Another Delco Guy In South Jersey

On Old Friends, Being a Parent and the Space-Time Continuum

Today I saw a friend of mine - a great dad - who I have seen only a few times since college.  While talking about our children, the years melted away and we were 18 again.  It was a good conversation.  Full of memories and laughter, sadness and moments of quiet.  One we have to have again far sooner than we have had in the past.

Our children are our link to all that is good in our past and a guarantee that the future will be bright.

While James Earl Jones in "Field of Dreams" who said that it was baseball that reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again, he was wrong.

It is our children. They are our link to the past and future.

Friday Fantastic Four

It's a Phillies Phriday in the cold and rain of October, but we've got bigger things in mind here at Another Delco Guy.

Thirty years ago, my dear brother came into this world.  One might say it's never been quite the same as it was before his birth. 

That's right, Matt is 30!

He's grown up from the little guy pictured above with his glow worm to graduate from college, travel the world, establish himself as a noted sports blogger and become a most favored Uncle. 

I won't go into all the gory details about how he used to keep me up all night rocking in his sleep, or how I taught him to throw that nasty Wiffle Ball curve he still breaks out now and then, but I will say this.  There are few people in the world whose advice and counsel means more to me that my brother's.  

But he's growing old now.  He has left his youth behind and bought the family's ancestral home.  He's begun to worry about things like his grass and new siding and the darn fool kids who blare their music until all hours. I'm sure he's got a bucket list somewhere that he's looking at and wondering how he will ever get to all these things in his waning years.  

Thus we're going to do a Friday Fantastic Four that is focused on growing old and what you have left to do. you might have done them before and need another taste, or they may be things that you just feel like you must do to fulfill your destiny (or density).

What four things do you most want to do before you can't do them anymore?

1. Visit Ireland and Poland.  They are pretty different laces, but they are part of me and I want to get there.  Sooner rather than later if possible.
2. Write that book.  I still feel like it's in there somewhere, but has lost its way.
3. Own a vacation home. Been there once, but it seems to be the quintessential mark of having 'made it' as an American.  I'd like to get back there.
4. See John and Emma become successes on their own.  It's a very fatherly thing, but nothing would please me more.  I'd give up the other three easily to see this one.

Happy 30th Birthday Little Brother!

Finally Friday

Today was one of those days that make all the hard moments of being a dad worth it.

Emma graduated from Pre-K wearing a pretty pink dress covered with a white graduation gown and mortarboard.  She enjoyed the party afterward and the fact that she drew lots of guests, but looked supremely bored during the ceremony.  Her teacher named her the hardest working student. I can't think of a better compliment!

John and his Tabernacle 8U team opened play in the Pinelands Classic Tournament with a 6-0 win over Northern Burlington.  NB won the Pinelands Classic last year, so this is a big win.  John was 1-2 with and RBI but didn't have a play in the field.

We wrapped up the evening with ice cream cake to celebrate a great day!

Now we're watching the third straight Phils extra innings game as they look to know off the Red Sox at CBP.

Have a great weekend!

A Fun Night

Swarthmore Tree Lighting and Caroling
Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

We had a great night last night at Carin and Kevin's. A roaring fire, warm stew and chili, red wine and flocks of children really make for a lively evening. Add in gingerbread house decoration, caroling and Santa coming to town and you've got a night to remember. And that doesn't even include the ride in the firetruck!

I really like times like this, where we spend time having fun with our family and friends. A bit later today, we'll put up the Christmas decorations outside and get the tree finished up.

After Emma's nap, that is.

Quite a Surprise

I have to say I was a bit shocked to discover my daughter on the cover of the local paper today!

Some of you may know that my children live partially with me and partially with their mom.  When they are there, they live on a farm in the middle of the Pine Barrens with about 130 acres of cranberries.  When they are here, they live in a modest twin house on our half acre of happiness in Moorestown.

In another phase of my life I helped out at the farm, first as a field manager for the blueberry operation starting in the summer of 1991 and eventually running the cranberry cleaning machine that took the cranberries out of the bog, cleaned them and loaded them onto trucks.  I took a few weeks off from work each October and we all pitched in to get things wrapped up for the year.

The harvest always drew in folks who came down every year, or who just pulled over on the side of Route 563 to watch.  The media came every year, from the Food Network, to Good Morning America to the little local paper.  At least a part of the job was handling the visitors, the media and doing public relations.  The deep reds of the berries and the golds greens and yellows of the trees make for great photos and vivid memories.

Cranberry farming is a difficult business and this group takes it seriously and do it well. They go out of their way to tell their story carefully and to craft it to include many of the traditional touchstones of American agriculture: family, legacy, hard work.

So I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised to see the beautiful photo of my daughter with her grandfather on the front page of The Burlington County Times today, or to see her clapping and having fun and her brother wearing waders and pushing berries in the video posted to the AP today. 

But still I was a bit surprised because it's a part of my life I have left behind and that I don't hear about from them much.  There's a lot of family-values PR in the video, but I watched it with some real happiness for the window it offered me into this other portion of John and Emma's life.

I'm on the road today, so thanks to everyone who helpd me get the media together to post this!

Emma Is Five!

Emma is Adorable as Tinkerbell
Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

It's a bit hard to believe that my princess turns five today. The day of her birth is such a vivid memory for me that It seems much more recent that five years ago that I got a call waking me out of bed telling me Emma was on her way. I dropped John off at his grandparents and drove the 29 miles to the hospital in 28 minutes.

