Piseco Family

 Gail and I made a trip to Piseco Lake to visit with the Californians who were back in the northeast for a spell.  Chips and Ann return to spend late spring to early fall there, and Kristi and the boys came for a couple weeks.

   Shallow water continues to be an issue on the east side of the lake.  This is how far one has to walk out to reach water deep enough to submerge in.  They also have their pontoon boat docked way out there, which cuts down on how often they use it.

 We're fortunate they let us bring Roxy.  She discovered the joy of digging in sand.

 Dusty helped me discover the joys of virtual reality.  I was climbing, or something.

 

Good thing he was there to explain things to me.  Everything was fine, but at one point I seemed to be floating high above a city street with lots of buildings around me and I got a bit dizzy.

 We also got out for some real reality.  We successfully found Auger Falls on the Sacandaga River, but weren't so lucky with Griffin Falls on its east branch.  Maybe next time.

   Way back in 1989, I climbed my first Adirondack mountain.  Blue Mountain has a two-mile trail to the fire tower at the top.  Not knowing what we were in for, my girlfriend and I almost didn't make it the full two miles, but eventually did.  I've been wanting to get back for a long time, and thanks to new fast charging stations in Indian Lake, the drive was possible.  I checked my pictures from that day in '89 and it must not have been as clear because I didn't get any pictures of the High Peaks just 25 miles away.  Nice views this time.

  

I paddled while Gail swam around the island in Piseco Lake.  There's a bald eagle nest on the island and I saw both adults.  Later, Kristi and I paddled by and saw a juvenile standing on the edge of the nest.
 

GrassRoots Again

   Time to put the Infield Stage together.

 Huh, someone got a picture of me doing something for a change.  I've lifted the truss that weighs a couple tons more times than I can count and never hurt my back.

 

  

OK, I didn't lift it all by myself.  Andy was at the other end doing his part.  After Connie finished sweeping dirt and sawdust off the trailer.

   The community build for this year is to be a pavilion for the Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve in Newfield.

   Almost ready.

 

You have no idea how complicated it is to put two pieces of plywood together to make a circle.  Mark does, and did a mighty fine job of it.

Annual Poppy Fest

 

  Of all the gardening I've ever done, the poppies blooming is about as rewarding as it gets.

   They don't last if cut, so others adorned the porch table instead.  And get a look at that vase!

Summer Around Town

 

  Much as I hate the heat and humidity, summer comes with some benefits.  

 Strange weather though.  Last I checked, 0 F and 0 C are not equal.  At least it wasn't hot.

 You can take Roxy to the water on a hot day, but she's pretty determined not to drink.

 McGraw Hall is still braced and gutted.  I think progress has been made.

 

Biked to Trumansburg one day.  That usually calls for a stop at Taughannock.

 

 If you get there early enough, Second Dam is a sweet spot for a swim.  Sometimes it's not even trashed.

 Gail is impressed with my multi-tasking.

 Work started on the Stewart Ave. bridge over Fall Creek.  It's supposed to be done by winter, but don't count on it.

   When the pedestrian bridge by our house was rebuilt, the drainage at this spot wasn't done right.  One day, our common council member came by when I was shoveling the muck off the sidewalk that builds up from water flowing down and pooling.  He knew of a group doing watershed improvements and put them in touch with me.

   It should drain better now.  Maybe not perfectly due to the configuration of the sidewalk, but I won't have to shovel silt nearly as often.

 About this sinkhole just a few feet away....

 I'm responsible for this section of the FLT.  I might have waited a week or two longer than I should have to clear it, but summer is busy.  No after pic, but I promise, it's improved.

Lake Time

   It was perhaps our last stay in the little cottage in Lansing that Gail found to get out of the house during COVID.  The people we've rented it from finally pulled the trigger and sold it.  We enjoyed staying there for the end of June/beginning of July for six years.

This is the boathouse, not the cottage.

  The location was great: right across from Taughannock and the newly-named Three Falls state parks, and between two large Finger Lakes Land Trust preserves.  Excellent destinations for paddling and hiking.

  I enjoyed getting up to see the moon set a couple days, and on this one paddled over to Frontanac before it got too hot.

Frontanac, or one feature of the Three Falls State Park.

   Of course, if you're going to paddle, it's important to practice self-rescue.  And practice near shore in case things don't go well.  I did successfully get back in eventually.

The closest falls to the cottage.  I'm not sure I'd ever walked up this stream to the falls before this year.

Lots of people came to swim with Gail.  Taughannock in the background.                                                  

  

The regular contingent of former students came to paddle, as did Tom.                                                         

                                                       

 

Yardana brought her brothers for some swimming and a sunset.                                                               

                               

 

She even had a special "sunset bikini".  Her brother was tasked with the photo shoot using her fancy camera, but she allowed me to take this one from the balcony of the boathouse.                                                                                                                                        

 

 I spent quite a bit of time up there.  It was shady until mid afternoon and the sun got hot as soon as it      came over the trees.                                                                                                                                                    
   

Nano and Tin Cho always come for a visit.

   The big excitement this year was the house next door was finished.  There was quite a bit of construction noise last year, and we were relieved it was finished.  Then someone showed up with a chainsaw and         started removing boards from the dock and we thought we were in for a few days of repairs to the               dock and boathouse.                                                                                                                                                                                 

 

                            

  Then the one-guy with a chainsaw (wearing sandals) was joined by a barge, three other boats and a crew of about a dozen shirtless guys, mostly in sandals as well.                                                                                                         

 

I didn't let a little noise interfere with my routine.                                                                                 

                                                                                                                  

After just a couple hours, the barge was too full to take it all away in one day.                                                                              

  The next day, the crew was considerably smaller, and when stuff fell into the lake, some of it started drifting away.  I hopped onto a paddle board and helped gather debris that floated out to deep water.  Most of it was cheap particle board, but the first thing I pulled out of the water was a CD.

   We already have this in our collection, but due to circumstances, I feel this is one of those special keepsakes that I'll talk about often.

  Over the years, we've made it a point to not go anywhere while at the cottage, but this year there was a memorial for a friend that I didn't want to skip.  Tim, Becca, Hannah and Connor have been dear friends, and Tim's death shook many in our community.  He led an amazing life, and it was reflected by the outpouring of love and support during his illness and after his death.  It wasn't exactly a surprise to me who provided the music at the memorial.

  The view without the boat house is considerably more pleasant.

  I didn't manage to salvage any of the lumber from the boathouse demo, but did find this 16' 2"x12" on the rocks and got it home.  Someday I hope it, and maybe material from the marina company, will become boardwalk on the muddy sections of a local trail.

   I tried to get Roxy to help me snag some of this Medina Sandstone and marble, but she wasn't having it and I couldn't do it by myself due to a sore back from getting the plank out of the water, on to the car, and home.

   We're going to miss our excursions there.