A splurge of a bunch of photos from different events throughout the summer:
Summer Rewind: The Fire
September 21, 2012 by 2 Comments
We run lots and lots of call that never get written about on here, but there is good reason for this one. No, we didn’t make any miraculous saves, we didn’t jump in front of a runaway truck, we didn’t do CPR, and it didn’t even make the newspaper. This one story gets told, because the fire was on our street. There are many, many reasons that I love working in the city where we live, but there is one huge drawback: the fear that I will run on either someone that we know really well, or even worse – on our own family. So, when the call came in, the heart skipped a few beats.
The tones dropped at the station for a ‘confirmed working residential structure fire’ and we did like we always do…we ran to the truck, got our stuff on, and hit the street. In our system, the dispatcher airs any pertinent information over the radio for all responding units to hear, so when she started to tell us that information, my heart sank. “The caller is on XXXXX Court, and can see flames and smoke from a house on WWWWW Way (street names intentionally left weird). We are getting multiple calls on this.” Since you don’t know the area, I will tell you that based on the location of those streets, the fire was in one of five houses….and one of those five houses was mine….with Ahna and Ezra at home on summer break.
I immediately looked over at my driver, and told him to drive very, very fast. We could see a column of smoke raising from the neighborhood as we came down the hill from our station. I told him again (and probably did five more times during the response) to make the truck go faster….thankfully, he is more seasoned than to listen to the requests of a moderately emotion filled officer, and he stayed the course of a fast-but-safe response. The first arriving Chief got on the scene, and gave a corrected address – which was not our house – and told us that it was a deck fire spreading to the house. Just prior to our arrival, another engine got on the scene, stretched a line, and knocked the bulk of the fire out. We got there and did a search, checked for extension, and assisted in the rather extensive overhaul of a trex deck. It was super strange to round the corner in the truck and to see Ahna and Ezra, along with the rest of the neighbors, greeting our arrival on the sidewalks.
Thankfully nobody was hurt, and due to the quick work of the crews, the damage was mostly limited to the outside of the house. Responding to a fire on your street is all of the emotional/stressful mess that you think it would be. Thankfully, I have a great crew that stayed under control themselves, and whom were able to wrangle me back to reality prior to getting on the scene. And to anyone else that lives on a street with a firefighter that works in that same city….don’t set your house on fire.
Summer Rewind: Camping Fun!
September 20, 2012 by 2 Comments
We actually ventured out into the wild wilderness twice this summer for some close-by camping. It’s sort of a feat to make it out a few times, and we are bizarrely satisfied with getting there twice between only 8 weeks that Ahna has off, several weeks of which were already committed and compounded by my work schedule. The first trip was up to the Breckenridge/Keystone area, where we camping close to Lake Dillon. It was an extremely welcome relief from the stupid hot summer that we had down here, as the nighttime temperatures dropped into the upper 30’s.
Prior to that trip, we had been sporting a three person dome tent as our ‘spacious’ tent, but we decided to hit the local Coleman store and look for a clearance tent that might fit a slightly larger bill. Boy, did we ever. It cost us under $80, and it’s an eight person dome tent that I think could fit the car if it were needed. When I tested it out in the backyard prior to the trip, I worried we had made a size mistake. Who, in their right mind, would ever need a tent that size unless you were attempting to camp several families under one roof? But because of the very good cost, and the idea that it would potentially serve us well as car campers for the next few years, we gave it a shot. It turns out that I’m really glad that we kept it. Once we got up to the site, we went into Breckenridge for some fun at their adventure area before hitting some dinner in Dillon (rough camping trip, right?….PS – didn’t want to push too hard with it being Ezra’s first time out since he was one, and Ahna being 26ish weeks pregnant). Once we got back to the campsite, the temperature dropped, the thunder rolled in, and the rain came. From 6pm until after 2am. No campfire, no stargazing, no ghost stories. Just time in the tent…in the large, spacious tent that had room for all of us to find a space and not feel on top of each other. It was perfect.
