Marion's

Another taste of Centerville Ohio is Marion's. It is a traditional gathering place for youth athletic teams and families, and you went there many times following soccer and softball. It is regularly voted the best pizza in Dayton. Every year they run and anniversary sale with pizza at half price. This is the ad from this year's 51st anniversary, which starts today!

So, of course, Mom and I had to go and we thought of you and Allison because it is a family favorite! I think Jared and Brian like it as well. I know Emma does, and I'm sure Alex will. It is just his size.

The pieces are cut in distinctively small squares and the taste is surprisingly good. Nothing, however matches the pizza in NYC. You must like it though, because it is often your first stop after landing in Dayton. Sorry, if this gives you a craving you can't satisfy!

That Hampton Magic

The Hampton's/Shelter Island have been magical for you and Jared! It is where you first met - and where you are right now!

I thought I would share some pictures of the old magic that I found!

This nice picture of you and Jared popped up in my search of you at Shelter Island. I'm not sure where it was but it is a great picture!

I'm sure this weekend is also another magical trip to your special place! (As you know, East Hampton was a special place for Mom, too - that's where she went to Girl Scout Camp when she was a kid.)

MIKESELLS!

Today we drove to downtown Dayton where we went to the Mikesell's distribution center. Mikesell's is a Dayton tradition. Along with Esther Price for chocolate, Bill's for doughnuts and Marion's for pizza there is none better than Mikesell's for potato chips. So you, wisely, chose to include Mikesell's in your wedding gift bags. We purchased 3 cases of 2 ounce Mikesell's potato chips.

We could have gotten the 1 ounce bags but I suggested to Mom that we get the 2 ounce size (twice the number of chips!)

Mom said there are few extras! Who gets them?

California and Your First Kiss

In the summer of 1989, we were able to use points from my business trips to fly to California for a great vacation. Back then, we were able to use airline points for hotels and car rentals, too. We flew to San Francisco and stayed in a Marriott on the bay in Oakland. We got a mid-sized, tan Corsica for our car. It was July, but it was freezing in San Francisco. You are showing us your age in this photo!

After a few days of sightseeing we headed to Yosemite where we had reserved a cabin. The Marriott it was not! I remember you, Mom and Allison sitting on the bed with your feet up. The floor was so dirty you did not want to put your feet down without shoes. The park was spectacular though! But the ride into and out of the park was very curvy and surrounded by steep cliffs, and you got carsick the day we drive out - and Mom almost did in that tan Cierra.

From there we drove back to the coast, down the Pacific Coastal Highway (another curvy road with spectacular scenery) and stopped to visit Mom's Aunt - another Jane Brockway Stone in Santa Maria.

We continued south to LA and did Hollywood and NBC Studios. Do you remember Mom being pulled over by a huge California State Trooper for speeding? We then went south again to San Diego. We even took a quick trip across the border to Tijuana. In San Diego we visited Pacific Beach and spent time in the beautiful hotel pool. It was at that Marriott that you had a very embarrassing moment. You were lying on the bed, after we came back from the pool, when one of the loudest toots ever came out! We all could not stop laughing! How could such a big toot come out of a little girl?

In San Diego we also visited the famous San Diego Zoo and you received your first kiss from a seal/sea lion! Do you remember his name? I do but I want to see if you remember it!

That trip may well be my favorite family vacation!

Happy Birthday Jared!

Today is the birthday of your fiancee, Jared Pedrick Nolen.

Jared went to high school at Middlesex.

After Middlesex Jared went to Brown

Jared completed his MBA at Columbia.

You and Jared were engaged On June 7, 2015 in NYC

You and Jared will be married on Block Island September 17, 2016.

Happy Birthday Jared!

The Outer Banks

The Outer Banks of North Carolina, became a favorite family vacation spot for us! Our first vacation there was when we were camping in our popup trailer and Allison was just a baby and we lived in New Jersey. On that trip we went to Cape Hatteras and it was so windy it blew the cheese off the cheese burgers as I was cooking them on the hibachi. After you were born and we moved to Ohio, we went twice more with Uncle Pete, Aunt Georgia and Chris and Lindsay and shared a house in Duck.