She was 8 weeks early and not ready to wake up. She's still a bit of a terror if she's not ready to get up in the morning. I went with her to another hospital that was better able to take care of her. After the ventilator and feeding tubes were installed, Emma rallied a bit and held my hand for the first time.

She's a very tough kid who deals withe the world on her terms. Still, she is the sweetest person I know and loves her family and friends deeply. I am very happy she has not outgrown tickling or cuddling with her daddy. I know she will, but I am not ready yet.

Besides her special friend Bun, Emma really loves her brother John. When she's upset, she always says the same thing, 'I want my brother.' It's great that they are such good friends and that he is always there to comfort her.

Grandma and Pop live in Pennsylvania and Emma loves when they come to visit. It's always a special treat when she can have a sleep over! While Andrew is the cousin her own age, she is very much into her cousin Ellie, and recently confided that she wants a little sister to take care of.

Emma has always loved to cook and to draw, and it's been a wonderful year of watching her mature in both of these areas. She can pretty much make an entire cake, loving to crack eggs and mix things. She sets up elaborate tea parties and school rooms and nap times for her six babies and is capable of amusing herself for hours at a time.

Like most girls, Emma loves to shop. She's still a big fan of shoes and the color pink. Her trips out on the weekend with Char wear her out and induce two hour naps, but she loves them.

Emma is the most wonderful little girl in the world!

Happy birthday princess! Your daddy loves you very much.

Ready for Game Two

I'm sitting in my brother's living room at 3447, where I have probably watched more baseball than any other single place on earth. 

As a child, this was the room where I watched Phillies pre-season games with my grandfather when I was 'home sick' from school.  I watched about a million Sunday afternoon games with the late afternoon sun slanting through the picture window, all but obscuring the image on the giant wooden console television.  I became a fan of Harry Kalas and developed my hatred of Chris Wheeler right here.

On the day my brother Matt was born, October 16, 1979 I remember John 'The Candy Man' Candelaria blanked Jim Palmer and the Baltimore Orioles while my sister Carin slept on the couch in this very room.  I brought my grandfather several Genny Cream Ales.  I didn't drink a drop.

Tonight, I am confident that the "Good Brett' Myers will show up and the Phils big bats will wake up to take a 2-0 lead on the Rays in St. Pete.  The cowbells will again be silenced.  Thanks to Heidi for the great dinner of chicken, excellent potatoes and green beans!

My grandfathers will be smiling.  It is altogether fitting and proper that I should be here tonight.

2008 National League Champion Phillies

We all knew it was coming.  Up 3-1 on a team that didn't seem to have the heart, we KNEW it was going to happen.  But dawn today still seems a little bit surreal as I watch the celebrations in Mayfair and on Broad Street last night.

My friends over at The700Level have great coverage this morning and I encourage you to take a look.  John and I are enjoying the coverage on ESPN and Fox 29.

This team still has a lot to do as it readies for the Devil Rays or BoSox.  Charlie's mom and Shane's grandmother must be laid to rest.  We need to figure out who the third starter it.  We need to think about a right-handed DH.

But right now we can celebrate the Phils and their first trip to the World Series since my brother Matt was 14.  Today's his birthday and this is a fitting present.

Happy Birthday Brother!

Congrats Lil Bro!

Just a quick note to congratulate Matt on the amazing makeover that Power Window and Siding are doing on his place.

In removing the old white asbestos siding and the home-made but tired black and white shutters and replacing them with insulated beige 6" vinyl siding and green shutters, Matt has made his place the envy of the neighborhood. 

Nice work!

John's 8th Birthday Party

CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

We had a great day yesterday, with over 40 guests filling our house and yard to celebrate John's 8th Birthday. John had a great time seeing his family and friends, and "especially enjoyed having cake, blowing bubbles and running around like a maniac."

You're only 8 once.

Special thanks to Cathy for the macaroni salad, my mom for multitudinous appetizers, Gram for pasta salad, Arlene for baked beans that got rave reviews, Carin for the cold, sweet watermelon and Heidi for the cookies that Emma especially loved.

Thanks also Anne and Carlo for the supplement to the summer beers and Joe for the nice bottle of red.

The signature totem poles and Indy decor were also courtesy of Arlene.

In the 94 degree heat, the grill chores were handled Jim and Patti and no one is more grateful than me!

Finally all the hard work and effort was really done by Party Planner, Chef and Coordinator Extraordinaire --- CHAR!!

Thanks to everyone who made it such a great day for John.

Party Winding Down

As you can tell from the photo, things are winding down at John's Thrill a Minute Indiana Jones 8th Birthday Party. More photos and a wrap later!

John Is 8!!!

Smiling 8 Year Old
Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

At 6:26 am on a sticky June 26th, 2000, John Lee-Pesotski came into this world at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Today it's hard to believe that he's a big 8 year old.  He's a wonderful boy who loves baseball and Legos and Indiana Jones. He's generally polite and is very good with his loving sister Emma.

John is a smart kid and can hold a conversation with an adult on many topics. He is beginning to develop his own view points, such as his belief that the next president should end the war and lower gas prices.

While his party is not until Sunday, we had some ice cream cake last night and opened presents today. He's enjoying a bit of indulgence from dad right now, playing a rare morning game of Xbox.

