Day 397: Brave little nuthatch

Day 396: Paint crew

We feared that we had lost Paddy today.  He went out last night at 11:00 and refused to come in.  Who could blame him?  It was 60 degrees and he was tempted by the scents on the wind.  He did not appear at our door this morning though I called for him repeatedly.  Then the guys started working and made an awful racket as the cut out the old door frame and built a new one.  Then a ferocious storm blew through and he still did not appear.  I searched the woods, followed the creek, looked in and under the shed, checked all the trees.  No Paddy.  

In the afternoon, we had a painting party, and when we got home, he still wasn't there.  Finally, at 6:00 I was out again calling for him and he crawled out from under the shed, soaking wet and covered in mud.  He must have been terrified of the commotion and noise to endure those conditions.

Charlotte and Anna painting the 12th floor.

Day 395: Snow melt and lightening!

We're having a ferocious thunder and lightening storm tonight!  What a crazy week of weather.  On the way back from North East this morning, we got caught in a wild storm as a front swept across the lake plain.  Another huge front is moving across a huge area again tonight.  Tomorrow, it will be 65 degrees and then drop forty degrees by the next day.  No wonder so many people are sick.

I finally finished the food chapter, although I am not thrilled with it.  I will have to return to it again later.  So, in 29 days, I edited eight chapters!  What should I tackle next?  Field Sanitation? The Outdoor Classroom? Medical Emergencies?  We'll see tomorrow!  Although it will be very busy with musical work: shopping at noon, paint party at 3 and costumes at 7.

Storm door!

Snow melt!

 

Day 394: New doors arrive

Such a busy day! First thing this morning,  Pella delivered the new doors and the crew installed the front door.  Then we met with the contractor about bathroom fixtures.   Tomorrow they will finish the trim and begin to take out the back door.  The weather has really cooperated with this whole operation.

I drove a carload of friends to the funeral home in North East for calling hours for my friend's mom.  She was 91 and died suddenly on Friday night.  Although it was a bit shocking, when I compare it to my mom's passing at age 72 after ten years of illnesses, their family was fortunate.

New front door

Doors arrive

Day 393: Frozen creek

Over the next week, the original double door in the back deck and the front doors will be replaced. 

We haven't been able to open either of the doors with one hand for many years because the weight of the logs has pressed down on the frames.  The back door will slide instead of opening into the room so it will take up less space.  

It's been a long time since the creek actually froze.  Finally, we got out for a long walk in sunshine!  

The deer highway that leads to the convention center in our backyard!

The food chapter has been harder to complete than I anticipated, but I'm close.  The toughest part has been devising a formula to determine quantities of each food item for groups of different sizes.  We have an ancient formula that Lee created on an old floppy disk, but we have adapted it so many times that it's hard to explain.  I finally created a chart that shows the amount of each item based on cook group of five people.  

Day 392: Costuming

Such a busy day getting the cast into costumes!  The girls wear at least four outfits each and all of them are pretty this year.  No more headscarves, long skirts, aprons,  boots and shawls.  Instead, they'll be adorned in gowns that shimmy and sparkle, with ruby red lips and bobbed hair.  But the amount of work is huge!  Millie and the dancers are so good, so exciting, that they give me goosebumps!

Day 391: Trunks

Most of the day was spent on the food chapter so I didn't get out to take photos until late afternoon.  We were on on our way to buy paint for tomorrow's work party.  We'll be working on the 12th floor set and the hotel lobby in the afternoon.   The photos will be better tomorrow.

Day 390: Winter morning

What a gorgeous morning!  Early morning sunlight spilled through the willows and lit up the sky.  Patches of blue tempted me to go out, but it was only 11 degrees.  We bundled up to do a few errands and then I went back to peruse the routes chapter one more time.  After printing it, I tucked it into the blue binder of finished material: thirteen chapters, 123 pages!

In the afternoon I did a couple hours of research on backpacking food so I could see if I had left out any major points or included any incorrect information.  The one new point was about caloric density, which is a concept more suited to people who carry their food and hike for two weeks.

Day 389: Freezing

White outs and 13 degrees, but we ventured out anyway.  Two days in the house was more than enough.  We stopped in to see my department and drop off a cake.  It's always such a delight to spend time with them!

Mostly I spent time on the routes chapter, six hours actually, cause I kept thinking of new information and Steve reminded me of stories.  Now, it's complete and I can move on to a new topic tomorrow.  Perhaps food.  Twelve chapters down!

Rt. 20 near Brocton

Day 388: Eight degrees

Wind swept through the yard, bounced branches and whipped the feeders about with Mr. Cardinal hanging on.   A flock of doves, pairs of cardinals and blue jays, juncos and nuthatches darted from shrubs to branches seeking shelter and the only food available.  Apparently, the deer had the same idea cause they came by to finish any seed the birds missed.

