Dante's Train?...

...could it have been...

Submitted by frank on August 30, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

I heard that Dante and his Mom and Dad were going to New York on a train. The train would have gone over the little bridge over Shaw's Cove in New London Connecticut where Grampy's friend Don keeps his sailboat that Grampy and Don sail on a lot.

The other day we were going for a sail and we had to go through the bridge and this is a picture of the bridge open to let us through. A user submitted image.

Before we left we saw a train going across the bridge and I thought, "Could that be Dante's train?" A user submitted image.

And then there was another one that we saw later, an Acela train and maybe that was the one... A user submitted image.

Or maybe none of them...I don't really know.

Oh, while we were out sailing that day the wind stopped and while we were waiting for the wind to come back, my friend Don's "little boy"---ha-ha-ha just a joke, decided to go fishing and he caught this little fish called a flake---whoops, it's a fluke, not a flake. Just goes to show what I know about fishes.---. we took his picture and then he put the fish back into the ocean. A user submitted image.

The end of this little story about bridges, trains, little boys and fish.

And Speaking of Miracles...

Submitted by frank on July 22, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Since I was humble in acknowledging my error in judgment by sending the ultimate compliment when the salad is particularly good, I was rewarded with this special miracle this morning as I was preparing my toast and coffee....

A user submitted image.

I am not quite certain about what the message is though...a genuine reward or just another item for eBay?

Garden Update

A small salad appeared

Submitted by sandy on July 21, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

Grampy doubted we would ever get a salad out of our little urban garden. Well, today we harvested the first item!

Here it is: tonight's salad, ready to be dressed with oil and vinegar and shared between the three of us.

A user submitted image.

Michael Anthony......

...a birthday story

Submitted by frank on July 1, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Yesterday Michael Anthony who turned two just the other day was given a little party to celebrate the occasion. And we all had fun..... A user submitted image.

...especially him!!!

Evening with the Firemen

All for a good cause!

Submitted by Cassi on June 4, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

Back in February I went to a charity function for the Humane Society. Being the good animal loving people we are, 2 of my friends and I bid on one of the items in the silent auction. Again, totally selfess and only thinking of the animals we bid quite a lot of money for "Dinner with Firemen".

I had no idea what to expect. I worked with Fireman Pete to set the thing up, and were told dinner was served at 6PM. So we headed down to the station. The station we picked was the largest firehouse in Chicago located in the heart of downtown. The boy's didn't seem to know what to do with 3 crazy women. We sat down with them and had dinner. They told us all about thier day to day job. I think they were laughing at us the entire time. We asked if they got a call what would happen to us. Sadly they said they'd leave us there, though one of the guys said maybe we could go out on the truck. Luckily it was a quiet evening for fires in Chicago.

After dinner the guys couldn't figure out what to do with us, until one of them suggested we go in the "Snorkel". That's when the fun began.

A user submitted image.

Once they realized we were really just big kids looking to play fireman they obligied. One of the guys suggested we dress up, so here I am in full fire gear.

A user submitted image.

They let us slide down the pole....kind of scary.

We had such a great time, I never realized the firehouses really are just big tourist attractions. The guys have an open door policy, while we were there alot of folks dropped by with thier camera's and kids and sat in the trucks and took pictures of the firemen. Of course they weren't allowed to slide down the pole.

After all we paid a lot of money for the firemen....I mean for the good cause!

Garden

A small garden for a small family

Submitted by Nicolas on May 27, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

Our building offered tenants the opportunity to plant a garden in small plots in our courtyard. Of course, being an outdoorsy, back to the earth kind of guy, I jumped at the chance.

First a little planning session:

A user submitted image.

For some reason (perhaps just four year oldness), he had to run around the courtyard pretending to be a butterfly. (He is a mother butterfly and when playing that game Sandy and I are just caterpillars--he loves to teach us things.):

A user submitted image.

Here we all are working the soil:

A user submitted image.

Next step planting (we've planted green beans, radishes, lettuce, peas, a watermelon and a pumpkin -- we have no idea what's going to work):

A user submitted image.

Now some watering:

A user submitted image.

Next, we wait 2 to 3 weeks and then we should see some seedlings. Salad in late July will be straight from garden (or maybe Whole Foods if it turns out we know nothing about gardening).

Snow!

Finally!!

Submitted by Nicolas on March 19, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

Oh, round about October, we reminded Dante how much fun the snow was. Sledding, snowmen, snow angels and all that. Then we had a winter with no real snow. Just when we had given up, a little snow arrived.

Here is what happened:

We were out at the height of the storm, so it was snowing and pretty windy. Was this really a good idea?

A user submitted image.

The snow was a bit dry and grainy, but I gamely tried to make a snow man. More like a snow marshmallow peep when I finished, but it was our only chance.

A user submitted image.

After a little while we realized that the most fun we could have was a running game of tag.

A user submitted image.

Now we were all pretty excited. Dante tried to catch some snow flakes on his tongue.

A user submitted image.

At about this point the grownups were ready for some hot cocoa, but someone was having too much fun and stayed out for quite awhile.

A user submitted image.

All these scenes are in our courtyard, in case you're wondering.

Morning Kid Sitting...

by the Geezer, would you believe...

Submitted by frank on February 16, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

...and it's true enough. The story behind the story is too complicated and too long for explanation here. But I found myself kid sitting for Michael Anthony over at his place this morning. Before everyone becomes too amazed, it was around 10:00 AM and only for a short 20 or 25 minutes.

I get there and take off gloves, scarfs, coats, and hats and immediately, Michael Anthony decided to give me a little fashion show with my infamous and sort of scruffy hat... A user submitted image. ...sort of a posing picture.

And this too... A user submitted image. ...but then he decided that we should go play with all of his stuff and we did for a while until he decided to tell me a story......yak yak yak , all in some semi intelligable kid talk, along with a gesture or two....

And that's the end of the story without too much of a point except it is an excuse to put up a snapshot or two of the little guy for everyone to see how he is doing these days.

MitchCycle

Mitchell on his new Unicycle

Submitted by Nicolas on January 19, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

By now he's probably an expert (who knows?), but here is what his first encounter with his Xmas cycle looked like.

go Go GO GO!! Keep trying! You'll get it!

A user submitted image.

Dizzy yet? Here are a couple of stills.

A user submitted image.

Christmas Eve in Connecticut...

worked out to be a very nice time...

Submitted by frank on December 26, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

...and it was especially fun to for all the kids. We were all there, Cass here for 20 hours or so from Chicago; Dante, Nick and Sandy up from Boston for most of the day; Steve and Jenny too all the way from North Haven; and Michael Anthony, Mitchell, Christopher, Samantha, Nancy and Mike here from a few blocks away on Lydall Street.

While we were all waiting for a giant bowl of rigatoni and Bolognese sauce the kids asked for permission to each open a present. They got it.... and were pretty much content to wait out the couple of hours or so till we were going to eat and then have our traditional pre-Santa open up some presents and do all the appropriate oooohhhing and aaahhhing.

While they were waiting they studied and played with one of Cass's little presents for Christopher ( I think it was his )... A user submitted image. ...and here they are.

