Photos from the weekend, including rafting and a friend’s retirement party

Here are some pictures from our cub scout rafting expedition to Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh River valley. Unfortunately the only one showing the rafting is the first one, and that is a picture of the photo we bought, taken by the rafting company. I took a photo of it with the digital camera, and it came out just OK. The rest are in the campsite.

Joe is not on the raft with us, he’s in another raft with friends. Brigid is steering the thing (doesn’t she look like a Colorado river guide?). Craig Fendrich and I are plugging away on the oars, while Tim and Craig’s son Chase are looking in the opposite direction for “targets of opportunity” (other rafts) to throw water on. 

Here are a few pictures from the campsite that evening and the next morning

This is one half of the Powers familiy (there are also three sons) as Mary Beth doles out a small wine libation to a few of the parents, after returning to camp from the rafting. On the far right is John Shanahan, sitting and waiting with baited breath…

One of the cooler tents – complete with awning and not ours, despite Tim’s proximity. There were about 30 of us in the cub scout group –

Brigid hanging out in the evening, between Patti Mead on the left talking to her daughter, and Carol McCarroll to her right

The next morning.

As with most camp-outs, there’s a certain level of just milling around doing nothing, which is what you’re often looking for when camping out.

We headed home Sunday morning, went to Church, and then switched cars and took off for a combination retirment / HS graduation party. My friend Bruce Carusi was retiring, and his youngest daughter Kelly was graduating from high school She’s off to La Salle in September, Bruce says he’s off to his back porch to drink coffee and read the paper… and then go back in the house to work out.

I met Bruce 25 years ago when I got back from the Caribbean and started playing rugby again with my old club. Bruce was also playing (big guy, very agile and coordinated for his size!) and he and his wife Sue were very supportive when I was having my chemo.

Here’s a picture of more milling around, this time on the Carusi back porch –

There were quite a number of our friends at the get-together and about a half dozen of them had either gone to Fordham Prep, or had sons going there. They were all glad to hear that was where Joe was headed, and all wished him well.

Here are two pictures which to an extent capture the personalities of our two boys, as they hang out at the Carusi pool

First Joe working his iPOD

And then Tim being Tim –

So, rafting, camping, and then a great party – the whole thing stretching from Pennsylvania to Long Island in the space of about 38 hours. An excellent time. We were all tired today (except Tim!). I actually came back from my office (not a big deal; only three minutes from the house) for a mid-afternoon nap!