Golden Moments

Last weekend Charlie and I drove down to Oneonta to the Franklin Mountain Audubon Sanctuary where they hold an annual migratory raptor count. November is prime time for migrating golden eagles. It's such a gamble as to whether you'll actually see goldens. Some days there may be 1 or 2, the next day 25, and the next day maybe none. A record 46 goldens had been recorded the previous day due to favorable winds. This day the winds had shifted to the south - not a good direction for migrating. We arrived at about 11:15 and by noon had seen 6 goldens! I was ecstatic! I know the photos are pretty fuzzy. The golden was not visible to the naked eye and even with the camera it was difficult to tell what kind of bird I was looking at. I'm just excited to have any kind of discernable photo to commemorate my first golden sighting. In between watching the raptors, I captured some visitors to the suet feeder. Sorry we didn't manage to connect, Max. Hope you've had as much luck on your visits to the mountain.

GO SU! oh.....SU (sigh)

Saturday, Syracuse vs. West Virginia, a tough game but we've been doing so much better this season. We had a chance. The team has heart. The team has determination. They are motivated! So excited to be a part of it - not great seats but I was THERE!

Somewhere between the coin toss and the interception during SU's first possession, all that seemed to go right out the window. It was disappointing. It was deja vu from last year....and the year before....and the year before. After reviewing the plays this is my call: aggressiveness. That's what our team lacks. They folded, over and over. Missed receptions, missed tackles, running plays that should have been long passes.

I am an optimist. I believe in SU. We'll win more games this season, I know we will. Not sure who the QB will be but I hope between now and our next game in two weeks our guys find that heart and determination that had us all hoping for that old SU we all love.

36 miles. Uphill. Into the blustery wind.

A record bike ride for me today. Although we did not initially plan such a long ride we completed 36 miles. We started at Camillus Airport and rode to Weedsport to say hi to Ben, Laura, and Kelsey. Well, geez, after all the route took us to Jordan so what's another few miles? We dressed for the weather and brought water and snacks but did not take note of the cold, strong west wind. The first 18 miles were wicked. Riding into the wind made small uphill inclines feel like mountains and by the time we got to Weedsport Charlie and I agreed it was an unusually tough ride. After a brief visit and a rejuvenating sandwich we headed back - this time with a tailwind and more downhill than up. My legs were spent and I have to admit that I walked up the last couple of hills. But 36 miles is 10 miles farther than my previous best and I am tired but pleased. Walking, running, cycling is challenging when you do it but so satisfying when you've finished.
Update on the shoulder: No tear, just lots of inflammation. Had a cortisone shot which helped very briefly, start PT soon. Ironically I can ride like I did today with no discomfort but getting dressed or trying to roll over in bed hurts like hell!

Apple Pickin' Time

Weekend before last Charlie and I went apple picking and hiking in the Catskills on a visit with his daughter in New Paltz. It was a great weekend but clumsy Susannah managed to step in a woodchuck hole and further damage an already tender shoulder. Turns out it might be a torn rotator cuff.....MRI was Friday, I see the doctor tomorrow. Oh what fun!

Anyway, here are a few photos of the weekend - BEFORE the fall.

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

One of the many good things about Charlie is that he gets me off my duff and out doing things. Things I love to do but am too lazy to do alone. We've been biking this summer, and I'm loving it. I didn't have a bike as a kid and have ridden only sporadically since but since June I've made up for lost time. My longest bike was last Sunday - 25 miles! Who'da thunk it? So anyway, we were riding down Lakeshore Road last week and passed by this heron and the ducks sunning nearby. Sir Heron was kind enough to sit for several shots - I'm bummed that when he finally flew I wasn't smart enough to get some in-flight photos as well.

Take Me Out

The sky threatened but we remained optimistic: A first baseball game for Kelsey couldn't possibly be rained out. We'd chosen an early game - 5:00 - so Kelsey wouldn't be up too much past her bedtime. So there we stood, under the roof at the ball park, watching the drizzling rain. Music played: "Riders on the Storm," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Don't Rain on my Parade," ...you get the idea. Cute. Finally at about 5:30 the players began warming up and the starting lineups were announced.

