Hospicare Pavilion

  I was recently asked by good friend and builder extraordinaire, Alan, to help with a building project he was involved with at Hospicare.  Alan spearheads the Infield set-up for GrassRoots and we always do a special project there which has led to many more side projects such as this.
  As with our family's donation of Mary Ellen's Corner at Hospicare, a family who had a loved one there offered to make a donation to fill in a gap in their services.  In this case it was a pavilion near the pond for people to sit outdoors with a roof over their heads.  There are many benches on the grounds, but none sheltered.
  The pavilion was manufactured and assembled in Pennsylvania, then taken apart and brought to Ithaca on a trailer for us to put back together.  We started the process by digging holes for footers and setting the sauna tubes one morning, then the concrete was poured and cut stones attached to the top with re-bar anchored for the posts to sit on.  A couple weeks later the pavilion arrived.
  As is often the case, Andy and Connie were in on this, as well as Eddie.  

Hospicare Pavilion

  A few weeks later we had a crew of six to put the pavilion together.  Vertical posts went on the footers, and they were connected to each other with cross ties. 

Hospicare Pavilion

  Once all the posts and connectors were in place the crosspiece went in.  We were really happy this was assembled and we just had to use the forklift to put it on.  After that there were six rafters that fit snugly into the slots.

Hospicare Pavilion

  The only major glitch came when we went to put in the crosspiece of the top.  The forklift was tipped forward a little too far on a slight hill and the diesel moved to the front of the tank, away from the fuel pump in the back.  This necessitated about an hour delay while someone went downtown to buy a five-gallon can of diesel to get it full and running again.  All was good eventually and it fit like a glove.

Hospicare Pavilion

  The various tools used to put together a giant puzzle.

Hospicare Pavilion

  Not being professionals, our assembly didn't quite come together the way it did for the crew that manufactured it.  Each tiny flaw was compounded and the last piece was noticeably not right.  Nothing that straps around the whole structure and pulled tight couldn't correct though.
  A new staff member at Hospicare set up a time-lapse camera that caught the whole day in 30 seconds.

Hospicare Pavilion

  Nearly finished, it's just awaiting a couple customized benches and a stone floor. I've heard from a friend that she went to Hospicare to see someone whose mother had died there that morning and they sat together in the pavilion and found it very comforting.  Another acquaintance told me he was there with his wife in her final two weeks of life and watched us build it and it was a pleasant distraction during a difficult time.

Back to School

    September came which means getting back to school/work.  Ever since I got my new ID badge I've been advocating to have it listed at the top of the Coolness Spectrum in the monthly school paper.  So far no luck.  Last year I got on a different horse and started writing ENL (English as a New Language, the department I'm fortunate to work in) at the top of the list and taping it to the wall outside our classroom each month.  Imagine my surprise when I picked up the issue of the Tattler on the first day of school and went to write ENL but found this:

  Little victories.  I think they left the extra space at the top for my ID badge.

August Vacation

  Gail and I had another wonderful Adirondack vacation this year, though we joked it was kind of "separate vacations."  Due to her bad hip and only having one kayak, she spent most mornings kayaking and swimming while I hiked.  We then spent the afternoons together. 
  She found us an Air BnB in the village of Saranac Lake, close to lots of water for kayaking and swimming as well as mountains for hiking.  We stayed there for four days before heading to Lake George to visit friends, more swimming and kayaking ensued, and finally Vermont for more of the same.
  No matter the mode of transportation, we never get tired of the mountains.  I just hope next time we go Gail's able to hike again.

August Vacation

 

  We got to our Air BnB in Saranac Lake which was located just about a mile from the trail head to Baker Mountain.  It was early enough in the day that I went up for a look at McKenzie and Haystack Mountains and the High Peaks to the east and the village and mountains to the west.
  The next morning I dropped Gail off with the kayak near Middle Saranac Lake and headed to Ampersand Mountain for what many describe as the best view in the Adirondacks.  I have to admit I like fog, but I think I'll go back someday on a clear day.  It was a nice hike through a large section of old growth forest.

August Vacation

  In the afternoon the skies cleared up and we went to Lake Colby just north of Saranac Lake so Gail could take a swim and I could paddle.  Gail was staying in top form in preparation of a 5k she'd be doing later in the trip and I'd keep her company and safe from the few motor boats on the lake. 
  Along the shore of the lake is the Adirondack Medical Center which I read is the largest fiscal entity in the Adirondacks.  Behind it is the McKenzie Range, and far in the distance, Whiteface Mountain.

