Kentfield Way

I was looking through some pictures on my hard drive and came across several very nice ones that brother Evan was thoughtful enough to take. The before dinner picture is very special. It was taken last June 20th. Mom and Dad look well and everyone radiates happiness, not just because there's a pile of ham, mashed potatoes the way they should be made, buttery carrots and salad awaiting, though that couldn't hurt. I believe this was one of the last big dinners that Mom and Dad prepared. The final three pictures capture the serenity and beauty that I associate with the Kentfield Way home.

A Mom Dinner

Living Room

Kitchen Still Life

Mom's Last Quilt

A Vancouver Visit by Bill and Alyssa

Singapore Laska (coconut milk, fish, sea food etc.)
The new car (and scarf) ready to head back to Seattle:
At the Banana Leaf:
Alyssa trying to warm up:
On Friday, Alyssa picked up Bill (from San Juan Island) in her brand new blue Honda and headed to Vancouver for a weekend visit. We had just returned from Tofino 30 minutes earlier, so we took the easy route and walked over to Dunbar Street for some Indian food at Handi's restaurant. After a stroll back home, we chatted into the evening before crashing. For Saturday breakfast, I picked up my favourite poppy seed rolls and some almond croissants from the Patisserie Bordeaux, both of which go well with espresso. Bill and Alyssa then explored Vancouver's Granville Market and Stanley Park most of the day while we poked around at home and did errands. For dinner, I rustled up a pasta dish involving lots of Gorgonzola cheese, smoked B.C. wild salmon, a red bell pepper, green beans and a pile of mushrooms. All this was washed down with a B.C. Shiraz made by Lafrenz. After dinner, a friend took me to hear a men's choir from Sweden and the rest wisely stayed home, read the Sunday NYTimes, Scientific American, and The Economist before stumbling towards bed (before I got home).

Sunday, Bill and Alyssa had a good walk through our neighbourhood while Janice and I listened to a sermon that needed serious editing and a worship service introduction that rambled rather too long. While Janice (Sec/Treasurer) attended a pot luck and church meeting afterwards, Bill and Alyssa took me to the Banana Leaf. Bill had been trying to find a good Laska in Seattle and was pleased to see that this establishment offered two. After several more hours of chatting in the living room, they decided it was time to face the border lineups.

So, it was a terrific weekend. I got a ride in the new car and a chance to hear their plans for the big wedding this June.

Bill's website

We have invited Bill to share his website with people:
http://wjsunderland.com/
It can also be found below, in the list of blogs we are following. This site includes pictures which introduce Bill to the family--well in advance of the big day--and shows his pictures and some by Alyssa taken in their recent trip to Peru. Enjoy!

Banana Leaf with Hans

We skipped church on Sunday and had a tasting menu lunch at The Banana Leaf, a local Malaysian restaurant. We then went to Little Bombay, the section of Vancouver near West 49th and Main which is entirely East Indian. The Seattle folks stocked up on spices and Hans and I kept remarking that there was so much stuff we had no idea how to use.

Vivian & Steve join us for breakfast

Janice showing Steve pictures of her bad apples. Turns out the soil needs lots of calcium (lime).
The coffee pot doesn't spend much time on the table when Steve visits.

Vivian and Steve drove up last evening (Friday), stopping at one of Richmond's Ninkazu Japanese Restaurant, an "all-you-can-eat" sushi establishments where they met Janice (I had a choir concert). True to form, Steve was soon talking to the manager and getting the scoop on things. These pictures are post-shower shots taken as breakfast was winding down. Steve and I raided a local French Patisserie Bordeaux, loading up on croissants, poppy seed sweet rolls, apple thingies and other assorted no-nos. You can see the mint leaves in the glass tea pot. I dry a year's supply of mint annually. Steve needed his morning coffee immediately, so it was Bean Around the World for an Americano with three shots.

Paul Teaches Me How to Bake Bread

From Paul - Click on text to enlarge

Oh, she loves her dad!

At the Inlet

Shooting the eye out of a George Washington quarter with Frank & Lori's laser.

