A large portion of my time here in Durham has been spent watching sports at Duke. Fortunately it is of a very high quality. It has also allowed me to make some friends who enjoy going to games as much as I do(maybe even a little more). Primary among these Dukies is Herb N. or "The Crazy Towel Guy". Herb is a legend here at Duke. He attends all the sporting events and waves his white towel to urge on both the teams and the fans. He also knows quite a bit about the teams and the student athletes which makes watching the games more interesting. This Fall was unique in some ways as all the teams except football made it into their respective NCAA tournaments.
Field Hockey - I'm new to this sport, and don't really understand all the rules at this point. It's not as high scoring as I expected and much of the scoring seems to occur on free shots after penalties. Since Duke doesn't have an ice hockey team, this will have to suffice. We have a new coach this year and we finished 14 - 8 and made the NCAAs before losing in the Quarterfinals to Old Dominion.
Volleyball - Having spent many a long nights in high school gyms watching David play volleyball for Berlin Central High School, the quality of which left much to be desired(David was great and made 2nd team All Cap Dist), it is a thrill to see volleyball played at this level. The teamwork and athleticism is remarkable. The Duke volleyball team won 20 games this year and got invite to participate in the NCCA tournament. Unfortunately, we lost in the first round to Tennessee.
Men's Soccer - The best part of watching the men's soccer team has been to see Andrew Wenger play. Although he is a Junior, my understanding is that he has already completed his course work and intends to move on to the next level. Andrew is a very versatile player. He's been voted both ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Offense Player of the Year. He has played where the team needs him, which says a lot about him not only as a player but also as a person. He and the Tweed-Kent twins from Pittsfield carried us into the NCAAs. We had a home game against Georgia State which we won. In the next round we had to go on the road and lost to New Mexico. It's my understanding that Wenger is a finalist for the NCAA Player of the Year.
Women's Soccer - The crowning jewel of the Fall sport season has been the women's soccer team. They won their first regular season ACC Championship and had the highest RPI of all the women's soccer teams in the nation. We were one of the four top seeds and thus had several home games in the tourney. We made the final four and played Stanford for the NCAA Championship on Sunday. Unfortunately we came up one goal short. But it was a great run. More importantly most every body is back next year.
In addition to all that was going on here at Duke, my alma mater Oneonta State also had a great season winning the SUNYAC title and making it to the final four in the division III men's soccer tourney. They lost in the semis, but great job Red Dragons. One other note one soccer Saint Rose College in Albany won the Division II women's soccer championship. Since Nan taught there several years, I guess I can claim some pride in the victory.
Well, basketball season is under way. Coach K has become the winningest D-I college coach and the women are off to a great start. Herb was nice enough to let us use his tickets to the women's BB game against Pittsburgh while he went to the soccer finals. Last year Krista sent me a Duke towel and I brought it to the game. I mean if your going to use The Crazy Towel Guy's seats there are certain expectations. At other games we've been at the band or the student's start a chant "Crazy Towel Guy, Crazy Towel Guys" and Herb stands up and leads the cheers. Well wouldn't you know, the band started it. I didn't want to let Herb's fans down. so I stood up, waved the towel, and led the cheers. I explained to the season ticket holders around Herb's seats that I was his apprentice "The Crazy Wash Cloth Guy" I believe it was the largest audience I've ever performed before.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thanksgiving at the Shore
We're starting to establish some traditions down here in Durham. As I indicated in my last entry, we took a trip to celebrate my birthday for the second year in a row. Last year we went to the beach to celebrate Thanksgiving, and this year we did the same. This year, however, we went to Oak Island which is 26 miles south and a bit west of Wilmington, NC. We found a dog friendly hotel just across the road from the beach and spent four nights by the beach. There was a kitchnette, so we even cooked a small turkey(Well, I did, Nan roasted veggies). The accommodation didn't rate 4 stars, but it offered easy access to the beach. Actually we had the place to ourselves the first couple of nights.
The beach is one of those long unbroken strands that seems like it goes on forever.
We took advantage of being close to the beach by taking long walks with the dogs and jogs on the broad sandy shore. The weather was great, mid-70s most of the time. Nan even went in the water twice. Beautiful sunset and very few people. The east end of the island feature a lighthouse built in 1958 and a Coast Guard Station. We visited it the first night we were there. Being there at sunset we heard them play "Taps" at the station when the sum went down.
Our second day we drove 12 miles north of Oak Island to the Old Brunswick/Fort Anderson State Historic Site. Old Brunswick was an early port city on the Cape Fear River. It was a home of the Royal Governor for a while. Eventually it lost its prominence to Wilmington, particularly after it was burned by the British during the Revolutionary War. As a result of a large archilogical dig in the late 1950s and 60s, many home sites were unearthed and have been preserved. Additionally the walls of an Anglican Church (St. Philips) remain. It was completed about 1760.
A paved walkway takes you through the village on a path which was one the city's streets.
During the Civil War the area was converted into a fort for the defense of the port of Wilmington. The eathworks remain and the path continues through the fort. The only action it saw was in Feb. 1865 after the fall of Ft. Fisher to the south. The Union forces and advanced up river and eventually captured the fort. After a long bombardment, the Confederate forces withdrew and left the fort unoccupied.
