Speaking of grand moments with grandparents, at the start of the month we spent a wonderful whirlwind weekend celebrating Grandpa Nack’s 86th birthday with our huge extended family in Galena.
We’d originally discussed the idea all the way back in 2019, planning to mark Dad’s 80th the coming year—but Covid had other plans. Sometimes good things just take time, and late last year when my cousin Joe proposed a celebration, we were all too happy to get the ball rolling.
Grandma Nack and the local catering team did an amazing job making the house & yard shipshape for the gathering of what must’ve been nearly 100 (!) family and close friends. From Chicago to Texas, Minnesota to Georgia, and beyond, Big G welcomed a big and boisterous crowd.
For many years the Liggetts’ license plate was “2BUFFS,” as in two University of Colorado Buffaloes. Now, we’re delighted to say, the herd has a third, with Finn joining Grandpa and Mom.
Over a lovely dinner with Auntie Laura last week, we got to snap a few pics, including all three generations together. Here’s a little gallery.
Q. What did the buffalo say when his son went off to college? A. Bi-son.
Wow—after months of planning and years of anticipation, our grand journey to take Finn to college is now in the history books.
As Johnny Cash would say, and as you can see in our epic photo gallery, we’ve been everywhere (even Winnemucca!)—ranging from Lake Shasta to Crater Lake (“…for Pete’s sake!”), Boise to Yellowstone, and Jackson to Boulder.
Our long journey began as Finn bid a fond farewell to Seamus—who, clearly knowing that something was up, made a beeline to the gazebo and refused to move. We then carefully rolled out in the van, with Mom directing traffic while Maria filmed.
At Shasta we made a spontaneous side quest, taking the van offroad for the first time & exploring the area by the old train bridge. (Henry later provided a detailed assessment of the insulator array. :-))
We grabbed dinner at the original Black Bear Diner, then slept among teepees, deer, and trains. In the morning we stopped by the Hi-Lo Cafe & thrift shop in Weed (revisiting our activities from two years ago), then continued north to Lava Beds National Monument).
Margot & Finn first explored Lava Beds on their road trip following his freshman year. We alternately scurried around the wonderfully cool subterranean chasms & baked in the sun as we marched (sometimes in the wrong direction) from cave to cave.
The next morning, we again retraced Mom & Finn’s footsteps from 2023, this time heading up to Crater Lake. Sadly the view was heavily obscured by wildfire smoke that only grew thicker as the morning progressed. I was able to clean up the visuals a bit in Photoshop, and our little Lego selves made a first appearance atop their van.
A long, hot day of rural driving finally brought us to Boise, where Coach Dave (who’s relocated there from San Jose) pointed us to some great pizza in the cute & very clean downtown.
Finn’s buddy Gunnar is another recent SJ->Boise transplant, and he suggested checking out birds of prey at the local sanctuary. We had a ball doing so (including meeting Finn the Raptor!), after which we grabbed some Mongolian BBQ before Mom flew in to join our crew.
After enjoying some separate evening adventures (Finn hanging out with Gunnar; Margot & I having dinner with Coach Dave), our newly expanded crew headed east the next say. At Brianna’s recommendation we swung through Twin Falls—which, happily enough, features some beautiful actual twin waterfalls. They provided another cool welcome respite from many hours plowing through largely hot, flat countryside. To my light chagrin, I was outvoted on making a pitstop at the Idaho Potato Museum (“Free taters for out-of-staters!”).
On day 6 we at last arrived in Yellowstone! First up we surveyed the beautiful meadows & rivers with their resident antelope and herons.
Next we made our way around various hot springs, which featured numerous cautionary signs (one depicting “Henry” falling to his demise in the boiling brew! :->).
From there it was on to Old Faithful, where we’d taken the dudes nine years ago. Clapping a hand on Finn’s shoulder, I reminded him and myself, “We may never pass this way again.”
