Read This!

If you love New Orleans, do yourself a favor and read this article. While there is some Saints focus, it is at its core more about the city and its people, including the bounce-back from Katrina. You don't have to like the Saints, or even football, to enjoy this moving piece.

Christmas Tree.2009

Between swim meets, basketball games and snowstorms, we managed to get our tree up the weekend of December 12-13. It's not the biggest tree we've ever had, but it came together very nicely. Particularly after I followed up what I refer to as the kids' "provisional" ornament hanging with a little recalibrating.

Stephen and Nina are the most diligent and focused decorators, as evidenced here:

Although David gets bonus points for figuring out how to simultaneously hang ornaments and consume a gigantic spoonful of cookie dough:

And, of course, Matthew is Matthew:

More pictures of the tree trimming here (view in full-screen mode to see captions), although I just realized as I was putting together this post that I did not get a picture of the finished product! I will rectify that in a later post.

Tempting The Gris-Gris

I know Saints fans everywhere are excited about the 11-0 start. But Saints fans of all people should be well aware of the power of the "hex", and therefore should avoid things like this, which I found buried in the article linked here:

Even Mardi Gras is making way. One parade was canceled because it was set to roll on Feb. 7, the day the Super Bowl will be played in Miami. Another parade will be moved to the following Tuesday if the Saints make it to the big game.

That's what I call getting ahead of ourselves. All the 11-0 record means is that the Saints will finish no worse than 11-5. To be canceling Mardi Gras parades at this point, on the assumption the Saints will be in the Super Bowl, is sure to cause a major gris-gris to envelope the Superdome!

Is The Po' Boy Endangered?

This terrific article from Wednesday's NYT Dining section has me worried.

Haunting Mountain Lakes

Halloween 2009 was wet and (thankfully) warm here in Northern New Jersey. This year, we were scattered in several directions for the festivities. David went to a party with friends and then out to trick-or-treat. Stephen raided the houses of Mountain Lakes for candy with a pack of his classmates. And Nina and Matthew had a great time trick-or-treating together while Lisa and I tagged along, enjoying some socializing in the streets with the other parents.

Here are Matthew (Commander Rex) and his friend Danny preparing for the Wildwood School Halloween parade:


Stephen said he was going as a "rebel":

And finally, Nina -- some kind of "grim reaper" figure -- was a huge help escorting Matthew around the neighborhood:

Matthew Is Six -- Lisa is ??

We had a birthday extravaganza on the third weekend of October, spilling into Monday and Tuesday. We celebrated both Matthew's and Lisa's birthdays, with lots of help from Christina, Olivia, Michael and Nonni. There were cakes, cupcakes, ice cream and presents starting on Saturday, and not concluding until Tuesday evening (Matthew's actual birthday)!

So it started Saturday making the first cake for the celebration with cousins Olivia and Michael:


Then that night, he blew out the candle (singlular), and we all enjoyed the home-baked cake:


Then, it was on to Lisa's birthday (Monday), and then cupcakes at school for Matthew with his class on Tuesday. That night, there was yet another cake!

Whew! After all that, we will need a whole year just to work this off.

Stephen's First ("Real") Swim Meet

On October 24, 2009, the mighty Dolphins of the Morris Center YMCA took to the Hackensack High School Pool in a showdown with the Greater Bergen YMCA. This would be the first true test for rising 8&Under star Stephen Graf of MCY. Below, MCY Coach Cecala huddles with Stephen and his 8U buddies to talk strategy.


Finally, it was time to race. Stephen started strong, with a very impressive third-place showing in the 25 yard freestyle. MCY swimmers took second and third to tally four big points for the Dolphins. Here's a video of the race (a little shaky at the end . . . sorry).



Then it was on to the next race, the 25 yard backstroke. True to Graf family tradition, Stephen struggled a bit in backstroke. Reflecting on his race later, Stephen puzzled over why it is that anyone would want to swim a race that requires sprinting headlong toward a cement wall while looking up at the ceiling.

But then Stephen finished strong on the freestyle relay. Unofficial splits had his time at 19.7 seconds, his first time under the 20-second barrier. Video of that race is below

Stephen's First Swim Meet

Stephen competed in his first swim meet last weekend! It was an intrasquad meet, and a perfect way to get him accustomed to the mechanics and atmosphere of a meet. He swam pretty well, too. The video below is of his first race ever -- the 25 meter freestyle. He did a great job, winning his heat and dropping a ton of time from his race at the tryout. Stephen is in the second lane from the top of the screen. He is the one with the quick start, like his Dad! Sorry it's a little fuzzy at the beginning - I had a focus issue.

