tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31989672024-03-05T19:28:11.860-05:00random babblingslisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.comBlogger3130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-49383809640954014232021-11-22T21:54:00.001-05:002022-08-08T22:03:28.289-04:00Jazz Concert<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/52036609927/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_6590"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52036609927_d6a6eec736.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_6590"></a>
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Day Jazz and Afternoon Jazz had a concert tonight, so Sammy had another chance to get dressed up in his new suit.
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I like that he has a chance to solo. I also still think that it's silly to wear a mask if you're going to cut a huge hole in the middle of it.
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The concert is usually a fundraiser but they didn't have enough time to pull all that together, so they just asked the audience to donate to whatever charity they preferred, which was nice.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-84390333718204758602021-11-21T12:58:00.008-05:002022-08-12T13:02:07.898-04:00Fairpour<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/52276474271/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211121_103501432_HDR (1)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52276474271_0b2aea6003.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211121_103501432_HDR (1)"></a>
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Mike & I (& Callie) walked to Fairpour Coffee while Sammy was working today. We sat outside and enjoyed our coffee. Callie liked being able to scrounge near the table.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-855182130540843372021-11-20T12:05:00.028-05:002022-08-08T12:16:03.703-04:00Maker Faire and Boosters<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/52272093686/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211120_133407048"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52272093686_caf98575fb_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="IMG_20211120_133407048"></a>
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Sammy & I made the trip to Maker Faire. It was definitely smaller than in past years, but we still had fun. It just took a little less time to get through everything.
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My favorite booth of the year was the printing press where you could build the plates using Legos. Who knew? They had the primary colors available so that you could even personalize the colors.
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I've been getting more dinosaurs done so that Sammy can give them to his teachers. It's strange that it's the last year that I'll be doing this. Even so, it might be nice to feel less pressure to get lots of little things knit before winter break. I do love these dinosaurs, though.
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Mike & I had a hot date going to get our booster shot. Wooo! The setup was a little smaller this time, at a site downtown near the Strong Museum instead of at the Dome Arena. (It was also much easier to get an appointment.) Still had to wait fifteen minutes afterwards, though.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-45776638879556921092021-11-14T15:47:00.021-05:002022-08-07T16:34:10.331-04:00A New Sweater and RPYO<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51685956109/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211114_145558904"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51685956109_56c4d03414.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211114_145558904"></a>
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I can't resist fun clothes for Callie. (She needs them with her short fur.) We took her to Fellows Road Park to show off her new sweater.
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Then we headed to the first RPYO concert of the year at Hochstein. (The Hochstein ensemble had had a concert earlier in the day, so we had a 7:30pm start time.) They played A Night on Bald Mountain, Komm' Süsser Tod, La Forza del Destino, and Schubert's Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished". They even broadcast the concert, so Henry was able to watch from school.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51688263074/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211114_205109638_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51688263074_6ab6c2f4a1.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211114_205109638_HDR"></a>lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-30987295745788438252021-11-13T13:45:00.014-05:002022-08-07T13:58:36.031-04:00Another paying gig (well, sorta)<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51688482390/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211113_135837819"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51688482390_751c6e3be7.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211113_135837819"></a>
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Today I went to see Sammy at work since Shutt's was having a vendor fair for the holidays. One of his coworkers was making balloon hats (and animals) and had given all of the employees hats. It was a very popular place to be, but there were so many people that I couldn't get back to Sammy to get a picture of him in his hat. He humored me by letting me take a picture at home.)lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-66181894790732542112021-11-12T12:54:00.000-05:002022-07-14T12:57:33.282-04:00A Paying Gig!Through RPYO, Sammy was offered the chance to play music for pay at the Dome Center's Christmas in the Country shopping event. He even arranged for a couple other people to come join him. (The tricky part was trying to figure out what to charge, since he wasn't offered a set amount.)
