Congrats Tucker!

Congratulations to Tucker who had his offer accepted on a house and piece of property in southwestern Colorado! Here are 2 photos of the property that he sent to us when he first looked at this house and land. The house is smaller than some of the others that he looked at but the 3.5 acres surrounding the house are superior to any of the other land they looked at. He has beautiful mountain views in one direction and the property has 3 irrigation shares (which are like gold in the west) and a small creek running through one of the corners of the property. By early December, he will close on this house and will a homeowner!

On the home front, we were up at 4:30 this morning so I could take Jim to the airport for an early flight. He flew to Portland, Oregon today for a Master's XC race tomorrow. Good Luck, Jim! Run fast!

After school today, I went to EMS and bought a pair of hiking boots. I decided I wanted to have lots of time to break in a pair of hiking boots before we went on our 120 mile hike next summer. The first time I went to EMS a week or so ago, they didn't have the boots I thought I wanted in my size. Today they did and so I tried on those boots and 2 other styles. I bought the pair that I originally thought I wanted and I am now wearing them around the house to see how they feel. So far, so good. I am going to try a different pair of socks when I finish this blog entry. Here is a photo of my new boots.

I don't have any "must do" plans for this weekend, but hope to get some leaves raked and some knitting done.

My Christmas cactus is misnamed~it should be called a Halloween cactus because it is close to blooming! Oh well, I am just thrilled that I can get it to bloom and will enjoy its pretty pink blossoms whenever they feel like opening!

Go Yankees!

Hope all is well.

Sunday Summary

Another busy week in the books. Besides going to work, there were several nights out for the usual things.

This weekend we covered a lot of ground and enjoyed the variety of activities we had. Friday night we drove to camp to help Gram and GrandDad close for the season. We had to drive through a fair amount of rain, but GrandDad had a nice fire going in the wood stove so camp was quite comfortable. Saturday morning was our chance to get some of the heavier work done. Jim and GrandDad got the dock all in position for the winter and got the boats into the carport. The roof was swept and the skylight covers were put in place. Gram and I did some cleaning indoors and then we went to Glens Falls to pick up some things that Gram wanted to have at home. Jim and I stayed for lunch and then started home. Here are some photos from our short time at Jenny Lake.

Securing the dock for the winter.

Nice color!

Sweeping the roof.

Getting the skylight covers ready.

A beautiful fall view of the lake.

We took a detour shortly after we left camp to go and see the trailhead for the Northville-Placid Trail. We hope to hike this 120 mile trail next summer so we wanted to check out the starting point. We decided to park the car and hike for a bit, going up the trail for half an hour before turning around. This hike fueled our excitement for this adventure, which is still about 10 months away! Here are some photos from our hike.

From the trailhead, Jim used his gazetteer to find a lot of back roads so we could pick-up the Thruway at Little Falls. By the time we exited the Thruway, the sky was clear, and the sun was setting. We stopped in Pittsford for dinner at Brio's and we had a good meal. Had to eat at the bar, since we didn't have a reservation, but that allowed us to watch the Yankees lose : (

Today Jim spent most of his day helping at an epic cross-country race which included a swim through a farm pond for the crazy runners.

I went to church and rang bells under the direction of one of our former music directors, Tom B. It was great to see him again and I think I did some of my best ringing for him!

My new food dehydrator was delivered while we were away so today I got my first chance to try it out. I sliced 6 apples and placed them in the dehydrator. Eight hours later, I have beautifully dried apples~all ready for our hike next summer!

Corey ran at Penn State this weekend and had an OK run. Now he will focus on the Big East Championships in Syracuse in 2 weeks.

Tucker looked at another piece of property this weekend and is considering putting in an offer on it. Stay tuned for more info on that.

Happy Birthday to Jeannie on Oct. 19th. We are all looking forward to spending Christmas with you!

Hope all is well.

Sunday Summary

I hope you have had a weekend as beautiful as we have had here. It was the kind of weather that makes you want to be outside!

The great weather started on Friday so I rode my bike to school which is always a treat.

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful. Jim was supposed to go sailing with Jim A. and GrandDad, but big waves kept them off the lake and they cruised up and down the river for a bit. Gram and I went to the Farmer's Market and then to pick apples. It didn't take long to fill our baskets because the local apple crop is abundant.