I got in 18 holes of golf the next day on a par - 3 course owned by the town. I had it all to myself so I played 2 balls. It was amazing how much better I scored on the second ball(10 pars). If I could play golf with 2 balls all the time and only count the second ball I could be pretty good.
One of the best things about the trip was that we finished each day with a glorious sunset. Here are a few examples.
The beach is one of those long unbroken strands that seems like it goes on forever.
We took advantage of being close to the beach by taking long walks with the dogs and jogs on the broad sandy shore. The weather was great, mid-70s most of the time. Nan even went in the water twice. Beautiful sunset and very few people. The east end of the island feature a lighthouse built in 1958 and a Coast Guard Station. We visited it the first night we were there. Being there at sunset we heard them play "Taps" at the station when the sum went down.
Our second day we drove 12 miles north of Oak Island to the Old Brunswick/Fort Anderson State Historic Site. Old Brunswick was an early port city on the Cape Fear River. It was a home of the Royal Governor for a while. Eventually it lost its prominence to Wilmington, particularly after it was burned by the British during the Revolutionary War. As a result of a large archilogical dig in the late 1950s and 60s, many home sites were unearthed and have been preserved. Additionally the walls of an Anglican Church (St. Philips) remain. It was completed about 1760.
A paved walkway takes you through the village on a path which was one the city's streets.
During the Civil War the area was converted into a fort for the defense of the port of Wilmington. The eathworks remain and the path continues through the fort. The only action it saw was in Feb. 1865 after the fall of Ft. Fisher to the south. The Union forces and advanced up river and eventually captured the fort. After a long bombardment, the Confederate forces withdrew and left the fort unoccupied.
I got in 18 holes of golf the next day on a par - 3 course owned by the town. I had it all to myself so I played 2 balls. It was amazing how much better I scored on the second ball(10 pars). If I could play golf with 2 balls all the time and only count the second ball I could be pretty good.
One of the best things about the trip was that we finished each day with a glorious sunset. Here are a few examples.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Birthday Trip - 2011
For the second year in a row my wife set up a birthday trip for us. Last year we toured some Rev War battle sites in S. C. and hiked around Asheville. This year was a trip to Pinehurst - the Golf Capital of N.C. We visited the famous Pinehurst Resort and walked around the village of Pinehurst.
The village is quite attractive with a number of chic stores and good restaurants. There is a lovely park in the middle of town which winds through the pines and loops past the Community Church.
Neither my golf game or my pocketbook is in a position to afford a round of golf at Pinehurst, but he did find a very affordable course called The Bluff Golf Links where I played 36 holes. One of the course attendants told me that during the recent renovation of Pinehurst #2 getting it ready for the US Open, that The Bluff received 20,000 square feet of sod taken from #2. So in a way I guess you can say I played a couple of holes at #2.
The first hole was downhill toward a pond with a house sitting just to the left of the green. Of course, there are signs all over the backyard "No Trespassing". Why would you buy a house adjacent to a green and them put up signs like that. Maybe they're in the used golf balls business. Anyway I hope they find my Titlest. The second hole goes over the water and up the hill.
On our way down to Pinehurst we stopped off at a historic sight called the House in the Horseshoe. It a colonial era house in a horseshoe bend of the Deep River. During the Rev War it was owned by a Philip Alston. He was an ardent supporter of liberty and "pissed-off" a good many of his neighbors. At some point a group of loyalists under the direction of Daniel Fanning attacked the house which was not only occupied by Alston and some of his supporters but also his entire family. To bring the stand-off to an end, Alston's wife begged Fanning to end his attack. He agreed on the condition that Alston agree to stop fighting and supporting the rebels. Alston agreed and did not raise a rifle against the British or his loyalist neighbors for the rest of the war. Unfortunately for Alston those he pissed-off did not take such an oath and he was later killed by a bullet shot into the house where he was living. You can still see bullet holes in the walls of the house.
It later was owned by the 4 term governor of NC - Benjamin Williams.
Neither my golf game or my pocketbook is in a position to afford a round of golf at Pinehurst, but he did find a very affordable course called The Bluff Golf Links where I played 36 holes. One of the course attendants told me that during the recent renovation of Pinehurst #2 getting it ready for the US Open, that The Bluff received 20,000 square feet of sod taken from #2. So in a way I guess you can say I played a couple of holes at #2.
The first hole was downhill toward a pond with a house sitting just to the left of the green. Of course, there are signs all over the backyard "No Trespassing". Why would you buy a house adjacent to a green and them put up signs like that. Maybe they're in the used golf balls business. Anyway I hope they find my Titlest. The second hole goes over the water and up the hill.
On our way down to Pinehurst we stopped off at a historic sight called the House in the Horseshoe. It a colonial era house in a horseshoe bend of the Deep River. During the Rev War it was owned by a Philip Alston. He was an ardent supporter of liberty and "pissed-off" a good many of his neighbors. At some point a group of loyalists under the direction of Daniel Fanning attacked the house which was not only occupied by Alston and some of his supporters but also his entire family. To bring the stand-off to an end, Alston's wife begged Fanning to end his attack. He agreed on the condition that Alston agree to stop fighting and supporting the rebels. Alston agreed and did not raise a rifle against the British or his loyalist neighbors for the rest of the war. Unfortunately for Alston those he pissed-off did not take such an oath and he was later killed by a bullet shot into the house where he was living. You can still see bullet holes in the walls of the house.