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Regardless, he had a good time playing music.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-18799538353154437792021-11-07T20:50:00.000-05:002022-04-07T20:55:22.447-04:00Horizon HillI know many of my posts nowadays feature Callie. I offer no apologies. We got her a second bed because she tore a hole in the first one to get to the foam inside. (She doesn't eat it, she just scratches at it a lot. She's not a fan of the foam being bumpy. That, or she just likes to dig at her bed.) I found her sleeping on top of both beds.
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Today's hike was to the top of Horizon Hill. It looks like the leaves haven't quite peaked yet, which is strange since it's getting later in the fall.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51687857173/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211107_153439503_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51687857173_9dcd04fd10_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="IMG_20211107_153439503_HDR"></a>lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-70430549235284163672021-11-06T20:47:00.000-04:002022-04-07T20:49:14.831-04:00"Please Let Me In!"Sammy's been taking Calc 3 virtually through MCC this semester. Can you tell which room he was in to do his final?
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51688263519/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211106_164854550"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51688263519_bf34e18105_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="IMG_20211106_164854550"></a>lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-86680574098859821772021-11-05T20:48:00.004-04:002022-04-06T20:49:32.561-04:00DoofusA short huntress needs to make herself a little taller in order to guard the backyard from squirrels.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51686792957/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211105_171809232"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51686792957_3bee3bffd2.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211105_171809232"></a>lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-26953149770644906482021-10-31T20:36:00.001-04:002022-04-06T20:45:55.824-04:00HalloweenHalloween is a crazy day in a grade school. The kids are sooo excited for the candy and costumes. I was in the mood to have a more somber Halloween this year -- no costume, just a Halloween-themed shirt. I was guilted into heading home to get my costume -- not just the Creepy Carrot one from a couple years ago, but the inflatable dinosaur. It was amusing to wear it outside for the Halloween parade. The kids didn't really know who I was. (To be honest, though, they aren't really sure who I am on a normal day.) The wind made it tough to keep the head of the costume upright most of the time, but the smiles made it worth it.
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After work, we went on a walk on the canal near Schoen Place. Someone had yarn bombed some of the trees and signs along the canal path with Halloween-themed decorations.
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Of course we had Callie in her best Halloween sweater. She was adorable.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51688264139/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211031_151954157"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51688264139_b835ea48f9.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211031_151954157"></a>lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-87429560371488013732021-10-24T22:11:00.000-04:002022-03-30T22:19:32.295-04:00Lucien Morin<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51662999153/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211024_155111022"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51662999153_df70ee8d65.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_20211024_155111022"></a>
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We had some nice weather, so the family did the Lucien Morin Trail today.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-69637303059933343972021-10-23T00:52:00.089-04:002022-03-30T01:36:55.258-04:00Anniversary Trip, Day TwoWe got a chance to sleep in (a rarity since getting Callie -- she's very insistent on her 6am breakfast), then wandered around Seneca Falls. It was a cloudy, but dry, day. We were able to get better pictures on our walk. There's a nice view of the National Women's Hall of Fame from the bridge.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51663453209/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211023_084307633_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51663453209_f1c85ec4c4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_20211023_084307633_HDR"></a>
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Just across the "It's a Wonderful Life Bridge" is the <a href = "https://www.gsnypenn.org/content/dam/girlscouts-gsnypenn/documents/event-information/Ludovico%20Sculpture%20Trail%20brochure%20Final%20resized.pdf">Ludovico Sculpture Trail</a>. (The link is a nice pdf put together by girl scouts about the trail and many of the sculptures.)
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This sculpture is Free Spirit by Meriam "Mimi" Nelson. I liked how it seemed to change as you viewed it from different angles. (It also brought back fond memories of minigolf courses with the little loop-de-loops, like the Wickham Farms course.)
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This one is Machine Lace by Sarah Fonzi. (I just thought it was pretty and enjoyed how it looked delicate even when made out of metal.)
