New York ♦ December 2023

Dear family and friends,

We’re at the point in our lives — with three children in school and a parent who works as a teacher — where most events revolve around school and breaks from school.

For example, the first highlight of the year probably came at the end of February, during midwinter break. (That’s a thing in New York City and throughout much of the Northeast.) We boarded a double-decker Megabus to Philadelphia. Of course we sat in the very front row on the top level, and of course Susan felt the need to duck her head every time we went under a bridge or through a tunnel. In Philly we got to hang out with Susan’s sister, brother-in-law, and niece, as well as visit Independence Hall and Reading Terminal Market. Dustin and Colin walked across a bridge, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge over the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey. (Walking across bridges was a recurring theme for them this year, as it is most years, to be honest.)

Over spring break in April, we visited Luray Caverns in Virginia; the restored Moravian settlement of Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Dustin’s hometown, Charlotte; and rode the world’s first personal rapid transit system, or PRT, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway was lovely; Carowinds amusement park was super fun; and we enjoyed seeing some family and friends on the trip.

(We’ll insert here that about this time, right as the school year was coming to an end, three of us caught an adenovirus. We now believe it is a seriously underappreciated virus.)

And over summer break our big trip took us to Utah, Nevada, and California. Wow, there is a lot of nothing in Nevada. We spent a few days at Donner Lake, where Susan’s family has been camping for several generations, and our kids were able to make memories of that wonderful place. Then we visited Point Reyes National Seashore and Muir Woods, followed by a drive through the Avenue of the Giants (which we recommend) to Eureka (which we do not).

In San Francisco, we started walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. Susan, Fiona, and Heath decided the wind and the noise from the traffic were too much and turned back about two-thirds of the way. Dustin and Colin, however, stuck it out and walked all the way across and back. They were rewarded with seeing dolphins frolicking in the water. They also got to wave to a departing cruise ship as it passed under the bridge. All the passengers on deck waved back and the captain blew the ship’s horn. Maybe cruise ships always do that as they pass under the Golden Gate Bridge. But Dustin and Colin are pretty sure it was for them. (Told you walking across bridges was a recurring theme.)

After a few days in the Bay Area, we came home ready-ish to start the school year.

Other highlights of what each of us has been up to this year:

• Susan has done a few interesting things at school this year, including several hikes (one has been termed “the tick hike”), making an 8-layer cake to represent the 19th century, dissecting sheep brains, and organizing weekly schoolwide student presentations for a new “Symposium” program. In the spring, she started helping take care of the new chickens at a community farm nearby. (Yes, there are community farms in New York City.) They’re pretty interesting little creatures, actually; seeing them run after a bug really convinces you that they’re related to T-rexes. Although it requires a few hours each day that she’s on the schedule, Susan really enjoys spending time outside interacting with animals and imagining that she’s on a little farm somewhere.
• Heath (now 8) transferred to a new school this year for 3rd grade. A few days after school started, he chose to be baptized. Right now, he’s enjoying making new friends, preparing for the holiday concert, and learning Arabic on Duolingo.
• Colin (turning 10 in January), who also transferred to a new school, is learning a lot in 4th grade. He just got glasses and marvels at all the things he can see now. In addition to reading a lot, he’s interested in learning coding and Greek.
• Fiona (now 13) is in the midst of high school applications, which is a bizarre process in NYC that supposedly increases equity but mostly just stresses everyone out. She takes the subway all over by herself. If she’s not drawing, she’s probably laughing at memes or puns.
• Dustin added a new job title to his résumé: adjunct professor. He co-taught a class at the Honors College at the University of Utah. The class, called City as Text, focused on New York City, and he was the on-the-ground person here in New York who guided students on an interdisciplinary study of the city, including its history, past and current challenges, social fabric, and built environment. As you can imagine, this was all right up his alley. (“Speaking of alleys,” Dustin says, “did you know that much of New York City actually does not have alleys? They were not included in the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, which established Manhattan’s street grid, because the land was too valuable.”)

In the end, 2023 has been — well, a “normal” year, which is, we suppose, a welcome change after several not-so-normal years. We hope that 2023 has been as good to you as it has been to us and that 2024 will be even better. As always, we are grateful to count you among our family and friends. If and when you come to New York City, our home is always open to you. (And now a bona-fide professional can take you on a tour!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS &
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

With our love,
Susan, Dustin, Fiona, Colin, & Heath