We went back one last time after Allison's senior year and we stayed in Corolla. The beach, on the Outer Banks was great and the water was warm! We swam with the dolphins as lines of pelican flew over head!

What are your favorite memories from the Outer Banks?

Your First Sport, Soccer!

Your first organized sport was soccer! You played a number of years and did well. One of your teammates was Emily Kowalcyzk, who continued playing and actually attended Syracuse, at the same time you were there, on a soccer scholarship. One of your teams was coached by Brad Luckhaupt, who would go on to be one of my big bosses at NCR. Of course, soccer was a sport I couldn't coach. Our biggest worry, and I believe one of the team's main concerns, were the snacks you would all have at the end of each game! I hope we brought good snacks when it was our turn, and your teammates enjoyed them!

As you grew older you played softball and did gymnastics! Who would have guessed your best sport would be golf! But much more about that later!

Pop-Pop

Pop-Pop, my dad, your granddad, Donald William McClain was born on this day in 1921. If my math serves me correctly, he would be 95 years old today. Here is a picture in 1992, when he came to visit us in Ohio.

He lived in Florida and we moved to Ohio from Florida when you were 2. So you really did not have much of a chance to get to know him. I'm sorry for that because he was a wonderful man and a great dad to me! He was born in Brooklyn, grew up in Westwood, NJ, moved to Pearl River, NY to raise his family and retired,with your Nana, who died one year before you were born, to New Port Richey, Florida. After he graduated from high school, he joined the Army Air Corps, where he fought in World War II. He was a highly decorated soldier earning both the "Air Medal" and the "Distinguished Flying Cross" for his service in the Pacific, where he was a ball turret gunner on a B24.

Happy Birthday Dad! We miss you!

Stonehenge and your first trip to Europe

Do you remember your first trip to Europe to visit Allison during her semester abroad?
A few weeks ago was the summer solstice. So I thought of our trip to England and Stonehenge. If you look at the picture of you and Allison you will notice the rope or barricade that prevents you from getting too close. On the solstice they remove that barrier so people can move freely in between the stones.

I also thought of Ft. Ancient here in Ohio. It is where the Hopewell Indians celebrated the solstice, and in their earthworks (mounds) they built portions to mark the sun at noon on the solstice.

The solstice is nice here at 1012 Treeside. I can mow the lawn with plenty of light up until 9:30 PM. I hope you and Jared enjoy your long ( not quite as long in NYC) summer days!

Remembering Gucci!

Today we returned from a wonderful two weeks out of town. We spent 2 wonderful days with you and Jared. We then went to Hingham for a week and 1/2 with Allison, Brian, Emma and Alex. This time included: a Red Sox game with amazing seats, a trip back to Fenway for a cool date with the Nolen's and a concert by Paul, 3 trips to beaches, a day trip to the beautiful ocean town of Marion, two trips to farms, two more trips to playgrounds, two library visits, two ice cream outings, a visit to Derby Street for a visit with a firetruck and countless hours of fun and games at 8 Flintlock Circle. We added a nice visit, at the end, to Syracuse to say good-bye to Aunt Rosamond. Despite all that goodness it was with a sad heart, that we we returned home to 1012. I opened the door to an empty house. Gucci was really gone! The sad reality set in once more. But in our mail was a letter from my good friend, Kurt. He had drawn this wonderful picture of Gucci for us to remember him!

Aunt Rosamond

We detoured on our way home from Boston to visit Aunt Rosamond in Syracuse. She is 97 years old and feels it is necessary to move to an assisted living facility. Since she wishes to be near Laurie and Nina, that means moves moving to the west coast. She plans to do this by the end of the summer. I felt we needed to see her before because I don't think we ever will see her again after she moves out there. So the visit was bitter sweet. We enjoyed seeing her and considering her age we thought she looked great (she still plays the piano everyday!) but she remarked that everyday brought some new ache or pain. I could not help but think that this was an end to a whole portion of my life. Her husband, Uncle Don and I had a special relationship, similar to the one you have with Aunt Rosamond and as such she is the last living connection I have with him.

She was thrilled with your wedding invitation and spoke of how she wanted to go but it was just impossible! She then brought out some jewelry, that Uncle Don gave her, that she thought you and Allison might enjoy. This included two "Columbia " pieces. One was a costume "Columbia Lion" and the other was a necklace of Kings' College (Columbia). Did you know that Rutgers was once known as Queens college?

