Deja Vu all over again

What a difference 25 years can make--or maybe not so much.  As I was thinking about this blog post, it occurred to me that Christmas 1985 and Christmas 2010 are very similar for your family.  James and I had just been married and Jake and Lindsay are celebrating their first married Christmas together this year.  Jake was newly born in December of 1985 and Miles and Dylan were born since the last Christmas.  You had recently lost  loved ones Barbara and Uncle Johnny.  Kathleen was visiting in 1985 so she could hold Jake (above).  Nick and she will be travelling north once again to be part of the family celebration. 

We will hope that children will enjoy their gifts as much and that everyone stays safe and healthy.  We are sorry we cannot join you on the holiday this year, but have no fear--we'll be there just a day or two later.

For James and I, this past year has been full of major changes.  Those changes have brought good things to our lives and 2011 will bring big changes to the Dalpiaz clan as well with two weddings on the horizon!

Kathleen, NIck and James have done amazing work helping my sister these last few days.  I hardly know how to thank you appropriately.  The Gift of Family is, indeed, a family gift.

Maria Dalpiaz 1921-2010

Some days I just wander on the internet to see what I can see.  Today I found notice of the death of your grand Aunt Maria Dalpiaz, wife of Rudolfo.  According to Prince Edward Island Deaths, she died peacefully at her daughter Lolita's in Cornwall Prince Edward Island. 

Lolita and her husband James Monthony live in Cornwall and Sonia lives with her husband Peter Stec in Markham Ontario.  It notes she is the last surviving member of her family. 

Here's your grandmother with Mary and Rudolfo.

It's pretty amazing that this is the second such family obituary I have found recently just by kind of wandering through the internet in search of family history tidbits.  The other was for the Irish side and caught me quite by surprise.  Again, I wonder in the magic of the world we live in today.  Seems logical considering the season!

Polenta Primer

I admit I don't know polenta from potash, but there was a bit of recent email conversation about it between siblings.  I've stolen the essence of this conversation for this post.

From Robert: Bobbie and I had a visit with Aunt Rose and Uncle Lou last night. Louis happened to be in town and we had a great time telling old stories. Aunt Rose mentioned that Grandpa had three polenta pots made for each of his children when he was over in Europe. I saw Aunt Rose's. It is heavy copper with a heavy copper handle. I don't remember ever seeing such a pot at Dad's house. Does anyone remember seeing this pot? Does anyone have the pot? I'm just curious. 

By the way, we got some great old recipes from Aunt Rose, including polenta. We will gladly share at Christmas.

 

Of course, this got me looking for copper polenta pot images.  Does Aunt Rose's look something like this?  Somehow I'm guessing NOT.

Then from Jean: I do remember Grandpa bringing a pot when he made polenta at our house on occasion...I don't know if he ever left one. I started a draft of a children's story a while ago about Grandpa...my own 

recollection of him, but I never got much past a draft, but polenta is in there. I am attaching it, rough as it is, since I know I will not get back to that or any other writing any time soon...

Good luck on the pot hunt..well, you know what I mean.

 

 I'm not including Jean's story here as I don't have the author's permission (but nice job!)

 

Kathleen's response: 

What a great story. It is exactly how I remember it. In fact, you remember the pot better than me. I'm sorry you never went any further with it. I liked polenta. Just like Thomas's remembrance of the car racing, it is so good to read someone else's. We should capture these stories for the next generation when we can. Do I sound too sappy?

 

No, Kathleen.  You do not sound too sappy.

 

This web page gave me a great feel for what you remember:  Polenta Traditions and Memories  Enjoy!

 

Happy Birthday shout out to Jake!  And, as Roberto says   A presto (see you soon)

 

 

James and Robert's Great Adventure

Happy Birthday Brad and I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a grand time at Jean's with friends and family!  Congratulations Lindsay and Jesse!!!!  So much fun to look forward to a wedding (or two).

I thought you all might enjoy Robert's version of the weekend he and James had together recently:

Here's some of the things we did:

1. Walked thu Fort Greene Park. Highest point in Brooklyn and location of Revolutionary War Fort Greene.

2. Walked thu Brooklyn Metro Center. New area with tech schools and offices with large plazas where concerts are sometimes given. You thought maybe Marching Bands could possibly march thru and perform. Located between Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge.

3. Walked over Brooklyn Bridge

4. Lunch at Seaport. Found Bodies Exhibition, half price TKTS location, and lounges on third deck of pier 17.

5. Walked across town on Fulton St. to World Trade Center site. Saw St. Paul's Cathedral. It is the oldest public building in Manhattan. Here's the website: /www.trinitywallstreet.org/congregation/spc/

6. Subway to Columbus Circle, saw Jazz at Lincln Center. www.jazzatlincolncenter.org/

7. Walked up to Lincoln Center (Broadway & 64th)

8. Saw filming of "Tower Heist"

9.Walked to Gingerman (120 beers on tap, most in Manhattan) (36th & 5th ave)

10. Went to Tea Lounge. Quirky music club in Park Slope, Brooklyn. 

11. Walked home past Grand Army Plaza and the entrance to Prospect Park. (Largest park in Brooklyn, created by the same guys that created Central Park.