Good With Numbers

Lunch break on the way to Goshen

Photographer

Navigator - Brothers Tour 2007

Paul Richard Kreider - Second Son

Five years after Evan was born, Paul became the second son of J. Robert and Virginia on a March day, the 6th, in 1947. I had a special advantage that none of the other brothers had because I was born just two years later, obviously a mistake as the ensuing births maintained the stately pace of five years after me, Bruce and five after Bruce, Frank. Being only two years apart meant that I got to experience many things with a brother that the others could only have dreamed about. Paul and I often played together passing a football back and forth in the backyard or burning a softball between us just as hard as we could possibly throw it trying not to show the result of the heat except for the occasional “YEOW!” that could not be helped as the glove flew off and the hand was shaken in the air in an attempt to cool it. We and the other kids our age had a neighborhood softball team that occasionally played other teams and as I recall we usually won… Paul was a long hitter. Sometimes we rode bikes together, and now and then went for long treks bolstered by fried egg sandwiches mom made for us.

The main thing for me was that I had someone immediate to look up to, someone to emulate. He figured out all the neat stuff before I even knew it existed, for instance, buying our first cigarette lighters (his was red, mine green) the excuse being that as newspaper boys we needed a means to burn the paper that surrounded the news bundles that we picked up at Kercher’s Market. This was Paul’s rationale; I wasn’t up to those subtle complexities yet. We’d really gotten them because they were so cool. I remember when we first filled them with lighter fluid, a tricky job, and were surprised when our arms went up in flames on that first click.  Guess we’d been a little sloppy. Just to center things a bit, Paul bought a lot of paperbacks at an early age, Dickens, Eliot and I don’t know who all, and he not only let me read them but encouraged me to. That’s how I came to read the Pickwick Papers and more by the fifth grade.

Paul studied violin with Dr. Lon Sherer. I started a year or so later. I always wanted to become as good as Paul and never quite made it but there were several wonderful experiences that derived from our playing strings together. One was a recital where we played Bach’s Concerto in D minor for Two Violins and piano. Paul, being first violin, played all the hard stuff and I got to do the answering bits, not a bad deal. Later on in college after I’d switched to viola, we, with Lon Sherer and John Ens were a string quartet that traveled to different towns during yuletide to be the “orchestra” for the local church or community choir doing Handel’s Messiah. That was the peak of my string experience and I got to do it with my brother.

Later on we both fulfilled our 1-W requirements during the Viet Nam War in New York City at New York University Medical Center, Paul in Inhalation Therapy and myself as a project assistant for the Department of Biochemistry. During this time we did things together and on occasion with Evan and Janice too (Evan at that time was in NYC with the New York Pro Musica. I particularly recall the Symphony in the Park for which a large thermos of screwdrivers had been prepared).

So, you see, it was my luck that we shared a fair amount of early history. Many years later when the two of us were talking about our youth he kind of mentioned that sometimes I had been a tag-along. All I can say is that Paul was so gentle, I never knew it.
Mark

Aaron's Flickr site and blog site

Aaron just let me know that he has pictures posted on his Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99045676@N00/
I added a link at the bottom of this blogging site. You can see his pictures either by theme or by Slideshow.

If anyone else has things on Flickr, do let us know.

Also, he actively blogs (understatement) on his site at:
http://www.campusactivism.org/blog/
which is also linked below.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, everybody!

Evan

Steamed Mussels Bruce

Bruce and Amy both love mussels. I can take them or leave them and would just as soon have some steamed clams until Amy came up with a short list of ingredients for a recipe. Bruce and I guessed at the ratios (and did the work) and voila! I'll never turn down a mussel prepared this way. Amy named this recipe in honor of Bruce's visit.


Steamed Mussels Bruce

2 doz. mussels
1 1/2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup minced shallots
2 medium or 1 large clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup white wine
chopped parsley to garnish

Heat the butter and olive oil in a pot. Saute the shallots and garlic until the shallots are translucent. Add the chicken stock and wine and heat until steaming. Add the mussels, cover with a lid and steam for 12 minutes or until the mussels have opened. Put the opened mussels (toss any that didn't) in a large bowl or into individual saucers, and pour the steaming liquid over the mussels then garnish with the chopped parsley. Yum!

