What's Happening in Ithaca?

 Lots of the same-old-same-old, but some new stuff too.

 A new pedestrian bridge has been installed over the Inlet/ Flood Control Channel.  It's a vital link to being able to get around town without a car or sharing the road with careless drivers.

 Collegetown keeps getting more metropolitan.  These apartments weren't built fast enough to save the Starbucks at the top of the hill.  Maybe they'll open a new one in one of these buildings, or any of the other three or four this size they'll be building soon.

Then there's the building replacing the Chapter House.  The apartments upstairs are filled, but the first floor that used to be a favorite bar got this far and hasn't changed a bit in at least three years, maybe longer.

 Roxy hasn't cracked up yet, but an aggressive neighbor's dog is pushing her there.

Cold water season is underway.

 The swimming area at Treman was officially closed when Gail and I went.

 We went there to avoid leaf blowers in the neighborhood.  We ran into this guy twice.

 The trails would disappear if they weren't cleared.  I just hope the state is replacing the gas-powered models with electric. 

          Lucifer                                                                                                                                Falls.

 I took Siyu for a walk down Cascadilla.  She works in a restaurant perched above it but had never walked down.

 The leaves have mostly fallen in the gorge to open up the view of four of the major falls.

 Another abandoned campsite that won't get washed into the Six Mile Creek in a flood.  There were two large tarps I hoped wouldn't end up frayed into individual plastic strands, but someone living just upstream pulled them out of the pile to add to his shelter.

 Carl is still dead, but people like to wish him a happy birthday by leaving gifts, rocks and notes. 

 We're losing hemlock trees at an alarming rate.

Oaks are doing well, and these two have been bustling in a hedgerow for close to 200 years.  A new ski trail goes down the center of a dozen of them.  In fact there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, they go to the same place.

 And then there are the ash trees.  At least this time of year, as long as they are still upright, you can't necessarily tell which are living or dead.  This one has been a favorite for many years.

 Took a day trip with Connie and Andy to Steege Hill Preserve in Big Flats.  It isn't really that interesting as it was heavily logged in the 70's and is pretty close to Interstate 86 so the highway noise is prevalent, but has some charms.  I liked this burl at the base of an ash tree.  I don't recall seeing one quite like this before.

 The Chemung River on its way to Corning.

 

Steinharts of Madison

 Gail took a trip to Madison to visit her mom and siblings.

They visited many old haunts: the lakes and the arboretum.  

Flying through Milwaukee allows one to get Recombobulated.  

Friends 2023

 The annual gathering of my high school friends took place in Chautauqua County this year.  We weren't in Westfield though.  We had a house on the lake way over in Ashville.

 Not many bluffs like this on Chautauqua Lake.  The steep drop continues in the water and this is the deepest point of the lake too.

 Nice house, and much bigger than this picture makes it look.

 It is located directly across from Long Point State Park.  Despite having grown up less than 15 miles away, and driving past the entrance at least 500 times in 40 years, I'd never been there.  I kayaked over twice.

People love their fires.

Another place I'd never been that is near the state park is the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.  They had an exhibit of paintings a woman did of crows every day for a year.  Having once lived (reluctantly) with a crow, I found it pretty interesting.

 

160 of the paintings.

 And one close up.

 

A treat was a huge painting of Golden Eagles by Peterson that has always been my favorite from his bird guide.

 

Roger visiting penguins.  He was so skilled at noting differences in individuals, he could probably have given each of these penguin a name.

 He didn't kill this Passenger Pigeon or Ivory Billed Woodpecker to paint them.  He was no John James Audubon.  I don't think I've ever seen either on display anywhere before.  Two new birds on my Lifeless List.

 

And finally, I also went to the Comedy Museum in Jamestown.  This is separate from the Lucille Ball Museum that I did visit 25-years-ago.  Lucy is here too.  This was my favorite picture.  I wondered if Chevy Chase and President Ford spilled their drinks on each other.  That made me laugh.

 I didn't see anything directly involving Bill Cosby other than another comedian talking about a rape joke that fell flat, but they had this picture of Fat Albert with a bunch of other cartoon characters.

 

Walkin' About

 

Darby's headed for Mt. Kilimanjaro, so Gail and I have taken a few walks with her as she conditions.  Lick Brook to Treman and back.

The 24th Annual Walkabout went on a rainy day this year.  Looks like the rain distorted the folks on the edge of the picture.

 Charlie and I tested out his new rig to haul heavy materials for FLT projects.  It worked nicely.

 

Carol caught a dramatic view out in Candor as some storms blew through.

Some other places closer to home:

Sixty-Foot Dam / Third Dam.

Fall Creek, Horseshoe Falls.

Veteran manhole cover.  The pipes beneath it are probably the same vintage.

New infrastructure.  I managed to survive all the times I risked my life walking this street over the last 20 years.  No worries now.

It has been more colorful in the gorge over the last 20 years, but the first fall with Roxy has made up for the lack of color.

I came in 3rd in a local 10 cm. race.  If I hadn't stopped for a bathroom break, I think I could have taken 2nd.  The guy who won was like lightening.

Porchfest happened again in the place it started.  Fall Creek Brass Band drew an enthusiastic crowd at Kurt's Porch.

Lots of trips up and down Cascadilla Gorge this fall.  Cornell has put a plaque up to commemorate Archie Ammonds and the poem he wrote about one of his trips up or down.  I used to mow his lawn.

On the Four Mile

 

The Stephan Cousin Family Reunion was in Allegany this year, where the Stephan sisters and brother John grew up.  It was the first time back there for many of us since seeing Aunt Bernie a couple years ago before her death.  Now it's just the cousins and additional generations.  Tim, one of the additional gens, had a drone to take a group photo, but it malfunctioned and he returned a few weeks later when it was considerably more colorful.

The whole crew in front of the re-sided barn.

The cousins.

The McMahons, spawn of Flossie.

 It just didn't look right without the Stephan girls, or the barn not painted red.

Some of the same cousins, a few years back with grandpa Stephan.

Gail and an additional gen.