New Year's Eve 2006/2007 @ The Knight's
THE NIGHT STARTED out with watching football. Steven stayed behind and kept an eye on the "youngsters".
BUT BEFORE the "adults" left, there was still one more photo left for 2006 to be had.
THE GANG WAS all set to partyyyyyyy at the KOC Hall. As usual, Mike Hall was the DJ for the evening, and even though it started slow for awhile, once the booze kicked in everyone slipped on their dancing shoes.
BUTT, BEFORE the mood could swing into full gear, there was football to attend to, the MPC Computer Bowl. Here was the beginning of a 72-yard TD pass for Miami against Nevada. Nevada played tough.............
....BUT THANK GOODNESS for Coach Coker and the 'Canes, not tough enough as can be seen on the scoreboard...........
.........AND THE final ride for Coach Coker on the shoulders of the Miami Hurricanes!
CATHY AND JOHNNY and the rest of the Council then waded onto the dance floor........
.....AND ALTHOUGH some made quick exits after the ball dropped in Times Square, many remained, including the Beaven/Cook contingent.
The End of the Line - Jan. 3rd
WAITING 'TIL the last moment to leave, all of us treasured our final moments together.
THE SAD goodbye. The time, as always went by like a freight train. Some memories: ping-pong games for the first time in years; great food cooked up by Johnny; New Year's Eve and Bowl games; Sugarloaf mountain; Boyd's Bears; Gettysburg; lots of presents and stuff....and sad goodbyes.
1st Snowfall of Year - Sun. Jan. 21st
UNBELIEVABLE! This late in winter and it was the first snow of the season.
NOLLA DIDN'T care for it too much. She wanted to get out of Dodge as quickly as her paws could carry her back inside.
Suzy Returns to Salisbury - A Weekend @ the Beach Jan 27th - 28th
SUZY'S ALL smiles as she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment...knowing full well the partys will be on the menu!
THE FIRST STOP after that for Dianne and Guy was the inlet, where the weather was spectacular and Assateague island and the boaters made for a great backdrop.
ONCE DIANNE AND GUY arrived at the ranch, it was time for a walk on the beach. The water temp. was probably in the 40's and look what we found. Better them then us.
...AND speaking of finding something, the little doggie got ahold of this stick in the surf and wouldn't let go until you grabbed it and threw it back in.
WHAT IS QUICKLY turning out to be the family hangout, Guy poses at the entrance of Seacrets......
...AND DIANNE smiles after a wonderful dinner and some tropical drinks. Oh...and the band was good, too.
AFTER ARRIVING home safely on Sunday and getting settled, a spaghetti dinner was held at the Knights of Columbus for the Haiti mission. Then an evening by the TV with the final show being "Rome." A fine weekend and a fine week ahead to all.
St. Francis Appreciation Dance - Feb. 11th
PEGGY SMITH, DIANNE and Guy all joined up for wonderful talk about Europe and everything. Even guy's tall tales weren't that bad. :-)
NOW HERE'S a couple of fellows who won't get a free pass to a barber convention...Charles and Guy.
THE BELLE of the ball, my honey lightened up the room.
THEN THERE WERE these quizes. Almost like going back to school. Can you say pardon moi? Je regret.
NOW HERE WAS a genteel couple flashing their skills. Kathy smiled while Rick dialed up the foot work.
ANNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDD, performing for one night only! The BLUUUEEEEESSSSS BROOOTHERRRRRRSSSS!!!!!!
Fantasy Cruise - Feb. 16th - 19th to Nassau and Back
TALK ABOUT LINES! This was what we had to meander our way through just to get to the plane. Actually, though, it all made one feel safe, albeit stressed.
FROM BWI AIRPORT, the next stop was Detroit for a turnover, then to Ft. Lauderdale here. The whole time we wondered how the heck we were going to make it to the ship on time. We needn't have worried. Carnivale was there to pick us up.
THEN IT was showtime! The ship Fascination left its moorings and down the waterway to the Atlantic it steamed. Huzzaahhh!!!!
FRIDAY NIGHT we were tired and worn from the trip, especially since we had been on the go since 4 am. Therefore, we turned in early and what did we see after we awoke. Nassau!!! What a wonderful sight!