I am not sure if he fully understands what I mean when I tell him I am proud of him, but I think he gets the feeling when I hug him as hard as I can!

Mom's Birthday

Another Delco Guy's mom is celebrating her birthday today. We're at Carin's house in Swarthmore having a bit of a party. The beef tenderloin was marinated perfectly by Carin and Chefs Matt and Kevin grilled it for 90 minutes to an excellent medium well.

I am now enjoying the Strawberry shortcake from Kyj's bakery. Excellent!

Emma is Famous!!!

Last year, Emma and John went to Chicago to visit their Aunt Jen.

While there, they toured the Wrigley Field area and John saw a Cubs game.

Apparently, Emma was also caught on camera by WGN playing catch in front of the local firehouse.  The clip made the WGN special "Celebrating 60 Years of the Chicago Cubs on WGN-TV" that aired on Saturday night.

Here's the clip:

My little princess is famous!!!

Again I Say: Bring Them Home

This morning, on my way home from shopping at Wegman's for breakfast stuff, I was transfixed by a story on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.  Sipping my $1.49 caramel coffee with non-fat half and half driving down Moorestown's near-perfect Main Street, I was brought to tears by the story of a young mother whose son will grow up fatherless.

The story introduced us to Altoona, Pennsylvania's Suzie Fetterman, and her six month old son, Mason.  Mason's father and Suzie's fiance Michael Hook was a month from coming home when he was killed last August in a helicopter crash in northern Iraq.  He was 25.  Suzie and Mason are state-side casualties of this war, a woman who never intended to be a single mom and a boy who will have a community to support him, but no dad.

He'll never have his dad play catch with him.  He'll never feel his father's scratchy beard on his soft cheek when his father kisses him good night.  He'll never have dad carry him to bed after he fell asleep watching a Phils game.  He'll have a flag and a picture and a mom who loves him.  But he'll never have a dad.

Over 800 children will never know their mom or dad due to the ongoing conflict in Iraq.  We're over five years in, over 4000 Americans dead, and nothing accomplished that is worth their sacrifice.

It's time for the heroes to come home.

Welcome Larkin!!!

Congratulations to my cousin Patrick and his girlfriend Audrey on the birth of Larkin Vincent Patrick Neely. A true night owl like his daddy, Larkin came into this world in the wee hours of the morning on Friday, February 1.

He surprised everyone, coming into the world a bit early and weighs in at 6 pounds 14 ounces.  At 18 inches long, it's going to take him a little while to gro into his first Phillies jersey. 

Patrick was quite a kid, so I am sure that his off spring will be  an interesting series of enlightenments for his parents.  If Audrey can deal with Patrick for all this time, I am sure she's ready for Larkin.

Of particular note is that we can now call Billy "Grandpa" whenever we want.  He's gonna love this!!!

In all seriousness, my heartfelt congratulations go out to the Neely clan.  We'll be out as soon as we can to hoiyst a pint at 16th and Market in honor of the wee lad.

You can email congratulations and parenting tips to the parents at [email protected].

A Dream

My Grandpop died 12 years ago this month.  I've written about him in the past and still look up to him as someone who always helped me when he could and was as encouraging to me as anyone has ever been.  To say that I miss him, even all these years later does not begin to cover the feeling.

I recently realized that among the things I 'lost' in my divorce was the flag that my father gave me from my grand father's coffin.  I'd like to have it back, but it seems unlikely at this point.  I feel pretty guilty that it's gone now and have been upset that I let him and my family down by losing control of such an important touchstone to the past.

Last night I had a very vivid dream that Grandpop was still alive and I went to talk to him in his bedroom.  That would have been very unusual, since I only went in his bedroom a few times over the years before he got very sick near the end.  The dream was quite vivid and had a very lifelike quality to it.  It was very early morning in the dream, dawn just touching the sky.  There were Christmas presents in the house and his Norway spruce was decorated.   

I went into his room and asked him how he was doing.  'Do you need anything?' I asked.  He rolled over and looked at me and said tiredly but clearly, 'Nah. Let me sleep.'

Take it for what it's worth, but I think I will 'let him sleep' for a while.

Christmas Photos Up

  Me and The Kids 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Hello all!!!!

As we begin to wind down the year, I have started to upload the images from Christmas.

The set from Christmas Day itself is up on my Flickr site.  Other photos will follow shortly.

Among my gifts this year was a Tamron 180-250mm IF lens.  The GF made a big investment in my photo hobby and you can see in some of the images the wide range this lens has.  It's way easier to shoot indoors and close with it, given the nice wide angle ability it gives me.  It was a super thing to find under the tree!

I'll have a full round up of the gifts later after we rake out the living room and I find them all!

All Is Prepared

  Kids with Santa 2007 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Everything I am going to buy is bought, the food is ready for tomorrow and the kids are at their mom's.  I've got some wrapping to do and the Christmas Cleanup Elf needs to visit, but otherwise, we're all see for St. Nick to visit.

The GF and I are headed off the my sister's shortly for the annual Christmas Eve Fish Extravaganza shortly.  The food is always excellent and I will try to take notes this time so I don't forget who made what pie.

In the last few minutes, Santa has made his way across northern Africa and is now at Sabha, Lybia dropping a few presents for good boys, girls and former totalitarian dictators.  Santa does not discriminate. 