Kelsey was nonstop energy. Up the stairs, down the stairs, up the stairs, down the stairs. Dancing in the aisles, rapping her ABCs. "Baseball players!" she squealed as they ran onto the field. "Dancing guy!" she giggled, pointing at the mascot shimmying on the dugout. She wore us out with her enthusiasm but even at the end of the game she had the energy to climb the hill back up to Charlie's house.

"Red!" she'd shout as the light turned. "Green! Go!" as it turned again. "Lellow! verrrry slow!" at every ......single.......light. I'll bet she was asleep before Daddy got the car seat buckled. It was a night to remember.

Piqued by a Peek at the Peaks

Last Friday through Sunday Charlie and I took a trip to the Adirondack High Peaks Region by way of Cranberry, Tupper, Saranac, and numerous other lakes. On the way we took a short "warm up" hike on Moose Trail which runs adjacent to the Oswegatchie River from Wanakena to Inlet. We saw a group of canoers trying to navigate the very rocky waters, grabbed a sub in Cranberry Lake, and arrived at our destination in Keene Valley about 4:00 Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, after much research, we decided to hike the Cascade-Porter Mountains trail - the "easiest" of the high peaks hikes, about 4.6 miles round trip and an overall vertical climb of almost 2000 feet. As you can see from the trail photos below, it was no "easy" climb. At times I felt I might not get to the top but we finally made it. The view was astounding - the photo above does not do it justice. While resting at the summit we saw what I think was a juvenile bald eagle lazily soaring above us. Even though we were sitting on rocks I think I could have easily fallen asleep. We returned to the trail head about 5 hours after we started hot, tired, and achy so we returned to the B&B, took a quick swim in the nearby river followed by a warm shower and relaxing in the front porch hammock. Believe it or not neither of us was terribly hungry so we settled for PB&J sandwiches for dinner. And just an "FYI" - The Snow Goose B&B was great. If you are ever in Keene Valley I highly recommend it.

On Sunday we chatted with our hosts and co-guests then headed for Whiteface Mountain. This climb was a "cheat" - we drove most of the way and climbed the last half-mile or so to the summit (hey, gimme a break - we could have taken the elevator).

So we snagged two "high peaks" patches and have started thinking about which peak we will try next. Giant? Dix? Sawteeth? While we might not make all 46 of the high peaks, it'll sure be fun trying.

Family

Last weekend it was a picnic with my sibs, their kids, my kids, and of course the granddaughter. This past weekend it was a family reunion of a different sort: Friend Charlie's annual "Crary Camp." Having been assured that his family is as crazy - if not crazier - than mine, I felt it would be no problem fitting in with the clan. And it was.....crazy and no problem. While many of the relatives stayed in adjacent cabins, Charlie and I and some of the others lodged at local campgrounds. We ate, laughed, looked at pictures, participated in a "memorial" for Uncle Joe, laughed, rode bikes, rafted, told stories, laughed, played Scrabble, debated, laughed, and generally had a great time. I did feel right at home, feeling comfortable enough to let loose with my "Benton humor." They fired straight back at me...how great is that? There are photos and a brief video of the rafters on my Picasa site and, um, Judy.....here are my "test" answers. Back row: Richard (Worzel, spouse of Jacky), Dave (Crary, spouse Joan and children Meg, Ben, and Emily not present), Adrian (spouse of Sandy Worzel), Bill (Worzel, spouse of Lee), Doug (spouse of Judy Crary), Wick (Flagg, spouse of Lorraine), Bunny (Flagg, spouse of Tom), Jim (Flagg), Josh (Flagg, son of Jim), Charlie (Crary, children Shannon, Steve, Jonathan, and Elaina not present), Kit (Worzel, son of Richard and Jacky), Jason (son of Judy and Doug), Kathryn (daughter of Richard and Jacky), Nathan (son of Morgan)
Second row: Sam (son of Bill and Lee), Lee (spouse of Bill), Rachel (daughter of Bill and Lee), Anna (daughter of Bill and Lee), Lorraine (spouse of Wick Flagg), Kristen (daughter of Wick and Lorraine), Morgan (daughter of Bunny and Tom), Sandy (Worzel, spouse of Adrian), Megan (friend of Kit), Jacky (spouse of Richard Worzel), Barb (aka Susannah, friend of Charlie)
Front row: Bridget (daughter of Morgan), Dorothy (Crary Worzel, wife of Joe), Colin (son of Morgan), Judy (Crary, spouse of Doug), Danny (son of Morgan), Kelly (daughter of Judy and Doug), Julia (daughter of Maura), Maura (daughter of Jim).