Side note: It’s really fun to see how the guys looked at Old Faithful back in 2017. Check out this post and gallery for some shots there & around Yellowstone
Our long, winding path out of the park for the night took us past many beautiful rock formations en route to Gardiner, Montana, where we wolfed down some brisket before finding a restorative shower at the campsite.
Day 2 in the park took us to some thrilling vistas—and then finally to our first encounter with buffalo!
Much of our drive featured lashing waves of rain, but the weather broke just in time for us to revisit the beautiful hot springs around Yellowstone Lake.
We wrapped up the day in Jackson, WY (one of Finn’s most fondly remembered places), then mounted a rather grueling ascent over the Tetons en route to our campsite. The next morning we explored valley towns before again traversing the mountains back to Jackson for their annual art fair.
That evening we took in a colorful (in every sense) photo safari. It featured friendly driver/navigator Joe plus an endlessly talkative retired carpenter and bizarre tales of harrowing wilderness survival.
And then, it was time for Bison Round 2! We loved every minute of it.
After camping for the night, we made our way down to see Auntie Laura & Grandpa Liggett for dinner, then say with Laura and quickly gather the college supplies she’d amassed before we finally headed to Boulder.
And with that, the big day arrived… We got Finn ensconced in his new digs, met his roommate Reed, and then bid a quick and not overly tearful goodbye.
To our new bison: “Bye, son.” God bless. We miss you already.
Though we can’t believe it, our inimitable young globetrotter Hen—who just landed in Jolly Old England—has turned 17!
What a year it’s been: crushing the notoriously difficult junior year at Bellarmine while weaving in tons of travel adventures—Notre Dame with Grandma & Grandpa Nack; planespotting in SoCal; zooming around Seattle in a seaplane with Mom; and even expanding his social consciousness in El Salvador. I’ve especially delighted in seeing Hen deepening his passion for photography (from jets to leprechauns), as you can see across all our recent collaborations on Instagram.
This year’s birthday was lower-key than usual, staying in SJ and fitting in a celebratory lunch, then some Chicago dogs with his pal Wesley (with whom he’d just done his first parent-free camping). Gifts included Auntie Laura’s completion of the Bicentennial needlepoint Grandma Liggett had started 50 years earlier!
It’s been nearly a decade since we’ve been away from Leadville on the Fourth of July, but we made the most of this year’s staycation in San Jose.
After we all met up with Las Madres pals at our friend Lorraine’s house, Hen & I walked to the nearby Alameda to take in the exuberant joy & diverse celebrations of the local parade. Check out our gallery to see everything from doodles to luchadores!
And tangentially speaking of luchadores & parades, here’s how our Finnster (and Leo!) looked at his first Halloween parade back in 2009 (gallery):
The boys’ origin story ties back to furry little flying dudes—specifically, to the cryptic “W2B” (Wife To Be) image I made that Margot somehow made sense of, leading to these chaps topping our wedding cake:
It’s no wonder, then, that 20 years later he’s been donning a bee costume to help Brianna’s family sell their honey.
I think he looks pretty oh God, don’t say it, but I must… sweet. 😀
Our neighbors Chris & Dev are pouring themselves into starting a new business, selling the motorsports gear that Chris designs. Hen & I were thus hugely flattered when Chris enlisted our help in capturing street photos of their inaugural product, an especially safety-minded pair of gloves.
After scouting some downtown San Jose locations together a week earlier, we met up on Thursday night with some friends & their bikes. This being the first photo shoot I’d actually helped organize, I was pretty nervous—and then super grateful when a random stranger named Mike approached us with his camera & asked whether he could join in. He really knew his stuff, and we had a ball learning his techniques.
I’m really proud of the photos Hen captured—and more importantly, Chris is happy & can put them to good use. Check out our gallery!
Listen, if California schools are going to earmark some free time for “Ski Week,” we’d be fools not to partake, right? 🙂
Much as we did last March, Finn & I linked up with his pals Malachy & Leo, then headed north to Tahoe. This year we very slowly & carefully braved a winter storm on Donner Pass—where, happily, we did not have to resort to cannibalism! Sustained by copious amounts of beef jerky and ironic rap, we finally got there & proceeded to enjoy three days on the freshly coated hills.