Only eight degrees all day, I huddled in sweats in front of the computer or curled up next to the wood stove.   I read a hundred pages of Lincoln from the first battle of Bull Run through the death of their son  Willie.  It's hard to put the book down, but I did revise the chapter on routes and trails.   The major problem today was whether to combine the chapter into the Outdoor Classroom chapter.  I finally opted to keep them separate for now.  I should be able to finish it tomorrow.

DAy 387: Inauguration Day

The Oath

The Dove

First Dance

Carol and Molly

What a thrilling, joyful day!   We had a small gathering of friends over for a viewing party and toasted the President and our nation.

 I am always moved by the inauguration of the President.  It is a tribute to the enduring power of our democratic institutions and the Constitution.  The peaceful transition of power every four years is a model for the entire world.  But, this inauguration was very moving since it took place on anniversary of Martin Luther King's birthday and because it was so inclusive.   President Obama's inaugural address was bold and principled, truer to his progressive ideals than the first.  Frequently he repeated the phrase, "We, the people..."   Much of the speech focused on unity and equality.  One of the most significant lines that will be quoted for generations linked Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall as battlefields for equal rights.

Day 386: Penny and Pat

At Penelope this morning, Pat presented the first copy of the book, William B. Cushing in the Far East, authored by her husband and that she edited.  It has been a 13 year process.  Her husband began writing it in 2000, but has had two strokes and other health issues over the years.  She has done the editing, writing to get permission to use the photos, and all the promoting.  Finally, she found a publisher and carried on all the correspondence with them for the past two years as they ushered the book into final form.  What an achievement!

Penny's poem about her surgery was illustrated by her t-shirt adorned with angel's wings!

They also helped me with the title, but I am not sure yet how I will proceed.

Day 385: Title work

Dance rehearsal was dazzling.  The girls look amazing, but the boys have a long way to go.  It's very clear who has had training and who hasn't.  I had a crew of at least twenty workers with little to do until the dance ensemble was finished over an hour after expected.  Once they released the chairs, though, we got them painted very quickly.

I took a break from writing and only spent an hour on the book today.  My task was brainstorming possible titles while taking a long walk.  It was 47 degrees in front of a huge arctic air sweeping across the country later tonight.  Hopefully, my writers' group will be able to help me, cause I'm not wild about any of the options so far.

Day 384: New Prius

It  was a near perfect day.  We picked up our beautiful new Prius this morning then had Thai food for lunch.  When we drove in the driveway, I wanted to take a photo of the new car.  As Steve rolled forward to park it, I noticed a strange whining sound.  We immediately called the dealership and they told us that Toyota had added a sound for when the battery comes on and the car is moving slowly because the car was too quiet!  Crazy.  

I finished the equipment chapter and began brainstorming for a title!  

Day 383: SL Orientation

Student leader orientation was held today and they are so excited!  We have seven brand new recruits who were a bit nervous and shy.  Hopefully, they will open up and become more comfortable during Quest classes.  Maeg talked about her Expedition studies program at Plattsburgh as a future outlet for students who love backpacking adventures. Then she conducted a class on the importance of being aware of and prepared for the weather conditions.  When she returns in March, she will teach them about orienteering and navigation.   Tomorrow, she is returning to school where she will take a one week wilderness first responder course.  Outside of course!  With the Arctic front moving in, she is going to be so cold!

The ladies of Quest!

Day 382: Equipment progress

It was still 35 degrees this afternoon, so we walked for miles and discovered that the daffodils were also teased into blooming by the warm weekend.  They will be shocked by the Arctic air on the way over the next week.

Otherwise, I spent hours on the equipment chapter.  It was fun to relive my disastrous early experiences.   I am including the stories in the chapter to illustrate the advances in equipment over the last forty years and how I learned all my lessons the hard way.  In 1978, when I was 29 and a new mom, I signed on to go with Lee on the House I expedition.  I didn't know until this week that it was a total of 8 days and 75 miles.  Lee found a newspaper article describing our adventures, the routes and the mileage.  Most of it is a blur, probably because I was in total agony.  But, I do remember that I used a pack frame that my father-in-law built made of steel with a canvas sack that had just canvas shoulder straps and no hip belt.  We lashed on a down sleeping bag.  It weighed 40 pounds and I weighed 98.  My leather boots were too large and my feet slid around in them creating blisters on my heels and the balls of my feet.  Then I slid down a ravine and my toes smashed into the toe of the boot and snapped off four nails at the base.   Despite the torture, I was hooked.

Day 381: Forsythia blooms

I certainly didn't expect to discover forsythia blooms in Russell Joy Park today or crocus in my front garden.  With temps in the 60s over the weekend, we should have expected it.  The gorgeous blue sky was a delight.

The dam in Russell Joy Park

Paddy, my faithful writing companion

After hours of work, the leadership chapter is done!  Hooray!  I'm starting on the equipment chapter next.

Day 380: Pat and Michaela

Since this is Pat's first musical, he doesn't know me or that I photograph everything during the musical. He and Michaela were rehearsing the scene where they kiss for the first time.  The aud was nearly empty, perhaps to help them get more comfortable without a hundred kids watching and giggling.  I took six shots of the kiss and none of them were good.