Finding LA, or how to fly coast-to-coast in 36 hours or less

The plan was to leave for California to visit my son, Aaron, on Friday, June 26 and come home on Tuesday, July 7 with lots of trips to see the diversity of the state...

So here's the flight story: first flight (6 am Friday) cancelled, second flight (6 pm Friday) delayed to the point I missed my connections, third flight (6 am Saturday) is the charm but includes an 8 hour layover and I finally arrive at LAX at around 7:30 PDT Saturday evening. Thank goodness we'd planned Saturday as a "chill" day.

Other than that one little hiccup, the trip was amazing! Aaron and I headed out on Sunday morning, traveling up the Pacific Coast to Big Sur, San Francisco, and Point Reyes then headed east through Oakland and Merced to Yosemite. After traversing the width of Yosemite we turned south to Mammoth Lakes and Devils Postpile National Monument, then home to LA on Wednesday. Thursday was a quiet day with Aaron going in to work for a few hours and me relaxing and sorting through photos. That evening we went to the Hollywood Bowl (nearly missing the shuttle - THANK YOU bus people for making an extra trip for us) to see the L.A. Philharmonic and John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival). Imagine the "Phil" and Fogerty together.... perhaps a stretch but let me assure you - "Proud Mary" has never sounded better. And the fireworks were a great cap to an unforgettable evening.

Friday included a trip to the Ballona Wetlands including Del Rey Lagoon and Marina Del Rey Harbor Channel where there were lots of wading birds and pelicans. Between that, the birds at Harkins Slough in Watsonville, Joshua Tree National Desert (went there on Saturday) and various other places I must have added close to 50 birds to my life list. Sunday we took a trip to Topanga Canyon State Park for a bird walk and added even more wildlife to the list on a walk around the Culver City neighborhood on Monday evening.

The weather was strange - sunny and gorgeous every day but temperatures fluctuate wildly depending on where you are. On the coast it was generally in the 60s - maybe low 70s - but always very comfortable. East of the mountains it might jump as much as 30 degrees into the 90s-100s, and in the desert even higher. (The day we went to Joshua Tree it was 111 in Palm Springs).

It's taken me awhile to edit the 2000+ photos from the trip but finally I have a respectable slide show. Quality suffered in places for the sake of getting a close up of wildlife, but that's life. I will happily accept any input on names of geographical landmarks, locations, wildlife, plants, etc. I've tried to identify many of them with little luck. (If you can't view the slide show in the big window below, or want to view a full-screen version, go to my Picasa photo site, click on the slide show you want to see, when you get to that album's page choose "slide show")

Party Lines

This post has nothing to do with the Democratic position on anything.

It's not about snorting drugs at a teenage bash.

It's about the old-time party line. Today one might call it a conference call but when I was a kid, it was just the way the telephone system worked.

I swear I can still remember the old-fashioned box-like wooden phone hanging on the wall at my grandparents' house. Is that possible? Were they still around in the late '50s? When that old phone went to telecommunications heaven, a newer version hung in its place. One with a real dial - not just the receiver you rattled to wake the operator.

Our phone line was not our own. We shared it with the neighbors - three or four if I recall correctly - in a system that was known as the "party line." Party lines were the way to go; they made it cheaper to own a phone. I doubt that anyone in our farming community could afford a private line. We each had our own number and our own distinctive ring. Ours was two consecutive rings. I remember waiting for the second ring before dashing to pick up the phone.

