The Sussmans -

James River H.S. Regatta 5/10/2025

FamilySports

It was a beautiful day yesterday when I went to Fountainhead Regional Park on the Occoquan River to see grandson Nick’s crew team compete in the Virginia State Rowing Championships. I’ve never seen a regatta before, and watching these beautiful boats shoot down the river is both idyllic, and exciting at the same time. The James River (High School) Rapids were in two races. In the morning’s event, they came in second place which earned them an afternoon race. In both races, the team would be a bit behind and then a hundred yards or so before the finish line, they would pull the oars even harder and shoot past the nearest boat foot by foot until they were ahead. It was very exciting. I was exhausted just watching them! Click the first picture to enlarge, then run though them.

It's a long way to the starting area — It’s a long way to the starting area

D.C. Cherry Blossoms 2024

by RonFamily

The cherry blossoms were early this year, but Brenda, Erin, Gabe, Julian, Liv, Indy, and I managed to see them just in time, along with about 10,000 of our closest friends. It was a beautiful sunny day, and a reminder of how beautiful this area can be in the Spring. Brenda and I were so glad that the PA Sussmans were able to come down for a visit!

Click on the 1st pic below then the right side of the pic to run through them

Goodbye Arty

by RonFamily

Amanda’s beautiful German Shepard dog Artemis, crossed the rainbow bridge early Monday morning.

It’s said that no one will love you as much as your dog, and that was certainly true for Arty – her whole life revolved around her love for Amanda.

Arty loved walking through the woods, chasing deer in the backyard, and of course eating treats and the cats’ food. Delicious!

You will be missed Arty!

Click the first pic below to run all the pics.

On the beach with 3 generations of Sussmans

Lily’s Dance Recital

by RonFamilySuper cute

Six year old granddaughter Lily performed onstage in a dance recital yesterday 5/21/22. So Brenda and I had to go down to bear witness, natch’. Extra seating had to be brought in as the auditorium was packed! Lily was in two dance numbers and she did a great job – no stage fright at all, despite the huge crowd of spectators! We were sitting near the back, so these pictures were take from fairly far away. Consequently, they’re not as sharp as I would like. Later that day, Nick was scheduled for a soccer game but sadly, the game was cancelled due to too may players unable to attend. So instead, we had lunch at Capital City Ale House, and then went downtown to the River Rock Festival on the James River. There were many free events, including free Kayaking, so Dane and Lily jumped in a kayak and paddled up and down the river. I had no idea what a great city Richmond was until Brian & Susan moved there a few year ago. Click on the first picture below to run through all the dance recital pics and enjoy the cuteness.

A Walk in the Woods With Grandkids

Family

Five of our 8 grandkids, Dane, Nick, Julian, Olivia, and Lily, are spending a few days with Brenda and me. Today Liv and Lily made a cool fort on the deck. Then Nick, Julian and I pumped up the tires on a few bikes and went on a bike ride through the woods. On the way back, we ran into Brenda, Dane, Olivia, and Lily who were walking along the path. So we all stopped along the creek and walked over log bridges and hopped over the rocks. On the way home, we stopped at a playground. Everyone had a great time. Then, after grilled hot dogs, broccoli, and homemade mac & cheese, we played a few games of pool, taught Nick how to play Euchre, and now it’s wind-down time. Finally. Grandkids are the best, aren’t they!

Soccer in Richmond

EatingFamilySports

We went to Richmond Saturday to see Brian, Susan, Dane, Nick, Lily, and Luna. It was a beautiful day, sunny and about 65-70 degrees. Nick had an afternoon soccer game, and it turns out Nick and his team are teriffic! They shutout the opposition 5-0! After that we went into Richmond and had a late lunch/early dinner at Legend’s Brewpub. Oktoberfest beer and jambalaya – Yum! Here a few pics, and a video of Lily. All in all, it was a perfect day! Click on the first thumbnail below to run through them all.

A Walk in the Woods

Art!Loafing

Stream in Rutherford Park. 1/6 second. I’m not steady enough for that slow a speed, so too blurry.

I see I haven’t updated this thing since Christmas. I’m the worst. Sorry.

Sitting around the house in quarantine all day gets boring pretty quick. So, I grabbed my old Panasonic Lumix camera (thanks, Brenda!), and went for a walk along the stream behind our house. Nothing much to see, but it was a beautiful day, so I took a few pics. Also took a few pics of the flowers around the house before they all fall off. Love spring in Virginia. To see the pics, mouse over the first pic and when the cursor turns into a finger click on it, then click on the right arrow to go through them.

Wildflowers along the path. This looked a lot better walking by. You should have been there. Sorry

Rutherford Stream — Part of the stream in the park behind our house. I used a slow shutter speed, but turns out I’m not steady enough for that, so it’s a bit blurry

Fallen tree — I’ve had my eye on this tree for years waiting for it to fall. The wait is over!

Rotting log — It’s a rotting log. It’s ART, dammit!

Wisteria — This is the wisteria Brian bought his mom many years ago. It was all overgrown, so I cut it all back last year, and it’s looking pretty nice now!

Peonies — These peonies look better every year.

Pink roses — A very old pink rosebush in the front yard

red roses — I planted these about 3-4 years ago and they have taken off. I don’t know the variety, but they never get the diseases the other roses get. I think they’re from Costco

Grandkids Christmas Visit

FamilyThat's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown

Dane, Nick, & Lilly came to visit and celebrate Christmas with us on Monday the 23rd. Then on the 26th, Julian and Olivia arrived. Today, everyone but Olivia walked over to Little Run School. Olivia was in need of little “alone time,” so she stayed home with Bee. At the school, they all played a little soccer & played on the playground equipment. It’s been a glorious Christmas, and it will be sad see them all leave tomorrow!

Click on the first picture below, then click on the right side to run through all the pics. Enjoy!

Olivia eyeing some presents with Dane looking on

Julian showing his uncle Brian a few moves

Cabin Life!!

Family

This past weekend Susan and I took the kids to the Northern Neck of Virginia to the Westmoreland State Park located on the coast of Westmoreland County, VA. We rented a two bedroom log cabin with a massive stone fireplace as the center focal point. One of the highlights of the park is a .69 mile hike that opens up to Fossil Beach. The beach is a small strip of sand flanked by two massive cliffs. Apparently high tide sweeps over the beach and unearths fossils to include shark teeth. We however, did not find any. The cabins were built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) and is one of the original 6 State Parks built in Virginia. This trip was so enjoyable that we are already planing another cabin trip to Douthat State Park in the Spring!!

A view of the Potomac from the cliff side.

We somehow have been transported to Oregon and the Pacific NW!

Amanda’s Fairy Garden

Art!Family

Well, Amanda has been busy. We now have a fairy garden in the front yard. It looks pretty cool, in a Pinterest kind of way. But I got up this morning and the bridge and a few buildings were were overturned. I think I saw some chipmunks running from the crime scene wearing “Resist!” t-shirts. But I may be wrong. Here’s a few pics of this new land. Click the first one to embiggen, then click on the right side of the picture to run through them.