A little later, after careful observation... A user submitted image.

Dante took a turn playing despite a few extra arms and a hand or two... A user submitted image.

Then we finally did get to that big bowl of rigatoni followed by ice cream pizzele and chocolate cream pie. Then our long awaited present openings. After that event, this image was seen outside floating in the woods off our neighbors back deck... A user submitted image.

We decided that we better wrap it up and we did. Everyone went home to have that " long winter's nap" and wait for the Jolly Guy...( the other one, not your author who is also known to be that fun loving jolly guy).

The end of our 2006 Christmas Eve Story........

It's Done!!!

The new kitchen

Submitted by Cassi on September 25, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

As of about 1 hour ago my kitchen is done. I know I said Labor Day....but that is the big contractor lie, kind of like the check is in the mail.

The project turned a little scary in the middle. It all started when I said I'd like a new outlet on one wall, simple enough right? Well when they opened up the wall to run the new wire through things got ugly. My building is about 100 years old and I use to have plaster walls. So at some point a long time ago they had to update the wiring. The developer at the time took as many shortcuts as possible. Instead of running the new wire behind the old wall and through the studs like you're suppose to, they chose to run the wire over the old wall and then dry wall over that.Not only a fire hazard it makes for a very lumpy wall.

Then we found an electrical box with all of these wires coming into it and going no where. Live wires!!

Everyday I would come home to new gaping holes in my walls. I wanted to take pictures of the scary wires and holes but my contractor said "Get out of the %#&*%%$ kitchen". I guess something’s you don't want documented.

Well I now have a new outlet and a completely re-wired kitchen. Here are some pictures:

A user submitted image.

The cabinets are maple, and I got the tall ones. I had to go buy a step stool so I could reach them. The stove is my favorite part of the entire kitchen. It is a convection oven, with 5 burners. My friends are all teasing me that I need to cook now.

A user submitted image.

Here's a close up of the sink and counter tops. I paid more for the sink and mounting than the fridge....so oooh and aaaah appropriately. The pictures don't do the granite counter top justice. It is various shades of green and black. The lightest green is more like putty color. That's what I painted the walls. It looks really nice all together.

A user submitted image.

It's really hard see how pretty it is in these pictures. You'll just have to come out and see for yourself. There's only one problem. My kitchen opens up to the dining room and now that looks a little shabby. On to the next project......

The Destruction has begun...

My new kitchen

Submitted by Cassi on August 24, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

The destructuion, I mean contruction has begun on my new kitchen. I'm excited and a little scared. It seems like a never ending process. I am gutting the kitchen and getting all new cabinets, fixtures and appliances. The only thing that is staying is the floor. The plan is to be complete by Labor Day....we'll see.

Here is my ugly before kitchen:

A user submitted image.

As you can see lots of room for improvement A user submitted image.

One more before shot A user submitted image.

I hired two of my friends to do the contract work. They are great and have helped every step of the way. Sometimes I think that it's not my kitchen but their's.

Here is the place being ripped to shreds A user submitted image.

Now everything is gone, all I have is bare walls and holes. My friends assure me that this is not bad at all, so far they haven't found too many surprises.

A user submitted image.

And finally here is the before and after......

A user submitted image.

Old cabinets gone...New ones arrived A user submitted image.

To be continued.......

Sort of Proving That...

...the old man's summer is fairly...

Submitted by frank on August 12, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

...predictable, even as it is easy.

Once the sailing season got under way it has continued. This is last weekends story.

A Sunday sail with Don...

...yes it was Sunday, and I went for a longish sail with Don, aboard his cruising 36 footer CHIMAERA. Not a bad day at all. Pretty nice wind most of the day, very favorable tides all day, and it was what it was supposed to be.

While we were sailing back to New London, I had a chance to gawk at other boats like I like to do.

. A user submitted image.

I saw this pretty looking catboat sailing a parallel course to us but in the opposite direction. And then there were the houses of the Fishers Island kazillionaires to gawk at too, but I am not inclined to do that.

That's more or less it. The wars went on, the RedSox lost, The Yankees won, but this geezer had a good day anyway. Everyone ought to have a friend, especially one with a nice sailboat.

Oh, and not forgetting the other part of the story, After returning to the dock and securing the boat till the next time, we went over to the nearby lobster shack, right next to where the lobster boats berth, and picked up a couple of very classic cold lobster rolls to bring home so that Mrs. could enjoy her favorite part of this geezers sailing day too.

Storyland

Submitted by Nicolas on August 9, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

It started like this. Last weekend we all got in a zipcar and drove out to Western Mass. where we went to Mass MoCA (a contemporary art museum). Dante was very well behaved and even looked with some interest at the exhibits. Then we went into an exhibit called "Amusement Park", an odd exhibit really, just some restored amusement park rides running slowly in a large dark room. Dante's eyes lit up, "What's that?" he asked, "Can I get on it?" Sandy and I felt bad, he seemed to think it was all a cruel hoax, so we promised him we would find a Real Amusement Park and that would be our next adventure. Enter Storyland, a theme park for the little kid set.

We all got up at 6:45 am (it's a 3.5 hour drive) and off we went. Don't worry, this is no tale of woe. We all had a wonderful time.

Dante had seen some pictures of the park on the web, so when we got there he announced "I want to go on the Flying Fish!". I had thought that it was too scary and we would start on a toddler ride, but there was no arguing with him. So we hopped on the little train across the park and there it was.

Sandy and Dante are in the distance, but you can see them. He loved it!
(I went with him on his second ride at the end of the day, I did not love it.)

Next up a tilt-a-whirl like ride called the Twirling Turtles.
Note that brave old Dad is getting in with him.

Storyland also has play areas for little kids like a Sprayground with water squirting everywhere. We went into the Sand Castle Maze and Dante was quite pleased to come upon this.

The machine blows air; holding the balls floating, like magic.

Jumping for joy.

We went on almost all the rides: Whirling Whales, Bamboo Chutes (a funny picture to follow when we get it scanned), a raft ride (poor Sandy got soaked). Here's what their Ferris Wheel looks like.

"Are those real ballons?", he asks.

It was pretty fun.

This was a favorite. The Flying Shoes are all equipped with a handle that allows you to control whether you go up or down.

Note who is firmly in control of his shoe. Up, down, up, down. "I'm flying my shoe!!"

What a great day! After a quick dinner in Conway we drove home. Dante slept.

Finally, we managed...

...and at long last

Submitted by frank on July 16, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

...Don and me that is--to get in a long day of pretty good sailing out aboard Don's CHIMAERA. The sailing was nice and easy out on the Sound's,--- Long Island Sound and Fishers Island Sound---

Tranquil and quiet as we sailed by North Dumpling Island home of the famous, enigmatic, eccentric, genius, famous Worcester Polytech dropout, inventor of the device that is planted in Dick Cheny's chest keeping that Darth Vader like character alive, and the creator of the infamous "It" which was supposed to change the world, and still might. ---but I wander--- The person is Dean Kamen, the machine is Segway and this is his island retreat.... A user submitted image.

So we had a slightyly closer look as we usually do hoping to spot the mystery man.... A user submitted image. ...and behold, could this be him?

