Day 60: Duty completed

The last two days got complicated, so my photos stink.  I hope tomorrow will be better.

Day 59: Lilies are up!

The lilies are up and already have been munched by the deer!

Day 58: Waiting for news

Parenting adults is an incredible challenge.  The older the kids get, the bigger and more complex their problems are.  We want to provide support, but not be overbearing or invade their privacy.  Mostly, we listen and encourage.  Now, we are still waiting for news on a job for Justin.  Hopefully, this week his dreams will be fulfilled.

Day 57: Sunny Sunday

Walking in sunshine, spring cleaning, and company for dinner!  A lovely Sunday!

Day 56: Long day in the sweatshop

When we are within a month of the show opening, we spend entire days in the "sweatshop" sewing, building, painting and ironing.  Without kids rehearsing, we are able to get lots done.

At home, I could barely keep my eyes open, but we needed dinner.  On the way out the door, the sunset stuns us!  I ran back for the camera and we drove fast down Berry Road, hoping to capture the brilliant pink and orange backlighting for the black clouds.

Day 55: Waiting for a break

For two days we have been waiting to hear if Justin got a new job.  The hours ticked by with no word and dwindling hope.  However, this evening he called and said he'd be notified on Monday and that he had three more interviews lined up for impressive companies.  We all have to be patient!

Meanwhile, my trusted sewing machine got a workout on costumes.  It was a wedding gift from my parents and it has provided reliable service for over forty years now.

Day 54: Whispering Winds Farm

After a morning spent shortening and pressing skirts, we had a fabulous lunch with Ellen and Scott Foley at their Whispering Winds Farm.  In one of the tidy outbuildings, Scott was making maple syrup with sap collected from their maples.  In a nearby building was a small forge where Scott and his dad make their own iron implements.

Their 3 legged dog greeted us by wagging her entire rear end.  A clutch of black and white chickens clustered near  a pile of freshly cut logs with a regal rooster in their midst.

Day 53: Musical camp

We were too busy at school working on the musical to take any photos or even get out for a walk.  This week is an intense camp with the kids rehearsing six hours a day and the adults busy with costumes, props and sets.

Mementos from Sleep No More, our masks will be displayed with other treasures from our travels.

Day 52: Home Again

A long day on the train transported us from sunny NYC to cold, rainy Fredonia after a wonderful weekend.  

Day 51: Sleep No More

At long last we experienced Sleep No More!  It's an interactive, athletic, dance-oriented, Albee-esque, film noir version of MacBeth.  We were transported back to a 1930's night club where we donned our masks and were immediately immersed in the surreal world of Sleep No More.  For three hours we followed the characters through the maze of the McKittrick Hotel as they cycled through the play three times.  In each cycle we chased different characters to view another scene and see the action from a new perspective.  It was an incredible experience!

Our visit to NYC was filled with long walks and talks with our sons and April as well as brand new adventures.  It was difficult to leave them because we know it will be months before we see them again.

Day 50: Sunday in NYC

After sleeping in late, we strolled through St. Nicholas Park and stopped to view Alexander Hamilton's home which is about two blocks away from Evan's apartment.  In early afternoon, we visited the Jewish Museum to see an exhibition called The Radical Camera: New York's Photo League. It included photos of city life during the 1930's and 1940's.  Then we met Justin at the West Fourth St. subway exit and had lunch at the Bone Lick Barbecue restaurant in the West Village.  We must have walked six or seven miles through the city today from Central Park, along the Eastside, between subway stations, through Greenwich Village and into Soho.

The temperature dropped as soon as the sun went down so we spent an hour sipping hot chocolate at Cafe Mocha.  Evan, Colin and April met us for dinner at the Loreley Restaurant and Rheinkeller for German food.  Our restaurant choices were excellent today and we enjoyed every bite!  How wonderful that the six of us could be together for a few hours!

Day 49: Saturday in Central Park

It was a glorious day to spend in Central Park!  Walking for hours, I found myself photographing wildlife and nature scenes just like I do at home.  Daffodils and snow drops were blooming in sunny spots, while squirrels and cardinals rustled in the leaves looking for a meal.  We wound through the park path maze to the south end and finished up in Columbus Circle.   In the Time Warner Center we battled crowds in the Whole Foods Store to get a snack.  It was crazy busy and confusing, but the food was delicious.  We're not likely to try it again soon.

Day 48: Amtrak Adventures

I've been craving an adventure and finally we could escape Fredonia.  Eight and a half hours on the train, much of it along the Hudson, delivered us to NYC.  Our sons are thriving here where there are immense opportunities and cultural advantages.   We miss our sons and April so much that we could not wait to arrive.  Eating Thai food and exploring the city is fun and invigorating, but being surrounded by so many people and so little green make the city unpalatable for me after just a few days. 