It later was owned by the 4 term governor of NC - Benjamin Williams.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Fall Finally Arrives
This has been an excellent fall here in Durham. For the most part, warm temps and clear blue skies. I haven't had to bundle-up for a soccer game yet. The leaves started to change toward the end of October, but there's been very little frost on the pumpkins. We've had a busy theater/concert few weeks.
We went down to Memorial Hall on the campus of that other institution of higher learning eight miles down the road to see Mary Chapin Carpenter. It's a little bit eerie when you visit Memorial Hall to see all the plaques on the wall commemorating the deaths of Confederate soldiers It's actually the same feeling I get when I think about Duke being founded on tobacco money. Anyway, the concert was great. Although, as it was the last stop on her current tour, she had to work hard to cover the higher notes at the the top of her register. I'm always amazed by the number of extremely talented musicians there are. Her back-up group was made up of a lot of her regulars, including John Jennings, who I believe has been playing with her for most of her career - very nice sound.
Another trip was made to Chapel Hill to see a new play at Playmakers. The Parchman Hour is a play with music which purports to be the "songs and stories of the '61 freedom riders". It is set in the Mississippi prison where some of the freedom riders were sent after being arrested. Great material with fine acting, but as a whole it came up short. The play originated in the Duke documentary studies department, and frankly I think it would have worked better in a movie format. Maybe then I could have followed the storyline better. Flashbacks work better on film than on stage, especially where actors are playing multiple roles and there are multiple settings. The use of color and gender- blind casting was interesting and sent as clear social message, but I'm not sure it helped tell the story. Despite its short-comings, it was good to see someone tackle this difficult period in our nations history.
The Mississippi River flooding of 1927 was the topic of an interesting presentation which was part of the Duke Performances series on the Duke campus. Documentary film maker Bill Morrison put together a view of these floods by using archival footage to portray the impact that this disaster had on portions of the Mississippi river corridor. It is estimated that 27,000 square miles were covered with water as a result of this flood and that it was the impetus for a mass migration of displaced sharecroppers to the north. There was no commentary during the 80 minute film, just a live musical underscore which featured guitarist and composer Bill Frisell and his four piece combo. It was an interesting concept, but again it didn't quite work. I found myself closing my eyes to listen to the music, which was well done particularly the haunting sound of the cornet played by Ron Miles. I mean how much rushing water and submerged houses can you see. (I should note that it was particularly painful to watch in light of the actual damage I saw when visiting the Schoharie Valley in September.)
We went down to Memorial Hall on the campus of that other institution of higher learning eight miles down the road to see Mary Chapin Carpenter. It's a little bit eerie when you visit Memorial Hall to see all the plaques on the wall commemorating the deaths of Confederate soldiers It's actually the same feeling I get when I think about Duke being founded on tobacco money. Anyway, the concert was great. Although, as it was the last stop on her current tour, she had to work hard to cover the higher notes at the the top of her register. I'm always amazed by the number of extremely talented musicians there are. Her back-up group was made up of a lot of her regulars, including John Jennings, who I believe has been playing with her for most of her career - very nice sound.
Another trip was made to Chapel Hill to see a new play at Playmakers. The Parchman Hour is a play with music which purports to be the "songs and stories of the '61 freedom riders". It is set in the Mississippi prison where some of the freedom riders were sent after being arrested. Great material with fine acting, but as a whole it came up short. The play originated in the Duke documentary studies department, and frankly I think it would have worked better in a movie format. Maybe then I could have followed the storyline better. Flashbacks work better on film than on stage, especially where actors are playing multiple roles and there are multiple settings. The use of color and gender- blind casting was interesting and sent as clear social message, but I'm not sure it helped tell the story. Despite its short-comings, it was good to see someone tackle this difficult period in our nations history.
The Mississippi River flooding of 1927 was the topic of an interesting presentation which was part of the Duke Performances series on the Duke campus. Documentary film maker Bill Morrison put together a view of these floods by using archival footage to portray the impact that this disaster had on portions of the Mississippi river corridor. It is estimated that 27,000 square miles were covered with water as a result of this flood and that it was the impetus for a mass migration of displaced sharecroppers to the north. There was no commentary during the 80 minute film, just a live musical underscore which featured guitarist and composer Bill Frisell and his four piece combo. It was an interesting concept, but again it didn't quite work. I found myself closing my eyes to listen to the music, which was well done particularly the haunting sound of the cornet played by Ron Miles. I mean how much rushing water and submerged houses can you see. (I should note that it was particularly painful to watch in light of the actual damage I saw when visiting the Schoharie Valley in September.)
Friday, November 11, 2011
Back in a Routine - Dog Walking
As has been discussed previously in this blog, Nan and I volunteer at the Durham Animal Protective Society. We adopted both our dogs from there, Finn and Hattie from APS's "death row". So part of our week consists of at least 2 hours of walking dogs at the facility. This is on top of the three walks a day our own dogs get. One of our favorite places to walk Finn and Hattie is Eno State Park(no fees). The Eno River meanders through northern Durham County and there are several accesses to the river, with a variety of trails. One of our favorites is the Bobbit Hole - Cole Mill Trail. These trails combine to make about a 3 mile loop which ends up along the river. There's nothing like it on a crisp Fall day.
