We were able to spend the 19th of April, Sunday, with Eric, to celebrate his birthday two days in advance. We had not seen him since Christmas, and he now is renting (and caretaking) the house of a former professor at OSU. We not only wanted to visit with Eric, but see the home he is now in charge of. The Webbers have moved to Colorado, to spend two years, and decide if they want to make it a permanent retirement location, before selling their home.
Eric was lucky to meet them, and they asked him to be their tenant and caretaker, after getting to know him. Moose and Eric are both enjoying the space, both inside and outside--a yard with flowers, shrubs, trees, and woods not far beyond.
We also met Eric's friend, Cathy, and her dog, Nicky, who reminds us of a dingo--same color and size--and a very calm dog. (the dogs get along) We enjoyed our visit getting to know Cathy and catching up with Eric's news and projects, and having a dinner at a good Italian restaurant in Oswego. At home afterwards, we had a birthday cake (home made) to complete the celebration. Time flew by, and we were on our way home--a short visit, but both Eric and Cathy had to teach on Monday, he at OSU, and she at a middle school near Syracuse.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Washington D. C. trip
We spent April 8-12 on a brief trip to Washington, D.C. The trip was planned long in advance because the occasion was the NCAA College Hockey National tournament. We drove down on a beautiful sunny day, and were fortunate to stay in Alexandria, VA, with Barre's high school friend, Bruce, and his wife, Theresa.
The hockey games were on Thursday and Saturday evening, so it enabled us to enjoy D.C. touring during the day. Bruce was able to join us, having taken personal days from work. He is an avid historian, so it was interesting to learn some local history from him, too. We visited the National History Museum, and the American Indian Museums on Thursday. Walking the mall in warm weather, and seeing all the flowers in bloom, and trees with their buds, made us a bit envious for warmer weather at home. Crowds of people were enjoying the city, too. Many, many tour buses were in the area.
On Friday we spent the morning touring the Alexandria area near Bruce's home (which is very near Mount Vernon). We learned about George Mason and his part in history (having written the Bill of Rights for Virginia), and toured Gunston, his home. At one time his plantation on the Potamac covered 5500 acres. Now it is 550 acres preserved for posterity. The historic fact regarding George Mason, is that our Bill of Rights bears a strong resemblance to the statements written and approved for Virginia.
In the afternoon, we drove into the city and visited the Washington National Cathedral. We spent quite a bit of time in the building, starting in the gallery on the 6th floor. What a view of the city! There is so much beauty to admire in the cathedral, so many enscriptions to read, it requires more than one visit to absorb all of the beauty and years it took to build the cathedral.
We walked the grounds and admired the exterior as well.
We enjoyed our hockey games, and had a bird's eye view of the goalie and lots of action in front of us, since we were just three rows behind the rink. The teams who made it to the finals (not UNH) had very avid fans (like all college hockey teams do) and we enjoyed the music, their signs, and cheers.
I persuaded Barre to take a different route home and we stopped in Gettysburg on Sunday, for a tour of the battleground, the new visitors center, and lunch. We spent about three hours there, not nearly enough time, but better than none. We made sure we found the monument for the 20th Maine, led by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, which was so instrumental in the north winning the battle. We have just watched the movie Gettysburg again!
The hockey games were on Thursday and Saturday evening, so it enabled us to enjoy D.C. touring during the day. Bruce was able to join us, having taken personal days from work. He is an avid historian, so it was interesting to learn some local history from him, too. We visited the National History Museum, and the American Indian Museums on Thursday. Walking the mall in warm weather, and seeing all the flowers in bloom, and trees with their buds, made us a bit envious for warmer weather at home. Crowds of people were enjoying the city, too. Many, many tour buses were in the area.
On Friday we spent the morning touring the Alexandria area near Bruce's home (which is very near Mount Vernon). We learned about George Mason and his part in history (having written the Bill of Rights for Virginia), and toured Gunston, his home. At one time his plantation on the Potamac covered 5500 acres. Now it is 550 acres preserved for posterity. The historic fact regarding George Mason, is that our Bill of Rights bears a strong resemblance to the statements written and approved for Virginia.
In the afternoon, we drove into the city and visited the Washington National Cathedral. We spent quite a bit of time in the building, starting in the gallery on the 6th floor. What a view of the city! There is so much beauty to admire in the cathedral, so many enscriptions to read, it requires more than one visit to absorb all of the beauty and years it took to build the cathedral.
We walked the grounds and admired the exterior as well.
We enjoyed our hockey games, and had a bird's eye view of the goalie and lots of action in front of us, since we were just three rows behind the rink. The teams who made it to the finals (not UNH) had very avid fans (like all college hockey teams do) and we enjoyed the music, their signs, and cheers.
I persuaded Barre to take a different route home and we stopped in Gettysburg on Sunday, for a tour of the battleground, the new visitors center, and lunch. We spent about three hours there, not nearly enough time, but better than none. We made sure we found the monument for the 20th Maine, led by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, which was so instrumental in the north winning the battle. We have just watched the movie Gettysburg again!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Maple Festival in Vermont
My friend, Liz and I went to Whitingham, VT on March 28, to attend the annual Maple Festival. (Whitingham is known as the birthplace of Brigham Young and we visited one of the memorials on our way to one of the sugar houses). It was a warm, Spring day (about 60 degrees), and a great day to be outdoors, enjoying the scenery and visiting five sugar makers. There are 18 sugar makers in the town, and 8 of them were having an open house for the festival. We began our tour at the elementary school, enjoying a lunch, and then the crafts fair with many interesting booths of hand made projects.
The smell of fresh syrup was a welcome greeting at each sugar house. Some families tap only a few hundred trees, and others many, many more. Most of them use a pipeline system to collect the sap. Each family offered treats such as a taste of fresh maple syrup, ice cream, a maple syrup shake, and crackers and Cabot cheeses. All were delicious. We were amazed at the amount of wood needed to provide the heat, and one question we forgot to ask, was about the amount of cord wood they must have ready for the season. We did ask a lot of other questions, however, and details of the process were explained so we could understand. One farm continues to use horses to collect the sap. Their sugar house is deep in the woods--a nice walk through a large pasture, and into the snowy woods. The Percheron horses were patiently standing near the sugar house, when we arrived late in the afternoon. Learning about this process and the hard work to prepare for the season, dependance on the weather, etc. made me appreciate maple syrup even more. The odor in each sugar house made me want to eat pancakes with warm maple syrup at each stop we made.
The smell of fresh syrup was a welcome greeting at each sugar house. Some families tap only a few hundred trees, and others many, many more. Most of them use a pipeline system to collect the sap. Each family offered treats such as a taste of fresh maple syrup, ice cream, a maple syrup shake, and crackers and Cabot cheeses. All were delicious. We were amazed at the amount of wood needed to provide the heat, and one question we forgot to ask, was about the amount of cord wood they must have ready for the season. We did ask a lot of other questions, however, and details of the process were explained so we could understand. One farm continues to use horses to collect the sap. Their sugar house is deep in the woods--a nice walk through a large pasture, and into the snowy woods. The Percheron horses were patiently standing near the sugar house, when we arrived late in the afternoon. Learning about this process and the hard work to prepare for the season, dependance on the weather, etc. made me appreciate maple syrup even more. The odor in each sugar house made me want to eat pancakes with warm maple syrup at each stop we made.
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