Since diving was out of the question because of high seas, we took a stroll throughout the downtown area. Quite the adventure.
LATER THAT morning after our return, we signed on to a guided tour of Nassau, and had a wonderful time stopping at places like this British fort from the 1800's to protect from marauding pirates and American forces during the War of 1812. Here can be seen the actual signatures of soldiers as momentos of they're being there.
The bus tour guide was magnificent. He showed us and taught us everything about the town, from pulling up to the entrance of the Prime Minister's palace, to where Hollywood people stayed. It was all good.
AFTER THE TOUR, we visited the Pirate Museum. Everything a student wanted to know about these devils was graphically shown and explained, as if we were on the set of "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Upon completion of this exhibition, a real pirate almost made Guy walk the plank, but he felt sorry for the old man, instead, and didn't blow his head off.
SUNDAY MORNING was sad as the good ship Fascination slipped away from its moorings and headed back out to sea, or should we say, "seas." As in sea sick. A storm blew up and the gigantic vessel began rocking back in forth. Fortunately, the captain knew his trade, for he steered us out of the mess and into calmer waters.
THEN CAME Monday morning and a trip to Ft. Lauderdale to exchange tickets for the next flight home. Goodbye, Florida, we'll be back again.
Winter Weekend @ the Beach - Feb 23rd - 25th
THE FIRST stop was Salisbury to pick up Suzy. From there it was off to Chincoteague.
SOME OF THE local residents decided they had had enough of the traffic and crossed the road, anyway, despite the handouts we gave them.
UPON LEAVING THE ISLAND, Snickers and Suzy showed their approval of the tour.
NEXT STOP, IT WAS off to lunch at Seacrets.
ABOUT A HALF HOUR into the conversation, Suzy dropped the bomb on us about Alex. Hey, what can you say.
FINALLY, THERE was this to contend with on the way back. Taunton Ct. was a ski slope, but all was well at the ranch.
Sail On Silver Girl - March 10th, 2007 - 12:35 pm
THE BEGINNING - Although we were smiling in all the following pictures, inside, all of us were sad. Here we were at BWI waiting for the flight down.
THIS WAS SATURDAY morning and the vigil had already begun. Guy spent the previous Friday night with mom. Here David put on his most courageous visage.
AT 12:35 pm on Saturday, March 10th, 2007, our Silver girl sailed on to meet our dad. Once the body of our departed mother had cleared, we made haste to a Ruby Tuesday for consolation.
ON THE TARMAC IN TAMPA waiting to return home. We were not smiling inside
MARC ACKNOWLEDGED our arrival back home at BWI.
Mom's Final Trip Home and Funeral - March 15th - 19th
THE VETERANS' cemetary. Dad's final resting place will now contain our mother.
ALTHOUGH SADNESS prevailed on this first trip to see Dad for many years, Marc, Guy and David found time to console and smile, especially at this restaurant with $15 glasses of wine!
DE VOLS performed a wonderful service for us all at the viewing. Mom had previously been shown to her friends down in Clearwater.
AFTER THE FUNERAL at St. Francis, in which all three brothers participated, the wake was held at home in Gaithersburg, as shown here with Eric, Stephen and David.
THE TWO LADIES of the family, Dianne and Francesca, managed to have some quality time together.
AND, FINALLY, the three sons together.
SUNDAY EVENING the families got together for dinner at the Hickory Grill in Laurel. The food was good, the conversation light considering the circumstances, and the ice cream and fudge were decadent!
AT THE VETERANS' CEMETARY, the brothers and friends of Marc's from work carried the precious cargo of our mother's remains into the chapel....
....WHERE A LOCAL DEACON performed the final stage of the ceremony.
UPON COMPLETION, the family drove to the gravesite where this tractor was hauling over the casket of our mother to rest for eternity with our dad.
THE FINAL CELEBRATION of our mother ascending into heaven was at the Olive Branch restaurant in Owings Mills.
THIS WAS MOM at 19 years old or thereabouts.
MARGARET BEAVEN - our Mom - Nov. 11th, 1924 - March 10th, 2007
Rest in Peace Silver Girl
Goodbye Mom and Dad, We'll see You Again
Easter Trip to Ocean City - April 6th - 8th
COLD ON THE way down, miserable and rainy the next morning, the setting was not the best for Easter...
