Three - in - One

Hold on to your hats - here's a super 3 in 1 event posting coming your way.

First stop, Thanksgiving Fostoria style. We celebrated on Saturday at Lois and Dave's and enjoyed a wonderful feast, prepared exclusively by Lois. In fact, she put in such a stupendous effort that she was admitted to the hospital the very next day. There was a happy ending as she is now better than ever (if that is possible!) Dave did make an executive proclamation, however. Lois is NOT to single handedly prepare another Thanksgiving dinner.

At the celebration, David presented the 2010 Z3FL trophy to the winning manager, Carly, who is the skipper of the Tremont Pierogies. Congrats!



The OSU/Michigan game was on the same day. Notice Mike confidently wearing his UM hat. Alas, it was not to be. Buckeyes win (again!)



We also had cupcakes to celebrate three November birthdays - Evan, Jake and Jen. Hayley was very happy to help out her big brother with his cupcake.








And to round out the day, the annual Turkey Bowl took place in the field next to Lois and Dave's villa. We are happy to report there were no injuries and everyone was on good terms at the end of the game.



Next stop, Coral Springs, Florida, where Melanie and Mo hosted an early Christmas gathering. This would be the first time all three grandchildren would be under the same roof - and we made the most of it! Melanie set up a holiday picture shoot at the Buy Buy Baby store she manages in Coral Springs. There is a photo studio in the back, and the photographer worked miracles getting a baby, a toddler, a four year old and a Granddad to all sit still at the same time. Here are Barb's pictures of the photo shoot.

Where's Nathan?




Here's Nathan!





Here are some of the "professional" results!








There was lots of activity, including a very festive holiday dinner where everyone made a special dish. Mo even challenged Carly to an appetizer and dessert cook-off - time limit and everything. Mmmmmm Mmmmm good! A small fire in the oven did not dampen our good time - it was even caught on video...





The following are in no particular order - just giving a flavor of the fun-filled gathering.















Our final event was the Good Family Christmas gathering. This group has been meeting annually for over sixty years. Here's a collection of photos taken at the event that was graciously hosted by Uncle Dave (Dad) and Uncle Lowell (in absentia.) What a crew!

Visit to Long Island and Jackson Heights

We just concluded a wonderful visit to our Long Island family. Please see The Pearce Family blog (link to the right) for an outstanding account of our terrific (and less than terrific) experiences. Lexi did such a great job describing our visit that there is nothing we can add except to express our joy and to share the cooking video below. It features two chefs--"Ruthie" and "Rosarita." (Lookout Food Channel!) If you wish to receive a copy of the recipe, including the secret ingredient, please contact Rosarita.



We also had a great breakfast visit with Nicole and Darrell and viewed their recently painted living room/dining room area. It is absolutely gorgeous, and the art work recently installed is stunning as well. What a lovely home they have in Jackson Heights.

This and That

Before the fall holidays hit, we thought we'd catch up and share a few pictures. The first group were e-mailed to us from mobile phones, and Barb cannot figure out how to make them bigger or clearer. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Anyway, here's our latest: Sami at about 2 1/2 months, Michaela and Nathan previewing their pumpkin cookie jar, Carly and Scout on a roadtrip, and Scout in her Browns' jersey awaiting kick-off.










Jim had a business meeting in Washington in mid-October, but was able to spend an evening with the NY/DC Pearce family. As always, he had a great time playing with Michaela and Nathan.





Here Barb is modeling the "lovely" retirement hat she received from Margaret. We think Margaret looks stunning in it - and if anyone wants to borrow it, just let us know!



And finally, here's the "over fifty" crowd after they completed the Cleveland Rite-Aid 10K (6.2 miles) race this past spring. Not bad for some aging boomers!

From Ontario to Virgina

Barb and Jim spent a delightful September weekend visiting John, Karen, Jacob and Jonah in beautiful Southampton, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Huron. From fine dining, exploring local shops and experiencing the sunsets to discovering wind farms, lovely beaches and mammoth powerplants, they got a great introduction to the Zoll's new stomping grounds. Impressions? Get up there and visit - it's a great area and the "tour guides" are tops - eh?

The Zoll Homestead (a ten minute walk from the beach)


A beach at a nearby nature preserve


Jake contemplating Life



Very cool rocks



The renowned sunsets of the Saugeen Shores, Southampton style





The last weekend in September, Barb accompanied Jennifer to Lexington, Virginia to see Anne at Washington and Lee. After spending an afternoon on campus and having dinner at The Red Hen (highly recommended!), they drove up a winding country road in the moonlight to The Homestead, located in Hot Springs. The Homestead was established in 1766, and is one of the oldest inns/resorts in the country. It has a great reputation and they were not disappointed. Thanks Jen and Anne, for including Barb! She WILL be back!

Washington and Lee Administration Building


Robert E. Lee Memorial Chapel (He is buried here along with family members.)


Lee's horse, Traveller, is buried outside the Chapel - note the apple!


The Homestead grounds - what a beautiful setting!










On a side note, Anne and her friend, Zach, are very involved with the historic Mock Convention that is held every four years at W & L. Zach is the political chair and Anne is the editor-in-chief of The General Constitution, the official publication of the 2012 convention. The first issue just came out - very impressive and interesting reading.

Here's a description of the convention, straight from their website. "Washington and Lee's Mock Convention has been billed as the nation’s most accurate mock convention since its inception in 1908, but cannot claim to be the oldest such exercise; Oberlin College has one that dates back to pre-Civil War days. Nevertheless, for consistent accuracy—and eye-filling opulence—the Mock Convention simply has no peer. With 18 correct predictions in 23 attempts, the convention has been described by Time as the “biggest and boomingest” of all amateur gatherings."

As 2012 approaches, keep an ear out for MockCon, with our very own Anne in the midst of the action!

Oceanside Visit

Jim and Barb spent a few days in Oceanside to help celebrate Nathan's first birthday and Michaela's fourth. They got the opportunity to play nonstop with the children on Friday while Jeff and Lexi were working, and then participate in the gala birthday event on Saturday. Carly and Tiffany were in town for the party as well. As usual, Lexi and Jeff did a stellar job in planning and executing another memorable birthday bash.

FRIDAY FUN!!!
Our new favorite game is pirates, and Michaela (AKA Captain Pink) has successfully defeated Jimbo Bones.




"Arrrgh"



Michaela demonstrates climbing on her new climbing wall, designed and built by Papa.




BIRTHDAY HAPPENINGS!!!









See Lexi's blog for more (and better!) pictures.

(We are having technical difficulties -again- with our camera/editing program.)