Holiday Greetings from the Hellquists

We wish you Merry Christmas and send our best wishes for a wonderful New Year. We decided to send our greetings on our blog. Betty taught Marion how to create a blog while in Australia in February.

We still follow UNH hockey and travel to Durham, NH for home games. Our friends, Dick and Katy, provide us with a "B & B" so we don't have to drive home late at night. They are also avid hockey fans. We enjoy these weekend visits very much.

In February we went to Australia to stay with Betty and Surrey for three weeks. Surrey had been diagnosed with cancer two months earlier. He and Barre had unfinished work on their water-lily research, and spent much time writing the paper which named five new species. We enjoyed our time with their family and grandchildren, and the wonderful summer weather.

In early April we drove to Alexandria, VA to attend the NCAA Frozen Four hockey finals. We were pleased to stay with Barre's friend, Bruce and his wife Theresa for a few days. Bruce was able to join us for the hockey games and we also had time to visit some of the sights in Washington, DC. We stopped, on the way home, at Gettybrug, PA to tour the new Museum and Battlefield.

In June, Sasha and Elena, from Borok, near Yaroslavl, Russia came to visit for three weeks. Both are botanists working for the Russian Academy of Sciences. Sasha has been corresponding with Barre concerning pondweeds for four years. Barre drove them to many locations in New England and New York where plants of interest were collected. On the 4th of July we enjoyed a family picnic in NH with cousins and friends, followed by fireworks in the evening. The day before they flew home, we drove them to the top of Mt. Washington enjoying a sunny day, with a 70 mile view from the summit.

Elena, Sasha, and Marion at base of Mt. Washington


The last week of August we traveled west to the Universtiy of Michigan Biological Station where Eric had been teaching a botany course during the summer. We stayed for the weekend and then headed south to Texas to visit with Paul and family in September. Noel is now in kindergarten and we enjoyed our Grandparents day visit to her school. We went to the zoo, aquarium and an evening baseball game, all in Dallas, over the Labor Day weekend. We also got to watch Noel at her hockey lesson. Soon after arriving back home, cousins from Indiana were with us for a brief stay. We all enjoyed a drive to the top of Mt. Greylock, which is almost in our backyard, and a fantastic view of the autumn foliage.




Noel at hockey practice

In October we headed south to Barre's hometown of Summit, NJ where he renewed friendships with his high school classmates at their 50th reunion. The events were well organized and it was enjoyed by all. Barre and friends were able to tour the elementary school they attended, visiting all the rooms and reminiscing about their school days and teachers, sharing much laughter.



Davis VanWinkle, Bruce Craig, Barre, and Harry Snyder at front door of Franklin School

In late November, our dear friend, Surrey died peacefully. Betty's blog kept everyone in touch with him and the family throughout the year. We will miss Surrey, and have many wonderful memories. He and Barre have traveled, conducting fieldwork, throughout tropical Australia since 1997. We have now added Skype to our means of contact with Betty, and look forward to having her visit us in the future.

We keep busy around home and Barre continues to plant evergreen seedlings in the yard. He may have as many as 100 different trees! He still raises Australian tropical water-lilies in the greenhouse. Marion continues her quilting hobby, and is learning to crochet, thanks to friends who have helped her get started. She also regularly visits a new friend who returned two years ago to live near relatives in her home town of Cheshire. Bernice (Bennie) just happens to be the oldest citizen of Massachusetts at 110 years! She is as "sharp as a tack".

Whenever Eric can't have his dog 'Moose' at his summer work location we take care of him. Moose has been with us during three recent summers. Eric follows college hockey in his area of Oswego, NY. Paul and Michelle have lived in Texas for two years. Paul enjoys his job as computer game designer, and plays defense and goalie in a men's hockey league. Michelle has now become a parent volunteer at Noel's school, and takes care of a neighbor's two young children two days a week. She also sews quilts for the Linus project.

Best wishes to all. We are thinking of you.

Love, Marion and Barre

Noel at the rink, and at home

Noel has been learning to skate since she was three years old. She has lived in Texas for two years, and there are many ice rinks in the area. A new one was built and opened in McKinney almost in her "back yard" Since last Spring Noel has been taking hockey lessons, and is enjoying learning the skating skills needed to play. Though she has her stick with her, the lessons have not started to focus on moving the puck. She is wearing the shirt representing the University of New Hampshire, where she attended many games with her parents before moving.

This picture was taken about a month ago when Noel lost her first tooth! She is five and a half years old now.

Clearing the snow

After the snow fell overnight into Wednesday the 9th, Barre measured the snow depth before beginning to clear the driveway, and paths to the greenhouse, and back door of the garage. In metric we had 19.3 cm (8 inches) of snow.

The first snow of the season

This past weekend we were visiting friends in Durham, NH. The first snow storm of the season arrived on Saturday, and by Sunday morning there was a beautiful winter scene of snow covered trees, and yards. The sun was shining brightly as we left for home, and the white landscape was a lovely sight to behold. As we drove west, getting nearer Adams, we noticed the snowfall was decreasing, but the views of the mountains in Vermont were beautiful. Barre did not have to use the snowblower in the driveway because the snow had melted the approximate 2 inches. Durham had 6-7 inches.

