Welcome to the World, Caleb

The morning of my accident, while I was in the hospital, some other house mates were also in the hospital. Nigel and Danielle went to the hospital on Monday night and on Tuesday morning they were joined by baby Caleb 5lbs 13 oz. What a wonderful surprise! Danielle wasn't due for another month. Caleb is doing fine and the family has returned home. The house is now abuzz with activity as the baby count rises to 3 (plus 1 three year-old), and friends and family come to visit the newborn. Life is beautiful.

Shannon Family Reunion!

The order of events is slightly off but you get the idea...A couple weekends ago David and I enjoyed an afternoon visiting with extended Shannon family from all over the United States and over seas. This reunion was with my Dad's father, Patrick Shannon, and his family originally from Ireland, now spread from Italy to Oregon. It was so much fun, some of the family I hadn't seen since I was young and now some of us are married and even some have kids. Others I had never met before and was able to learn even more about my heritage and funny stories about my dad when he was a kid. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Backpacking in Fall Colors

This past weekend Alison and I went up to the white mountains to do some hiking and camping. Our camera ran out of batteries almost immediately so we don't really have a lot of photographs to show you. The trip was a success nonetheless. We chose a very busy weekend to go up there (peak foliage and a holiday), but it was completely worth it. What we have here in New England in the autumn is truly a national treasure, and to be able to experience it on such a grand scale is like nothing else. We chose a trail that we thought would keep us away from the crowds and it did. We climbed up the southeast side of Mt. Flume and continued over to Mt. Liberty-- which are two 4000 footers just south of Lafayette-- and only saw a few people on the trail. This year the reds seem to be dominating such that looking down from above, the entire valley floor had turned crimson. It was truly something to behold.

To get away, to be alone in the woods with the one you love is a seasonal necessity for me. Two days isn't much, but my spirit was revived.

I Got Run Over by an SUV!!

No, seriously... I was biking along rt 28 in Andover and a lady driving a Mitsubishi Montero turned into me, driving over my front wheel and then my left arm. That sucked. The good news is that the car drove over my arm and not my head or chest or stomach. And nothing is broken! Wow. Thank the good Lord for that. I do, however have the nastiest looking bruise and the highest level of pain that I have ever had, and the front wheel on my bike is all tacoed. Oh, and today is my birthday. The accident happened yesterday, the eve of my birth. Happy birthday to me!