Wedding trip
I drove to Ithaca for Jenica's wedding--a 5 1/2 to 6 hour trip. The trip going there on Friday was more fun than the trip home on Sunday. I stopped a lot, poking around different places and getting coffee in interesting diners. I stayed in a motel room with my mother and we had a great time. I was apprehensive because of our different sleep patterns, but it turned out we were both so tired the 2 nights we stayed there that we slept straight through the night and woke up simultaneously. Mark stayed in a room upstairs and the three of us got to have lots of silly time together. It was a really nice visit.
We had a good time at the rehearsal dinner on Friday night, got to see lots of people and note their progress. Good pizza, good beer. Saturday we drove back to The Barn because Mark had to do the flowers. Liza and I got there an hour before he did because he got lost. We sat in a swinging bench for that time and had a really nice time together. After that we drove back to Ithaca to a park on the lake, where we had arranged to meet Liza's sister, her husband and their son's family. We had a nice visit, which was really important to Liza. She doesn't get to see her sister very often anymore--they moved to NH and it's too far for Liza to drive by herself. Her sister has Alzheimers but is doing pretty well. She's on that med that freezes your deterioration so you don't get any worse, but you don't get any better either.
The wedding was great. We had a good time looking over all the medievally dressed people, I got to visit with Grace and Margaret a little, and one of my favorite Rogers cousins, Rob, showed up. Good for him! He lives in New Paltz, so it wasn't a short drive for him. My cousin Elsa was also there with her 2 kids and daughter's boyfriend (Duke--do you suppose that's the name on his birth certificate?). Elsa is a photographer so she was busy taking lots of pictures. We sat with Liza's sister's family and Rob and ate the good food. It still seems amazing to me that Jenica is now married, but I suppose I'll get used to it.
The trip home was a drag. I was very sleepy and had to pull over at one point and take a nap. I stopped in Pulaski (Pull-ass-keye) for coffee at a really nice diner. I was sitting at the counter being ignored by the wait staff and the hostess, a woman about 60 years old, called to me "Do you want a cup of coffee?" I said yes, how did she know, and she said "You have that anxious look about you." We had a nice chat and I told her of my travels. When I left she said "Have a nice trip!" Some people are just really nice. Pulaski is famous for its fishing, and right now the salmon are running. I drove over the river and there were at least 20 fishermen in waders standing in the middle of it within about a 20-yard stretch. And this is fishing? A crowd was watching from shore and I was tempted to stop and watch to see big fish, but I just wanted to get home.
I got home and Fred called, wanting to sit on his dock for one of the last evenings of the season, drinking gin & tonics with me. We had a great visit and the sky was incredibly pink, reflecting a beautiful color in the water. The pink moved across the sky, from east to west as the sun set. Really pretty and peaceful.
When I got home from my trip I found 4 cords of wood dumped in the middle of my driveway. The reward for buying wood from the same people year after year--Lee knew exactly where I wanted it dumped, and trusted me to pay.
I picked up the dogs at the kennel. They like it there; when I dropped them off the pulled Joan into the kennel building, wagging their tales and skipping up the steps and in the door. What a couple of sweeties are my dogs. They were thrilled to see me and Tess stood in her usual spot on the armrest, diligently watching the road all the way home. What would I do without her guidance?
Yesterday I spent the morning in Keeseville with member library directors at a meeting. I really like those people, they are some of the nicest. We had lunch together and everyone brought us all up to date with what's going on with them.
Last night Fred called, wanting to go out to dinner at this diner-type place in Wilmington. That was a disaster. Terrible food, but we giggled and mocked each other and the food for the duration. Then we stopped for ice cream, had to settle for Drumsticks from the local convenience store. We laughed a LOT.
And today I'm at work, getting ready to catalog a video series of Shakespearian plays. Yawn, big yawn. Yesterday was a beautiful fall day, with that hazy look in the air. Wow. Supposed to get colder this week, a high in the 50's later on. And so autumn progresses.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Sisters
This is my mother (on the right) and her sister (on the left). My aunt looks a lot like her father, I think.