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This is The Falls of Seneca Falls. It made me determined to find the falls. After all, if there was a sculpture about them, it should be easy to find them, right?
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We left the trail (you have to go back the way you come in) and headed to Cafe 19 for breakfast. (I had a lovely breakfast wrap.) The cafe was tougher to find than I thought it would be -- it seems to be part of a business park.
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From there, we went to the <a href = "https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/elizabeth-cady-stanton-house.htm">Elizabeth Cady Stanton house</a>. We were fortunate to come upon a talk being done by a park ranger. (It's run by the National Park Service.) He gave a pretty great talk about the history of the house and the meeting of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (and how crazy her kids were sometimes). After the talk, I asked about the falls that the town was named for. It turns out that they flooded the area for the falls when they made the Seneca-Cayuga canal, so there's no way to see them anymore since they're completely underwater. :(
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We walked up the street a little bit and there were a pair of locks nearby with a hydroelectric plant. (The canal was diverted so that some of the water went over the hydro stuff and the lock was off to the side so that boats could still get through.)
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We stopped in the Seneca Falls Heritage & Tourism Center. (There were stamps to collect from the different places in town. I had forgotten my National Parks passport at home, but I stamped on some of the local maps so I can add them in later.) The woman working there was very friendly and enjoyed chatting with us.
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Our last stop was the Women's Rights National Historical Park. We caught the tail end of the ranger talk there and she was nice enough to grab the passport stamps out of the building for us to use. (The building was closed due to lack of available staff, but there was a nice fountain on the grounds that we could look at.)lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-61538950368300327312021-10-22T19:54:00.001-04:002022-03-27T20:55:15.439-04:00Anniversary TripMike & I did an overnight getaway to Seneca Falls, leaving Callie & Sammy at home (& Henry at college). The last time we were there was when we went on the Victor to Seneca Falls MS150 bike ride and I didn't remember it that well. We stayed in the Gould Hotel, which was next to the Women's Rights National Historic Park (which just looked like a grassy field from where we were staying). We ordered dinner from El Bajito (which had cool carved seats at their tables) and wandered around some while we waited for it to be done. We stumbled upon the end of a concert at the pavilion at People's Park, which was fun. We also noticed a lot more polarizing political signs around town, including a Dr. Seuss-style rhyming sign in a holistic healing store that proclaimed that no one was allowed to wear a mask in her establishment. There were other signs supporting masking in other places, but definitely a different world than Rochester. We walked across the bridge where they filmed "It's a Wonderful Life". Like in Pittsburgh, many people had attached locks to the bridge to commemorate their wedding or remember someone special. Maybe it's a universal thing nowadays and we just don't live near enough bridges that can have locks on them. We went past the National Women's Hall of Fame Museum (they had recently relocated to a bigger location in the Seneca Knitting Mill right along the Seneca Falls Canal) and then partway down a street with sculptures showing different figures from women's history.
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(Pictures at night weren't really great, so I'll have to share more of them tomorrow.)lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-14738299297017000982021-10-20T19:40:00.005-04:002022-03-27T19:45:18.519-04:0020th AnniversaryOkay, so we didn't do anything exciting to celebrate Mike & my 20th anniversary yet, but we did have a nice takeout dinner after Sammy's Concerto Competition.
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He did pretty well (from my vantage point in the hallway outside), but there were many people competing for a spot, so it's tough to tell what will come of it. The toughest part is just the waiting.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-51382432560839990942021-10-18T17:09:00.001-04:002022-03-27T17:16:41.665-04:00Ready for HalloweenI can't resist getting Callie clothes, especially ones for holidays. She tolerates it so well.
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I had to take her for a little walk through Fellows Road Park to show her off. :)
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I also finished a double-sided table runner for the breakfasts we do at school. It was my first time making something like that & I think it turned out pretty well.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51661963687/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211018_220724429_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51661963687_7d5bcc1e98.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211018_220724429_HDR"></a>
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One side is fall themed, and the other, Halloween.