Playing With The New Camera (Triangle Regatta)

I also tried out the new camera on a beautiful day at the Triangle Regatta in Kinnelon. This was David's second regatta this year, and his first aboard his sleek new racing Sunfish. David had a great day -- he ended up second in his division, and also beat a number of adult sailors. I was able to get a number of nice pictures, like this one, for example:

More here (David is sail number 82036)

Playing With The New Camera (Soccer)

Just before we left for our vacation in August, my camera died. I didn't have time to get a new one before we left, so took my pics on vacation with a very old camera. Now I have replaced the broken camera, and have been having lots of fun with my new toy. It has a really good zoom, which helps when trying to take pictures at events like soccer games and sailing regattas. The first weekend with the camera, I took it out to the soccer field and put it through its paces.

Here is a shot where I was able to zoom in on Stephen playing goalie, and capture him throwing the ball out after a save.


More pictures here.

Never Underestimate The Power Of The Hex!

Obviously, I am excited about the Saints' 4-0 start. Living where I do, the victories over Philadelphia and the NY Jets were especially sweet. The former earned me a free lunch from a rabid Eagles fan at work, and the latter gives me bragging rights with numerous fans of that local team.

But . . . and there always is a "but" with the Saints . . . I am tempering my enthusiasm in light of a lifetime of disappointments. David does not undertstand this yet, but I am trying to teach him. Here is a nice article about the mood in N.O. and on the team -- the key quote is this:

It’s all added up to one of the most dominant starts in franchise history, begging the question: Could this finally be the year New Orleans plays in its first Super Bowl?
“The funny thing is, we’re talking about it, but we’re also taking it one game at a time,” Randazza said of her discussions with fans. “We don’t want to overdo it because we’ve always got that voodoo hex here where we might have something go wrong if we get ahead of ourselves.”

Lego House In The UK

This is Matthew in 30 years. He could probably build something approximating that house with the Legos we have in our basement.

We're "Swim Parents" Now

I'm getting a somewhat mild taste of what my parents experienced when I was growing up. Stephen has finished his first week of practice on the Morris Center YMCA Swim Team, and Lisa and I have finished our first week as "swim parents"! Stephen will be swimming all winter and through early Spring on this team. This week, he practiced four times. On Sundays they allow parents on the deck to watch practice (not so on the other days, which I think is great). I sat through the practice today, and was really impressed in how much progress Stephen has made in just one week. I guess I should not be surprised, given that he had never swum on a team before when, out of the blue, he came to Lisa and me and said he wanted to try out for the Y team.

Anyway, Stephen is having a great time so far - hopefully that will continue. Looking forward to the intrasquad meet in two weeks!

Football Is Here!

Today is the official opening day of the NFL season. Of course, that means four long months that inevitably will culminate in my beloved Saints disappointing me in some incredibly excruciating way that cannot now even be imagined.

But on a more positive note, it also means the return of the weekly "Tuesday Morning Quarterback" column on espn.com, by one of my favorite writers, Gregg Easterbrook. Longtime State of Nature readers have seen my posts in the past singing his praises. This week's column is particularly entertaining, and a great example of what Easterbrook brings every week. It's a rollicking combination of riffs weaving together football, current events, technology, history, science and even haiku! Really great stuff.

Ocean City 2009

Literally minutes after the Regatta wrapped up (see below), we loaded up the van for our annual expedition to Ocean City. We had a really terrific week. The weather was pretty much perfect all week, with only a little rain toward the end. And mighty Hurricane Bill passed by the East Coast at the optimal distance, such that it did not disturb our weather at all, but did generate some very large surf. The body surfing was some of the best I've ever experienced.

The kids had lots of fun on the beach, of course, but we also made our traditional mini-golf outing, and even added a day at a water park this year.

The photo above shows Stephen heading into the surf on one of the calmer days we had. Lots more pictures here.

Sailing

So our major new activity this Summer was sailing. There is a long tradition in Mountain Lakes of kids learning to sail on the lake. The vessel of choice is the Sunfish. There is an extremely devoted group of men and women in town who organize and run a six-week sailing camp each Summer to teach the kids the ropes. And on Saturday mornings, a guy who grew up in town, but now lives in New York City, comes out to Mountain Lakes to give free racing lessons to any kids who are interested. This year, both Nina and David went to the sailing camp, and had a fantastic time while learning a great deal. Lisa spend a significant amount of time repairing boats -- first our boat, and then several of those belonging to the sailing club.

