I Almost Forgot

Well, actually I did forget.

This one's for you, Aby.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Pig!

(You're going to have to stick with this to find out about "the pig.")

Of all things, a baby shower brought us to one of our favorite places after way too long a time.

One of the ladies who works in the Foundation office is expecting and a surprise shower was planned for her and her husband at Keswick Country Club in Charlottesville. So last Saturday found us winding our way through the beautiful countryside of central Virginia.

The thing is, Keswick was the home course for St. Anne's Belfield golf team when Rob played as their #1 player when he was a freshman in high school. What a treat to be there again. Keswick is an absolutely gorgeous hotel and club that used to be owned by Laura Ashley's son of all people. What a beautiful afternoon.

Following the baby shower, Dan, Josh and I drove from Charlottesville to Wintergreen for the first time since selling the house we used to have on the mountain. How many memeories can flood your mind in a one hour drive?

Wintergreen is where we had a vacation home for many years, used both in summer and winter. We also lived there for one full year following 9/11.

No, our house was on top of the mountain but Wintergreen includes both mountain and valley and the golf course in the valley is truly beautiful.

The house at 18 Coopers Vantage has been given lots of love and attention by its new owners, a new roof, new kitchen, new furniture and PAVED driveways. Can't say that I cared too much for that, after all it is supposed to be a mountain house! But it looks good.


OK, here's the deal. We ate two actual meals while at Wintergreen (the rest was just snacks at the golf course) and BOTH were at:

Yep, the Blue Ridge Pig. Nellysford, VA's own 4 star dining shack. Nobody does southern bar-be-que and dill potato salad like Strawberry at The Pig. (Yes, the owner's name is, in fact, Strawberry.) And it has not changed one bit.

Somewhere on one of those walls is Dan's old business card from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in DC. It smells just as wonderful when you walk through the door and the limeaids are just as refreshing as ever on a hot summer day and the dill potato salad is still to die for. Pictures were taken and immediately sent to Daniel and Rob who were suitably jealous (via email). We have all agreed that someday the Callister Clan will hold a family reunion in Nellysford and the only planned activity will be eating at The Pig.

Macleod AKA Mac

It has taken over two weeks to be able to write this post. Our dog, Mac, who has been with us for 16 years was struck by a rattlesnake in out backyard in La Quinta. Even though Spencer got him to the doctor right away and everything possible was done, Mac didn't make it. In the middle of the night, laying next to Spence, Mac stopped breathing and a very real part of our family was gone.

It's amazing how pets become so much more than animals. Mac was one of "the boys." He certainly considered himself one of the humans in the house and, at least to his way of thinking, he was in charge.

That's it. Maybe some day I'll write down more memories of the Best Dog Ever, but no-can-do now.

Start Spreading The News

This weekend I FINALLY made it to New York with my friend Lisa. We have been planning plans and changing plans all summer and this weekend we hopped in her car and drove to the Big Apple. Lisa is the most intrepid drive I know. Nothing scares her, not even New York cab drivers during rush hour!


First stop, The Cloisters. Built by Rockefeller to house his collection of early monastic art it is truly a beautiful place at the north end of the island. Of course, with a day as beautiful as last Saturday, it was a real treat.

It isn't all that often that the view of the Hudson River is this perfect, but this is the view from one of the courtyards at The Cloisters.

Then shopping in Chinatown and Little Italy then a walk I have never taken . . .

. . . yep, right across the Brooklyn Bridge. What a view! It was such a beautiful day that literally thousands of people were walking or biking from Manhattan to Brooklyn (or the other way around!). There is a level above the cars for walking or biking and it was full.

Final stop of the day was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which is open late on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer. Lisa wanted to show me something special but wouldn't tell me what it was. We got there at about 8 p.m. and took an elevator hidden in the far recesses of the building to the roof and this is what we saw:
It is a very large metal sculpture titled Maelstrom and it is massive and wonderful. However, the truly amazing thing was the view:

It was a spectacular sunset and moonrise right there in the middle of Central Park.


In an effort to see some paintings that we are all familiar with, Christ in Gethsemane and Christ and the Rich Young Lord, we went to Riverside Church Sunday morning and found ourselves in the middle of a very unique service. They were saying goodbye to their senior pastor, "dissolving the covenant," according to the program notes.

We were told that the only time the paintings were on display were at the one and only tour offered after Sunday Service. However, this was a special Sunday. Long story short, the meeting went on for three hours and we were not allowed to see the painting about the rich young man. But it was a learning experience! I know this picture shows an empty nave but it was taken after everyone left, there were over two thousand people at this service!

Oh, we also walked to Columbia University campus which is right by Riverside Church, so that I could show Lisa where I worked when Dan was in law school.

Good old Low Library. Every time I am on that campus I hear Dan Akroyd telling Bill Murray that he knows "the public sector . . . they expect results."

One more notable stop:


I felt it my grandmotherly duty to go to the shrine of every girl (apparently) under the age of 12. Right there on Fifth Avenue, across the street from Rockefeller Center. I was amazed at the number of young girls and their moms who were there at 6:30 on a Sunday night. This business is definitely NOT suffering from a recession!


Capri, this one's for you!

A walk down Fifth to Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library, and a good long rest.

Next day, lots of shopping on Madison and 3rd Avenues and a late lunch at a wonderful little Italian restaurant before driving back to DC.

I LOVE NEW YORK ! ! !

Maryland Is for Crabs

Virginia is for lovers (so the State tourist office says) but Maryland is definitely for crabs. So . . .

It seemed the thing to do, to take Josh and Erin and Natalie to the Eastern Shore (that's past Annapolis, with a stop for breakfast at Chick and Ruth's Deli, over the Bay Bridge across the northern Chesapeake Bay) to St. Michaels for crab at our old haunt, The Crab Claw.

It hasn't changed at all, still great seafood in the perfect setting. After all, this was the view out the window by our table:

And this was the view of our table before the hammers and knives started to work:

Yep, those are Chesapeake blue crabs boiled, spiced with Old Bay Seasoning and ready to go.


All that's needed is a lesson in "cracking" which Josh handled quite handily. Of course, Erin and Natalie, being true desert rats had to get over their initial reaction:


But being quick studies they quickly got into the spirit of it all and became quite adept; they did an excellent job keeping up with Dan and Josh! Oh, there was also steamed, spicy shrimp - you gotta love the Chesapeake!

Coast To Coast For a Picnic . . .

. . . and it was totally worth it!

I went west (to Oregon) for the annual picnic with "The Fam" and had a GREAT time. It was so terrific to catch up, check up and generally be amazed at how much all the kids had grown.






A special treat was listening to James, my brother Jimmy's son, playing Stairway To Heaven. couldn't have been a better choice!










Great food, fun games, pinatas and people with talent! What could be better?


Being able to spend some time with my brothers! How did I get so lucky to have such amazing guys in my life?

Happy Birthday, Josh!

It was a VERY good birthday dinner at Maggiano's at Friendship Heights - remember, Aby?
The Italian food was great, but the cake from Baked and Wired was incredible!

Yes, Spence was in town to celebrate as well as Erin and all the interns at KAF.

HAPPY B'DAY, J!