August Vacation

  A third day took us to the St. Regis Canoe Area.  Gail had another nice paddle and swim, we saw a couple immature bald eagles fly over just as she got in.  I took a hike up St. Regis Mountain to visit the fire tower, a hike that involved far more downhill hiking to get to the top than I expected.  There was also a well-crafted set of steps just before the summit.  From the fire tower I had hazy views of the canoe area and Upper Saranac Lake. 
  After picking Gail up we stopped at a friend's place which was an old camp and used by the Boy Scouts for a quick swim in Upper Saranac.

August Vacation

  The biggest surprise of the trip came when we happened to make an unplanned stop in a brewery in Saranac Lake, at the same moment our good friends and frequent Adirondack hosts, Chips and Ann, were arriving.  They were on a mini-vacation to visit some other spots in the Adirondacks away from their camp so we had a drink together and the next night got together for dinner.

August Vacation

   My big day of hiking came on the forth day we spent in Saranac Lake.  The plan was to go up Mt. Marcy and take two spur trails up other 4000' peaks on the way up and down.  I wanted to have the best weather for this one and got it.  There was an early shower just after 6 am when I started out and clouds were hanging quite low so I headed for Table Top Mountain first, as I'd read a couple descriptions that said there was no view from it.  Just as I got to the top the clouds blew off and I learned there are in fact great views from it of Marcy which was just up ahead. 
  From there I dropped back down to the trail to Mt. Marcy and got another surprise when I looked up a steep bare rock to the summit before 11 am.  Views were spectacular and I found a spot out of the wind for a bite to eat and chatted with the summit steward.  He told me how long it would take to add Skylight Mountain to my day, and while it was tempting, I was more interested in Lake Tear of the Clouds, the source of the Hudson River.  After getting my feet and head wet in the shallow pond, I hustled back up Marcy for lunch.  From there it was down the way I came in the morning and had enough time to add Phelps Mountain. The views from there were great too, can't wait to get back.

August Vacation

  As we often do, we spent a weekend with Mary Ann and Glenn at their house on Lake George.  They were anticipating a refrigerator delivery but it didn't happen so we had to be content with the new additions in the garage:  a jeep Glenn has modified extensively and a couple motorcycles that seemed too fast for anyone's good even when they were parked.  We had a lovely visit once again.

August Vacation

  The big event of the trip for Gail was her first 5k swim which took place in Lake George.  As she entered the water I thought about how swimming is an activity that accepts all body types.  She figured she would be one of the slower swimmers in the event so started in the back of the field.  The bit of chop on the surface posed no obstacle, and she really enjoyed the challenge of how to navigate it. 
  I had lots of time to kill so paddled up to some islands north of the the event, the winds through the channels made for some tricky conditions but brought out lots of happy sailors.  I decided to get out of there and returned to keep an eye on swimmers.  They only had a handful of kayakers and a couple motor boats.  A far cry from Women Swimmin' where every swimmer has an escort.

August Vacation

 

   Just as she predicted, Gail finished the swim in two hours.  The extra three minutes was due to shallow water and she had to walk to shore, her bad hip kept her from running in.
  Mary Ann and Glenn were kind enough to come up and cheer her on as she finished.  The strain of holding both a bagel and coffee was a bit much for Glenn and he had to go back home for a nap.

August Vacation

  After the swim we made a stop at the lovely Silver Bay YMCA compound.  Gail relaxed on the porch in a comfortable chair and contemplated future swims.

August Vacation

 

  Glenn hasn't been able to do much physical activity this year so we did a short but steep hike up to the first overlook on the Tongue Mountain Range.  We did something like this many years ago in winter and walked across the ice back to his house from the tip of the tongue.  This was an up and back adventure.  I would like to hike the whole range someday.

August Vacation

  Lake George can be quiet, peaceful and calm, you just have to be there before 6 am.  I made the mistake of returning around noon on Sunday to try to paddle.  The motorboat traffic made it one of the scariest moments I've had on water so I got out of there quickly.  Gail went earlier and had a pretty good time.

August Vacation

  After leaving the Adirondacks we headed to Vermont to visit Dot, Stan and Tii.  Dottie was more than happy to get out on the water for some paddling with me while Gail swam.  Dottie had to pick up some flooring near Fairlee Pond so we combined those activities on the first day.

August Vacation

   It had been many years since we stayed with Dot and Stan in Vermont.  They've added an outdoor shower and lost a dam.  The dam was washed out soon after we were there in August 2011 by remnants of Hurricane Irene.  It was built sometime around 1850.
  We also had a quintessential New England experience and went to a folk music concert on the village green in front of the local church.