We evaluated all the dresses to see what we have and how many we will have to buy or make.  It looks like the costume sweatshop of 42nd St. may return.  We'll also be buying lots of wigs.

Jimmy and Miss Dorothy

(brother and sister)

Millie

After four hours, I am still not quite finished with the leadership chapter. It will probably require two more hours.  What a treat!  I had a surprise visit from Lee tonight.  He was cleaning and found a news article from the backpacking trip for House 1 in 1978.  It had quite a bit of new information that I'll have to inject into the history chapter.  That trip was brutal!  Nine days and 75 miles!  No wonder it almost killed me.  I guess I blocked out the details.  All I remember is bleeding feet, leeches and the death of my friend's brother in a car accident. 

The one day hike was 13 miles.  The weekend trip was 17 miles in three days and two nights.  

The third trip was a total of 45 miles over five days! We departed from the MS and walked to the Renswick property on Seymour St., very close to where we camp now.  The second day we hiked to Cassadaga Country Club.  The the third day we covered 15 miles on the way to Cockaigne.  From there, we hiked overland to the state land where we currently camp on Thursday night.  Finally, on the fifth day, we walked to the Policeman's grounds where the trip concluded.  After that trip, Lee did more research on how many miles were appropriate for a young teen to hike in a day.  It wasn't 15!

Day 379: Perseverence

On Sixty Minutes tonight, Scott Pelley interviewed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic justice on the court.  She talked about the strong streak of stubbornness she possesses and how it helped her achieve her goals.  At age 10, she decided that she wanted to become a judge.  Because of her type 1 diabetes, she couldn't be a cop, but she was so intrigued by the lawyers and judges on the old Perry Mason tv show, that she wanted to capture that excitement as a lawyer.  Princeton recruited her as part of the affirmative action program and her school nurse was outraged that she was selected over other students.  She said that experience was repeated in her confirmation hearings.  They questioned whether she was good enough or smart enough.  So she perseveres, questions and works for the people.  She visited her old neighborhood in the Bronx, an immigrant neighborhood, where they welcomed her home.

Stubbornness is an often undervalued trait.  In school, it's sometimes punished rather than rewarded.  One of the great things about Quest is that we teach the kids to keep going, that they can overcome obstacles, push through pain, carry more than they thought, work as a team.   Although it's on a very small scale, it's such an important lesson.

I put in about six hours on writing today, maybe more.  We broke it up with two long walks on another unseasonably warm, though rainy day.  Tomorrow, I will have to cook again, I guess, since the spaghetti sauce and meatloaf are gone!  The leadership chapter is taking more time than expected because I went back and reread interviews from two superintendents, Lee, Rick, and a few others to include their thoughts on the topic.  I hope to finish tomorrow, but it may take two days.

 

A red tailed hawk high in a tree on Johnson St.

Day 378: Spinning chairs

For two dance sequences in Millie, they need a dozen chairs to spin on casters.  Tom H. built the frames and attached the chairs, then Steve and I put on the casters.  Today, our amazing crew taped off the chrome, spray painted the plastic chairs, attached the desk surfaces and then painted some of the desk tops.  About twenty students turned out to work this morning and we got a ton done.   We were able to spray paint because the  temperature was 62 degrees!  I didn't think we would get those chairs completed until March.  It's a good thing we finished because an Arctic cold front is moving toward us rapidly and outside painting will be impossible.  It will help the dancers to have them for rehearsals in the coming weeks.  The performers have made incredible progress very rapidly.  The dance numbers are so lively and fun to watch!

Fathima and Lauren spray painting chairs

January thaw

East side of science building

After we got home, we were took a long walk through town and campus and checked out the fast moving creek and the progress on the science building.

Day 377: Lincoln

One of the village ornaments

The film Lincoln was very powerful.  I cheered when the 13th amendment finally passed and wept when hospital workers tossed a wheelbarrow full of legs into a pit.  When the announcement that Lincoln had been shot came in the theater, our audience gasped.  Even though I have studied history for most of my life, I always enjoy a film that brings the characters to life.  Daniel Day Lewis was extraordinary as Abraham Lincoln.

I worked on the organization and expedition leadership chapter today and added 300 words.   Progress! This is the 11th chapter!

Day 376: My writing partners

Mr. Cardinal watching me work.

Paddy is doing his part to keep me on track.  He was a big help, because I finished another chapter today.  I think I will tackle the leadership and organization chapter next.  It needs significant work so it will probably take the rest of the week.  There are also a couple interviews that I haven't transcribed yet, so that must be done because I need to include some new voices.  I have realized that there were a few questions I never asked anyone so I'll have to conduct more short interviews.  But at this point, the book is nearly at the point where I feel confident submitting sections of the book to publishers.  

The remains of the tree that was being cut down yesterday.  It wasn't rotten and did not seem to be in the way of the power lines, so it's uncertain why it was removed.