The second trip also featured a few firsts for us: first time that just Ezra and I went out, and the first time that we went along with another family. We headed down to the Arkansas River Headwater State Park and camped right along the river (about 100 yards away). We did take the smaller tent this time, as we figured that the weather would be nicer (it was), and Ezra would have some friends to play with (he did). Cooked dinner at the site, had a campfire, ate smores, and told stories (non-ghost made up ones by the kids). We had one trip in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (glad Ezra is a boy in this case), and we awoke in the morning to find bighorn sheep roaming the campsite area. On the way home, we drove the Skyline Road in Canyon City (video below of our trip taken with a GoPro camera)…which is a must drive if you are ever in that part of the state.
The trips resulted in lots of fun and a desire to push for more of them next summer. We all got a little dirty and smelly, but we survived the heat, the cool, the rain, and the sun…and did so on the ground inside a tent. Good times.
Prepping The Room
September 19, 2012 by 2 Comments
You know, sometimes it is as hard as it is supposed to be. Yesterday, for the first concerted time, we began the process of getting the girl’s room ready. For the past several months, the idea of getting the room cleaned up and prepared for her arrival didn’t appeal to us in the least. First, there was the physical stuff that has been kept in there since Liam – the cards, the clothes, the blankets, the animals, etc. Then there is the idea that we are moving him out to get ready for someone else…and that is the really difficult thing.
Throughout this pregnancy, and still very much today, we are coping with the feelings that we are somehow replacing Liam. That by having this baby, we are moving on and past him. We know that as we immerse ourselves into Ezra and this girl’s life, that we will sometimes find ourselves not thinking about Liam as much – and that scares the crap out of us. Realizing the realities of all of those fears is no more up front and center than moving Liam’s stuff from the room that was supposed to be his in order to make it available for his little sister. Granted, he never spent a second physically in the room; but from the very beginning, it was supposed to be his space, and it has housed nearly everything that was his since we came home from the hospital. Simply moving a box of cards from that room into the guest room triggered a wave of emotion and a river of tears.
If you walk around our house, it probably doesn’t look like a house that’s ready to receive a baby. I suppose that part of that is due to the fact that we are still about a month away from an expected arrival, but the larger part of that is the pure hesitation to actually do anything. Trust me when I tell you that taking everything down, packing it all way, and storing it in the basement is one of the hardest things that you would ever have to face….and I’m not sure that either of us are up for that experience again. Because of that, we keep telling ourselves that all we need are a few diapers and the car seat; and the rest of the stuff we can get ready when we get home with the girl. Even though that is a simple truth, I was really happy and pleasantly surprised to see a part of both of us rise up over the weekend and feel a desire to do some work on her room. We took full advantage of being in a mutually shared space, and we cleaned and sorted clothes and we straightened up the room. It was really difficult and it felt sort of nice at the same time.
Neither of us expect that this will feel natural or come easily. But we are hoping and working on trying to find a good place to enjoy this moment, while at the same time not ignoring or burying the past. Here’s to the next time that it feels right.
Veggie Stock
September 18, 2012 by 1 Comment
A random and really rewarding post on how to make your own veggie stock.
1 – Get a container that you can store discarded vegetable pieces in. Keep it in the fridge once in use.
2 – Get a garden, or if not, eat more veggies.
3 – Take all, and I mean all, discarded parts of any veggie (including corn) and put them in that container.
4 – Once full, dump them into a large stock pot and cook with a little bit of oil until the veggies sweat.
5 – Cover with water, bring to boil, cover, and cook for 60-75 minutes.
6 – Put another pot in the sink (or someplace you don’t mind spillage), put a strainer in that pot, then line the strainer with cheesecloth.
7 – Dump the veggies and liquid into the pot. Remove the cheesecloth and discard.
8 – Enjoy the stock and repeat.
We have used the stock in all sorts of dishes, including soup, risotto, rice, general sauteing, etc. Note: don’t put anything that would add salt or other seasoning to the stock when making it, as you don’t know what you are going to use it for. You can season it once you use it.
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9/11
September 10, 2012 by 1 Comment
Tomorrow we climb.
We don’t forget. We will NEVER forget.
Each year, I post this photo…a stunning capture in history (read story here). This is a photo of FDNY’s Ladder 118 responding to the WTC. None of them would survive the day. These guys knew what they were getting into, yet they didn’t hesitate. We climb because they climbed.
