Bennett’s Birthday

On Saturday Bennett turned nine.  The day started with baseball practice.  Running the bases, catching and hitting. 

In the early afternoon, Cheryl and Bennett enjoyed a moment playing Nintendo. 

 

In the late afternoon 10 children arrived at the house for games, pizza, tacos, and birthday cake.  The party started with a treasure hunt that Cheryl put together by hiding clues to make up a sentence about Bennett’s birthday.  The clues were hidden around the property and in the mail box.  

After the hunt, bingo was enjoyed by all.

 

Then there was time to try the zipline that Dave and Cheryl installed behind their house. 

After taco/pizza dinner, came the cake.  It was made by the same baker who designed Anna Lee's penguin cake and tasted great and the design was even better.  The decoration is called a creeper after a character from one of the current video games.

 

The evening ended with the hitting of a pinata which broke spilling candy for all to enjoy.

 

 

Due to Anna Lee's foot injury, we have cut the trip short to head home for the medical care that will enable us to return later in the summer to resume this wonderful family time.

Walking

 On Wednesday we visited Lake Placid where the town is having a total reconstruction.  The main road through the village is completely torn up so that water, sewer and utilities can be replaced.  This led to massive traffic problems.   Our intent was to walk around the lake but the traffic limited us to half way around.  We got to see several homes that were not exactly in our price range.  

 

We have a favorite winery in the village but we discovered it was only open on weekends this time of year so we have to come back.

Thursday Cheryl insisted that we visit Paul Smith’s College and do a walk or two.  At least that was our intent.  We did the Heron Pond trail which was a three kilometer walk around a beautiful small lake.  Several photos later we headed back to Seranac Lake for lunch.  

Anna Lee decided to go up the wooden stairs without her shoes and changed her mind.  That led to a fall and, after a visit to the hospital, a fracture of a small bone in her foot.  She is now in a boot from her foot to knee which, needless to say, eliminates any further hiking.  Anything we want to visit for the remainder of the trip will have to be by car.

 

Family Time at Last

Due to exposure on his school bus, Bennett was quarantined when we arrived.  We learned that that doesn’t mean “no friends..”  They keep up by playing Nintendo over the internet.  

It’s a different world from that we grew up in when we talked on the phone for hours.

Later we took a walk around Little Green Pond, a lovely wooded trail we had almost all to ourselves.  Well, we walked, Dave and Bennett rode their bikes.

 

 

 We saw lovely spring wildflowers

  

 

 

 tree mushrooms in interesting formations,

and evidence that beavers live in the area.

That evening Anna Lee celebrated her birthday surrounded by family.  The cards brought tears to her eyes and the cake stunned, so adorable.  She also got a box of miniature chocolate penguins. 

The family serenade of "Happy Birthday" was painful.

Bennett got some tiny chocolate mice.

 

After fourteen months of visiting only via skype, the chance to hug, talk in person, and have true engagement has been fabulous.

Tulip Time

While awaiting our transportation to Saranac Lake, in other words Cheryl and Bennett, we spent a couple of hours in Albany at Washington Park admiring the tulips.  The garden is ablaze with color.  The tulip beds are designed in various patterns, most intended to see from above (which is difficult).

We took a tour led by Jena, the head gardener, who was studying to be a nurse but worked in the summer as a gardener and changed her career plans.

The statue of Moses dates from 1893.

There are 20 small and 32 large beds each with over 3000 bulbs in 130 varieties.  An additional 3000 bulbs of other varieties accessorize the gardens. There are 101,000 bulbs in park

Enjoy the photos (We hope the labels are correct.)

This two-faced mutant is actually “diseased.”

 

Feather petal or parrot

Doll’s minute

 

Family

We have all been confined for so long.  For us, it has been fifteen months since we have been with our  family.  Thanks to the vaccines, we are now able to travel.  And so we are out and about.  First we went to Philadelphia for a memorial for Anna Lee’s cousin Barbara.  The memorial was a tribute to the life of a woman both committed to giving to her community and self-reflective of her own life.  

We then we to Ventnor, NJ to spend time with friends.  Our time together was short but filled with great conversation, good food and a lovely walk along the Atlantic City boardwalk.  

This the the border sign between the two towns, Barbara and Anna Lee on one side and Don on the other.

The Adirondack chairs have been charmingly adorned.

 

We had a brief stop with Ed, Leora and Edan, cousins in New York.  It was nice to be with family.