Merry Christmas 2006!

Merry Christmas to all, from us denizens of State of Nature.  As with all things here, ours was a bit chaotic, but with a healthy dose of fun.  Mamere and Pops were here to enjoy the festivities and we had a wonderful time.  Here are some pictures I got when I managed to pick up the camera.

Porto Alegre, Brazil

I had an eventful trip last week to Porto Alegre, Brazil.  I had to go there on business, and the trip wound up being successful in that regard.  But the travel was very tough.  Here is a free travel tip:  Do not try to fly domestically within Brazil during an air traffic controller work slowdown.  The trip down was okay, relatively speaking.  My flight into Sao Paulo from Newark was on time.  The connecting flight from there to Porto Alegre was "only" delayed 2 1/2 hours.  This was within the expectations I had given the situation.  However, coming back (isn't it always coming home where the bad stuff happens?) was a different story.  My flight from Porto Alegre to Sao Paulo was delayed six hours, causing me to miss my connection back to Newark.  I was very fortunate to find some really helpful Continental agents at 11pm that night, who were able to rebook me on a Delta flight that went through Atlanta.  I finally rolled up to our house at about 4:30 pm, more than 24 hours after starting my journey home.

Anyway, back to the positive.  I got to see some of the sights in Porto Alegre, which is the capital of the southernmost state in Brazil, called Rio Grande do Sul.  I took a few pictures, which you can see here.

Politically Correct Holiday Greeting

Someone at Honeywell circulated this the other day.  Not sure what this implies about our Law Department . . .  

_________________________________________________________________

Dear All, 

I wanted to send out some sort of holiday greeting to my friends and associates, but it is so difficult in today's world to know exactly what to say without offending someone. So I contacted HON legal yesterday, and on their advice I wish to say the following:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasions or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make the world a great place (not to imply that any country is necessarily greater than any other country) and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Disclaimer: no trees were harmed in the sending of this message however, a significant number of electrons were slightly inconvenienced.

Or - Merry Christmas & Happy New Year,

Christmas Travel Surprise

Well, the travel elves at my office have really outdone themselves this time.  I found in my stocking about two weeks ago tickets to Porto Alegre, Brazil, of all places.  I have a long-pending case there, and the judge has set a hearing for this Thursday, December 21, and ordered representatives of the parties to be present.  So I am off tomorrow night for what could be a real adventure -- a ten hour flight to Sao Paulo, with a connection for another 1 1/2 hour flight down to Porto Alegre.  I have to admit, I'm somewhat intrigued by the whole thing; seeing a place I pretty much never dreamed I'd see, and experiencing first hand the legal process of Brazil.  However, I don't love the timing -- the week before Christmas and Stephen's birthday week -- and I'm a little concerned with the ongoing work "slowdown" by the Brazilian air traffic controllers, which has caused significant delays on domestic flights.  Wish me luck, and I'll be sure to post upon my return!

Make Way For Santa!

Saint Nick may have some trouble navigating through our living room given the size of the Christmas tree we've planted there.  We tried to get it as far away from the chimney as possible, so Santa will have room to enter the room and move around . . . but I think it might be touch and go.  We got "Bertha" (my nickname for the tree) last weekend at a farm where they cut the trees down for you.  I think this one is a good example of the eyes being bigger than the living room.  Getting her home was a real adventure.  We were on the interstate a few miles from our exit when the ropes holding the front part of the tree to the top of the car broke, and we almost lost her.  After stopping to re-tie the ropes, we finally got her home, and then had to figure out how to wedge her through the door and erect her in the tree stand.  After some fairly comic maneuvers, we finally had her up and ready to decorate.  Using what little energy remained at that point, we trimmed this truly majestic blue spruce.  Now, a week later, she looks great and is standing tall -- so tall, in fact, that even after I cut a fair amount off the top, we don't have room for our star!

Christopher's Baptism

Last Sunday was the baptism of Christopher Michael Graf, my most recently born nephew (son of my brother, Peter and his wife Marcie).  We loaded everyone on a plane and traveled down to Raleigh, North Carolina for a three-day weekend including the big event.  In addition to being a lovely celebration for Christopher, it also was the closest thing to a family reunion in quite some time for the Graf-Hughes branch of the family.  Here are some pictures taken over the course of the weekend.    

A Great Day

So the Saints are 6-2, and now this, and even this!  Stunning.  There is hope.