Frosted tree
This is how trees turn in the Adirondacks. This is just outside of Tupper Lake, about an hour east of my house. Mark and I agree this is one of our favorite sites in the fall.
Split personality
And some trees change like this. Very odd looking, and I don't know what causes this pattern. This was in Pitcairn, which comes before Natural Bridge, NY.
Willows
The biggest willow trees I've ever seen. Stewart Park in Ithaca, on Cayuga Lake. The two figures under the tree are my mother and her sister.
Rest stop
Where I stopped to take a break from driving. I had a hard trip home, very sleepy and not interested in driving on Route 3 for as long was necessary to get me home. The scenery gets progressively attractive the farther east you travel. This is "The land of the pointed firs."
Magic ride
The 'bile that made it all possible. Note dent on rear panel. Note hole in front bumper. You can't see the remains of the rear seatbelts, dangling like participles. But it's my car, and it gets me where I want to go. And even where I don't want to go.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
moonlight
This is an art shot of the moon last night through the trees at the edge of my forest. There was haze around the moon and it was really pretty. It didn't look much like this but I had fun doctoring up the picture.
watercolor
This is a painting done by someone in "Art Camp." My friend Barb has a bunch of women come to camp (she rents Bill's camp for the month of August) for a week and they work on art projects. This year's theme was paper and they did a whole bunch of artistic stuff with paper products. This watercolor was on an invitation to the "opening of the exhibit" of their artwork. They had a reception and put their works up around the room. I was really sorry to have missed it but I was floating in the Atlantic Ocean in RI at the time. I like this painting a lot. It's small, about 3" X 5" and I have it on my refrigerator door.
sleepy girl
Like me, Chances found last night's TV offerings pretty dull. She's lying in MY spot here and was forced to MOVE OVER (a command she's very familiar with and obeys instantly).
bat cave
And this is Tess' second favorite spot (the back of the couch is her favorite). Sometimes she goes under this couch when she thinks I'm going to do something unpleasant to her, like brush her or cut her toenails. Other times she just goes under there to sleep. Dogs surely are strange animals.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Deck view
This is what I saw from my front door this morning, standing on my deck. It was 30 degrees when I got up and my windshield was coated with ice, pretty heavy ice. Guess it's time to round up my scraper.
I can usually see the mountain in the middle of this view, but not today. The lake was covered by a ton of mist, which will burn off pretty quickly later this morning. I wore a jacket today, which is really surrendering to the elements (but we have no choice about that, do we).
I can usually see the mountain in the middle of this view, but not today. The lake was covered by a ton of mist, which will burn off pretty quickly later this morning. I wore a jacket today, which is really surrendering to the elements (but we have no choice about that, do we).
Silver Lake Mtn 9/11
This was pretty cool to see. The mist is from the lake, obviously. This is from the top of the hill as I head down toward Ken's house.
Saranac River 9/11
Cauldron effect again. This is far from my favoite view of the river, but I didn't stop to shoot the best shots, was concentrating on getting to work I guess.
red leaf
Proof that fall is coming. The soft maples have started to turn, and it seems to be happening pretty quickly. I can't believe we're well into September--I'd expect more color by now. There's always much speculation about when the foliage will peak and how bright it will be. Usually the end of Sept. or 1st of Oct. is peak, though last year it was Columbus Day. Nothing to do but wait now.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
So clever, like foxes making a mistake, they outfoxed themselves
This reminds me of some of Molly's students--it came from a public librarians' listserv, proving once again that librarians are easily entertained:
Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual
similes and metaphors found in high school essays.
These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across
the country. Here are last year's winners:
1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides
gently compressed by a thigh Master.
2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like
underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy
who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those
boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at
high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one
of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E.Coli, and he was
room-temperature Canadian beef.
5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes
just before it throws up.
6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because
of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a
formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.
9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a
bowling ball wouldn't.
10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled
with vegetable soup.
11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie,
surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy
comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you
fry them in hot grease.
14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the
grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left
Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19
p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that
resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.
16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had
also never met.
17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap,
only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.
19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil,
this plan just might work.
21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating
for a while.
22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but
a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or
something.
23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg
behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells,
asif she were a garbage truck backing up.
