Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas from the Blaney Family

2011 was a good year for us as we hope it was for you. Those of you who have been reading our Christmas letters over the years may remember that I’ve mentioned Erin or Kathleen going to Canton, Mississippi for a habitat-type house build/remodel. That tradition continued in 2011 as Kathleen flew home from Rhode Island to help chaperone a group from Notre Dame Academy.

In May, Erin graduated from Marquette University. We, of course, were very proud parents. Her degree is in Social Welfare and Justice. In August she started working for Family Services of Northeastern Wisconsin in the Healthy Families program as a Bilingual Social Worker. She is very excited about her job, they are lucky to have her, and I’m sure many people in our area will benefit from her expertise and her compassion.

This summer, as temperatures hit the 90s on the East Coast, we decided that it would be a good time for us to pack up the van and drive to Rhode Island to visit Kathleen. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in public health and working at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in pediatric endocrinology. She also does HIV research at Brown. During our visit we saw and did a lot. We toured Brown and Harvard Universities, spent time in Newport and Cape Cod, went to Boston and met up with my cousins, the Sheldons. On our return trip home we stopped in Connecticut to visit another cousin and her family, the Hoags. They have a beautiful home and could not have been more gracious. Our only regret was that we could not spend more time with them. We also stopped to visit yet another cousin, Bill Early on our trip through Illinois. Alas, that visit was too short as well.

The rest of the summer was filled with time at the cottage. It’s always a highlight when friends and family come up for a visit.

In October there was an Early Family reunion up in Door County. All but five cousins attended. I think it says a lot about how much we enjoy each others’ company. Getting forty-two Earlys in one place almost guarantees a fun time. A number of people commented that surely our parents were looking down upon us and their Irish Eyes were smiling.

2011 was a special milestone for Cathy and I as we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We have truly been blessed.

Ken, Cathy, Kathleen and Erin

There's no place like home

After spending a night in beautiful downtown Maumee, Ohio (near Toledo), we hit the road for the last leg of our adventure. However our journey would not be complete without two more stops.

Our first was in the beautiful city of Naperville, IL. While in Naperville, we enjoyed a pleasant lunch with my cousin, Bill. But even more pleasant than the lunch was our visit. He is always a good conversationalist and a good storyteller. Our only regret was that we did not have more time to spend with him.

Our final stop was closer to home at Kopps Frozen Custard, just off I-43 in Milwaukee. Kopps has perhaps the very best frozen custard.

There are a few take-away items that we learned during our extended road trip and we'd like to share them with you.

1. We have some of the nicest relatives that God put on earth.

2. Kathleen is a knowledgeable and gracious host.

3. 90 degrees every day is hot.

4. Kathleen's third floor apartment is hot.

5. Kathleen's third floor apartment is very hot when we have extended periods of 90 degree days.

6. Newport, RI and Cape Cod are beautiful spots but Hyannis is the best place to stalk Kennedys.

That's it for this edition of the blog. I hope you enjoyed the ride.

Ken, Cathy, Kathleen and Erin.

Good-Bye & Hello

Good Bye – Hello

     It was bittersweet to say good-bye to Kathleen but alas she had to go to Boston to attend class and we had to hit the road to return home.  We left her knowing that she is happy living in Providence.  We were proud at how well she knew her way around Providence, Newport, Boston, Cape Cod and Hyannis.  We were also pleased that she seemed to know the ins and outs of the public transportation system.   She was able to guide us through the train and subway system like a pro.  It was an easier than normal good-bye as she will be home in a very short time for an extended visit.

     It was also "Hello" as we stopped in Sherman, Connecticut to visit my cousin, Barb Hoag and her husband, Bruce.   Barb and Bruce built a beautiful water side home and had very graciously invited to stay overnight.  We had the added treat of meeting their son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandchildren.  After a tour of their gorgeous home, we had a delicious dinner and then a leisurely boat ride.  The 14 mile lake is breathtakingly beautiful.  We returned to their home at sunset, just in time for drinks and good conversation. 

     Cathy and I slept in their wonderful guest room.   However, morning came too soon and after this photo was taken on their deck, we were off.    We cannot leave this portion of our blog without publicly thanking Barbara and Bruce for their hospitality.  They were so very genuine in opening up their home and sharing their family with us.  Thank you so very much. 

Whose House?

Whose House?

Our House! Well, Actually Kathleen's house......er, Kathleen's Capitol.

Today we made our way to the state capitol building in Providence for a self-guided tour. Erin is shown standing on the interior steps, leading to the rotunda. Kathleen is shown in a reception area where there was a podium ready to go, so we used it as a photo opportunity. Above Kathleen is a painting of George Washington. The painter was Gilbert Stuart, the same person who painted the portrait of George Washington on the one dollar bill.

