Below are a few pictures of our first grandchild. We’ll soon be visiting him in person, so we’ll post a few more pictures once we settle in.

Welcome to the world, Rio!

While the AI-rendered images were interesting and often entertaining, AI certainly struggled with rendering corporate logos and with spelling in general. Therefore, you’ll have to look past the misspelled brand names and misshapen logos. Copilot also tended to use over-sized wheels, even for smaller vehicles, so I often had to ask it to re-render the image with smaller wheels.

With the excuses out of the way, the renderings are below.

The ceremony and receiption were held on their farm in Hubbard, Oregon. In the words of Anthony’s mom Bari, everything went off without a hitch.

I’ll let the pictures tell the story. Congratulations to Anthony and Nicole on their wedding day. May they have many wonderful years.

(The full set of wedding photos are here)

Maggie’s little girl Lucy had a fun time watching people and trying to run in any direction to explore. While visiting the shops and displays at Cadillac Square, we ran into Sue Hough and her family. Her family lived across the street from us at the old neighborhood, and we haven’t seen her in many years.

The full set of pictures is in the photo archive. Downtown Detroit is a fun destination for any family, especially during the holidays.

Enzo wasn’t quite sure what to do with a new baby, and was a bit jealous when I was holding her. Two beautiful little girls. Thanks for the visit Brittany!

This Elgin watch was a basic model, with a 7-jewel movement. This model was made from 1903 to 1928, with a total of 531,800 produced at the Elgin factory in Elgin, Illinois, about 35 miles northwest of Chicago. When I first opened the back of the watch, it was clear that it had been serviced several times prior, with each watchmaker leaving an engraved etching inside. When I got the watch, the crown or “winder” was missing, but the watchmaker found a suitable replacement. Aside from the missing crown, the watch needed no other parts. It received a thorough cleaning, and each part was appropriately lubricated as it was reassembled. The crystal was polished to remove scratches. He also ran the watch for several weeks with the watch in different positions to ensure that it kept a reasonably accurate time.

I will order a chain for the watch, in addition to a display stand. The watch will only get occasional use, possibly at formal events such as a wedding. I’m sure that my great-grandfather Amandus would be pleased to know that his watch was still in the family, and working again, 117 years after he first received it.

Loraine was able to see the sights at Cannon Beach with the use of a beach wheelchair. What a nice way to let people experience locations that would otherwise be off limits to them.

Afterward, they visited Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. Later, they enjoyed a beverage at the Topwire Hop Project in Woodburn, Oregon.

This trip gave Loraine an opportunity to see where Nicki has settled out west. Such a beautiful area.

Enjoy a sample of the photos below. The full set of photos are in the photo archive here.