Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

Elton

2009-09-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

It is will the deep sadness of pet lovers that we say goodbye to Elton. He was 15 years old, and with the exception of this last week, he has had a very good life with us. His habit of following Greg around the house; his warm fur snuggled against us on a cold morning; his very loud purr and meaningful meow... his absence will be felt. Our world is a little less sweet without our Boy.

Vacation in SIC

2009-08-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

We were in Sea Isle City NJ for 2 weeks. Had a great time. Family and friends visited. We always had a house full. Sun, sand, ice cream. Lots of fun!

The Ryan Girls, June 2009

2009-07-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July 2009

2009-07-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Philadelphia is definitely the place to be on the Fourth - awesome parade, and perfect weather for all of the events steeped in American history. The gentlemen at the podium are Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. THe Eagle was a pet of artist Charles Willson Peale. And yes, that is Greg playing Franklin's Glass Armonica - very well, too!

Longwood Gardens

2009-07-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

Went to Longwood Gardens today. It was BEAUTIFUL! The Wooden Dragon is guarding a treehouse. :)

Zoom-Zoom!

2009-02-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

Greg SO deserves this car! Oh, and a shot of a snowy evening in Pennypack!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-22T16:32:00.001-08:00

Some scenes of the Season...

Autumn walk in Pennypack

2008-11-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite scenes this time of year...

A Rainbow in Mayfair

2008-08-10T17:06:00.002-07:00

The sky over the Great Northeast was AWESOME this evening - look closely at the second image - you can see a double rainbow.

Grounds For Sculpture

2008-08-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day to check out Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. The art is really incredible - definitely need to do a return trip!

PORTLAND, OR

2008-07-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

A few shots from the City of Roses:

Dan, Mom & Rita at the Hillsboro Farmer's Market,
On the Willamette River,
Multnomah Falls,
In the Portland Japanese Garden,
The top of Mt. Hood (taken from the plane)

We had a wonderful time - it was great to see Dan & Jane - they are excellent guides in any city!

Ranger Greg

2008-06-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS, GREG! Love the "Smokey" hat!

Greg has successfully completed training as a Ranger with the INHP. No one is better suited to teach about and protect our historic treasures!

2008-06-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted and musicians denoted?

Is a vegetarian permitted to eat animal crackers?

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

JUST HAD TO SHARE A FEW FAVORITES FROM THE GREAT GEORGE CARLIN.

Travellin'

2008-06-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

Jane and I had a great week, driving south into California and making a big loop - we hit the Meadow Muffin, my favorite annual party, and saw some dear friends there - heard some great music, too.

Camped in the rain at Lake Tahoe, then visited Uncle Dan and crew for a few days. That's when the great weather kicked in.

There's a few pictures from the Muffin on my music web log, here;
http://buskersblues.blogspot.com/

40 is Sweet!

2008-05-07T13:50:00.001-07:00

A flower cake, a fruit arrangement... this was the birthday of "things that look like other things". :)

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So, this is what 40 looks like... kinda feels the same as 39! :)

Jane

2008-04-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's usually Jane behind the camera, and it's hard to get her to stand still for pictures.

Heres a shot of Jane while we were scouting out Kayaking spots.

Down at the Mayfair Diner...

2008-04-17T18:41:00.001-07:00

Look who we saw...

Governor Rendell, Mayor Nutter, Chelsea and Hillary Clinton. Frankford Ave was more of a zoo than usual!

Easter Stuff

2008-03-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Some pics of the Egg-Dying Ritual...

March Birthdays

2008-03-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

OK - We volleyed on & around Gram's birthday on March 1 - th list of her quirks included: Poor Man's Fruitcake, Bunny cakes, Blue Willow, curly hair vs. short hair, her pantsuits, voting for herself, rubbish, the Victorian chair, the snugsack, the apartment on Veree Road, and Chestnut Hill College.

How about this: The "dumb waiter" at Chestnut Hill - lots of fun!

Cousin John (Yerkes - "neighbor cuz") recalls going to breakfast with Aunt Cass...

OK - so, who will scan a photo or two (Kate?) of the object of all this affection?

Welcome Nikki:)

2008-01-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

This is the Ryan family's new dog, Nikki. Yay.....

Sushi at home!

2008-01-13T10:46:00.001-08:00

THANKFUL!

2007-11-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

In the pic - Greg's brother John, his girlfriend Amy, her son Jackson, Greg & me, and Sega

HAPPY POST-THANKSGIVING, ALL!

WHAT A WONDERFUL BREAK - BEAUTIFUL WEATHER, A GREAT THANKSGIVING DAY - LOTS OF BLESSINGS TO COUNT!

