Week Twenty-Five - 27 to Go

The the ladies are back to form. Plus there were a few edgy moments, like you have come to expect from Patterson.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2012

APC Night Photo Walk

At 8:25 PM The Auburn Photography Club assembled in the parking lot behind the gazebo across the South Street entrance to Memorial City Hall. The nine members in attendance proceeded to walk toward Genesee Street. On the way Joe shared the Light Trac app.

While waiting the blue light moment Ian graciously agreed to model for the group. Passerbys eyed the group with interest.

Before shooting the neon of Hunter's Dinerant the nearby business windows and building facades provided photographic images.

An Abandoned Business

A For Sale Restaurant

An Upscale Eatery

A Retro Music Store

What America Runs On

Hunter's Dinerant lite up and the group became aggressive. While photographing the diner from across the street three women leaving Moro's Table inquired if we were the paparazzi and was there someone famous eating in the diner.

Walking further east on Genesee Street the backlit window of Angelo's Pizza caught our attention. The pizza maker was performing his magic, and it was captured by several of us.

The group dispersed around 10 PM.

Camp Michael Weekend - June 2012

Francis Lake

Friday 8 June 2012
Joan & I met up with Michael and Emily in Syracuse. Michael drove up North. Stopped at Erwin Park in Boonville (well-maintained porta-potty) and ate the sandwiches that Emily had purchased earlier in the day at Dorian's. Got ice at the convenience store in Watson. Arrived at Camp Michael at 8:13 PM just as it started not sprinkle. Quiet night of reading and watching TV.

Saturday 9 June 2012
At 6:00 AM drove to Francis Lake.

No one there. No loons. Over the winter the Francis Lake Revisited cache had been blown down the hill. Replaced it under the tree.

Emily made Skillets with sausage and bacon for breakfast. Dish TV working well. Only limitation is no channels for local news.

Several moths were attached to the cedar siding around the front door.

Michael and I went for drive.

At the Moshier Dam there were several Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. A large bird that we could not identify flew over the Beaver River bridge.

Traveling McCarthy Road we came upon a large deer, and a Ruffed Grouse with six chicks.

Took a detour down a good road. Went as far as we could then parked and walked into Sunday Lake. Thanks to OFF! the bugs did not attack us.

For dinner we went to The Stillwater Inn. The annual opening BBQ was in progress. We passed on the depleted buffet and ordered off the lunch menu. The food was bar fare and Chelsea, our waitress, was attentive and efficient. The highlight of the meal were six Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that were swarming around the feeders attached to the picture window adjacent to our table.

There were several boats and people at the launch.

Stillwater Reservoir Boat Launch

Michael and I mowed the grass when we returned to Camp. At dusk Michael built a campfire. Sat out there until a little after 11 PM.

Sunday 10 June 2012
Took a short walk down Beaver Camp road. A tad buggy.

Junction of Number 4 Road & Stillwater Road

Roger joined us for breakfast. Left around noon.

 Team Cameron

Safe trip over Tug Hill and down Rt. 81. Michael drove.

Week Twenty-Four - 28 to Go

Take a professional assassin, a wise-beyond-her-14-years girl, a Special FBI Agent and a string of murders, toss all these balls in the air and get out of the way. Baldacci catches them all for you. Vintage Baldacci. You will finish the novel a satisfied reader.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2012 

Kiss Me Kate

Mary Claire King (Samantha House) and Ralph Meitzler (Bill/Lucentio)
Photo by Samantha House

Looking forward to seeing the long-awaited Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival kick off, Joan and I went to the first show of the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse's 2012 season on Monday June 4th.

Merry-Go-Round Playhouse’s first production Kiss Me, Kate, the 1948 Tony-Award-winning musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, got the summer season got off on the right foot.

The show opened with a show topper, Another Op’ning... Another Show, sang with gusto by Karen Marie Richardson. The ensemble put forth an energy which they maintained throughout the performance.

Another highlight was a clever rendition of Brush Up Your Shakespeare by the Gangsters, Bruce Warren and Bob Frame.

Joan and I are in total agreement with Tony Curulla's P-S review, our favorite too was the up-tempo, jazz-infused dance sequence to “Too Darn Hot” at the head of Act II, led by Thay Floyd.

Ed Sayles’ direction definitely got the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival off on the right foot.

Other shows of this season:
9 to 5: The Musical
My Fair Lady
Cabaret
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Nunsense

Week Twenty-Three - 29 to Go

Baseball plus Grisham equals a winning combination. Everyone should read one book based on "America's past time" every summer. This would be a satisfying read for the summer of 2012.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2012 

Birding - Montezuma

Eastern Pond Hawk Dragonfly

South Spring Pool

Arrived at the Cayuga-Seneca lock at 7:20 AM to see one of the fledglings fly in from over Cayuga Lake and land in the nest.

GoScope photo

The other fledgling was outside the nest.

 GoScope photo

With the exception of Canada Geese, Red-wing Blackbirds and a lone Yellowlegs and a lone Green-winged Teal the auto-drive was quiet. Benning Marsh (according to afternoon cayuga-birds emails) would be active later in the morning. 

 Yellowlegs

 Green-winged Teal

At Tschache Pool introduced myself to Jackie and Larue. They were out doing their weekly bird count.

Mays Point observation deck provided some good views of three Great Egrets and three Bald Eagles. The eagles were feeding on carp. Chuck Gibson joined me on the deck. He scoped several Dunlin and Semipalmated Sandpipers. When I was leaving a Wild Turkey crossed in front of me in the Mays Point parking lot.

 Crow & Eagle

Pulled into Towpath Road around 9:24 AM. Greeted by three Trumpeter Swans and three Common Moorhen (aka Common Gallinule). From the entrance gate to the turnaround at Puddler's Pond I viewed a variety of birds - tree swallows, Great Blue Heron, Cowbirds, Robin, Song Sparrows, an Osprey (fishing), Mallards, Green-winged Teal, Gadwalls, Black-bellied Plovers, Caspian Terns, a Catbird and a Goldfinch. On the way out a small deer leaped out in front of me.

 Black-bellied Plover (on the left)

While traveling home stopped at South Spring Pool. Photographed several dragonflies.

Returned to the Cayuga-Seneca lock. Glad I did. Caught the fledgling eagle out of the nest perching on the nesting tree out by the lake.

Got home in time for lunch. About an hour later a fierce storm ripped through Auburn.