Gaines, PA

Last weekend was the annual Crary Camp in Gaines, Pa. The group was small this year, but we had great fun. It's a little scary to find a crew as crazy as my native clan, but nice to feel so comfortable being with them. We biked the rail trail along a meandering stream and stumbled on what I believe is a timber rattlesnake, sunning just at the edge of the trail. A few minutes later we saw these three deer splashing and playing in the stream. The butterfly - a red admiral - didn't want to open his wings long enough for me to capture his beautiful orange-red markings, but I got a decent picture anyway. The cascade across the river from camp was so intriguing I had to include it as well. Looking forward to camp next year - and our trip to Michigan next week!

Adding to the next generation

About a month ago I promised photos of my new granddaughter. I have no excuse for being so delayed in posting but in the meantime, I have another newborn to add: My grand-niece was born on Monday. So the next generation is all girls for now...methinks someone needs to get a move on and produce a boy! Fortunately there are a number of prospects still available. In the meantime, here are the newest additions: In photo one, granddaughter Mackenzie Kathryn with big sister Kelsey. Photo two is grand-niece Clarissa Anne. Ain't life grand?

Montezuma 2010

It's been awhile since I've been to Montezuma and I've been itching to go. Saturday was the day and Charlie agreed to come along. I was disappointed to find that the main drive was blocked off for "repairs" and the eagles were nowhere to be seen at Mud Lock - thought my day might be a bust. But we had a nice walk on the trails and saw a few birds. I especially like the first great blue heron photo - you don't often see them in the trees like this unless they're on or near their nest.

And while we're talking about nests....and nesting....and babies....my new granddaughter should arrive tomorrow. Stay tuned for lots of proud granny photos.

What you get is not always what you see

When you shot the picture it seemed like an interesting scene. Then you look at it on the computer and it's just kind of ho-hum. But wait! Turn it - sideways, upside down, backwards - and see what you get. It might surprise you.

The graduations hang on the wall

Busy weekend for graduations: May 21 Ben had his pinning ceremony for his RN. Sunday the 23rd Charlie's daughter Elaina received her BA in Fine Arts from SUNY New Paltz. Upward and onward!

Nat's best hope?

On Friday, May 7th, what might be the biggest thing to happen to the Syracuse Sky Chiefs and the Washington Nationals stepped onto the mound at Alliance Bank Stadium. His name: Stephen Strasburg. His game: Baseball. His fame: 100+ mpg fast balls. It was a sold out, standing room only crowd who came to see the phenom. 13,000+ fans, some who spent hours in traffic to get there. The boy didn't disappoint. One hit, 5 strike-outs, 2 RBIs, a win for the Chiefs.
Rumor has it that he'll be going to the majors any day now. Although he lost in his last outing against the Scranton-Wilkesbarre Yankees, his short tenure in Syracuse has revitalized the crowd....well, sort of. When Strasburg is pitching we have sell-outs, other days we're lucky to get a couple thousand fans. And it's a shame - Syracuse has an outstanding team this year. Here's hoping the season will see better crowds. And here's hoping Steven Strasburg has a phenomenal career.

Freedom.....that's what it's all about

(Photo by Laura Bittel)

Susannah tries something different

Driving through Syracuse a few weeks back I saw this house. Something about it caught my eye and I imagined it with rain running down the horizontal boards. It intrigued me. So later I went back and took a picture of it. After some experimentation working with both Photoshop Elements and Macromedia Fireworks this is what I came up with. I kinda like it. And I like that sometimes the concrete-sequential me can be a little artistic.

Seeing Red(tails)

A couple of weekends ago Charlie and I traveled to Ithaca where we did lots of hiking and relaxing. On Sunday we stopped at Sapsucker Woods to check out the birds and hike the trails. This red-tailed hawk flew by several times, finally landing in the tree. I managed to get close enough to get good shots and hopefully edited out encroaching branches, etc. well enough so it's not obvious. I think this is the first time I've been close enough to see just how red those tails are!

Mud Lock 2010

Finally got to see the eagles at Mud Lock this year. We'd visited in mid-February but saw no eagles - the weather was cold and windy so they might have been hiding in the nest. But yesterday - there they were! At first there were none, then I spotted two flying - an adult and a 2-3 year immature. About the same time the adult on the nest popped her head up too. The adult flying disappeared behind the trees but the immature flew in and took his place on the nest while the nesting adult flew into the nearby tree to take a well-deserved break. I was surprised that the immature was the one who flew in to relieve the adult. Don't know if it was male or female. Which would be mating that young? We also saw some mallards, a large flock of snow geese or swans in the distance and what I think was a common goldeneye (too far away to be sure). The tree trunks sticking up out of the water were adorned with what looked like tutus made of ice. Let spring begin!

5000 pieces, 339 days

It's been nearly a year, but the monster puzzle is finished! ( http://utterloonacy.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html). It sat idle most of the summer but I've been working with a vengeance for the past few weeks. There was only one missing piece - I thought for sure I'd lost more than that. But here's my New Year's resolution: no more 5000-piece puzzles!