Noel pictures, taken on our September visit

Noel and Grammy at the Dallas, Texas zoo on a very hot day, September 7. She loves her visits to the zoo. The family has a membership and makes frequent visits. Noel was a good guide, and she knew which animals resided in each major area. Her favorites are the giraffes and the elephants, although it seemed to us she liked all of the animals. She is sitting on a statute of a large tortoise.




Noel started taking hockey lessons in May. She had been learning to skate before she moved to Texas. She took skating lessons in Texas, and then in May was ready to begin lessons that would teach skating techniques for hockey. She is enjoying the lessons, and is the only girl in her class of five and six year olds.





Noel has a complete hockey uniform provided by the professional team, the Dallas Stars, who are encouraging children and adults to learn to skate. There are many skating rinks in the Dallas area, and a new one has just opened in McKinney, Texas where she lives. The lessons at her level do not include use of the stick, but are teaching the kids all the skills of skating backwards, forward, cross overs, balance, etc. Skating is year round in Texas, whereas the local rink in North Adams only operates in the winter. In the hot summers, it is no wonder so many people are enjoying skating in Texas!

Preparing for winter...leaves, pine needles and lady bugs

These last few weeks, Barre has been diligently working outdoors to have the lawn, trees, and greenhouse ready for winter weather. He patiently waited for most of the leaves to fall, and mowed the lawn and leaves, then after a week or so, mowed the last leaves that had fallen. He does not rake leaves, but the wind blows the pieces into the gardens for mulch. Previous to this job, he had cut back all the day lilies and irises for the winter. The longest and most tedious job, is adding an extra layer of heavy plastic to lower the ceiling of the greenhouse, and add more protection to the sides so more heat will remain inside. He also had to replace one of the panels at the end of the season. Now the greenhouse has been "put to sleep"

This year he wrapped only a few young evergreen trees that he had just planted. He mulched others with pine needles, and declared it is time to test their survival after a few winters living "out of their zone". We are at zone 5, and he has a redwood tree (zone 7), and a sequoia (zone 6), as well as hardy banana trees which produce no edible fruit. Our large evergreens in the backyard have produced all the needles needed to protect the other trees.
The last project Barre attempted was to collect lady bugs to live in the green house for the winter. After the first frost, the lady bugs swarmed on the house for a few days, and he collected at least 500 of them. However, within a few days, he no longer saw them in the greenhouse. Now he wonders where they went, because they seem to be invisible!

What is a supercentenarian?

A supersentenarian is the term used to describe a person who is 110 years old or older. I learned this definition from one who can claim this title.



I have a friend who is now a supersentenarian, since she recently celebrated her 110th birthday on July 24. Her name is Bennie Madigan, and I met her when she moved to Cheshire, MA two years ago. She returned to her hometown to be with family, after living in Maryland and working for many years in Washington, DC for the government, starting when she was 18 years old. Her grand niece's family are friends, and I was lucky to meet "Aunt" Bennie, soon after she arrived in Cheshire.



The family helped celebrate her birthday, by having an open house under a tent in the yard at her home. The afternoon of music, a cookout, and many, many visitors from the Cheshire area, as well as many neighbors from her home area in Maryland, made her day very special. She is quite a lady, with lots of interests including reading books and newspapers, playing the piano, and doing puzzles. She has a marvelous memory of history, and is a very interesting person to talk with. Though she does have care givers to help her with daily needs, and meals, she is as "sharp as a tack" and has a great sense of humor and lots of stories to tell. I enjoy my frequent visits with her. She is a real live history book!

Botanizing in the rain

Barre, Sasha and Elena spent about 10 days traveling in Maine and New Hampshire, after a week of travel in MA, CT, and NY on their search for pondweeds (Sasha), and algae and aquatic mosses (Elena). Most of the days they worked in rain, with occasional breaks in the clouds and maybe a little sunshine. It did not stop them from collecting specimens, which will be sent to them at the Institute of Science where they work in Borok, Russia. They collected over 400 specimens.

Barre enjoyed being their chauffeur and guide, giving them local history information as well as botany talk about the plants they hoped to collect. Some locations were overflowing from the rain, and plants could not be collected. They visited at least 40 different locations in New England and New York.

Sasha and Elena were with us for the 4th of July, so they were able to see fireworks, and join a family cookout at our cousin's home at Lake Ossipee. We enjoyed their visit very much. The days passed very quickly.

Visit to Mt. Washington, NH

Sasha and Elena at the top of Mt. Washington, with a view of 70 miles of scenery. This is the first day of sunshine in a week, and a wonderful finish to their three weeks with us. We enjoyed a leisurely visit on the summit and a stop at the alpine gardens on the way up. Barre drove us up the Auto Road. Mt. Washington is 6288 feet, the tallest mountain in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains.

The picture of Sasha, Elena and Marion was taken at the entrance to the Auto Road to the top of Mt. Washington. The weather was wonderful, one of the best summer days we've had. There was no wind at the top of the mountain, so we were quite comfortable walking around, going to the two small museums and the store for a look at postcards and sourvenirs.

Pardon the photo layout. I have a lot to learn!