This dish never even made it to the table. Scoop up the liquid with the mussel shells and devour. Have bread ready for any of the remaining liquid.

Wedding in the Northwest!

Thanks to the uncles for extending the invitation to the rest of the family to blog! :) What a neat way to stay in touch ...

Hopefully by now you have all received our (me & Bill's) Save-the-Date card for our wedding next summer at Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat which is near the Bavarian-style town of Leavenworth! Below is a photo of the typical room accommodations. We hope the venue will also "double" as a place where we can reunite with family, catch up and relax together. Some perks of the place: We'll have a big gathering area where we can sit on sofas and chat; wireless internet (so we can stay up on the blog!); a newly re-done "Grotto" where one could purchase wine or spirits after hours; nearby espresso shop; room price includes all of your meals served on-site in a dining hall; 4 miles from a sizable town; comfy, but not fancy rooms with nice linens; good photography opportunities (mountains and river); heated pool and hot tub; SUNSHINE past 10:00pm! It is kind of like an upscale camp -- the buildings are mostly detached, connected by paved trails. Let me know if you have any specific questions. We'll also be sending out a more formal invitation this spring...

Vivian turns (gasp) XXXV

When it comes to parties, the food and company at anything hosted by Steve and Vivian make the trip to Seattle well worth enduring the border and traffic. On August 23rd people gathered to celebrate Vivian's 35th. Steve promised not to kill the fatted calf and settled for a sacrificial lamb. When Alyssa and Bill showed up--as they always do--it felt like 'family'. Figs roasted on sprigs of rosemary were a highlight that warm afternoon in the backyard overlooking the city.

Movin' On Up

Out the Window

Moving Day

This summer I got to help Kara move to her new apartment in Manhattan.  I helped load and unload the truck (but I don't do stairs).  If I remember correctly, it's a five or six story walk-up.  She had help at both ends with good friends.  I couldn't believe the incredible shape they were in.  I don't think they expended any more energy on those stairs with a load than I do just getting out of bed in the morning!  This subject gives me the chance to show one of the best pictures of me ever taken, thanks to Kara!  Like she said, "it's a keeper".  Love ya Kara!

Playschool

Well this is my first time blogging so here goes nothing. I have one funny story from playschool that I would like to share. I would post a picture of me and my kids but I don't really know if that is legal. ANYWAY, yesterday we were at the school sitting on the rug for story time. The kids were on a sugar high from celebrating two birthdays so you can only imagine how well-behaved they were. One kid named Eyezaeah (love the spelling) was crawling all over the rug and kicking so the teacher sent him to "timeout" at a little table. We had some saltine crackers at the table left over from snack and so of course the only logical thing for the kid to do was pick his nose with the crackers! Ew!!! Now I can deal with poop and I can deal with throw up but boogers are another story. I think I vomitted a little in my mouth when I saw him picking with the crackers!
Stay tuned for more stories as the weeks go by.

Our Vancouver living room

Let me introduce you to our living room (I'm obviously retired). In the top picture, from left to right, first there is the very large black leather TV chair--my throne actually. This is where I nap and watch TV for hours on end, particularly weekend evenings . . . well, likely most evenings . . . and the occasional afternoon. The ugly red cord goes from the amplifier to my headphones, allowing me to listen to TV while Janice is reading far more edifying material. You then catch a glimpse of our dining room, particularly the new table cloth Janice picked up in Provence (a yellow that was so typical of that region, with drawings of olives on branches). True to form, I managed to spill wine on it early on. Above the table is my last piece of stained glass work, possibly from the late 1970's. This lamp basically broke my will and I no longer know or care where my glass cutting tools are. Behind the table are the windows that sold us on the house. It had been a dark November in 1975, but we saw the somewhat decrepit house on a sunny afternoon with the sun streaming onto the wooden floor and it was love at first sight (at least it was the first one within our budget). The old Singer sewing machine in the corner was refinished by Janice's Grandpa Enos Aeschliman, who bought it at his cousin's auction, so it is sort of family. However, this particular part of our Vancouver family is presently dysfunctional.

