Timber!

A friend asked if I could cut a couple trees so she could expand her garden, and I like cutting trees so I was happy to oblige.  I've found if you want to hit a target when felling a tree, it helps to have a big target.  The first one landed right on the boulder I was aiming for.                                                                                                                                             

 The second one was trickier, but I think I did pretty well with it too.  I hope they got everything cleared out of that city park in a timely fashion and they didn't tell any city officials I was using a chainsaw in the park.                                                                                                                        

 I took some time on a morning walk through Cornell to appreciate trees that aren't getting cut anytime soon.  The building to the east of these three was shadowing the lower parts and the crowns were catching the full sun.

99 with Wine

 

Gail and I joined Gloria and a couple of her boys to celebrate her 99th birthday.  She is still reading off the menu, selecting an appropriate wine to complement her meal and following multiple conversations in a noisy restaurant.  She also demonstrated she had no trouble handling all the malarkey Jim and Tom gave her during dinner.

Fashionable

 Did you know there is a Cornell Myanmar Student Association?  Neither did I.  But I got an invitation to their fashion show and dinner and I learned much about the club and more about Myanmar.

Nano was a favorite student at IHS and now that she's in college at IC (but in the Cornell club because she took language classes to keep her Burmese sharp) she has stayed close.  

 Terry and Hser Ker Ler were there too.  They were favorites at IHS too.

 And Paw Ta Shue, definitely a favorite at IHS.  I am glad they've all stayed in the area for college.

Nice club, very fashionable.

There was lots of powerful artwork created by club members on display.  And the food was fantastic.

The Breeze

 

Yet another apartment building under construction in Ithaca.  This one is going to be called the Breeze and will be located at the former Ithaca Gun factory site.  That's some toxic dirt piled up there, I'm not sure where it's being sent, but I won't be stealing any to build up the soil on our garden.  The city is spending a big chunk of money to determine if the smokestack is sound enough to preserve.

Also part of the project is a proposed new overlook of Ithaca Falls.  If it's included in the project, it will have an obstructed view of the falls.  I am lobbying common council (scroll down to Breeze Overlook Design update) to take responsibility for the overlook it already has but is in disrepair.  I had to climb over a chain link fence to get this picture.  It is the third version of fencing they have had to install to keep people back from the crumbling stone wall.

The city got the overlook from the Quakers who owned it and the adjacent house.  This is the former meditation hut.  It is in better shape than the stone wall over the falls or the cinder block garage.

Moving Rocks

The patio and garden got some changes thanks to a paddle board being added to our kayak rack.  I decided to move the cairn and add a gravel path.  It got hot and sunny, but a new, giant tarp covering the rack expands out to provide shade.  A smaller tarp was sufficient for rebuilding the cairn.

 It's been ten years since I built the patio and it has lasted without a single alteration until now.  I decided to level the steps down to it which I had set at a steeper slope than necessary.  The rocks on the right had drifted about a quarter of an inch away from their neighbors so I moved them back to fit tightly.  I'm also expanding it by adding another row of rocks on a different side, but I haven't gotten that quite done yet.

Roxy is not into stone work, and she might be from Texas, but prefers the couch on a hot day.

Six Mile Adventures

Spring Break gave me plenty of time to get to some projects in Six Mile Creek that have been on my agenda.

A couple steps needed to be replaced/reset.  They should make it until next spring without any more issues.

I walked down one of the feeder streams and stood at the top of this waterfall for the first time.

The most surprising adventure was following a new deer trail to a spot I had never been to behind the houses on lower Giles St.  There is a giant apartment building slated to be built soon across the creek here.

 

I thought I could count the rings of this hemlock tree that fell a few months ago, but the best I can say is it was not as old as I thought: less than 200 years.

A double waterfall in a spring rain, almost as amazing as a double rainbow.

Cleaning Up

 

For the past several years I've tried to get out to Burns Road and prevent litter from ending up in the city reservoir.  There wasn't as much this year, but still too much.  The oversized canvass bag someone tossed came in handy.  The refrigerator door and porch posts tied as the most unusual items.

The tire was picked up.  The concrete steps might have to wait until next year.

Mixed bag.  Nice that all these butts were contained, but after going through the effort to put them all in one bag, why toss it out the car window?  I also found a couple plastic six-pack holders, they are less common than the old days.  It will be nice when Styrofoam is less common; I think the 300 pieces I picked up started as an 8'x10' sheet.  This might have been the first clean-up that didn't include a single plastic shopping bag.  I used to be able to count on several of them to put garbage into.

Candor

It's been awhile since I visited Carol at the farm in Candor.  Last time I was there Sunny had one eye.  He may not have that left, but he feels better and doesn't seem bothered by bumping into things.

Carol's been busy getting the gardens cleaned up.  Dylan and Lauren gave her a cool kinetic, eagle sculpture.  I transplanted that oak tree behind them 30 years ago.

The floors are almost all done with hardwood.  There might be enough surface when she's done for bowling. 
 

Easter Travel

Gail and I visited with some of my siblings and next generations for Easter dinner at Jim's in Dansville.  Joey was the star of the show and it's great to have Nicole join us.

 It was Gail's first trip out of Tompkins County since last November.  It was a beautiful day to drive through the Finger Lakes.

The Wood Brothers

 

The Wood Brothers made another trip to the State Theater.  Their performances are as fine as the music. And they brought along a film crew.

Women Making History

 

I was fortunate to get to go to the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls with most of the ENL students.  It is open, but there is quite a bit more work to go before the whole building is set up.  We enjoyed ourselves and everyone learned a lot.  Thanks to Kari for arranging the trip, and relenting to allow the boys to go.

The students did a self-portrait exercise.  Nadiia demonstrated her drawing skills.

Nafisa was fascinated by the exhibits and information they conveyed.  She'll be making discoveries to benefit us all in no time.

                                                                                                                                                      

My last visit to Seneca Falls was in January of 2017.  There was no way to predict what would happen during the next four years, but it was as disastrous as expected. 

Some ideas were better than others.

Just passing by.