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).