Busy days

Sasha and Elena have been with us almost two weeks. The days fly by quickly, since they tend to be gone on long day trips to do collecting. They have filled at least five presses, but the plants in them are drying very slowly because of the lack of sun. Both of them however, are happy with the specimens they have been collecting. Barre is enjoying revisiting the collection sites, and even collects a few specimens for himself.

All of us, including Moose and I, went on a Father's Day trip to Seneca, NY to collect plants at Cayuga Lake. Barre and I had been there many years ago, and he was able to find the location of the plants Sasha was interested in, because he had the journal notes. It was one of our few sunny days in the last two weeks. Moose and I occupied our time walking, while the botanists were collecting. Our second stop was nearby on a much smaller pond, and Moose and I had time to look around and discovered that many snapping turtle nests had been destroyed in the area where we were parked. (The same fate happened to the turtle's nest on our lawn not so long ago.)

We have had time in the last few days to take Sasha and Elena shopping, to show them what Walmart, and a large supermarket are like. Also, we had time for them to do some clothing shopping, and see what our small mall is like. The prices for clothing and food are cheaper in our stores, than in Russia. It has been fun to show them around, and answer their questions, read labels, learn correct pronounciation of Russian words, etc.

Visitors from Russia

Our friends, Sasha and Elaina arrived safely on Monday evening in Boston. Barre was there to greet them and the plane arrived on schedule! It was a long day for the travelers, and they were very tired from the long trip begining at their home north of Moscow, with a stop over in Germany. Russia is 8 hours ahead of our time, and they arrived in Adams at 11pm, which meant it was early Tuesday morning at home. (Reminds us of a long day on the way to Australia.)

Barre has had a schedule prepared so that both Sasha and Elaina could visit sites which would provide both pondweeds, and mosses, which are their botanical specialties. After a quiet day on Tuesday, and discussion of the plans, with study of maps and locations with Barre, they have spent the rest of the week with long days of botanizing. Even yesterday's heavy rains during the day, did not deter them. The evening meal is served at fashionably late hours, on most days. Today the trip takes them to various sites in Connecticut, and tomorrow will be a trip to the Hudson River in NY.

Sunburnt Country

The pattern for this quilt is called Sunburnt Country. It is nine crazy quilt blocks 17 and 1/2 inchs made with nine fabrics (fat quarters). The fat quarters are cut all at once in one pile, so that each block then has the different shapes of each fabric. I got this idea from a shop in Cairns that I visited on our last day before we left for home on our last trip with students from Mass. College of Liberal Arts, a few years ago. All of the fabric in this quilt was purchased on various trips to AU, and I waited to find a pattern that would show details in the variety of fabrics. The fabrics include flowers, trees, birds, kangaroos, koalas, and snakes. The backing is fabric of aboriginal design (no picture available)
My quilt label is called: Sunburnt Country, Memories of Australia

Noel learning to play hockey

Noel had been taking hockey lessons since April. She is enjoying it very much, and learning a lot. She will continue taking lessons through the most of the summer. She is the only girl in the class of ten 5-6 year olds. It doesn't faze her at all. (She also likes ballet and tap dancing!)

Noel has watched college hockey at UNH since she was a baby, and also watched her father play in a men's hockey league when they lived in MA. When she learned before moving to Texas that girls play hockey, too, she expressed the interest in learning. There is a rink her home, the Dallas Stars provided the hockey uniforms for the kids, and she is having a good time. Notice that her pink skate guards, and pink tape on her hockey stick give away the fact that she is a girl!

Moose is on Vacation

On the last weekend of May, Eric and his friend Cathy, came to visit for the weekend. Moose and Nickie, their dogs also came. Their visit was brief because each of them had to get back to work for Monday. Cathy teaches science to 8th graders, and Eric had to pack his gear so that he could travel to Michigan where is he will be teaching at the Biological Station for the summer.
We had good weather which meant we could spend time outdoors with the dogs, and enjoy the yard and gardens in bloom. Cathy got a tour of Barre's greenhouse, and the tropical water lilies as well as his other tropical potted plants.

Moose now gets to be on vacation with us for the summer. It is his third summer with us, and so he is familiar with home and adapts very quickly to the fact that Eric is not here to give the commands. He follows Marion around the house, and keeps track of her location when she is home. Barre is "ok" if Marion is not home, and he responds to commands from either one when we are together, too. Eric has trained him well. Moose enjoys exploring the yard, following us around, (always sniffing), and retrieving a ball we throw using a lacrosse stick. We can throw the ball farther, and Moose enjoys the run to get it and brings it back to us. We also take him for walks on the Rail Trail in Adams and Cheshire, where there are trees for shade, swamps, and even a lake to view, depending on the part of the trail we choose to walk on a particular day. He has already encountered five painted turtles, which he sniffed, on the edges of the trail near the lake!

Moose will be with us until late August, when Eric returns.

Noel's Birthday

On Tuesday, May 12, Noel was in Texas celebrating her fifth birthday. Since we could not be there with her for the occasion, we arranged a time with Paul and Michelle to call them and talk on the computer and see them through our webcams. Each time we see her, she seems to have gotten taller. She had recently had her hair cut shorter (at her request) and she looked older than a preschool student. She will be in kindergarten in August.