...you decide. Maybe a slightly closer look... A user submitted image.

Despite this unusual and spooky "famous enigmatic guy" sighting the day was just fine and normal until on the final leg home up the Thames to our dock this evil machine loomed large... A user submitted image. ...followed by dozens of others of similar ilk. They were roaring and racing.

A user submitted image.

and racing and roaring... A user submitted image. ...and

Well, you get the picture. Strange giant speedboats on the Thames, a sight never before seen, after the strange man himself appeared out of the haze in his lighthouse. Not to put too much of a point to this, but I sense that this is NOT the end of this story......

Making a Long Story Short...

....get it???

Submitted by frank on June 22, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

In a reaction to the many comments about long hair......

...this... A user submitted image.

...and this too... A user submitted image.

....stay tuned.

The Red Headed Soccer Player

...a little picture essay

Submitted by frank on June 5, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Yesterday, Mrs and I went to see a soccer game. This is some of what we saw and at times, the action was nearly worthy of this

A user submitted image.

And in the end, congtatulations to all.....

A user submitted image.

The End......

Strange Sighting on Lydall Street

...while on the way to the Stop and Shop...

Submitted by frank on May 23, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

...we spotted this strange sight in front of Nancy and Mikes's house.

A user submitted image.

Since Mike has alwys thought that Mrs. was a little...shall we say eccentric...for her use of an occasional Pink Flamingo or two in her outside decor, we thought this simply couldn't be.

So we took a closer look......

A user submitted image.

...and as they say ( or at least some say) "O my God..it is a kazillion Pink Flamingos. What is going on????????

A picture from ca. 1911

...looking way back

Submitted by frank on May 1, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

I have been exchanging emails for the past few days with Bob Minutillo and Richard Minutillo as a result of Bob's seeking information about paternal family ties back to Italy. That search hasn't revealed much, but in the exchanges, some other family stories have been revealed and some photographs that I had never seen were scanned and exchanged.

I have decided to put a small version of the most interesting one here for all of you to see.

A user submitted image.

The photograph was made around 1911 to 1912. The small child in the photograph is my father, Frank P. Sr. and he was born in 1909. In this picture he is probably 2-ish. The man to the left in the photograph is Nicola Minutillo, his father, my grandfather and great grandfather to some of you and great great grandfather to Mitchell, Dante and Michael Anthony. The woman to the right in the photo is Josefina Minutillo (nee Vallone) his mother and my grandmother. The older woman is believed to be my granmother's mother or my greatgrandmother. We have not yet determined her name, but it is believed that her maiden name was Piacitelli.

The others in the photograph are Louis Vallone, the younger fellow to the extreme left, Peter Vallone the smiling man with his arm over my young grandmothers shoulder and his other arm resting on Liberato Di Paulo who is the husband of Zia Caterina my grandmothers sister who is seen here standing on the right.

I have obtained a bunch of other photographs from Richard and if anyone is interested, I can send hires copies of the picture here and copies of the others too which include pictures of my father and mother from the late twenties and early thirties.

The End of This Story......for now

Jenny's plant Story...

....a resurrection of sorts

Submitted by frank on April 21, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

OK, here is the deal. Jenny along with Steve are off in far away Asia, probably in Tokyo today or maybe Singapore. Jenny has this plant which she is bringing back to life from last year. It has shown signs that it might actually flower, but, the trip to far off Asia was going to prevent her from seeing the results of the long and devoted effort, so she brought it over here for Mrs to witness in her absence. Mrs asked me to document the process for Jenny to see upon her return. I did, but why wait I asked ?....so here in sequence is the resurrection captured in some of it's glory on the table in the kitchen under the window etc etc etc...

Sunday..... A user submitted image.

Monday........ A user submitted image.

Tuesday.......... A user submitted image.

Wednesday......... A user submitted image. ...looking not so good.

Thursday... A user submitted image. ...looking much better...

also Thursday... A user submitted image.

,...and today, Friday... A user submitted image.

The End of This Story..... A user submitted image.

(...I hope they have all their technology connected so that they can see this way over there.)

Cass, and the small Minutillo family went to Paris

A few pictures

Submitted by Cassi on March 28, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

I joined Nick, Sandy and Dante in Paris. They're still there, but here are a few photos from my trip.

We went to visit the Efile Tower, something you must do when you go to Paris.

A user submitted image.

Here's a cool picture of Nick and Dante on the Carousel.

A user submitted image.

One morning Nick and Sandy took off to go to a museum. Dante and I didn't feel like joining them, so we went to the park. We were going to just go to the playground, but on the way we saw ponys. We had to go check it out and come to find out they were offering rides to kids....

A user submitted image.

Our hotel was right by the Pantheon A user submitted image.

It took us a day or two to figure out what all of the daffodils were for. There were women all over the street selling them. And the Pantheon was covered with yellow ribbons. http://jonquille.curie.fr/ We went to visit the Opera house, I was bummed we couldn't go in, but there was actually a performance going on. I have never seen the inside, I guess this gives me a reason to go back.

A user submitted image.

We did a TON of walking around. Dante of course got carried most of the way. How do I get that great gig! Here we are heading back to the hotel.

A user submitted image.

Sledding

we didn't get a blizzard, but it did snow

Submitted by Nicolas on February 18, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

So we took Dante sledding in the morning. Here's a little video of the event: Wheee!.

We took the video with our digital camera, we hadn't brought the video camera. I held the camera sideways because I thought it framed the scene better. It took forever to find some software that could rotate a movie 90°. (Final Cut Express will, but as I am no expert we got this large black border.) Another hour of work and I could probably have figured it out, but...

Pre-Blizzard of '06 visit

Nancy and Mike and Michael Anthony dropped by yesterday for a ...

Submitted by frank on February 12, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

...nice little pre-blizzard of '06 visit. Of course, we didn't know that it would be a pre-blizzard visit at the time. But, I digress. In fact it may not even be an actual blizzard here.

Back to the point. They came over to show us some of Michael Anthony's new skills and new teeth and all that sort of thing. But, the little guy took one look at me and turned to his Dad and said, " Did you see that guy with the whiskers !!!" or words that had that meaning.

Here, see what I mean... A user submitted image.

well, after a while he decided that maybe it would be OK... A user submitted image. ..but he still had to check with Dad.

He then proceeded to demonstrate a lot of his new skills while playing with Grammy, but he still had that skeptical eye for Grampy,

Once again... A user submitted image.

Then, just to show me that he wasn't going to hold any long hard feelings, I did get a little smile.

I think that being held by Mom and hearing Dad say it's time to go... A user submitted image. ...had more to do with it though.

...anyway all was well and off they went A user submitted image.

The end, well sort of the end of this story. I used a new camera and as Mrs would say, there were a series of "pilot errors". This whole digital business may make a luddite like person of me yet.I did try again this morning and managed this through my slightly fogged window... A user submitted image.

OK, now it is THE END of this story.

Greetings from Bethesda

Richard and Bob say hello

Submitted by rgminutillo on December 28, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by rgminutillo.

This is Bob and Maryann, Bob's friends David and Barbara Bloch, Alyssa and Roberto, and Richard and Dorothy at a semi-traditional gathering at the home of Bill and Maryann Rooney, also in Bethesda. A user submitted image.

