New York with the Family

  Like many old cemeteries this one had plenty of impressive trees.  What I really liked in Green-Wood was that it still had the original topography created by the glaciers, the hills, ponds and streams haven't been leveled and filled to build on, it was a little like being home for a few hours each day I was in the middle of the city.

New York with the Family

  Somewhere in Brooklyn.  The Out of Service bus was a good touch.

New York with the Family

  Before leaving Brooklyn to head back to Ithaca I stopped by Ting's restaurant for a meal and see the new restaurant getting so much attention.  It's a nice establishment with some sweet touches such as this peacock adorned with duck feathers.  Ting's a fine manager, I hope the place does well.  The food was good, I had their signature dish even though no one knew what "signature" meant in this context.
  Sorry I can't tell you the name, it was only written in Chinese characters but I was told it meant something like comfort and serenity.  You can find it on 7th Ave. somewhere around 60th St.  There's a panda in the entry.

New York with the Family

  Considering using my scrap metal collecting skills I've honed over the years in Ithaca and going pro.  This place in Ting's neighborhood would hire me.  I don't think we're shipping as much scrap to China as we used to.  From what I saw in a few buildings with doors left open, some of the sweatshops making our goods are located in the US using Chinese laborers.

New Toys At Home

 

   Gail bought a new kayak a few weeks ago (I bought a life jacket) and we launched it from East Shore Sailing Club on a beautiful Friday night.  Looking forward to getting on the water more for beautiful sunrises and sunsets like this one.  Gail has already taken some lessons, she plans to accompany friends on long-distance swims and I'll keep her company when she does any such as Women Swimmin'.

K Pop Kills

  Several students I work with who have been creating dance routines all year in K Pop Club put on a performance in the school's Black Box Theater.  It was almost all girls but I think Xiao stole the show with his lead in Mic Drop.
  They created a sweet opportunity for LaReina to display her piano skills by having an interlude between K Pop numbers.  I was so proud of all of them, but especially Xiao and LaReina who came to school part way through the year and didn't know anyone when they arrived.

  We had a good time playing Corn Hole during Field Days on the last day of school, and Xiao had his face painted just as his sister Ting did last year.

  I'm certainly not going to say I'm sad to see summer vacation upon us, but when this is the scene at the start of my workday every morning, it will have me looking forward to September.  I describe this as a sort of Cheers somewhere in Southeast Asia.

Powerful Theater

  We had a bit of controversy at IHS when some students pointed out the fact that as long as they have been in school people of color have been left out of school plays.  When a lead role of the Hunchback of Notre Dame went to a white girl this group of students demanded change and that the play be canceled.  They made their point and convinced enough people, including the girl who was cast in the lead, that Hunchback was canceled and despite claims by the powers-that-be there wasn't enough time to put on a different show, the kids made it happen.  They got a local theater leader involved who agreed to help only if they did Hairspray, a show about a white girl who wouldn't accept blacks being excluded from a tv show in the 50's. 
  The lead went to the original choice for Hunchback, but she was properly cast in Hairspray, and the rest of the cast was rounded out by incredibly talented kids of all colors and backgrounds.  After a month of rehearsals they did a great job and once more reminded me how lucky I am to work with strong, passionate, motivated young people. 

Busking In Ithaca

  The biggest moment I witnessed on stage this spring happened at the State Theater, as it often does.  Brandi Carlile had a show, and while I'm only slightly familiar with her music, mainly through one song, I knew the excitement the show created, it nearly sold out when tickets went on sale.  These are shows when I love taking tickets at the door and on this night a friend came through the door with her son and mother.  The age difference was typical of the general audience so I wasn't surprised to see three generations of the family, but then I was let in on the story behind what brought them to the show.
  Connor had decided to busk with his cello on the Commons after school to make some money to take his mom out for ice cream.  It was his first time busking so Becca hung out a little ways away to not interfere, but be a sensible parent.  Unsupervised kids have gone on to some questionable lives busking the Commons without adult supervision.  There's these guys.  And these.
When a woman stopped and talked to Connor for a few minutes Becca didn't feel the need to see what the conversation was about, but she was a little surprised to have Connor turn around and yell, "Mom, Can I miss my lesson tonight?"  It turned out Brandi had been impressed enough to offer him the stage for a few minutes during her show.  He impressed the audience enough to hold them rapt for five minutes and get two standing ovations.  Even if that hadn't happened the show would have made my over-stuffed list of top shows at the State.  But it did happen.
Here's a video taken by Becca 

Couple Trips Involving Family

 

Went on a couple road trips in Western New York, one to Seneca Falls for a rally in support of 

women's rights.  Gail and I drove up for that and met Stacy.  I think we're in a time we need vigilance for such things.  At Easter many of the McMahons gathered at Pat, Heleen and the boy's new house.  Fine time was had by all, and the food was top-notch as always.                                                           

'Round Town Changes

  Around town this spring there were some surprises and some changes.  We got some pretty intense snow showers April 19 that had some kids at school noting the irony of having a white 420 after having a green Christmas.
  Ezra's Tunnel is gated off, but a corner was cut which allows the lock to be cut as well.  Maybe someone will take care of that when they get tired of replacing the lock.
  Cornell has removed more of the orchard on Rt. 366.  I had my best day of picking in the trees behind the barn and store.  The block of trees I cut down adjacent to these is still vacant, I'm sure a building will go in some day.  The bottom photo is from Graduation Day at Cornell.  I watched a hot air balloon take off from Stewart Park and float over campus.