The fun part of our visit with Noel, besides chatting with her, was to watch her open the box with the gifts we had sent her. We sent a variety of items, individually wrapped, including pencils and a teeshirt from Austrailia, 5 US Dollar coins (5th birthday), and outfit for her "baby" Felicity. She already had received her sandels from us, by going shopping with her Mom to purchase them and make sure they fit. Betty sent us home with an Aussie shirt for her, a little paper basket for small items, and a small travel pouch from one of her airplane flights. Noel was please with everything, and is planning to take the travel pouch on her plane trip to see Nana and Papa next week in South Carolina.

Our most recent pictures of Noel were sent by computer on Mother's Day. They were all taken at the ice rink where Noel takes her hockey lessons, so she was in full uniform! (I have not become savvy on putting pictures on the blog...sorry...)

Eric's birthday

We were able to spend the 19th of April, Sunday, with Eric, to celebrate his birthday two days in advance. We had not seen him since Christmas, and he now is renting (and caretaking) the house of a former professor at OSU. We not only wanted to visit with Eric, but see the home he is now in charge of. The Webbers have moved to Colorado, to spend two years, and decide if they want to make it a permanent retirement location, before selling their home.

Eric was lucky to meet them, and they asked him to be their tenant and caretaker, after getting to know him. Moose and Eric are both enjoying the space, both inside and outside--a yard with flowers, shrubs, trees, and woods not far beyond.

We also met Eric's friend, Cathy, and her dog, Nicky, who reminds us of a dingo--same color and size--and a very calm dog. (the dogs get along) We enjoyed our visit getting to know Cathy and catching up with Eric's news and projects, and having a dinner at a good Italian restaurant in Oswego. At home afterwards, we had a birthday cake (home made) to complete the celebration. Time flew by, and we were on our way home--a short visit, but both Eric and Cathy had to teach on Monday, he at OSU, and she at a middle school near Syracuse.

Washington D. C. trip

We spent April 8-12 on a brief trip to Washington, D.C. The trip was planned long in advance because the occasion was the NCAA College Hockey National tournament. We drove down on a beautiful sunny day, and were fortunate to stay in Alexandria, VA, with Barre's high school friend, Bruce, and his wife, Theresa.

The hockey games were on Thursday and Saturday evening, so it enabled us to enjoy D.C. touring during the day. Bruce was able to join us, having taken personal days from work. He is an avid historian, so it was interesting to learn some local history from him, too. We visited the National History Museum, and the American Indian Museums on Thursday. Walking the mall in warm weather, and seeing all the flowers in bloom, and trees with their buds, made us a bit envious for warmer weather at home. Crowds of people were enjoying the city, too. Many, many tour buses were in the area.

On Friday we spent the morning touring the Alexandria area near Bruce's home (which is very near Mount Vernon). We learned about George Mason and his part in history (having written the Bill of Rights for Virginia), and toured Gunston, his home. At one time his plantation on the Potamac covered 5500 acres. Now it is 550 acres preserved for posterity. The historic fact regarding George Mason, is that our Bill of Rights bears a strong resemblance to the statements written and approved for Virginia.

In the afternoon, we drove into the city and visited the Washington National Cathedral. We spent quite a bit of time in the building, starting in the gallery on the 6th floor. What a view of the city! There is so much beauty to admire in the cathedral, so many enscriptions to read, it requires more than one visit to absorb all of the beauty and years it took to build the cathedral.
We walked the grounds and admired the exterior as well.

We enjoyed our hockey games, and had a bird's eye view of the goalie and lots of action in front of us, since we were just three rows behind the rink. The teams who made it to the finals (not UNH) had very avid fans (like all college hockey teams do) and we enjoyed the music, their signs, and cheers.

I persuaded Barre to take a different route home and we stopped in Gettysburg on Sunday, for a tour of the battleground, the new visitors center, and lunch. We spent about three hours there, not nearly enough time, but better than none. We made sure we found the monument for the 20th Maine, led by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, which was so instrumental in the north winning the battle. We have just watched the movie Gettysburg again!

Maple Festival in Vermont

My friend, Liz and I went to Whitingham, VT on March 28, to attend the annual Maple Festival. (Whitingham is known as the birthplace of Brigham Young and we visited one of the memorials on our way to one of the sugar houses). It was a warm, Spring day (about 60 degrees), and a great day to be outdoors, enjoying the scenery and visiting five sugar makers. There are 18 sugar makers in the town, and 8 of them were having an open house for the festival. We began our tour at the elementary school, enjoying a lunch, and then the crafts fair with many interesting booths of hand made projects.

The smell of fresh syrup was a welcome greeting at each sugar house. Some families tap only a few hundred trees, and others many, many more. Most of them use a pipeline system to collect the sap. Each family offered treats such as a taste of fresh maple syrup, ice cream, a maple syrup shake, and crackers and Cabot cheeses. All were delicious. We were amazed at the amount of wood needed to provide the heat, and one question we forgot to ask, was about the amount of cord wood they must have ready for the season. We did ask a lot of other questions, however, and details of the process were explained so we could understand. One farm continues to use horses to collect the sap. Their sugar house is deep in the woods--a nice walk through a large pasture, and into the snowy woods. The Percheron horses were patiently standing near the sugar house, when we arrived late in the afternoon. Learning about this process and the hard work to prepare for the season, dependance on the weather, etc. made me appreciate maple syrup even more. The odor in each sugar house made me want to eat pancakes with warm maple syrup at each stop we made.

