Photos from another year around the sun full of growth, travel, family, friends, and love.
During this season of gratitude and thanksgiving, I continue—now for the 18th year—my annual tradition of posting family photographs on MORE TO COME.* I invite you to take a look at our world in 2025.
NOVEMBER — DECEMBER 2024
Last May I wrote about our support of the wonderful Arcadia project underway in Staunton, VA, through their “Sponsor a Marquee Quote” fundraiser. So imagine my surprise when we were in town over Thanksgiving and saw that my MTC essay was featured on a poster outside the theatre! We had to stop for a picture.
The Browns have a number of traditions during both Advent and throughout the twelve days of Christmas, events that continued as 2024 turned into 2025. Andrew was the tenor soloist for the Duke University Chapel’s performance of Messiah; Candice and I enjoyed a variety of music concerts, including one featuring the gorgeous acapella singing of Windborne; and we spent a delightful afternoon visiting shops and sampling a variety of hot chocolates at Main Street Takoma‘s “Cocoa Crawl.”
Claire’s traditions include a visit to Filoli—a historic house and world-class garden in California. With her expert photographer’s eye, she captured several breathtaking images during the Holidays at Filoli celebration, keeping the connection to a magical place where I once served on the board of directors.
As the end of the year draws near, we celebrate Andrew and Claire’s birthday with the traditional cup cakes . . .
. . . along with the Twelve Days of Christmas, including some wonderful meals, both home-cooked and in great local restaurants.
Each year when the family gathers we usually pull out jigsaw puzzles and other games. As we lounged at the morning breakfast table in late December (the 27th to be exact), Andrew—one of our main puzzle enthusiasts—discovered that MORE TO COME made the New York Times Crossword Puzzle! How cool is that!! (I’m pretty sure this newsletter was what the puzzle master had in mind.)
JANUARY — FEBRUARY 2025
Andrew’s busy singing schedule continued into the New Year. In early January he sang at the state funeral of President Jimmy Carter, held at the Washington National Cathedral . . .
. . . and he performed in the Louisville Orchestra’s January production of Der Kaiser von Atlantis (photo credits O’Neil Arnold) in the role of The Soldier.
Irene Ann Colando—Candice’s dear mom, my mother-in-law, and Andrew and Claire’s grandmother—passed away peacefully at age 93 on January 25, 2025, after a long and fruitful life. Irene was a people person who delighted in her family and never wavered in her faith in God. We all miss her lively presence and love in our lives.
MARCH — APRIL 2025
While celebrating my 70th birthday on March 4th (the only day that is a command!) I took the opportunity to highlight what I’d learned over those seven decades.
In addition to a wonderful dinner party with special friends, Candice also organized a surprise: more than 90 cards from friends all around the world showed up in our mailbox. I felt Rich (In a George Bailey kind of way).
March is also our anniversary month, so the celebrations continued.
In early April we left for the first of three National Trust Tours this year. Exploring the Dutch Waterways provides an overview and links to other stories from this wonderful trip, timed to catch the tulips at the height of their glory.
Candice joins Mister Jacques in his spot at the entrance to the Kröller-Müller Museum, as they gaze at the artwork.
The train station in Antwerp is often listed among the most beautiful in the world. I would agree. Simply stunning.
One of the best things about National Trust Tours is the wonderful people and new friends we meet on these journeys.
MAY — JUNE 2025
It was only as we were texting pictures of the Portuguese Synagogue to our children that we discovered Andrew was slated to sing the Song of Dedication concert for the 350th anniversary of the synagogue with the Washington Bach Consort in early May. We were delighted to make it back in time to hear this magical evening of song and celebration.
May brought 10th year college reunions for both Claire and Andrew. Claire returned with some of her classmates to Pomona College, where she loved spending time with Susan, Kyra, and Jackie (l-r in top picture) over the weekend.
During his 10th year reunion at Brown University in Providence, Andrew spent part of the weekend soloing in the Bach Magnificat for the concert celebrating Fred Jordry’s tenure at the university.
Candice, Andrew, and I spent one weekend in May engaged in the annual “cleaning the outside of the house” project, which I captured in this picture from our third-floor bedroom.
That same weekend Claire was not working to clean the house, but was instead enjoying a retreat at Lake Tahoe with friends from Christ Episcopal Church in Alameda. She got the better end of the deal!
2025 was the year of new headshots . . . both candid and professional.
I wrote about my new headshot in Gaps make life interesting.
The drawing of Andrew is from his covering the role of John Singer Sargent in last year’s premier of American Apollo at Des Moines Metro Opera, and the photo is his new professional headshot taken this summer at the Santa Fe Opera, where he was an Apprentice Artist.
Candice and I hit the road again for the second of our National Trust Tours. We began in Zurich, where we met up with Anita Canovas, a long-time friend and former NTHP colleague, and her husband Kevin Forjette at their home . . .