Finn made his snowboarding debut, and far from my fears that he’d spend days on end falling & cursing his life, he did absolutely great—cruising down the most challenging black diamond runs by the end of his first day! Perhaps he was aided by his newly shorn head (complements of Mal & the other more successful members of his fantasy football league), which decency compels me not to show here. :-p
With Finn & Margot laying a bit low this year, Hen & I carried on our family tradition of attending San Francisco’s joyously warm & diverse St. Patrick’s Day parade. From bikers to wolfhounds, the parade has something for everyone—and “It sure was Redhead O’Clock,” as Hen observed.
We took Caltrain up to the city, then enjoyed our first Waymo driverless robo-taxi ride (!) en route to the festivities. After enjoying the parade, we took Muni over to meet up with our friend Rob for a great walking tour of the Castro neighborhood. Check out our photos & videos from the parade.
And just in case you’re feeling nostalgic, here are some celebrations from years gone by:
Somehow, it has been eighteen years since Finnegan arrived on the scene. Neither of us is quite sure how time flew past so quickly, but here we are, staring down his impending high school graduation and journey to college!
He’ll always be my round-cheeked squirrel, my little butter-blond Finny – going to preschool, then learning to ride a bike, learning to speak Spanish, and anticipating his first day of elementary school. We have had so many great adventures with our boy, and watching him grow into a kind, witty, whip-smart, athletic, and thoughtful young man has been such a treat.
I won’t torture you with a full-length slideshow of his whole life…we’ll just focus on some shots from the past year, which has been chock-full of adventure!
Highlights include:
The Bellarmine spring dance
Winning “Most Inspirational” JV hockey player
Changemakers social justice seminar
Bellarmine Retreat
Welcoming Ziggy
Touring Boulder & the CU campus
Leadville CO on the Fourth
Cavorting in Davenport (CA) on the beach with Hen on Dad’s 50th
“You can’t always get what you want—but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need…”
On our recent whirlwind roadtrip through Southern California, Hen & I certainly experienced our share of ups & downs (or “strikes & gutters,” as Lebowski might put it). On Monday in particular, we got shut out of some museum visits & nearly washed away on LA’s flooded streets—but it was all worth it when we got to LAX just in time for the sun to burst through the clouds and provide us with an epic plane-capturing canvas.
We set up just outside the airport, on the famous Sepulveda Boulevard, and as you can see in our gallery of photos & videos, Hen was absolutely ecstatic about the experience and our results—as was I!
Hen and I were beyond excited not that this year’s Super Bowl would be held in nearby Levi’s Stadium (yeah, cool) but that it would feature an enormous fly-over featuring no fewer than eight Air Force and Navy aircraft—including a pair of enormous B-1 bombers (aka “The Bone”), which sport very Henryesque little mustaches.
After carefully scouting locations via Google Maps, we decided to set up shop along the Bayshore Trail. We impatiently awaited the planes’ arrival, catching distant glimpses of them assembling and then orbiting over the Santa Cruz mountains.
Finally the precisely timed moment of truth arrived, and Hen was able to get some gorgeous shots. Check out our gallery!
Much as I did last year, on Sunday I dragged the boys kicking & screaming (okay, grousing & joking :-)) to Bell Wars—Bellarmine’s annual father-son contest of strength and skills.
As with last year, we certainly distinguished ourselves—sometimes through competence, and sometimes through total lack thereof! In particular, Finn—whom I barely beat in arm wrestling last time around, and who’s been lifting weights ever since then—just mopped the floor (er, table) with the old man. Thankfully I still had Hen’s number, but if he keeps coming to CrossFit with me, I fear for my future. 😉
All of us were so pleased to join Finn in celebrating the conclusion of his final (!) year of Bellarmine Hockey. Each graduating senior was honored by the coaches, players, and parents, and we especially enjoyed mortifying Finn & the other players by holding up giant-sized photos of them as their littler selves.