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We also got the chance to hear Henry's first concert since the pandemic began--livestreamed, of course. I'm happy that they had people operating several cameras so that all the parents watching at home had chances to see closeups of their musicians.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-52822236936772387892021-10-17T16:49:00.041-04:002022-03-27T17:09:52.883-04:00Brickyard TrailSammy's accompanist for the RPYO Concerto Competition cancelled on him last minute, so we scrambled to find another one and arrange times to get some rehearsals in before the big competition. Mike, Callie, & I went early to pick up Sammy from RPYO and arrived early enough to enjoy the nice weather & a walk along the Brickyard Trail. We wandered down the trail to where it ended at Buckland Park. (We passed the community garden and remembered the time that we helped plant over there on Mitzvah Day.) There was a neat metal eagle statue commemorating war veterans.
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We couldn't get much further than that without being late picking up Sammy, but it was an enjoyable walk.
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The accompanist's house was up near Maplewood and she was really nice about practicing with Sammy. (Unfortunately for Sammy, he had three hours of rehearsal followed by practice with the accompanist, so he couldn't practice for very long. At least he'll have another chance before he competes this week.)lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-4323816800777757692021-10-12T11:18:00.001-04:002022-01-23T11:38:50.294-05:00First Concert!Today was Sammy's first live concert in a long, long time.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51838332143/in/datetaken-public/" title="ThumbsUp"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51838332143_b3afd1498f.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="ThumbsUp"></a>
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(He wouldn't pose for a picture without a thumbs up.)
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51838482439/in/datetaken-public/" title="Oct12Concert"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51838482439_fb3d36a37e.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Oct12Concert"></a>
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It was thrilling to be able to actually be there for the concert (though some of the musicians' masks didn't quite seem so protective. The trumpets in particular had huge holes in the front for their mouthpieces that didn't close up (they just cut holes into the disposable surgical masks)). I'm surprised that there aren't more kids sick in the ensemble.
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I'm so happy that my friend Brooke has offered to come to Sammy's band concerts, even though her son graduated with Henry. It's nice to be able to sit with her and enjoy the music.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-14053670763648140532021-10-11T19:30:00.004-04:002022-01-21T07:13:22.264-05:00Hanging Out with My FamilyI picked Mike up from the train station Sunday morning (he rode overnight from Chicago) and the day was mostly spent hanging out as a family (with a side trip to Pittsford Dairy and a night walk taking the long way to Perinton Park).
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Before dropping Henry off at the bus station on Monday, we satisfied his desire to wander around downtown. We brought the boys & Callie to the park at the top of High Falls that Mike & I had discovered a couple weeks prior.
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We also found a new photo op sign on Parcel 5 downtown.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51662771961/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211011_135009999_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51662771961_920233e14f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_20211011_135009999_HDR"></a>
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Henry & Mike grabbed a muffin from Spot Cafe & some water & we all ran back to the bus station so that Henry wouldn't miss his bus.
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Somehow I ended up with the muffin after Henry left, though. His bus arrived back in Potsdam so late that he wasn't sure that he'd be able to get anything for dinner. (He did succeed, though. Lee's Hawaiian came through for him.
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The other funny thing over the weekend was the discussion prompted by the Bills football game about the proper ratio of peanut butter to jelly in a sandwich. I personally like mine to have maybe a 1:1 ratio. (The school makes them with waaaayyy too much peanut butter.)lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-22266320797274092042021-10-09T06:45:00.049-04:002022-01-18T17:42:50.650-05:00Corn MazeNot only was Callie happy that Henry was home, she woke up & cried outside the room where Henry was sleeping until she was let in to see him.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51828033457/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211009_122654839"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51828033457_d4c1d8e2d4.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211009_122654839"></a>
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The boys & I met up with Henry's friend Colin to go through the Long Acre Amazing Maize Maze today. Henry & Colin went one way & Sammy & I went the other. In the interest of getting out quickly, Sammy & I didn't try to get all the pieces before leaving the maze. It's amazing how much time that shaves off the whole experience. We made it out fifteen minutes or so before Henry & Colin showed up.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51663452384/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211009_162318688_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51663452384_7dd8ec8a56.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211009_162318688_HDR"></a>
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(They solved it, too, so that's good.)
