A Special Edition - Photos Over the Years

Hi All - I've put up a new edition of Photos Over the Years. It's kind of special and, I think, appropriate for the Holiday Season. For Christmas 1984 MA and I rented a villa at the Sea Colony Resort at Bethany Beach, Delaware and invited Ann, Peter and Ben, Dan, Lisa, Misty and Andi and Dan's family and my Father and MA's mother. It was a fun Christmas. Christmas Day culminated in the "Turkey Saga" which was photographed and captioned by Ann. Enjoy.

Theo Rocket Dog Lynch

I thought you all might want to meet the newest member of the Lynch/Teague household. Theo is nine weeks old and Chuck is in love. The cats are not!! Merry Christmas and love to all, Lisa

Who could these young kitchen helpers be. If anyone recognizes them please tell where and when the pictures were taken.

"Guess who's coming to Thanksgiving dinner"

Regina Ford is a columnist (also the wife of John Ford, the goldsmith who makes the pieces of jewelery that I get for MaryAnne from time to time) who writes for our local paper, The Green Valley News & Sun. Her column, last Sunday, led off with the following, which MaryAnne and I found priceless.

"A retiree in Green Valley calls his son in New York and says, 'I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing. Fifty-two years of misery is enough.'
'Pop, what are you talking about?' the son screams.
'We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,' the elderly man says. 'We're sick and tired of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you can call your sister in Chicago and tell her.'
And he hangs up.
Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.
'Like heck they're getting a divorce,' she shouts. 'I'll take care of this.'
She calls Green Valley immediately, and screams at the father, 'You are not etting divorced! Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling mu brother back and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then don't do a thing, Do you hear me?' And she hangs up.
The elderly man hangs up his phone, smiles, and turns to his wife. 'They're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way.' "

Happy Holidays

FisherCatch
Hello to all!

I just love this photo of Mom and Dad leaving their wedding. Dad sent it to me the other day and I couldn't resist posting it.

I think you all know that Ann and I will be hosting Paul and MA's 50th here in NH. Formal invitations are forthcoming, but for those who need to make travel plans, the date is April 21. We have a wonderful, easy airport in Manchester, NH. Boston is an hour away. There are many hotels in Nashua. This is obviously not a surprise, so coordinating accommodations with Paul and MaryAnne would be great. We are so excited at the prospect of having our families and close friends of Mom and Dad come to visit. Look for a card with details around the holiday......

Chuck and I are still working on the barn project. We are hoping to have it done for Christmas as we have a full house.

Thanksgiving is next week. Mike and Misty arrive on Wednesday with Andi. Dan and his family, along with his Dad and a close friend of Maureen's will join us for dinner. Mike will make his family stuffing recipe along with a pumpkin cheesecake. Misty has agreed to try her hand at her first apple pie and take on the task of sausage bread for breakfast. Dan's father always does a great job at the mashed potatoes and gravy. Andi hasn't picked her contribution yet, but I'm looking forward to having her in the kitchen with me....and Chuck is as always....... an easy, gracious and delightful host. We are so looking forward to gathering together and only wish we could have all of our loved ones with us.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday and lot's of love, Lisa

On your left is Frank Logan, Sheriff of Inyo Country, CA and on your right is Leslie Logan, Undersheriff of Inyo County (Father and Son). The photos were taken the early 1920s. So, for my grandkids, ths gets you to your Great Great Grandfather on MaryAnne's side. We're still looking for a picture of Frank Logan and his wife together.

This is a photo of yours truly at age four (1936) with My Dad and his parents (Minnie and Paul Gordon Fisher). So, for Misty, Ben, Andi, Nora and Sophie, you've seen pictures back to your great great grandparents on my side of the family. I'll be working on your great greats on your grandmother MaryAnne's side next.

Another Edition of Photos Over the Years

Hi All - I've just finished posting another edition of "Photos Over the Years." This bunch of photos covers the Spring and Summer of 1984 while we were living aboard Osprey at Port Annapolis Marina. Hope you-all enjoy.

