Category Archives: Andrew

Andrew, Griffin, Maggie, Oliver, Photo, Sarah

Memorial Day at the Cabin

May 29, 2017 Andrew Leave a comment

We enjoyed a few days with away from the end-of-school rush at the cabin over Memorial Day weekend. Our friends Jess, Murray, and Olive joined us. (Sadly, Kevin couldn’t make it this year.)

The trip included a number of notable events:

Oliver’s first trip to the cabin, including relatively long drives, unfamiliar sleeping arrangements, and a wacky schedule. He was quite flexible, though he did complain that we were letting him freeze during the first night (temps dropped steeply after dark). We nailed it on the second night.
Oliver’s first kayak trip.
Maggie’s first time paddling the canoe and sitting on a proper bench.
Griffin and Murray’s first time being largely independent in the kayaks. This was not exactly our intent, but they got them in the water before the rest of us were ready and before we knew it they were across the lake, exploring the island. (Definitely wearing life jackets!)
Griffin caught a frog.
Relatively close encounter with a pileated woodpecker on a birch by the cabin. The photos, at the end of the set below, are blurry phone pics, but this sucker was huge.
Two new eggs in the loon nest. We weren’t sure if they would use the same nest site for a second year running. Last year one egg did not hatch. We’ll be checking back on the nest at our next visit.
Thunderstorms and hail kept us inside on Sunday afternoon, which allowed for a smashing D&D game. (Griffin’s elf wizard was nearly killed by an evil skeleton, but Maggie gave him one of her healing potions.)

Oliver enjoying the view from the porch.

Oliver’s first time out in a kayak.

Maggie’s first time paddling (occasionally) the canoe.

Griffin and Murray zipped all over the lake.

Two fresh loon eggs in the same nest that we found last summer.

Oliver working on some teething issues (and boosting his immune system).

Bedtime reading with Jess.

Pileated woodpecker is on the trunk of the tree above the cluster of green leaves. (This was the maximum zoom with my phone… alas I didn’t have time to get the telephoto on my camera.)

Profile of the pileated woodpecker on the large branch to the left.

Andrew, Maggie

Young Theologian

May 7, 2017 Andrew Leave a comment

I was helping settle Oliver into his crib when Maggie got up to get a drink of water. She got back into bed, then sat up and stated, matter-of-factly, “I don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead.”

“Um… what?”

She repeated herself, enunciating carefully, “I don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead.”

“Ok honey. Goodnight.”

Andrew, Griffin, Maggie, Oliver, Photo, Sarah

Oliver Louis Stocco Roy

November 26, 2016 Andrew 3 Comments

Sarah’s water broke at 7:15 AM on November 25, 2016, and Oliver Louis Stocco Roy was born twelve and a half hours later, at 7:44 PM. He was 9 lbs 1 oz and 21 inches long. We’ll post more about his name later, but it should be noted that “Louis” is pronounced LOUee after his great grandfather, Louis Stocco.

Sarah’s labor was complicated by the fact that Oliver’s umbilical cord was both wrapped around his neck and fully knotted, cutting off oxygen during contractions. It was an emotionally intense experience for all of us, including the medical staff. Because of the urgency to get the baby out, it was also far more painful and physically traumatic for Sarah than we had anticipated.

Fortunately, moments after his rather dicey arrival, little Oliver loudly proclaimed his health and hunger. He was a rock star overnight, dividing his time between eating and sleeping. Today he got to meet two of his grandparents (the other two, we hope, in January), and his older sister and brother. They were very excited to meet and hold him.

Below are some pictures from Oliver’s first 24 hours. Click on any picture for a larger version.

Andrew, Teaching

Forgiveness vs. Permission

November 13, 2016 Andrew Leave a comment

Email exchange with a student just now:

Student: While reading my paragraph for homework, I thought there was something missing from it. Is it okay that I used the Interactive Immigration Explorer to explain some things in my paragraph?

Me: Yes, definitely! I love that idea.

Student: Good because I already did it.

Andrew

November 8, 2016

November 12, 2016 Andrew Leave a comment

I’m nowhere near ready to write about this, but feel that I should include a snippet of the outside world in this otherwise unapologetically navel-gazing blog. I hope it provides a historical anchor when we look back in years to come.

Election results as of Saturday morning.

This is the week we thought we would be celebrating the election of our first woman president. A week when we could finally put this repulsive presidential campaign behind us. A week when we could tell our children that the American people hold themselves to a high standard, are welcoming toward immigrants, stand up for women’s rights, defend the religious freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, etc., etc., etc.

I have alternately felt shock, grief, and anger in the days since, but my overwhelming feeling every morning, as the reality dawns on me again, is shame. I am ashamed of my country and I’m ashamed of myself (for being party to this debacle, for being so naive as to think it was impossible, for drifting so far from so many other Americans, for having enough privilege that the storm will likely leave me unscathed). I know these aren’t particularly productive emotions. My fundamental optimism will reassert itself in time. I’ll be reinvigorated to continue my work as a passionate educator, believing, like Jefferson, that an educated citizenry is our best hope.

But for now, I’m profoundly sad.

Andrew, Griffin, Maggie, Photo, Sarah

Loft 2.0

October 15, 2016 Andrew 2 Comments

In preparation for Family 3.0, we decided it was time for a major upgrade to Griffin’s loft. Loft 2.0 is bigger, and is now a shared loft for both Maggie and Griffin — we always knew that Maggie deserved a special loft space too. Beneath the deck is an area for reading and building forts, with room, eventually, for a crib. We couldn’t have done it without expert assistance from Sarah’s parents.

Getting started. (This is what Loft 1.0 looked like.)

Griffin learned to use some new tools.

The sander was loud!

The whole family was involved.

It’s strong enough for bouncing!

Loft 2.0

A better look at the understory.

You may also enjoy looking at a post about the construction of the original loft, built a few months before Maggie was born, and photos of the construction of Griffin’s original room in Oakland, way back in the spring of 2009.

Andrew, Teaching

My Dubiously Relevant Subject

August 29, 2016 Andrew 1 Comment

Every year I begin my eighth grade social studies class by asking students to answer this question on an index card:

Why is social studies the most important class you will take this year?

It’s an absurd question, of course, and I learn a lot by seeing how each student tackles it. Most of them simply write out some reasons why social studies is important. Others add that other classes are equally important. A few argue that another subject trumps social studies altogether. Occasionally someone identifies it as a leading question and castigates me for pedagogic incompetence.

This year, however, I received an answer that had me laughing aloud at my desk after school:

I don’t know yet. Convince me.

Challenge accepted!

Andrew, Griffin, Maggie, Photo, Sarah

Yellow Cabin – Summer 2016

August 8, 2016 Andrew Leave a comment

Another lovely summer weekend at the cabin. The water was warm so we spent much of our time on or in the water. Many highlights of this trip escaped digital capture, including seeing young otters playing by the shore, a few sightings of a belted kingfisher, and a bizarre close encounter with a meditating cormorant (who remained standing on a sunken log unperturbed by Griffin approaching nearly within arm’s reach). Plus Daddy capsizing and emerging from the lake covered in muck. And a humongous man-eating water tarantula (that’s its scientific name) on the dock.

But we did manage to get a few shots. Click below for larger versions.

Andrew, Photo

ID Evolution

July 24, 2016 Andrew 1 Comment

Major cleaning and sorting in the basement uncovered my stash of former ID cards from high school and college, as well as my California driver’s licenses. The universal awfulness of the photos begs the question of why I didn’t shred them. Despite the cringe factor, it is kinda fun to see nearly 30 years in ID portraits.