Holiday Greetings to Our Family and Friends
Christmas 2011
Welcome one and all to our Christmas 2011 Newsletter on our blog. We hope this newsletter finds you well and happy. It’s been an another year of adventures--some ups, some downs--so do read on to see what's new with us...
OLD MAN WINTER
Unlike our boy Quincy, we're not all that fascinated by snow, ice and cold weather. So what to do to take our mind off the wintry weather? Well, we decided to kick the new year off with a laugh at "First Night of Funny" at the Palace, with comedians John DiCrosta, Ross Bennett, Buddy Fitzpatrick and Sherry Davey. The show was great, especially Ross Bennett, whom we saw again a couple of months later at the comedy works. Too funny!!
Towards the end of the month we once again set off on our annual visit to our friends Marcy and Jeff at their beautiful home overlooking Lake Champlain. We always enjoy spending time with Marcy, Jeff and Mozart and this weekend was no exception. Good food, great conversation and some outdoor fun cross-country skiing and snowshoeing make for a wonderful time. Thanks to Marcy, Jeff and Mozart for their hospitality—always a pleasure!
February proved to be a busy month, beginning with the annual Super Bowl party at friends Andy & Linda’s house. Although the Giants weren't playing, we still had a great time cheering the Packers on to their fourth Super Bowl win with Billy and Lisa, who have to be the biggest Packer fans in history (it's OK, no need to show us your Packer Underoos, guys!!!) We're happy for them, but hoping somehow the Giants get their sorry act together in time for next year.
The very next weekend we got together with the gang for our annual Valentine’s dinner at Hiro’s, followed by the usual question--where do we go from here? This year we decided to try Wolf's 1-11 for a few rounds of pool, darts, air hockey and Gary's favorite, Deal or No Deal. It's all about the conversation and the company, both of which were fabulous!
Under the category 'what were we thinking?' The very next day we gave a dinner party for our family in honor of Quincy's 2nd birthday on Valentine's Day. It's just amazing how time flies; before we got Quincy, we couldn't imagine living with a dog. Now we can't imagine life without him. We are very lucky to have him and blessed to have wonderful family and friends who help us care for him. So once again we say THANK YOU to everyone for all the TLC, from the Q-man!
After the big Valentine's Day weekend, we couldn't stop and rest; instead, we headed up to the Lake George Winter Carnival. Jean heard they were offering sled dog rides and we just had to check it out. We waited a long time in line in the freezing cold for our turn on the sled, but boy, was it worth it!! Check out this ride:
By the time March rolled around, we were just starting to thaw out, so we decided to take in a show at Proctor's . The production of The Lion King was spectacular--almost exactly the same as the original Broadway version we saw many years ago. The costumes and puppetry are amazing (the great Julie Taymor) and the sets were equally detailed and beautiful. Didn't think a road show could match the original but in this case it did! Highly recommend Proctor's; it's as close as you can get to Broadway for a fraction of the price.
March was a busy month for Quincy too. He continued his Therapy Dog visits to Kingsway with our friends from the Schenectady Chapter ofTDI. We are so excited to be able to visit the residents at Kingsway; they are such nice people and always seem so happy to see Quincy and all the great Therapy Dogs in our group. Great bunch of people and dogs, giving their time to 'Paws a While for Love.'
We couldn't let the month go by without a party for the birthday guys, so we all got together for dinner at the Barnsider and the usual mayhem afterwards at the Recovery Room.
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| Hey John, where'd ya get that hat?? |
SPRING IS IN THE AIR!
Before we new it, the weather started getting warmer and spring was upon us. We kicked off the new season with a nice evening out to see Rent at The Egg, with friends Ray and Michelle. We thoroughly enjoyed the production, especially Elise's costumes!
We're very excited and proud to report that Team Quincy was the third highest team fundraiser at the event. This is a cause near and dear to our heats, and many thanks to our family, friends and colleagues for their support. We had a great time and can't wait to get walking again next year, and hopefully beat last year's total. We'll let you know our progress on Facebook and we hope you'll join us.
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| Team Quincy--2011 Bark for Life |
After the Blue Man extravaganza, it was time to get back down to earth and do some entertaining of our own. We hosted Easter dinner for the family, highlighted by Elise's delicious Easter sushi, featuring Peeps and fruit roll-ups. Yum!
With all the goings-on in April, we were happy to take it easy in May, working around the house and getting the yard and pool ready for the summer (can't wait to dive in!).
It wasn't all work and no play for Jean, though, since she went to see Hair with Elise and Michelle at Proctor's. Fantastic show, including an audience participation finale. With Elise leading the way up on stage, we all sang "Let the Sunshine In" with the cast. A trip back in time and quite the rush! Who is that behind those pink Foster Grants?
But the biggest news this past spring came on Mother's Day, when Chris and Elise announced their engagement!! We could not possibly be happier and look forward to their wedding two years from now. Love you guys!!
June brought more activities for Quincy, starting with the Paws in the Park walk to benefit the Mohawk & Hudon River Humane Society.