This a composite photo of MA's Dad (Les Logan) when he was very young and MA's birth mother (Ella Logan). Ella passed away when MA was 18 months old. Les married Cecile when MA was three.

More Photos Over the Years

Hi All - I've just posted a revision to the Photos Over the Years series. This marks the beginning of our live-aboard life. We sold the Landon Lane house in Arnold, MD, and moved into a rented town house in Annapolis while we looked for a suitable boat. We bought a C&C Landfall 38. We rented a slip at Port Annapolis Marina and moved aboard in July 1982.

Hello All - MA found this old photo of the Fishers (Dad, myself, sister Mary Margaret and Mom) having brunch at the El Rancho in Sacramento. One and a half year old John was home wth a baby sitter. This was something Mom and Dad did on occasion to gve their kids some couth.

September Evening View of New York

On a balmy evening Jack and I like to have a glass of wine on the roof of our apartment building.

More Photos Over the Years

Hi all - This short edition of Photos over the Years is for Misty, although I think others will enjoy it. Misty, be sure to show it to Mike. Love to All.

More Photos Over the Years

Well - I thought I might get a comment, or two from Lisa and Dan's wedding photos I posted in the edition of photos over the years. Maybe showing pictures of a wedding that was dissolved wasn't such a good idea. So, they are gone. I've updated the series with a bunch of photos that covers the period from late Fall, 1979 to the Winter of 1980-81.

Some More Trip Photos

Hi Again - We have exceptionally heavy monsoon rains this year and the desert flowers are taking advantage of that fact. I haven't updated my "Fisher Trip Photos" album for over a year. So, this morning MA and I drove up Whitehorse Canyon Road toward Madera Canyon and took a few pictures of the wildflowers gleefully enjoying the mid-summer moisture. The presence of these flowers is an unusual sight in August.

Some More Photos Over The Years

Hi All - I've just posted another bunch of photos in my "Photos Over The Years Series." These are some pictures of Lisa and Dan's wedding. Even though Lisa and Dan got divorced, I thought that Misty, Andi, Ben, Nora and Sophie might enjoy them. I know I did.

Italy and Croatia

Ciao!
I returned recently to sticky New York after a month in Europe, which was excellent. I'll start off the recounts of our odyssey from day one. We (Peter, Alessandra, Nora, Tanya, and I) arrived in Genova and were greeted by my friend Chiara and her parents. That first week we hung around Genova, swimming and eating and re-exploring the center. Being with both my old Italian friend and Nora and Tanya was at times difficult, but we all managed all right. After Genova we left for Trieste and stayed with a friend of Alessandra's. Castles and beaches were plentiful, and we saw one of each. After Trieste we embarked to Croatia and travelled down south to Dubrovnik. Croatia is beautiful and at one point we stopped by an outstanding and breathtaking national park with wooden pathways and bridges overlooking clear ponds and waterfalls (one which you could swim in). Dubrovnik was nice to travel through for a day, but then I became very overwhelmed by the tourism. Dubrovnik is built off tourism, but at least they do a good job preserving most of the old city. We were able to walk around it on top of the city walls looking down, and saw a couple of nice museums. We then departed to Lecce where we stayed a week, mostly eating and swimming, with the exceptions of shopping and sightseeing in Lecce. The trip was fun, and I hope everyone is having a good vacation too. Here in NY it's gross and hot, so movie theaters are a bit hit-- they take away a couple hours of the day, amuse at the same time, and provide really good air conditioning. I miss you all,
Sophie

Nora in her prom dress

Looking lovely.

And Still More Photos

Hi all -- Well I've updated the "Photos Over the Years" again. This bunch covers the winter and spring of 1979 with one 1977 photo Misty and Andi ought to find interesting. Enjoy.

Frog

Everything is so green in Vermont

Tractors: the new must-have household appliance!

Playing croquet with Lisa and Chuck and their friend Alan.

