Home from Madison

Heidi and I have just returned from Madison, Wisconsin, where we've set up Katharine in her new apartment on Mansion Hill. Like her apartment in New York, this apartment is small in size but in a great neighborhood, right along Lake Mendota. As the name suggests, it is a neighborhood of old mansions built in the 1850's, and now mostly turned into student apartments and B&Bs, but still handsome on the outside and surrounded by well-tended lawns. Katharine's building is a more conventional 6-story apartment house, but it has a great location adjacent to the lake. She's on the 4th floor, looking out over the tops of the trees to the lake.

It's an efficiency apartment, but much bigger than the one she had in New York, with a full kitchen in an alcove on one side, a private bath, a walk-in clothes closet, a broom closet, and a coat closet. The 9-foot ceilings give a great sense of spaciousness. We spent three days in Madison, getting her moved in (many trips up the small elevator with the old-fashioned swinging door and sliding gate), unpacked, car registered, parking permit secured, bank account started, and University ID picked up. After Heidi flew in on Thursday (Katharine and I had driven out in convoy in two separate cars on Monday and Tuesday -- about a 16-hour drive from Washington), we had a classic trip to Target to buy housewares and furnishings, including three bookcases, a small stepladder to reach the high built-in cabinets in the kitchen, ironing board and iron, curtain rods, etc. We spent the next day assembling bookcases, hanging pictures, and getting the place decorated as best we could.

As any reader of Katharine's blog (http://linaslookbook.blogspot.com/) will attest, she has the decorating skills to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. She has much more to work with in this apartment than she had in New York, so I'm looking forward to seeing what she does with it when we next get to Madison. Her address there is Apartment 45, 522 N. Pinckney St., Madison, WI 53703. Phone and e-mail are the same (she only uses her cell phone): (917) 359-4934 and katharine.wells@gmail.com. She now commences her new life as the "Chipstone/James Watrous Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellow in American Material Culture" in the Art History Department at the University of Wisconsin. Classes start next week.

-- Jack

Weekend in Boston

Hello family! Here's a link to my pictures from my weekend in Boston with my boyfriend Mike. We stayed with Catherine Gunn and got to spend lots of quality time with Kari, Mary Helen, Matt, baby Sophie, Alex, and Rhonda. We even got to visit one of Mike's friends from college and have lunch with a former professor of mine. There are also some pictures of Kari's cousins, the Liptons, who were visiting for a week. It was a full house and a very full weekend, but a lot of fun. Enjoy! Click here. Love, Laura

Family Photo from Reunion 2007

Here's a great shot of everyone at Grandad's 90th birthday weekend on the Eastern Shore. Thanks to Robin for supplying the picture!

Gunn Reunion 2007 Photos

Catherine Gunn took these photos at the 2007 Gunn Reunion. The babies are growing up fast! Click here to view Catherine's album online. --Katharine W.

Jersey Girl

Our week's voyage to New Jersey has come to a close and I have now returned to DC, en route to North Carolina to begin work next week. The report on Mike's family is that they love me and I love them! Very convenient. Mike's mom is very sweet and keeps saying that I'm a "keeper." Mike's nephew is adorable, even though he cries a lot because he's teething, but "Hush My Dear" always helped calm him down. Mike's cousins Bianca and Gianna are 15 and 12 and remind me a lot of me and Katharine at that age. We talked about American Girl dolls :) Mike also has an Uncle Sal who is quite a character - pushing 90 and still loves to talk about his days bombing Germany in WWII. He says he'd marry me himself if he was younger!

Mike's friends are also a lot of fun. We had a really nice time hanging out by Lake Hopatcong. The night before July 4th the town sets off fireworks and we all sat on the shore at the state park, enjoying the fireworks and playing with Mike's friend's 2 year old (she likes to blow kisses and give hugs!).

Here are a few pics of me and Mike with his nephew, Sean. Mike says he had a great time at the reunion and hello to you all!

Robin's Reunion Photos

Although most of you probably got Robin's email already, I wanted to post the link to her online album of reunion photos. You can click here to see them. Enjoy! --Katharine

Dear All, Nancy and I would like to thank you all for coming to the 2007 reunion in St Michaels. It was a wonderful way to celebrate my 90th birthday. I know lt took some of your time and funds, but it was appreciated. Love to all, Dad, Grandad, Great Grandad, Jud