It was miserably hot in Providence so we went to the Mall and did a few errands and caught a movie.

Tomorrow Kathleen heads to Boston for class and we head to Connecticut to vist the Hoags.

Ken, Cathy, Kathleen and Erin

Newport

Rosecliff

Water Fire
We had a late night at Water Fire last night which meant a late Mass this morning at St. Joseph's near Kathleen's apartment. Mass was followed by a light breakfast at a restaurant.

This afternoon we drove over to Newport, the playground of the rich and famous of America's Gilded Age. We toured Rosecliff mansion. It was built as a summer house as were many mansions in a several mile area in Newport. This particular Mansion was used when they filmed The Great Gatsby.

Our time with Kathleen is running short as we plan to leave here on Tuesday. We hope to stop in Connecticut to visit Barbara and Bruce Hoag.

We Hope all is well with you.
Ken, Cathy, Kathleen and Erin

Beach Day

Ok, this is the beach we were at but try to picture it with 2,000 people!

We entered the beach as the whitest family there and we left the beach ............. at 3:30. We are heading back to Providence where tonight we will attend a huge festival called "water fire".

Hyannis

If it's true that a pictures say a thousand words, than this blog is worth a million. The above pictures are:

1. The Grave of Mother Goose

2. The grave of Paul Revere

3. A Memorial to JFK in Hyannis, MA

4. The grave of John Hancock

5. Gelato in Little Italy (Boston)

6. Kathleen & Erin at the statue of John Harvard in Harvard Square

7. The cutest Post Office in America (Hyannis)

After having a wonderful day in Boston, we had a delightful dinner with Judy, Jamie and Jeff Sheldon. We did not get back to Kathleen's apt. until around midnight. We had a lazy morning and did what all New Englanders seem to do on Fridays;:we headed to Cape Cod. After stalking a few Kennedys we toured Hyannis and Barnstable.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods and that your Barns are stable too.

Ken, Cathy, Kathleen and Erin

We're in Boston

Busy day today. We took the train from Providence to Boston. We walked the Freedom trail, saw the graves of Mother Goose, John Hancock and had lunch at Quincy Market. We also had gelato in little Italy.
We took a tour of Harvard while Kathleen was in class. Here is a photo of the Widener Library @ Harvard. We took a peek inside and saw a genuine Gutenberg Bible!
Tonight we are meeting Judy and Jamie for dinner. The weather today is wonderful.

In Providence

The drive went well but 1200 miles is 1200 miles.

But good company made the time pass quickly.

We've invaded Kathleen's apartment but tried to make up for it by buying her things, like a fan and groceries. She is a wonderful host. We took a trolly tour of Providence yesterday and also a walking tour of Brown University. Both were fun. We plan on going to Boston today.

On our way out here we saw a HHHHUUUGE Motor home pulling a very small car. As we approached it from behind we saw this note on the rear window of the tiny car.

First Day on The Road

First day on the road:

0:30 amount of time it took for us to disobey Judy, the GPS.
04:32 amount of time it took for us to run our first red light
40:00 amount of time it took for us to stop for food

And so began another Blaney family road trip. Highlights thus far include going thru Chicago which Dad took as an opportunity to discuss the downfall of American politics, not knowing when we actually crossed into Indiana.

If this is the first time you are joining us for a Blaney family road trip, let me tell you something.
We are history fanatics. Not in a "how many states can you name" way, but a "name all the states, in alphabetical order way. Now do the capitals. Now the presidents. Now who was your favorite president and why"-kind of way.

In an earlier blog, dad asked our fellow Catholics to pray to your favorite intercessory saint. He should have specifically mentioned not to pray to St. Jude. At this point we are not yet a hopeless cause.

So we end our first night in Youngstown, Ohio. 600 miles down and 600 more to go.

Erin

It's Not Hot Enough Here!

Greetings,

After reading that Boston and New York have set record high triple diget temperatures, Cathy, Erin and I decided to jump into our beat up van and drive 1200 miles so we can get us some of that! The truth is we are traveling east to visit Kathleen in Providence, Rhode Island.

We know that when we get to the end of our block, we have to turn left. We're pretty sure that we have to go through Chicago and turn left again. If we hit the ocean we've gone too far. Other than that we have put ourselves at the mercy of our GPS.

During our trip we know that the sites to see will include Providence, Boston, Newport, perhaps NYC, perhaps Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and maybe a visit with cousins in Boston and Connecticut. Do any of you have any further suggestions?

Please send your suggestions to us and your prayers for safe travel to God. If you are Catholic you may send your prayers to your favorite intercessory saint.

We'll try to keep you posted about on progress.

Ken, Cathy and Erin