The list of the 343 FDNY brothers that died on 9/11:
Joseph Agnello, Lad.118 Lt. Brian Ahearn, Bat.13 Eric Allen, Sqd.18 (D) Richard Allen, Lad.15 Cpt. James Amato, Sqd.1 Calixto Anaya Jr., Eng.4 Joseph Agnello, Lad.118 Lt. Brian Ahearn, Bat.13 Eric Allen, Sqd.18 (D) Richard Allen, Lad.15 Cpt. James Amato, Sqd.1 Calixto Anaya Jr., Eng.4 Joseph Angelini, Res.1 (D) Joseph Angelini Jr., Lad.4 Faustino Apostol Jr., Bat.2 David Arce, Eng.33 Louis Arena, Lad.5 (D) Carl Asaro, Bat.9 Lt. Gregg Atlas, Eng.10 Gerald Atwood, Lad.21 Gerald Baptiste, Lad.9 A.C. Gerard Barbara, Cmd. Ctr. Matthew Barnes, Lad.25 Arthur Barry, Lad.15 Lt.Steven Bates, Eng.235 Carl Bedigian, Eng.214 Stephen Belson, Bat.7 John Bergin, Res.5 Paul Beyer, Eng.6 Peter Bielfeld, Lad.42 Brian Bilcher, Sqd.1 Carl Bini, Res.5 Christopher Blackwell, Res.3 Michael Bocchino, Bat.48 Frank Bonomo, Eng.230 Gary Box, Sqd.1 Michael Boyle, Eng.33 Kevin Bracken, Eng.40 Michael Brennan, Lad.4 Peter Brennan, Res.4 Cpt. Daniel Brethel, Lad.24 (D) Cpt. Patrick Brown, Lad.3 Andrew Brunn, Lad.5 (D) Cpt. Vincent Brunton, Lad.105 F.M. Ronald Bucca Greg Buck, Eng.201 Cpt. William Burke Jr., Eng.21 A.C. Donald Burns, Cmd. Ctr. John Burnside, Lad.20 Thomas Butler, Sqd.1 Patrick Byrne, Lad.101 George Cain, Lad.7 Salvatore Calabro, Lad.101 Cpt. Frank Callahan, Lad.35 Michael Cammarata, Lad.11 Brian Cannizzaro, Lad.101 Dennis Carey, Hmc.1 Michael Carlo, Eng.230 Michael Carroll, Lad.3 Peter Carroll, Sqd.1 (D) Thomas Casoria, Eng.22 Michael Cawley, Lad.136 Vernon Cherry, Lad.118 Nicholas Chiofalo, Eng.235 John Chipura, Eng.219 Michael Clarke, Lad.2 Steven Coakley, Eng.217 Tarel Coleman, Sqd.252 John Collins, Lad.25 Robert Cordice, Sqd.1 Ruben Correa, Eng.74 James Coyle, Lad.3 Robert Crawford, Safety Lt. John Crisci, H.M. B.C. Dennis Cross, Bat.57 (D) Thomas Cullen III, Sqd. 41 Robert Curatolo, Lad.16 (D) Lt. Edward D’Atri, Sqd.1 Michael D’Auria, Eng.40 Scott Davidson, Lad.118 Edward Day, Lad.11 B.C. Thomas DeAngelis, Bat. 8 Manuel Delvalle, Eng.5 Martin DeMeo, H.M. 1 David DeRubbio, Eng.226 Lt. Andrew Desperito, Eng.1 (D) B.C. Dennis Devlin, Bat.9 Gerard Dewan, Lad.3 George DiPasquale, Lad.2 Lt. Kevin Donnelly, Lad.3 Lt. Kevin Dowdell, Res.4 B.C. Raymond Downey, Soc. Gerard Duffy, Lad.21 Cpt. Martin Egan, Jr., Div.15 (D) Michael Elferis, Eng.22 Francis Esposito, Eng.235 Lt. Michael Esposito, Sqd.1 Robert Evans, Eng.33B.C. John Fanning, H.O. Cpt. Thomas Farino, Eng.26 Terrence Farrell, Res.4 Cpt. Joseph Farrelly, Div.1 Dep. Comm. William Feehan, (D) Lee Fehling, Eng.235 Alan Feinberg, Bat.9 Michael Fiore, Res.5 Lt. John Fischer, Lad.20 Andre Fletcher, Res.5 John Florio, Eng.214 Lt. Michael Fodor, Lad.21 Thomas Foley, Res.3 David Fontana, Sqd.1 Robert Foti, Lad.7 Andrew Fredericks, Sqd.18 Lt. Peter Freund, Eng.55 Thomas Gambino Jr., Res.3 Chief of Dept. Peter Ganci, Jr. (D) Lt. Charles Garbarini, Bat.9 Thomas Gardner, Hmc.1 Matthew Garvey, Sqd.1 Bruce