise Herter

February 17, 2016
My grandma's health was declining and we knew that her time was nearing its end, so we went to see her in Naples, Florida this weekend. Mom and Dad plus Andrew and Caitlin's families arrived on Thursday and had early-bird dinner with her on Friday, but we got in around 1:30 that night and missed what turned out to be her last meal. She died that night and I never saw her. I loved visiting her in Florida growing up (great candy dish) and she would make the trip up to Boston or Cape Cod in the Summer regularly until…