Day 152: Iceland, here we come!

Departure day started early. We picked up Mary by 10 and were at the airport by 11. Security has been very high all day. We had to go through the body scanners for the first time in both Buffalo and NYC. At JFK, we were two hours early before check-in, so lounged and read for a couple hours. It felt good after the frantic pace of the past few months. I'm reading Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. It's a cross cultural romance set in england between a conservative,retired military officer and a widowed Pakistani shopkeeper. It's engaging and surprising. We got email from Evan that reported a heat wave in Iceland! Guess we won't need all the fleece after all. Hopefully, we will be able to sleep a bit so we can hit the ground running in the morning!

Day 151: Checking in

We've been so busy today getting ready for our trip to Iceland tomorrow!  Still, I was able to swim a bit, get my hair cut and go to book club.  Carol's garden is peaceful and shady with delicate ferns and solomon's seal around the perimeter and graceful angels tucked in amid the foliage.  A small sunny bed sported strawberries, rhubarb and poppies.

Hunger Games was the topic of our discussion.  We analyzed the dystopia depicted in the book and compared the pitting of children against each other in a theater of war to many current spectacle sports and historical practices.  Although it was not particularly well-written, the concepts and themes prompted thoughtful conversations.

I finally finished all the tasks on my list, so perhaps we will sleep tonight for we certainly won't sleep tomorrow on the flight!

Day 150: Stockton Village Park

On our way back from Jamestown, we stopped by a tiny park right in the middle of Stockton.  Someone has taken great care to select many different varieties of iris and other perennials.  The beautifully tended beds offered vibrant color contrasts, especially with the blue spruce as a backdrop.  The garden is a sparkling gem that should not be missed.

Day 149: Memorial Day

When I was growing up, Forest Hill Cemetery was a place I ran past quickly.  I was not aware of death until my father's father died when I was a teenager.  I didn't know him well since we had only visited a few times.  Once I married Steve, I joined the annual family trek to Forest Hill to tend the graves of his ancestors.  One hundred eighty years of Osbornes, Reeds, Elwells and Cobbs, all early settlers of Fredonia, are buried there.  My ancestors were more recent immigrants and since my parents moved to the area when they married soon after WWII, I did not feel the continuity of family history.  

While the kids were young, they accompanied us and it was almost festive.  We planted flowers and explored the gravestones.  Now all four of our parents rest in that cemetery and I think about the depth of our family connections to this place.  Each year a flag is placed at my dad's stone along with all the other vets in our family like Uncle Harry and Captain Thomas Osborne.    So many veterans, so many service men and women, past and present.  

My friends Rachel and Laraine

It was 89 degrees today and I was able to swim 60 lengths.  Gardening, swimming and dinner with friends: perfection!  

Day 148: Susan and Philip

Saying goodbye to old friends is very difficult.  We had a lovely farewell party and everyone brought delicious dishes to share.  Unfortunately, the iPhoto gift book that I worked on for many hours did not arrive due to technical difficulties.  It was really disappointing, but hopefully I can get it printed soon.


It was delightful to get back in the pool and swim laps.  I'm out of shape, but it won't take long to build up the miles.

Day 147: Lily pads and Snapdragons

Each May the Amish community of Cherry Creek holds a relief auction to raise money to cover medical expenses for the year.  Families from throughout the northeast contribute all sorts of hand made goods and tools to sell.  Outside, the men gathered around as an auctioneer hawked sheds, farm implements and play structures.  Under the tent the auctioneer offered furniture, decorative items and woven rugs, but the quilts are the highlights of the entire sale.  During the evening, Amish women hand stitch incredible masterpieces.  Mary and I bid on a quilt in the traditional light and shadow pattern, but the price went too high.  I liked the intense colors that contrast with black and the straight, modern lines.  The Amish object to photographs so I could not capture any of the scenes.  We did, however, sample lots of tasty treats: homemade donuts, pulled pork sandwiches and their unique macaroni salad.

We stopped at Cassadaga Lake and found many people enjoying water sports.  I was eager to dive in myself.  I spent an hour vacuuming the pool, Steve added the chemicals and turned on the filter. Hopefully, it will be clean enough for swimming tomorrow.

Day 146: Summer in May

A hot, humid summery day filled with ice cream, gardening and the pool.  We filled the pool, put new sand in the filter, installed the skimmer and hoses, all the time hoping that the rusting panel will hold the liner and water.  After 21 years, one panel is crumbling away and cannot be repaired any longer.  I have clocked hundreds of miles in this pool and I'm anxious to start swimming again tomorrow.

Can there possibly be a more lush flower than non stop begonias?  I potted a dozen today in combination with sweet potato vines, lobelia and coleus.  There are at least another twenty pots to fill, each with a different mix of cascading flowers and vines.

Children playing at the lake's edge, ice cream dripping from cones and chins, the sun glinting gold on the water.  It feels like July not May.

Day 145: Sandy's garden

The pool is open!  It was a filthy job to scoop out the stinking globs of rotting leaves from the winter cover.  It's early, but the week is so warm and dry that it was easier than usual.

My friend Sandy has a five acre yard along Canadaway Creek.  The dog happily loped around the property, splashing in the creek and sniffing out squirrels.

We spent the evening with Mary planning our excursions in Iceland.  Only six more days!

