May Flowers

 Spring feels like it is finally here to stay... just in time for summer.

Snaps of April

 April was an eventful month, encompassing the usual New England Weather extremes.

The dogs enjoyed the eclipse. It was uncanny how they faced it and sat still. 

Syl has been doing a LOT of driving. She's awesome!

About half of the tulips I planted made it. Deer got the rest. Otherwise, the yard once again did not disappoint.

I got to take in a Nuggets / Lakers playoff nail-biter while in Denver for work. Was a blast!

I cannot explain this one. 

April Art

 Just a few captures from the kid's sketch book. 

Meet Jax

This handsome little guy is Jackson (Jax), a four and a half year old gem of a kid who is eight months into a grueling two year course of treatment to rid his body of pediatric leukemia. 

 

The other little guy is Henry, Jax's identical twin brother. The differences in their appearance are a stark demonstration of the toll that his treatment takes on Jax... and his smile is just as vivid a demonstration of his resilience and bravery. 

My cycling team and I got the chance to meet Jax, .Henry, and their wonderful parents last weekend at the kickoff event for the Pan Mass Challenge "Pedal Partners" program, at Fenway Park. This year, for the first time, we'll be riding in support of our Pedal Partner, Jax, as we raise money for the life saving care and research conducted at the Dana Farber Cancer Center. 

For obvious reasons the Pan Mass has been special to me for each of the eleven previous years I've ridden in it. This year, my 12th year, will be the most special yet. I cannot think of a better perspective setter than spending time with Jax and his family, and thinking about the challenges they are facing - with courage, and equanimity, and optimism. 

It is uncomfortable to solicit donations from friends and family. But when it comes to the Pan Mass, I can do it without hesitation. Every single dollar goes to Dana Farber - zero goes to event overhead - making the PMC the most efficient charity you could possibly contribute to. This year, my team (The Bad Apples) have a goal of raising $30,000, every cent of which will go to support pediatric leukemia cara at Dana Farber, giving Jax and kids like him a better chance to kick this terrible disease. If you happen to be interested in contributing, please click this link. Everything counts. 

COLLEGE trips???

 Surely College Trips for Sylvie Rose Haley cannot be starting ALREADY?

Well, they are. Syl is starting to think seriously about whether art school is something she wants to do, and the first part of that determination is figuring out whether she feels at home at an art school. So we jetted down to Savannah, Georgia for a few days to check out the Savannah College of Art and Design, which has been recommended to me by several friends and colleagues with artistic kids. 

First of all, Savannah is a GORGEOUS city. It sort of feels like a combination of the older parts of Boston and Cambridge with the best aspects of Florida. The flora is amazing, and the place has a really safe, funky vibe that Syl really liked right away. 

SCAD is super cool. There is no real "campus" - the college occupies eighty-eight historic buildings spread throughout Savannah, each of them preserved meticulously outside, and renovated to state of the art facilities inside. It is a really cool model. 

Syl really enjoyed the day-long college tour. 

The one downside? It is really hard to eat healthy in Savannah! Everything (EV-ER-Y-THING) is fried. And this was the "vegetable of the day" at one of the restaurants where we had lunch. 

But food concerns aside, Syl really loved SCAD. Whether she will go there - or to art school, for that matter - is still up in the air. But it is nice to know there is a place out there where she feels comfortable, and a school she is excited about! She's spending five weeks doing a college simulation at Rhode Island School of Design this summer, so she'll get a good sense of going to school there, and of art school in general!