In the afternoon I joined Sue A. her sister, her brother and his wife on a bike ride. We rode the canal trail to Genesee Valley Park where we saw some crew boats participating in the River Romance regatta. From the Park we rode north to the city. They stayed for the Columbus Day parade and I turned around and came home because I had a grape pie to make. It was a wonderful ride!

Last night we went to the movies to see The Social Network, an excellent movie! Bob and Sally joined us for the movie and then we 4 went to Davinici's for a tasty dinner. We all came back here and were joined by Jim and Sue for grape pie. It was a fun evening.

Today Jim raced in Buffalo and had a good race. I took an 18 mile bike ride in the morning and enjoyed the crisp fall morning. This afternoon I planted some mums and cleaned up some of the leaves.

Since tomorrow is Columbus Day, I have a day off, and because the weather is still supposed be nice, I have a bike ride planned with friends.

Corey called tonight and he has had a good weekend. Tonight is his "family dinner" with 3 of his running buddies and he seems to really enjoy the company and the food that they make.

So that was our weekend.

Hope all is well with you.

Bits and Pieces

Saturday night, watching football and knitting~sounds like a good night! Plus I just finished watching the Yankees beat the Red Sox, which is always good.

Last night we went to GEVA theater and saw Amadeus which we both really enjoyed. I was a bit concerned going into the show because I heard that it ran for 3 hours! I gave up going to the local high school musicals because they went for 3 hours and I don't like to sit for that long, even if there is an intermission. Well, Amadeus keep my attention the whole time, and I only looked at my watch twice! There was lots of yawning in the Beetle on the way home at 11:15 PM!

Today we were out and about on a beautiful fall day. This morning we went to Genesee Valley Park for the McQuaid Invitational. We cheered on the Odyssey runners and got to see some people we knew. It was a great day for a cross-country race and we enjoyed walking around the park.

From the races, we drove south to Naples where we picked a couple of pecks of grapes. The aroma as we walked through the vineyard was overpowering~so grapey!!!

On the way home we stopped at the Dome Arena to check out the Ski Show. I have needed new XC ski boots for several years, but if I get new boots I have to get new skis because the bindings have changed since I bought my skis and boots many years ago. Unfortunately, the only skis that were at this show were non-wax, and I prefer waxable skis so we will look at some ski shops at another time.

When we got home, I did some work around the yard and Jim went for a run.

Corey was in Madison, Wisconsin today for a XC race and he had a good day. He ran a PR and finished 6th for his SU team. Congratulations, Corey! Well Done!

In September the stump in our front yard was removed and last week the town workers returned to fill in the hole with top soil and spread some grass seed. Hopefully the grass will come in before the snow flies.

Jim has harvested most of our apples and to date I have made about 15 pints of applesauce from 2 pecks of apples. So many apples fall from the trees and the squirrels and bugs get into them, but I will end up with more applesauce than we can eat!
Tucker continues to look at property in Colorado. We have enjoyed looking on the internet at the properties he is considering. Google Earth is an amazing tool!

Tomorrow I am going to make grape pie fillings with Grandma's help. I also may try dehydrating some apple slices.

We have signed a contract to have our windows replaced. It will take 3-4 weeks for the windows to be manufactured and delivered and then it will take a couple of days for the installation. It will be good to have new windows before the really cold weather arrives.

Speaking of cold weather, we have made it to October without having to turn on the heat, which makes Jim sooo happy!

I will close this entry with a photo of the sunset over the mall from earlier this week.

Hope all is well.

Dress a Girl Around the World

Tonight I had the pleasure of participating in an international effort to provide dresses for girls in impoverished countries who would be vulnerable to kidnapping or unmentionable acts. A local non-profit organization, Angels of Mercy, has adopted the cause of Dress a Girl Around the World. In some countries around the world, when bad people see girls who are wearing raggy, unkept clothes, they think these girls have no one who cares about them and will try to take advantage of these girls. Very sad. Providing these girls with a simple dress can make a big difference in their lives. My friend, Sue, saw an article in the newspaper about the women who were sewing these dresses and asked us women of Women's Weekend if we were interested in helping at the next sewing session, which was tonight. Sue, Sally and I joined up with about 30-40 other women at a local church and we sewed 5 complete dresses and got a good start on a bunch of other dresses. Hundreds of dresses were completed in the 6 hours of this work session.Here are some photos from our evening.