...ESPECIALLY WITH these storm clouds dumping their load on the Eastern Shore.
MIRACULOUSLY, THOUGH, just 1 1/2 hours after the last picture, the heavens cleared up, and although it was still chilly the rest of the day was clear. The first thing we did then was check out this condo right across the street from the CVS drug store. It was beautiful. Hmmmm.........
NEXT, IT WAS THE mutt's turn and to the inlet we went where Snickers found this ball and played catch.
THAT NIGHT IT WAS dinner at Higgins. Guy had all-you-could-eat crabs and paid for it with all you push out diarreah. The girls skated through.
THE FOLLOWING MORNING we did the 8:30 am mass at Holy Savior and was it ever packed. Great service, too. Darling little kids were in the row in front of us.
FINALLY AT HOME, the boys joined in for Easter dinner and Seinfeld re-runs. Happy Easter!!
Out for a Movie - Fri. April 20th
DIANNE AND GUY munched out first at Macaroni Grill.
NEXT CAME A peaceful trek around the Rio lake.
THEN ON TO the movies..."Fracture" was the piece de resistance
A Sunday in Harpers Ferry
A TREK AROUND Harpers Ferry came to a rest at the bottom of the great hill.
AND SPEAKING of the great hill....what a climb!!
Saturday Nite @ the Ballfield..Booo!
NO HITTING FROM the Nats.......
WAS CAUSED by great pitching from Tom Glavine...no hitters until the 6th inning.
The end was the usual...6 - 2...Mets.
Ocean City Sunfest Weekend - May 4th - 6th
BACK AT HOME again..well..our second home. Friday night was freezing cold. Mom and Guy went to the Pirate's Den for a nightcap.
DOWN TO the boards we went for the Saturday afternoon. It was sunny for awhile. Problem was, Guy's bum leg caused the return trip to last a lot longer. Still, the energy was there.
FOR GOOD measure, Dianne and Suzy ponied up the juice for more ties for Guy. A Miami tie, Army and Revie tie.
COVERING GROUND through the numerous crafts tents, the girls fixed their eyes on these salt rocks. Supposedly, the heat from the lamp produced some kind of medicinal aid to whatever ails you. Looked good, though. Suzy wound up buying a toe ring.
THE OFFICIAL Sunfest brochure. Despite the weather, it was still lots of fun.
SATURDAY NIGHT found the rain still pouring down cats and dogs....but the reception was great with the band the "Grass Roots." The lead guys had to have been at least 60! Of course Guy forget to bring his camera, so there were no shots.
ON THE WAY OUT of town Sunday, to demonstrate the weather conditions we took this picture. The white caps on the ocean were proof enough.
ON THE WAY home, we stopped for gas and what did we see. Live CNN TV ....AT THE gas pump! What will they think of next!
Mother's Day - Sun. May 13th
NATURALLY THERE HAD TO be a balloon and, this time, a plant we hope will survive better then the Valentine's Day roses.
THE GANG, of course, was all here to celebrate.
AN INTERESTING piece of history showed up as well with this commendation for Stephen. A veritable Dick Tracy now. "Ehh, anybody know where Ritchie is?!"
Memorial Day Weekend - May 26th - 27th
DIANNE HAD a lot on her mind....her job, Guy's lost job. It was a tough weekend.
IT WAS STILL a fun time. Had dinner at the outdoor gazebo bar on the baywater at Hoopers, toured the million dollar properties where what used to be shantytown, even saw someone propose marriage via airplane banner!
Orioles vs. Diamondbacks - A Night at the Park - June 16th
IT WAS A hell of an ordeal getting to the ballpark....tickets disappearing, cussing, Guy going insane....but finally we made it to the park where we first had dinner at the Oriole cafeteria and then a couple of beers!!!!
THE PITCHER for the Orioles vs. the Diamondbacks started out rough, but calmed down enough to think....
.......WE ACTUALLY had a chance of winning in the 8th..only down 5 - 4. But, of course, the bottom fell out and the O's got busted.