It was a chilly, rainy day but we still had a good time meeting our friends from the Schenectady Chapter of Therapy Dogs International to support a good cause.
Once the weather got a little nicer, we were ready to get going with agility. Last year, we started Quincy on agility lessons and we visited a couple of trials to observe and learn. In June, we attended a Canine Performance Events (CPE) trial sponsored by our friend and teacher Trisha Stall out in Stephentown. Jean learned how to time the events and Gary got to practice running with our friend Bob's Australian Shepherd, Maurice (a.k.a. "Mo"). This was a huge thrill for Gary, as Mo is an agility champ, so Gary got to feel what it would be like to run a well trained dog. Lots of excitement--and Mo got a qualifying score (a.k.a. a "Q") and first place!
Gary running Mo at the CPE Trial
Although we were pretty busy with agility, we did take some time out for fun at the annual Bark in the Park with the Tri-City Valley Cats.
Held at the Joe in East Greenbush, this is a great night for baseball fans and their dogs to enjoy a game and meet new friends. Gary even got his picture taken with Quincy for a baseball card!
Tired out from all his activites, Quincy needed a rest, so Gary and Jean decided to attend the annual Tuesday Night Mixed league bowling banquet aboard the Captain JP. Always a great party, this year once again featured The Refrigerators and lots of dining, drinking and dancing. Good times!
SWEET SUMMERTIME
Ah, summer--our favorite time of year! July went by in a blur, starting off with a bang and a celebration for our friend Lee Ann's birthday on the 4th. We spent the day at camp with Lee Ann, the boys and friends on beautiful Sacandaga Lake, with a boat ride and birthday cake. Even Quincy had a great time swimming in the lake. Couldn't ask for a nicer day!
A few days after the Sacandaga party, we set out on our annual vacation to Cape May, N.J. with friends Andy, Linda and Christina.
This year we stayed in a new condo called Broadway Beach, just down the street from our usual digs at Regent Beach. The complex was small, with just two floors, and completely remodeled. Our unit had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and was quite spacious for our needs. Here's the view from our room overlooking the pool:
We always have a wonderful time in Cape May and this year was no exception. You never know what you'll find in this amazing little town and much to our surprise, one morning Gary found himself behind the wheel of a very expensive ride. We were biking along Beach Avenue and happened to stop in front of the Beach House hotel, where we saw a Maserati convertible parked out front (yeah, we're car fanatics, we admit it!). As we were standing there admiring the car, the owner came out. Of course, Gary struck up a conversation and the next thing we knew, the owner threw him the keys and they hopped in for a spin, with Gary driving. Ya gotta see it to believe it:
Gary test drives a Maserati
As exciting as this was, it couldn't top the real stars of Cape May, the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. We saw these beautiful animals in the surf right in front of us one morning, enjoying the crashing waves. We love Cape May for many reasons, but this has to be the best of all!!
So another wonderful vacation in Cape May came to a close with our traditional last night dinner at 410 Bank St.
As we always say, can't wait to go back next year!!!!!
No sooner had we unpacked from Cape May when Jean took another road trip with Lee Ann to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit, Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The exhibit featured breathtakingly beautiful clothes spanning the designers entire career, from graduate school to his last collection.
Formidable in their detail and conceptualization, the dresses and accessories really captured McQueen's creativity and genius. Amazing and well worth the trip.
Our summer rolled on into August with a party to celebrate Chris and Elise's engagement. Everyone had a good time at Moscatiello's in East Greenbush.
Yummy food and great conversation made the evening a memorable one!
We couldn't let the summer go by without our annual BBQ and pool party. Fortunately the weather held out and we were able to get together on the 13th. Missed Brian and Deb, but at least we sent photos (yes, that is a Margarita glass on my head...):
A couple of weeks after the BBQ, like everyone else in the Capital District, we sat anxiously awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Irene. Unfortunately, we were not spared her wrath.
After drenching rains and high winds all day, the power finally went out around 5:00. Our sump pump, which had been working fine, stopped and the manual backup pump could not keep up with the 10" of rain we got. We ended up with about 3" of water in the basement, thanks to quick action by Gary, his brother Dennis and Lorraine's brother Dave, who loaned us a generator (needless to say we went out and bought our own ASAP).
The little bit of water we had was nothing compared to what some folks got (our immediate next door neighbors had 18" of water in their basement), not to mention those in Prattsville and elsewhere who lost everything. If you've ever had water damage in your home, you know how devastating it can be.
We were very lucky our insurance covered the damage and have since completed repairs to the basement. No more engineered wood flooring--replaced with porelain tile, but we like the new look and hopefully, it will be more water resistant should we ever have a problem again.
AUTUMN IN NEW YORK
We weren't sure where the time went, but before we knew it, Labor Day rolled around and we headed up to the annual BBQ / end of summer party at Sacandaga with Lee Ann and family. This year’s party featured the usual food, fun and games for young and old alike. The ring of fire around the lake at night heralds the end of another summer and though we’re sorry to see it go, we’re glad to be able to share this annual event with our friends.