In late August, David capped off his first year of sailing by competing in the Sailing Association of North Jersey Lakes (SANJL) Sunfish Championship Regatta, right here on our own Mountain Lake. The competition involved five races, and the sailors earned points based on their placing in each race. It was David's first regatta, and he came through with a very impressive second-place finish in the 13-under division.

Here are the sailors lining up for the first race of the day (David is in there somewhere):

All in all, sailing was a great experience for the kids. We will surely be back for more next year . . . although Lisa might look to decrease her boat repair workload somewhat.

This Is Why I Open Windows In The Winter!

It's always nice when science confirms something I've been saying all along. Now excuse me while I go turn down the thermostat.

I'm Back!

After a slight delay due to my encountering a "bump in the road", I've now raced my first two triathlons of the year. The results were encouraging. On July 12, I kicked off my racing season with a second place finish overall at the Randolph Lake Triathlon. This is a great race for me to do because it's only 20 minutes from my front doorstep! Full results are here. Then, two weeks later, I headed down to Princeton, NJ for the New Jersey State Triathlon. I had another great finish on a very warm and humid day -- 8th place overall, and 1st in 40-44! Results here.

All systems seem fully recovered from the accident.

Business, Not Pleasure (Unfortunately)

I recently made a trip on business to the beautiful island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. I have a series of cases pending in the courts there involving some issues at the massive Hovensa refinery, and the court ordered the parties to participate in a mediation process in an attempt to settle one of the cases. I was there for two days and, unfortunately, saw much more of the inside of a law office than I did of the more scenic portions of the island. However, at the end of my first day of work there, I managed to get out the beach just before sunset, and started snapping pictures. My favorite is this one.


If you are ever in St. Croix, I can definitely recommend the Buccanneer Hotel, where I stayed this time around. Very nice rooms, good service, and beautiful beaches.

The good news is that we managed to settle the case at mediation. Perhaps even better news is that it looks like I will be going back in early September for mediation in another set of the cases! It certainly beats where I will be in early August: a chemical plant in Metropolis, Illinois.

Wear Your Helmets, Boys And Girls!

As many followers of State of Nature already know, back at the end of April, I was hit by a car while on a cycling training ride. I was taking a left turn and was broadsided by a driver who ignored a stop sign and pulled onto the road right into me. I was taken from the scene by ambulance to a nearby hospital to learn I had sustained a fractured rib, and to get three stitches above my eye. Fortunately, after about a month, I was mostly recovered, and now am fully back to normal.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for my bike. As you can see from the pictures below, the impact of the accident snapped both legs of the fork clean in half.


In addition, the frame had a large crack down one side.


This latter damage rendered the bike beyond repair, and it was totaled. Fortunately, a very reasonable insurance settlement has allowed me to replace the bike.

So the bike has been replaced, and my injuries have healed. But the extent of the damage to bike and person in what was a pretty low-speed accident highlights how much worse it could have been. Be careful out there, and WEAR THAT HELMET!

Not To Make Excuses, But . . .

Okay, I know I have been way behind on the blog . . . very few updates, and when they come, they're a month or more dated. So our schedule for a recent weekend may help explain the blog neglect. Here was our day on May 16:

8:30-10:45 - Stephen lacrosse tournament
11:00-1:00 - Matthew T-Ball

12:00-1:30 - Stephen baseball game
1:30-3:15 - Stephen goes to birthday party
2:00-4:30 - David rec baseball game (extra innings!)
4:45-5:15 - David travel baseball batting practice
7:00-9:00 - David travel baseball away game

This was an extreme case, but actually somewhat representative of our weekends over the last month or two.

Stephen's First Communion

I'm continuing to catch up on the blog . . .

Stephen's First Communion was March 2, and it was a fantastic weekend. Family from all around made the trip to Northern NJ to share in the festivities. We had visitors from Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland, New York, and North Carolina! What great turnout, and lots of good food and conversation.

Here is Stephen fully dressed and ready to head to the church.


More photos here.

Matthew Starts T-Ball

Here's a picture of Matthew all dressed and ready for his first day of T-Ball. He's been at it for a few weeks now, and let's just say he's got a long way to go to reach the level of David or Stephen. But he sure looks cute!