Christmas Fun

...from Mike, Nancy and Michael Anthony

Submitted by frank on December 19, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

The other day Mike, Nancy and Michael Anthony went to visit Santa...and they all want to say, "Merry Christmas" to everyone...

A user submitted image.

Thanksgiving at Grammy's House

...this story stolen by me

Submitted by frank on November 30, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

This story is about the Thanksgiving snowstorm, well sort of snowstorm, that happened this Thanksgiving Day at Grammy's house in far off Connecticut. We were all sitting around and Aunt Jenny was taking a couple of pictures of Dante who was reluctantly posing...

A user submitted image. ...This was all fine and then Nick said to Dante, "Lets go outside and build a little snowman on Grammy's deck. See all the snow out there...

A user submitted image. ...a proof of the storm's result.

Then everyone got all bundled up and out they went to start the fun. Dante wasn't sure that it was really going to be all that much fun, but trooper that he off he went...

A user submitted image. ...Looking at Nick's effort Dante becomes skeptical of the result.

But a few seconds later, after a brief study of the final handiwork...

A user submitted image. ...Dante begins to change his mind and...

...he declares that the result was worth the effort. He declares that it is cold and taking a final look at the snowy scenes...

A user submitted image. ...like this one he says, "that was fun, now let's go back in"

A user submitted image. ...and they did.

The End... any resemblance to the actual events is a pure coincidence.

Halloween

"Is Halloween a little scary?"

Submitted by Nicolas on November 1, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

This year Dante was a ghost for halloween. He thought he was a scary ghost. His whole act was well practiced, "Boo! Trick-or-Treat!", followed by a thank you. I ended up being the one to make the ghost costume, (Sandy was quite busy with Brenda's baby shower). Luckily Dante is not a harsh critic, so a simple costume would do. He didn't like wearing the head, which was just fine, I didn't like it much either.

A user submitted image.

The original plan was for him to be a mouse. He thought a "mousey mask" would make a good Halloween costume. Sandy had made a great little handmade mask for him, we were all set. Then he got it into his head that he would be a ghost, Mommy would be a mouse and Daddy was going to be a frog, just like the king frog in the new puppet theater that Grammy and Grampy gave him. Sorry no frog costume.

A user submitted image.

Trick-or-treating was fun. But one of the first houses we went to had some people in pretty scary looking costumes handing out treats. Skeleton costumes creep him out. "Is it time to go home now?" We tried one more house, but by then he was sure that scary people would answer the door, so home we went. Dante now knows what candy is, and he got a big bag of cookies from Annette at the Italian bakery (she really likes Dante).

A user submitted image.

Michael Anthony and...

his Mom and Dad ....

Submitted by frank on October 23, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

...all dropped in for a short surprise visit yesterday at noontime. As is my usual pattern at that precise time, I was eating lunch...beans and a frankfurt and Marilyn was just finishing her paper, late AM shower, and getting ready for her noonish repast.

Naturally I offered little Michael Anthony some beans and franks too, but just as naturally, his folks thought better of that idea. So the little guy just had to watch me finish my lunch alone and with some amusement too.

Later in the visit, Michael Anthony asked if he could just sit in Grammy's big chair for a few minutes and of course we agreed. While he was there I took a couple of quick snapshots...

This one first...

A user submitted image.

...and then this... A user submitted image.

And a little later this one... A user submitted image. ...When he sort of shouted to me "..Grampy, can't you see that this sitting business is getting old and I am becoming all scrunched and un-amused!!"

I have to say that Michael Anthony never lost his cool, but I did stop with the picture taking.

Later, Nancy, Michael and Michael Anthony all packed up and went shopping. ...THE END of this story

New York, New York

what a wonderful town

Submitted by Nicolas on September 27, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

A while ago now (about a month) Dante, Sandy and I took a little trip down to New York City.

Dante was very good on the long car ride (next time we will take the train, even though it's more expensive than the car and parking, it will just be more fun).

A user submitted image.

Once we got there he was eager to go out and explore.

A user submitted image.

There was a lot to see.

The first short day we took a train to Central Park (Dante insisted on knowing the names of all the train stations, in Boston that works well--Harvard Square station is in Harvard Square, in NYC he was just a little confused. He asked "Is the playground in 68th Street?").

Here he is taking a little cheerio break outside Central Park (he carries his own snacks now in his little backpack).

A user submitted image.

We got caught in the rain on the way back so we ducked into a little (not too good, not too bad) Italian restaurant.

The second day was full of site seeing. On the way to the sites we passed the public library, which he recognized from a book about New York City that he and Sandy had checked out of the Boston public library.

A user submitted image.

Then came the Empire State Building, back to the playground, a quick visit to the Metropolitan Museum, a nice take out meal for Sandy and I. Quite a day.

A user submitted image.

The last day we all went to a nice little place in SoHo for breakfast. When Sandy and I last visited SoHo, a couple years back, it was full of art galleries and artists, some blocks where starting to gentrify. Now almost every old building is being converted to high end condos and the galleries sell sculptures of dogs. But the Lucky Strike is still a nice place for breakfast.

Enough of that. This is my favorite picture of a little boy in NYC.

A user submitted image.

little "Mike Tony" visits

... along with Michael

Submitted by frank on August 21, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Michael brought little Michael Anthony over for a visit yesterday. The question is, just what do we call him. Mrs and I discovered that we can't call him Michael and that Michael Anthony doesn't fit yet, so for the purpose of this narrative I have settled on " little Mike Tony"

Anyway, all he wanted to do was sleep and sleep he did.

A user submitted image.

Later and after some nuisance poking and proding, he did wake up and produced this rather "..what do you want" look.

A user submitted image.

After a little more coaxing he decided we were OK and did produce a little smile.

A user submitted image.

After a little while he decided to tell us a few jokes and ran around some, but he still is only seven weeks old and the jokes were lame so to spare him from embarrassment I shut down all recording devices.

The End of This Story

Wisconsin Vacation

and Minneapolis, too

Submitted by sandy on August 11, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

We went to visit my family in Wisconsin and Minnesota. On July 19 we flew into Milwaukee, WI and began a lengthy drive to northern Wisconsin. We first stopped in Madison and brought Dante to a park in my old neighborhood where I lived from age 6 to 16. Then we went to the Union Terrace at the U of WI, on the shore of Lake Mendota. My sister Sharon and her son Peter met us there for bratwurst, hamburgers, and corn on the cob all cooked on an outdoor grill on the terrace. (We took no pictures in Madison, unfortunately.) Next we stopped in Eau Claire, about 3 hours north, to see my 101-year-old grandmother Larson. Dante was excited about seeing "a great-grandmother!" (sort of like seeing a moose or a deer along the road it seemed) and "a nursing home!" Here is a pic Nick took with his cell phone camera.

A user submitted image.

We didn't stay long, as she tired quickly, but she was alert and aware and happy to see us.

Another hour and a half or so on the road and we arrived at Long Lake. Besides my parents, my sister Janet was there with her three teenaged kids and one of their friends, so it was a pretty full house. They stayed through the next day and then headed home to Kansas. Oops, no pictures of them, either!