Back to the living room, top picture . . . the little dark magazine rack is from Janice's Aeschliman grandparents, something we both treasure and hardly notice. The small black/brown chair is an 'academic chair', a gift from the Dean's Office to me on my retirement. Judy, the most wonderful secretary in the world who worked with me for seven years, knew I coveted one and she got the Dean's Office to deliver. It is my most comfortable reading chair, period. The next lighter brown chair is an antique rocker we found in upstate New York in about 1973 for $75. It had turned a crazed black, so Janice devoted much of a summer's evenings to painstakingly stripping it with string and tooth brushes (generally mine are in remarkably good shape) and refinished it. It is a delicate chair, comfortable to people of all sizes, including our very heavest friend who proceeded to crack it. Herb (from our church and our neighbour) lovingly took it completely apart, added bracing underneath and reassembled it beautifully. This will hopefully stay in the family. The final light brown chair is one we picked up at a yard sale in Vancouver and Janice refinished and built a new cushion and cover.

I have too many CDs, but may do a blog on them later. On the CD bookcases there are two Boston Acoustic shelf speakers (the woofer is hidden and unplugged, now that I think about it). You also see two large framed prints, etchings made by an acquaintance of ours in Geneseo, NY, from a series on old trees on stately valley estates. You might also notice that we have no pictures hanging anywhere. We used to, of course, but when we got the inside painted (8 years ago?) we took them down, and, well, I've been busy (watching TV etc.) Besides, we'll likely have to paint again someday. Finally, the glass door is neat, but I took it off the doorway at the top of the stairs on the second floor and got it to fit the living room doorway (sort of). It's fun to watch guests close it, not realizing that the bang will be absolutely alarming, complete with what promises to be the shattering many panes of glass. Of course the door has successfully survived some 70 years, including active children, for Aaron was 2 months old when we moved in.



OK, this is way to much info, but . . . the next shot shows the side table on which I pile everything I even vaguely hope to read (while watching TV and sleeping, I suppose). There is always space for a lone cold bottle or a lovely glass holding amber liquid. We found the old lamp being thrown out in our building on W. 113th and Broadway (New York City); I rewired it and we recently had the shade's bones be recovered. The gas fireplace is newish (to us) but is so old it should be replaced by a more trustworthy one. We used to have a badly-cracked tiled wood burning fireplace, but it only made us cold, so I bought a Bear (?) woodburning stove which will outlast the universe. I gave it away when learning that our fire insurance was invalid because I installed it incorrectly (surprise!) and anyway, we were tired of all the chopping, carrying and bugs warming themselves in our livingroom. We had the new mantel installed years ago, and the painting on it is done by Galen, who married Steve who sings beside me in choir. I officiated at their wedding, the one where Steve (an ultimate frisbie player) walked down the aisle (outside), turned, and fired a frisbie back to his fiancee. The hooked rug in front of the fireplace includes fabric from the suit Janice's Grandpa Aeschliman wore at his wedding in 1912 (top that!) I believe his wife made the rug, gave it to Janice's Mother Anna, who gave it to Janice (it was something she could carry on a plane). The candel sticks are admittedly obscenely large, possibly nearly antique, purchased from some rural shop in upstate NY. I suspect they came either from a mansion or a church. Neither is straight, and candels that size aren't free.