Day 47: Quest class #2

We were so busy today that I didn't have time to take any decent photos. After a trip to Buffalo for a doctor's appointment, we had our second backpacking class and then rehearsal.  I tried to get all the packing done yesterday, but did not succeed, as usual.

Expedition behavior was the topic and the student leaders did a terrific job conducting discussions on the different scenarios that will challenge the hikers.

Day 46: Interviewees

Brianna interviewed Steve and Michaela interviewed me for the project that I developed nearly twenty years ago.  Their storyboards were beautifully prepared and we enjoyed viewing all the displays created by the sophomores.  I love the project because it brings members of the community together.  We read about the experiences of friends, neighbors and former students who have had transformative adventures around the world.

Day 45: Marriage for all

On this Valentine's Day, we hope that one day soon, all Americans will have the right to marry the person they love.  

Day 44: Kingfisher

Stopping on the Risley Street bridge, we heard a bird call of loud, metallic clicks, much like an alien out of Star Trek.  Along the creek bed, we caught sight of a large gray and white bird that darted down to the surface and snatched a fish from the freezing water.  If I continue to photograph birds, I will need another new telephoto lens to capture them more clearly.

The construction crews are making rapid progress on the new science building at the college.  A huge crane is now lifting steel beams into place while ironworkers are hoisted up in bucket lifts to bolt and weld them together. 

Day 43: Black Sky

Forty-one years ago today we became engaged after knowing each other for just seventy days.  Steve couldn't wait till Valentine's Day to ask me to marry him and give me a diamond ring.  Seven months later, we got married.  How fortunate we were to find each other and share a long life together.

Dark clouds filled the sky all day.  After dinner, we drove along the lake shore so I could capture light breaking through the clouds and scenes of the harbor.

Day 42: Blowing Snow

We woke to a dusting of snow, but throughout the morning six inches blew in from over the open lake.  The equipment seminar begins our backpacking season.  Family members and leaders were excited to learn.  The student leaders and Mark T. were very helpful as they offered anecdotes and advice to anxious parents.

The afternoon was spent working on sets and costumes for Fiddler while the wind whipped the snow around.   For only the third time this winter, Steve used the snow blower.  Quite suddenly, as the sun was setting,  the wind stopped and the sky glowed pink.

Day 41: Burnham's Hollow

Craving green and variety in the landscape, we walked our favorite trail in Arkwright.  Today, no guns were firing, but shotgun shells littered the forest floor.

Day 40: FMS Quest begins!

Thirty-five students registered for Quest in Fredonia and we met them today for the orientation class.  Most of the student leaders attended to introduce themselves and lead the "human knot" activity.  Even though the group is small, we had a great time with the activities.  They were very responsive and respectful.  Shane is our only fourth year leader and I talked to him about leading Quest in the future.  He will consider it, but he wants us to stick around for another ten years!

It was another gorgeous day, although the wind was sharp.  Snow is on the way!

Day 39: Snow drops

We enjoyed another mild day for our walk and discovered a clump of snow drops blooming by the creek. In the field across the street, Paddy's kitty friend stood guard over a herd of deer.

This afternoon, we enrolled thirty four eighth graders for Quest which is not quite half the number we had last year.  It's so puzzling.  Several of the student leaders are distressed and cannot understand why the eighth graders don't want to go on Quest.  We will take enrollments up to class tomorrow, so maybe we'll hit forty.  It's time for a serious discussion about the future of Quest.

Day 38: BCS Quest

Five new backpackers from Brocton enrolled in Quest today!  In our first class, two student leaders from the 2010 Quest group, led the human knot game.  Their laughter and teamwork reminded me again why we do this.  Even though the numbers may low this year, every child who has the Quest experience is richer for it.  Whether there are seven or seventy, we will provide the best outdoor adventures we can.

Day 37: Aliens have landed!

Milkweed pods.  The wispy sinews and tight clusters of seeds within crispy husks are living sculptures.  I love to photograph them, but they also remind me of alien creatures.  When I was a girl, one of the most terrifying science fiction films of the 1950s was "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."  Giant pods produced replicas of human beings that replaced people while they slept.

Those movies of the 50s had a huge influence on me and directed me toward more recent and benign alien beings in Smallville and Star Trek NG and the more malevolent Cylons on Battlestar Galactica.  Today on our walk, I photographed a little green Martian that occupies a garden on Liberty Street.   What a great sense of humor that gardner has!  Maybe she agrees with me.  I don't think it's logical to assume that we are the only living, intelligent beings in the cosmos.