Winter at Pharaoh Lake

  An annual ritual was renewed this March with a trip to Pharaoh Lake.  In the past we've gone over the weekend closest to St. Patrick's Day, but Roy lobbied hard for the weekend before and so it was that we were there for the best possible weather I can imagine for winter camping.
  I drove up Thursday afternoon in an effort to get to the lean-to before dark and almost made it.  This is a view of Pharaoh Mountain from the beaver pond on the way in, about a half hour before the destination so I didn't quite make it in daylight but no problem under the conditions and with familiarity of where I was headed.  Those would be the only clouds we'd see until Sunday morning.  It got down to 0 F overnight, the stars and planets were spectacular and I marveled at the Milky Way.

  Glenn and Roy  spent the night at Glenn's place on Lake George and came in after breakfast.  The skiing was pretty good and it's mostly down hill to the parking lot so I went down to meet them and put a few things I didn't feel I needed in my car to make the haul out Sunday easier.  By the time we got back to the lean-to the wind had kicked up a bit and it was only in the teens so we just sat around talking.  I headed out for a sunset ski around the lake and got these pictures, one of the little lean-to I like so much and the other of the hills across the lake from the Point where we usually stay.

Winter at Pharaoh Lake

  Saturday I made it up Pharaoh Mountain, the first time in about 10 years.  It was a perfect day for it, other than the trail not being broken out which meant a long, slow slog for me, almost three hours to go 1.5 miles.  I had a memory of the view of the High Peaks but didn't recall it being this fantastic.  I posted it online and asked for help with ID of the peaks and someone graciously went above and beyond what I expected.  While my hike up Marcy last summer was about 17 miles longer, I don't remember stopping and leaning on trees for several minutes before being able to continue.
  The view to the west was equally stunning, no idea what those mountains are other than one or two.

  When I got back down to the lake the snowfleas (spring tails) were out and filling up our footprints.  I thought they came from the bark of trees but actually live in leaf litter and soil under the snow and come up through it when it warms up.

Winter at Pharaoh Lake

  Sunday morning the clouds moved in and soon the snow started falling hard.  We decided rather than have everything get covered in snow we'd pack up as fast as possible and head out without eating breakfast.  I enjoyed skiing in fresh powder, it may be my last ski of the winter so it's good to have such a fine one to hold me over until next season.
  Same goes for winter camping, had a great time with the boys.

Lopper Man to the Rescue

  This hedge has taken up too much space for too long.  I thought I'd get to it over Christmas break but was too busy so put it off until late winter.  Next year when the plow dumps snow on it after the homeowners have shoveled, there will still be room for passage by pedestrians.  Not only did the owners not call the cops to report me, they gave me a bottle of wine.

Update on Janet

  I went to Buffalo to visit Janet in February, she continues to adjust to life since ending her treatments for the brain tumor that was discovered a year ago.  We're all glad there is no sign of the tumor returning, and she's getting used to the magnetic treatment that is used to prevent tumors from forming.  This involves shaving her head weekly and using adhesive to secure the magnets to her head.  I was tutored by Stacy in how to apply them.
  I also accompanied Janet to an experimental treatment she's undergoing each week that involves a loooong wait in a crowded waiting room where she's memorized the TV schedule and become familiar with all the shows' hosts.  We went to one of her many volunteer gigs and put boxes of cereal in larger boxes to be shipped to local schools.
  Janet has attended several St. Bonaventure events this winter with old friends.  I believe this picture is from a pre-game celebration.
  Pat and Helene have remodeled their kitchen so I stopped by their house to check it out and say hi to them and the boys.  At some point we got to talking about the framed picture of Will and Henry on the wall and how it was getting dated and a more recent picture is in order.
  The old one:

   Updated:

Update on Janet

   Since Janet isn't using any of her hair care products I asked if I could take them and give them to kids in school who are always asking for brushes, hair ties, etc.  Mostly it's the girls who ask, but Terry has made good use of this item and wears it daily.  The ironic part is his hair looks the same if he doesn't wear it.

Living Room Touch Up

  The time came to replace a worn-out couch and get something more practical than the recliner in our living room.  As long as we're at that we might as well have some jobs taken care of that needed to be done.  One was to remove the fake brick above the hearth, and once that was removed we decided it might be a good time to add insulation to the wall behind it.  Funny that omission never showed up on the two energy audits we had done on the house.  We also had to holes from the unused grates patched and a new ceiling put in.  Things went quite well and we're really happy with how it came out.
  It was hard to part with the recliner.

Living Room Touch Up

  I finished up by doing the painting and some other touch-ups.  We now have an Accent Wall, before this prodect I didn't know walls had accents.  Gail let me be sloppy painting around the windows as she felt she could scrape the paint off without too much trouble.

Living Room Touch Up

  Now it's just lounging about all the time.  Even when company comes over they have to get into the act.  Oh, it's just for research they say; they're thinking of buying a new couch too.

Rochester Is Hip

  Gail has had her second hip replaced, this time in Rochester instead of NYC.  It was a much easier way to have it done, and though Rochester isn't as flashy and glamorous as NY, I had a good time.  We met my cousin, Mike, for dinner before checking into a "hotel" the night prior to her surgery.  It's run or supported by the American Cancer Society and is a great place to stay for a reasonable price, and is available for free for family of people who have long-term stays or treatments at the hospital related to cancer.
  The night Gail spent in the hospital I was able to walk to my niece's apartment.  That involved crossing the Genessee River.  In the morning there was significant lake-effect snow happening but it stopped by noon so we made it home before dark.

Rochester Is Hip

  During surgery I took a little walk over to the cemetery to visit Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass' graves.  I saw this guy wading in the pond that is used for ice skating and knew Gail would be there with him if she weren't under anesthesia.  I found Susan's grave with no trouble but not Frederick's.  I was content to say hi to his statue.
  By the time I got back to the hospital there was an all-out effort to search the pond.  Nothing was ever found, but the firefighter who drove the truck up on the curb and got it hung up might have wanted to hide under the ice until the news cameras and tow trucks left.

Rochester Is Hip

  The hospital had some nice art; that's a painting of a sculpture of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass.  It wasn't really that green in Rochester in January. 
  Each floor had a little mural in the stairwell to indicate what unit was on it.  I kept my head down and pace steady as I passed between 4 and 2.

Rochester Is Hip

  Once home Gail did physical therapy in the form of cooking.  I swear, those are her words, and thankfully her soup.  She did need to sleep downstairs for a bit, Bean was torn where he should go but ended up with me upstairs as that's where his treats are.  The ice on the driveway was no obstacle when she had micro spikes on the boots and razor-sharp points on the crutches.
  We're glad to say she's walking to and from work again, and walking Bean.  In the few months I was on all his walks I only lost him this one time while taking a picture to document the snow depth from a storm.  She's got him under control as spring works its way back.

Rchester Is Hip

  We made it back on Valentine's Day for a fine meal at the Red Fern restaurant, and to take a moment to stand by Frederick Douglass' grave on what's purported to be his birthday.  Oh, and Gail's 15-minute appointment went well and she was progressing as expected.