Halloween 2006

Halloween 2006 in Mountain Lakes will be pretty hard to top.  The town closes off several streets in two different areas and tries to focus most of the trick or treating in those places.  This year, it was like a giant block party.  The weather was great and most people in the designated areas were sitting outside their houses, and many had set up pit stops where the adults could pick up some well-deserved refreshments.  Our kids held up very well, and we even managed not to lose any of our black-clad children in the darkness and crowds . . . well, at least we didn't lose anyone for more than five minutes or so.  Here are a few pictures. 

By Popular Demand

Some in the ranks of State of Nature devotees have expressed a desire to see more pictures of Lisa and information about what she's up to.  Here's a start.  This shot is from her adventure sewing a cover for a pad cut to fit a little nook in Nina's room.  The fabric threw off large quantities of fuzz, or some such, and as you can see, the stuff got literally everywhere.  For reasons I still don't understand, the finished product does not bleed fuzz everywhere.

End Of The Terrible Twos!

As of last Friday, we can say that our family has seen the last of the Terrible Twos (at least strictly as a matter of the calendar).  After a two solid weeks of anticipation, Matthew turned three.  Nonni, Aunt Christina and Olivia drove up for the weekend and we all got together with a couple of Matthew's friends for a small celebration on the big day.  The observant among you will be able to tell from the pictures that Matthew opened at least some of his presents a little early.  If a present is not well hidden from an (almost) three-year-old, there is not much you can do to stop him. 

Halloween Is On The Way

Stephen's class went to a pumpkin patch, and Matthew got to go along!  Lisa was there with the camera and reported back with these pictures.

Yes, He Really Is Asleep

So here is what happens when a three-year-old comes in for a snack after a long afternoon of play.

Saints 5-1?!?

Some things got back to normal over the weekend.

This, however, is far from normal.  The Saints went to 5-1, winning just the type of game they have been losing regularly for the last 40 years:  After cruising to a 14-point halftime lead, the Saints looked ready to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by letting the Eagles score 21 unanswered points to go up 24-17.  In the past, that would have been more than enough to break their sprit, and they would have gone on to throw a couple of interceptions, etc. and lose something like 34-17.  But Sunday, in a shocking turn of events, the Saints scored the final 10 points of the game to prevail 27-24.

I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts, because I'm pretty sure it can't last all that long.

Arctic Camping

After a one-year break, David decided to re-join Cub Scouts (Webelos).  The Pack 10 Fall campout last weekend got things off to a fantastic (albeit somewhat chilly) start.  We camped in the Stokes National Forest in far northwestern New Jersey.  After we set up camp on Saturday, the pack leader took us on a strenuous 2 1/2 hour hike, the highlight of which was a good 500 feet of rocky climbing in about 1/2 mile to the top of Sunrise Mountain (elevation 1600ft).  After our return from the hike and during the subsequent enjoyment of dinner and the campfire, the temperature plummeted.  Overnight lows were in the mid-30s!  This is quite chilly to be sleeping outside.  But David and I bundled up in the tent and got a good night's sleep (or at least David did).  State of Nature veterans will recall that the last campout in which David and I participated treated us to 90-degree heat and humidity.  I suppose we could be referred to as "extreme" outdoorsmen (although perhaps Uncle Rob would view the conditions as moderate in both instances). 

The next day, the pack broke camp and drove to Bushkill Falls -- a series of eight falls often referred to as the "Niagara of Pennsylvania."  Some additional hiking, again strenuous at times, allowed us views of all eight waterfalls, and a variety of other breathtaking scenery.  It's amazing the things that can be just an hour's drive away that you had no idea were there.

Of course, I brought along my camera and got some nice shots -- enjoy!

Perfect Football Weekend

For all you football fans out there, it does not often get any better than this (with apologies to John):

Tulane 38 Rice 24

Florida 23 LSU 10

Saints 24 Tampa Bay 21

Paris Again

Well, I had business again in Europe last week.  As before, I spent time in both Zurich, Switzerland and Paris.  I'm still having trouble finding a decent meal in Zurich, just as I have been unable to find a bad one in Paris.  I had a little time for sightseeing in Paris, but not much.  The main thing I did was go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, which was absolutely spectacular.  I won't bore you with all the pics, but I do have a few really good ones, including an "art shot" of the Eiffel Tower enveloped in fog. 

School Days!

Well, school has finally begun here in Mountain Lakes.  Contruction at the high school delayed the opening about 10 days for the entire system.  The school year did not start a moment too soon for Stephen.  He was as eager to go to kindergarten as any kid I've seen, and he has not been disappointed in his first week.  His teacher, Mrs. Hammer, has a happy, gentle matter that belies here name.  Stephen pointed out that in fact there is no hammer in the classroom, and that is just her name. 