Dante re-discovered the joy of walking around in the shallow water near the dock, and this year he has a favorite toy -- a plastic fish mold that he fills with sand and "makes a fish." Here's the happy boy.

A user submitted image.

Contemplating the nature of the universe (or maybe just nature) with fish mold in hand.

A user submitted image.

Dante and Daddy enjoying their morning coffee and pastry on the dock. With pink fish nearby.

A user submitted image.

The cottage is on a former island, now attached to the mainland via a gravel road. The end of the island is a favorite sitting/gazing place. Here's Dante at "The Point."

A user submitted image.

We discovered a set of bocce balls, which was good for lots of fun. Dante helped Grandpa Larson put the balls away. (Hey, wait a minute, which one is the Italian Grampa anyway??)

A user submitted image.

Here are a few family pics.

Dante and his Grandparents Larson.

A user submitted image.

One small happy family, self-portrait.

A user submitted image.

My sister Diane came up from Rochester, MN, and my mom's cousin Susan has a cottage nearby, but we didn't end up with any good pictures showing them.) And a few other miscellaneous pictures. Dante has a new backpack that he's thrilled (most of the time) to carry.

A user submitted image.

We went to a park in the nearby town of Rice Lake, and he found a fun bouncy skunk. (And that's where my brand-new cellphone seems to have disappeared into the trash along with the remains of our picnic dinner there...)

A user submitted image.

Here he is telling us all about the day's news.

A user submitted image.

(Actually, Grandpa had found an article remembering an amazing fish catch in 1955, and pointed it out to Dante. It's a picture of many men posing with many huge fish.)

At the end of our trip, we spent 2 nights and a day in Minneapolis, where my brother Steve lives. Aunt Elaine had all sorts of toys ready for Dante's visit, plus they have two cats, so Dante found their house to be very exciting and fun! (Elaine also did us the saintly favor of suggesting that we parents go out in the evening for a bit after Dante went to bed, and we went "uptown" and had a lovely drink and dessert. So the visit was pretty great for us, too.)
We discovered we really like Minneapolis. The city and the downtown seem, strangely, bigger than Boston, and yet it has many lakes with little beaches and walking paths, right in the city. And we didn't even get to the banks of the Mississippi River, also right in town.

We visited the Minneapolis Sculpture Park and here was the most eye-catching piece:
A user submitted image.

Oops, no pictures of Steve and Elaine and their kids, either.

We flew home from Mpls on July 26. It was a lovely trip that included farms and woods and lakes, lots of family time, and one good dose of big city to top it off.

Michael Anthony Minutillo

...at about 21 hours old

Submitted by frank on June 30, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

We just got back from a short visit with Nancy,Mike and the new little person. All are well and feeling fine.even Mike. I took a few pictures and here are some that have been cleared for publication here.

Up close...

with Mike and Nancys hands... A user submitted image.

With Mrs... A user submitted image.

Hinting that times up... A user submitted image.

And with that, we left him to get ready for his lunch. They will all be going home on Friday.

And that's just the beginning of this story...to be continued.

Michael just called...

and announced that ...

Submitted by frank on June 29, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

...he and Nancy have a son, and Mrs. and I have a new grandson, Michael Anthony Minutillo, weighing in at 7 lbs 12 oz. and measuring 21 1/2 inches in length. "Sonny" as Mike says he will call him or "Tony" as I threaten to call, him was born this afternoon at Manchester Memorial Hospital.

Mike reports that the baby has brown hair, and is very cute. He also reports that Nancy is fine and feels fine and the new baby is fine and feels fine.Mike is fine and feels fine too.

There will be pictures and more information posted here tomorrow.

CONGRATULATIONS MIKE AND NANCY

Cottage by a Pond

Pierpont Meadow

Submitted by Nicolas on June 17, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

Sandy, Dante and I went to an Audubon Society nature preserve a few days back. While we didn't see many birds ("Where are the ducks?", he asks) we did have a nice time and we taught Dante to use the camera.

Here's the cottage:

A user submitted image.

A little later it was raining a bit, Dante wants in:

A user submitted image.

We went for a little walk, here's Dante looking at the trees. He was fascinated with the blue and yellow trail markers on the trees:

A user submitted image.

We let Dante take whatever pictures he wanted. So we got a few trail markers.

A user submitted image.

Here's a little slide show of all the pictures he took.

Memorial Day Weekend

and sunshine, finally

Submitted by sandy on May 30, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

Here are a few pictures from a sunny Sunday at Grammy and Grampy's.

On Saturday Cassi and Steve and Jenny and Mike and Nancy and Mitchell were all there, and we had cake and ice cream and gave Nancy and Mike some gifts for the new baby expected next month. (We forgot to have a camera out for that event, though. Sorry!)

Here's Grampy refilling the birdfeeder with Dante's help.

A user submitted image.

Dante added a little flamingo to Grammy's garden, a companion for the big one. It doesn't flap its wings very often, but everyone tried to help it along.

A user submitted image.

And here's Dante, his hair reflecting the much-appreciated sunshine.

A user submitted image.

Did you go to the zoo?

Yes you did!

Submitted by Nicolas on May 28, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

We all went to Providence, Rhode Island to see the Roger Williams Zoo. It was cold and rainy, but then again it's always cold and rainy. We all had a great time--we are stout folk.

Here are some of the things one sees at the zoo:

A user submitted image.

Elephants.

A user submitted image.

These monkeys enchanted Dante.

A user submitted image.

See?

Ducks!

Is this a giant eight blade fan? He ran around and around, pretending that the fan was spinning.

A user submitted image.

The cottontops were found in the 'warm monkey house', our respite from the rain and cold.

A user submitted image.

The spittin' image of his toy emu, ugly ugly ugly.

Also cheetahs, giraffes, zebra, a wolf, flamingos and a toad.

Did we have fun at the zoo? Yes we did!

Down by the Riverside

.....slowly

Submitted by frank on April 27, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Mrs and I were down by the riverside yesterday and were forced to comply with this official request...

A user submitted image.

...just kidding. We couldn't have walked any faster anyway...

Contest

Submitted by rgminutillo on April 22, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by rgminutillo.

I want it - rgminutillo

The Official Minutillo.info Flickr Pro Account Contest!

Submitted by steve on April 22, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by steve.

In celebration of being bought by Yahoo, Flickr is allowing everybody who bought a "pro" account in the early days (which includes me) to give away two free (for one year) pro accounts! I've already given out one of my accounts, and want to give the other one away to some lucky Minutillo.info member.

Here are the rules of the contest:

1) To enter the contest, you must have a Flickr free account.

2) Whichever Minutillo.info member first posts "I WANT IT!", along with your Flickr username, wins!