Gary, Eng.40 Gary Geidel, Res.1 B.C. Edward Geraghty, Bat.9 Dennis Germain, Lad.2 Lt. Vincent Giammona, Lad.5 James Giberson, Lad.35 Ronnie Gies, Sqd.288 Paul Gill, Eng.54 Lt. John Ginley, Eng.40 Jeffrey Giordano, Lad.3 John Giordano, Hmc.1 Keith Glascoe, Lad.21 James Gray, Lad.20 B.C. Joseph Grzelak, Bat.48 Jose Guadalupe, Eng.54 Lt. Geoffrey Guja, Bat.43 Lt. Joseph Gullickson, Lad.101 David Halderman, Sqd.18 Lt. Vincent Halloran, Lad.8 Robert Hamilton, Sqd.41 Sean Hanley, Lad.20 (D) Thomas Hannafin, Lad.5 Dana Hannon, Eng.26 Daniel Harlin, Lad.2 Lt. Harvey Harrell, Res.5 Lt. Stephen Harrell, Bat.7 Cpt. Thomas Haskell, Jr., Div.15 Timothy Haskell, Sqd.18 (D) Cpt. Terence Hatton, Res.1 Michael Haub, Lad.4 Lt. Michael Healey, Sqd.41 John Hefferman, Lad.11 Ronnie Henderson, Eng.279 Joseph Henry, Lad.21 William Henry, Res.1 (D) Thomas Hetzel, Lad.13 Cpt. Brian Hickey, Res.4 Lt. Timothy Higgins, S.O.C. Jonathan Hohmann, Hmc.1 Thomas Holohan, Eng.6 Joseph Hunter, Sqd.288 Cpt. Walter Hynes, Lad.13 (D)Jonathan Ielpi, Sqd.288 Cpt. Frederick Ill Jr., Lad.2 William Johnston, Eng.6 Andrew Jordan, Lad.132 Karl Joseph, Eng.207 Lt. Anthony Jovic, Bat.47 Angel Juarbe Jr., Lad.12 Mychal Judge, Chaplain (D) Vincent Kane, Eng.22 B.C. Charles Kasper, S.O.C. Paul Keating, Lad.5 Richard Kelly Jr., Lad.11 Thomas R. Kelly, Lad.15 Thomas W. Kelly, Lad.105 Thomas Kennedy, Lad.101 Lt. Ronald Kerwin, Sqd.288 Michael Kiefer, Lad.132 Robert King Jr., Eng.33 Scott Kopytko, Lad.15 William Krukowski, Lad.21 Kenneth Kumpel, Lad.25 Thomas Kuveikis, Sqd.252 David LaForge, Lad.20 William Lake, Res.2 Robert Lane, Eng.55 Peter Langone, Sqd.252 Scott Larsen, Lad.15 Lt. Joseph Leavey, Lad.15 Neil Leavy, Eng.217 Daniel Libretti, Res.2 Carlos Lillo, Paramedic Robert Linnane, Lad.20 Michael Lynch, Eng.40 Michael Lynch, Lad.4 Michael Lyons, Sqd.41 Patrick Lyons, Sqd.252 Joseph Maffeo, Lad.101 William Mahoney, Res 4 Joseph Maloney, Lad.3 (D) B.C. Joseph Marchbanks Jr, Bat.12 Lt. Charles Margiotta, Bat.22 Kenneth Marino, Res.1 John Marshall, Eng.23 Lt. Peter Martin, Res.2 Lt. Paul Martini, Eng.23 Joseph Mascali, T.S.U. 2 Keithroy Maynard, Eng.33 Brian McAleese, Eng.226 John McAvoy, Lad.3 Thomas McCann, Bat.8 Lt. William McGinn, Sqd.18 B.C. William McGovern, Bat.2 (D) Dennis McHugh, Lad.13 Robert McMahon, Lad.20 Robert McPadden, Eng.23 Terence McShane, Lad.101 Timothy McSweeney, Lad.3 Martin McWilliams, Eng.22 (D) Raymond Meisenheimer, Res.3 Charles Mendez, Lad.7 Steve Mercado, Eng.40 Douglas Miller, Res.5 Henry Miller Jr, Lad.105 Robert Minara, Lad.25 Thomas Mingione, Lad.132 Lt. Paul Mitchell, Bat.1 Capt. Louis Modafferi, Res.5 Lt. Dennis Mojica, Res.1 (D) Manuel Mojica, Sqd.18 (D) Carl Molinaro, Lad.2 Michael Montesi, Res.1 Capt. Thomas Moody, Div.1 B.C. John Moran, Bat.49 Vincent Morello, Lad.35 Christopher Mozzillo, Eng.55 Richard Muldowney Jr, Lad.07 Michael Mullan, Lad.12 Dennis Mulligan, Lad.2 Lt. Raymond Murphy, Lad.16 