Finn is a hunter, who comes alive on these walks and will almost pull your arm out of its socket if he sees a deer. He's gotten much better about squirrels, as he's figured out he can't really catch them. Hattie is a barker, particularly when surprised, but we've worked hard to reduce the barking and she'll usually look for a treat rather than bark now.
On a warm, sunny day the hikes are beautiful. The river flows softly by often stopping in deep pools like Bobbit Hole to relax and enjoy itself.
Finn is sometimes interested in the turtles we see sunning themselves on rocks and submerged tree limbs. But like the squirrels, he realizes that he can only dream of catching them. When we have actually come upon a turtle on the trail, he's not quite sure what to do with them. He sniffs, but jumps back suddenly if there is any movement. It's funny to watch. Usually they just slip into the water as we go by.
Sometimes there will be a fisherman in the water. And once we came upon a snowy egret(I think).
I not sure who gets more tired-out by these walks - the dogs or me, but they're usually worth it.
Our apartment complex had a dog costume parade for Halloween. Finn went as SuperDog. Here's a shot of him taking off. Hattie went as a cheerleader, but didn't really get into the spirit of the outting
Finn is a hunter, who comes alive on these walks and will almost pull your arm out of its socket if he sees a deer. He's gotten much better about squirrels, as he's figured out he can't really catch them. Hattie is a barker, particularly when surprised, but we've worked hard to reduce the barking and she'll usually look for a treat rather than bark now.
On a warm, sunny day the hikes are beautiful. The river flows softly by often stopping in deep pools like Bobbit Hole to relax and enjoy itself.
Finn is sometimes interested in the turtles we see sunning themselves on rocks and submerged tree limbs. But like the squirrels, he realizes that he can only dream of catching them. When we have actually come upon a turtle on the trail, he's not quite sure what to do with them. He sniffs, but jumps back suddenly if there is any movement. It's funny to watch. Usually they just slip into the water as we go by.
Sometimes there will be a fisherman in the water. And once we came upon a snowy egret(I think).
I not sure who gets more tired-out by these walks - the dogs or me, but they're usually worth it.
Our apartment complex had a dog costume parade for Halloween. Finn went as SuperDog. Here's a shot of him taking off. Hattie went as a cheerleader, but didn't really get into the spirit of the outting
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
October Back in the Daze
The morning after Krista's wedding we headed back to Durham. We went the interior route, which for the most part follows I-81 down through Pa and the Shenandoah Valley. The first part of the trip was rainy and pretty miserable. It cleared out a bit from Maryland south. The foliage had not started in earnest, but it is a pretty trip anyway. Unfortunately, it is also a long trip, and seems to get longer every time we take it. We settled quickly into our normal patterns, although the school calendar gave us a 5 day break with a Fall Break around Columbus Day.
A friend of Nan's has a vacation house up at Kerr Lake(pronounced "Car" Lake) in Virginia. They were kind enough to offer the place to us for the weekend. A very enjoyable get away.
The house sits on a hill above the lake. Nan was brave enough to go swimming. I preferred the Hot Tub. A short walk through the woods took us down to the showline. The lake itself is part of the Army Corp of Engineers projects and this year is at a record low. It was a nice get away.
We've also been to a couple of concerts and shows since we've been back. The first concert we went to was by Lizz Wright. A native of Georgia now living in Hendersonville, NC(that's out by the Smokies) her music is an enthralling mix of genres - part r & b, part soul, part jazz, and part gospel.
Her first album, Salt, was released in 2003 and rose to #2 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart. Her second, Dreaming Wide Awake, made it to #1. The concert was a mixture of the various styles, the high point for me being the gospel medley. She was accompanied by 4 talented musicians. I've never seen a drum solo in the middle of a ballad. It was amazing. We bought a copy of her new album Fellowship, which is more gospel than jazz, but great just the same.
We went down to Playmakers(the resident theater company at UNC) to see a Caryl Churchill play A Number, which was performed in their small theater. The two person, hour long play explores the relationships between a father and his cloned sons - Bernard 1, Bernard 2, and Michael Black(all played by the same actor - obviously if they're supposed to be cloned) The surface issue is nature v. nurture, but to me the concept of a disposable child rang through. All too often in my legal career I ran into cases where unwanted children were dumped into the care and custody of DSS. In this play you essentially have a father who doesn't like how his son turned-out and just clones another, maybe he can get parenting right this time. Both concepts are interesting and thought-provoking and the acting was very good. After the play ended, there was a 20 minute "talk-back" which started, believe it or not, with a comment about how real the characters seemed. "How did you do that?" the imbecile asked the actors. I would have said. "It's called 'acting',stupid", but they were much kinder.
I continue to be a Duke sport's groupie, attending men's and women's soccer games and volleyball. The women's soccer team is excellent and highly ranked. They have a couple of women who are on the under 20 US team roster. It's been fun and we missed the snowstorm.
A friend of Nan's has a vacation house up at Kerr Lake(pronounced "Car" Lake) in Virginia. They were kind enough to offer the place to us for the weekend. A very enjoyable get away.
