Everyone knows what the weather is like today. Lots of wet snow predicted--6-12" in "higher elevations." I'm elevated enough to qualify. It was snowing well enough when I left this morning, has been snowing here in town all day, so I don't know what I'll find whenI get home. How close to the house will I be able to drive? Ah, sweet mystery of life.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
casey road 014
The road I always take to work is closed because they're rebuilding a bridge, so I have to take a different route. There are a few ways to go, but after much discussion and measuring (time and miles) we've decided the Casey Road is the most efficient route. Here's the view next to the end of the Casey Road--Whiteface in the background. The water is Union Falls (Pond, or Lake, depending on what you want to call it).
Union Falls is a body of water formed by damming the Saranac River. When we were kids we'd go on boat trips to nearby bodies of water, and this was one we hit pretty much every year. There used to be huge bunches of driftwood along the shore & it was really pretty. My brother had a money-making scheme of collecting driftwood & selling it in Rockford, where there is no driftwood. Not a successful endeavor.
There was quite a ceremony about the boat trips. My grandfather would decide where and when we'd go. His handyman (Eugene, a magic man) would pack up boats--a rowboat for my grandfather, with an outboard, and canoes--the number depended on the size of the group. Sometimes we'd put canoes on the roof of the car. They were canvas & wood and weighed a ton. I spent most of my childhood being told to keep the canoes off the rocks. Now, as an adult, I sure understand how important that was. Anyway, we'd pile into the canoes and start paddling. My grandfather looked great, the patriarch in charge. He'd sit in the boat with a motor, Eugene there to help him. What a great time it was.
Union Falls is a body of water formed by damming the Saranac River. When we were kids we'd go on boat trips to nearby bodies of water, and this was one we hit pretty much every year. There used to be huge bunches of driftwood along the shore & it was really pretty. My brother had a money-making scheme of collecting driftwood & selling it in Rockford, where there is no driftwood. Not a successful endeavor.
There was quite a ceremony about the boat trips. My grandfather would decide where and when we'd go. His handyman (Eugene, a magic man) would pack up boats--a rowboat for my grandfather, with an outboard, and canoes--the number depended on the size of the group. Sometimes we'd put canoes on the roof of the car. They were canvas & wood and weighed a ton. I spent most of my childhood being told to keep the canoes off the rocks. Now, as an adult, I sure understand how important that was. Anyway, we'd pile into the canoes and start paddling. My grandfather looked great, the patriarch in charge. He'd sit in the boat with a motor, Eugene there to help him. What a great time it was.
casey road 013
That's Catamount in the distance, and the bluffs at the end of Silver Lake in the foreground. Nice colors, and the mist adds a nice touch.
casey road 017
This is what most of the road looks like. One lane, no houses--just a few camps. No power lines, very peaceful. If you don't mind being jiggled by the bumps in the road. It's a washboard road in some spots.
casey road 008
Bog flora is coming back. Most of the trees in the bog are black spruce (which smells like cat pee when it gets wet), and the majority of those trees have died off. It's nice to see all the new (green) growth.
I have a friend whose family once had a black spruce tree for a Christmas tree. He said it was a big mistake. yeah, I'll say.
I have a friend whose family once had a black spruce tree for a Christmas tree. He said it was a big mistake. yeah, I'll say.
watch out
Watch out, Susie & Tom: one of you is next.
It costs $10,000 to have a memorial bench put on the boardwalk. How much does it cost to have another plaque on the same bench? Do they give you a discount for volume? Oh I'm so cynical.
It costs $10,000 to have a memorial bench put on the boardwalk. How much does it cost to have another plaque on the same bench? Do they give you a discount for volume? Oh I'm so cynical.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Lap o'luxury
One of the things I really enjoy is staying in a motel by myself. If it's a nice one, anyway. Right now I'm in Worcester, Mass., getting ready for a conference tomorrow. I have the sweetest suite ever. Big TV, pool, exercise room open 24 hrs., biggest bed in history, wireless I'net, food available 24 hours. OMG. Can a girl get it better? Yes, I don't have to pay for it, it's covered by another lib. system (so I don't have to hear that we can't afford it).
Drive down was a little longer than I'd expected, even longer if you add in the 30 min. or so it took me to find this place. Tomorrow's trick: find Holy Cr. College, where the conference is. New England Tech Services Lbns, some actually relevant presentations (I hope). It's only a day (rats! I would enjoy more time here in my heavenly hideaway). What's Worc. like? nothing. I have a friend who lived here for several years, working at the public library. I can't picture her here, but, even though it feels as if I've seen all of the city backwards & forwards, I haven't covered much ground.
Great sights on the way here: shad is in bloom once you get past Lake Geo. It's everywhere, it's everywhere! I like the way a lone shad tree appears in the middle of the woods. Nice effect. Also plenty of getting-green trees. Nothing like that at home, but I have one batch of daffodils that started to bloom today. wee-ha.
Nice bog walk with dogs this morning. We're getting too used to having the place to ourselves--Tess already feels as if it's her special place, where she entertains guests. I walk fast now, have really picked up the pace. I used to stroll, now I stride. With much better posture. But I'm always amazed that I don't tip over from the weight in my middle.