Lt. Robert Nagel, Eng.58 John Napolitano, Res.2 Peter Nelson, Res.4 Gerard Nevins, Res.1 Dennis O’Berg, Lad.105 Lt. Daniel O’Callaghan, Lad.4 Douglas Oelschlager, Lad.15 Joseph Ogren, Lad.3 Lt. Thomas O’Hagan, Bat.4 Samuel Oitice, Lad.4 Patrick O’Keefe, Res.1 Capt. William O’Keefe, Div.15 (D) Eric Olsen, Lad.15 Jeffery Olsen, Eng.10 Steven Olson, Lad.3 Kevin O’Rourke, Res.2 Michael Otten, Lad.35 Jeffery Palazzo, Res.5 B.C. Orio Palmer, Bat.7 Frank Palombo, Lad.105 Paul Pansini, Eng.10 B.C. John Paolillo, Bat.11 James Pappageorge, Eng.23 Robert Parro, Eng.8 Durrell Pearsall, Res.4 Lt. Glenn Perry, Bat.12 Lt. Philip Petti, Bat.7 Lt. Kevin Pfeifer, Eng. 33 Lt. Kenneth Phelan, Bat.32 Christopher Pickford, Eng.201 Shawn Powell, Eng.207 Vincent Princiotta, Lad.7 Kevin Prior, Sqd.252 B.C. Richard Prunty, Bat.2 (D) Lincoln Quappe, Res.2 Lt. Michael Quilty, Lad.11 Ricardo Quinn, Paramedic Leonard Ragaglia, Eng.54 Michael Ragusa, Eng.279 Edward Rall, Res.2 Adam Rand, Sqd.288 Donald Regan, Res.3 Lt. Robert Regan, Lad.118 Christian Regenhard, Lad.131 Kevin Reilly, Eng.207 Lt. Vernon Richard, Lad.7 James Riches, Eng.4 Joseph Rivelli, Lad.25 Michael Roberts, Eng.214 Michael E. Roberts, Lad.35 Anthony Rodriguez, Eng.279 Matthew Rogan, Lad.11 Nicholas Rossomando, Res.5 Paul Ruback, Lad.25 Stephen Russell, Eng.55 Lt. Michael Russo, S.O.C. B.C. Matthew Ryan, Bat.1 Thomas Sabella, Lad.13 Christopher Santora, Eng.54 John Santore, Lad.5 (D) Gregory Saucedo, Lad.5 Dennis Scauso, H.M. 1 John Schardt, Eng.201 B.C. Fred Scheffold, Bat.12 Thomas Schoales, Eng.4 Gerard Schrang, Res.3 (D) Gregory Sikorsky, Sqd.41 Stephen Siller, Sqd.1 Stanley Smagala Jr, Eng.226 Kevin Smith, H.M. 1 Leon Smith Jr, Lad 118 Robert Spear Jr, Eng.26 Joseph Spor, Res.3 B.C. Lawrence Stack, Bat.50 Cpt. Timothy Stackpole, Div.11 (D) Gregory Stajk, Lad.13 Jeffery Stark, Eng.230 Benjamin Suarez, Lad.21 Daniel Suhr, Eng.216 (D) Lt. Christopher Sullivan, Lad.111 Brian Sweeney, Res.1 Sean Tallon, Lad.10 Allan Tarasiewicz, Res.5 Paul Tegtmeier, Eng.4 John Tierney, Lad.9 John Tipping II, Lad.4 Hector Tirado Jr, Eng.23 Richard Vanhine, Sqd.41 Peter Vega, Lad.118 Lawrence Veling, Eng.235 John Vigiano II, Lad.132 Sergio Villanueva, Lad.132 Lawrence Virgilio, Sqd.18 (D) Lt. Robert Wallace, Eng.205 Jeffery Walz, Lad. 9 Lt. Michael Warchola, Lad.5 (D) Capt. Patrick Waters, S.O.C. Kenneth Watson, Eng.214 Michael Weinberg, Eng.1 (D) David Weiss, Res.1 Timothy Welty, Sqd.288 Eugene Whelan, Eng.230 Edward White, Eng.230 Mark Whitford, Eng.23 Lt. Glenn Wilkinson, Eng.238 (D) B.C. John Williamson, Bat.6 (D) Capt. David Wooley, Lad.4 Raymond York, Eng.285 (D)
A Week In The Woods, Er…Cabin