Sue and some of the other workers.

Sally cutting out a dress.

More of the action.

Sue and I at the sewing table.

One of the completed dresses.

Our first completed dress!!

A beautiful, original, handmade doll is put in the pocket of each dress.

If you are curious about the Dress a Girl Around the World, please click

here. It was a very gratifying evening and I hope to be able to go back next month and do some more sewing for this good cause. The dresses are really cute and it is heart wrenching and heartwarming to know that a simple dress could save a girl's life.

Hope all is well.

Sunday Summary

Here it is Sunday night and before I start to think about my upcoming school week, let me write about our weekend.

We decided to go to Syracuse for the day on Saturday after consulting with Corey to determine that our arrival in town would not negatively impact his weekend plans! He said, "Come on over!" We arrived shortly after 1 PM and picked up 3 of his friends for our trip to a local farm market to pick apples and pumpkins. We went to Abbott's in Baldwinsville and had fun walking up and down the rows of apple trees, picking only perfect apples to fill our bag. Then it was on to the Pumpkin patch where we all got pumpkins. On our way out we stopped to give our best to the sheep and goats and then stopped for a funny farm photo op! Here are some photos from our fun:

After returning to campus, we dropped Corey's friends off at their house and returned to Corey's apartment where we watched some college football and drank some "Beer of the Month" beer! Later we headed to the Little Italy section of Syracuse and decided to try Francesca's Cucina for dinner. We were lucky to get the last table in the bar area, since we were in Syracuse on Parent's Weekend, and arrived at the restaurant without a reservation! We had a wonderful dinner and would recommend this restaurant. Here is a photo of Corey's chicken dinner, edible orchid and all!

After dinner and dropping off Corey, we headed west and arrived home shortly after 9 PM. It was a great day!

Today was a race day for Jim. He was running in the first of five cross-country races, with the series being dedicated to memory of Rochester running legend, Pete Glavin. Many runners from around western New York came to the race to pay tribute to Pete and it was a great day for a race. I went along to help with registration and enjoyed my morning there. Jim had a good race and his GVH Veterans team took first place among all the "old guy' teams!

Tonight we had a birthday dinner here for GrandDad. I tried a new recipe and it was a delicious beef minestrone soup/stew. For dessert I made an apple crisp with apples from our trees! Yummy!

Tucker called us on Friday night to tell us that he had been looking at property to buy and was excited about one offering. It is an exciting time for him !

I've finished my Sunday night ironing and can now turn my attention back to my knitting, where I need to find a mistake. Oh well!

Hope all is well.

Saturday Summary

We had a beautiful fall Saturday today and we took advantage of the day.

My spinning guild sponsored the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival in Hemlock, NY. I volunteered to work a 2 hour shift at the Information Table. I arrived just before the opening at 10 AM and took and hour and a half to tour around and see the animals, fiber, and some friends. At 11:30 I began my shift and worked with another woman from the guild who I didn't know. I enjoyed her company and our 2 hours went by quickly. Most people wanted to know where they could buy festival merchandise and where the sheep dog demonstrations were. We did have to deal with a really rude man but we killed him with kindness and found just the person he needed to talk to, to solve his problem. Here are some photos the first day of the fiber festival.

Tomorrow I am volunteering again and will be there before the festival opens so I can work the first shift in the ticket booth.

Jim went to Colgate University because Corey was running in a race there. Corey had a good race and was pleased with his 6th place finish. The Syracuse men took the first 6 places in the race, so they all had a good day. Here is a photo of the start. Corey is on the far right side of the pack.

Tomorrow the weather is not forecasted to be as nice as today, but I look forward to being at the fiber festival again.

Friday night I went to a Happy Hour with some of the school staff at Pier 45, a restaurant on the river near the beach. It was fun to relax with my colleagues and then Jim joined me and we stayed for dinner. We sat on the enclosed deck and had a good meal, watching a few boats cruise up and down the river.

This past week we got 2 more estimates for replacement windows and next week we have one more guy coming in. Then we will make our decision.

Hope all is well.

