A Day in the Life Today my son Thomas arrived for an eight-day visit with us here on our little hilltop. We have both been very excited about this day for a long time and kept our fingers crossed that the gods of aviation would not throw any snafus in his way West. He was scheduled to arrive at 11:13am, which meant that he would be coming out the door more or less at 11:30.…
The Homecoming In another six weeks or so, Kim and I will drive into the driveway of 313 Warren Road in Ithaca. I have had that address as one of my homes since 1996 when I took a long term leasehold on the property and renovated it to my liking. Since then I have used the house for a decade as a vacation home and Alma Mater gathering spot, for another decade as a weekly…
Earth Day Today I am advised through multiple emails and social media posts that it is Earth Day. I am somewhat surprised that Earth Day began in its current formal form in 1970, when I was sixteen years old. That means that Earth Day is fifty-one years old this year. For my entire adult life e have been focused on environmental issues. I also remember the summer of 1971 when I spent that summer before…
Same Time Next Year In the last story I posted I referenced two Alfred Hitchcock movies that figured prominently two noteworthy venues which seem to be forever remembered as the places where those movies were shot. In the case of Bodega Bay, I’m guessing that movie (The Birds) may have been the best thing that ever happened to that little nothing of a burg. The movie was filmed 58 years ago and people are still…
Making a Music Video Kim has always had and still has a passion for music. From singing and dancing in the girl’s room in Kindergarten to studying theater at Indiana University to doing the Broadway musical roadshow circuit to playing cabaret to being Board President of Singnasium, Kim is all about music. She is constantly taking classes at Singnasium. Here favorites have been jazz singing and scatting with Gabrielle Stravelli. She is currently taking a…
The State of Grace I am struggling with something. I have lived outside the United States for eleven and a half of my sixty-seven years (17.2% of my life). That was in Latin America (Venezuela for four years and Costa Rica for two years), Europe (Rome, Italy for three years), Asia (Tokyo Japan for a quick three months) and Toronto, Canada for two plus years. I would venture to say that is more foreign expatriate…
The Whole Nine Yards I’m not sure how widely known the expression is, but the whole nine yards has always been an interesting expression. Most people (including me originally) thought it had something to do with football. Ten yards being the first down distance that needs to be covered, it was logical to assume that it had something to do with covering the majority of the remaining distance for a first down, perhaps on fourth…
Wallowing in the Sunset Today was a big day for me in my deck journey. After nineteen weeks of work (that is 126 days or over four months), we moved all the furniture out onto the deck. The glass railing doesn’t go up until Monday, but the railing people have said the deck furniture should not interfere with their work. We have guests coming on Tuesday, literally right after the railing is finished being put…
The Peaceful End of Day It has very suddenly become summer here on this hilltop this week. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt a season come on me so quickly and assuredly. One day it was cold, too cold for shorts, too cold to dine on the patio, too cold to see buds on plants. In the last two days that has all changed. I am wearing shorts every day, probably not to do otherwise…
Lunch With Marissa I feel a bit like I am over-telling the story, but nonetheless I want to describe my lunch yesterday with my new-found half-sister Marissa. To begin with, we agreed to meet in Pasadena, so that choice deserves some attention since it seems to govern a great deal of my travel decisions here in Southern California. My main driving objective when heading north is to avoid Los Angeles traffic at all costs. While…