Nina and David are settling in well to their new classes.  Since even I have trouble keeping track sometimes:  Nina is now in 5th grade, and David in 4th.  Matthew is having a little trouble understanding why he is not going to school as well, and seems somewhat nonplussed by the quiet house he is experiencing.  But he is keeping busy with a fun class at the Y a couple of times a week.

I took a few pictures of opening day, which are here for your viewing pleasure.

Vacation 2006 -- Part II

Part 2 of our vacation adventure was a week on the sunny, white beaches of Destin, Florida.  As always, the beaches were breathtaking.  The kids had great fun swimming and playing in the sand.  Matthew is a fish . . . the rougher the water the more he smiled and laughed going over the waves!  David showed a real aptitude for the frisbee, and enjoyed expeditions to the sandbar.  Stephen built sprawling sand forts and had a least as much fun, if not more, destroying them.  Nina put on her goggles and explored what seemed like acres of the Gulf of Mexico floor.  It was a fantastic week of R&R and time together with the family.  And, of course, I had my camera.  Hope you enjoy the pictures. 

Vacation 2006 -- Part I

Well, we've just returned from our 2006 vacation and I've decided to describe it in two separate posts on the website.  The first part of the trip was a three-day stay in Baton Rouge with Mamere and Pops.  After an uneventful day of travel from NJ to Baton Rouge we had an action-packed visit.  First, we brought the kids down to New Orleans for a day of fun.  We intentionally chose to stay in the areas of town that either weren't heavily damaged in Katrina or had recovered.  Because this was the kids' first real visit to N.O., and Lisa and I had not visited in several years, we elected to stick with things that would be fun for the kids, and would remind Lisa and me of all the good times we had in the city.  Highlights were a stroll through campus at Tulane, lunch at Cooter Browns (yes, I took my children to a bar), a visit to the N.O. Aquarium, shopping in the French Market, and beignets to go from Cafe du Monde on the way out of town. 

As you might expect we were exhausted after all that, but intrepid travelers that we are, we soldiered on the next day with a trip to downtown B.R. to explore the U.S.S. Kidd, a retired detroyer that is docked on the Mississippi River and open for tours.  My cousin Karen, her husband Jim and their kids Emily, Elliott and Erin drove down from Vicksburg to join us on the Kidd and for a visit to12669 Mollylea.   Then after a superb  dinner of crawfish etouffee prepared by Pops, we got a good night's sleep and took off the next morning for a week in Destin.  I'll cover that in the next post.

In the meantime, here are some of the better pictures of our trip to New Orleans.

Triathlon Season Finale

Here's a quick report on my last triathlon of the season, the New Jersey State Triathlon, which was held July 23, just outside of Princeton NJ.  It ended up being one of the best executed races I have had.  I had my fasted average speed ever on the bike -- 23.1mph -- and my fastest ever 10K run at the end of a triathlon -- 38:30.  This was good enough for 12th overall out of some 600 participants, but the top 6 in the event were all professionals, so I don't count them!  I could only manage 4th in the 40-44 age group, as this was the most competitive division at the race.  I held second position in the age group almost the entire way, until being passed in the final mile by two guys.  I didn't feel too bad about that, though, as these guys were in the process of running 35 and 36 minute 10Ks!

The results are here for you to peruse if you like, and this link has a nice array of pictures.

That does it for tris this year, and I'm now starting the process of training for my first ever marathon, which will be the Philadelphia Marathon on November 19.  Wish me luck and good health.

Randolph Lake Triathlon

If you find my triathlon race reports boring or tedious (as Lisa does), you can stop reading now and I won't be offended. 

Last weekend, I raced a sprint triathlon only 20 minutes away from our house.  The Randolph Lake Tri consisted of a 1/2 mile swim, 16.4 mile bike and 3.1 mile run.  We had absolutely beautiful weather, if a little hot, and I had a little extra inspiration knowing that Lisa and the kids were actually going to be waiting for me at the finish.  For the swim, I elected to go without a wetsuit given that conditions were warm, and thinking that any time gained wearing the wetsuit could be lost taking it off.  I had a solid swim, coming out 16th overall.  The bike was very tough for a relatively short course, with several steep climbs.  I had a good ride, winding up with the 14th best split overall.  The run was pretty flat and there was a decent amount of shade.  I cruised into the finish with the 8th best run split.