Weekend Wrap-Up

I first want to say that I am enjoying having a bread maker. I got this bread maker in March as one of the prizes that Jim chose for his 35th anniversary prize package. I just took this loaf of Honey Wheat bread out of the machine and it looks great, will taste wonderful and has filled the house with mouth-watering aromas! Can you smell it?!

We've had a good weekend. Yesterday we drove south to the Bristol Harbor Golf Club where we volunteered at a rest stop for the Highlander Bike Ride. It was a beautiful day and we were glad to be in such a pretty location, overlooking Canandaigua Lake. We had the early shift which meant our alarm was set for 5:20 AM and which got us to Bristol Harbor before 7 AM. We set up tables, a canopy and set out all sorts of food and drinks that the riders could enjoy. We worked with another couple which was fun.

Our shift ended at 9:30, at which time we drove back to the city and stopped at the Convention Center for the Home Show. We are looking to replace 9 windows in our house and we got some information about a variety of window companies and will make some appointments with sales people from some of these companies to come out and give us an estimate. We want to get this job completed before the end of the year so we can take advantage of the federal tax credit.

I was going to go to the Clothesline Art show later on Saturday, but it was such a beautiful day that I decided to go for a bike ride. I did one of may favorite loops and arrived home with 18.4 miles on my cyclometer and feeling really good.

Today I got my grocery shopping done before heading to church where I served as a substitute deacon. In the early afternoon I went for a nice walk for an hour with my friend Patti. She used to teach with me at Longridge, but switched schools this year and I miss seeing her on a daily basis, so it was good to catch up today.

The Buffalo Bills failed to instill much hope in the faithful today with a loss to Miami. It could be a long football season here in Western New York!

I have been knitting on a shawl, using the pattern and yarn that Corey gave me for my birthday and it is coming along very nicely. I do need to pay attention to what I am knitting, so cheering during football games or tennis matches has slowed my progress.

I came home from school on Friday to discover that the stump in our front yard had been ground out. Now the town needs to return and fill in the hole and put some grass seed in.

Got a full week of school coming up, but I am optimistic because we got off to a very good start.

Hope all is well.

And We're Off!

9:00 AM arrived and the school bus doors opened and the children spewed forth, and most seemed excited to be back to school! It was a wonderful start to our new school year. We only had tears from a couple of Pre-K students (and a couple of Pre-K parents) but most kids settled in nicely. I had one kindergartner start to cry when she realized that her classroom teacher was leaving when the class came into the gym, but I brought her around in a few minutes with an exercise song called "Put Your Finger On"!

My day at school just flew by and it was great to see so many of my students again. I got enough hugs today to make up for the ones I missed over the summer!

NFL football starts tonight and I do enjoy watching football on TV. I have my pool sheet filled out and am hoping for the best.

Time to go, as kick-off is just a few minutes away. I will attempt to knit while watching the game!

Hope all is well.

Last Day of Summer Vacation!

Labor Day marks the last day of summer vacation and it has been a great vacation time. I got to travel, see many family members and friends, and spend a lot of quality time with Jim. I think I have now chronicled all of our travels in this blog, so if you are wondering where we've been, just check the recent posts.

Today we had a memorable last day of summer vacation by going to Chimney Bluffs State Park, just east of Sodus Bay. On our way to Chimney Bluffs we took a slight detour to see Maxwell Creek Farm, from where we get our weekly produce delivery.


We went drove past many apple orchards and the trees were just heavy with apples. It was a beautiful sight!

Here are some photos from our Chimney Bluffs hike. We walked to the beach level and then walked to the end of the park and then returned on the bluff trail, above the water level. It was a delightful hike!









It was an interesting place and a very manageable trip from home.

Last night we had Bob, Sally, Liz and Ryan here for dinner. It was good to see Liz and Ryan again (it was good to see Bob and Sally too, as usual!).

Here is photo of all of my canned peaches. 31 quarts and 7 pints!

We've talked to both Tucker and Corey in the past couple of days. Tucker and Alison are knee-deep in free apples and peaches from an abandoned orchard. Corey got a haircut, see the photo below!

So when the alarm goes off tomorrow morning, it is not an alarm for just Jim. I will have to haul myself out of bed and get back into the school routine. No more having a casual breakfast and attempting to do the crossword puzzle. I have meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday and then the children arrive on Thursday.

Hope all is well with you.