New Kids in Candor

   One from the Way Back Machine.  This is an iconic picture of Dylan from the 90's when I was living in Candor.

   And now.  He and Lauren visited recently and I got to meet their adorable boys and catch up with the parents who I haven't seen since their wedding.

 

 I'm not old, they're just really young.  And adorable.
 

What's Up at Cornell?

   There's always something being built or rebuilt at Cornell.  Currently, McGraw Hall is being gutted and restored.  I think it was the third building on campus after Morrill and Cascadilla.  Looks like a complicated endeavor.  The bottom picture was taken from the recently re-opened McGraw Tower.

   I like to go to the top of McGraw Tower for the morning concert on my way to work sometimes.  Great views of Ithaca and campus, and it's fun to watch them play the chimes.

 

In the Gorge

   It's been dry.  Not the lowest gauge reading I've seen for our water supply, but not much above it.  No water usage restrictions so far.

  Before things got so dry, I got this nice picture.

 And this video.

   I don't know if the dry conditions had anything to do with this rockfall.  It's the biggest I've ever encountered.  In the "Timing is Everything" department, it happened in the middle of the night after many people had been hanging out in that very spot on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

   While we are only about 1/3 of a mile from it, we didn't hear it.  But from these posts to a local discussion group, the sound carried up and down the gorge quite a ways.  I've heard small rocks break off that sounded like a gunshot, this must have been incredible to be heard from Newfield to Brooktondale.

   Over in Cascadilla Gorge, work continues on the walkway from downtown up to Collegetown.  These are the top steps which gave me hope they were nearing completion and the trail might open before it gets closed for the winter.  I've since learned my optimism was probably unfounded, but not to be ruled out.

   Absolutely nothing to do with the gorges, but where else am I going to post a picture of a giant lamprey about to eat Bill Murray?  It is near where the rockfall happened. 

On the Radio

   After being a regular listener to the Salt Creek Show on a local station, WVBR, since I moved to the area in the late 80s, I got persuaded to take the microphone and play some music.  It has been my introduction to countless artists, and I've been friends with lots of past and current djs.  

   When I first started listening, and for many years to follow, Heather was the only host and was on the air weekly with few exceptions.  She was well-known for driving less-than-reliable cars and sometimes didn't quite make it in by 6 am.  I remember a Sunday morning when it happened to be my birthday, she hadn't showed up and the guys who did the overnight heavy metal show had no idea what to play.  I helpfully called them and recommended they put on a John Prine album until she got there.  He's an artist I knew a little about, but got to know well from listening to Salt Creek.  It took four men to replace Heather when she finally gave it up.

   On those rare occasions when Heather didn't host, she left detailed instructions for whoever filled in.  I'm doing my best to follow these guidelines.

 When I was gathering cds for my first stint on the radio, I made sure I played a bunch from Gail's collection.  One duo I'm not too familiar with is The Mastersons.  I looked at the cd cover and thought the picture was very familiar.  It took me a while to realize it is almost identical to a framed picture my friend, Karl, took some 30-years-ago of the Williamsburg Bridge and I've had hanging up since then.  A listener called and said they liked the song. 

  A band that fills many of the criteria on the list is the MacGillicuddies.  They are near and dear to my heart as they were responsible for Gail and I dancing together for the first time back in August of 2003 at one of their gigs.  Several of the members often get together for one more "final" show, like this one for Porchfest this year.

  A face for the radio.  Thanks to Annie, Brad, Kai, Peter, Sue, and of course, Heather, for giving me this opportunity.

Sticks

   Tangibly related pictures of sticks.  Back in the last century, I was skiing with my friend, Beth, when she fell on a stick that got lodged in her buttocks.  It's a long story that we both enjoy telling on a regular basis.  I stopped to see her one day recently and she took it off the mantel where it's been displayed and posed for this picture.

  The lower picture is an ash tree I cut while I was at Mt. Irenaeus for a couple days to drop a bunch of dead trees that were either view spoilers or in an area that they posed a threat to people.  All went well, but this one gave me a scare.  I didn't notice it had a split up the trunk and when I cut it, it did what's called a barber chair.  Thankfully, I saw it start and got well out of the way before the pieces splintered off.  Go there, enjoy the views and the newly cleared trails. 

Lake Swim and Paddle

 

  

  Gail and a few of her swimming buddies did a swim across Cayuga Lake on a beautiful morning.  They asked me to escort them in my kayak and I was happy to oblige. 

Family Reunion

 

  

  The Stephan Cousins gathered in Allegany this year for the family reunion.  In an unusual turn of events, the Gembars were better represented than is typical.  The last cousin in the family, Jeannie, died over the summer and her husband, Kevin, and many of the nieces and nephews made it.  When my sister, Sue, woke up with medical issues that required a trip to the hospital with John and Melissa, the McMahons were in short supply.  As always, there were plenty of Baumgartners.