Family Tree

2007-10-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

OK, ALL - I've been playing around on Ancestry.com - I need info, anecdotes, scanned photos, accurate dates and names (like, does anyone know Pop's mother's maiden name?)Keeping it simple for now, but hope to expand - you know, all of Gram's siblings, all of their kids...
So - What do you recall?

Check out the list so far - http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/ListView.aspx?tid=4107692

BOB IS 40!

2007-09-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Gc2LMtpTSuo/RvcEkGBdenI/AAAAAAAAAEk/2hRNEr_18bY/s1600-h/mixed+003.jpg">

A BIT BELATED, BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB!

Pics: Bobby & Kara - Then and Now!

Remembering 'Rock

2007-09-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

It is will sadness that we say goodbye to a family companion, Shamrock Ryan.

'Rock was a beautiful kitten, and a cool cat. She got stuck behind a kitchen cabinet on Cottage Street, attacked a bat in the house, and was always grumpy toward Greg - certainly a feline with a personality all her own.

Sympathies go out to the Ryan clan - you gave her a good life!

Ah, the memories.

2007-08-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

A BEAUTIFUL JULY

2007-07-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

Wow! The weather here in Philly has been LOVELY - I'm sure we'll get our share of the hot & sticky, but for now I am content to stroll & bask in the breezy sunshine!

So, What's up with Y'all? Oh - Katie & I (along with Michelle) will be refered to as "The Whimsical Pilgrims" :) C'mon, now - how do we rock?

Just a couple of random pics - the WPs and Dan w/Sega.

WELCOME TO CHLOE!

2007-06-11T12:53:00.001-07:00

WELCOME TO THE WORLD, CHLOE! (Is she holding her ears to drown out the chatty relatives already?) :) IN OTHER NEWS: Greg's niece Amie has graduated from Arundel High School in Maryland - St. Mary's in the fall (Bob - this is the niece with whom you share a birthday)

Busy month

2007-06-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

We're back from our travels.

Here's the view where we were staying in Italy; in the group shot, that's Tony, John, Dominic, Annie, and Dan in back, with Paul and Jane in the front.

It was great to see both sides of the Family; I hope next time it's everyone all together!

Reunion Plus

2007-05-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Some pics from the recent family gatherings - great to be all together! Mom was TOTALLY freaked out by the "technology attack"!
Happy Mother's Day, Mama!

Bernadette and her beautiful girls
Congrats to Shannon on her Confirmation!

Coming home

2007-04-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Gain bonus points - identify the spot in this c. 1880 painting.

Jane and I will be hitting the road in May - and covering a lot of ground!

We'll be meeting up with Dominic in Prague (in the Czech Republic) on the 3rd, spending a few days there, and then on to meet up with the rest of the Brisbys in Umbria (that's in Italy) on the 6th.

Back in the USA, we'll be in Philly on Saturday the 12th. She has to head back up to NYC on Monday; she'll be back in Philly on Friday. She has to head to another meeting, in Boston, on Sunday. I'll head to the Airport with her, and fly back to Portland, where I get to pine away until Wednesday.

2 days later, we head to California for the Muffin - a 3 day festival with a lot of my friends. I'll be playing Saturday night, and just chillin' until Monday the 28th - when we head back to Portland.

Blogging Again!

2007-03-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

OK - I THINK THE PROBLEM IS FIXED - SO, TRY AN UPDATE, PEOPLE!

OH, AND - HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, BERNADETTE!

HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY KATIE!

2007-02-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

YAY! YOU ROCK, KATE! I remember when you were born - a big, adorable baby - now you are still adorable! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

GREETINGS

2007-02-09T16:47:00.000-08:00

HELLO, ALL!

IT IS COLD HERE IN PHILLY - FINALLY! FEBRUARY IS MOVING ALONG NICELY - HOPE EVERYONE IS STAYING WARM, HIBERNATING (but not too much) AND SPENDING TIME WITH GREAT PEOPLE (as seen here, the Sevs hangin' with Michelle & Denise in January)

Big 4 0

2007-01-31T12:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Greg! Have a great year!
Love, MOM

HAPPY 2007

2007-01-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

AMEN to that, Mom!
Happy 2007 to all!

(Sega agrees!)

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2007-01-01T06:08:00.000-08:00

Please join me in praying for health and happiness for all of us in this new year. Love to each and every one of you. Love, GMOM

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2006-12-23T04:36:00.000-08:00

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

Happy Birthday Shannon! Can't wait for your party tonight.
Love, GMOM

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2006-12-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to All!!!!!!!!
I still do not know how to put a picture to this thing. Kate does though but she is at school right now. Only one more day until Christmas break and the kids (and their mom) are very excited. I personally cannot wait to sleep in.
Well, the baking is done except for the shaped sugar cookies. Since the kids are off on Friday we will make them together. The gifts are just about wrapped (Thank God. I hate to wrap). The shopping is done. The tree is up. 5 days to Christmas but more importantly ONLY 3 MORE DAYS UNTIL SHANNON'S BD!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!! We cannot forget that...She will not let us .
Well, best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season from all of the Ryan's!!!
Bob, if you want pizelles you have to get to Aunt Kate's before we eat them all!