More Old Photos

Hi All - - Here's another edition of Photos Over The Years. This bunch covers the rest of 1978. There are some pretty good people pictures in this bunch. Enjoy

Hello to All,

Taking a moment to catch my breath after a busy, busy spring.

The open studio went very well. We think we had over 200 people for the reception. The space handles a large crowd beautifully. The studio looked beautiful and we actually sold art. Andi was so helpful and Misty pitched in while home for a brief visit.

Andi has started a job in Cambridge..long commute through lots of traffic, but she seems to enjoy it. I am sorry to lose her as my right hand....

Mike and Misty were home along with Frazier a couple of weekends ago. It was so good to have everyone under one roof.

I will be traveling over the next three or four weeks but then plan to sit tight in New England....hope to get some beach time. Wishing you all a wonderful summer.....love

And More Photos Over the Years

Hello Again - Another edition of PaulR's Photos Over the Years. This time it's a few of many photos I took during a bareboat charter in the Virgin Islands with the Stevensons and Flahertys in January 1978. I'm sure that the infrastructure has changed down there in the last 28 years but the water and islands are probably pretty much the same. Hope you-all enjoy.

At Last, More Photos over the Years

Hi all--after a long pause, I've updated the PaulR Photos over the Years series. It's mostly the beginning of our romance with sailing in Annapolis with some family shots thrown in. But, I've found a huge box full of family photo prints and negatives. So, I'm going to start scanning that stuff and you all can start seeing the Fisher children as adults and the genesis of the Fisher grandchildren in future editions. Enjoy.

The Graduate

Launching Andi upon the world...

Thinking of you!

I've been meaning to post for awhile now...I have been thinking of all of you and wondering how everyone is as summer approaches? For some reason as soon as spring hits I feel I have to cram everything I've wanted to do all year in the next few months...its crazy. I am going to a lot of weddings this summer, which are actually really fun - especially the destination weddings. Mike and I are going to San Francisco (my first time since I was probably 4!) in June for one and I hope the wedding doesn't get in the way of all my sightseeing. :) Not really, but I'm thrilled to go.

Mom and I took a trip to see Grandma and Grandpa in April. I had not been to their house so it was fun to see Arizona and how pretty Grandmas has decorated everything. Mom and I hiked two of the mornings and I was scared of the mountain lions the entire time on the trails. I'll ever be the chicken in our family! I also had the chance to meet John and Jan which was really wonderful. We had a lovely time. I know I promised pictures but I've been too lazy to figure it out on the blog...if you send email addresses I'll send them that way?

I'd like to plan a visit to New York sometime and catch up with all my cousins and Ann -- it seems as if I might not have a free weekend until late June though. Is it unbearably hot that time of year and am I better off waiting until Sept? I know its probably no worse than summer in DC/NOVA (which is just disgusting) so I'm sure I could handle it. What are everyone's big summer plans?

Love you and would love to hear how everyone is.

New Hampshire Spring

Apple Orchard

Behind Lisa and Chuck's house are acres of apple trees.

Parking Angst

Disclaimer: I live in Brooklyn. Williamsburg, to be precise. I pre-emptively and freely admit that parking is much harder in Manhattan. However, I'm fairly certain that parking is more difficult for me than it is for any of my (limited) readers on FisherCatch.

That said, I don't actually own a car. I mean, why would I? I can walk no further than a mile in any direction (or take a bus or subway) and find pretty much anything I can imagine wanting to buy, eat, see or do. Occasionally I rent a car--either because my job sometimes requires that I commute to New Jersey for several months or because I simply want to run errands. It's a good solution, actually, and the sporadic expense of renting is much, much less expensive than the ongoing expense of ownership. I've been renting a car since last July (reimbursed by my company, thankfully) because I've been assigned to manage several projects for a large pharmaceutical company out in Princeton, New Jersey-- about 60 miles away. I'd complain about the commute but as this is an essay of parking I'll let it go.