Waiting for Spring, etc.

March has been an "up and down" month, with lots of cold weather, some snow, very little rain, hints of Spring, and some days of mild temperatures. The snow melted slowly over the weeks, and now the lawns are visible, and need raking. One clump of daffodils near the house, protected under a shrub, has grown to show the beginning of buds. The ice on the pond has recently melted and the Red Wing blackbirds came back on March 7, when it was still bitter cold, and the pond was still frozen. Lately the robins have shown up and have been hopping around the grass, in large numbers. The redwing blackbirds can be heard singing from the tree tops. We have stopped feeding the birds because the bears are probably out of hibernation, and we don't want to attract them with food.

Barre has been checking on his seedling evergreen trees, to see how they survived the winter. Most of them did, thanks to a long period of good snow cover. The water lilies in the greenhouse are beginning to grow again and are under his daily watch. He is also busy with writing projects. I have filled my time with quilt guild meetings, and some sewing for our guild charity, as well as a quilt top. The days pass quickly, it seems, and I also have been on three "road trips" with friends (who quilt)-- our destination quilt shops, a quilt show, and always lunch afterwards.

We finished the UNH home hockey season on a downer--with our team losing the last two games to BC. Thus we could not win the championship of Hockey East. They have proceeded to the NCAA playoffs, and tomorrow will play a very strong team from Grand Forks, ND. We are going to watch that game on TV, and hope they win without us present at the rink in NH. We hope they survive the first round of competition.

Our latest news from Texas is learning that Noel has just started taking hockey lessons in a class of 5 year olds. She is the only girl in the group and had her first lesson this past week. All the equipment was provided by the pro hockey team, The Dallas Stars, and some players were at the rink to help the beginners learn how to put on all the equipment. There are about 10 children in the class. It will be interesting to learn about her progress. It would be fun to see her at the rink.

The calendar says "spring" and we are beginning to believe it. We got spoiled with three weeks of summer in Australia!

Home to the hills

All of our plane connections were on time, and we arrived in Albany at 11:30pm Friday. Harold was there to greet us and hand me the jacket I had left in his car three weeks previously. I needed it. It was cold, after summer in Sydney. It also, seemed strange to see snow on the ground.

Neither of us got much sleep on the trip home, but when we hit the sack a little after one o'clock, it was lights out until mid-morning. We managed to get a move on, and after lunch we left for New Hampshire and the last home UNH hockey game of the season! It was a nice sunny day for a drive, and we could admire the snow, and mountains on the way to Durham. UNH won the game and we happily went to the Fralicks home for an overnight and wonderful breakfast in the morning. When we left them late in the morning we expected to have some snow greet us on the way home, but such was not the case. Mike kept the snowfall records for Barre while we were away, and he will no doubt have more days of snow to record in the month of March.

Friday the 27th

Today we leave Betty and Surrey, and fly through so many time zones. We leave Sydney at 3:15pm on the 27th, and arrive in Albany at 11:30pm on the 27th. We had the suitcases packed and ready in the morning, and left for the airport, Betty our driver, around noon.

Betty surprised me by taking me to visit a fabric shop nearby in Loftus, a place I had visited with her on another visit. It was fun to see such a variety of fabric, notions, patterns, etc. for knitting, croching, and other hobbies besides quilting. We admired all the available and colorful fabrics, but left only with a few "souvenir" fat quarters, which Betty later gave to me for my "birthday".

We were so glad that we had a vacation with Betty and Surrey, (in summer) and were just " at home" enjoying the days with them, and the rest of the family. No hustle or bustle as a tourist. It was a very relaxing time for chat, laughter, sewing, TV programs, ( including cricket), the water lily project, and just being together as friends. They are very special people in our lives.

Thursday notes

Early in the morning we again joined Betty and Surrey for a morning at the Botanic Garden with Surrey. This morning, Thursday, we arrived just in time to see the Queen Mary 2 being docked in the harbor across the street from the Botanic Garden. We luckily had our camera with us and walked closer to the harbor for some pictures. There were many people on deck waiting for the opportunity to leave the ship for a day in Sydney. We could see them taking pictures of the harbor, and the Garden. This ship was so large it could not dock at Circular Quay, as the Queen Victoria had. It made the size of the military ships look like small toys. We were told there were over 3000 passengers and employees on the ship.

After we arrived home and finished lunch Betty and I took the three finished Rainbow Connection quilts and went to the post office to mail them to Victoria. They will be given to the Red Cross who will pass them on to victims of the bush fires. 2500 homes were destroyed, and many people left homeless. When the 4th quilt is finished (soon), it will also be sent to the Red Cross.

