Filling In 2018

  At the end of August Gail and I went to WNY to spend a couple days with my family at "The Cabin" except this year it was at The Lodge.

  It's a great time to relax and hang out, Pat took time out from getting a cold beverage to read in the hammock, there was lots of swimming and sitting around the fire.

   We made a short trip to Griffis Sculpture Park where the requisite art imitations were carried out.

  A trail marker slowly became part of the featured art and Dory did her imitation of a flipped turtle.

  We hiked in the woods and came across fresh bear tracks but didn't see any live bears.

  Prior to going to the Stephan Family Reunion in Allegany, Sue, Colleen, Gail and I made a trip up to the top of Lippert Hollow to see the famous Rock City.  Somehow I'd never been, and as a geologist it was imperative that Gail get there.  In the top photo she's walking past graffiti from the 30's when our Uncle John put his initials up for all to see.  In the bottom photo Sue is standing next to some of Grandpa Stephan's oil drilling equipment.

  Almost all the McMahons were at the reunion.



 

Filling In 2018

  So far the school year has been a fantastic adventure and learning experience, and I think the kids are getting something out of it too.  Eh Monday is a senior and always willing to pose for a captioned picture.  Nano invited me to attend her swearing-in ceremony for the National Honor Society, and every day during seventh period Terry returns from BOCES with a sample from his cooking class.  The day he brought velvet red cake I thought I was going to have to file an accident report for a severed finger but the worst that happened was Eh Monday being shoved out of the picture.
  Things got pretty intense the day of the earthquake:

Filling In 2018

  Gail continued her cold-water swims in the lake (along with her warm-water swims in indoor pools).  I joined her on Christmas Day but don't have the incentive-you can ask her- to do it weekly.

Filling In 2018

  The group of Westfield Friends got together for the 100th time, this year in the western Adirondacks.  It was a horrible drive up in heavy rain which changed to heavy sleet and snow, the location was way out there and made difficult to find when the few signs I had to navigate by were covered with snow, and branches were falling from trees.  But it was a great time once we all got there.  We had many toasts to our departed friend, Karen W., the weather cleared nicely by Sunday morning for a short hike in the snow and sunshine, and most of Saturday was spent with a double-elimination Corn Hole tournament. 

  Plenty of goofy photo ops.  The group was smaller than usual, the numbers should be back up to normal next year.

Filling In 2018

  The day after Christmas I took the bus to NYC to visit my former student, Ting, she's expecting a baby in the spring (she says the due date is May 2, but she really means May 1).  Xiao was there for his Christmas break visiting as well so we spent a couple days together.  They took me out for some great food in their neighborhood, we visited Prospect Park and had a bit of a wild goose chase to find a house all decked out with Christmas lights.  It was adorable seeing them interact, something I hadn't had much of a chance to do before.  Ting is going to be a wonderful mother, and Uncle Xiao will spoil his nephew.

Filling In 2018

  Since the kids wouldn't be getting up for several hours after me, I made an excursion to Coney Island, somewhere I'd never been.  Perfect day for the sunrise.  When I looked at the map I realized I'd be visiting a place sacred in the music history of American music:  Mermaid Avenue, where the Guthries lived.  I didn't have a chance to research where Woody had the family living until after I got back to Ithaca, you can find out all you want here.
 

  The famous Boardwalk was mostly deserted at that time of day, after the sunrise I had a good look around and wondered if the Freedom Tower was planned to be aligned with the wharf.  It would have been nice if Nathan's Hotdogs had been open for a cup of hot chocolate.

Filling In 2018

  Ting, Xiao and I visited the Brooklyn Botanical Garden at Prospect Park.  They visited sometime when they were in school but didn't remember much.  Gail and I went a few years ago and remembered the Bonsai collection.  We got treated to a Great Blue Heron that came down and landed among the people milling about.  It didn't like being the center of attention so took off right away.
 

  Getting back to Sunset Park proved a challenge when someone was struck and killed on the subway so we had to make our way the long way around Brooklyn, which meant I got to Coney Island a second time.  Ting needed a nap and woke refreshed enough for her infectious smile.

Filling In 2018

  Before getting the bus back to Ithaca I took a tram ride over to Roosevelt Island to check on Cornell's progress with their new campus.  It's not under water yet, one building is done and two are well along.

  I also took a look around the library on Fifth Ave. and loved the exhibit about a woman I'd never heard of, Anna Atkins.  Considering she was the fist person to use photography in a book you'd think she'd be remembered more, but the book was just for a few associates and she wasn't looking for fame.  Plus it was a book about British Algae.

  In addition to information about Anna, there was more about her father and her influences.  Sir John certainly contributed to our lives.  These two photos were taken of part of the display.