We've also been to a couple of concerts and shows since we've been back. The first concert we went to was by Lizz Wright. A native of Georgia now living in Hendersonville, NC(that's out by the Smokies) her music is an enthralling mix of genres - part r & b, part soul, part jazz, and part gospel.
Her first album, Salt, was released in 2003 and rose to #2 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart. Her second, Dreaming Wide Awake, made it to #1. The concert was a mixture of the various styles, the high point for me being the gospel medley. She was accompanied by 4 talented musicians. I've never seen a drum solo in the middle of a ballad. It was amazing. We bought a copy of her new album Fellowship, which is more gospel than jazz, but great just the same.
We went down to Playmakers(the resident theater company at UNC) to see a Caryl Churchill play A Number, which was performed in their small theater. The two person, hour long play explores the relationships between a father and his cloned sons - Bernard 1, Bernard 2, and Michael Black(all played by the same actor - obviously if they're supposed to be cloned) The surface issue is nature v. nurture, but to me the concept of a disposable child rang through. All too often in my legal career I ran into cases where unwanted children were dumped into the care and custody of DSS. In this play you essentially have a father who doesn't like how his son turned-out and just clones another, maybe he can get parenting right this time. Both concepts are interesting and thought-provoking and the acting was very good. After the play ended, there was a 20 minute "talk-back" which started, believe it or not, with a comment about how real the characters seemed. "How did you do that?" the imbecile asked the actors. I would have said. "It's called 'acting',stupid", but they were much kinder.
I continue to be a Duke sport's groupie, attending men's and women's soccer games and volleyball. The women's soccer team is excellent and highly ranked. They have a couple of women who are on the under 20 US team roster. It's been fun and we missed the snowstorm.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The Big Day - Spike and Krista's Wedding
It was not a perfect weather day. The plan for a wedding outside the Bascom Lodge was rendered moot by rain and fog. We were on-call in case any last minute errands needed to be run. Fortunately, Krista had things so well organized that no emergency calls were received. At her request, we arrived about an hour before the service was about to begin, and helped with some last minute jobs, like making sure all the floral arrangements were in place and candles lit.
At just after 5:00 P.M. the festivities began. Music was provided by a friend of the family Martha von Schiligen and a friend of hers(I can't remember her name - the excitement of the day, not old age).
It was a small wedding party, with only Maid-of-Honor, Erin joining her sister walking down the aisle. The picture below is of my two beautiful daughters getting ready for their walk. It's a day like this that makes me glad we spent the money on the orthodontic.
Spike's dad was his best man, and Kent Higgins, former Pastor at Berlin United Methodist Church, performed the ceremony. I was best man at Kent's wedding in Washington D.C. at the National Cathedral 20 plus years ago.
Readings were presented by Spike's Uncle Robert(his only uncle) and yours truly. I had an idea for a poem based on the hike Nan and I took up Mt. Greylock with Spike and Kris over the summer. I wanted it to reflect how much like climbing a mountain marriage can be, with tough stretches, rewarding vistas, and the sense of accomplishment. I was having trouble putting it in the right framework so I turned it over to the real writer in the family. Within 20 minutes Nan had a masterpiece which not only included my ideas but put them in the context of the wonderful relationship that Spike and Krista have. It worked very well. Completing the Lance portion of the program, David and Erin sang "My Cup Runneth Over With Love" from the musical "I Do, I Do" which I Did, I Did at Oldcastle when Erin and Kris were just kids. I seem to remember that her mother and I used it as a lullaby for Krista when she was a baby.
I must tell David to button his jacket when standing. They did a great job. It made we wish that we'd all use our voices more. The vows were simple and heartfelt. Kent moved things along quickly, and the next thing you know I have a married daughter and a son-in-law. Just as the ceremony was concluding the sun peaked through the thick foggy overcast for the briefest of moments - I like to think that all those who have gone on to the next great adventure were showing their approval.
A lot of the "traditions" that you see at a regular wedding and reception were not part of the rest of the evenings activities. There was no formal toast, no throwing the bouquet, no stuff with the garter. It was just a nice meal and get together of friends and family. There was a short "first dance" and Kris and I dance to Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey", but other than that, it was "PARTY TIME". Krista had put together a great playlist which included quite a few classic rock and roll songs. Kent's wife Jenny complimented Krista's mother and I for bringing up our children to appreciate great rock and roll. We did take a little break from dancing for them to cut the cake.
My wife and I "danced up a storm". We left around 11:00, as we had to get up the next morning and drive all the way back to Durham. Most of the wedding party and some of the friends had booked rooms in the Lodge for the night, so all they had to do was stumble - I mean - walk up stairs. Krista had also arranged for a bus to take the rest of the guests back to their hotels in Williamstown. It was a wonderful, joyous occasion, with a handsome groom and a beautiful, very happy bride.
At just after 5:00 P.M. the festivities began. Music was provided by a friend of the family Martha von Schiligen and a friend of hers(I can't remember her name - the excitement of the day, not old age).
It was a small wedding party, with only Maid-of-Honor, Erin joining her sister walking down the aisle. The picture below is of my two beautiful daughters getting ready for their walk. It's a day like this that makes me glad we spent the money on the orthodontic.