Betty and I spent the rest of the afternoon upstairs gabbing, while Betty was sewing her next project--a lovely quilt for her friend's baby. Each block has a picture that relates to a children's nursery rhyme, which Betty photographed on special paper. Lots of colorful fabric pieces added to each block make this a very interesting quilt.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

The days are dwindling down to our departure for home. This morning I decided it was time to finish my contribution to the latest Rainbow Connection project. I spent the morning "stitching in the ditch" on the borders of the 12 quilt blocks. Betty will do likewise on the star that is central to each block. The binding is the last job for completion, but I will be leaving before that is ready to be hemmed. After finishing with the quilt, I sewed four small blocks using Betty's fabric scraps. They will be made into a 12 inch square, which I am taking home for a souvenir of Betty's variety of fabrics. I will be sending her four blocks of the same size made of my scrap fabrics, and eventually, a quilt will be made with a variety of blocks from other quilters in the group.

Later in the afternoon, Ellen and her family visited. The boys started playing with various toys, went out to feed the chooks with Rod, and occupied themselves, with a little help from the adults. Before Betty arrived home from work, we had decided to have the family stay for "take out" supper. We chose Thai food, and had a good time tasting a variety of dishes, and enjoying more time with everyone.

Tuesday with the boys

Betty and I headed out early in the morning to go take care of the boys. After they finished breakfast, it was time to build the train track so Thomas and his friends could ride the rails with Alex and Luke's help. Today we had the best track built during our three visits! Betty helped Alex extend the track so there were many options for travel without meeting on the same track. Once the track was finished the four of us were on the floor taking our trips around the track, and over and under bridges. I am still learning that Thomas has many friends, and I cannot remember all the names.

We always take a morning walk to the green grocer and the boys enjoy the walk--Alex on his tricycle and Luke in his stroller. On the way home we take the walk through the park for the ride on the swing. The boys play outside on the deck, and enjoy their trampoline in the back yard. It has a tall safety net with a zippered entrance so there is no danger of the boys falling off the side. (I wonder if this type is made in the US. I have only seen larger ones with no protective net in the yards in our area.)

While the boys napped later in the day, Betty and I watched the Alex Anderson quilt programs saved on TV for her viewing. After naps the boys were back to their activities, keeping us busy untill Rod got home from work. Besides returning to outdoor play, we played with playdough, creating a variety of things, and helping the boys, pry the dough out of the "cookie cutters". Our "boy day" goes by quickly.

Bits of news

Sunday was visiting day. Our friends, Gail and Pat (now of Brisbane), formerly of Glebe where Barre lived when on sabbitcal in 1997, were in the Sydney and they had time in the morning to have a short visit over a cuppa. Thanks to previous emails, they knew we would be in Sydney while we were here.

Later we went to visit Surrey's sister just north of the city, and had a picnic lunch with the family, including his two sister's, their families, Geoff and Ellen and Rod and the boys. There were four young children present which added to the activity, and pleasure of the visit. We did a lot of people watching, also, as the small harbor boats were going up and down the Parrametta River, which is really part of the harbor at this point. One can commute to work on the river in these boats, not just be a sightseer.

Monday is "relax" day, as Surrey had to make his visit to the hospital. Actually, three of us can relax, but Betty had to go to work at UTS after bringing Surrey home. She has a lecture to give late this afternoon, to all the freshmen students beginning their first semester at the "uni"in the engineering major. Barre has almost finished reading the Bill Bryson book, and I am still working on the quilt for charity, making good progress.

I am in charge of "supper hour" for us, as Betty will be giving her lecture around 5pm !

Summer day

Today is sunny and breezy, birds are singing (frogs sing at night in the back yard) and it makes us realize that we will not be enjoying weather like this once we return home--at least not right away. We have also checked the local papers to find out there was a 3-6 inch snow storm in the Berkshires.

Each of us is doing our "own thing" today. Barre and Surrey have been discussing their project, and Surrey has been resting as well. Barre has also been reading a book by Bill Bryson, the Mother Tongue, English and How it Got that Way. I have been doing some hand sewing of labels on finished quilts (to be sent to the bush fire victims in Victoria), and "stitching in the ditch" on the most recent quilt finished by the group, but needing the final "finish". Betty has been on the computer for a lot of her time today, working at home on all the details of her course work, which must be ready for the start of the new academic year at UTS. She is co-ordinator for course work of approximately 400 students each semester.

We are enjoying each day here.

Sunny Day in Sydney

Thursday morning we hitched a ride with Betty and Surrey to the Botanic Garden, and spent some time there while Surrey was working. In mid-morning Barre and I left to go for a long walk in the city. It was a very warm day, approx. 83 degrees, and seemed even warmer on the pavement of the streets in the city.

We decided to visit a few particular stores, and walk a huge circle that would bring us back to the train station later in the afternoon. We walked passed the Domain (a very large park) and on through Hyde Park to the business district. We visited a map store (Barre needed some topo maps of AU) and went on to the Queen Victoria Building, which has all types of stores from clothing and jewelry to small coffee shops, with delicious pastries. It is a beautiful antique building, too, with Queen Victoria's statue just outside the main entrance. Our favorite store to visit is the ABC shop (Australian Broadcasting Co), where we often have found music CD's that we could not buy in the US--especially music from Australia and England.

We left the QVB building, and walked on to Darling Harbor, an area with shopping, restaurants, IMAX theater, a maritime muesum, and other interesting places. A Cruise ship was docked nearby in the main harbor, but we could not identify its name. By this time, we were feeling the heat, and thinking about lunch. We browzed the stores first, looking at the displays, particularly tee shirts for kids (Noel's birthday in May). Our treat for the day with our lunch of fresh fruit and a delicious mango/passionfruit smoothy--something we cannot buy at home. mmm good!