We will stay in touch by phone and cards and she wants pictures of your wedding which we will provide, but saying good bye for me was very hard and I was sad the rest of the day. She certainly loves you and I thank you for maintaining such a good loving relationship with her!

Centerville High School

After Tower Heights you went to Centerville High School, a large high school with over 500 students in a class. To make it seem smaller they divided the high school into three units. You were in West. You really took advantage of your high school opportunities! You were a class officer, participated in theater (Once Upon A Playground), speech, French Club, DECA and golf while continuing your Odyssey of the Mind team competition. You were a member of the French Honor Society as well as the National Honor Society. You still maintain close ties with your high school friends and many are coming to your wedding!

Tower Heights Middle School

As I mentioned yesterday, most of the kids that attended Ida Weller Elementary went to Magsig Middle School. However the kids in our neighborhood went to Tower Heights Middle School. Do you remember middle school chorus and and small group ensemble? You also participated in Odyssey of the Mind and Mom and I were your coaches when you were in 7th grade! Middle school was also when you started to play golf! Tomorrow we will move on to Centerville High School.

Ida Weller Elementary

Your first school was Ida Weller Elementary!
Your friends were Christie Lienesch (went to Incarnation), Susan England, Jodie Brummitt, and Kristen Bohardt (went to Stingley). All of us fathers and daughters joined the same Indian Princess tribe and enjoyed our camping trips to Camp Kern. You participated in Brownies (Mom was your leader, rec league soccer and softball, went to gymnastics at Topps, competed in "Odyssey of the Minds" and won the Woodman award for public speaking. Most of the "Weller" kids moved on to Magsig Middle School but the handful of kids in our neighborhood went to Tower Heights. More about that tomorrow!!!

A Big Surprise!

After our visit with you and Jared, we received an email telling us about a surprise experience you and Jared planned for us in Boston. We were to proceed to the Boston Beer Gardens, at 6PM Sunday, July 17th, where we would meet our "mystery dates", open the mystery envelope and learn what we were doing. We had no idea! As we got close it looked like we would be going to Fenway Park. After seeing Paul McCartney Concert tours shirts, we both realized that we were going to see Paul! What a thrill for both of us, especially your mother as Paul was her first "crush" and she saw him in 1964 with the other Beatles in Forest Hills Stadium. When we spoke to you from the Beer Gardens you told us who our mystery dates were, Bill and Claudia Nolen. How exciting! We met up with them and they were as surprised as we were!

We then proceeded to our "turf seats" where we watched Paul give a non-stop concert of almost 3 hours. It was so nostalgic and magical! If I closed my eyes I was back in the college snack bar in 1968, listening to "Hey Jude"!

It was truly and unexpected and magical experience! Many thanks to you and Jared for giving us an experience of a lifetime!

Scouting

I was thinking about scouting the other day because of the new badge Cub Scouts can earn for Video Games. I guess there is quite a controversy because when you think of scouting you think of getting outdoors. You were in Brownies from Kindergarten through 3rd grade and your mother and Mrs. England were the leaders. This was primarily a mother-daughter activity, but I remember attending your award ceremonies. I also helped eat all the Girl Scout cookies every year. My favorites were Thin mints and Samoas. Do you remember Hershey eating through a cardboard box to get to the cookies? Her favorite was Thin Mints! What is your favorite? After 3rd grade you "flew up" to Girl Scouts and you continued your participation through 5th grade. I did share involvement in scouting first as a Cub Scout from ages 8-10 and as a Boy Scout from age 11 until 16. While my father got involved with my baseball and football, he did not become a scouting leader. He told me he slept on the ground enough in the Army and had no desire to do it again on our scout camping trips. He encouraged me to stay involved in scouts and probably was the key reason that I continued in scouting until I attained the rank of Eagle Scout. I really enjoyed scouting, the camping trips and summer camp (I was a camp counselor for my first summer job). Your mother didn't believe I was an Eagle Scout until I showed her my stuff. I showed her my merit badge sash which included a badge for Home Repairs and she laughed, as you know she does most of the home repairs now. The picture is of the "moving-up" ceremony from Brownies to Girl Scouts at Stubbs Park in May 1993 .