This reminds me of some of Molly's students--it came from a public librarians' listserv, proving once again that librarians are easily entertained:
Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual
similes and metaphors found in high school essays.
These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across
the country. Here are last year's winners:
1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides
gently compressed by a thigh Master.
2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like
underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy
who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those
boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at
high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one
of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E.Coli, and he was
room-temperature Canadian beef.
5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes
just before it throws up.
6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because
of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a
formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.
9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a
bowling ball wouldn't.
10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled
with vegetable soup.
11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie,
surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy
comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you
fry them in hot grease.
14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the
grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left
Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19
p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that
resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.
16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had
also never met.
17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap,
only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.
19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil,
this plan just might work.
21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating
for a while.
22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but
a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or
something.
23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg
behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells,
asif she were a garbage truck backing up.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
September is here
...and it so completely looked and felt like autumn this morning that for some reason it was very satisfying. I don't really get sick of green leaves on trees, but by the end of August I am ready for a change. And change is coming. Still haven't had a killing frost yet, which is impressive in my neighborhood. I have a total of 4 tomatoes on my big tomato plant and they are actually turning red. I have hundreds of tomatoes on my grape tomato plant and that doesn't include the ones that have fallen to the deck. Tess is making it a personal goal to eat every single one off the deck. Good girl, otherwise I step on them.
The social whirl continues but is winding down. Linda and Erdvilas are here through the week, then it will be up to Fred and me to entertain ourselves. He'll be here for another month or so, then it's back to normal with my visits to Ken. Although I love having so much company and stimulation, I need to get control of my life again and settle into a routine. It's not good for my psyche (or behavior, it turns out) to be so unsettled.
I actually hosted Paul and Bobbie for dinner the other night. I don't often entertain at my house because it's so cluttered and messy. There's a short list of people who are allowed in. This summer those who did come wanted a house tour. This is very embarrassing, but heck, I (apparently) have no pride so away we went. Paul is a contractor so he looked at completely different things than most do. "Do you know you have a hole in your ceiling?" Do I confess that it's been there for years, many years?
Tess spent more than 3 hours climbing the bluffs and walking the boardwalk with strangers on Monday. This was a drag, but since there were 3 cars parked at the entrance I knew it would be fruitless to walk in and call her: she was doubtless at the top, sharing lunches. I always panic that someone will take her home with them, but she snuck off while I was cleaning the living room. I love to leave the front door open for the fresh air and for the dogs' freedom. Plan backfired on me, though. Poor Chances spent the entire time pacing and staring down the driveway.
Tess is having a terrible time with her allergies (just so Cat doesn't feel alone) and is scratching like mad. I'm supposed to be giving her Prednisone every other day but that doesn't seem to be effective enough. And Chances is either licking in sympathy or she too has allergies. And what about me? Headaches abound.
I found out yesterday that a good friend from Rhode Island recently died during surgery. He was part of a social group I really enjoyed being a member of. We'd go out every week and talk about library stuff (he was a librarian at the Dept. of State Library Services, though the rest of us could never figure out exactly what the staff of DSLS did...) and have a nice, raucous time. It's very sad that he's dead.
I also found out that a friend from high school is dying of cancer. She's in the hospital right now but will be going home for Hospice care soon. I haven't seen her in a million years but I can picture her clear as day in our youth. My good friend the Organizer of our high school clan sent a message to all of us telling us about Donna and how to send a e-card through the hospital's service. That was really thoughtful. I sent a note about what I'm doing, etc., but what do you say to someone you don't know very well who is dying?
There was a phone message for me yesterday from a college friend who has lived in Hawaii for the past 20 or so years. She'll be in Maine and wants to know if we can get together. I haven't heard her voice in nearly 25 years so it was very strange standing in my living room listening to a voice that once was so familiar. I haven't called her back yet: I have no idea what the time difference is, and I don't know what I'll say to her. Will find out when and where their Maine trip is and if there is any way to connect. Maine is a long way from Hawkeye but I should make the effort. We have continued to send Christmas cards all these years and she's sent pictures of her 2 kids each year. Her daughter went to Beloit College, which was a shocker. Beloit is about 15 miles from Rockford, and at one time in my college career I applied to and was accepted there as a transfer student. I changed my mind, though, and stayed in Connecticut. Have always wondered what, if any difference it would have made in my life if I'd gone there.