Happy December!

2006-12-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

TIS THE SEASON!

... for making pizzelles, decorating Grandmom's house, basking in the warmth and silliness of family...

2006-11-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

Here's an answer to the question, "What does a vegetarian eat on Thanksgiving?"

SEGA - Doing very well! Her fur is starting to grow back,
and she is quite active. She's gained her weight back, too.

Update...

2006-11-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

<= mmm...fresh, warm, homemade cinnamon buns...

Hello! Not much new - Sega continues to improve. She is doing almost too well - we now have a baby gate to keep her from going upstairs when we are not home. We are so happy to have her with us!

Halloween was a nice, uneventful evening - trick-or-treaters and neighbor chat, just what I look forward to on All Hallow's ...

Can't believe we are a week into November already - 2006 is almost through!

We are quite glad the mid-term election is over. I don't think I could take much more of the advertising!

Sending out good vibes to all!

Sega Doggie

2006-10-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Sega has been in the emergency veterinary hospital - she was quite a sick old girl. She received excellent care, and is home among her own felines & humans, ready to enjoy a few days of being pampered and hugged. Give your pets a hug, and thank the Universe for the kind of unconditional love they bring to our lives!

Something Random

2006-10-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

Nobody seemed to be posting, so I thought I would post these 2 interesting pictures of our cat, Shamrock. See enjoys to drink milk out of mugs:) Random? Most deffinately!!! How is everyone? Has anything random happened lately???? Nothing new here at the Ryan house that I know of. HELLO!!

Dan Rocks and Other Observations

2006-09-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

<= Mom's birthday brunch

1) Been listening to Dan's new CD - Very cool! I highly recommend it - and in spite of myself, I am going around humming "Food Chain". :)

2) I'm more than ready for cooler weather to stay for more than one day at a time

3) I'm really enjoying my class so far

4) We need updated Gardner baby pics

5) What are the Ryans up to?

6) Greg still makes the best pizza on the planet!

So, how's by everyone else in the Fam?

Back to School

2006-09-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

Yep. It's September - back to school. YAY! Hope all the students and parents in the family are ready to make it a great school year - I am SO glad to be back in the classroom!

Entirely different note: here are a few pics taken on Labor Day. It was a gorgeous day, weather-wise (after a bunch of rain) and I took my camera for a walk.

WELCOME, LIAM!

2006-09-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the family, Liam!

Congratulations Bob & Sunnie, and big sibs Abria, Kaitlyn, Bobby and Aidan!

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2006-09-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family
Bob and Sunnie,

Another GREATNEPHEW! I'm happy for all of you. See you soon. AK

2006-09-01T03:01:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Bob and Sunnie.

And welcome to the Family, Liam.

I think you picked the right one.

Lots of Love from Dan & Jane

More pics.

2006-08-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Rita and I clowning in California;

With the Brisby's in France (that's Tony, Paul, Annie, John, myself and Dominic)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB!

2006-08-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB! CREEPING CLOSER TO 40! :)

But, still smiling brightly - albiet with a few more teeth than in this classic photo from the family album!

Have a great birthday, and a wonderful year!

Getting settled (a bit...)

2006-08-20T00:54:00.000-07:00

Now that the "trauma" of moving has passed (mostly), we're really getting to enjoy Portland.

Like Philly, it's a city of neighborhoods...each with a flavor. We're living in a kind-of new neighborhood - "the Pearl", an area of Industrial buildings and Warehouses that have recently been turned into big loft apartnents - the little house we lived in in Albany could be fit quite neatly into our high-ceilinged space, and we've pitched a tent to use as a bedroom.

We think it's cool.

We live right next to the "Alphabet" district - but it used to be called Slabtown. The closest tavern userped the name - a very friendly spot called, obiously, SLABTOWN.

They serve fantastic, local Bratwurst and excellent local beers. And I'm taking over the Open Mic a few Thursday's a month.

A good start, especially since I also have 2 shows booked at the "mock Crest Tavern" on the other side of town.

Jane is very happy - her new position is keeping her busy, and buying furniture and exploring Portland is FUN. We're looking forward to checking out the Shanghai Tunnels; and there's some great hiking to be done around here.

Dan Lange

We're here...