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I do like the camraderie that's formed with perfect strangers in a corn maze, especially when you see them over and over again. Everyone's working toward the same goal and willing to help others get there.
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After exiting the maze, the boys tried out some of the "Back 40" activities.
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Mike was at his cousin Emily's wedding reception in Chicago this weekend. (I couldn't go because I couldn't get Friday off.) He enjoyed his time visiting with family. He gets to ride the train back with his sister because her flight was cancelled. (There are a lot of flights like that lately. Flight staff often ends up sick and there aren't enough people to be able to run the plane.)
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We had Sammy's friend Ryan over in the evening, and I tested out new cookie cutters and pans that I had won from Wilton.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-13608799036219314532021-10-08T22:10:00.040-04:002022-01-18T17:46:49.657-05:00Trains and BussesI took the morning off so I could get Sammy from the train station. I was happy that his early morning transfer in Toledo went well. I'm not sure what we'd do if he missed his train at that time. I brought Callie with me, and she kept an eye out for the train.
<p>
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She was pretty thrilled to have Sammy back again. (Sammy was so tired, but told me stories of how much he enjoyed his visit to Michigan.) Callie cried on the way home because she saw squirrels that were outside the car.
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I had time (and enough flowers) to make a couple bouquets before returning to work.
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Later that evening, I headed back into the city to pick up Henry from the bus station (which is across the street from the train station -- I'm going to be pretty good at that route, since Mike comes home tomorrow). We stopped at Wegmans on the way home, partially to get dinner for Henry and partially because Henry doesn't have one near him in Potsdam.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51662771606/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211008_200726648_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51662771606_06976c5fa5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_20211008_200726648_HDR"></a>
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Henry was so happy that Callie was delighted to see him.
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We played a game of Azul and did our typical walk to Fellows Road Park.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-33674540054749324092021-10-07T18:21:00.001-04:002021-12-08T22:12:06.530-05:00University of Michigan!Sammy & Mike's train was two hours late getting to Toledo (it was very slow going through Ohio), then the bus driver stopped a couple times on the highway along the way to Ann Arbor. (Once to use the bathroom in the back of the bus, then once to turn around and drop off someone who slept through getting off in Detroit.) A scheduled meet-up with my friend Frank was cancelled. (He's one of the nicest guys I know. He was always very kind to everyone when we were in school. (He was getting his doctorate when I was an undergrad. We met through the campus church, where we were both part of the Newman Fellowship and one of the choirs. We were part of the crowd that played wallyball each week. Or made bread. Or just hung out.))
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Instead, they went to Angelo's for breakfast. (My other favorite, Zingermann's, didn't open until 11.) Angelo's is known for its French toast. I think Mike enjoyed it. (Sammy opted for a sandwich instead.)
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51730503939/in/datetaken-public/" title="angelos"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51730503939_e0b063481e.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="angelos"></a>
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They had some time before the School of Engineering tour, so they went to see the Arb. (It was next to my freshman dorm. I would take hikes there when the weather was nice. Sammy appreciated it, too.) He liked walking near the Huron River.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51688259789/in/datetaken-public/" title="Image_20211007_111413"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51688259789_b9219846ba.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Image_20211007_111413"></a>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51731901216/in/datetaken-public/" title="Huron"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51731901216_5ff33ec935.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Huron"></a>
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They continued on to Central Campus, stopping to see the Diag (being careful not to step on the M) and the Bell Tower.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51732814229/in/datetaken-public/" title="diag"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51732814229_78a774d02b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="diag"></a>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51733057870/in/datetaken-public/" title="belltower"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51733057870_507628eb1e.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="belltower"></a>
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It was almost time for the engineering tour, so Mike & Sammy walked to North Campus. Their tour guide was from the Phillipines and was very enthusiastic about the school. Sammy liked that there was a challenge to make a blimp that could travel across one of the buildings.