Parking is insane. New Yorkers spend an additional ridiculous amount to put the damned car in a lot or a garage (and we don't have lots and garages in Williamsburg) or cope with being on the street. Being on the street means being locked into a ritual directly related to alternate side street cleaning restrictions and mainly consisting of two activities: 1) driving in ever-widening circles around and around the neighborhood in a vain attempt to park on the correct side of the street and ultimately failing, so that 2) I'm doomed to the (usually failed) early morning dash to move the car (in ever widening circles) before receiving a ticket. Of course, this is only a problem on those days I am not driving out to Jersey... and that's twice a week.

Sometimes I manage to park on the right side of the street and then rejoice in knowing I can forget all about the car until that side of the street is due to be cleaned. This is rare and not always without problems. One evening I snagged a "good spot," meaning no early morning car shuffling and did, indeed, rejoice. The next morning I took the subway into my New York office with a clear conscience. Walking back from the subway that afternoon I passed the car and noted that it was completely blocked by a large municipal truck full of gravel, a small steam-roller thingy, several orange traffic cones, a wooden sawhorse-like barrier and a group of extremely angry men gesticulating and swearing at said vehicle. It seemed that the city had decided to fill the rather large pothole I was parked over. It also seemed that the angry men were in the process of calling a tow truck. I walked slowly, trying to hear what the plan was while also trying to look completely disconnected from the situation. "I already called the tow," I heard, "be an hour at least. Let's go get something to eat." I walked on, ducked into the doorway of my building, and watched until they drove off in the truck. Scuttling furtively down the street, I assessed the situation. They'd left the steamroller, the cones and the sawhorse--presumably to pen the car in until the tow truck could arrive. I shoved the sawhorse out of the way, squeezed past the steamroller, and flattened the cones as I left. Frankly, I was more concerned about escape than respecting municipal property. Of course I then found myself driving in ever-widening circles...

A few years ago I thought I'd found a good spot and then realized mine was the minority opinion when the car disappeared completely. Gone. I can't tell you how many websites I had to visit and numbers I had to call to track the thing down. It was a lot worse than driving in ever-widening circles. Every tow yard in New York claimed they didn't have it. Yet when I finally reported it stolen, it took the police about 30 seconds to find that it had been towed. To make a long, painful and convoluted story short, I'll just say that the paperwork containing the order to tow originated from the police but was missing when I visited the station; the tow yard could not release the car until the police authorized it; the police could not authorize release because the paperwork was missing; I was considered a nobody because I did not actually own the car. This went on for days, while I was still paying for the car, until finally I told the rental company I had no intention of paying beyond the moment I'd informed them of the problem. To this day I have no idea whether or not they ever got the damned thing back. I still have the keys on my desk as a reminder.

Update to Lisa Teague Design

Just thought you all might want a glimpse of what Lisa has done with her new house. It's gorgeous! Have a look!

Ann & Lisa Away

Lisa and Ann on the London Eye

We had a terrific time together and it all went much too fast.

Jack and I flew into London on Feb 1st, on the same plane but not, sadly, in the same cabin. I had bought my ticket before I knew Jack would be traveling the same day and had upgraded to fist class. So while I was enjoying a quite decent meal and as much as I wanted to drink, Jack was back with the punters surviving on his one drink and unrecognizable chicken.

We spent Thursday and Friday getting the flat organized and ourselves over the inevitable jet-lag. Then early Saturday morning Jack took off for the French Alps and a skiing holiday with old friends while I watched for Lisa's car to arrive from Heathrow.

Lisa arrived at 8:00 am looking remarkably alert and prefering to take a walk in search of breakfast over hitting the bed. So off we went. Nothing much was open locally and we walked the mile to Tooting Bec, the nearest tube stop, to find nothing much open there either, other than dubious-looking fry-up shops. Lisa was game for further exploration, so we took the tube to Clapham, one of my favorite areas. We found breakfast, browsed the shops, and then continued on into Central London to visit Liberty. After that we tubed it back to Tooting Bec and then hiked to the flat where Lisa had a nap on the couch before dinner and an early night.

