Summer Diet

 

Summer means one thing: kale.  Gail enjoys a side of steamed kale with her kale pie.  It only lasts about seven months before it's gone.

End of School Year

School is out for summer, and Wow!  So many people retired.

Sara saying goodbye and thank you.

Yvette thought it would be a good idea to tailgate in the parking lot.  The one science teacher not retiring risked his job by uncorking the champagne.

Five teachers from one department.  I worked in the classroom of all but one of them over the years.

Wooden plaques to be put up around the school to remember the great exodus of 2023.

I found a stash of dinosaurs in a dumpster that made a perfect farewell gift to Mark.  Jen appreciated them even if it means finding a spot in the house for more dinosaurs.

Sara and I met in 1988.  She was the only person I knew when I entered the Big House the first time in 2004.  That's me behind her circa early 90's.

Give the school a few decades of your life and on your last day you keep the bounce house from bouncing away while you check your messages.  I hope Lisa was calling her accountant to complain about not being able to get out a year earlier.

Nadiia and Petro are returning to Ukraine.  They made a big impression on us and will be missed.  I wish them well and safety.  I'm also glad they got to a chimes concert and Niagara Falls.  Sorry I couldn't get them to the Adirondacks.

Siyu also made it to Niagara Falls.

She made a dramatic, almost cinematographic entrance to graduation.  I thought it fitting that since her journey to graduating was so unique that she get to walk across the field separate from the rest of the class.  And that I had to walk her out to the 50-yard-line and give her a push to go sit with the class of 23.

A long, proud walk.

Kari did the heavy lifting prepping Siyu for the English Regents she needed to pass to graduate.  Her mom really appreciated all our efforts and love.

And way across the pond in France, Salome` wowed an audience with a musical performance that indicated she will be doing this for audiences for as long as she wants to.  I hope she comes back over here someday to perform.

ENL Picnic

 We had our annual ENL picnic at Stewart Park on a glorious day.

Some of the kids couldn't make it, same for Jen, but I had a good time fixing up the group photo.  I never get tired of seeing Bernie make an appearance.

The kids really love me, some run to me with open arms.

Somebody brought a baby.  Dora was enamored.

Ladies on the dock.

Nafisa enjoyed swinging.

Petro and Timur riding the horses.

Juanito not so sure about the baby thing.

Concrete Plan

 

Ed is getting one of his rental houses finished up to welcome renters.  It has been a long haul, having been intentionally torched before the pandemic by a disturbed individual.  While there are walls and appliances being built, removed, moved, and redone by contractors a few times inside, Ed wanted to fix the sidewalk himself by salvaging concrete just off the property.  By "himself" I mean with help from Andy and I.  Since it was pouring and dark most of the time the three of us worked I don't have any pictures.  But I found another chunk buried as we were cleaning up and Ed and I moved it the next day without Andy.  I did the moving while Ed shoveled the dirt and roots out of the spot it would go.  It's much easier to move a 500 lb. chunk of concrete downhill 10 feet than it is to dig through Norway Maple roots a foot.  We got it done.

Pre-Dog Days of Summer

 Roxy and Gail completed Good Citizenship Training.  Gail still slips up occasionally and flips off a driver, but Roxy's impeccable.

Father's Day.  Pat and the other children went all out.

A Different Joe

How did I miss this?  How was I not invited to sit in with the band?

Weather? Climate?

The drought continued long enough to get many of the sycamores to withhold leafing out.  All those bare tops are not dead, they are sacrificing themselves for neighboring trees to get the scant moisture that is available.

A couple days later it was difficult to see the trees.  What have we done that the forecast is predicting smoke?  They were a little off, it was much more than patchy.

Eventually the winds shifted and the smoke cleared out here, then it actually rained!  I was treated to good, old-fashioned misty light in Six Mile Creek in the morning.
 

National Trails Day

The project to mark National Trails Day this year was to replace some puncheon on the Finger Lakes Trail in Shindagin Hollow.  I showed up for some publicity shots, then disappeared for a bit to go to a nearby stream I had never visited before, then came back for lunch.  Connie stuck around for the whole morning.

David is in charge and as always, made sure the job was completed to the satisfaction of all who contributed and who will use it.

I got back for lunch and assembled a bench that used Ben's ATV for a backrest.  Ben is the steward for the section of trail we worked on.  He supplied all the materials after having harvested trees on his property and milling them up himself.  I'm thinking of trading the muddy section I take care of across the road.

Connie, Andy and I did some work on their trails after lunch, and even went to a different section of the FLT in Potato Hill State Forest to put a few steps in at a creek crossing.

The Year of the Rhododendron

 Were you amongst the people I badgered for over a month to get to Comstock Knoll to see the rhododendrons?  Maybe next year you'll listen.  But I doubt there will be another year like this one for quite awhile.  I'll still post pictures though.

Growing a Patio

 It's just too hard to grow plants.  I decided to expand the patio instead to take up more space.  In addition to enjoying the stoned work, I'm pretty proud of my tarp set-up too.

Only injury this time was from a 2x4 to the forehead.