3) The Contest and these Official Rules will be governed, construed and interpreted under the laws of the United States. Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding in all respects. Sponsor reserves the right to change these Official Rules at any time, in its sole discretion, and to suspend or cancel the Contest or any entrant's participation in the Contest should viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor's control affect the administration, security or proper play of the Contest or Sponsor otherwise becomes (as determined in its sole discretion) incapable of running the Contest as planned. Entrants who violate these Official Rules, tamper with the operation of the Contest or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor, the Contest or any other entrant (in each case as determined in Sponsor's sole discretion) are subject to disqualification from entry into the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to lock out persons whose eligibility is in question or who have been disqualified or are otherwise ineligible to enter the Contest. By entering the Contest, you release Sponsor, participating sponsors and any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agencies (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the Contest or delivery, misdelivery, acceptance, possession, use of or inability to use any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory. Sponsor, all participating sponsors and any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, professional advisors, employees and agencies will not be responsible for: (a) any late, lost, misrouted, garbled or distorted or damaged transmissions or entries; (b) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, Internet, or other computer- or communications-related malfunctions or failures; (c) any Contest disruptions, injuries, losses or damages caused by events beyond the control of Sponsor; or (d) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Contest.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame...

...Sandy,Nick and Dante visit this weekend

Submitted by frank on April 17, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

So Dante, Nick and Sandy came to visit this weekend. A fun visit for all of us and especially for me and Mrs. One of the many highlights was a game of baseball with Nick and Dante. Preceded by a rousing chorous of the classic baseball tune. Here are a few highlights from the game with Nick and a possible future shortstop for the BoSox.

Here's the pitch... A user submitted image.

Ready... A user submitted image.

and the swing... A user submitted image.

There's a drive... A user submitted image.

Way baaack.... A user submitted image.

Dante runs.. A user submitted image. .....

and back again.. A user submitted image. And the next pitch..

And the game continued....The End of This Story

March Madness.....

Eastern Connecticut Youth Basketball Style

Submitted by frank on March 11, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Last night, at the invitation of Chris and Mitchell, Mrs and I went to a round two game of the referenced tournament featuring Bolton D ( Mitchell's team ) vs. Andover C.( a powerful looking team from a bordering rival town ) The game started out with it's own version of NBA type light shows and player introductions:

A user submitted image.

Then the game started and it was the Mitchell show. From handling the ball for the first drive of the game like this

A user submitted image.

...to this pretty good Bob Cousy look

A user submitted image.

and shooting foul shots with a verve (even if unorthodox) approach

A user submitted image.

and power moves like this

A user submitted image.

The little guy ( not to put too much of a brag on it) led his team to a hard fought victory over a much bigger and tougher looking team. He scored 11 points, made countless great defensive plays, had two assists, and scored the final basket in the squeaker with only about 40 seconds left with a great assist from his teams other guard. Here they all are after the victory

A user submitted image.

They now have to play and win two more games to earn the tourney title.Will this team of little guys succeed?

A user submitted image.

....to be continued.

Rantings & Ravings...

...in the mind of this geezer pensioner

Submitted by frank on March 1, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

OK. So it's only a few inches and it's not really all that cold...

A user submitted image. ...but, enough is enough. This starts month five of this winter.And Why would any geezer pensioner want to live out his golden years here

A user submitted image. When there are places like this.....

A user submitted image. and this...

A user submitted image. alright, maybe not really like that, but like this...

A user submitted image. and this...get my drift

A user submitted image. and finally places like this where this geezer pensioner could spend his time worrying about whatever he feels like but not enduring the lousy winter and Bush and the right wing wackos.....

A user submitted image.

Sighhhhhh, period and end of story A user submitted image.

70A Cliffside's semi-blizzard story.

...the front window

Submitted by frank on January 23, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

I was peering out my front window as I am wont to do these days and I spotted these two birds in the bush.

A user submitted image.

Here they are closer up through the foggy window still.

A user submitted image.

This pair my be the one often talked about in the bird in the hand being worth two in the bush aphorism, then again maybe not.

And here is a semi-pretty semi-blizzard scene; again as seen through the foggy window. Probably would have been better than "semi" if I hadn't been so lazy.

A user submitted image.

And that is The End of this story.

Blizzard!

The view from our house

Submitted by sandy on January 23, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

They predicted a blizzard and it's actually happening! Nick snapped this picture from our front window this morning. Notice the buried car. And it's still snowing steadily a couple of hours later.

A user submitted image.

More Flowers

not scary

Submitted by sandy on January 20, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

Steve's story reminded me of some flower pictures I took a while back.

A user submitted image.

Taken in June, 2001 at Monet's pond in Giverny, France.

Giant Scary Star Trek Type Flower

hasn't shot us with spores just yet

Submitted by steve on January 20, 2005— Link to this story | Other stories by steve.

O Christmas Tree

Submitted by sandy on December 16, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

Once again, we the car-free gathered a Christmas tree (somewhat) near our home and hauled it home by foot. And we knew you would want to see pictures, so here goes:

A user submitted image.

Here's Nick with the tree we picked out. The nice men (see left) wrapped it up and snickered a bit, perhaps doubting that my husband would really make it home with this thing. Meanwhile, Dante was more interested in something on the ground.

A user submitted image.

Still feeling strong a block from the lot.

A user submitted image.

Proud in Davis Square, city-provided wreath in background.

A user submitted image.

It's getting harder....A few more blocks to go.

A user submitted image.

In the door, up the stairs, and he's just about had his fill of being photographed.

A user submitted image.

Yet-to-be-decorated...and tall. Dante wondered aloud several times why the tree wasn't outside, and should we put it outside?

A user submitted image.

The next morning he was properly stunned to find the tree full of lights.

A user submitted image.

Still taking it in.

A user submitted image.

One of the ornaments Dante likes.

A user submitted image.

The precious MBTA green line train ornament.

A user submitted image.

There are now a few presents underneath, and Dante is wondering when this "Christmas" thing is actually going to happen.

Gingerbread Man

Submitted by sandy on November 21, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

We made gingerbread cookies this weekend. The rolling pin scene was pretty frightful, and in a flour-strewn kitchen with dough stuck to everything, I decided to just throw the last blob of dough on the sheet without using the cookie cutter.

The decorated "blob" turned out to look a little like Grampy, we thought, with his hip Guatamalan(?) cap on. Here is the Man surrounded by the more traditional types.

A user submitted image.

First snow of the year

and a celebratory snowman

Submitted by sandy on November 16, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

Snow arrived early this year, on November 12-13. For once, we in the city (well, less in the city than we used to be I guess) got MORE snow than predicted! Dante is old enough to appreciate a snowman now and we built one without delay. He is still a little unsure about touching the cold white stuff, though.

We understand everything Dante says, but if we were to subtitle it for those who don't hear him every day, we would include the words Snowman?, arm, mouth, nose, and buttons! buttons! buttons! His last word of the film is pretty clear.

Play movie

The clip is a little over one minute long and of course may take a little while to start the first time.

We're Back

(Italy 2004)

Submitted by rgminutillo on October 11, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by rgminutillo.

Bob and Maryann, and Richard and Dorothy reprised their trip to Italy act. Richard is hard at work preparing the photos for another web layout on fabbnet.net, and Maryann will be editing the menus during her upcoming two weeks in Mongolia (which is another story!)

No, we didn't go to the town in the picture; that's a little hill town we admired on our way either to or from Parma, which was the second last of five stops for Richard and Dorothy, seven stops for Bob and Maryann.