1. Next day went to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Found a retro junk place to check out. 

2. Went to Brooklyn Brewery and had a great beer tour. In addition to the old breweries, we saw St Mary's Church.Here's the website: 

www.mhtbrookyn.org.

3. Had dinner in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

4. Went to Smoke Jazz Club in Morningside Heights (Broadway & 105th). Saw jazz legend Curtis Fuller, tenor player Eric Alexander. Can't remember trumpet player's name. Here's website: www.smokejazz.com.

That's not to mention the two smelly guys and the Erkel look-a-likes on the subway.

And there you go!  By the way, a picture from the filming of Tower Heist is in this week's People magazine.

Now that Thanksgiving is done, I guess it's back to the real world.  Sending college students back; Christmas preparation  and back to work (for some of us!)

400 Posts and a Dead Deer

This blog will soon mark its third anniversary and between the two blogs I maintain (one for the Irish and one for the Italians), I have now reached 400 total posts!  I think that's a great accomplishment.  I hope to be able to maintain the pace of posting weekly.  And with stories such as these, it will be a piece of cake:

I have a little hunting story to tell (sort of).  As you may or may not know, I came home one day last week to have Jim point out that we were the proud caretakers of the dead deer in the backyard.  Indeed, he pointed out a large looking; dead looking; deer looking animal lying at the edge of the property pretty much where the tire swing used to be (Kathleen remember?)

Now, I know you all have met us and already are aware that this area of expertise is not in our frame of reference.  Jim had called the DEC (no answer); the town (no help) and the county--who told him that they would pick up dead deer at the side of the road but not on personal property. After conferring with his hunting and outdoor experts Ron and Glenn, it was decided that the best thing would be for Jim to drag the deer down to the roadside for the county to take care of.  

By now it is beginning to get dark and Jim is trying to figure out the details of how this might go.  He had the chain and the garden tractor and figured he was set.  He wanted to use the Lincoln to illuminate the area, but fortunately for me Glenn arrived just about that time.  I was worried that the weight of the deer sliding down the hill behind the tractor could out-race the tractor and drag Jim down the hill instead of the other way around.

I was giggling to myself at the silliness of this all and really wishing it wasn't so dark so that I could document this event for future generations.  Ryan called and I was explaining what his dad was doing while trying to peer outside and get a better view.  As is typical, it seemed Ryan was only about half paying attention to what I was saying (in this case that was fair because I was only paying half attention to him) and I could tell that he was texting while on the phone with me.  He was asking random questions peppered throughout the conversation about the size of the deer, did it have antlers, how many points etc.  He noted a friend nearby who might be interested in the deer.  OK OK I was thinking as I wasn't really giving it my full attention.

Glenn and Jim decided to drag the deer down themselves by its heels to the roadside.  Just in time to meet the truck that Ryan's friend drove over to pick up the deer.  The friend conducted a little CSI style investigation and determined it had been shot and that  he could use the deer for whatever and happily loaded it up and carted it away.  All before the 6 o'clock news on a random Monday night in November.  Only in today's connected world can a phone call from Cortland result in driveway to driveway carcass removal services before it even had a chance to settle itself again!  

What an interesting experience!  Jim counts this as his first "kill" and the neighbors have some extra venison in the freezer--thanks to texting.  And no one got hurt (well, except the deer who was apparently shot illegally).  So, as they say.....here's your sign!  You might be a redneck if.........you find a dead deer in the yard and drag it to curbside like a to-go window at McDonalds. Here's to 400 more!

Randomness

Just some random thoughts this week.  First, birthday shout outs to Brian, Thomas, Michelle, Steve, Lindsay and Brad!  November sure is a big month for you guys. 

It's been so beautiful out recently that it's kind of hard to reconcile the springlike sunshine with the bare trees and dead grass.  Well, some of you don't have either of those things but nevertheless (I did promise randomness today).  I was able to plant my spring bulbs--who knew I'd be able to do that (almost) comfortably so late in the season?  Whenever I plant new bulbs, I mark time over the winter awaiting their blooms in the spring.  Likely, I've just given the local squirrels and rodents a nice Thanksgiving feast with those bulbs!

As you may know, James has been spending some time with Robert this week.  It's great that brothers get to spend some time together.  When I saw Aunt Rose at Aunt Josie's coffin last week, I was reminded how difficult it is to say goodbye to your sister no matter the circumstances.  It might be for the best, it might be there's no more suffering, it might not be a surprise but it's never easy.  Siblings have special bonds and these need to be nourished so I'm glad James and Robert had some time this week.

Josephine Dalpiaz Albertini 1926-2010

This is how I would like to remember Aunt Josie--laughing and happy at a family celebration.  We were sorry to learn she died yesterday.  I always enjoyed our visits.  She had a great memory and ability to tell the stories of her family.  She was a trusted resource for me and I will miss her very much, as I am sure you will also.  May she rest in peace with her mother and her brother especially.