Bill's, The Best Doughnuts!

Mom is now retired but.....
every other Friday, on pay days, they had doughnuts at John Hole Elementary, Mom's school, and of course those doughnuts come from Bill's. On special weekends we would get bagels from The Bagel Cafe, (which is now 5 Guys) and sometimes doughnuts from Bill's. I believe Jared has tried Bill's.

What did he think of them?

I know you live in a city renowned for it's culinary delights. But have you found a better doughnut than Bill's?

The "World Famous"

Do you remember, those rare occasions, when I would have to cook? My skills were very limited and the menu was very short. One of my specialties was the "World Famous" grilled cheese. It was made in the electric skillet with lots of butter. The picture here should remind you.

We no longer have this skillet! Which I believe was key to my success! Do you ever crave the "Original World Famous?"

The Invitations!

Today you mailed the wedding invitations!

They are a work of art in themselves: the colors (blue and gold), the scalloped edges and the embossed paper!

The schedule of events for the weekend!

The attention to detail, to help your guests!

One cannot help but to be excited just looking at the invitations! I know I am!

The Beach

One of the disappointing things about living in Ohio is there is no beach. We were told that the Great Lakes have some spectacular beaches. We spent many vacations searching. We went to Marblehead and then Put-in-Bay. They were OK but not the real beach. So we tried way up north and went to the UP ( Upper Peninsula of Michigan) to both Mackinac Island and Petoskey. They were nice but not the same. Eventually we gave up trying and relied on the Outer Banks, Ft. Lauderdale, Daytona and Nantucket for our real beach fixes. Probably the closest we came in Ohio to the beach was The Beach water park. Now you are much closer to a real beach! Not fair.

Kings Island

One of the great things about Ohio is Kings Island! Ohio does have some pretty good amusement parks! When we were younger we went there for summer day trips with roller coasters (Beast, Racer and Vortex and even more now ) We also went at Christmas once when they had the "Festival of Lights". They had shows and holiday decorations. Do you remember ice skating by the replica of the Eiffel Tower there?

Here are some pictures of you and your friends at Kings Island in middle school!

Has Jared ever been?

Graeter's, The Best Ice Cream!

I believe you even found a place, in the city, where you could get Graeter's ice cream!
Who would have thought it? The best ice cream comes from Ohio and the best ice cream in Ohio comes from Graeter's! We have a Graeter's in Centerville, and it is shown in the picture. That is the problem. It is too close and too convenient. Jane has sworn off Graeter's until after the wedding, so we have not had Graeter's all summer! It is over ninety degrees today and sunny and we are in Boston! So I can't talk about Graeter's anymore if I can't have any.

I know you are serving Dell's Lemonade. I wonder if you could have served Graeter's at the wedding?

Preparation in NYC!

Today we were all preparing for the wedding. Jared, Mom, you, and me all exercised by walking along the park by the Hudson River. We all want to be in great shape for the wedding! Hubba is helping!

You and Mom spent a good part of the day putting the table menus into the frames that Mom painted gold. She did the painting in the garage during early spring and some of the paint got on her car!!!

I'm sure over the next two months there will be a lot more preparation. The wedding will be here before we know it!

New York City

Friday, July 8th. One of the best things about being your dad is you living in NYC for the last 10 years, and your mother and I have enjoyed visiting you there. We have had great adventures and enjoyed many celebrity sightings including Hillary Swank, Sally Field, Nathan Lane, Malcolm Gladwell, Lord Voldemort and Victor Garber to mention a few. Today we visited again and you took us to "Le District" which is a piece of France on the lower West Side by Ground Zero. Mom took this picture of you, Jared and me.

Another great thing about NYC is you always take us to great restaurants. Today was no exception and we went to perhaps the best restaurant of them all, L'Artusi, which specialized in Italian cuisine and has a wine list exclusive to wines from Italy (which did not stop Mom from ordering a Chardonnay!). Thank you so much for taking such care in planning for our visits! Each trip has been memorable! Mom and I are looking forward to babysitting your apartment and Hubba while you and Jared are on your honeymoon!