Bridal Falls

 Our first snowstorm of the season melted off.  We didn't have much to speak of in the lower elevations, but there was quite a bit to melt in the hills.  It all ends up here eventually.

On a warmer day:

Skiing Season

 Got some December skiing in this year, even here in town.  Decent conditions for a couple weeks after the first thaw and now ended by the second one.  More to come...

 It's not easy getting the swimmers away from the lake or pool, but Gail, Connie and Mea all had a fine excursion to the McGrath Rd. compound.  It was Connie and Mea's first time skiing.  They did great, but were disappointed the pond was totally frozen over and they couldn't take a cold-water dip.

Growing Family

 The extended family just reached out all the way to California, where Calihan joined Jen and Matt.  She's adorable, and they're happy campers.

Congratulations to all.

Stay Off My Lawn!

 You can take your chances coming onto our property, if you're feeling lucky.

A Storm for the Books

 The siblings in the Buffalo area got a historic dose of lake-effect snow.  Chris and Darryl lost barns that collapsed under the 70+ inches that fell in a couple days in Hamburg.

I don't know how long Pat was in the hot tub, probably until the melted snow made it a lukewarm tub.  Not sure what the phrenology reveals about him either.

Friends Weekend

 The 35th Annual Friends Weekend took place in November.  I had a headache that lasted a few days but still had a good time.  Thankfully, it only progressed to be a mild cold, and I only shared the Covid virus with one other person who I spent the weekend with, and Gail missed out on getting it because she didn't go.

Despite the headache, I took a nice hike and found the senior citizens home junkyard in the woods.

The house had a fine dining room where we could all sit and eat together.

Two inches of rain over night turned this little nothing stream into a nice cascade.

 

Susan and Brian have been the photo album keepers and in the digital age we let them fall behind.  They printed out pictures from the last 12 years and we all chipped in to make new albums.

David and Jodi.

 A coordinated effort.

I never figured out the rules of this dice game, but it was entertaining to watch.

Turkey Trot

 Gail and I stayed in Ithaca over Thanksgiving.  It's not that we don't want to see our families, or that we don't appreciate all the college students bring to our community (well, some of what they bring), it's just that it's great when they aren't here (the students, not our families).  Gail decided to do the Turkey Trot.

Roxy and I walked around to spectate and congratulate Gail on a fine run.

Talia and Gail finished seconds apart.  One of them is on the high school cross country and indoor track teams, the other one has hips too young to be in high school. 

Tree Walk

 I've been trying to get my friend, Ed, to walk with me in Six Mile Creek for many years.  This fall it finally happened (I was happy to take a day off to accommodate his tight, retired schedule).  His grandfather was an Extension Forester at Cornell way back when, and Ed spent his career as a curator and botanist with Cornell, so in addition to showing him what I consider an amazing forest, I thought I'd get answers to many of my questions.

Ed was pretty impressed by the tour, you will be too when you join me for it sometime if you have any interest in trees.  One of the most remarkable specimens was a tree that normally wouldn't stand out: it's not big or growing in any unusual manner, and red maples are a common species.  What caught Ed's eye was that it still had its leaves late in the fall: they are typically the first to drop.  A new question as to why the leaves were still hanging on.  Now I'll have to remember to check on it next year.

A still-unanswered question:  What causes this?  Best guess is woodpeckers, but they sure make straight lines.

No question what's going on here:  Emerald Ash Borer killing all the ash trees in the forest.  This one is going to reroute a ski trail when it comes down.

Stephanie and Jake

 We had a wedding in the family recently, and it was a fine time on a beautiful day in the Finger Lakes.  I don't want to steal too many of the professional photographer's pictures, so until the siblings share some of theirs these are all I have:

The almost-same-aged nieces.

The bulk of the family.

McMahon Dudes and married to McMahons.  Plus a cousin and boyfriend of a niece.

 Brothers.

Josh Allen sprinted through the reception.

Matt couldn't make it, but sent greetings from California.

Getting Around

 Always improving non-motorized transportation options.

The sidewalk on Stewart Ave. will still get half-covered with snow by street plows if it ever falls, but the other half won't be blocked by the bushes.

