Childhood Haunts, Lexington, and Home Again

We pulled out of the Stone House on Friday morning, two weeks after our arrival. It was a whirlwind of a visit.

 

Heading off on blue highways, we drove through the hills, through Carthage, around the south side of Watertown, through Adams, and across Route 104 to Rochester. We drove through Durand Eastman Park, where I did most of my practice driving in Driver's Ed when I was 17. I could feel the power of learning that it is better to accelerate slightly on curves rather than braking on them.

We cruised Rock Beach Road, into White City, past Tone Terrace here I lived until I was in 7th grade.
In the summers, my Gage cousins, Walt, Rich, and Mike often came with Aunt Dorthea to spend a day at the lake with me, Marty, Pat, Kathy and our mom. We could walk down Tone Terrace, which was our post office address but was only a foot path . . . no cars allowed . . . cut through some yards, and be on the Lake Ontario shore in minutes.

It was not an official beach. It was our beach. We jumped off water-logged tree trunks, dug in the sand, and jumped the waves.

Lake Ontario is very high water this year again. I suspect our beach was not there any more. But a little farther along, I drove down Bateau Terrace to a city park on a piece of land that used to belong to my parents. Looking down the grassy slope to the beach, it looked a lot like what I remember of our beach a few block east.

 

 

Best of all, there were kids jumping the waves and playing with water-logged giant chunks of wood. Moms were watching and letting them take all those thrilling risks. Sweet!

We drove past the house I lived in while in high school and it looks great.

We crossed passed the Seneca Park Zoo (which was pretty much in our back yard), the Genesee River, and Kodak, to the cemetery to check out the family area and see if I needed to have the stone cleaned.

The day ended with a gorgeous drive through the hills and valleys of New York into Pennsylvania for the night, and a drive up Pickle Hill to the house we built in 1973.


Saturday we arrived in Lexington for an afternoon and evening with Meg and Steve.

 

Eleven+ hours after we left them in the morning, we were home in Gainesville. The amazing good news at home was that just about two weeks after leaving, we returned to a renovation project that is 90% complete. Bravo Robert Battaglia and Graetz Renovation!

BEFORE

AFTER

Yoga, Walks, Art, Family and Friends

It is so nice to have a yoga class in Star Lake. I went both Tuesdays that we were in town and enjoyed both classes. Thanks to Pam Testone, Annette Craig, and the Wellness Foundation for making it happen.

Each day we were able to walk around the lake with Stela, training for our fall Camino walk while enjoying the abundance of wild flowers and gardens in bloom. Well, Stela wasn't in training. She will spend our Camino in Lexington with Steve and Meg.

 

 

 

 

 

As the week progressed, we read and did some watercolor sketches.

We watched the rain fall and the loons swim by. We bought a few things at Adirondack Rustics, which we love to visit.

Wednesday, we had a nice lunch with Cousin Charlene in Ogdensburg. It was a pretty drive over through the Amish farm country, Colton, Canton, Heuvelton, and Edwards. Charlene ordered us up a huge feast from the local Italian restaurant and her caregivers picked it up for us. She was in fine fiddle, counting all the caregiver assignments on the white board, bragging about how well they make coffee and Spruce Street House, and talking about her birthday trip home to Watertown, where she grew up, next week for her 76th birthday. She will stay at a hotel, visit her old haunts, and meet up with an old friend from her family's church there. Last year when we visited she was in a lot of pain. We were very happy that she was more comfortable this visit and that we could chat more.

 

Jim and Sue Conner came by for lunch on Thursday. they are Gainesville friends with whom our lives have multiple intersections. they summer in Rochester, where Sue and I both grew up. Jim went to Eckerd College, as did Meg (Several years after Jim's time there.) We are all cheese fans and nature lovers. They had been on a road trip through Maine, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. They returned through the Adirondacks to Rochester and we were luck-for-us right along their route. It was a great visit with multiple tomato sandwiches made with home grown tomatoes that Pam and James, and Kit left for us. We topped off the sandwiches with scones left from the Class of '61 and Friends party.

Copper Rock Falls Hike

Pam and James spent Monday fishing, kayaking, and rafting.

Kit, Russ, and I took a lovely drive along the River Road from Newton Falls to the Windfall. Russ found his first geocache. We hiked at Copper Rock Falls on the Tooley Pond Road, after which we walked around the lake. That may have been too much. I sure was happy for the Star Lake yoga class this morning to stretch out the walking and hiking muscles.

We all got back together for dinner at our camp last night, since Pam, James, and Kit all needed to head out this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have to work . . . Look for an office on a floating dock

Pam and James arrived Thursday. She had a conference call on Friday. She set up an appropriate office for it. 

Mid call, there was a break for folks to replenish their coffee supply before the next discussion. Pam found an alternative activity.

The four of us celebrated our friend Pat Neptune's life Friday evening with many, many Star Lake summer friends. Her spirit will always be part of our lake-time.

Kit, another Cedar Key friend, arrived on Saturday in time for the annual Star Lake Poker Run. She, Pam, and I kayaked around for a while. We all sat at our camp and watched the parade of decorated competitors float by when we were tired of kayaking and swimming. We took the raft from Pam and James' camp out to see all the other rafts, including one towing a power boat as a sidekick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Kit, Pam, James, Russ, and I walked in the Save Our Schoolhouse 5K Walk/Run, after which we participated, for philanthropic purposes of course, in the pie and ice cream social. The race results were ready when the pie was gone. Kit, Peg, Russ, and James won in our age groups. James - first place; Russ and Peg - each got a second place, Kit - third place. Pam, who came in ahead of any of the four of us who brought home plaques, got no prize! She is in a competitive age group for women.

 

 

Sunday afternoon, the five of us hosted a Clifton-Fine High School Class of '61 and Friends party. Darn nice day!

Carl, Bonnie, and Karen came by raft

Peg, Stela, Pam,Russ await the arrivals

Roscoe, Bonnie, Peter, Phyllis in the camp living room

Pat, Roscoe, Bonnie, Pete, Phyllis, Carl, Gary, Marie, Cherie

Kit and Karen in the kitchen

Around the Lake, Kayaking, Reading

Roger and Libby left today to continue their adventures.

We walked around the lake with Stela. Our legs are getting a bit more used to the hills, but it is still harder to walk 4 miles here than in Florida.

I did some kayaking. I am almost good at getting in and out now, after several days of practice.

Mostly, today was a quiet day of washing clothes, reading, and watching the rafts and water skiers go by.