Johnnies Reunitas, or Revisiting the Past in the Present

OK, first off, for all you Gwen Wren fans and family out there: Yes, we made it to Germany safely. We are slowly slogging our way through the many details of putting our lives together here. Unfortunately for you our viewers, the blog has taken a back seat to some of these other matters over the past few weeks. (In the typical etymology, "blog" is short for "weblog," but perhaps in our case it is more appropriately short for "backlog.") Worry no more O viewers (if you were indeed worried); we have been taking plenty of pictures along the way, and making many mental notes of blog-worthy material, so you will soon be able to see what Gwen Wren and her parents have been up to during this apparent hiatus.

Before we get to the Germany material, however, we need to acknowledge some important events in Gwen Wren's former life Stateside. I am actually posting this blog on October 17, 2008. But, to preserve pseudo-historical accuracy, the date marked on the blog is Sept 22, the day after the following events took place (i.e., when we SHOULD have posted the blog). The next few blog entries will also be backdated, until we catch up more or less to the present. Thanks for your understanding. Now, on with the blogging...

In the middle of our September in Chocorua, Andrew, Trevor, and Rachel Dowd, three of my dear friends from college--"Johnnies" in the vernacular, derived from "St. John's College" (I guess it sounds better than "St.-Johnsians")--drove from Brooklyn to New Hampshire for a weekend with Gwen Wren.

The main activity was Gwen-Wren-holding.


There was also a fair amount of Gwen-Wren-bouncing.


Trevor couldn't quite figure out how to interact with Wren at first.


Then I tipped him off to one of my tricks of the Dad trade--a hold I call "flying pose". It's hard to believe, but I guess I do know a couple of dad-tricks now!


Rachel brought a ton of super-cute clothes for Gwendolyn, perfect for bundling up for a walk to Heron Pond.


This group photo was taken with the camera propped on a crooked stump, hence the strange cropping. Unfortunately, Photoshop was not able to fix my extreme case of "hat hair."

On the second day of the visit, our friend Tania joined us from Boston. She's not an official Johnnie (she went to Vassar--perhaps she is a Vassie?), but we have taken her into the fold.

Good thing, too, because she has excellent Wren-handling skills.


The outdoor activity for Day 2 was canoeing on Lake Chocorua.


Tulip seemed a little skeptical about the skills of the crew. Perhaps she was remembering that St. John's College is in the desert.

Tania entertained Gwen Wren on the dock…


…which was quite an effective prelude to Gwen Wren's nap.

The whole event had a certain L.L. Bean catalog feeling about it. In a good way.


We asked Andrew to be Gwendolyn's godfather, a role with which he already has some experience. He accepted with grace and a humble pride. We're still waiting for the first gift, however. ;-)


Notably missing from the group was our friend Jillian, who, in a case of supremely unfortunate timing, just moved from New York to Texas. Fortunately, Jillian did have a chance to hang with The Wren briefly in Austin before we left. JC, we thought of you all weekend.