Great Blue Heron Lite

  Every once in awhile Tiger Maple gets up on stage too.  It was nice that their set was back-to-back with a special set of Richie, Jeb and Tara before I left on Saturday evening.
  I missed the Sunday set of Donna and Friends, as did Fred, but Lori, Barry, Justine and Allison stuck around to create a magical moment of music when a young girl they know killed the vocals on "Royals".  Barry's exuberance and joy in the video is understandable as Ceci, the young singer, is his partner's daughter.
 

Great Blue Heron Lite

  Justine and Mike had a baby last year, making Fred and Anita very happy grandparents. 

Great Blue Heron Lite

  As usual, I spent quite a bit of time with Ray and Chris.  When it comes to getting a cart with someone else's name on it, there are few better than Ray.

  When it comes to getting into problems with a cart, there's no one better than Ray.

Great Blue Heron Lite

  Best shoes of the weekend, or any weekend, and Vinnie, banjo extraordinaire from Stewed Mulligans.  Every year I try to get my banjo in his hands to see how fine it can sound.  This year it kicked off a stellar jam that went on far into the morning.  Vinnie's working on a meatball cookbook and has Frank Sinatra's mother's recipe.

Great Blue Heron Lite

  They started it, and they're keeping it going, what a treat to have these friends.  Julie and David.

Open Water Swimming

  Gail had her first open water swimming event of the season in Skaneateles Lake.  It was a bit colder than she was expecting so didn't bring a wet suit and cut the swim short when her fingers went numb.  Still, she swam 2k to get geared up for longer distances later in the summer. 
  We warmed up at the world famous Doug's Fish Fry, someplace we'd neglected to go to before.
  On the way home we stopped at a Finger Lakes Land Trust preserve to see Carpenter Falls.  I love getting behind the cascading water there.

Open Water Swimming, Etc.

  Gail was in England this year for her birthday, I stayed behind in Ithaca.  She tested out the new hip with an 11-mile hike in the Lake District where she was spending several days.  I wore a shirt she bought me on a recent trip to British Columbia and had the kids write messages in their language or English to send her a picture.
  She also did quite a bit of swimming, shocking.  There are many ways to connect with other enthusiasts via the internet, and she spent a day with a guy who does professional photography of swimming and running events.

Kids Keep Learning and Growing

 

Graduation is so bittersweet.  Sometimes it's the last time I see some people, but it's also a chance to meet families of kids I've come close to and respected for four years.  Not sure if it's a coincidence, but many of the kids I get a picture with at graduation end up being the kids I see at GrassRoots.

Kids Keep Learning and Growing

  Contrary to the wishes of some teachers and administrators, the K19/International Club Picnic was a fantastic event again this year.  Hard to believe there are people who think these kids, and us adults, would be better off on a fine spring day in the classroom instead of at Stewart Park.  I tried my skills at 4-Square, I never knew it was such a complicated game.

Kids Keep Learning and Growing

  I was lucky to be free the evening of both proms this year.  I walked up to the Johnson Museum for the Junior Prom, it was held a few days after IM Pei died so it was kind of a solemn affair.  But a beautiful night at one of my favorite spots in Ithaca.
  The Senior Prom was at Celebrations on Rt. 79 so I rode my bike out. 

Too Heartbroken to Post

  Somehow a brain tumor has taken another sibling.  It's been two months since Janet died and the period of disbelief has yet to pass for the rest of us.  It's been four years since Mary Ellen died and there are still moments of disbelief.
  Like Mary Ellen, Janet's treatment for the tumor was interrupted by contracting shingles.  In Janet's case the end came quickly and she was in hospice for "only" a week.  It wasn't really hospice, Roswell was kind enough to let her, and us, stay in the ICU for the duration.  When they finally made the call to move her, it was too late and the phrase "OK, we're going to move Janet to a new room." has become part of our family jargon.
  We bent or broke all the rules, and the staff was willing to let us break even more we didn't know about.  The sunrise on the last day bathed Janet in sunshine for a few minutes and I held her hand for the last time.

Too Heartbroken to Post

  A week away from these kids wasn't exactly an easy endeavor either.  They sent this picture to remind me they were there for support, something I was well aware of.

Too Heartbroken to Post

  Two pictures I took the last day with her before she was admitted to Roswell for the final time.  Some have claimed I substituted an old picture of our dad for the recliner picture.  Not true.

Too Heartbroken to Post

  Janet and Mary Ellen.