Check out our gallery from the evening, as well as some appreciative & supportive words from Finn’s coach:
Q. What’s the best possible gift for Christmas? A. Getting the Notorious M.O.M. back with us!
We’re so happy to report that we were able to spring Margot from the hoosegow on Tuesday, and we’ve all been chilling this week, thanks especially to pals bringing us all manner of delicious chow. The plan is to keep laying low, and honestly the human boys are relieved to skip a post-Christmas road trip for once.
Here’s a little gallery showing all six of us enjoying presents around the tree. As always, here’s to gratitude, and to a healthy & happy 2026 and beyond!
Sharing Notre Dame-related experiences with the boys & my folks has made this fall truly one of a kind.
In the last few years I’ve been pleased to drop by an ND MBA class held in Silicon Valley, sharing some hard-won & hopefully entertaining insights I’ve picked up over the years. This year I was surprised & delighted to receive an invite to return to campus on a football weekend (which somehow I hadn’t done since graduating!) and once again address the class, and to speak with a large group of faculty & staff who are wrestling with AI and its implications for education.
The boys joined me for a redeye flight to Chicago (sorry for slumping over on your tray table, Hen!), where we met up with my folks, then drove down to South Bend.
Our whirlwind four days included:
The boys touring campus
Running into my old roommate Ed and his son, doing the same!
Dropping by my old friend & boss Kevin’s house for pizza
Hen getting to walk through the stadium tunnel
Finn squeezing in an early-morning SAT (which he nailed)
Touring the Studebaker museum
Seeing the football team & band walk right past us (hi, Coach!)
Beating the pants off of Boise State (whose fans are very nice!)
Quite predictably, Hen & I took such a debilitating number of photos (!) that it’s only now that I’m getting around to sharing them. Without further ado:
We headed back west on Sunday, stopping off at cousin Liz’s house in Chicago for a great Lou-Malnati’s-infused gathering; see pics here.
The rest of our trip was thankfully uneventful, and a few weeks passed before the Irish flew west for their season finale at nearby Stanford Stadium. The lads and I got to enjoy the ND tailgater, where Hen got to meet the famous Leprechaun!
Afterwards, as we still had some time & it was pretty darn cold (at least by our Cali standards), we quietly snuck into a Stanford tailgater—where we met none other than the famous Andrew Luck (former star quarterback at Stanford & in the NFL); hence “Luck with the Irish.” He graciously came over and shook Finn’s hand, despite our copious ND paraphernalia!
Once the game finally started, we enjoyed watching the team again beat the brakes off their opponents. You can check out our views in this gallery.
“I’m just the kind of guy who looks real good in a suit!” — Henry, quoting Uncle Ted at the same age 🙂
Our handsome gents recently escorted the lovely Brianna & Mandy to Bellarmine’s winter formal, as you can see in the photos below & in this little gallery.
We weren’t able to get a photo of the boys together, so being the geek-dad I am, I couldn’t resist asking AI to imagine them in a winter wonderland. Not bad, I (and perhaps only I ;-)) think!
“Gratitude is alchemy,” they say: it’s a transformative practice which, much like traditional alchemy sought to turn lead into gold, helps us see the extraordinary in the everyday.
Pulling together a year-end photo gallery for Margot to use when selecting Christmas card pics, I was struck by just how many cool (literally & figuratively) experiences we’ve gotten to share with our dudes this year. Among them:
…and that’s just the experiences for which we have pics! 😀
Man, we couldn’t be happier with the chaps or more grateful for the times we’ve gotten to spend together. Here’s to more adventures in 2026 and beyond.
Man, could we possibly have lucked out more in getting our friend Mr. Seamus, aka Smilin’ Jim, the fancy gentleman & employee of the month? Absurd question: of course not! 😀
Our buddy remains a genial delight, gamely accompanying us on adventures near and far, and now putting up with his perpetually nippy (if well meaning) new little brother. Check out this gallery showing some of our favorite moments with him in 2025.
Every day with this chap—from our first meeting to today—remains a gift. Here’s to many more, curly pal!