Pause

smell the coffee

Submitted by Cassi on October 5, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

It's a done deal. I'm now part owner of a coffee shop!

There are 7 of us in total who ended up contributing to the shop. Alan and Michael own the majority, Alan will be running the day to day operations. I am on the board with 4 others, so I will be able to stick my nose into the business. My first order of business is to secure a hefty discount for all of my coffee consumption.

Here's the front of the shop A user submitted image.

Come inside......

A user submitted image.

Order some coffee and take a seat A user submitted image.

or here for some people watching A user submitted image.

Or surf the net...

We have free wireless or you can log onto one of our computers A user submitted image.

Finally a few more shots of the decor and you can see Alan already hard at work!

A user submitted image.

Pizza Night

Sandy, Dante and I make a pizza

Submitted by Nicolas on September 27, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

Sunday was Pizza Night!

If Dante sees us cooking he'll say "need help." In this context that means he wants to help. We thought it would be fun for him to help us make pizza. We made the dough from scratch. He measured the ingredients, saying "half-a-dee-poon". "Dumped" the flour and water together. He helped knead, but he was very concerned that his hands were getting dirty. Lots of "uh-oh"s, but he persevered. Punching the air out of the dough was fun.

He's very good at adding toppings and shaking spices. We had a simple mushroom, basil and tomato pizza, with mozzarella cheese.

The pizza came out pretty well for a first try, the crust was crispy and thin, it was cooked just enough. Next time we will be more generous with the toppings, but all and all a success. That is, if you ignore that fact that Dante (it turns out) doesn't really like pizza.

I'll let the pictures tell their own story.

A user submitted image.

Percy and Mitchell

...not exactly birds of a feather

Submitted by frank on September 24, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

So, where to begin. Mrs and I are bird sitting Adele's latest pet bird 'Percy'. It's a long story,The bird is of the cockatiel variety and they need to be with other people or birds or they go nuttier than they are in the first place.We have this little beast for a week or so.Mitchell we have from time to time. He is not a little beast.And he loves the idea of a bird in the house for some reason known only to him and others of the same strange persuasion. This is the story of their little visit.

Making friends...

A user submitted image.

They hit it off: A user submitted image.

Reading the news.. A user submitted image.

Doing their homework.. A user submitted image.

Oh,Oh...stuck.. A user submitted image.

Whispered help.. A user submitted image.

And the story ends with bird and boy bonded and happy.

Organic Farm

Dante goes on a field trip

Submitted by sandy on September 18, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

Friday morning Dante and I went on a trip sponsored by a local group for parents and toddlers. We got on a school bus (very exciting for him) and went to Gaining Ground, an organic farm in Concord.

Here's a big view of the fields and Dante. (He's pointing out something he thinks is "broken" -- which distresses him frequently these days...)

A user submitted image.

We were put to work immediately. Here's Dante putting freshly pulled-up leeks into a bucket, while 4-year-old Alice looks on.

A user submitted image.

I had never seen leeks growing before. Here's what they look like in the field.

A user submitted image.

Later Dante picked tiny Mexican Gherkin cucumbers off the vine.

A user submitted image.

Our guide and taskmaster Claire (below at left) served us a fresh watermelon snack. Look closely to see Dante in the background doing his own thing, as he often does.

A user submitted image.

The last task was washing potatoes. Dante quickly took charge of the wheelbarrow.

A user submitted image.

It was a fun day, and we came home with a bounty of leeks, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, baby carrots, and fresh basil. And on the way home we saw some sheep, another highlight for Dante.

Besides giving it to nice mothers and toddlers like us, Gaining Ground donates their organic produce to local hunger-relief programs and shelters. See their story here.

Nancy and Mike's new House

...and they are tickled pink

Submitted by frank on August 13, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Nancy and Mike just bought and moved into this house on Lydall Street in Manchester, CT. They were still moving in when we showed up to see their progress and Mike said "...take our picture". So, I did.

And here it is...........

A user submitted image.

...and that's the beginning of this story.

The end of Folly

...another eBay victim

Submitted by frank on August 10, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Going....

A user submitted image.

Going.........

A user submitted image.

Gone.............

A user submitted image.

They say that the happiest day and the saddest day in a boaters life is when he sells his boat.They are wrong. It's much more complicated than that!

....sigh..........and the end of this story.

Glacier

Big Sky Country

Submitted by Cassi on July 24, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

Here is just a peak of my trip to Montana. I went to visit a friend and spent one day hiking in Glacier National Park. We started the day at 5 AM to drive from Great Fall to Glacier. We took a boat ride across a lake to hike a short trail. We had a great view of Salamander Glacier. I still can't really tell the difference between the glacier and the snow.

A user submitted image.

The picture above is the boat and the first lake. We took the boat to the other side and hiked over a short path to come to a second lake. Here you see the glacier, it's the big thing of snow in the middle of the picture.

A user submitted image.

We hiked along the side of this lake for about 1.5 miles. I saw a sign half-way down the hike to a hidden waterfall. This was a short hike up to this great view.

A user submitted image.

We took the boat back and then drove through the park to another hike. This one was along the side of a mountain.

A user submitted image.

Finally a couple of shots on the way down the mountain.

A user submitted image.

Fireworks!

Boston, July 4, 2004

Submitted by sandy on July 6, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

Dante took his second trip to watch the fireworks over the Charles River. He was only a little scared. It was two hours past his bedtime and he watched most of them half-asleep with a bottle in one hand and his favorite doggy in the other. Here are some pictures:

A user submitted image.

Who's waving that glowstick in the dark?

A user submitted image.

This happy boy, waiting for the KABOOM to start.

A user submitted image.

The smile disappears for a little while as the first fireworks explode above.

Eventually, back in his cozy stroller, he flashed a sleepy smile here and there at some of the prettier ones. Here's a small glimpse of what we saw.

A user submitted image.

(That last one was stolen from the Boston Globe site in case you're wondering.)

We and the other 449,997 watchers were pleased with the show.

Then Dante and Nick and I walked back to our new apartment in Davis Square. Not as close as our old place, but we can still walk...even if it took 1.5 hours.

A Helicopter Story

aka The Final Flight of the Osiris

Submitted by steve on June 25, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by steve.

Jenny got me this remote control helicopter last year on Christmas. You can't fly it in cold weather, and due to our fast paced lifestyle, I haven't had a chance to fly it, until this past weekend.

Here's Chris flying it, and almost getting killed. The helicopter has two controls: up and down. When you push up, it sort of goes up and forwards. When you push down, it goes down while turning. You can almost control it by going up, then easing off and letting it turn, and then going up again. Almost. It sort of zips around, always seeming to be right on the edge of completely losing control, but managing to remain in the air. Unless you hit an obstruction, in which case the speed of the rotors cause the craft to ricochet off, tumbling through the air, until it smashes into the ground. Luckily it's really strong, and survived several really violent crashes.

A random picture of Janice.

Jenny, preparing a flight plan.