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After the tour, Mike contacted my friend Frank and he actually had some time to meet up with them! He took some time to chat with Sammy not only about engineering, but about how he could keep playing music. (He also gave him a Michigan hat.) It made my heart happy to know they were able to connect.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51732030042/in/datetaken-public/" title="frank"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51732030042_ef39c7919a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="frank"></a>
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After meeting with Frank, Mike & Sammy walked back to the hotel and took an Uber to Zingermann's for sandwiches. Then came the crazy part of Sammy's day. He took a bus back to Toledo so that he could catch the 3:15am train back to Rochester. Mike stayed in Ann Arbor overnight to catch the train to Chicago for his cousin's wedding.
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Meanwhile, back on the farm, I had a normal day of work and then took Callie to Harris Whelan Park for a stroll.
<p>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51663644170/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20211007_174253849"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51663644170_5506aab2d4.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_20211007_174253849"></a>lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-10830048246907890132021-10-06T07:07:00.007-04:002021-12-06T07:15:12.714-05:00Concert and Train StationToday was mostly a normal day. We did get to see Henry's first completely in-person concert...virtually.
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After the concert, we headed for the train station. It's going to be a very busy 24 hours for Mike & Sammy. They're going on an overnight train to a bus to Ann Arbor for a tour of the University of Michigan, followed by Sammy taking the train back to Rochester overnight and Mike continuing on to his cousin Emily's wedding reception in Chicago. (She got married last year, but the pandemic made it so they couldn't celebrate with a group until now. I can't go because I'm not allowed to take a day off before Monday's Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day holiday.)
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It'll just be Callie & I for a bit at home.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-91435431811850294722021-09-30T15:23:00.027-04:002021-12-05T15:47:33.755-05:00Senior PicturesSome good news came today -- Sammy's arm isn't broken! It's just a contusion, so he only needs to wear the sling when his arm hurts and it'll heal faster than if it had been actually broken. (We also discovered that Sammy will continue getting taller for a while.)
<p>
After work & school today, Sammy, Callie, & I went to meet up with Mrs. Keeney, one of the Dudley 1st grade teachers, to take his senior pictures. Our first choice for pictures, St. Joseph's Park, was closed by that time, so we went to Cobb's Hill Reservoir to get the bulk of them, then stopped by the old water towers with graffiti since Mrs. Keeney hadn't seen them before (and I like to drag people to neat places I've discovered around town). We ended our outing at Corn Hill Landing to snap a couple with the Genessee River and the cityline behind him. I was too distracted to take any pictures of my own, so shots of the shoot will have to wait until they are processed by Mrs. Keeney. It was somewhat chilly today, but nice enough to go around with just a jacket. Sammy was refusing to be amused by any of our hilarious jokes. His loss.
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I stopped in Tony D's to grab a pizza for dinner. It was pretty good.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-31747416811998187312021-09-29T19:05:00.014-04:002021-10-03T19:10:04.279-04:00Home Again!I picked Sammy up from his trip. He was all smiles and ready with stories. I'm thrilled that he had such a good time with his friends. (One of the people in his group was nice enough to offer him a couple oranges when he couldn't find anything to eat but milkshakes at the Shake Shack they had chosen to dine at.) He didn't get to meet any actual congresspeople, but did go to a couple of their offices and met with their staff. He thought the trip to the DEA and FBI offices were the best, though. (And of course their bus stopped at the Wegmans that everyone stops at to and from trips to D.C.)
