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The Boutons Meet Lincoln Cole Walker Part II

All together now...AWWWWW!!!!

The Boutons Meet Lincoln Cole Walker

The most exciting part of our recent return to Florida had to be our first meeting with Lincoln Walker and his parents, Mark and Summer. I told Erin that it wouldn't be real that we were an aunt and uncle until we actually held the baby. Wow, I was right because now he is definitely and most wonderfully real. He's just beautiful, and Erin and I were in awe. And no...this doesn't mean we're starting a family this year. Thanks for asking. :)

You may not know this about me, but I don't handle a lot of infants. I don't really hang out with a lot of folks that have them around and it's not like in the normal course of life that I've ever been tasked with holding one. It's just amazing how small and complex they are. Apart from the whole miracle of life aspect which is pretty obvious to anyone holding an infant, they really are just fascinating. It's just beyond me that anything so short-lived is capable of so much wonder and majesty.

So having only been born about two weeks before our first meeting, it was understandable that Lincoln slept for our first hour together, talked little, and was a bit gassy. He made up for it later by being a great listener and exuding a casual charm that greatly impressed both Erin and myself. Many people, including myself, can be a bit wordy, but Lincoln says quite a bit with just a few gestures and facial expressions that are exact and economical. Case in point:

I think the one at the top left with the mouth wide open shows he takes after me in some ways.

Please note this following picture of him doing his best New Hampshire impersonation:

At two weeks, this kid can do a heck of a moose impersonation! I want this guy on my charades team.

Erin and I left Orlando really impressed with young Mr. Walker, and we can't wait to meet him again as soon as possible. It might be really cool to be an aunt and uncle. :) I wonder if he's seen Star Wars, yet?

Brian Visits Prep

So I visted Prep and took some shots of....umm....our dragonboat racing trophy we won our first year out. Didn't you meet up with old friends, colleagues, and students at Prep? Yes. Where are the pictures? Umm...well...see, I carry the camera in my pocket with me, and I was so excited to visit my former students playing a game I created several years ago that I didn't take any. And then I was so interested in hearing about the great new head of school and about how happy everyone is with the school, life, and everything else that I didn't remember to take the camera out of said pocket. So...I have this fine shot of a paddle.

Seriously, though, after my last visit to Prep in March when everyone's spirits were down, I was so overjoyed to see all my former colleagues and friends so optimistic and upbeat about the school's future. I love Prep so much which is probably why I've already visited twice since we've moved up here. It was far easier to leave the building than the incredible people that work within. Looking back, I might have taught at Tampa Prep for a number of years, however; I feel now that I was more of a student there learning how to become a better teacher from some of the best in the business.

Erin Visits Armwood

Erin and I returned to Florida earlier this month for her high school reunion and to meet our new nephew, Lincoln. While we were in town, Erin stopped in to see many of her Armwood friends, and I caught a few shots on the way. (I was really happy and surprised to hear how many of Erin's friends and former colleagues keep up with the blog.) Erin's former colleagues are really wonderful and have been so supportive of our marriage, our move to New Hampshire, and everything else we've ever tried. She was really lucky to have such an incredible group of friends and colleagues at her first school.

Armwood football is undefeated as of this post and Erin couldn't be happier. She still keeps up with Coach Cal and the team on TBO.com regularly.
Erin got a big kick out of wearing a visitor badge and having to sign in and out like any other person visiting the school.

Uncle Brian and Aunt Erin!!!

My brother Mark and his wife Summer were joined by Lincoln Cole Walker on Sept. 18th. Mom, Dad, and baby are all doing fine. Erin and I will be visiting with our new nephew for the first time on Sept. 28th! (And I'm sure we'll have some pictures.)

One Week Behind the Mast or Boutons and the Sea Pt. 1

"You were in the Navy? What ship?" I served in the U.S. Navy, largely a maritime service, for five and a half years and had never been to sea which over the years has become a source of slight personal embarassment. After talking with Erin, we both decided it was time to remedy the situation by spending a week aboard a dual-masted schooner out of Boston to finally get this lubber some sea legs. The above pic shows the Westward which is a fine ship and brought us safely out to sea and back under the fine command of Captain Flansberg. (I hope I'm spelling his name correctly!)

Here is our captain, holding the chart, guiding us out into the harbor where we moored for the first evening. The captain was amazing, and we thoroughly enjoyed talking to him and hearing about his endlessly fascinating sea, and land, stories throughout the week. It was obvious the crew loved serving under him by how happily they went about their duties. The captain also had a great sense of humor and quite a nice singing voice as he entertained us with some sea chantys on our last evening aboard. To the right of him is 1st Mate Paolino who was equally wonderful and we learned quite a bit about the sailing life from hearing about his personal experiences.

According to the film "Captains Courageous", passengers are a "Jonah" (bad luck) aboard a proper sailing vessel so we were quickly to put to work as deckhands. Even as green as we were just coming aboard, all the teachers were giving a duty section and stood watches at the lookout, helm (me at the wheel above), running messages fore and aft, and doing boat checks at regular intervals. Depending on whether we were in port or at sea, the watches were on a 24-hour rotation and that included mid-watches. Standing at the helm was a lot of fun because you had to keep the ship on course by the compass in front of you and was challenging at times in strong winds. The downside was that nobody can speak to you while you are at the wheel and it's kind of lonely.

A cold sea and hot summer temperatures in New England creates a good thick fog. This ship coming out of the mist gave us a good scare, but it was anchored and no threat to us at all. Still, Mr. Pao sat up on the bowsprit sounding his conch shell (our foghorn was out) to warn any other vessels hiding out there.

After a fogbound trip through the Cape Cod Canal, we finally hit port in New Bedford, Mass to visit this former whaling town and to see the Whaling Museum. The above pic is of the Seamen's Bethel where sailiors go to pray for a safe voyage. It's also the chapel that Herman Melville prayed in before he went on his five-year whaling voyage in prepration for writing "Moby Dick." You can see the pew he sat in when you head inside.

This bow-shaped pulpit is inside the Seamen's Bethel and was built by popular demand after the Gregory Peck film version of "Moby Dick" had many tourists asking where it was. Melville included mention of the pulpit in his novel; however, it was his own invention and is a recent addition to the chapel.

This whale skeleton hangs from the ceiling of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. While the displays inside are wonderful and do great justice to the practice and history of whaling, we were quite sad after considering how many of these wonderful creatures were killed in the process.

(Above Picture) This is scrimshaw, or carved whale bones, that sailors used to make on long whaling voyages to pass the time. Some of them are quite beautiful but then you are reminded of the cost of this artwork in lost whales.

This is a shot of our big night out together in New Bedford at Freestone's. From left and clockwise: Dave, Eric, Kevin, Dr. Glenn, Liz, Patty, Lisa, Chris, Chip, and Erin. You really could not find a more fantastic group of people to be out to sea with for a week. We hope to keep in touch with everyone.

Our captain and the crew came out to the same restaurant to have dinner so we surprised them with a round of "Apple Jack" (apple juice) and Teddy Grahams off the salty sailor menu (kid's menu.) Life at sea is dangerous and little bear-shaped graham crackers and jungle-themed mug might mean the difference between life and death out there.

What do sailors do when they hit shore? Drink and get tattoos. Liz, one of our program coordinators, had the brilliant idea to bring pirate-themed stick-on tatoos and they were a huge hit with the crew. Pictured with me is Dave who turned out to be a fellow Floridian and a librarian at my old rival school, Berkeley Prep. Dave is a hoot, and Erin absolutely loved having him as a watchmate. We'll be catching up with Dave in September when we come home for Erin's high school reunion.