Easter 2009

We had a very quiet Easter this year, but a very nice one nonetheless. Despite the relative quiet and calm in the State of Nature, the Easter Bunny did find us, hiding Easter baskets, and eggs throughout the house. We also did our traditional egg dying/painting on Holy Saturday (see photo above). On Easter Sunday, I broke somewhat from the normal cuisine for this occasion, and deep fried a turkey. Although high winds, made the frying somewhat challenging, I managed to complete the task safely, and the finished product was fabulous.

For more pictures of the fun, click here.

Drinking The Kool Aid

If state-sponsored religion (or, in this case, town-sponsored religion) were legal, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, just might establish the Church of Lacrosse. I am only partially kidding. The people of this town seem to eat, sleep and live lacrosse 24-7-365. Stephen will be playing for the first time ever, so we received our "baptism" Saturday morning at the annual Mountain Lakes Lacrosse "Fun Run" -- the official start of the season. It was a real spectacle and, I have to admit, kind of fun. All the kids from all the teams, second grade through high school, gathered at the elementary school and went for a short jog around town as a group. Then, when they returned, they got an inspirational talk from the high school coach. I guess the rather obsessive commitment to this sport in Mountain Lakes pays off: I learned Saturday that the high school team is ranked 5th in the country this year.

The picture above is of Stephen, fully equipped for lacrosse. Except a jersey will presumably be added over the pads at a later time. More pictures here.

Parents vs. Play Station

Here's a little more ammo we can use in our constant battle to keep video game systems out of the house. So they don't just turn kids into slack-jawed zombies, they also cause physical harm.

Digging Deep For Good News

Guess you could call this a silver lining in the current economic situation. And it's not bad for the sharks either, as they don't really like to eat people anyway. At least that's what I'm told.

It's A Start

So this winter has been so cold and snowy we have been forced to dip our toes ever so slightly into the world of winter sports. First, a little ice skating, and then, a couple of weeks ago, some fun sledding on a local hill. At first the kids were a little reluctant to venture out into the arctic landscape, but after one or two runs down the hill, they were sold . . . that is, at least until Stephen got snow inside his clothes! Picture taking was a little rough, as I had to ride the sled down with Matthew over and over, but I did manage to get a few, including the one above, and some more here.

Brrrrrrrr!!

Here is my weather station at 6:40 a.m. today. The top number is the temp outside!

Is This Good Or Bad?

So, heavy coffee drinking causes hallucinations? I haven't experienced this yet, but I'll be on the lookout!

Happy New Year - 2009

We had a nice, quiet, family New Years Eve last week. We started the evening with fondue (very retro!), and then moved on to roasting marshmallows in the fireplace, playing board games, and enjoying some champagne and Sprite (for the kids) as we counted down to 2009. All four kids made it until midnight, but only one of the six of us was still going strong at 12:01. Three guesses who that was, and the first two don't count! In case you hadn't guessed, it was this one:

Check here for more pictures of the festivities.

Can't Say This Surprises Me

Guess the Tigers were feeling just a bit defensive about having to stoop to accepting a bid to the "Chik Fil A Bowl" this year. Check this out, from one of my favorite writers on politics, current affairs and technology, Gregg Easterbrook, who also writes a great football column on espn.com:

Bad Sportsmanship Watch: Unless you went to LSU as an undergrad and then attended grad school at Georgia Tech, you weren't watching the fourth quarter of the Chick-fil-A Bowl late on New Year's Eve. But leading 38-3 in the fourth quarter, LSU staged a fake punt, trying desperately to run up the score. LSU threw nine passes in the fourth quarter, despite having a 35-point lead, as it frantically tried to humiliate Georgia Tech. Running up the score to impress pollsters bothers TMQ more than the lack of a true national champion in college football. Les Miles knew that if he could push the victory margin just a little higher, that might add one more notch to the school's final ranking in the post-bowl polls. This perverse incentive must be eliminated -- the polls system rewards poor sportsmanship, so poor sportsmanship is what we get.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Entire article linked here.

Christmas -- 2008 Version

Well, we had a really terrific Christmas here in Mountain Lakes this year. While we missed seeing extended family for the holidays, with a group as big as ours, we're never lonely even if just with the nuclear family! We were having so much fun on Christmas that I kind of neglected the camera a bit. Here are the pictures I did get. I do, however, want to highlight the following shot.

This is what we left for Santa on Christmas Eve. Cookies, obviously, but also a really classic note to Santa from Stephen. Click on the picture and it will blow up enough for you to read it (at least page 1 . . . it continues on the back). Enjoy!