I hope everyone enjoys the evening and whatever makes it special for you and yours.

Family Archives Project

I take a good many photographs,  About 1000 a month for the last year and a half.  Having a digital camera and a big external hard drive helps a lot in terms of editing and storing the images.  I also have about 2500 of the images up on the internet photo sharing site Flickr.  There are sets of family photographs, travel photography, random shots and a few attempts at photographic art. 

And now there is a new section for the family photo archives.  I have a stack of photos that my mom and dad got from my father's aunt.  They're black and whites from the 40s and 50s and show my father's family in various stiff post-war poses.  There are photos of people I never met, including my grandmother, and photos of folks I never knew until much much later.  There are also some shots my mom saved of my grandmother's extensive collection of photographs from the 60s, 70s and 80s.  They are primarily fading color shots, with a few portraits and such worked in.

I started scanning the images on my Epson Perfection 4180 Photo scanner.  The photographs are old and brittle, some in worse shape than others.  If I don't start now, they will fade away to nothing.  While there isn't much of historic value among the piles of photos I have to scan, they deserve to be preserved.  People took the time to take the photos, paid a lot to have them developed, and saved them for all these years.  They should be preserved.   

So head on over to Flickr and see how the project is progressing.  One note however - in the interveneing years, some of the names have been lost.  If you know who someone is or where the shot may have been taken, please leave a comment so we can add the data.

Now back to the holiday preparations!

All Decorated!

Now we need to vacuum and set up the train.

Tree is Up!

Now we are waiting for Emma to wake up from her nap so that we can put the ornaments on!

Quick Update

For those of you who have expressed good thoughts and asked, here is a quick update on my dad's health.

He's doing well, but is still in the hospital.  It's not looking like he will be released for a few more days.  The atrial ablation procedure on Thursday went well, but took a longer time than most due to some unusual heart topography.  There has been some concern that his heart rate has not dropped below 110 or so and that his blood pressure is somewhat elevated.

Currently the thinking is that the levels are high because he has a slight cold and some anxiety related to being in the hospital.  After the cold passes and the Coumadin levels are adjusted, they will hopefully come down and he can come home.

John and I visited 'Pop' for a while today and he showed John around the wing, introducing him to the staff and showing him all the things the is hooked up to.  Both of them seemed to enjoy the relaxation of hospital rules to allow a 7 year old to visit.

Hopefully things will normalize and he'll be home mid-week!

Another Life Milestone

Right now I sit under a jaundice-yellow umbrella in the 'Atrium' at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.  My brother and mother are also here, Mom doing a crossword puzzle, Matt tapping away stylishly on his MacBook.

Why you ask? 

My dad is somewhere in the bowels of the hospital having some part of his heart 'cauterized.'  I thought they stopped doing medical cauterizations somewhere in the Dark Ages, but a doctor actually used the phrase yesterday, so that shows you how much I know about cutting edge heart procedures.  Matt on the other hand, seems to know a great deal in that he edits a magazine or two that cater to exactly to the kinds of guys zapping my dad's heart right now.  The docs talk mostly to Matt.  I frown and nod a lot.

Dad mentioned several times yesterday that he had not planned on being admitted to the hospital yesterday.  That he felt fine and had things to do, etc.  His cardiologist, who admitted him to the hospital within 10 minutes of meeting 'Pop' noted his 157 heart rate and used words like 'non-compliant patient a lot.'  The drugs have not slowed down the 'atrial flutter' he is suffering from, hence the zapping currently being done.

This episode likely marks the beginning of the next phase of life for us adult Pesotski children, that part which will likely involved an increased number of visits to hospitals and calls to bosses explaining our sudden absences.  As Matt noted yesterday, 'once a cardiac patient, always a cardiac patient.'  That being said, if you had told me 9 years ago, when my dad had his quintuple bypass that he would not be back into the hospital for 9 years, I would have said you were nuts, especially given his 'non-compliance.'

He'll likely be just fine after the procedure today, though it will be a few days before he is home.  I am guessing he will take this as the wake up call that it it and increase dietary and exercise compliance for a bit.  But who knows for how long. I probably should as well.  I'm carrying an extra 10 pounds and can't likely run around the block.  I should probably put my money where my mouth is.

Thanks to all of you who have called and texted with good wishes.  We appreciate them. 

Thanksgiving Food and Drink Reviews

As I bloatedly recline on the couch and prepare for a busy day of watching college football and encouraging my kids to be quiet, I reflect on the bounty that crossed the tables yesterday.

First, thanks to Wawa for getting the day started with a 20 ounce cup of java yesterday.  While it wasn't up to the usual standards, Roy of the Moorestown store served it up and got me moving after my Wednesday night out with the boys.  Not a bad way to start the day.

The GF served up a tasty mid-day snack of a very basic ham and cheese on multi-grain bread with sliced tomato sprinkled with fresh ground pepper and sea salt.  Sounds simple, but the execution was perfect and it got me though until dinner.

Late in the afternoon, it was time for the turkey feast at the GF's mom's house.  The Company was great as always, and the food was top notch.  A few specific items deserve note.  The perfectly prepared dark meat of the bird hit the spot for me.  I just wish I had some more now for a cold turkey sandwich.  The GF's cousin made an amazing macaroni and cheese that was EASILY the best I have ever had.  Need to find out how she does it.