Spike's dad was his best man, and Kent Higgins, former Pastor at Berlin United Methodist Church, performed the ceremony. I was best man at Kent's wedding in Washington D.C. at the National Cathedral 20 plus years ago.
Readings were presented by Spike's Uncle Robert(his only uncle) and yours truly. I had an idea for a poem based on the hike Nan and I took up Mt. Greylock with Spike and Kris over the summer. I wanted it to reflect how much like climbing a mountain marriage can be, with tough stretches, rewarding vistas, and the sense of accomplishment. I was having trouble putting it in the right framework so I turned it over to the real writer in the family. Within 20 minutes Nan had a masterpiece which not only included my ideas but put them in the context of the wonderful relationship that Spike and Krista have. It worked very well. Completing the Lance portion of the program, David and Erin sang "My Cup Runneth Over With Love" from the musical "I Do, I Do" which I Did, I Did at Oldcastle when Erin and Kris were just kids. I seem to remember that her mother and I used it as a lullaby for Krista when she was a baby.
I must tell David to button his jacket when standing. They did a great job. It made we wish that we'd all use our voices more. The vows were simple and heartfelt. Kent moved things along quickly, and the next thing you know I have a married daughter and a son-in-law. Just as the ceremony was concluding the sun peaked through the thick foggy overcast for the briefest of moments - I like to think that all those who have gone on to the next great adventure were showing their approval.
A lot of the "traditions" that you see at a regular wedding and reception were not part of the rest of the evenings activities. There was no formal toast, no throwing the bouquet, no stuff with the garter. It was just a nice meal and get together of friends and family. There was a short "first dance" and Kris and I dance to Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey", but other than that, it was "PARTY TIME". Krista had put together a great playlist which included quite a few classic rock and roll songs. Kent's wife Jenny complimented Krista's mother and I for bringing up our children to appreciate great rock and roll. We did take a little break from dancing for them to cut the cake.
My wife and I "danced up a storm". We left around 11:00, as we had to get up the next morning and drive all the way back to Durham. Most of the wedding party and some of the friends had booked rooms in the Lodge for the night, so all they had to do was stumble - I mean - walk up stairs. Krista had also arranged for a bus to take the rest of the guests back to their hotels in Williamstown. It was a wonderful, joyous occasion, with a handsome groom and a beautiful, very happy bride.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wedding Time - Prelude
On Friday morning I drove over to Petersburgh and ran 3 miles with Kris for old time sake(fortunately she set a reasonable pace so I didn't get too far behind). The old run took us pass the graves of my mom and dad. It was difficult not to wish that they were here to see the wedding. So much has happened in all our lives since their deaths. But there are times when I feel their presence and I know that everything that has happened is within the scope of their new being. Nan flew in from Durham on an early morning flight and we were able to get a nap in before the rehearsal.
It was a beautiful early Fall day and we rehearsed outside. Unfortunately the weather forecast for the wedding day itself was not good and when we got to the top of Mt. Greylock we could see clouds streaming in from the southeast. My friend Kent Higgins was officiating the service, and he took us through the program.
Daughter Erin was the Main of Honor and Spike's father was the Best Man The blushing bride-to-be practiced her walk down the aisle - I mean slope.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Quick Trip
With Nan settled in Durham and the new semester well underway, I headed to the "homeland", as Krista calls it, to get ready for her wedding. It was an extremely full two weeks. My friend Jim Miller picked me up at the airport and we immediately went to a talk at the Albany Public Library given by David Allen Miller, conductor of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. The opening concert of the season was the next night and, since Nan and I had been subscribers to the orchestra, it seemed appropriate to go and hear the maestro and his guest Ralph Kirshbaum, cellist. Kirshbaum played a few sections of the piece he was schedule to play the following night and told a great story about his cello. (Please don't hold me accountable for the names and exact dates.) Anyway, it seems that Kirshbaum's cello was made by the premier cello maker of the 18th century and dates back to the mid-1700's. This cello maker was as famous for his cellos as Stradivarius was for his violins. He was so famous that certain unscrupulous cello retailers of later years would actually dismantle his cellos and stick a part of his cello on another cello made by not so prestigious a cello maker and then sell it was an original.
It seems that in the late 1880s the owner of a famous London/New York music store was approached by an Italian family to see if they could sell their deceased father's cello which was allegedly made by the afore-referenced famous cello maker. Upon examination of the instrument, the music store owner was able to determine that the only part of the cello that was original was the curved piece at the top where the strings are tuned. He bought the cello anyway, at a much reduced price of course. As fate would have it some 40 years later what walks into his store (actually was brought into the store) but the bottom half of the original cello. The music store owner was able to reunite the pieces and in 1967 Kirshbaum was able to purchase the cello.
The story was good enough to get me to The Palace in Albany for the performance the next night. Kirshbaum played Elgar's cello concerto (and several encore pieces). The orchestra was magnificent in playing Holst - The Planets. Not only was the concert great, but I also ran into quite a few friends and acquaintances. One of the things that I miss about living is Durham is not having a reservoir of friends that you can just run into like that. It was a nice way to start my brief sojourn up north.