After the Labor Day festivities, we headed back to reality and got back into the swing of things with another season of bowling. Jean took the summer off again, nursing tendonitis in her right elbow, but suffered yet another injury in week 3, when she aggravated bursitis in her right shoulder. Off to the doc for cortisone and 3 months of PT. She hopes to get back in December, for the second half. Gary's doing great, averaging 225 once a week at Del. No 300's yet this year, but we're hoping he gets another one to add to the two he already has.
As September drew to a close, we were busy gearing up for a fun-filled month of October, starting off with a memorable performance of Cirque du Soleil Quidam at the TU Center. Cirque is always special and this show was no exception. Dazzling sets, amazing acrobatics and clever costumes were the highlight of this show about a young girl's imaginary trip. Definitely not in Kansas anymore!
OUR 20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
This year marked our 20th wedding anniversary and we decided to celebrate both home and away. On October 13th, we returned to the Century House, where we had our wedding reception, and had a nice dinner. The waiter even sang to us!
Then two days later we headed down to New York City for the weekend. We got in to see the hilarious musical Bookof Mormon at the Eugene O'Neill Theater and had a delicious dinner with Andy, Linda and Christina at La Masseria right around the corner in the theater district. Who's that with Jean and where's Gary???
After dinner we hopped the train back to Croton-on-Hudson and drove over to the Van Cortlandt Manor to see the Great Jack 'O Lantern Blaze. This event features thousands of carved pumpkins on the grounds of the historic Manor. Similar in concept (but smaller in scope) to the Jack 'O Lantern Spooktacular in Rhode Island, we think you'll agree that the pumpkins were amazing and scary.
We closed out our weekend the next day with golf for the guys and a little shopping at the Woodbury outlets for Linda, Christina and Jean. All in all we had an excellent anniversary weekend!
QUINCY'S FIRST AGILITY TRIAL
After more than a year of training, we were ready to enter our boy in his first ever agility trial.
Trials are real competitions that feature various events, including standard agility (where obstacles on course are run in numbered sequence) and different games (Full House, Colors, Tunnel Jacks, etc.). Each trial is held under the auspices of a different agility organization (there are many--CPE, USDAA, DOCNA, AKC, etc.).
For his first event, Quincy was entered in the Teacup Dog Agility Association (TDAA)
trial over the weekend of 10/28. TDAA sponsors events for dogs that measure less than 17" high at the shoulder (Quincy is 15"). It was hosted by our trainer Trisha Stall (AgileDogs) and held at Sugar BushFarm in Stephentown.
The trial was held indoors, so we were pretty much unaware of the rapidly falling snow that weekend! No matter, we were happy to be there competing and thrilled when Quincy won his first ever qualifying score, in a game called Full House. Here's a video of his winning run. Looks easy; takes a long time to train! This was a huge accomplishment for Gary and Quincy and we want to thank all our wonderful trainers that helped us get this far!
Quincy's qualifying run, TDAA / Full House
Because of the snow, and preparing for the trial, our Halloween celebrations were somewhat limited. Quincy got into the spirit, dressing as Batman (with Gary as Robin and me as Bat Girl) for the trial. That sewing machine Gary got last year sure came in handy!
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| No, we haven't been drinking; we just love Halloween! |
Back at home, we had a happy Halloween night, with over 200 kids coming to Trick or Treat! Elise and mom came over to help us hand out the goodies. We watched Rocky Horror Picture Show and dreamed about our costumes for next year at the Palace showing. Can't wait!
Next thing we knew, it was another happy birthday for Jean on the 18th. Celebrating with family and friends is the best!!!
This year, we celebrated a very happy Thanksgiving at our house, with all the trimmings.
The food was great, but the thing we are most thankful for is the fact that Gary's brother Dennis recovered nicely from open heart surgery on the 14th. Dennis continues to regain his strength and we hope he's 100% ASAP!
November drew to a close with a trip to see new age musical group Mannheim Steamroller at the Palace with Lee Ann and the boys. The videos were a bit dated, but the Christmas music was wonderful. Helped get us into the Christmas spirit for sure!
December started off with a bang as we celebrated Linda's 50th birthday with a fabulous dinner at Fabio's Italian restaurant in Latham, followed by a night out with The Refrigerators at the Roadhouse. Party on!!!!
Jean took a break from shopping and decorating to visit New York on the 10th and see the incredible exhibit of Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry at Christie's. It's easy to understand why diamonds are a girl's best friend...
Well, that brings us up to Christmas time. It’s amazing how fast this year has flown! We hope your year has been everything you’d hope for and next year, even more. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what you’ve been up to by dropping us a line on Email (gguyon@nycap.rr.com), giving us a call (518-861-5768) or better yet, friend us on Facebook!
Although we may not see you or hear from you as often as we’d like, you're always in our thoughts and in our hearts.
We wish you peace and joy this holiday season and always.
Jean, Gary & Quincy
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