Also of note at the first gathering of the evening was the marshmallow ambrosia that the GF's grandmother made.  It took me back to the holidays with my own grandmother.  It was darn near the same thing in my memory!  Marshmallow, cherries, coconut and mandarin oranges.  MMMMMMM-MMMMMM!  The Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio provided by GF's little sis was also excellent!

Then we packed everyone up and headed over to PA and my sister;s house for dessert.  We arrived at the perfect time, as they were finishing their meal and in time for dessert!  I headed right for the fridge, as my brother Matt had tipped me that he had a selection of great holiday beers for my sampling.  He did not disappoint.  The Anchor 2007 Christmas brew is their usual big, bold bottle of hoppy brown excellence.  But the beer of the night was Dogfish Head's Olde School barley wine.  Weighing in at 15% abv, Matt and I split this one.  Caramel, citrus and a bit of hops on the end.  Very nice!  My sister sure knows how to make a pumpkin pie.  The flavors were fresh and complex and it was one of the best in my memory.  I don't do crust, but many raved about it.  Kudos to the chef!

We all had a great day eating and drinking and enjoying each other's company.  I hope that you all did too! 

Emma Likes Her Ice Cream!

We had a few hours to spend with Emma on her 4th birthday yesterday. she was just as sweet as ever, enjoying her two favorite things, presents and ice cream.

She's still a tiny little thing, but she is the sweetest little girl I have ever known. I look at the picture of her four years ago in the NICU and I realize how luck we all are to have her today. !s snall and quiet as she is, Emma is a tough little girl who knows her own mind.

Stubborn doesn't nearly cover it. But she pulls it off with a giggle that makes you melt and give in to her wishes with a laugh.

She's my little princess and I hope her birthday was as happy for her as it was for me!

Friday Fantastic Four

Today is Emma's fourth birthday.  To celebrate my little princess's special day, we have a birthday theme.

What four things do you like most about birthdays?

1. Cake - in my late 30s, I still love it
2. The smiles of children
3. Champagne - one of the great things about being in my late 30s is celebrating with bubbly
4. Looking back at old birthday photos

Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Uncle Matt!!!!

  Uncle Matt Is Loved!!! 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Just a quick post to wish my dear brother Matt Happy Birthday!

You've come a long way from the little guy who used to wake me up every night rocking in your sleep.

Have a great day!

A Rite of Fall

  Emma Selects 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

On Sunday, as the Eagles were downing the Jets coming off the bye week, the family and I headed over to Johnson's Farm in Medford to pick out our pumpkins.  We, of course, took some photos.

It's a virtually required rite of fall for suburban families to trek to some local pseudo-farm with rides and face painting and fresh-baked pies to find the fall decor.  We joined approximately all of South Jersey on Sunday in a giant field/parking lot and surveyed the situation with dismay. 

Two different lines of over an hour before you got to get on the hayride out to where you could actually PICK pumpkins. 

People EVERYWHERE.  Tired children.  Swirling dust.

I punted.

We decided to select from the pallets of pre-picked pumpkins available for weenies like me.  The children chose $32 worth of pumpkins to decorate the front steps and house with.  That's over 46 pounds worth.

They enjoyed it immensely.    They also loved the side trip to Maggie Moo's on the way back home, though John would have preferred Coldstone.  When we finally staggered home, we put up the Halloween lights out front and the various orange and black decorations throughout the house.  Yes.  I said Halloween lights.

It's just amazing to me that Halloween and "harvest" have become such a holiday.  I can remember a few decorations as a kid and a trip to Linvilla for a pumpkin.  But I sure don't remember 2 hour lines and swarms of people at Target fighting over who gets the last set of faux tombstones.

When did this explosion happen?  I've heard the theory that hallmark is responsible for the geometric expansion of the Valentine's Day to the juggernaut of spending it is today?  Who is behind the Halloween/Harvest?  Pumpkin farmers?  Hay bale salesmen?

I went along  and all ... but I don't get it!

First Tooth Gone!

  First Tooth Gone! 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

John lost his first tooth this week and is very happy to show everyone the gap in the front where it used to be.  When it got wiggly, he very bravely grabbed it with a napkin and yanked it out!!  The Tooth Fairy came that night and exchanged the tooth for two dollars.

The permanent tooth is already coming in, but I am pretty sure that the other front tooth will be gone soon as well.

Starting second grade and losing his first tooth has made this a very exciting week for John!

What does the Tooth Fairy DO with all those teeth?

Back To School Night

I spent last night I engaged in that time honored tradition that marks the beginning of fall:  Back to School Night.  John was excited that I was going to school to meet Miss Lacey.  I was very happy to see examples of his early work and meet some of the other parents.

As the 18 0f us settled into the impossibly little chairs and listened raptly to Miss Lacey's discussion of all that would go on this year, I was struck by how old John has gotten so fast.  Its seems like just yesterday I was spooning squash into him and waking up every two hours each night to feed and soothe him.  Now he's a big second grader with 40 minutes of homework each night!

I don't think that I had 40 minutes of homework a night until I was at least in 4th grade.  The specificity with which the spelling lists need to be completed reminds me of Sister Margaret Leonore's ruler-straight strictures.  It takes a lot of discipline to be a kid these days, and I am proud of John that he is handling it all so well.

As for Emma, she has a couple more years of playing with her friends and less-structured learning before entering elementary school, but even she has some elements of rigor creeping into her days.