Here's Jenny flying, with Sharena and Alexis watching. Chris, his brother Kevin, Jenny, Ellen and Sharena all had a turn flying, and the best pilot was... Sharena! Whenever I flew I kept running into trees and crash landing. But Sharena somehow had an instinctive ability to fly really well. She took off smoothly, circumnavigated Chris and Ellen's yard, and came in for a perfectly smooth level landing. Amazing. Later she told Jenny the secret of flying: "push up, then down, then up, then down, then keep doing that."

This is Ellen, just after take off. As is Minutillo tradition, at this point the craft was lost forever. Their yard is surrounded by forests and swamps, and the helicopter ended up in one, we think. Ellen flew really really amazingly high, while we cheered her on! ...But then started to yell "Nooooo! Come back!!" It was too late. She was over some trees, and scared that if she came back down, she'd get caught, so instead she went onward, and upward... until we couldn't see the helicopter any more. Heroic efforts to locate the helicopter were undertaken, including traversing swamps and climbing trees, to no avail.

I think it's in the genes.

Pancakes

9 and M and a giraffe

Submitted by Nicolas on June 7, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

This morning Dante and I made homemade pancakes. He scooped the dry ingredients and put them (mainly) in the bowl. I measured. He also helped pour the milk and stir. I decided to make a few in shapes he would like. We made a giraffe, an M and a 9. Actually, Sandy made the giraffe, I'll stick to simple symbols.

A user submitted image.

Dante ate his 9 right away, about half way through the M, he stopped saying "M, M, M" and started saying "V, V, V". The V part of the M was pretty good so he finished that too. By the time we thought about taking a picture all that was left was the giraffe.

When Dante isn't busy climbing up and down steps, or chasing pigeons, or petting dogs, or looking at ceiling fans, then he has been carefully studying the set of alphabet books that Cassi gave him for Christmas.

After many readings and re-readings of the little books he now knows the letters: A, B, D, E, F, H, L, M, N, P, and V. Sometimes he'll recognize a few others, but these he really knows. He also knows the number 9.

Lowercase letters are a complete mystery to him. Cassi's little books don't use them and those are his favorite alphabet books. He might know the number 8, we aren't sure.

Why he decided to learn his letters I can't say. But neither can I understand his fascination with fans.

A nice visit....

Sandy and Dante in Connecticut

Submitted by frank on May 29, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Sandy and Dante left the sidewalks of Boston behind for a day and drove down to Connecticut for a visit with Mrs and me and later in the day, cousin Mitchell. A nice and easy day of just hanging out here. We took a few pictures. Here are some of them.

A user submitted image.

the only picture of Mrs with Dante and Sandy.

A user submitted image.

Dante gets ready to pick a pretty flower

A user submitted image.

Here Dante shows Mitchell his stair climbing skills ( no tumbles this time)

A user submitted image.

...and now for a baseball game

A user submitted image.

...here he is zooming by Mitchell.

A user submitted image.

Near the end of the visit now and Dante poses for a portrait or two.

This is a small glimpse of a really nice day.

.......The End of this Story......

Mother's Day Gift

My new toy

Submitted by Cassi on May 9, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

I got a new cell phone the other day with all kinds of cool features. One of them is a camera. I will start sending picture emails to everyone! I thought I would put it to good use and show Ma her Mother's Day gift. It's not quite done yet. Here it is in the beginning stages.

A user submitted image.

Now you can see it starting to take shape.

A user submitted image.

Hopefully it will be done before the next big holiday, Maybe a Memorial Day gift.

Here is the last one I made myself.

A user submitted image.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Our Weekend with Dante...

...well part if it anyway.

Submitted by frank on April 12, 2004— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Dante came down to Connecticut to stay with us for a while this weekend. He had Mrs and me in his custody from early Saturday morning when his folks left for an overnight in the big Apple, until mid-day Sunday when they returned. He had fun ( we think) and so did we. Here are a few pictures A user submitted image.

...here he is having some lunch.

A user submitted image.

..and here posing impatiently with me while only wanting to get started on his favorite activity of the weekend.

A user submitted image. ...ready to go.

A user submitted image. ...concentrating well sort of...

A user submitted image. ...no hands, no problem...until

A user submitted image. ..and

Other images in this sequence are redacted for the sake of all involved.

After a very brief trip inside to calm Mrs M's and my pulses, here we go again with Mrs looking like she is not sure.

A user submitted image. ...but Dante is.

And that is the end of part of the story of Dante's weekend with them.

Christmas 2007

Submitted by Nicolas on December 27, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

scoot

a late b-day story

Submitted by Nicolas on October 28, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

Hi Dante, : a comment by on October 28, 2007

Dante's Train?...

...could it have been...

Submitted by frank on August 30, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

We did indeed... : a comment by on August 30, 2007

And Speaking of Miracles...

Submitted by frank on July 22, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Garden Update

A small salad appeared

Submitted by sandy on July 21, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by sandy.

What can I say.... (except.....) : a comment by on July 21, 2007

Michael Anthony......

...a birthday story

Submitted by frank on July 1, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Evening with the Firemen

All for a good cause!

Submitted by Cassi on June 4, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

Wow! ((And how about a construction worker?)) : a comment by on June 4, 2007

Garden

A small garden for a small family

Submitted by Nicolas on May 27, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

Insalata.... (...well, stranger things have happened I suppose...) : a comment by on May 27, 2007

Snow!

Finally!!

Submitted by Nicolas on March 19, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

Morning Kid Sitting...

by the Geezer, would you believe...

Submitted by frank on February 16, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

MitchCycle

Mitchell on his new Unicycle

Submitted by Nicolas on January 19, 2007— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

Cool!!! (...that's what Mrs said...) : a comment by on January 19, 2007

Christmas Eve in Connecticut...

worked out to be a very nice time...

Submitted by frank on December 26, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

It's Done!!!

The new kitchen

Submitted by Cassi on September 25, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

So what will... (...come after...) : a comment by on September 25, 2006

Not to worry (Only the front is Stainless) : a comment by on September 25, 2006

The Destruction has begun...

My new kitchen

Submitted by Cassi on August 24, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.

New Comment (Announcement) : a comment by on August 24, 2006

Maybe it's just me... (...but the "old" kitchen...) : a comment by on August 24, 2006

Sort of Proving That...

...the old man's summer is fairly...

Submitted by frank on August 12, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Storyland

Submitted by Nicolas on August 9, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by Nicolas.

We Enjoyed The Story... (...and noted that Nick..) : a comment by on August 10, 2006

Finally, we managed...

...and at long last

Submitted by frank on July 16, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Making a Long Story Short...

....get it???

Submitted by frank on June 22, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

The Red Headed Soccer Player

...a little picture essay

Submitted by frank on June 5, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Red : a comment by on June 9, 2006

Strange Sighting on Lydall Street

...while on the way to the Stop and Shop...

Submitted by frank on May 23, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Looks like (they've been) : a comment by on May 23, 2006

A picture from ca. 1911

...looking way back

Submitted by frank on May 1, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Jenny's plant Story...

....a resurrection of sorts

Submitted by frank on April 21, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by frank.

Yes (we see it!) : a comment by on April 21, 2006

Cass, and the small Minutillo family went to Paris

A few pictures

Submitted by Cassi on March 28, 2006— Link to this story | Other stories by Cassi.