August 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Back to the cabin in Grand Lake for a great week of relaxing mountain life. This time….no moose, just lots and lots of heat. By the way, I just don’t get why public buildings constructed post-1980 don’t have air conditioning. I understand if you don’t want it in the house, and I also appreciate that most of the time it’s probably not needed…but AC is one of those things that when it is required, it’s really necessary….and when the library doesn’t have it, it’s a sad, smelly, sweaty mess. We spent the time up there at the exact same time that the wildfires were blowing up all over Colorado, so we were thankful to be reminded of what beauty exists in the state (without fire) and to be able to enjoy some clean air. Hiking was fun, fishing was successful, and time together was worth it all.
A Father/Son Connection That No Father/Son Wants To Have
August 7, 2012 by 2 Comments
Ezra and I share something that totally sucks to share: we have both lost our younger brother.
It’s a cold, hard fact that I have known since Liam died, but it’s been – oddly enough – not that obvious to me until yesterday. I suppose it’s most likely because Ezra is so young, or it’s because we just haven’t talked about Jonathan that much with him (that has been somewhat unintentional, but life is hard for him to understand right now without the complication of understanding what happened to Jonathan).
Yesterday was Jonathan’s 33rd birthday. He died prior to turning 21, so every year since then, I make some time and go and buy him a drink. It makes for a somewhat awkward conversation with the waiter/waitress because they don’t want to serve me two drinks right away, but we get through it, and I get him a beer. It sits there untouched while I down mine, and I walk away from the table every time wishing that he were there to finish the drink with me. Sometimes I have done this ritual with friends, and sometimes it’s been with family, but yesterday I wanted to go by myself. So, I gathered my things and told Ezra that I would see him after his nap…and then came the question that I wasn’t prepared for: “Where are you going?”
The question in and of itself sounds innocent and simple enough. But I know Ezra, and he had inquisitiveness to solve. My reply was a lame attempt at a non-full-truth, but he pressed on. Soon enough, we arrived at the part of the conversation that I could see coming for miles: “Who is Jonathan?” “Jonathan is my brother, and today is his birthday, so I am going to go and buy him a drink.” “When are we going to go to his house to have a party?” “Jonathan died a long time ago.” “His heart stopped working too?” “Yup, just like Liam’s.” “Oh, ok.” and even though he was verbally matter of fact about it, during the conversation, his mind was spinning trying to comprehend what he was being told. I can’t tell you how sickened I was to have to tell him this news (although he’s heard it before) when he can now somewhat understand what it means. I was on the edge of tears as I realized that we have this terrible thing in common….and that now he gets it.
At least the beer was good.
The Life of a Little Hippie 