First Measurable SnowFall in Princeton this Season

 Last weekend we had the first measurable snowfall in Princeton, NJ for this season. It was about 4 inches - the wind caused very uneven deposits in the 3-7 inch range. The last time Princeton had snowfall approaching this amount was February 2024.

July visit to Shelter Island

 For a second summer, we spent some time with Kristina & Jake's family at Cottage Green on Shelter Island. This time there was a young pilot for the trip from LA.

The kids and grandparents:

Julian & Grandpa                                           Maya & Grandma                   

Maya, Kristina, Jake, Julian:

Grandma, Kristina, and Maya:

Getting around in LA

Ride in a Jaguar

Maya Francis Levine-Budelis 7 lbs 3 oz Friday October 11 8:51am

 Jake wrote: 

"We've both always liked the name Maya. As we were considering names and learning their meanings, we fell more in love with it, and after meeting her last week it just felt right. 

Maya means so many beautiful things in so many languages: illusion or magic in Sanskrit, water or spring in Hebrew, nurse or good mother in Greek, love, compassion or kindness in Hindi, courage in Maori, and generous or hospitable in Old Persian.* We also liked that it started with an M, as did Kristina's maternal grandfather's first name (Murray AKA Mike Sands). 

Francis is a name we've loved for some time. My mom Jill's middle name was Francine — though she hated it, we like that Francis offers a connection between Maya and her grandmother Jill.

Last but not least, Levine-Budelis is a testament to our indecision; we apologize in advance to our children for having to deal with a hyphen for their entire lives.

Julian has been a wonderful big brother, shouting "baby sister is crying" and running over to give her her pacifier whenever she needs it. When he gets home from preschool each day the first thing he asks is to go see his baby sister. We're so proud of how he is adjusting to the new member of the family!"

The New Soccer Player

 Julian's first goal:

Fox still Roaming Southern Way in Princeton

 A visitor this afternoon

I'm glad we have a neighborhood fox to keep the chipmunks and squirrels at bay. Those little guys are beautiful, interesting creatures; however, they eat things that I've grown for our enjoyment! I'm a little concerned that the fox does present a danger to Teddi, our Toy Yorkie, when she's alone in the yard. Thus, we usually stay with her since foxes avoid people as best they can.

Brief Break in Montauk LI

 We enjoyed a short off-season trip to Montauk

Warm Holiday visit to Family in LA

 At playground on Santa Monica beach

At home in Marina Del Rey

Mother's Day 2022 in Sayen Gardens

Sayen Park Botanical Garden, Mother's Day 2022

Grounds for Sculpture before the Snow

 Peacock and Kristina at Grounds for Sculpture

the day before we got stormy weather and an inch of snow.

Winter Sunrise in Princeton NJ

 A warm (27 F) winter sunrise in Princeton NJ

Julian Levine-Budelis 7 lbs 13 oz July 22, 2021

 

Did you know? The Beatles biggest hit, "Hey Jude", evolved from "Hey Jules", a song Paul McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian.

                                            

Kristina Flew in for her Tribeca Film Festival Premier

 Family Portrait 

An addition to the family expected next month.

Q&A on Kristina's video at the Tribeca Film Festival

Spring in Princeton

 Still some cool days

Daffodils bring color throughout the Spring

Ice Skating before the Blizzard

 These kids are getting in some skating as a respite from Sheltering in place before the 16-22 inches of snow currently forecast in the next couple days.

View from our backyard!

Kingston, NJ Holiday Lights

 Neighbors in nearby Kingston, NJ created awesome holiday light displays to end the Covid-19 year. First some candy canes:

Then, the award-winning @SnowFlakeHouse:

Unusual Visitor

 First time we saw this visitor to our yard. Is it a turkey camouflaged as a pheasant to avoid ending up on someone's table.

Last of Autumn's Color

 

Autumn colors are leaving us

Autumn has Arrived

 Autumn colors have arrived in Princeton

Val & Teddi on Prospect St

This crepe myrtle that I planted a year or two ago not only has beautiful pink flowers during the summer but also brightens the autumn.

The First Day of Spring has arrived!

View from our window yesterday, March 20. Oops! Yesterday wasn't the first day of spring. It was March 19 this year. This is the earliest the Vernal (Spring) Equinox has occurred in 124 years.






It's back this afternoon: