| About me My name is Jack Wiley Baker. I had a wonderful golden retriever named Kamissoko. She was very kind and patient with me, but she really loved my mum most. I have a new dog named ILyas. I get .25 cents a day to feed her. If I do it 7 days in a row, I get $2.00. It started when my gram was rehabbing with us. I got .25 cents a day if I played backgammon with her, and $2.00 if a play 7 days in a row. She fractured her patella, that's why she was with us. If gram did her excercises each day mum would give her a thimble of scotch. One time gram wondered aloud why she didn't get .25 cents a game. (Mum's eyes rolled to the back of her head.) I also have a little black cat named Chorten, and she's taught me how to 'friend' a cat. I have a horse named Rascal who is very kind and gentle as a big pet can be. I ride and play with Rascal- an Appendix; Sky- a Chincoteague Pony; and Jasper- a Mini Horse. I have a lot of fun at the barn. I love to ski and love the air. I play tennis, ride my bike, and have recently taken up skateboarding. Some of my names have gone away, but new ones have emerged like Dobbie (the free elf), JBA (Jackie big air) or JB on the soccer field, when there are a lot of Jack's. My mom likes to keep busy and has a need for creating, and I've become one of her subjects. We like to laugh in my family, thus the silly videos. Sometimes I hear her laughing as she makes them... (Personally, I think she could do other things with her time). |
| Gustin Ceramics Everything has a beginning, and at Gustin Ceramics it was, for me, diapers and naps. The good news is that life evolves and my mum's village has been there. November 2023
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| ![]() Family picture November 2023 |
| Junior National Championships I qualified for Junior Nationals at Copper Mountain. Mum and dad came with me. It was really fun, and I learned a lot. From Copper, my mum and I headed to Big Sky. We skied together for a few days and then she attended National Academy and I did some big mountain skiing. April 2023
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| Switzerland I went to visit my cousin in Switzerland. We did a lot of things, and we laughed a lot. February 2023
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| Young Guns: Eastern Freestyle Championships I qualified for Eastern Freestyle Championships and had fun. I landed my 360-Japan Grabs on both the mogul and SlopeStyle course. Next year, if I qualify, I'll compete in Juniors! Here's a glimpse of my regular season. March 2023
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| St. John We decided to go to St. John for Thanksgiving. November 2022
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| Fall Firing I made some pieces for Poppy's kiln. I did a shift with my mom, and, for the first time, I threw wood! November 2022
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| Summer Fun The bookends to my summer were airplanes. I went to a Change of Command Ceremony for a favorite navy mom, and my British cousin graduated from grad school. Bike riding, horses, camp, sailing and swimming happened all times of the day. Summer 2022
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| ![]() Family picture from Jene and Willie's wedding in NOLA... June 2022 |
| Spring Firing Epic firing at Poppy's kiln. I worked a 12 hour shift with my mom. I had a lot of fun with the dogs, made new friends and worked hard. May 2022
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| ![]() Family picture May 2022 |
| National Academy Me and my folks went to Big Sky. My mom and I skied together for a few days, then she joined her National Academy group and I skied with coaches from ski school. I laughed a lot, learned a lot and started landing 540's, switches and lots of box stuff. It was my 6th Academy. Many of the National Team members know me, and are really nice. My three favorite things were the terrain park, my coaches and the outdoor pool. My mom would say it was skiing with me, skiing with her group and the Lone Peak Tram. Just about me, my skis and air April 2022 |
| Ski Season 2021/22 My ski season's almost over. I've worked hard, had fun and stayed safe. I'm working on being gracious. It's hard for a 9 year old, but I'm up for the challenge. I went to Eastern Freestyle Championships at Bristol Mountain, stayed in a house on one of the Finger Lakes with my friend Jack, and had lots of fun. I went to Big Sky with my mom and skied together for a few days. Then she joined the National Academy group, and I skied with coaches from ski school. I laughed a lot, learned a lot and started landing 540's, switches and lots of box stuff. |
| Christmas & New Years 2021 My British cousin and his girlfriend came over for Christmas and New Years. They gave up the pubs
for a couple of weekends and took COVid tests 9 days straight to ensure their and everyone else's health.
We went skiing for a few days, had raclette, went to Westport where everyone else jumped in the river on New
Year's Day. There was no way my little body was going to do that. We had awesome fireworks and an amazing
walk on Horseneck Beach. |
| ![]() Family picture... September 2021 |
| A Silly afternoon in Westport Two of my uncles are twins. They regress when they get together. We went to Shiprock where they performed some tricks. August 2021 |
| ![]() Family picture... July 2021 |
| Parlor Ski Company I remote schooled all year. Grammy stayed healthy, as did the rest of us. As a commemorative activity, my mum and I built a pair of skis together. I did the graphics. It was amazing. June 2021 |
| National Academy 2021 Awesome time at National Academy. I schooled in the morning and skied in the afternoon. Not bad for an 8 year old. Moreover, I got to ski with my mom and other 'A-Lister' skiers. April 2021 |
| Ski Season 2020/21 My mom wasn't sure that the ski season would happen. I schooled remotely and skiing is super social for me, and we needed to be COVid safe, especially with Grammy in our bubble. But it happened, and boy was it fun this season. First, our 'Ski Club' expanded from mum, Ilyas and me, to daddy, Grammy and Di. We found a sweet little spot we call headquarters for Ski Club, and we can go snowshoeing right outside our door! I started in mum's race program, but Hannah coached me on jumps and that was it. I joined some of my other friends in a freeride ski club. But I really liked the kids in my mum's program too, so some afternoons I'd ski with them. Next stop, National Academy... |
| The Barn I started riding early on during the lockdown. Because I'm doing 'remote school', I got to go to the barn a couple of times a week through the Fall. Miss Kathy taught me a lot. We play games on the horses. Some days my friend Charlotte would come, other days my friend Ellis would watch with his mom. Charlotte was really scared at first, but now she enjoys sitting on Rascal, Sky and Jasper.December 2020 |
| ![]() Family picture... September 2020 |
| Summer 2020 My family bubble was about grammy, and it was really fun. I wasn't able to do my tennis camp, but I sure did a lot of other things. Charlotte was named my 'summer sister', I had a lot of fun with JohnJohn and Hunter (my mom really likes Narda, their mom), and I started riding. |
| March 2020 I did a lot of things during lockdown. My mom and I read 45 minutes everyday and we got through the entire Fluffy series! This is what made me a Super Reader. We also did some home kitchen experiments that I wrote about.
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| February | St. John 2020 Always a new adventure, and always super special... |
| Fall 2019 | My first stoke at Poppy's kiln Mum works in ceramics, and fires in a wood kiln called an Anagama. It's a lot of work. My mum likes to say I've been around the wood kiln since I was in a bag. That may be true with tennis, but not at the kiln. However, I have been around for a long time. It takes a village to fire the Anagama, like at least 20 people. |
| Mum was very busy this year... |
| Mini Explorers October 2019So much fun... |
| Summer 2019 It was a great summer. I'm no longer afraid of the crabs in the crab trap and can take them out (carefully), I now take the hooks out the fish, I've taken Grammy's boat under the bridge and for a little spin (with mum and Grammy, of course), I took the LauraDee into Westport harbor and I am diving off Grampy's boat. Grammy joined us for our second full moon in Menemsha and we had lots of fun. Throughout the summmer I worked on weekend stories, my reading and math because I want to have lunch with Mrs. McDonough the week I return to school. Lastly, I went to New York City for the US Open and the theater, Frozen! |
| July's Full Moon In search of our full moonThis is what summer's about. We had all kinds of weather. From a sunny gentle breeze over, which is good for napping, to Thunder on Vineyard Sound and a total whiteout off Buzzards Bay. My mum caught a huge (30") Striper on our way home (in a white out with sails reefed), and was so determined that she had us tacking a bit to keep the fish on the line. When we cleaned the fish, we found the head of a sea robin in it's tummy! And, while we were there, I did a shout out to Martha Jones School. |
| ![]() Daddy was somewhere else this year... May 2019 |
| April 2019 National Academy in Big Sky, MontanaThis was my fourth National Academy and I had so much fun. I met kids in the outdoor pool, my friend Kristen drove down from Missoula with her friend Tyler, I danced, I skied with a group of kids for the week while my mum skied with her group and this year I rode the tram up Lone Peak and skied down! Each year I meet more people and make more friends. My mum loves the Academy because she skis with other strong skiers and she always loves skiing with National Demo Team members. |
| Ski Season 2018/19 I had a lot of fun at our new ski home, Waterville Valley. I joined a junior seasonal program and skied with kids all winter. My mom coached in the program. I was supposed to just ski in True Grits level 4. Instead, I would only ski in the group my mom coached. She didn't realize it but she needed an assistant, which was me. When Ilyas started joining us we renamed our weekends to "Ski Club". All the kids at 'Seasonals' liked Ilyas and she would chase down all snowballs. At the end of the day we'd go sledding and Ilyas would join us. There were a bunch of kids with sleds. It was so much fun. Then they said we couldn't sled anymore. That's when my friend Annalise and I came up with Body Sledding. On our last day of the program everyone wore a costume and we had a parade down the mountain. I wore my duck costume for the final time. Next stop, National Academy... |
| St. John 2019 We returned to a different island, post Irma & Maria. canopies of dead vines were all over the island with new growth coming up from underneath. Many of the mangroves have not come back. The music and dear friends were abound. We saw many CB folks on the beach. We'd stop and chat, and reminisce about what Cinnamon Bay once was and what it meant to us. Cinnamon Bay was sad to see, especially our beloved '9D'. But, Cinnamon Bay was still our most favorite spot to swim and reflect. |
| January 2019 My Grammy donated a parlor grand piano to her church in memory of Grampy. My uncles from London and LA came for the weekend, as well as an uncle from near where I live. It meant a lot to my Gram, and my mom thought it was very special. |
| December 2018 New Years is fun! |
| Christmas 2018 I love Christmas. I love decorating the house, making presents, going to school in my pajamas, making cookies for Santa and the reindeer, my christmas pageant and... waking up to see if Santa came. |
| November 2018 Hiphop and a Saturday night |
| October 2018 Africa! |
| 5 September 2018 First day of Kindergarten |
| July 2018 Just another summer day in Westport.. a peacock wedding at River Rock |
| Graduation 2018 My graduation from the Tobin School |
| Family picture ... May 2018 |
| April 2018 My mum signed me up for ballet... |
| April 2018 National Academy in Big Sky, Montana! |
| March 2018 Ski Season 2017/18, getting ready for National Academy |
| ![]() Daddy had a really "great" idea and mum latched right on to it, "Let's bring Chorten to the picture taking!". Well, we did it, but it wasn't Chortie's shining moment... May 2017 |
| St. John 2017 About the picture: This is where Miss Mary's house used to be, and we're sitting where her kitchen used to be. She lost her home in the first hurricane. Grammy and Gramps have known her since the '70's when she was raising her four children on St. John. At the time of the hurricane she was getting ready to retire. She and her husband now live with her daughter, and she hopes to rebuild and return. You can open it in a new window, and you'll see Miss Mary's smile... |
| St. John 2017 Never did I think this would have the meaningful image and memories it has. My family has been going to St. John since the early '70's, and always staying at Cinnamon Bay. The friendships have run deep, and were tested in September of 2017 when two category 5 hurricanes decimated the island. This celebrates the St. John we knew, and love very deeply. |
| Summer 2017 |
| National Academy in Snowbird Wow-wee, what fun! April 2017 |
| Jack's Last Quack Ski Season 2016/17 |
| My family picture... May 2016 |
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Summer 2016 |
| I visited my Uncle in
France August 2016 |
| Three years at Westwood Children's School, and I'm moving on... June 2016 |
| National Academy, Breckenridge My mum got to ski with
PSIA Alpine Team members in Breckenridge, CO., all of whom share three attributes: Inspirational educators,
Lifelong learners and Inspirational athletes. In addtion, there were Interski participants from other
countries. Currently, the Alpine Team comprises 30 men and women selected from among the best instructors in
the country. They represent the full breadth of the ski and snowboard disciplines: adaptive, alpine, alpine
freestyle, cross country, telemark, and snowboard. While mum skied with them and had loads of fun, I did my
own thing and had loads of fun as well. April 2016 |
| St. John with Grammy, mum and daddy March 2016 |
| My family picture May 2015 |
| Family photo at the kiln. Fall firing 2015 |
| Mum and daddy are around for my birthday, hurray! September 2015 |
| I
love summer! September 2015 |
| St.
John with Grammy, Miss Betty and Papa Jay March 2015 |
| My
Winter February 2015 |
| My family picture... May 2015 |
| Garden of Joy December 2014 |
| Snippets of being Two This is a long one, sorry... |
| Little Dresser September 2014 |
| My Tribute to Grampy July 2014 |
| I
love New York April 2014 |
| The Best Is Yet To Come March 2014 |
| My
Adventure in St. John March 2014 |
| Three Little Birdies February 2014 |
| Some of my favorite things... January 2014 |
| I was christened at Westport Point church. I looked ridiculous. |
| Christmas 2013
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| My
friend Betsy works for Camelbak December 2013 |
| Thanksgiving November 2013 |
| Uygher Hat Walk November 2013 |
| Me & My Monkey My first Halloween October 2013 |
| Me &
JWiley My little black cat's journey to friending me October 2013 |
| Jackie Sunshine My first birthday that includes special people, places and achievements September 2013 |
| Jump the Bucket My summer was over and my mom just wanted to see friends September 2013 |
| Barhopping with Grammy My Gram's game for most anything. This was a super fun afternoon July 2013 |
| Catalyst Sib and Chris took me on my first overnight sailing trip. They gave my mom baby-sailing lessons, and I sailed with a truly amazing man- Sibley Reppert (my mom refers to him as 'Uncle Sib') July 2013 |
| Me
and the LauraDee July 2013 |
| The
Penguin July 2013 |
| Playdate with Kakkak July 2013 |
| Me
and Water June 2013 |
| Lil' Cozy Coupe June 2013 |
| Tumbleweed, no more May 2013 |
| My Lyndhurst Affair May 2013 |
| My
Trip to Hilton Head March 2013 |
| Come
Play with Me February 2013 |
| Oh,
Look At Me Now March 2013 |
| Clementine February 2013 |
| Hang
On Little Tomato February 2013 |
| JWiley January 2013 |
| JWiley Comes Home October 2012 |