2006-08-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here's another pic of the Golden Gate bridge taken from atop the south tower - and one of 4 generations of our family - Nonna, Mom, me and young cousin Dan D'imperio.

I'll post pictures of Portland as soon as we have some.

Ryan Vacation Pics

2006-08-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!!! This is my first attempt at posting anything on the blog, so I hope everything works alright.
The Ryan family returned home from Sea Isle today after a long, exciting week. We had a great time! There were many random events that occurred over the past week. One event including the disappearance of my(Katie's) hermit crab Gary. He was never seen again.

We got very creative with the sand this year as you can see. Both of these sand sculptures were created be Shannon. The second picture is a little hard to see, but it is a turtle that Shannon named Bubba. I am not entirely sure that it was Bubba, but I am pretty sure that it was Bubba.

The final picture is the AMAZING view from our condo. We had a perfect view of the beach. There were a few condos on the edges of the picture, but I didn't like them so, they didn't make the blog.

What's Your Plan?

2006-08-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

OK, Gang - Let the memories begin!

What's your plan, Limberger cheese, dead turtles, Ringing Rocks, Grammie being the only person willing to sleep with the "kicker" (me), mayo on the hamburgers -

What else do we recall from the family trips of our youth?

Shall we comment on the cruelty of the adults who dressed us in these pants, and gave us these haircuts?

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2006-08-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE FROM RED HOT PHILLY!!!

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2006-08-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE FROM RED HOT PHILLY!!!

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2006-08-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

The Ryan Family Doings!
I just figured out how to work this this. This is my first attempt to blog.
Been a fairly uneventful summer. Kate and I went to Savannah in June. Had an awesome time. I will have to get Kate to post a picture or 2.
The rest of the summer has been hanging at the pool. Spending time at the library and trying to stay cool. I forgot with 3 girls we have logged a lot of laps in the mall.
Today Kate and Shan went to Great Adventure with some friends. Ker and I went to the library. Andy is at the dentist!
We leave for our annual trek down to Sea Isle City this Saturday. We will be down for a week. YEAH!!!
Everyone who has access to this blog probably knows Mom is trying to get a family picnic together. Let me know the date. My house is perpetually ready to party.
Stay Cool!

Anniversary Greetings

2006-07-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary, Dan & Jane!

Can you believe that it's been 11 years? Watching you together, you still seem like newlyweds - of course, that may have something to do with the maturity level of the groom!

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2006-07-29T05:16:00.000-07:00

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2006-07-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

Memoirs and Musings of a
Functional Family

Happy Anniversary Dan and Jane, 11 adventurous years!

2006-07-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Best of luck, Dan & Jane! May Portland feel like home...

On the Sev front, no real news - just a bout with Indianmeal moths in the kitchen (blech!) - but, that's one way to clean out the pantry and get some new shelves...

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family

2006-07-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Memoirs and Musings of a Functional Family
Best of luck, Dan and Jane! Off to Portland Or to start a new chapter.

Guess where WE went today?

2006-07-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

Where are Dan and Jane in this picture?

Busy Times

2006-07-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Mom and Nonna hadn't seen each other in a while - lots of Laughter to get caught up on.

Been a busy time - after the visit from Mom and Rita, Jane and I visited her side of the Family - flying to london for Aunt Val's 70th birthday party (a Black Tie do at the Oxford/Cambridge Club in Pall Mall - most posh)

From there, it was on to Fleury la Montaigne in France for a week with John and Tony, Jane's parents, and brother Paul and his girlfriend Annie, and brother Dominic.

It was a week of great food, wonderful wine and the best company. Or as Aunt Val said in a Birthday Toast, "Family, Friends, and Fun".

Back in California, and in 2 days, Jane and I start our journey to our new home in Portland Oregon. Should be good.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KERRY!

2006-07-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

Kerry is 9 years old today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KERRY!

CA pics

2006-07-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

OK - a few more pics from the California trip. I'll be sure to do a zoo page complete with elephant photos!

This was the view from our room

Dan and Jane

the San Francisco Bay

Nonna & Me :)

This canyon view is a 3 minute walk from Uncle Dan's place

Gardner Pic

2006-07-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

Here's Bob's gang on July 4 - remember the Pennypack Fourth of July parades? :)

Hot, Hot, Hot!

2006-07-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

It is scorching today! But, you already knew that.
trying to get some more pics up...

Hello, All

2006-07-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is - a place where we can share what's going on, include memories, pictures, updates, etc. I'll post a more formal intro to the family soon (for anyone who is interested!)

Of course, the most notable recent event is the celebration of Nonna's 95th birthday. She looks (and IS) wonderful, and as sweet as ever! (booties, anyone?)