Overall, I came in 9th out of 300 entrants, but only 3rd in the 40-44 age group.  Not only that, but one 40 year old was in the top 3 overall, meaning he didn't count in the age group standings.  Pretty impressive group of old guys -- four out of the top nine overall were 40-44!  Results from the race are here if you want to take a look.

Why I Like The Internet

I was cooking a pot of red beans today and got to thinking about some of the Louisiana delicacies I miss the most.  Knowing that Community Coffee is available through its website, I decided to do some quick research on some of my other favorites.  Wouldn't you know it, through the wonders of technology (and UPS), just about anything a Louisiana ex-pat could want is right at his fingertips.  I put some sites over with the favorites in the margin.  A lot of Zatarain's products are available in grocery stores outside of Louisiana, but the one thing I need -- creole mustard -- can be very hard to find.  The biggest surprises to me were the online availability of Steen's cane syrup, Camillia red beans and even Union Coffee and Chicory!  I guess I won't be needing that extra empty suitcase when we head down to Louisiana in August.  

They REALLY Don't Like Him In Europe!

This will give you some sense of the depth of the dislike for Bush overseas. 

 

U.S. President George W. Bush hands back a crying baby that was handed to him from the crowd as he arrives for an outdoor dinner with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Trinwillershagen, Germany, July 13, 2006. REUTERS/Jim Bourg (GERMANY)

No. 2 is Nine!

David recently had his ninth birthday, believe it or not!  The big day itself was spent by most of the family in Maryland with Nonni, Aunt Christina, et al.  That weekend we had a party at a place called the "Funplex" with a group of David's new NJ friends.  I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but here are the best of the ones I did get.

Would This Be Called A Quadrathlon?

I did something last weekend that some might characterize as a bit nuts.  Friday night, I arrived back from my trial in Houston on a flight that landed in NJ at 10:30pm.  Saturday morning, I was up at 4am to run in the Wyckoff YMCA/Franklin Lakes triathlon.  I had signed up for the race, so figured I'd go ahead and do it.  Under the circumstances, the race went pretty well.  The swim was smooth and fairly easy, and I came away with the 5th best time overall.  I did not ride well, which is not surprising since cycling is the hardest thing to keep up with while on the road (as I was over the preceding four weeks).  My run was strong, which again is not surprising, as running is the easiest training to manage while traveling.  Overall, I placed 16th out of approximately 650 entrants, and was 3rd in the age group.  Complete results can be found here.  Also check out race day pictures of the run and the bike, and another on the bike.

Early 40th

Lisa and my good friend Rob Clark organized an early 40th birthday celebration for me the weekend of June 3-4.  The spark for the get together was a food and music festival just 25 minutes from Mountain Lakes called Crawfishfest.  There was good New Orleans music and food at the two day event, which was great fun despite the dicey (rainy) weather.  Who would have thought such a thing existed here in Yankeeland.  Rob used his superior powers of persuasion to convince our college friends Jeff Maher, Mike Marchitelli and Joe Toman to fly in from around the country.  Saturday night, we were joined at a party at our house by a couple of other Tulanians who live in our area, including my former swimming teammate Tiger Cass.  What a weekend!  I didn't take a lot of pictures, but here are two of some of us at the Crawfishfest Sunday.

Memorial Day Fun

We had our first trip out on the canoe over Memorial Day weekend.  We saw the sights all along scenic Mountain Lake.  The canoe ostensibly was a Christmas gift for the kids, but I think I am enjoying it as much as they are.

Columbia Triathlon

Last week, we traveled down to D.C. for a little visit and so that I could compete in the Columbia Triathlon.  I decided with a cycling buddy of mine from Chevy Chase/Blessed Sacrament that we would try to make this race an annual opportunity to get together.  I ended up having a fantastic race.  The weather was perfect, although the day started a little chilly.  I broke away at the swim start and came out of the water first in the swim.  I held my position on the bike, proving that you can get into reasonable cycling shape for a May race doing most of your training in February and March on an indoor bike at a Residence Inn.  I then had a very steady 10K run on an extremely tough, hilly course.  It was a really fun day.  Under USA Triathlon rules, you race at your age as of December 31, 2006, so I was in the 40-44 age group for this one.  I managed to win the age group, proving again that, unlike in the old days of swimming, it now is quite beneficial to be the youngest one in the age group.  I also was 39th overall out of over 1300 competitors. 

Click here to see the age group results, and here to see the overall male results.  There are also some race pictures here, and a picture of me collecting my first place trophy here. 

Something Else I Will Never Do

At least this guy does not have to worry about the water aerobics ladies complaining about the water being too cold.  He probably never has to swim circles either.  Safe to say he generally has the water to himself.