Here's to a good year for all the kids and teachers!

Happy Birthday Grandpop!

  Grandpop and Me 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

My grandfather, Stanley 'Kris' Pesotski, would have been 86 today.  As a child, I spent as much time as I could at his house (now Matt's), gardening, exploring the upstairs, listening to baseball on the radio and generally enjoying the whole experience.  I was as close to him as I was to anybody I guess.

He could be a difficult person and he drank more than he should, but he generally took his anger out on others, saving the best parts of himself for his first grandchild.  Though in physical pain most of his life, he worked his tiny plot of yard into the most amazing vegetable gardens I have ever seen, growing everything from grapes and peaches to horseradish and zucchini.  And tomatoes.  Mountains of tomatoes, eaten raw like apples, sliced with salt or sugar, cooked into paste or juice, or sold in a stand on the front yard.

Even after I went away to college (the picture at right is the only time he was on campus) we still stayed in touch.  Every now and then he would call.  I would stop by whenever I went home.  We talked often about the Phillies.  He got sick when I worked at Widener and I would take long lunches to visit him at the hospital or his house.  I knew my friend would be going soon and I wanted to spend as much time as I could.

He's been dead for over 12 years now and I still find myself picking up the phone to call him now and then.  I don't know what to make of that.   I want to tell him how much my son John loves baseball and what a sweet, funny thing Emma said last night.  I want to believe that he knows, that he has somehow seen, but I don't know for sure.  I just hope so.

Happy Birthday Gramps!  I miss you very much.

Dreaming of a Pennant

  Dreaming of a Pennant 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Last night, as I was headed to bed after Dan's and Mary Ann's party and catching up on the first Saturday of college football, I stuck my head into John's room before turning in.  The sight of him peacefully asleep, prized Phils cap still on his head, made me hope all the harder that the Phightin's can put last night behind them knock off the Marlins this afternoon.

It's been an up and down ride, but I sure hope that my baseball boy get a chance to see some playoff action at CBP this fall.

A Night In Camden

  Fireworks and the BFB 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

There aren't many times when some says that they had a great night in Camden, but we sure did last night!

John, Emma, the GF and I headed over to Camden last night to catch a Riversharks game at Campbell's Field in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge on Delaware River Waterfront.  We saw a Sharks win, fireworks and John got to run the bases.

6,810 South Jerseyans turned out to see the show and I didn't see many disappointed folks.  The minor league teams sure know how to entertain fans, with contests, a merry-go-round (Emma loved it!), three different mascots and a lot of fun.

We had great seats right behind home plate, but not the greatest for photos.  Still, I got a few and they are up.

Coincidentally, we met Bob Nehring, the Sharks' Director of Group Events this morning at Wawa and he was a really nice guy and seems genuinely happy that we had a good night at the park .

Get out to a game before the season ends!

New Photo Sets

After much work trying to learn Photoshop CS3, I have posted three sets of photos from my recent vacation on my Flickr site.  The Boys Night at Fenway is memorialized, including shots of the rain, the Green Monster and us in the bar waiting.  One of my favorite places on earth, Cape Porpoise is caught in a photo shoot.  I got a chance to shoot one of the best sunsets I have ever seen in Newport, RI is recorded in another set.

There will be a bunch more pictures coming, as I have plenty more from that trip and several others I have taken recently.

Look, comment and Enjoy!

I Had To Laugh

In a recent cleaning of the CR-V, I discovered a petrified breakfast sausage in the side door storage area next to my son's seat.

I had been wondering about the source of a rather odd odor from the back seat, but chalked it up to a 3 year old and a 7 year old and their shoes, sports equipment and crumbs.  I had no idea he was storing food actively.

When I told him to throw it out, he looked sad.  "Why daddy?  I'm going to miss it!"

I had to laugh.

Going to see the Sawx!

John, Andrew and I are finishing up lunch here at the beach house and preparing to head south to Boston and Fenway Park.  While the weather forecast is not that great, and we may get rained out tonight, the boys are ready for their first game at Fenway.

Uncles Matt, Billy, Jim and Kevin as well as cousin Danny are making the trip in as well for the game.  Except for Billy and I, it's everyone's first trip to the most revered of America's ballparks.  My last trip to see the Green Monster was the day after   broke his streak.  Today's probables are Javier Vasquez for the White Sox and Daisuke Matsuzaka for the home team.

We'll have photos and a wrap tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Buddy!

  John the Cat 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

It's hard to believe that it's been 7 years since that stormy, muggy June night that John made me wait until 6:26 am until he was finally born.  I vividly remember that even before he was out of the womb he was screaming and crying, begging for food.

After he was fed and cleaned up, he settled down a bit and has been a great kid for the last seven years.  He loves baseball more than anything and is big fan of the Yankees and SportsCenter.  I had a great time coaching him on the Marlins this year and on the Orioles last year.  I hope he never loses his love for the game.

John is a fun kid and enjoys his classmates and especially gym class.  he is a smart guy and had a good year in first grade.  Like me, he is a bit quick to anger and more than a little rambunctious.  I am sure he will always be a bit of handful for his teachers.

I have alwyas loved that John wants to be a part of everything and is eager to help me whenever he can.  Most of the projects I have done around the house have been completed with him at my side.  It's a great thing!

