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So!  Most of you know that we spent June in the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania areas.  Since many of you live there, you know that it rained for 25 of the 30 freakin’ days of the month.  Okay, okay…the month isn’t over yet, but if you count the last days of May, my statement is a correct one.  Rain!  Cold!  You Northerners call the early June weather “cool”, but we all know that’s bull!  It’s a euphemism!  You’re all trying to convince yourselves that “it isn’t so bad…”

Well…it was.  Cold, that is.  And rainy.  I wouldn’t call the month “bad” because…hey!…we got to see a lot of folks that are very important to us!  But the weather prevented us from doing a lot of things we would have liked to do, and as a result, our photo collection is sparse.  In fact, the gloomy weather must have had an adverse effect upon my thinking skills.  We had a beautiful day in Albany hiking with Peter and Mona, but did I take any pictures?  No!  I blew it!

So.  Let’s look at what we do have.  First, we arrived in the area and immediately caught up with the kiddies.  Yes!  Paris adores her time with her siblings, and this visit was no different.  We managed to get ‘em all!  Can you believe it?  And…we even met the lovely Michelle.  Cameron finally introduced us to his date after what…18 months?  “Hey Cameron!  Do we embarrass you?”  Hmmm…maybe we don’t now, but gimmie a minute, okay?

Michelle!  This is the young lady who will someday suffer my hands around her neck because she and Cameron text each other incessantly!

I’m kidding, Cameron…put the weapons down.  Here is the lovely Michelle sitting with the hairy version of Cameron:

Fast forward.  We hit Sami’s house, we hit Grammy’s house, we hit Oma’s house, and we descended upon Peter and Mona’s house.  We were all over the place during the first two weeks of June, and it rained non-stop.

Kristin had her prom.  Kristin had graduation.  Christopher graduated.  And Cameron’s birthday is Monday!  We had a lot to celebrate!

Since I had to leave a little earlier than expected, we celebrated Cameron’s birthday on Thursday.  Here are the greatest girls in the Universe enjoying lunch!

I have no idea what is happening here.  Obviously hairy Cameron has become hairless Cameron, and Herb has got some hair action going with that napkin.  Cameron thought it was funny…

And here, the Hairless One opens yet another birthday card.  He looks frustrated!  I guess it does get difficult opening such a large number of cards with checks and cash falling all over the place.  Such work!

We’re not following any chronological order here, so let’s jump back to our Broadway excursion.  Paris (and Mary Kate, Karen and I) ventured into the City to see The Little Mermaid. Fantastic!

Walking in the City!  When Mark, Kristin and Cameron were little, they used to beg me to “go walking” in the City.  We were never allowed to take a cab no matter how cold, how windy, or how rainy it was.  They loved — absolutely loved! — walking in the City.  Cameron was just a baby, so he got pushed around. What did he care?  I have pictures of all of us on the Empire State Building.  Alone.  It was so damn cold that no other person was silly enough to go up 100 stories in the snow and wind.  And when we came down?  “No cab!”.  We had to walk to our next destination and to our car.

So here are Paris and Mary Kate doing a little “walking”.  Paris isn’t as big a fan of New York City compared to her siblings, but she knows how to get around.

And what’s this?  Get ready!  Line up!  We’re here!

Cameras are not allowed in Broadway theaters, but I had mine ready.  We were in the second row, and I had some prime shots lined up.  But the seats were a mixed blessing.  I was in clear view of several Camera Nazis and ultimately, I decided against any photos because I figured it was a bad idea for Paris to see me being escorted out of the show.  It might have left a blight on her day.  I did find some promo shots online and, though not great, they give you a sense of the stage scenery and setting.  It was very impressive!

The “water” is colored sheeting of some sort with light tubes on the top to give it shape and a boundary. It rose and fell in realistic waves.  The performers all wore custom made (and costume appropriate) “heelies”.  If you have kids, you know the shoes I’m talking about.  The large wheel embedded in the heel allowed the actors to glide across the stage like fish gliding through water.  They even had to “wiggle” to get moving (just like a real fish).  Ursula (bottom left) was elaborate and brilliant!  The photo doesn’t do justice to the human-sized octopus moving convincingly across the stage.

Ariel was the show favorite, of course. And then Sebastian (no pix, but he’s the crab). But Paris’s favorite “off” character was this guy –

He’s the chef tasked with making dinner for Eric (the prince) and Ariel.  And he decides to make fish.  For a mermaid.  Pretty funny…

Last night in town!  At least for Dad, anyway…

Carnival!  Paris loves carnivals — what kid doesn’t?  And she has perfect, carnival companions…Kristin and Cameron!  The girls get ready to do some violent, multi-directional, torturous ride from Hell…

The operator wisely put Kristin on the outside.

Here they are getting on some other Death Trap.  This thing was called “Hurricane” (or something)…Paris is all smiles here, but in the end, she decided it was a “terrible, terrible” ride…

Why?  Well…would you ride something that goes round and round at high speed that some stoned, illegal bolted together the night before?  Look at this damn thing…

I don’t want to put unneccessary fears in the heads of any of my kids, but I think Paris is starting to figure out what makes sense in life and what doesn’t.

Speaking of which…I just got off the phone with Paris moments ago.  She’s having a blast with Tonte Stephanie at the Warwick house.  She’s got a few more days of New York before she comes home.

Mark is on a training block doing a little sailing.  As it turns out, he’s doing multiple, short trips instead of one long one.  His first was not his cup of tea.  They sailed from USNA to Baltimore, down to Solomons Island, and back to USNA.  He tells me that “Monster (the energy drink) plus no sleep plus waves at night are not a good combo.”  He didn’t lose his dinner, but it was close.  Apparently they sail through the night and the boat has to be manned (obviously).  He also complains that sleep is impossible because “tacking and jibing is loud and rolling into the wall tends to wake you up”.  One mid was hospitalized after hitting his head while trying to sleep.  Poor kids.  Getting paid to sail…

Hey!  Future Plebes!  Mark suspects that some day, when he might actually be responsible for some of you, that some of you may find this site.  Whenever he tells you to stop whining, refer him to this post!

(He will most certainly make me take this down…)

Kristin in Florida in three weeks!  Mark soon after.  Cameron soon after that!  Yeah Baby!