I made cole slaw last night--the right time to make it, for today's luncheon. That's the 3rd batch of cole slaw I've made in 3 weeks. It tastes different every time I make it.
Had a great trip to the nursery with Fred and Linda on Saturday. Bought 2 hostas and a pretty perennial called snakeroot, also called bugbane. Now I just have to dig up the grass that's well established in my garden and plant them all. I love going there with Fred, he is so happy to be among plants, and in that spectacular setting. I didn't get to see the Lab puppy that F. and Linda had seen when they were there last week. Nor did I see Maggie the gray cat. Rats.
Time for the farewell luncheon. This has been a very long, possibly uninteresting post and I thank you all for staying with me.
...and it so completely looked and felt like autumn this morning that for some reason it was very satisfying. I don't really get sick of green leaves on trees, but by the end of August I am ready for a change. And change is coming. Still haven't had a killing frost yet, which is impressive in my neighborhood. I have a total of 4 tomatoes on my big tomato plant and they are actually turning red. I have hundreds of tomatoes on my grape tomato plant and that doesn't include the ones that have fallen to the deck. Tess is making it a personal goal to eat every single one off the deck. Good girl, otherwise I step on them.
The social whirl continues but is winding down. Linda and Erdvilas are here through the week, then it will be up to Fred and me to entertain ourselves. He'll be here for another month or so, then it's back to normal with my visits to Ken. Although I love having so much company and stimulation, I need to get control of my life again and settle into a routine. It's not good for my psyche (or behavior, it turns out) to be so unsettled.
I actually hosted Paul and Bobbie for dinner the other night. I don't often entertain at my house because it's so cluttered and messy. There's a short list of people who are allowed in. This summer those who did come wanted a house tour. This is very embarrassing, but heck, I (apparently) have no pride so away we went. Paul is a contractor so he looked at completely different things than most do. "Do you know you have a hole in your ceiling?" Do I confess that it's been there for years, many years?
Tess spent more than 3 hours climbing the bluffs and walking the boardwalk with strangers on Monday. This was a drag, but since there were 3 cars parked at the entrance I knew it would be fruitless to walk in and call her: she was doubtless at the top, sharing lunches. I always panic that someone will take her home with them, but she snuck off while I was cleaning the living room. I love to leave the front door open for the fresh air and for the dogs' freedom. Plan backfired on me, though. Poor Chances spent the entire time pacing and staring down the driveway.
Tess is having a terrible time with her allergies (just so Cat doesn't feel alone) and is scratching like mad. I'm supposed to be giving her Prednisone every other day but that doesn't seem to be effective enough. And Chances is either licking in sympathy or she too has allergies. And what about me? Headaches abound.
I found out yesterday that a good friend from Rhode Island recently died during surgery. He was part of a social group I really enjoyed being a member of. We'd go out every week and talk about library stuff (he was a librarian at the Dept. of State Library Services, though the rest of us could never figure out exactly what the staff of DSLS did...) and have a nice, raucous time. It's very sad that he's dead.
I also found out that a friend from high school is dying of cancer. She's in the hospital right now but will be going home for Hospice care soon. I haven't seen her in a million years but I can picture her clear as day in our youth. My good friend the Organizer of our high school clan sent a message to all of us telling us about Donna and how to send a e-card through the hospital's service. That was really thoughtful. I sent a note about what I'm doing, etc., but what do you say to someone you don't know very well who is dying?
There was a phone message for me yesterday from a college friend who has lived in Hawaii for the past 20 or so years. She'll be in Maine and wants to know if we can get together. I haven't heard her voice in nearly 25 years so it was very strange standing in my living room listening to a voice that once was so familiar. I haven't called her back yet: I have no idea what the time difference is, and I don't know what I'll say to her. Will find out when and where their Maine trip is and if there is any way to connect. Maine is a long way from Hawkeye but I should make the effort. We have continued to send Christmas cards all these years and she's sent pictures of her 2 kids each year. Her daughter went to Beloit College, which was a shocker. Beloit is about 15 miles from Rockford, and at one time in my college career I applied to and was accepted there as a transfer student. I changed my mind, though, and stayed in Connecticut. Have always wondered what, if any difference it would have made in my life if I'd gone there.