BUT, STILL WE had a great time. Couldn't ask for better weather, better fans, and a safe trip home useing the "man" as our guide.
What a Weekend - June 22nd - 24th
A FABULOUS start with tickets to the Nationals. Guy, of course, lost his cell phone, but Dianne called it and Customer Services had recovered it. Great time!
THE PRESIDENTS seemed to have a swell outing, as well.
ALTHOUGH THERE WERE some whiffs........
THE OUTCOME was awesome - a 4 - 1 victory!
ON SATURDAY, Dianne and Guy toured the Montgomery Cty Heritage Trail. Here we stopped off at a cabin and met this Blues player. What a nice man....good musician, too!
A TOUR OF the cabin was had by us, as well
ON SUNDAY, after mass we continued on the Trail with visits in Poolesville, where we talked with a guy whose hobby was digging up Civil War artifacts. And he had lots of them!
WE THEN finished off the weekend with this 19th century school house.....no bathroom, just a ditch. Then one final trip to Rockville to see the grave markers at a church.
Photos From June 22nd - July 15th
FIRST CAME a trip to Ocean City at the end of June and beginning of August. For dinner there was Hooper's outer deck. Good stuff.
THE GIRLS got glamorous with their bathing suits on the beach.
THE FOLLOWING weekend Ted and christy Virts took us to a ball game with the Nats playing the Brewers. The Nats won, too!
THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY, Dianne and the crew found a watering hole at the Rio for a Friday after-work party alongside retaurant row - outdoor beers and good times.
THEN IT was back to Ocean City and back to Hoopers again for more seafood and this miserably green drink which packed a whallop.
On Saturday, July 14th, the crew sailed off to Baltimore for an afternoon and early evening at the Inner Harbor. Here, Dianne and Suzy posed before the USS Constitution, an old Civil War ship which saw much service.
THE LAST POSE for the evening was Guy and Suzy on the Constitution's anchor. Then, sadly, it was time to navigate home. Next Stop: Europe!
Summer Vacation from Europe to Ocean City
First Stop - Rome - The Eternal City
AFTER THE longest flight, we finally wound up in Rome airport. The cops had machineguns and World Cup rugby players were heading towards Paris. Here, Mom posed before the world famous Trevillan Station water fountain where numerous movies have used it as a backdrop.
The Vatican was spectacular! Here is the alter the Pope holds mass on. Other incredible sites: the Pantheon, the Coliseum, the catacombs. Wow!
Then the Beauty of Venice
THIS WAS SAN MARCO square - the business capital of the world in the ancient world. We went on a gondola ride, the captain singing "Volare." We saw it all.
THIS IS Saint Mark's Cathedral. The gold is REAL...and guarded. :-)
The Rugged Splendor of Lucerne
ON AN INCREDIBLE voyage up a huge mountain in the Alps, we came to the top where this guy was playing music with this horn.
THEN IT WAS time to descend the alps by cable car to Lucerne. Spectacular and clean city on a huge lake.
Paris - the City that Never Sleeps
Par ce que c'est Paris. ( Simply because it's Paris ) We might as well have been in the movie The Da Vinci Code. The Louve, the Eiffel tower, the church where Napoleon was buried, the Arc D'Triumph, Moulon Rouge ( although the food was average, the show was SPECTAULAR ), we even saw where not only Princess Diana was killed in the accident, but where Marie Antoinnette, the Queen of France, was beheaded on the guillotine.
OF COURSE we saw the Eiffel Tower at night - spectacularly lit up. The next day went up the tower by elevator and saw EVERYTHING! Unbelievable!
The Land of Kings and Great Beer..Oh, and Scotland Yard
WE CROSSED from France by the pas de Calais, and like the swimmers who cross the channel, were anxious to get on dry land.
THENNNNN, we traveled to the land of Kings and King Arthur's court. What can be said. We went to Westminister Abby where Longshanks from Braveheart is buried, where the apple from the Da Vinci Code is, from the buriel place of Sherlock Holmes, to outside of the Abby...Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London where William Wallace was imprisoned, Scotland Yard, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalger Square, to their subway system and their beer.
Sadly, this wound up being the most exciting 10 days of our lives. But the memories are forever!