It's A Start

It may not be much, but at least things are beginning to move in the right direction.

Yes, But Can He Swim And Run?

On the one hand, you really have to respect this guy . . . if not for his perserverence in cycling over 330,000 miles, then for his ability to control for all that time the innate desire for new gear that burns within all cyclists.  No surprise at all that he's a German.  But on the other hand, you have to wonder about a person who apparently simply dropped everything to ride a bike around the world for 44 years.  Personally I either (1) think he's certifiable, or (2) really envy him -- can't decide.     

Fun Weekend

New content on State of Nature is long overdue.  Finally I have both something to post and the time to post it.  We had a very nice Spring weekend, complete with a visit from Nonni and Grand Daddy Dick.  Saturday was Stephen's first T-ball "experience" (Not a game, actually.  Instead, it was a great deal of teaching and general fun to introduce the kids to the sport).  And Sunday was "Touch a Truck Day" over at the soccer fields.  So here are some pictures of the weekend, along with some bonus shots of the kids on trout-stocking day at Birchwood Lake.

One Year Closer To A Teen

Nina's 11th birthday was last Sunday, which, frankly, I find more unsettling than the fact that I will be turning 40 in three months.  She had a lovely day with her parents and brothers, along with Nonni, Aunt Christina and Olivia, who made the trip up for the weekend.  The big event was a home screening of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, followed by a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs.  Here's some pictures memorializing the day.

VICTORY!

As I'm sure you've all noticed, there has been an unsettling silence from State of Nature for the last month and a half or so.  The principal reason for that was that I had been in beautiful Lakeland, Florida for seven weeks at a large trial for Honeywell.  Thankfully, given the time away and intellectual and emotional investment I made in the case, we prevailed last Thursday when the jury returned a verdict fully vindicating Honeywell.  This article from the local paper roughly describes the conclusion of the case without too many inaccuracies.  I, however, am partial to the short, sweet, description in the company press release following the verdict. 

Blizzard

As you've no doubt heard (or experienced yourself), the Northeast was hammered by a major blizzard this weekend.  New York City had over 26 inches, its largest snowfall on record from a single storm.  I'm estimating that we had somewhere between a foot and a foot and a half here, and that was plenty.  The storm has prevented me from leaving to head back down to Tampa for a trial I'm in the middle of.  I'm hoping to get out during the afternoon tomorrow.

The kids spent some time outside today, until they got too cold.  You can get a good sense of how deep it was from these pictures.

European Non-Vacation

In late January, I traveled to Paris and Zurich for meetings on two cases I am dealing with in those places.  I flew over on a Sunday night arriving first thing in the morning in Paris.  By the time I got to my hotel and got settled, I had six hours until I had to be ready to head for a dinner meeting.  The pictures here are from my whirlwind foot tour during those six hours. 

After all my meetings the next day, I flew to Zurich in the evening.  I had meetings there in the morning and then had to head to the airport right after lunch, so didn't get to see all that much.  So you won't see any pictures of Zurich here.

Another Myth Debunked

In a triumph of science over wishful thinking, a recent study has found that your children are no safer in that enormous, hulking SUV that they are in a regular sedan.  With that one crossed off the list, what justifications are the SUV apologists left with now?

Engineers As Activists?

Those are not two words I normally think of together.  After all, MIT or Rensselaer do not come to mind with, say, Cal Berkely as hotbeds of student activism.  But now come the engineering students at Tulane, who have found a cause that they can and should get behind:  saving the several engineering majors that were eliminated in the post-Katrina restructuring of the university.  It really is the ultimate irony that the civil engineering program that produced the engineer who designed the original pumps that have drained water from the streets of New Orleans for decades -- many of which continued to operate while newer pumps failed -- is being eliminated now, when the city is facing so many decisions on how to properly and safely rebuild.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year From State of Nature

We had a relatively quiet first Christmas in New Jersey.  As quiet, that is, as things can be when the six of us are together in one place.  Some creature is pretty much always stirring around here.  We missed our extended family on Christmas day, but fortunately were able to get down to Washington for a lovely four-day visit.  Here are some pictures I took on Christmas.  Next year, let's have some visitors, please!!

Stephen is Five!

Notwithstanding Miss Manners' opinions regarding the questionable etiquette of blogging, we here at State of Nature forge on!  Here are pictures of Stephen's birthday party at the local bowling alley -- always a big hit with the little ones.  There are also a couple of bonus shots at the end of the aftermath of brownie baking for Stephen's party at preschool.   

Tomorrow . . . pictures of Christmas!