. . . and celebrated Candice’s birthday at IGNIV Zurich.
Our journey through Europe has highlights of this delightful and educational trip through Switzerland, France, Germany, and Holland (as well as links to other posts along the way). We found a few places for family photographs amidst all the amazing architecture and cultural landscapes.
Lauterbrunnen, Engelberg, Lucerne, and Basel Switzerland each had their special charms, while Strasbourg allowed us to dip our toes into France . . . a country where we’d return later in the year.
As we cruised the Rhine and Moselle rivers in Germany, we visited Heidelberg, Cochem, the castles of the Upper Rhine Valley, and Cologne.
Claire was also in Europe in June, traveling with our dear friend Ella Taranto and other Pomona College friends to Paris. This ensures that Ella once again makes the Brown’s “Year in Photos” collection (now for the fifth year in a row!)
JULY — AUGUST 2025
We were back in the States during July and August, where we watched some baseball (the company and the atmosphere are always better than our pitiful Nationals) . . .
. . . and made our traditional visit to watch the July 4th parade in Takoma Park, home to our Congressman Jamie Raskin!
We don’t always do the traveling; sometimes we have visitors. When my childhood friend Pam Smotherman Kennedy and her husband Gibert stopped by for a few nights, we invited another childhood friend and her husband, Sara and Bill Overby, over for a summer meal. It was great to catch up with these friends I’ve known now for some 60 years.
Candice and I spent a week in Florida in late July to begin the process of cleaning out her mom’s house. Everyone in the family who was home helped out, and it was a nice time of remembrance.
In August we headed out to New Mexico, first making a stop at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm outside Albuquerque, before heading north to Santa Fe.
We were in Santa Fe to see three performances at the breathtaking open air opera house, where Andrew was part of the Apprentice Artists program at the Santa Fe Opera. It was a special treat.
While the Apprentice concert version of L’Italiana in Algeri is not available online, here’s a snippet from the opera to give you a sense of the confusion and chaos that ensues.
We also happened to be in Santa Fe with tens of thousands of others who were visiting the Indian Market, a New Mexico tradition.
SEPTEMBER — NOVEMBER 2025
Andrew and Claire—like their parents—love to travel. Claire and her boyfriend Zack went to Ella’s wedding, where they thoroughly enjoyed the lobster . . .
. . . while Andrew, on one of his many train rides up and down the East Coast, had a serendipitous meeting with his cousin Margot Keale, who lives and works in the DC area.
Our third National Trust Tour took us to Ireland, for a memorable exploration of the island and a magical month abroad. May the wind always be at your back . . . but not too much wind is an overview of our time in Ireland.
We traveled the Emerald Isle with a charming group of new friends, full of curiosity, eagerness to learn, and flexibility for the changing weather conditions (which threw off our tour schedule in major ways).
After leaving Dublin and the NTT tour, Candice and I spent a lovely week in the Loire Valley of France, as captured in Châteaux, cathedrals, cuisine, and charm.
During much of our travel, Andrew was also singing across the country for various events and groups. He landed in DC long enough to host his cousin (and our niece) Brittany Jackson, for a lovely weekend.
In late September the entire family gathered in Paris—city of the Sun King—for almost two weeks to celebrate my 70th year around the sun. Life in song captured our evening at the opera in Paris . . .
. . . while the title of I love Paris in the fall says it all.
I had to include this one memorable photograph of the twins first day at kindergarten . . .
. . . to contrast it with this current photo of the two at the Louvre. As much as things change, they still remain curious and loving individuals.
In addition to meeting a former colleague randomly on the streets of Paris, we also were more intentional in gathering over meals with long-time friends. Janet Hulstrand lives in France much of the year, while one-time Staunton residents Peter and Janet Longnecker come to the City of Light several times a year. It was a delight to enjoy a meal and catch up with all three.
And the French vibe continued as we returned home. One of the joys of retirement is the opportunity to take leisurely lunches with dear friends. Here I am in our local French bistro La Piquette chatting with George Farr, one of the great gentlemen of DC and one of my favorite people.
As you can see, 2025—in spite of the upheaval in our country—has provided many remarkable memories for all the Browns. I give thanks every day for my beautiful, compassionate, curious, and thoughtful family, who love me into being in spite of my foibles.
I can’t wait to see what 2026 brings. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
More to come…
DJB
*For previous year’s posts, click here for:
Top image: Photo of the Browns at the historic and beautiful Palais Garnier in Paris.
MORE TO COME... 
Goodness! What a compendium of love and life! Keep it up!
judy
Thanks, Judy! Happy Thanksgiving to you and Kevin. Let’s plan another Bistro Lepic jazz jaunt in the new year!
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