Day 144: Chief's banquet

The fire service is truly a brotherhood of people dedicated to serving their communities.   Tonight the Chautauqua Fire Chiefs Association gathered to honor the fire fighters of the year, the citizens of the year and a county fire coordinator.

Three young firemen rescued a couple from  the second floor of a burning building in Sherman.  A woman fire fighter, along with a civilian,  kicked in the windshield of a semi and extricated a couple from their burning vehicle on route 60 in Cassadaga.  The civilian turned out to be the principal of Sinclairville Elementary School who left the scene after his own injuries were treated because he had children waiting for him at school.  Their courage and selflessness is so inspirational.

The evening ended with a tribute to a colleague who is retiring after 30 years of service as a deputy fire coordinator for the county.  That's on top of the ten years he spent in service to his own community.  Each speaker shared humorous stories, but each was filled with love and respect.

Steve has spent 39 years in the fire service and has been a coordinator for five years.   How many more years will he give to our community?  We talk about the day when he too will retire.  Certainly, it will be much more difficult than retiring from teaching.  The fire service, the danger, the rescues, racing to an accident, responding to a disaster, easing the pain of others; it's in his blood.

Fire fighters of the year

Fire fighter of the year

Chautauqua County Fire Coordinators

Day 143: Memorial Day Program

When I started the annual Memorial Day Program at school back in 2000, I was disgusted by the cavalier attitudes that our students and staff held.  Partying, shopping, picnics were the main preoccupations for the holiday weekend.  It was an idea that developed over time as I observed my students and thought about what I wanted to teach them that would last a lifetime.  When we visited the cemetery each May, the graves of veterans, including my dad's, were decorated with American flags.   So few kids understood the sacrifices made by servicemen and women.

You wouldn't think there would be any objections to a half hour, interdisciplinary program honoring vets, but there were plenty.  Two departments insisted that students couldn't afford to miss the class time.  In the first two years, some science teachers refused to release the kids from labs to attend.   Jr. ROTC cadets from Dunkirk High provided the color guard and some of our kids mocked them, giggled or hooted during the ceremony.

But then terrorists struck the U.S. The ceremony in 2002 was incredibly solemn as we paid tribute to the firemen, policemen and transit workers and civilians who were killed that terrible day.  Resistance from the staff vanished.   When the ceremony for 2003 came around, Colin was in basic training and the war in Iraq was underway.  I was terrified, just like so many other parents of servicemen.

Today's program was incredibly moving and beautiful.  Pat's military history class conducted the flag ceremony with great dignity. The audience was silent and respectful.  Little preschoolers wore star spangled hats and sat at the feet of the madrigal singers.  Michael and Elijah sang "On Angel's Wings".  But what made us both cry was a song about an 18 year old traveling soldier going to Vietnam sung by Margaret, Abby and Cassidy and accompanied by Deanna.

I am so grateful that Amy has continued to organize the program and that it's become part of Fredonia's traditions.

Day 142: Gardening time again

It was a joy to devote most of the day to gardening.  The herb garden was filled with celery and parsley that survived the winter.  I dug up the celery plants and carefully chopped stalks into bits to freeze.  I thought I better taste a piece and found it was terribly bitter so it went into the compost pile.  I clipped the parsley into an ice cube tray and froze it for soup.

The  hostas are fully mature, but browning as if it was August.  We desperately need rain, but only got a few drops.  When our hike groups passed the reservoir on Saturday, no water was flowing down the spillway or the creek.  At Arkwright Falls, the water level was way down.

My birthday topsoil was delivered today!  Half will go in a new vegetable bed, some will expand the dogwood garden and the birdbath garden gets the rest.

Day 141: The day after

It's not easy to put Quest to bed for another year, but we're getting close.  Last night, Al backed the trailer into the driveway and we unloaded all the supplies into the garage so we could sort them today.   Extra food, fuel, packs, bags of pots and pans, garbage cans.  Today we washed the gloves, stuff sacks, and food bags.  A few parents delivered packs and tents that student borrowed.  Tomorrow we'll begin to haul the equipment up to school and pack it away.

Showers never feel better than after three days of slogging through mud and sleeping in my clothes.  I was asleep by 6:00, but the phone kept ringing.  One of the things I love best about hiking and camping is the absence of technological intrusions.  Brigetta articulated that ideal so well in our exit meeting.

Steve became very ill with an intestinal flu on Wednesday and had to go home.  For the first time, I was in charge, but the program actually runs itself.  Our team of dedicated and knowledgeable adults and student leaders guarantees that everything runs smoothly no matter which leader is absent.  When Steve returned Friday morning, Kathy took his place in the sag car because she incurred a heel injury.    Mark moved into her place.  When Mike and Amanda had to leave on Saturday, Alex, a senior, stepped into the role of hike group leader.  None of the leadership shifts had any impact on the kids because their main connections are to their cook group leaders.

When we created the junior leader program sixteen years ago,  only five or six students were selected.  Now there are twenty three.  I don't like to turn anyone away who wishes to spend time outdoors supervising eighth graders!  They act as teachers, guides, motivators, organizers and mentors.  They take their responsibilities very seriously, but have lots of fun at the same time.  Quest is a richer experience for every participant because of our cadre of student leaders.

Day 140: Quest Saturday

Day 139: Quest Friday

Day 138: Quest Thursday