OK, if anyone is still reading, a final picture. We start with Janice's love seat. She loves the seat, a two-seater (I'm not allowed to sit on it), and it is hers, hers, hers. Unless Steve comes. Then it is all his, for he absolutely loves it and, marvels untold, the love seat fits both of them perfectly and they both look great in it. It is so neat to see Steve relax with yet more coffee and another newspaper, slowly unwinding from work in Seattle and the drive here. We had the seat made for that spot in the living room, so Janice can sit by the northern window evenings, look out, read, etc. She used to go over all her printed e-mails after supper, and then switch to her library financial spreadsheets, all the while with her feet up. Now she has time to read books for Book Group, the Sunday NY Times, etc. We got the little round table at a consignment shop on Dunbar, the crocheted doily is from Newfoundland, and the 'Tiffany' imitation we picked up at the Seattle Art Museum when they had their Tiffany exhibition. The smaller stained glass lamp in the window is one I made, and I made a similar one for Paul and Kay years ago in thanks for their repeatedly lending us their VW Bug so the four of us could drive to see relatives year after year when we simply couldn't afford to rent a car. You can hardly see the pillows Janice made for the loveseat, but each is a quilt-like (machine sewn). One is a Dresden plate pattern, my favourite because it is the pattern Mom's first quilts used when I was a pre-schooler. Drapped/piled on the stool is the exquisite triangular wool shawl Janice knitted in London, UK in the winter of 1981/2, where she was habitually cold (she stuffed all the window cracks with rags). The brown lap blanket is from our visit to the west coast of Ireland. You see one partially-closed shade, one of our new Duettes which go up and down, and down and up (don't worry about it). Another rocking chair from another Vancouver sale, and we come to the altar, the living room's raison d'etre, the TV. The oak end table was an old machine shop contraption the previous owner left here. Janice refinished it (who else) and I added more shelves for stereo and TV stuff. This brings me to the year's problem: where (and how) to put the inevitable new and much larger HD LCD? I suspect Janice hopes the Second Coming will beat me to the store.

Our Destination

 

Aboard the Beast

This is a shot of Amy and her sister, Becky and niece Lauren aboard "The Beast", a high-speed tourist boat.  It runs down the Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty.  Moments later we were soaked. We had been warned by a pirate's mate that if we didn't want to get wet we should take the Circle Line Cruise with the losers.  It's not wrong to have fun with your history lesson, is it?

Drying seeds

Janice collects and dries seeds. Most come from her garden, but she is also bold enough to see something going to seed, reachable from a public sidewalk, and magically, finds those seeds ending up in one of her pockets. She dries them and then scatters them in her garden, sometimes forgetting what went where, and waits to see what happens. Her helter-skelter approach to gardening is fun to watch.

Janice's patio table in September

This patio is on the lower level of our back yard. Our neighbour Jon built the fence to Janice's design, and our friend Bob prepared and laid the patio flag stones, something like blue river slate from Pennsylvania. Several stones not shown were so large they required ancient technology--rolling logs, to get the stones into the back yard. We try to eat here whenever the weather permits, May through September. This is utterly relaxing, especially if I remember to bring a bit of wine along, and a great place to entertain guests for Sunday noon.

Janice's garlic

Several years ago, my good friend Peter sang the praises of his home-grown garlic. I eagerly accepted his offer of a free bulb or two to get our crop started, and added a few more varieties from an outfit on Vancouver Island which specializes in seeds and bulbs for our west coast climate. I got Janice to create a fresh bed with her compost, and she produced an excellent crop. Since then, we have been harvesting, sharing, and getting others to plant their own garlic. Karl started his crop several years ago from our cloves and has since gotten his neighbours to plant cloves he gives away. The taste is excellent, the cloves run with juice when pressed, and there is none of the questionable chemical treatment from China (which seems to supply most of our garlic in stores).

We always cut off the flowers so the plant energy can go to the bulb, but only recently learned that the flowers are delicious in soups and salads.

Janice asked me to take these pictures for her records. The second was my last, taken from ground level. As soon as I shot, I leaned forward just a bit more for a better angle when, 'pop
went my lower back and the shooting pain commenced. Days later I can finally stand tall again. But it was all for a good cause--garlic, and the eternal hope that I will be allowed to buy yet another camera lens.

Atlantic Ocean Beach

Bruce & Amy

This September Bruce came out to Cutchogue to catch up on things with us and for a little R&R.  We took a trip to the South Fork, did some fishing at the Shinnecock Inlet and watched young surfers struggling to catch a wave.