I showed up and sang with the choir at the Church of the Covenant the next day and went out dinner with my friends Elise and Bob the next night. I visited friends in Berlin and watched part of a Berlin soccer game. Of course, almost all of the kids I knew have graduated and moved on, but it was a beautiful Fall day and worth the ride. I also went up to Bennington to see the opening of the last Oldcastle Theatre Company show to be performed at the Bennington Center for the Arts. It's sad to think I won't get a chance to work in that space again, but life goes on. The production was good with a lot of the company regulars in the cast: Shawn and Matt from last year's production of "Leading Ladies" (both did an excellent job), Bill Tatum, Carleton Carpenter, Sophia Garder, and Ricky Howe. Let's hope Oldcastle finds a space for next season.
On the weekend before Krista's wedding I drove out to Cobleskill to participate in the Fam Fund 5K. I met my good friend Tim and his wife there and ran into (not literally) a few of the attorneys who used to appear in front of me. The big topic of conversation was the damage done by the flooding caused by Irene and the subsequent tropical storm. The courthouse in Schoharie had been flooded and the library(Tim is the librarian) was totally destroyed. After having lunch with Tim(Brook's BBQ chicken dinner), I took the back road to Schoharie to look at the damage myself. It was mind-boggling. Virtually every house in the village had some damage and were in process of being gutted. Not a store on Main Street was open and you could see water marks well up the first story on every building. The Stewart's Convenience Store was totally destroyed, and the Courthouse was closed off. It was terribly sad.
After the race, in which I finished 156 out of 850(most people walk the course so it looks like I finished better than I did), I headed to Schroon Lake to spend the rest of the weekend with my sister and brother-in-law at their camp. It was the weekend of the Adirondack Marathon and the runners go past Sue and George's place. We got out early to cheer them on.
It was surprising how many runners yelled, "More cowbell!" as they went by. After the last runner had passed our cheering section, one of the officials who was following the racers in a car stopped to thank us for cheering as they hadn't seen anybody else for 5 miles. With almost 17 miles left to go, they probably needed a little encouragement. Personally, I would have stopped and seen if I could have scored a couple of beers.
It seems that in the late 1880s the owner of a famous London/New York music store was approached by an Italian family to see if they could sell their deceased father's cello which was allegedly made by the afore-referenced famous cello maker. Upon examination of the instrument, the music store owner was able to determine that the only part of the cello that was original was the curved piece at the top where the strings are tuned. He bought the cello anyway, at a much reduced price of course. As fate would have it some 40 years later what walks into his store (actually was brought into the store) but the bottom half of the original cello. The music store owner was able to reunite the pieces and in 1967 Kirshbaum was able to purchase the cello.
The story was good enough to get me to The Palace in Albany for the performance the next night. Kirshbaum played Elgar's cello concerto (and several encore pieces). The orchestra was magnificent in playing Holst - The Planets. Not only was the concert great, but I also ran into quite a few friends and acquaintances. One of the things that I miss about living is Durham is not having a reservoir of friends that you can just run into like that. It was a nice way to start my brief sojourn up north.
I showed up and sang with the choir at the Church of the Covenant the next day and went out dinner with my friends Elise and Bob the next night. I visited friends in Berlin and watched part of a Berlin soccer game. Of course, almost all of the kids I knew have graduated and moved on, but it was a beautiful Fall day and worth the ride. I also went up to Bennington to see the opening of the last Oldcastle Theatre Company show to be performed at the Bennington Center for the Arts. It's sad to think I won't get a chance to work in that space again, but life goes on. The production was good with a lot of the company regulars in the cast: Shawn and Matt from last year's production of "Leading Ladies" (both did an excellent job), Bill Tatum, Carleton Carpenter, Sophia Garder, and Ricky Howe. Let's hope Oldcastle finds a space for next season.
On the weekend before Krista's wedding I drove out to Cobleskill to participate in the Fam Fund 5K. I met my good friend Tim and his wife there and ran into (not literally) a few of the attorneys who used to appear in front of me. The big topic of conversation was the damage done by the flooding caused by Irene and the subsequent tropical storm. The courthouse in Schoharie had been flooded and the library(Tim is the librarian) was totally destroyed. After having lunch with Tim(Brook's BBQ chicken dinner), I took the back road to Schoharie to look at the damage myself. It was mind-boggling. Virtually every house in the village had some damage and were in process of being gutted. Not a store on Main Street was open and you could see water marks well up the first story on every building. The Stewart's Convenience Store was totally destroyed, and the Courthouse was closed off. It was terribly sad.
After the race, in which I finished 156 out of 850(most people walk the course so it looks like I finished better than I did), I headed to Schroon Lake to spend the rest of the weekend with my sister and brother-in-law at their camp. It was the weekend of the Adirondack Marathon and the runners go past Sue and George's place. We got out early to cheer them on.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Daze starts again - Year 3
We headed back to Durham on August 20th as Dr. Mullenneaux's semester started on the 26th, but she had meetings leading up to opening day. The first two weeks down here were hot and humid and uncomfortable. The saving grace was getting back into attending sporting events at Duke. It was fun to catch up with Herb(Crazy Towel Guy), Spiro, and Mark at the opening Nike Soccer Tournament. Unfortunately we lost both games in OT( UC Santa Barbara beat us in the first one and SMU in the second) Next, Nan and I went to see a volleyball match with U of San Diego. No contest - the west coast girls were clearly better.
