The Years To Remember

  Ice on the bird bath water is a daily occurrence this week, but daytime temps are hitting the low 50's. Our monthly dinner was Saturday night and Dale made creme brûlée as it's George's favorite dessert. George and Janice hosted in their newly renovated kitchen. They now have the most lovely modern kitchen which Janice just loves. I feel like I came home with groceries - one dozen eggs laid by Janice's chickens, and a jar of honey produced by her bees. She has quite a little farmstead going for someone who is still working full time. I provided wine, a salad, and a jar of my maple walnuts to go with Janice's chicken marsala and mashed potatoes. Dan brought his blow torch to finish off the brûlée. It took 10 minutes and flamed up so much we thought he might burn down the brand new kitchen. He had fun though! Before the dinner I met Sue Ellen and Mary for a 22 mile brisk bike ride over in Albany. The temperature was in the low 50's but the trail was so pretty. H...

 My week in Cali is over - it went so fast!  My heart is full from spending a week with my girl. There was a beach below the condo where we took daily walks. The moon was in the 3rd quarter stage, so the tides were neap. The low was not very low, the high not so high. I still collected too many rocks for my garden. I took a solo trip to another beach while daughter worked one day. California is beautiful, but the constant traffic does not make a relaxing atmosphere. There is an osprey in the tree on the bluff. There was one rainy day, but daughter was working and I was reading to finish a rather long book for book club.  I got out for a beach walk before the rain rolled in.  My daughter and I enjoyed many chats, beach walks, and movies at night. We went to the San Diego Wild Safari Park and petted a wallaby, went on a Behind The Scenes Tour and had a fun, but hot and tiring day. I can see why they sell multi-day tickets. We didn't see half of the place. Just a big ki...

 Heating season has begun. Friday morning, 10/10, I woke up to a temperature reading of 28°F outside, and 60°F inside - a bit too cool for me. I turned the furnace on for about a half hour to warm the place up. I try to make it to November before turning on the heat, but not this year.  In contrast, I went on a solo bike ride Tuesday, the 7th  - another 80°F day to soak in the warmth. This was about the most colorful foliage I saw in the 20 miles I covered. The first CASTA meeting of the ski season was Wednesday and it was not nearly as boring as I'd been told.  One of the original founders of the club gave a short presentation. This 88 year old guy started the club in 1973 when I was still in middle school! Being in the right place at the right time, one woman cancelled her reservation for an upcoming Vermont trip right in front of me, so I was put in her slot immediately, along with my friend Sue Ellen. Another ski trip in March is now on the calendar!  Bromle...

10/2/25  I made my sore legs hike again, this time a not so ambitious Alander Mountain at only 1300 ft of elevation. It was a lovely and pain free hike, with a dinner stop at the Martindale Diner.  The Alander hiking group. I'm tired of photos where everyone is staring at the camera - so I'm staring off into the distance. Behind me, down in the valley, is the Harlem Valley bike trail I rode with my sister last week. 10/3/25  Friday morning Peggy, Charlene, Jill, and I set off for the Olympic Center at Mt Van Hovenberg to volunteer at the Whoop! Mountain Bike Racing weekend in Lake Placid. A drone shot of the race course. Peggy and I got assigned to the VIP room where we were just bouncers, making sure anyone entering had a VIP credential. The first couple of hours were incredibly boring, but then the racing started right off the balcony of our station. It was very cool to watch the racers on the track below, but then also see the track on the big screen at the end of the ...

9/29/25 Ever since Sept 1, I have been reminding everyone to stop fretting; that it's still summer! Well it is undeniably fall now as the evidence is all around me. After a week of lazing around and not doing anything more strenuous than book club, I hit the bike trail this morning and it was glorious! Rather than getting a group together, I went on a solo adventure so I could go where my whims took me.  I went pretty fast (for me) on the way south - 13 mph, and took note of where I wanted to stop on the way back.  The orchard store had this display set up of for their Octoberfest next month. At this point, I left the bike trail and explored some quiet country roads past apple orchards and pumpkin fields where I had a nice view of the Catskills. I stopped for a coffee and a couple of apples, then headed back. The trail was well populated with wooly bear and other caterpillars, including this poisonous one (hickory tussock moth) that will leave you with a nasty rash if you are ...