Here we are 2.5 months into 2019 and life is good. Winter has been around very long in this North country of NYS, as expected. It has snowed most days since early November and there’s still a few feet on the ground. It’s been mighty cold too, and as the rest of the country suffers this weather as broadcast on the news, it is par for the course up here. Nevertheless, we’ve been active, x country skiing, snow shoeing, and ice skating out and about. Our friends Lewis and Louise visited mid February to observe the annual Saranac Lake Ice Festival events, with this year’s theme being ‘prehistoric’. We went tobaggoning and skating on Mirror Lake and enjoyed a theatrical gem “Guys on Ice”, billed as the world’s funniest ice fishing musical.
We also enjoyed visits from my brother-in-law Serge, who took us snow shoeing up Azure Mountain in -3F deg weather, and then he goes on ice climbing for fun. He’s 72.
Greg and I made a couple of trips to Buffalo to install the kitchen cabinets he built for my sister Theresa. The cabinets and the whole remodel look amazing. We also spent time with Mom and my other siblings who live nearby (brothers Ed and Dave). Also, I had a nice visit with my high school friend and maid-of-honor from many moons ago, Pauline and my best friend growing up, Jane. It’s wonderful reconnecting with these lovely ladies and sharing our life stories.
Another highlight this winter was a week spent in Antigua with our kids and my soon to be daughter in law Anna. Dan and Anna were engaged shortly before we left on our trip and we had a whole week to spend together getting to love her. We stayed at Cocobay, our second visit, getting spoiled with sun, sand, surf, at this beautiful adult all inclusive resort. While there, Dan and Anna (DanAnna?) Got open water scuba certified. And small world that it is, we had a visit with Jeanette and Alan while they were in Port on their separately scheduled cruise: a reunion away from home. We traveled with them to Italy last year, and I had worked with Jeanette at Wyeth so many years ago.
I know I’m forgetting some things and events, like the fun pottery classes I’ve been taking. I roped in some neighbors too, Andrea (Amdrea? Camdrea? Understandrea?) and Beverly. Bev just moved to our neck of the woods in January from NJ. She and her husband Neil embraced the woodsy lifestyle with aplomb. We regularly see them walking our ice and snow packed road with microspikes and full face mask ala Jason-style of horror movie fame. Beneath the hangman’s face garb is Beverly’s beautiful smile, protected from negative degree weather.
The social scene among the few of us that live on the road is quite active. We spend a few evenings each week at dinner with various neighbors, in or out. We enjoy visiting with them all, and have discovered a few new restaurants and some recipes in the process.
I’ve been swimming laps at the local community college pool where I had previously coached volleyball. There’s talk of closing this local health-positive resource and my personal getaway from the brutal cold, but I think common sense will prevail. It would be a PR nightmare and a huge loss to this small community.
All this background to my winter activities leads me to introduce my next blog. In fact, Greg and I are currently lounging under a palm tree on Miami’s South Beach, in advance of our departure tomorrow for Lima, Peru where we begin our South American Adventure. We are travelling with Odyssey Unlimited to the Amazon jungle, then Machu Picchu, and finally to the Galapagos. I’ll keep you apprised, if you care to follow. They’ve just cancelled our return flight on a Boeing Max 8, so as of now this is an open ended trip. Let the adventure begin!!!
My new reality 