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(His trip is his story, though, so I'm not going to tell much of it here.)lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3198967.post-88275497114082429212021-09-26T16:45:00.001-04:002021-10-03T16:59:55.990-04:00Empty NestWe woke up early and drove Sammy to the high school for his trip (explaining to the teacher in charge about his arm). It was so odd a feeling to be child-free for a while, sorta like I was missing something.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51518851217/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20210926_074630916_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51518851217_07681370d6_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="IMG_20210926_074630916_HDR"></a>
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We had a beautiful day for it, though. Mike & I finished up the Perinton Wegmans Passport by heading through the Mason Valley Trail.
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Since that was a relatively short walk, Mike humored me with a walk through the city. The water level for the river was still high, and I'm not sure that I've ever noticed the spillways under the Rundel building of the Central Library. (Apparently, they are spillways for the Johnson & Seymour millrace, which provided water power for area mills. Much more information on the library can be found <a href = "https://www.libraryweb.org/rochimag/architecture/SpecificBuildings/Rundel/Rundel.htm">here.</a>)
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51533269913/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20210926_133009048_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51533269913_843a624744_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="IMG_20210926_133009048_HDR"></a>
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There is a lot of construction going on near the Genesee River downtown. They're renovating the River Walk to make it into a nice place for performances and hanging out, including the area next to the Rundel Building. They're also converting the old aqueduct/subway/double bridge so that they remove the top layer and have the bottom one as a pedestrian area. This will likely involve getting rid of all the graffiti art that has been done in the subway over the years.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51533270073/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20210926_133340161_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51533270073_0796b785b4_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="IMG_20210926_133340161_HDR"></a>
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Our trail through the city led us to Brown's Race, where we found the park at the top of High Falls open for the first time that I've ever seen. That was a neat surprise. There were picnic tables up there as well as an info sign about "the Wheel Pit" that was in the building in front of us. (It's the mysterious building next to the falls with no windows. I had wondered for a long time about what had been housed here.) The wheel pit used to have as many as three water wheels that would turn as the water went down. What was less apparent was whether there was an actual building that used to be there or if it was just a front to hide the pit and the wheels. There were a couple floors above the pit (where people had jumped over the railings to paint graffiti), but nothing to indicate that it was anything other than a place to satisfy one's curiosity. Still, it was a really neat find.
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It's hard to tell, but that's a picture of the top of the falls. (It looks like the big stone barriers were added later and that people used to go down to the little park area that was right next to the drop. Too many people in barrels, perhaps?)
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A view into the wheet pit.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51533024701/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20210926_141806248_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51533024701_14c7154211_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="IMG_20210926_141806248_HDR"></a>
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We had to make a trip to the Pont de Rennes Bridge before heading back. The place we were is the windowless building next to the falls.
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On the way back, we passed a couple murals that were new to me.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51533270723/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20210926_143014282_HDR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51533270723_743f74f2a0_z.jpg" width="519" height="640" alt="IMG_20210926_143014282_HDR"></a>
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This one is called "I Am Speaking" and features a young John Lewis. (<a href = "https://www.npr.org/2020/12/28/950724157/rochester-n-y-is-home-to-building-size-mural-of-late-rep-john-lewis">According to NPR,</a> John Lewis was provided first aid by two nuns from Rochester after he was beaten on the Selma bridge.) The mural is across the street from where we did the yarn bombing a couple years ago. Some of the yarn squares are still there, though they have sadly become torn and grey with age. The statue of Frederick Douglass that is installed there has been painted a bit so that it looks like his jacket has a bit of color.
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There's also a beautiful new mural that was painted on the side of the Times Square Building.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedebia/51533744109/in/datetaken-public/" title="IMG_20210926_143313687_HDR_2"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51533744109_9d039c2541_z.jpg" width="476" height="640" alt="IMG_20210926_143313687_HDR_2"></a>
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It's called "<a href = "https://storiesofstrengthroc.org/">Stories of Strength</a>", and is dedicated to survivors of domestic violence. The artist interviewed survivors while creating the mural.lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00322546256983364493noreply@blogger.com0