The walkers who trample ski tracks on the Rec Way won't be bothering me as much with another section of adjacent woods cleared.

A new super-secret ski trail is taking shape.  Always start at the easiest water crossing and continue from there.

While working on the ski trail the deer were practically nudging me out of the way.  I gave this guy all the room he wanted.

Update:  The property owners saw what I'd done and decided all that was missing a bit of mulch to make it look neat and tidy.  They left the pile of brush blocking the walkway to the porch.

Halloween Fun

 Another Halloween outfit revised.  Gail made herself some overalls and before shrinking them to fit her, they served as a good look for a banjo-playing teacher.  Talia makes yet another blog post when she got in on the fun and wore the hat while playing a little banjo in the library.

Great Show

 Ushering season is underway again.  I've done a few shows at the Hangar, none at the State yet.  Langhorn Slim played at the Hangar and I have heard a few of his songs on the radio but wasn't convinced enough to buy a ticket so signed up to usher. 

The Hangar is a theater and the audience is seated with a large area between them and the performer.  Todd Snider once filled the space with tables, but that was the only show I remember it occupied until this one.  Langhorn Slim invited people to come sit on the floor and if they were so moved, get up and dance.  They remained seated for the first song.

 This is how things were going during the second song.

He and the crowd were still at it by the end.  I'm adding this one to my looong Top 10 list of best shows.

 

Meet the New Boss

 Since we lost Nina back in the spring, Gail has had her eye out for a new housemate.  There were some tempting candidates over the summer, but we held out until after summer travels to get one.  A dog was being fostered in Snyder, Texas by Second Chance Dog Rescue, and they have a delivery bus that makes a route through the south and northeast.  They post pics of dogs to websites along the route and Gail saw Roxy.  We passed the interview and waited for about a month before she arrived by bus after a five-day trip with about 60 other dogs.

Roxy, meet Gail.  Gail, Roxy.  Next time I'll be more attentive to getting the whole slogan painted on the side of the bus of the rescue service.  We'll just say the chain is much longer now for this sweet dog.

She was a street dog in Snyder so she's quite skittish, but she's getting more comfortable every day.  She'll walk anywhere we take her and Gail says she's a good running companion.  Fingers crossed she's into skiing too.

Porchfest Returns

 You all know where Porchfest started, right?  It made its return this year and was welcomed back with good crowds, good music, and the governor.

The Fall Creek Brass Band doesn't fit on a porch, so they played on the Tioga St. bridge over Cascadilla Creek.

It's been a tradition for several years for Richie Stearns and Friends to play the first set on Kurt's Porch in Tompkins Park.  Nice bunch of friends.

Caroline Walkabout

 One of the most anticipated events of the year in Tompkins County is the Caroline Walkabout.  Hosted by Connie and Andy for nearly 30 years, I had the honor of being the only one to walk every year.  Until now.  They had to cancel on the scheduled date due to COVID and I couldn't be there for the make-up day.  Somehow they still went.

Gail was kind enough to supply me with a photo and the route tracked by her watch.  It's nice,  you should be there next year, and hopefully, I will be too.

I did get there for lunch.  I staged my own group photo with the sign and wondered if Andy, Steve and Katy took their eyes off a screen during the walk.

Alternate Walkabout

 


Since the original Caroline Walkabout was canceled, I went with Gail as far as East Hill Plaza where she was going to meet friends for coffee, and I continued on my own event.

Gail had never been through the meadow adjacent to Six Mile Creek natural area the city bought  from the Quakers when I was on the Natural Areas Commission so we took that trail.

Could be a scene right out of Caroline, but it's some neglected building belonging to Cornell on East Hill.

The East Hill Rec Way has been extended and gaps have been filled in so it now connects the entire distance between Pine Tree Rd. and Rt. 13.  A couple more gaps and a bridge over Rt. 13 and it will connect Ithaca to Dryden.

Gail says we went up these steps once, but I  don't remember.  They're nice.

I went through the Arboretum and some fall colors were emerging.  Out in Caroline it was  peak foliage.  The trip was just over 10 miles.