The Seasons Change,...

Camping season is over,...

The sky is heavy with new snow,...

'Tis the season,...

Echos and Stars....

Do you remember the 1980 Olympics when the USA beat the Soviet team in the semi-final hockey game? Last night at the Smucker's Stars on Ice 25th Anniversary tour opening show in Lake Placid's Herb Brooks Olympic Arena in Lake Placid,...I believe I could still hear "USA, USA, USA!" chants!

Here Kurt Browning on the left has just introduced Scott Hamilton on the right. There was deafening cheering and a standing ovation for Scott when he skated to center ice. He then took time to recall the past 25 years and the skaters whom we all remember.

Here Sasha Cohen wowed the crowd...

Ekaterina Gordeeva...still performing after losing her husband and pairs partner to a sudden heart attack in this very arena in 1995 while preparing for a tour. She has remarried and has a lovely little girl,...she is as beautiful as ever and skates like an angel...

The whole cast finishing the finale performance,...

And the final circle of the ice waving to the audience. Another standing ovation!

Watch your NBC television programming for January 22,... the show was taped to be broadcast.

Welcome Home!...

... to the 33 miners in Chile!

Now we just have to see the rescue workers all make it to the top and it will have been a perfect 24 hours.

And, on edit,... everyone is now above ground and safe. Way to go!

Beautiful 100 Year Old Lady,...

And what a "lady" she is!...



Two weeks ago I traveled south west from the Adirondacks to Bainbridge, NY, to attend a concert by one of my favorite bluegrass bands, Remington Ryde.





The concert was held in the Bainbridge Town Hall which is 100 years old! The balcony is now fully restored...





Murals line the stairs,...



The community of Bainbridge and the volunteers who have given new life to this beautiful old building are most welcoming. It was a great evening Ryan, Billy, Wally and Danny! I'm sure I'll be going back again.



The next day's drive home included a bit of a side trip to see East Sidney Lake.





I'll be watching to see what the coming schedule is for concerts. It's a bit of a trip, 4 hours drive, but well worth it!

The Last Gasp Of Summer...

A last of summer family evening before school started. Now the mornings start like this,...

And the days are like this,...
And soon it will be gone for another year. Looking back, but still looking forward!

A Deere In The Backyard!...

This past week was our county fair. One of the exhibits was a John Deere dealership. My almost 12 year old grandson went shopping! He works on his father's dairy farm and mows lawns for others including me. He had saved $750 for a down payment and his mom and dad signed for the rest on his behalf. However my grandson will be making the payments. He's now in business!
Mowing my lawn with the new machine!
He's a very hard worker, last year he bought himself a four-wheeler. And as you can see below he takes care of his machinery. After using the hose on the blade via the built in wash system, he turns it completely off and hoses down the top of the deck. He knows how things work, he can fix things and is very conscientious about safety. Wise beyond his years!
With this motivation I can see that he'll have a nice sum ready to start college with.

Portrait of a Winner...

Meet "Maddy".... a lovely young lady! Here is my youngest grandson who is very happy with the blue ribbon he just won with Maddy at the fair!

By Friday of the week he had several nice awards ...
Here is where it all happened....
Proud grandma is smiling!

Beartracks!...

Wednesday evening I attended a "Concert on the Bluff" at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh. "Beartracks" performed. This band is extremely popular in the northeast and Canada. Junior Barber plays the resonator guitar, commonly called by many, a dobro. Junior is joined by his cousins, ...Julie Venne Hogan, who plays bass, and her brother Tom Venne, who plays guitar.



The crowd gathered, many brought picnic suppers and coolers of soft drinks. The weather was a warm evening, perfect for such an event.




The giant white pine trees looked down on the scene,...

All was well in my world on Wednesday evening!

On The River,...

Just arrived home this afternoon from six days camping on the St.Lawrence River...

The view ...
Watching the freighters as they ply the "Seaway"...
Priceless!...

Mellow Yellow,...

I don't often post pictures of flowers, but this morning while out wandering around enjoying the first light I enjoyed these lily blooms. Hope you like them,...

Another Season!...

The bluegrass festival season has started! Thursday I traveled about 4.5 hours west to Stone Mills, NY... or as the festival is called,... LaFargeville. It is sponsored by the 1000 Islands Bluegrass Preservation Society, of which I'm a member.

This is a group practicing at their camper prior to their performance on the stage.

Here's my rig, and a friend relaxing with a soft drink after wandering around visiting with other friends and enjoying the "field picking"... Life is good!

Another 24 hours and it will be homeward bound...

Where There Is Smoke,...

This morning my cat Jennifer was acting very strange, she was going back and forth to the window, jumping in my lap and really agitated. Not long after I began to smell smoke. What I thought was fog outside was really haze from the many forest fires north of here in Quebec. The usual view is hidden, no mountains to be seen.

This is what it usually looks like,... this shot taken just before the leaves came out.



I sure hope the rain that is expected in Canada takes care of this situation. My heart goes out to those displaced by the fire and those risking their lives to fight the more than 55 blazes.

Soldiers, Family and Community...

This weekend we remember the soldiers, men and women, who have given their lives for our country. Parades, gun salutes, wreaths, flags,... all a part of that. But Memorial Day Weekend always means more to me,... it means to remember family members and community people that have gone on... As I type this post I will dedicate it to every one of those people.


The fun part of the day on Saturday took me to our family cabin on this Adirondack pond.


One grandson was exploring in a little boat with a trolling motor...


The youngest grandson was playing in the water,...


Then my older son took his nephew out fishing,...

The neighbors were enjoying their kayaks,...


My daughter had a coffee pot keeping at the ready by the campfire...


The woodland flowers are blooming,...


The pine trees are putting out little seedlings,...


And "Panda," she watched over all of us!

May everyone have a safe holiday weekend as we remember why we have the picnics and parades!

Extended Vacation,...

To all my dear readers,...

My spring break from school was so nice, and combining that with the fact that I'm not finding as much to write about lately,... I have decided to extend my break until ??? I guess in every blogger's life there comes a time when there isn't anything more to say for a while. Perhaps as the summer season gears up I'll find my voice again,... until then,..... best wishes to you all!

On Vacation,...

This week I'm on spring vacation from the school where I work. I'm also not spending as much time with the computer. Keep on blogging, my friends. I will try to catch up when I get back online next week.

Happy Spring!
Cedar

AuSable Chasm...

Near Keeseville, NY, is AuSable Chasm. A gorge worn down through the sedimentary sandstone rock. The AuSable River flows through the chasm on its way to Lake Champlain. I believe that AuSable translated is "of sand". If you follow that link to the AuSable River page you will see the arch bridge over the AuSable Chasm. As the trails weren't open on Easter Sunday when we were out for a picnic I couldn't walk to the overlook to take a picture back toward the bridge. Thank you, Wikipedia!

As I have a fear of heights so to take the tour through the gorge, along walkways won't be happening! But from overlooks near the highway I was able to get these photos for you. What do you think of those waterfalls, Betsy from Tennesee?

If you are visiting the Adirondack area, and if geology fascinates you give AuSable Chasm a look!