I made cole slaw last night--the right time to make it, for today's luncheon. That's the 3rd batch of cole slaw I've made in 3 weeks. It tastes different every time I make it.
Had a great trip to the nursery with Fred and Linda on Saturday. Bought 2 hostas and a pretty perennial called snakeroot, also called bugbane. Now I just have to dig up the grass that's well established in my garden and plant them all. I love going there with Fred, he is so happy to be among plants, and in that spectacular setting. I didn't get to see the Lab puppy that F. and Linda had seen when they were there last week. Nor did I see Maggie the gray cat. Rats.
Time for the farewell luncheon. This has been a very long, possibly uninteresting post and I thank you all for staying with me.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Play Misty for me
This doesn't begin to capture the beauty of mist that forms when the air temperature drops below that of a body of water. This morning Silver Lake was hidden under a huge dry-ice looking mass of mist. Very pretty and also one of the best indicators that yes, summer has ended. This picture is of the Saranac River, and as I say isn't really very dramatic. Looks like a simmering cauldron.
Busy week, people still encamped in the neighborhood. Nice dinner with Calif. friends on Tuesday, Ken there and seemed pretty perky. We had to eat indoors, not usually done at their camp--they have a nice screened in porch where we eat all summer. The rest of the week has been a flurry of Linda, Fred, Erdvilas and tennis. Erd. discovered that he can watch live tennis at my house, thanks to my satellite dish. He's been there for the past 3 days, all afternoon. The dogs are reaping the benefit because he is an Excellent Dog Companion. He lets them out, then spends an inordinate amount of time petting Chances. Yesterday he called me at work to see if it was all right that they were drinking out of the toilet. Yes, I said, but you can fill their water bowl as well.
One night I ended up at Linda's for dinner (chicken cooked over a campfire--doesn't get much tastier) and Fred joined us at the last minute. I ate too much but man it was good. Then we went to Hot Dog Man for ice cream. Sunday is their last day so I suspect we'll head there Sat. night. Last time I had a caramel sundae (discussing my pronunciation: KAR-mel, as opposed to the East Coast CAHR-A-mel), this time I tried the butterscotch, which is what Jenica has. Not so tasty, I discovered. I'll stick with my hot fudge, their's is mighty good.
Last night dinner again at Linda's, this time marinated flank steak cooked on the grill. Isn't this stroll down culinary lane fun? After dinner Erd. went to my house to watch Andre Agassi while L, Fred and I went to Fred's to watch The Philadelphia story. Much as I enjoy watching Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, I went to sleep. Not in the mood. I went home and ended up watching tennis with Erdvilas until nearly 1 a.m., until the end of the match. Who would have thought I could get caught up in tennis on tv like that. It was a great match, though (although it would be ok if they stopped saying how well Agassi is doing for a 36-year-old). Too late too bed, too little sleep.
What's up for the weekend? Not time spent at my camp, that seems certain. The place is crawling with cousins. Two sisters and their husbands and children, their (yuck) mother, plus another cousin and his wife. That about does it for me: might as well put up a picture of me with a diagonal red line through it. I think it's going to be rainy and cold anyway. I have enough chores to do at home so I won't feel cheated out of a weekend at camp. September is one of the best months there, as long as the dock stays in for a while, once the crowds thin.
Surprise luncheon for a woman who's leaving CEF coming up. I thought it was today, busied myself making cole slaw for thousands last night. Nooooo, the luncheon is on Wednesday. So what do I do with a bucket of cole slaw? Take it Linda's, I suspect. Am looking forward to the luncheon--no one will mourn the loss of this woman.