Dogs are boarded at the vet's, our usual jail. They were all excited when we got there, and Tess is always interested in what's going on in the back. Chances, I think, is a little smarter; she turned around as soon as she saw where they were going. She's getting her kennel cough nose spray while she's there. Spraying things up a dog's nose is really funny. They haven't a clue about what's happening, but they don't freak out, just sort of snort.
Must turn off television QUICK!!! S Palin is nattering on. What an obnoxious voice. and message.
Drive down was a little longer than I'd expected, even longer if you add in the 30 min. or so it took me to find this place. Tomorrow's trick: find Holy Cr. College, where the conference is. New England Tech Services Lbns, some actually relevant presentations (I hope). It's only a day (rats! I would enjoy more time here in my heavenly hideaway). What's Worc. like? nothing. I have a friend who lived here for several years, working at the public library. I can't picture her here, but, even though it feels as if I've seen all of the city backwards & forwards, I haven't covered much ground.
Great sights on the way here: shad is in bloom once you get past Lake Geo. It's everywhere, it's everywhere! I like the way a lone shad tree appears in the middle of the woods. Nice effect. Also plenty of getting-green trees. Nothing like that at home, but I have one batch of daffodils that started to bloom today. wee-ha.
Nice bog walk with dogs this morning. We're getting too used to having the place to ourselves--Tess already feels as if it's her special place, where she entertains guests. I walk fast now, have really picked up the pace. I used to stroll, now I stride. With much better posture. But I'm always amazed that I don't tip over from the weight in my middle.
Dogs are boarded at the vet's, our usual jail. They were all excited when we got there, and Tess is always interested in what's going on in the back. Chances, I think, is a little smarter; she turned around as soon as she saw where they were going. She's getting her kennel cough nose spray while she's there. Spraying things up a dog's nose is really funny. They haven't a clue about what's happening, but they don't freak out, just sort of snort.
Must turn off television QUICK!!! S Palin is nattering on. What an obnoxious voice. and message.
Friday, April 09, 2010
easter 2010 012
First swim of the season--just enough open water by the shore for Tess to paddle in. No, she doesn't mind the cold.
SLMtn
Everyone should be familiar with this scene by now. This was April Fool's Day, before I left for RI. The ice went out YESTERDAY, just about a record for Silver Lake.
Tina the hostess dog
The Easter trip to RI was wonderful. Great visits with my mother, Mark, and my sister's daughter Anna, visiting from Aberdeen. Weather was to die for, candy plentiful, beaches beautiful.
shopping for plants
It's so tempting to buy, buy, buy, but it's way too early in Hawkeye. In RI, not so much.
what's left of the pond where jenica learned how to swim
There was a really nice pond here, you could swim in it, you could paddle your canoe in it. There were big rains (8" in 2 days), though, and the outlet became a huge stream, pretty much emptying the pond.
moonstone
Probably the best beach in the state. Moonstone Beach, used to be my mother's town beach, but the Feds took it over. They said it was to save the piping plovers, but there were other reasons (like a lot of naked people). We saw a piping plover when we were there. Big whoop.
footprints. the world looks better without them
My brother and his friends, my sister and I used to camp on an island off the coast of Michigan. It was nearly deserted and there were dunes with NO footprints. In 1969, when footprints were left on the moon, Henry and his friends thought that was the worst thing ever.
The ferry to the island landed in the middle of nothing, but there was a woman in a Jeep to greet you. She would drive you to any part of the island you wanted to be. We used to say she'd show up with her 5 dollar smile. It was a long time ago, when you could get taxied anywhere for $5.
The ferry to the island landed in the middle of nothing, but there was a woman in a Jeep to greet you. She would drive you to any part of the island you wanted to be. We used to say she'd show up with her 5 dollar smile. It was a long time ago, when you could get taxied anywhere for $5.
everyone went that day
That's my mother in her beach chair. The other two are striding with great purpose, aren't they? let the games begin!
Deep in thought
Or maybe looking for shells, or maybe comparing her footprint with mine to see how small they both are.
toenail shells--UGH
Mark was obsessed with toenail shells. They're gross, according to Anna and me. They look just like an old man's fungus-infested toenails. We found a few that looked like nails that had been hit by a hammer, they were much more attractive. Geez they're gross. I asked what he would do with them. "Make a lampshade--you'll see, it'll be beauiful." not.
comparing shells
After you collect your shells, you spread them out & compare collections. There's a prize for the biggest, a prize for the smallest, and a lot of complimenting. I found a white, white scallop shell that looked as if it were made of plastic. I gave it to Anna--goodness knows I have enough scallop shells to make ... well, what does one make with scallop shells?
hard-boiled eggs
Here's how the Easter eggs started out. Liza thought she looked cross in this picture, but I think she was just counting the eggs to make sure we all got to dye the same number. Guess who got the most eggs with her name on them? Ms. Scotland, that's who.
most of them turned pink
It didn't seem to matter what colors we dipped them in, mostly the eggs turned pink. The attempts to come up with robins' egg blue weren't very successful, either.
what to do on a sunny day
Mark & Anna on the back deck, feeling the warmth of RI's spring sun. Anna said it was the warmest she'd been in a long time. Scotland is not known for its tropical climate.
back of Liza's house
This is taken from the yard, next to the pond that Mark built. There are HUGE booger frogs in the pond this year, plus the 3 goldfish that were given to M & L. No koi, please never any koi.
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