Retracing our steps for a short distance, we headed on to Circular Quay. We cannot visit Sydney without visiting this harbor. We took our time on the walk and as we arrived at the quay, the first thing we spotted was the Queen Victoria docked not far from where all the ferries arrive. It is massive, and so tall that it could not dock elsewhere in the harbor, because it can not pass under the bridge. We spent a lot of time looking at it as we walked along the quay, so that we could get a full view of it. Lots of people were there to admire and photograph it.

Eventually, we walked on to catch our train back to Carlton, completing our circle, and had a relaxing ride home to Carlton. We walked back to Betty and Surrey's, with a bit of a breeze blowing, wondering how far we had walked in a day.

Tuesday with "the boys"

Betty and I went early in the am. to babysit Alex and Luke. The boys were eating their breakfast when we arrive. When they finish eating, it was time to play, and the basket of train track and Thomas toys were emptied on the carpet. Alex, who is 3 and 1/2 years spends time diligently putting the track together, while Luke plays with three of the cars, and keeps himself quite occupied pushing them in and out of one of the buildings that goes with the train set. They concentrate on their play, and I enjoyed watching them "work".

When Alex had the track built, we began our "trips" on the track, each of us with different engines and cars, watching out for each other at the crossings. Eventually, we added more track so we would have more interesting trips. We had our make believe trips, rescued the cars after accidents, sometimes with a helicopter (Harold) and Luke enjoyed participating, too.

Later in the morning we went for a walk to the shops in town, but first went to the train station, climbed the walk way above the tracks, and waited patiently for a commuter train to pass.
The boys know a lot about trains because their Dad is an avid train enthusiast. We didn't have long to wait, when the first train passed by. The driver waved to the boys as he went under the walk way. The boys were thrilled, and we decided to wait a bit longer. In a brief space of time, six trains passed and we waved to all of the them. Three of them responded with whistles acknowledging our waves. This was not just fun for the boys-- I thought it was fun, too!

Before going home, we stopped at the small park in town, and the boys enjoyed rides on the swings. Our day passed quickly, since there is never a dull moment when children are around.

Barre was gone for the day with a friend of Surrey's looking for pondweeds. He had a busy day, and was successful on his search. Surrey had the day for much needed rest.

Rainbow Connection Quilters

On Saturday and Sunday six of us gathered at Betty's home to continue sewings quilt projects that were in progress, and start sewing blocks for another quilt. This group was formed in 2007 when we got together on a very stormy weekend to sew with some of Betty's friends while Barre and Surrey were off in the bush looking for water lilies. Other members were unable to attend this month, but continue to be part of the group, and attend when they can. Everyone contributes in some way to each project and sharing time together is enjoyable, even if it some can only spend a few hours with the group.

The quilt we made that long ago weekend was given to a children's hospital charity. Since that time the group meets four to five times a year on weekends, and continues to make quilts for charity. Two quilts had been completed from previous meetings and two more will be finished (hopefully, by the time I leave on Feb. 27th). Our other members work during the week, and I am hoping to be able to hem the binding on these quilts as my contribution. (Usually, I only contribute a block, mailed from home.) The group decided that these four quilts should be sent to the victims of the bush fires, through the Red Cross.

Our days were not all work, and no play. We stop for morning and afternoon tea, and lunch, too!
And there is much conversation, sharing of ideas, and laughter. The weekend always goes by too fast!

Betty has just set up a blog for the Rainbow Connection Quilters, so we can share the news. Check it out at http://www.rainbowconnectionquilters.blogspot.com

Marion

Shopping Day

Today has been a rainy day in Sydney, and cooler than other days this week. I received a call from Ellen (Surrey and Betty's daughter) asking if I would like to go shopping with her and the boys. Winter is coming, and she needed to get some clothes for Alex, which will fit him. It seems so strange to think of needing winter clothes, (which we have at home!), but March 1st is the beginning of winter in Australia. (March can have wonderful weather, as we can attest to when we brought students here during that month over recent years.)

The mall that we went to was very crowded with parents doing just what Ellen was--looking for shirts, jeans, and pajamas to fit the children as the weather cools off. This mall is enormous compared to any that I can think of in the state of Ma. Four floors that go on and on, filled with shops I don't recognize, plenty of parking lots, including one on the roof. Also, there are many food courts, and a tremendous offering of different types of food. You can get fresh bread from the bakeries, and a separate fish market is also available.

The morning went quickly. The boys were very well behaved and it was fun to be with them and Ellen. It has been a long time since I got to push a stroller with a little boy in it! We left for home with Alex and Luke holding onto their red balloons, given to them at the visitors desk. They were very happy, and the shopping trip was successful.

Happy Birthday Charles Darwin

Today we four all got up early and went to the Botanic Garden with Surrey. He tackled the messages on his computer, and other business while Betty and I did some errands to the mail room for him, and Betty continued to organize his office, including books, maps, and other items which have continued to fill the office space. Barre, meanwhile, went to review all the specimens of nymphea in the herbarium.

