Despite overcast skies and high winds it proved to be a nice day for a nature walk. I discovered a new path which offered great access to our new Great Blue Heron rookery even if from a very great distance. I spotted two and three chicks on every nest, a veritable bumper crop of very healthy looking birds.
Jeanine and I leave for California in the morning where we will witness Kyle’s commencement ceremony on Saturday. Although he graduated in December, we wanted him to experience the full pomp and circumstance of this milestone.
Jeanine has been offered and accepted the position of Executive Director at Open Table. Maya and Karuna (Nicolai’s girlfriend) surprised her with flowers and ice cream to celebrate the occasion. Taking her out for lunch at Paparazzi, by comparison, seems like a feeble gesture on my part. I did, however, offer much emotional and coaching support as she navigated the long interview process which included 20 other candidates. Her start date will be August 1st allowing her to travel to Europe on a visit already planned for July. We are all very proud of her and can’t wait to watch as she leads the organization into the future.
No longer the speedster she once was, Nala is aging gracefully as she turns 50 in human years. She can still out run me but in another year or two I expect to gain the advantage. She remains gentle and independent, behaving more like a cat than a dog. I am going to try and persuade Maya to reshoot a photo that I took when Nala was just a puppy. Although she is much larger now, Maya is plenty strong enough to pick her up and I think the grass in Mattison field is just the right height. Stay tuned.
Shot two nights ago, I finally had a chance to select my favorites from over 100 images I took. Everywhere I looked, the sky was on fire. Pictured on top and bottom is the Sudbury River. The image in the middle is from our back yard.
Our garden is peaking this week with flowers blooming everywhere. In a matter of days the spring symphony will be over and I am pleased I have been able to enjoy it this year.
At Concord Carlisle High School, seniors are treated to an All Night Live party to celebrate their graduation. Parents of underclassmen traditionally take charge of the event so senior parents can relax. Jeanine and I were on the decorating committee and placed in charge of lighting.
As a favor for a close friend who is moving, I photographed and put up for sale the pictured telescope. The rest of the day was split between eradicating a bumper crop of poison ivy located in the woods at the edge of our property and shopping for the few remaining items needed to complete my car camping setup. Jeanine and I will be driving down to North Carolina for a family reunion at the end of the month and plan to visit the Great Smoky Mountain and Shenandoah National Parks.
A couple of young visitors were enjoying our all-you-can-eat salad buffet. Generally unconcerned with my presence, they are quick to perk up when Nala is about. I often wonder what Nala would actually do if unrestrained by her electric containment fence.
I spent a good portion of the day repairing various items around the house. Pictured above is the vacuum breaker for our lawn irrigation system. The most challenging aspect of the job was locating a replacement washer for the now-discontinued valve. Happily, the repair was successful. Regrettably, it was not the only source of leaking in our system and I now need to look for the next one. Other repairs included replacing the electronic ignitor in our outdoor grill, replacing a visor retention clip on the Audi, and various other small projects that needed attention.
The birdhouses at the edge of our property are home to a pair of Bluebird families. I think it is fair to say that they will be spending the day indoors as long as this rather large hawk remains in the immediate neighborhood.
Although we had no particular plans to do any mountain climbing, Jeanine and I found ourselves in Keene Valley and decided to hike to the summit of Hopkins Mountain which offers a stunning panoramic view of the Adirondack Mountain range. We completed the 6.4 mile climb to the 3183 foot bald peak in just over 4 hours returning to our car as it began to rain heavily.
When I was a small boy my family visited Ausable Chasm, the “Little Grand Canyon of the East.” The 2 mile long sandstone gorge begins at Rainbow Falls and eventually empties into Lake Champlain. My mother tells the story of my brother Mark who crawled under the railing to drop leaves into the chasm and how she snatched him back from the edge of the cliff. Only now can I appreciate how terrifying that must have been. Jeanine and I got an early start and took the ferry from Vermont to New York arriving ahead of the Memorial Day weekend crowds.
The Pink Lady Slipper orchid below is one of two Jeanine spotted while hiking along the chasm trails. They have become very rare in this part of the world. After completing the gorge trails we ventured upstream to investigate Rainbow Falls.
In the afternoon we visited Lake Placid, home to the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and one of the more pristine lakes in the Adirondack Mountains. A boat tour of the area provided a wealth of information about the lake and close views of the “summer camps” of the rich and famous who flock here during the warmer months.
Jeanine located a primitive campground adjacent to Taylor Pond where we enjoyed my rudimentary camp cooking, a nice fire, and the company of three loons.
On a whim, Jeanine and I decided to head off on a road trip. Our first destination was Burlington, VT where we dined with and spent the night at Jeanine’s sister’s house. Before arriving we went for a leisurely stroll on the town’s boardwalk/bike path which borders Lake Champlain. There, preparations were underway for the Vermont City Marathon and Relay to be run on Sunday. We encountered what appear to be the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz and a litter of baby Rottweilers which could not have been more adorable. Good thing we left Maya at home with Nicolai and Johnny, otherwise we would have been returning home with another dog.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