One sharer of our party line was Esther. Esther was the quintessential party line snoop. We were warned at an early age to be careful what we said while on the phone since Esther would surely spread any and all news. When we answered the phone we carefully listened to hear the click of someone - likely Esther - picking up their handset to listen in on our conversation.

Not that the "snooping" never worked in reverse. Sometimes you would pick up the phone to make a call and discover that the line was already in use. A polite person would hang up the receiver as quietly as possible so as not to disturb the conversants. But ohhhhh, it was soooooo tempting to simply listen. Of course we didn't consider it snooping - we were just listening in case there was something important to know.

And then there was the fire ring. As a member of the volunteer fire department we were privy to a "special ring." An emergency call was made not to 911 or the county emergency line. It was placed to a local number which belonged to a phone in the home of a designated volunteer. When the call came in, the special ring went out to all volunteers. It was one long ring which continued until you picked up the phone. At that point the designated volunteer would relay the information regarding the nature and location of the call and off we'd go. Since we lived on a four-corners about 2 miles from the firehouse it was often my dad's (or grandfather's) job to "flag traffic," making sure the trucks and volunteers could safely navigate the crossroads. If there were an accident or house fire we might share our home with the "victims" - giving them a meal, shelter until relatives came, or a place to sleep for the night.

When I was a kid, so many households didn't have phones at all. They were expensive to own, even if you were on a party line. Long distance calls were pricey, made through the operator - and long distance might be as close as across the road. What we see now as a necessity was, back then, somewhat of a luxury - right up there with owning a television.

It's interesting to consider all the things that are considered necessary now that were mere pipe dreams then. We should make a list...but that's a post for another day.

Playdate

Last Saturday Kelsey and I had a playdate - actually a chance for mom and dad to have some quality time without the little one. Although I'd planned a trip to the zoo, Miss Kelsey had other ideas. She loves the playground at the local elementary school which just happens to be around the corner from my house. As we drove by she squealed, "plaaay-ground!!" and pointed excitedly at the colorful slides and swings. As my grandchild, of course it is my duty to spoil her by giving her whatever she wants, then send her home to torment her parents. So plans were altered and off we went to the playground. It is also my grandmotherly duty to tell you what a bright and enchanting child she is - surely a wonder among wonders. Past the shy baby stage and well into entertaining, she regaled us with her gymnastic ability and chattered endlessly. We had planned an overnight but Kelsey was tired (and so was Oma) so, at the end of the day, we called mom to come to the rescue. Maybe next time. I don't know about Kelsey, but I can't wait.

Erie Canal - Poolsbridge to Bolivar

Today's segment: From Poolsbridge to Bolivar, about 2 miles one way - a shorter hike so we'd be done in time for the Chief's game. This painted turtle was one of only a few basking in the sun. The green heron is a photo I've been wanting to get...he flew up in front of us and landed across the canal, then waited patiently while I walked back a hundred yards or so to take his picture. I love that I can get so close, and this was without my 100x telephoto lens. The photo of the goose is really noise - it's an experiment in using what I call "super zoom." He, too, was across the canal so I'm impressed that I could get such a close (albeit sub-par) shot of him.

I still have to find the right settings to cut down on the noise, but I'm learning. In the meantime I confess to still using "intelligent auto" mode at times. Who among us couldn't use a little automatic intelligence now and then?

Erie Canal - Manlius Center to Poolsbridge

May 24th, the second leg of our Erie Canal Trail trek. What started out as a quiet day for wildlife changed into a veritable smorgasbord of fauna! We saw a Baltimore oriole, catbird (across the canal, hence the blurriness), an Eastern towhee -- colorful!, great blue heron, and what I think is a Great Crested flycatcher. The canal itself was teeming - perch, sunfish, turtles, carp, and I think some trout although one wonders how they liked the stagnant, green, weedy water. This was a long leg of the trail - almost 8 miles round trip and that last mile was a killer! I haven't been so happy to see civilization in a long time. Next hike: Poolsbridge to Chittenango.