John is loving and sensitive, and is especially good with his little sister Emma.  I am proud of the moments that he shows her special attention and caring.  I hope that they are always as close as they are now.

I had a great day celebrating your birthday with you today, John and I look forward to our part in Moorestown.

Happy 7th Birthday Buddy!!!!

Back In The Swing of Things!

Sorry for the long absence, but we've been on the road! 

Some photos of Emma getting us back into the normal cadence of life are up at my Flickr site.  She had a good time yesterday, hitting the ball off the tee in the back yard.  John got into the act a bit, helping her refine her swing a bit.  It was hilarious to watch it!

We are back from our trip to the center of all that is Mouse.  Disney was HOT.  I mean weather-wise.  They made lots of jokes about deodorant testing.  It wasn't funny.

We'll have a full wrap up of the Disney trip and some photos up later in the week.  Today is a rest and recover day.

We're looking forward to John's birthday tomorrow, but it will be a low-key affair with just a few of use getting together on Wednesday to celebrate.

Heading to See the Mouse!

  Fireworks over Disney World Castle 
  Originally uploaded by BScythe

The family is still slumbering, but I admit I was too keyed up to sleep.

Why?

We leave for Disney World in a few hours!!!

The kids are very excited and so am I.  We will provide regular updates and photos.  We're hoping to see some manatees and go to Sea World in addition tot he Disney parks.  John also wants to get to Universal.  We'll see what all we get in.

The Southwest fare was good, Starwood points pay for the room, but god the park tickets are expensive!!!

Photos from yesterday's Pesotski Father's Day Crab Fest are up on my Flickr site.

Have a great week!

Happy Father's Day

Just a quick post to wish a happy Father's Day to all the dads out there and to thank them for all that they do fpr their sons and daughters.  Here in Moorestown, we will be holding the Pesotski Family Annual Crab Fest.

Matt, Kevin and I will be cleaning the crabs, The girlfriend and Carin will be steaming them and we will all be eating them.  Grandma will be playing with the grandkids and "Pop" will supervise all activities.

This tradition is my father's revival of crabfests that my grandfather used to do occasionally each summer.  He loved his crabs and beer, and I can remember several nice afternoons that we all spent in his backyard enjoying the still-hot crabs.  Back in the day I drank orange soda, but today we'll hoist a few Genny Cream Ales as tradition holds.

My dad deserves the credit fo keeping this going.  No matter what we are all doing, he makes sure to let us know how important it is to him.  It's our Father's Day gift to him and I know he appreciates it.

It will be hot, but the AC is already cranking and the beer will be cold.  I'll try to get some phots of the festivities up later tonight.

Happy Father's Day!

***UPDATE***

For various reasons, this thing was written on dialup.  Do you have ANY idea how friggin' slow dialup is?????  Jeez!

Day In Baltimore

Well we had a great day yesterday in "Charm City."  We had a few good beers, caught the O's 6-1 loss to the Rockies and toured the Inner Harbor.  It was a very full day and we were all quite tired when we returned home last night.

Talking to some O's fans from Dundalk, I was struck by how much things have changed for that franchise in the 5 years since I used to go down there every weekend.  They were always fun to watch and I never saw a game that wasn't sold out in the 5 years I had season tix to the O's.  Yesterday, on a great day, they drew barely 35,000.

The guy sitting next to me with he dad and 2 daughters said simply, "We don't get here much anymore.  We're tired of the losing."  He put the balme squarely on Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who has long been hated byt the Orange Faithful. 

On a day when they were giving away nice bobbleheads of hometown Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr, I was left to wonder if even The Ironman could turn things around for a team that has't won since he was at short.  Seems like there may be a plan afoot to make that happen.

Some of the highlights of the day were Emma falling asleep on daddy for innings 3-7 and John experimenting with the camera.  He's getting the hang of it, but he uses his left eye, which none of the rest of us do.  not sure what that is about.

I put some photos up on flickr.  I hope you enjoy them!

Sunday Stuff

While 'lil Bro recovers from rabies shots at the CoreStates Championship err the Philadelphia International Championship, the kids, girlfriend and I will be headed South.

We're taking in inter-league baseball as the Orioles take on the Rockies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.  There will be great beer, crabcakes and a family-friendly fans.

We will have photos and notes up later.

In case you were sleeping, a near-miracle occurred last night as Jon Leiber pitched a 3 hit, complete game shutout.  Outstanding work picking up for Freddy "15.43 ERA" Garcia, there Jon!

Enjoy the cool weather!

Friday Fantastic Four

  Grandpop in His Garden at 3447 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

This week's topic seems silly, but we want a bit more from you than just a list.  A little detail to explain why or show something of your self is REQUIRED!

What are your 4 favorite fruits and vegetables?

1. The heirloom tomatoes that my grandfather used to grow in his backyard.  Sliced with a tiny bit of salt or a little sugar even!
2. Bananas -  I try to eat one every day.  Not too ripe and not too green.  With a glass of OJ before my coffee!!! 
3. Asparagus – brushed with a little olive oil, then grilled with salt and pepper.  Perfecto!
4. Starfruit – this stuff is cool!  Crunchy, tart, sweet, fun to eat!!!!!

Honorable mentions:

• Good pineapple, freshly sliced
• Concord grapes – sweet just inside the skin and tart in the middle
• White peaches – once again from my grandfather’s tree which my sister cut down
• Strawberries
• Blueberries – fresh from the bush in the morning with the dew still on them!
• Limes – In margaritas – just the juice though!