Today? Cataloging like a mad fool. Have discovered a bunch of stuff that needs to be done for Tupper Lake and Upper Jay. Yesterday Tracey (clerk) and I entertained ourselves skimming the autobiography of the father of two trustees/volunteers from Upper Jay. I've worked with these women for years, and Tracey has recently worked with them as we barcoded their collection. They are a funny pair of sisters (will Molly and I be like that in our dotage?). Anyway, there were pictures of these two women, taken when they were in their 20's or so and were very pretty. Plus it was fun reading about their life stories. A bit voyeuristic, but fun. Hell, they sent the book to be cataloged--you have to know what it's about to catalog it, right?
Time to plug in the earphones and warm up the keyboard. Catalog Ho!
This doesn't begin to capture the beauty of mist that forms when the air temperature drops below that of a body of water. This morning Silver Lake was hidden under a huge dry-ice looking mass of mist. Very pretty and also one of the best indicators that yes, summer has ended. This picture is of the Saranac River, and as I say isn't really very dramatic. Looks like a simmering cauldron.
Busy week, people still encamped in the neighborhood. Nice dinner with Calif. friends on Tuesday, Ken there and seemed pretty perky. We had to eat indoors, not usually done at their camp--they have a nice screened in porch where we eat all summer. The rest of the week has been a flurry of Linda, Fred, Erdvilas and tennis. Erd. discovered that he can watch live tennis at my house, thanks to my satellite dish. He's been there for the past 3 days, all afternoon. The dogs are reaping the benefit because he is an Excellent Dog Companion. He lets them out, then spends an inordinate amount of time petting Chances. Yesterday he called me at work to see if it was all right that they were drinking out of the toilet. Yes, I said, but you can fill their water bowl as well.
One night I ended up at Linda's for dinner (chicken cooked over a campfire--doesn't get much tastier) and Fred joined us at the last minute. I ate too much but man it was good. Then we went to Hot Dog Man for ice cream. Sunday is their last day so I suspect we'll head there Sat. night. Last time I had a caramel sundae (discussing my pronunciation: KAR-mel, as opposed to the East Coast CAHR-A-mel), this time I tried the butterscotch, which is what Jenica has. Not so tasty, I discovered. I'll stick with my hot fudge, their's is mighty good.
Last night dinner again at Linda's, this time marinated flank steak cooked on the grill. Isn't this stroll down culinary lane fun? After dinner Erd. went to my house to watch Andre Agassi while L, Fred and I went to Fred's to watch The Philadelphia story. Much as I enjoy watching Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, I went to sleep. Not in the mood. I went home and ended up watching tennis with Erdvilas until nearly 1 a.m., until the end of the match. Who would have thought I could get caught up in tennis on tv like that. It was a great match, though (although it would be ok if they stopped saying how well Agassi is doing for a 36-year-old). Too late too bed, too little sleep.
What's up for the weekend? Not time spent at my camp, that seems certain. The place is crawling with cousins. Two sisters and their husbands and children, their (yuck) mother, plus another cousin and his wife. That about does it for me: might as well put up a picture of me with a diagonal red line through it. I think it's going to be rainy and cold anyway. I have enough chores to do at home so I won't feel cheated out of a weekend at camp. September is one of the best months there, as long as the dock stays in for a while, once the crowds thin.
Surprise luncheon for a woman who's leaving CEF coming up. I thought it was today, busied myself making cole slaw for thousands last night. Nooooo, the luncheon is on Wednesday. So what do I do with a bucket of cole slaw? Take it Linda's, I suspect. Am looking forward to the luncheon--no one will mourn the loss of this woman.
Today? Cataloging like a mad fool. Have discovered a bunch of stuff that needs to be done for Tupper Lake and Upper Jay. Yesterday Tracey (clerk) and I entertained ourselves skimming the autobiography of the father of two trustees/volunteers from Upper Jay. I've worked with these women for years, and Tracey has recently worked with them as we barcoded their collection. They are a funny pair of sisters (will Molly and I be like that in our dotage?). Anyway, there were pictures of these two women, taken when they were in their 20's or so and were very pretty. Plus it was fun reading about their life stories. A bit voyeuristic, but fun. Hell, they sent the book to be cataloged--you have to know what it's about to catalog it, right?
Time to plug in the earphones and warm up the keyboard. Catalog Ho!
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