Winter Break/Spring Break

  Two vacations this school year were passed in the most unglamorous way with a huge impact; the furnace and all attached ducts went away to a good home.  This let me remove a wall and re-position the work bench and space.  As I took some of the ducts apart I saw the purpose of having them professionally cleaned, a bit of dust builds up in there.
  It seems like some of the fiberglass insulation I moved around has built up in my lungs, been coughing up something unpleasant since before Christmas.  I'm not removing the rest of the insulation until the coughing stops.

Vacation Memories

 The McMahon Boys gathered for a day, unintentionally spending it in a bar.  Really.  A planned trip to a Sabres game didn't work out, I'm placing the blame for that and most of our culture's problems on the ticket agencies that are buying all the tickets and holding them hostage.
  The last time I went to a Sabres game it was at the Aud.  The bar we went to had some of the Blue Seats from the lower level of the Aud, and the screen in front of us had the players life-size so we were OK.  The Sabres lost in a shoot out, don't know when that started or what can be done about it.  Las Vegas, yes, they have a hockey team, came out ahead in this shoot out.
  The female contingent met us after Jen's wedding shower, haven't been to one of those in a few years either.  Each of them, and a few nieces, had a camera so we did our best to look in each direction.

Vacation Memories

  Rather than use this vacation day for a spring ski, I'm strolling down memory lane of the past winter's skiing.  Took a trip to Highland Forest near Fabius with Armin one Sunday morning to get a taste of groomed trails and witness the dumping of clinging snow that transformed the forest.

  Closer to home I went out in Caroline with Connie and Andy to the Super Secret Pond and admire the new heron nests.  There used to be ten or more nests there but for some reason they have fallen and not replaced.  Steve put a brace and platform on one trunk and within a few days a nest was under construction.  One reason I always held for the abandonment of the rookery was that the tall trunks with sturdy branches to nest on had decayed and fallen.  A nest a few feet above waterline showed that wasn't it.  Glad they're back.
  A local ski club has installed a bench on the trails at Hammond Hill in memory of Tob, a skier who passed last year and is indirectly responsible for me skiing and living in Ithaca.  He and fellow family members would travel from Ithaca to Westfield to sweep their categories in the Chautauqua Overland Ski Marathon, my introduction to skiing.  Made me wonder what was in the snow in Ithaca.

Vacation Memories

  During my February break there wasn't any skiing to be had in the region, so my canceled trip to the Adirondacks turned into one to Niagara Falls and Buffalo.  The trip included a swing through Rochester and then along the Lake Ontario shore heading west for someplace new to me.  I've now circumnavigated the lake, mostly by bike and this section was nice enough to return on bike sometime.
  Stayed in the US at Niagara Falls, and even with the closest observation points closed due to ice I'm baffled why so many say you have to go to Canada for the best views.  Explored some of the area downriver from the falls and hoped to go down into Devil's Hole but the steps were too icy.  Still had a good view of the ice jam in the river from above.

  The Buffalo portion included a stop at Helene and Pat's new house, Will and Henry are also claiming ownership, at least on their individual rooms.  That I stayed at Janet's says nothing about the new place, it's sweet.  It was the first time back to Janet's since our mom died.

 

Vacation Memories

  Gail got in a last swim for a bit on a warm day, February 20.  Winter was setting in for real you know.
  Really, she had hip surgery the next day, just a clean-up, not a replacement this time.  But an incision is an incision, or in this case a cluster of small ones, so no swimming for a few weeks.  The Dog Therapy did its charm and I'm happy to say she's back in the pool and lake.  And she's happy to be there.
  It's spring you know.

  In the interim, Bean still needed to get out for his walks, as I do for a different purpose.  One day we stayed out long enough to see the bare ground covered with a couple inches of snow.  He was in need of a haircut at the time so his eyebrows got a quick coating of snow too.
  I often see where Bean will take me, it usually ends up being places he goes with Gail.  One day it was the Commons and he insisted Gail gives him a sharpie to "mark" his territory in a way other than the usual.  I gave him the sharpie.

Vacation Memories

  Skiing season is over in Six Mile Creek, but it was pretty good and I spent most of my skiing hours and trail work there.  The top picture is from a storm in March that didn't deliver the goods when it came to being able to ski, but it gave the woods a special look for a few days.
  Another storm came with a fog that shrouded the meadow and forest in secrecy.  A trail has passed a large Black Birch for all the years I've skied here, but I never realized it was a birch because it was too big for my conception of the species.  Red Oaks continue to fall in a particular spot, this lifetime trail-blocker is one of five or six that have come down in the past few years.
  On the bottom is a waterfall of a feeder stream where some fellas have decided they have building privileges.  I spent two days dismantling and sending the rocks and logs over the waterfalls.  This is from the second one when I marveled at how much had already been washed away from the first day.

Posts Trickling In

Password troubles again, why is it so hard to remember if it's abcd1234 or 1234abcd?
Two more pictures from earlier this winter.  Above, my last visit to Ezra's Tunnel, which is now gated off due to the last action by the Natural Areas Commission before it was absorbed/reorganized into new commissions for the city.  I had this to say about the city accepting Cornell's offer to install the gate.

A Lot Like Winter

It's been a nice winter so far, except for a couple thaws.  But one of the thaws got the creeks flowing and was followed by some ice and snow.  I took a bunch of pictures of Six Mile, Cascadilla and Fall Creeks but then forgot my new password so couldn't post anything.
All's right again and I'll post a bunch of the pictures soon.  Stay tuned.