Dash's morning school bus for the next few days is...

Me!  We enjoyed the ride and the less-humid weather! Dash was chatty...he likes to point out places he knows or has (or has not) been to.

A great visit North of the Border

As always, so nice to visit with family in Canada.  Just a few photos from the trip.

Sands Point — 7/24/16

Exploring the sea wall and the sea at Sands Point on the Long Island's North Shore last weekend.

The Dominican Trip

Finally posting some of our photos of our recent trip to the Dominican Republic. (Photos in no specific order, sorry in advance for the cheesy captions.)

Dash and Hugo met new friends :) 

So this resort had a kids waterpark! We thanked our lucky stars.

...because that meant Jen and I could enjoy rum drinks and not scramble around, shadowing our kids every second.

Cheers!

At the fancy-schmancy hibachi restaurant–trying to go beyond hamburgers and pizza with these boys.

Some days Hugo had difficulties with the beach, but not this day.

Yes, lucky stars once again...water-park'ing it.

Not a selfie, but a "two-of-us-ie".

How's the pizza, Hugo?

Senior Grumpy-pants...apparently, couldn't get enough mango.

Cute.

Foam party! It's a thing at these resorts. But, not too safe for the niños.

"Mommy Blanco!"... Foam-party selfie.

Hugo lost a front tooth on this trip.

Getting our "travelers" before we head down to the beach.

Dash works the sand.

Ocean time with mommy.  

On to First Grade!

Jen and I attended the P.S. 2Q Stepping Up Ceremony on Friday.  So very proud of Dash!

This post from Jennifer on Facebook: "Dash celebrated his stepping-up yesterday at PS2. He had a little dance solo with his classmate Sapphire to "the Twist." They sang a song about being ready for 1st grade. These little ones can read, write, add and subtract. Great teachers help make them more than ready!!"

One of Dash's awesome teachers :)

Sorry for the shakey video, we were in the back of the crowd...

Good Bye, Miss Frida.

My post from yesterday on Instagram:

As if this day couldn't get any worse, we lost our loveable Frida-girl this morning. I made this

piece when our two dogs were puppies (Frida is the blonde one, you can catch a couple of images of her farther down the feed). Wow did they put us through the ringer in those early days! Wasn't a day that went by where there wasn't a mess to clean up or something in our house wasn't chewed to holy hell. Frida though, came into her own as a smart and loving dog, a dear companion to me and Jen throughout our marriage. 


When we first took her and her brother home, while living in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, we were told their names were "Tiger" (Diego) and "Fozzy" (Frida). In some small-town diner we decided to rename them. We threw out some gems like "Chips and Salsa" and "Barts and Farts" ...those were good for a laugh, but it was "Frida and Diego" that really seemed right to us.

Goodbye, Miss Frida. We will miss your bright and endearing presence profoundly.

Jen's post from yesterday on Facebook:

One of the most agonizing days of my life. It's one thing to wake to horrible news and wrap your head around what your work day will be like. It's another knowing you're losing a loved one. Our fuzzy white dog Frida died today. She and her brother Diego look different but are from the same litter. We started our marriage with them. Watched them as puppies run fields in Wisconsin. Laughed as they pissed on Wall Street as adults. And got sentimental as they curled up on Hugo's bed in their senior years. 

Evan has been an attentive caregiver the last couple days. He knew her time had come this morning, but as work duties called, Frida made the call for us, and died in Evan's arms as he carried her to the car for the hospital. Diego is sure to shred the house as he realizes his lifetime partner is gone. RIP our sweet, smart, and extra barky Frida. Give the Chinese delivery guy in heaven the greeting he deserves.

Hula Hoop Champion

Continuing the Brown Family athletic legacy today, Dashiel earned first place in the P.S. 2 Field Day hula hoop contest! Awesome job, Dash!

New Work

After 21 years in independent school education, I have accepted an offer from Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York as their Director of Communications. Here's to new and meaningful experiences.