The next day we walked up King's Road to Sloane Square in Chelsea, checking out the many fashionable shops and getting waylaid in one because of a remarkable sale. We essentially took over their downstairs dressing rooms and tried on everything. Then we staggered to the tube with our bags and on back to the flat.

Monday was off to Paris on the EuroStar via the Chunnel. Our conductor made announcements in both English and French, but it was quite impossible to discern exactly when he stopped speaking English and started speaking French, so we resigned ourselves to not understanding anything henceforth. We got into Paris in good time and took a cab to our hotel. The room was small, the beds quite short and placed about 4 inches apart, the pillows flat. Always some body-part was hanging off one edge or another. Still, it was cozy.

We spent most of our days walking. Lisa took me to visit Marlene Terini's shop, full of beautifully designed clothing, and run by the fiesty Marlene. We went to Sacre Coeur in Monmartre and then stopped for coffee, where we found ourselves accosted by would-be artists who would not take "no" for an answer. Poor Lisa got the worst of it, I must say. Far from representing her as she actually looked, the "artist" came up with this. My picture, while not resembling me in the slightest, was at least somewhat pretty.

Soon enough it was time to head back to London. We started one day on the London Eye (learn more) and then walked across the river in search of Covent Garden. We found many things, including Picadelly Circus and Buckingham Palace, but managed to misplace Covent Garden altogether. We ended that day with tea at the Ritz... an altogether lovely experience for both of us. The next day was to be a walk through the market at Portobello Road in Notting Hill, but we both decided the crowds were too much almost immediately and walked off to look at design shops in Chelsea.

That evening Jack returned from skiing and our friend Al dropped by. We celebrated a holiday well-done by ordering in an immense amount of Indian food and drinking a moderate (well, some of us) amount of wine. And then it was time to go home. On the very Sunday that the Northeast was crippled by a blizzard. Suffice to say that Lisa's flight was cancelled and she didn't get out for 36 hours, while my flight left on time but was diverted to Newfoundland (to the same airport that sheltered so many planes on 9/11) for four hours while we all waited for Newark to re-open (which it did for international flights only). After nearly 14 hours on that plan I was heartily glad I chosen that particular trip to upgrade.

Lisa, I had such a wonderful time with you. I hope we can do it again soon.

Unconcerned Bobcat in our street.

Neighborhood Fauna

While in the National Capital Area I was trying to show Misty how to get photos in the Blog and couldn't remember. So I decided to try again. Mr. Bobcat above isn't concerned about us when wandering through our neighborhood. The photo was taken by our next door neighbor.

Belated Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve with friends

Wishing you all the best in 2006!

2005 was a busy year for me from July on, as I found myself managing a large project way out in New Jersey. The commute was a killer-- two hours each way-- and as you might imagine, I found very little time do anything but work, eat and sleep. The project is winding down now and I only have to go in a few days a week. Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished and I did a good enough job that I've been assigned a new larger project for the same company in the same location starting January 23. Ah well.

Christmas in Arizona with Mom and Dad was a welcome break, indeed. Jack and the girls and I flew out of cold and rainy NYC to arrive in warm (hot, even!) Pheonix on the 22nd of December. We grabbed our rental car and marveled, as we always do, at the desert during our drive to Green Valley. Mom and Dad had told us it would be warm, but it was very hard to imagine after three unseasonably early snowstorm in New York. The visit was a pure pleasure-- the girls got to swim and sun, Jack and I got to relax, Mom and I cooked up a storm, and all of us played cards in the traditional vicious Fisher fashion.

In keeping with the trend for Christmas in sunny climes, Ben and his lovely girlfriend, Grace, opted for a trip to Guatemala. They return today and I look forward to hearing about the trip and seeing photographs.

Looking ahead for this year, Lisa and I will be taking our first ever vacation together in February-- or at least our first without kids or other family. We'll be dividing our time between London, staying in Jack's flat, and Paris. I'm really looking forward to so much sister/best friend time with Lisa.

I hope all of you have a wonderful year.