The Sad Trip Home
ANOTHER 14 hour flight got us back to Dulles where we had to sit another 3 hours on the tarmac because of a thunder storm, and where Guy got pick pocketed for his passport. No big deal. The next day we went and canceled the old one and put in for a new one.
From the Spectacular of Europe to the Horror of a loss
UNFORTUNATELY with the spectacular came the dramatic when the phone call came early from Johnny about Cathy's death. This was the flight down.
....AND THIS WAS the funeral parlor. My darling Dianne, obviously, took this very hard...still does.
EVEN THOUGH WE smiled for the camera, the hurt and pain inside was enormous.
THE final goodbye.
Labor Day Weekend in Ocean City
We made it to the Greene Turtle in West Ocean City for the Miami/ Marshall game. They won, but got blasted by Oklahoma the following week.
AND FINALLY, to send off summer in a spectacular sunset, we had dinner at Fager's Island.
Pictures of Fall and Beyond
HERE'S DIANNE on the morning of her trip to La Jolla. Notice that glint in her eye. She's a ready Teddy
HERE ARE THE GIRLS in Ocean City on a cold weekend in early November. We were on our way up the beach to Rehobeth where Guy got a sweatshirt from a Dewey Beach Surf Shop...Maryland won, too...Miami lost, of course :-(
HERE'S GUY freezing his baboombas off on the beach at Rehobeth. Our first stop along the trek was in Berlin, but it was dead.
TOO BAD for Marc. Calvert Hall got smoked. Great time, though. Very warm, maybe 70 degrees. Saw an old friend from Loyola days - Joe Bracken
AND THERE GO the Beaven family, the Marc Chapter, home after a fine Thanksgiving meal and soiree.
Christmas Season 2007
THE FIRST THING to do...set up the Christmas Tree.
On The First Day of Christmas...Dec. 1st & 2nd
....MY TRUE love said to me....eat dinner at BJ's. Good choice
THEN SHE SAID.....let's go for a Winter Wonderland train ride!
....WHICH WE did and froze a bit but got into the spirit.
TOO COLD TO GET out of the car, only Guy ventured forth into the cold to take this picture of the inlet.
TO TELL THE truth, it was a might wee chilly. On to the next adventure!
The Second Day of Christmas....Sat. Dec. 8th
THE NIGHT BEGAN with a trip to the Mormon Temple
A MAGNIFICENT pageant was this living Nativity. From there we went into the large gathering space where a cheerful festive choir from Alexandria performed Christmas Carols for a gracious throng.
OUTSIDE THE NIGHT was decorated with dazzling lights
FROM THE MORMON Temple the journey continued at the "Festival of Lights" at Seneca Creek.
FROM THE ENTRANCE.........
....TO THE exit with the reindeer, t'was a marvelous experience....all except the knuckleheads who kept their headlights on and blinded us. Idiots. More to come...
T'was the days before Christmas
SUZY AND MELONIE celebrate together on Melonie's BIG night...sweey 16!
...AND HERE'S the gang together for this special night.
CHECKOUT NYDIA out here...Go Girl! Go!
....And now to the Governor's House....
THE GIRLS stand in front of the mansion. We thought we were special, however, all you had to do was show your license :-).
HERE'S THE reception line. We all got to shake Governor O'Malley and his wife. What a thrill!
THE CHOW WAS excellent, as can be seen...the room elegant..the whole place as a matter of fact.
ONE OF THE MOST famous of American portraits...General George Washington handing over his sword to the Congress which at that time was in Annapolis. Washington was called the greatest man in the world because usually a returning conquerer usurps all power. Instead, Washington simply turned over his sword and went home to Mount Vernon.
Christmas Eve w. the Family
JUST 'BOUT everybody got ready for Christmas Mass. The next day everyone was there for gifts and the Christmas feast...including Stephen!
New Year's Eve - 2008
ALTHOUGH NOT FILLED to capacity, a fine crowd of fellow Knights brought in a joyous New Year!
GUY AND DIANNE, however, were not present but at Nidea and Jerry's for the "FALLING of the BALL" and the ensuing celebration.
ROPED INTO it, Dianne chugged a full vat of rum. Have Fun! Ohhh...what a hangover.