Batman!

I got a instant message from my brother yesterday.  That isn't unusual.  We IM off and on a few times a day.  Usually it's about sport, or blogs we read, or family stuff.

This one was a bit more serious.  It simply said:

Headed to the hospital

I typed a flurry of IMs back. He noted that he had been awakened in the night by a bat flying overhead and had a mark on his arm that might be a bat bite.  He was worried since bats can carry rabies and there are a bunch of really horrible images on Google of what happens when you let a bat bite get out of hand,

I knew he was really worried when he took me up on my offer to meet him at the HUP Emergency Room.

We waited in a fairly hideous room among the sick and mangled of Philadelphia while the gears and cogs of Penn Health processed Matt (hearafter called Batman).  We were impressed at the huge custom-built fish tank and its dozen or so inhabitants that must cost a pretty penny to maintain.  Ahh health care costs are not always paying for tongue depressors!

Eventually we were ushered through a warren of piles of paper, desks and down a hallway to the medical care area.  Matt's Batman's nerves were soothed by the free wireless network that Penn Health provides for patients and others who wait with them.  After about an hour of squatting on the floor i was offered a filthy chair which a nurse helpfully draped with a sheet.

While the friendly, if quirky nurse practitioner wasn't sure that it was a bat bite, and in fact was pretty sure it wasn't, Matt Batman still needed to drop trou and take a few rabies shots in the butt and arm.  He doesn't react quite as badly to needles as I do, but he does turn the same shade of green.

One of the light moments was when the health care provider realized we were brothers and not 'special friends' as she had been assuming. 

Matt Batman was pretty shaken up by the whole thing but made it home ok. 

Ok until the BAT CAME BACK. As soon as it got dark last night, there was the flying rat, back torturing my brother and his roommates.  You'd think 3 guys with college educations ... nah I won't go there.  Oh yeah and he also had to tell his girlfriend she needed shots in the butt too.  Good times!!!

Hopefully the bat eradicator can fix the issue today and Matt Batman can rest easy.

Gift Giving Opportunity

As you may have noticed, it is currently June 5th, wich means you have only 12 shopping days left to buy my Father's Day present.  While my ex wife co-parent probably would not agree, I am nominating myself for Father of the Year and deserveto be rewarded properly.  Since my kids are too little to do much shopping on their own, I've got a few ideas for you all!

• Samsung's Deluxe Q1 Ultra - This thing is HOT!!!!  An ultra mobile 800mhz wireless computer with full keyboard and 7" screen.  A STEAL at only $1200.

• Apple iPhone - this is probably the convergence product that would break what my lil Bro calls my "PC brainwashing."  It's pricy, like everthing from Apple, but I am guessing that when Paris gets out of prison, she will be ditching the Sidekick for one of these and I want to be right there with her.

• Wireless XBox with 20 GB Harddrive - this one is more for the boy than me.  He loves his baseball on the Box, but ours is getting a bit elderly and needs to be kicked up a notch.  If ya can spare the change, spring for a pair of wireless controllers too!

• Jimmy Buffett is playing the Boardwalk in AC this summer.  And 2 tickets would be a SWEET Father's Day gift!!!  I will take care of the transportation, party supplies and grass skirts.

Just drop me a note and I will let you know where to ship these babies!  i'm really looking forward to it!

Have a good one!

Home Sick

I'm home getting a bit of extra time with the kids this morning.  John slept in and then complained of a stomach ache.  I pretty much ignored him, assuming he just was not into school on a Monday.  He of course promptly threw up everywhere immediately after breakfast.  *SIGH*  Emma is making the most of her extra time with daddy by cooking me eggs for breakfast on her mini-kitchen.

We had a great weekend and managed to get a lot done around the house while also visiting with the grandparents.  We had a nice brunch over there for Sunday morning, all of the grandkids and kids were present.  Uncle Matt was very active as a football coach in the backyard.  Andrew appears to be a lefty, as he was able to really zing the ball from the southpaw side.

Lots of pictures are up here on my Flickr site.  I encourage you to join and comment.  It's fun and a great way to stay in touch!

Morning Mini Post

In case you have not checked In lately, I have lots of new photos up on my Flickr page.  Some, like the shot to the right are from John's recent T-ball games and practices.  He's having a great time and enjoys the game as well as his teammates.

Others are from the recent flooding that hit the Philadelphia region and specifically Burlington County very hard.  I drove through Lumberton and Mount Laurel on Monday and took some pictures of the devastation.

I also have a new set up of The Gardens section of Mount Holly.  Built as a public housing project of one and two story attached homes, the area was plagued by the ravages of drugs and crime over the last few decades.  The area has been controversially designated for redevelopment and is largely abandoned.  A few families are holding out, either because they have nowhere to go or because they simply refuse to give in and leave.

Continuing my urban decay theme, there are many pictures from a series I am doing on Camden and the wonderful buildings I found a long the Broadway corridor which are a window into a gloried past that is so far from Camden's current reality.

Finally, there are many new shots of the family up as well, including some of my little angel Emma (right).

Today is supposed to be the best weather of the year and I am planning to head outside and do some yardwork and see what 78 degrees and sunny will feel like after weeks of a chilly, nasty spring.