One of Surrey's colleagues, Karen, dropped by to greet us, and told us about a gathering in the Botanic Garden to honor Darwin's 200th birthday later in the morning. Surrey continued with his paper work, while Betty, Barre and I went to the birthday celebration. The garden has created a new space where large letters are spelling his name, and various quotes are engraved on each letter. A year long recognition will continue with different activities relating to Darwin and his work. We met the director of the Botanic garden, who gave a brief speech recognizing the significance of Darwin's work, and all the botanical knowledge that has come forth through the years since.

The fun part of this gathering was a real party! 200 cupcakes were baked, and those who arrived signed up on a sheet of paper containing one of the letters spelling Darwin. After the directors comments, we went to our "letter" , received our cupcake, and proceeded to get into a block which spelled his name. We could not eat our cupcake until our group picture had been taken by two different photographers, who were transported by a cherry picture to an altitude high enough to get all of us in the picture. We all had to raise our cupcakes high (and smile) while the pictures were taken. It took awhile, but everyone enjoyed the camraderie, and there were cheers and a rendition of Happy birthday was also sung . The cupcakes were then quickly devoured--very tasty.

After returning to Surrey's office, Barre finished his work, Surrey and Betty returned home, and Barre and I went to lunch at the cafe in the Botanic Garden, and then walked downtown through the Domain and Hyde Park, enjoying the flowers in bloom, and mild summer weather. We visited one of the bookstores, and then walked to the train station and went home to Carlton.

We have Eric to thank for making us aware of Darwin's shared birthday with Abe, but little did we know that we would get to celebrate it in Australia, while Eric and his colleague also planned a meeting to give recognition to him on the 12th at Oswego State. Happy Birthday Darwin, and Abe Lincoln, 200 years!

Change in the weather, fun with Alex and Luke

Monday and Tuesday has brought us cooler weather and rain. Barre and Surrey are making progress on the water lily project, slowly but surely. Barre is watching cricket games occasionally, and beginning to understand the game. Today has been a rest day for Surrey after his chemo visit to the hospital yesterday.

Early today, Betty and I went to Healthcote, where the grandkids reside and spent the morning babysitting with Alex and Luke. Luke (almost 18 months) knew I was a stanger when he saw me on Friday, but today I became his friend, and we had a lot of fun. He even let me pick him up and give him a kiss! Alex (2 years older than Luke) remembered me from two years ago, and those weekly visits, so we got re-acquainted and had fun playing with Thomas the train, and the train set on wooden track, and other enjoyable activities, like reading a book, and going for a walk to the fruit market nearby.

I am still learning about my blog and trying to keep track of the procedures to follow. Betty has found the glitch that prevented use of the comments, which get checked before adding to the blog. ( Note there are comments on a previous date) and you can be " annonymous" . This is fun, even though I seem to be a slow learner!

Hope your day is sunny and warm in your corner of the world!
Marion

Time zone differences

I have just realized that my posts on the blog represent the day and date in the US. We, in Australia, are 16 hours ahead of the US eastern time zone and 19 hours ahead of California. Thus we heard Satuday's hockey game live on Sunday.

Marion

Sunday in Sydney

We are enjoying a very quite day with no exertion--it is another "hot as Hades" day. The birds are singing, but there are no soothing breezes here on Massey Street. This is a day of light meals, drinking cold drinks, reading the newspaper, Marion and Betty reading books, Barre listening to UNH hockey (live on Saturday night in NH) on the computer (we lost to Maine), and watching a cricket match. In the morning Surrey and Barre spent a good deal of time on the Nymphea project.

We will continue to enjoy our day, realizing we could be in a much colder climate back home!

Marion and Barre

Underhill views, Feb.7, 2009

This is a view of the fenced in area where young trees are protected by fence. The dam is just beyond the new trees. It has recovered some of the water level since the drought of 2007.

Notice the migrant worker (he has a passport) picking the damson plums, which are about the size of a small olive.

Surrey has been the "man in charge", making sure all tasks are accomplished before lunch. While relaxing he is enjoying some delicious seedless watermelon and was also photographing our activities.

Trip to Underhill

Saturday morning after a good night's sleep, and good breakfast we headed south to Bungonia, where the Jacobs have a block of land (a bit of bush), Underhill, where they go to relax on weekends, and bring friends like us to experience the bush. They enjoy growing fruit trees here also. With a variety of animals living in the area, the trees are protected by fencing so they can begin to grow and eventually bear fruit. It was time to check the fruit trees for any remaining harvest.

Surrey, Barre, and Geoff went in the truck in order to pick up chicken feed on the way. Betty and I took the car, with a lunch and plenty of drinks packed in the esky. We made the trip knowing it would be hot, but planned to return after lunch in the early afternoon. We succeeded in harvesting the remainder of the apples (very few), and then picked the damson plums. These will then be used to make a delicious jelly. After a leisurely lunch, we packed up our leftovers, and headed home. Ice cream stops, both going and coming, gave a brief cool relief from the heat.

We're in the land of Oz!

Hi Everyone,

We have arrived safely to the very warm sunshine of Sydney. There was a 50 degree difference between leaving home and arriving here today. We're going to enjoy it, and not think about snow!