Duke sponsors a tailgate party with free tickets to the first football game of the season or all its employees. The price was right, so we signed up to attend both. As fate would have it, Herb had two tickets at the 50 yard line that he couldn't use so in addition to the Duke tailgate we tailgated with Crazy Towel Guy and sat in the "good" seats. We lost to Richmond and appear to be on our way to less than successful football season. The women's soccer team om the other hand is off to a great start and is ranked in the top 10 nationally.
For Nan's birthday we took the day off and went to Falls Lake, which is just north of Durham. We did a little hike on a portion of the Mountain-to-Sea Trail. This trail will eventually go all the way from Clingman's Dome in the Great Smokey Mtn. NP to the Outer Banks, crossing all of NC. After the hike we lounged by the beach, which we had to ourselves.
After three weeks I flew back north to get ready for Krista's wedding.
Duke sponsors a tailgate party with free tickets to the first football game of the season or all its employees. The price was right, so we signed up to attend both. As fate would have it, Herb had two tickets at the 50 yard line that he couldn't use so in addition to the Duke tailgate we tailgated with Crazy Towel Guy and sat in the "good" seats. We lost to Richmond and appear to be on our way to less than successful football season. The women's soccer team om the other hand is off to a great start and is ranked in the top 10 nationally.
For Nan's birthday we took the day off and went to Falls Lake, which is just north of Durham. We did a little hike on a portion of the Mountain-to-Sea Trail. This trail will eventually go all the way from Clingman's Dome in the Great Smokey Mtn. NP to the Outer Banks, crossing all of NC. After the hike we lounged by the beach, which we had to ourselves.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
What I did on My Summer Vacation
I have been very delinquent in keeping up these posts. However, as the summer is gone and we're back in Durham the time has come to reactivate the blog. First, a recap.
It was a short and busy summer. Of course it was made shorter by the trip to Utah, which has been chronicled previously on this blog. One of the major accomplishments of the summer was the installation of new floors in our bedrooms and study. Tearing up the 30 year old carpet was not a pleasant task, but with the help of our son David we got it done in no time at all. More discomfort was caused by moving most of the furniture out of each room into the other living spaces within the house so the floors could be installed. So, not only couldn't we use the bedrooms, but it was also difficult to use the living room, kitchen, and sun porch. The final product was well worth it however.
We didn't take any major hikes this summer, but did climb a number of smaller peaks. All our hikes were with the dogs, who proved to be pretty good hikers. We started with our old favorite Buck on the east side of Lake George and then Cat on the west side of the lake several weeks later.
Blueberries were in season at the top of Cat and who knew the dogs would eat them. One of the more interesting hikes we took was on a relatively new trail into the Hudson River Gorge. We just happened to see the rafts from one of the commercial float trips passing on the river as we reached the trails end.
Our final hike of the summer was in New Hampshire while visiting our friends Tom and Dag. The summit was too steep for the dogs, but we all got a great view.
We also climbed Mt. Greylock twice. The last time was at the request of Krista, as, although her wedding was scheduled for October 1st on the summit, she and Spike had never climbed it. We all summited on a humid, overcast day and did not get the reward of a view for all our efforts as the summit was socked-in.
Speaking of Krista's wedding, we hosted a small family bridal shower for Krista and Spike at our home in Averill Park. The hike up Greylock and the shower also gave us a chance to get to know Spike better. Erin was home from California for 10 days and David checked in. It was great to have my three kids together for such a fun time. Watching them, my sister Suzanne and brother-in-law George playing some variation of Marco Polo in the pool was hilarious.
Pretty good-looking kids if I do say so myself. The would-be bride was radiant as well.
Visiting friends and family, attending plays at the wonderful smorgasbord of summer theater in our area, and spending weekends with friends made the summer disappear quickly.
It was a short and busy summer. Of course it was made shorter by the trip to Utah, which has been chronicled previously on this blog. One of the major accomplishments of the summer was the installation of new floors in our bedrooms and study. Tearing up the 30 year old carpet was not a pleasant task, but with the help of our son David we got it done in no time at all. More discomfort was caused by moving most of the furniture out of each room into the other living spaces within the house so the floors could be installed. So, not only couldn't we use the bedrooms, but it was also difficult to use the living room, kitchen, and sun porch. The final product was well worth it however.
We didn't take any major hikes this summer, but did climb a number of smaller peaks. All our hikes were with the dogs, who proved to be pretty good hikers. We started with our old favorite Buck on the east side of Lake George and then Cat on the west side of the lake several weeks later.
We also climbed Mt. Greylock twice. The last time was at the request of Krista, as, although her wedding was scheduled for October 1st on the summit, she and Spike had never climbed it. We all summited on a humid, overcast day and did not get the reward of a view for all our efforts as the summit was socked-in.
Speaking of Krista's wedding, we hosted a small family bridal shower for Krista and Spike at our home in Averill Park. The hike up Greylock and the shower also gave us a chance to get to know Spike better. Erin was home from California for 10 days and David checked in. It was great to have my three kids together for such a fun time. Watching them, my sister Suzanne and brother-in-law George playing some variation of Marco Polo in the pool was hilarious.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Utah Trip - Heading Home
Our travel day before we headed home sported some of the worst weather of the trip. When we left Moab, it was overcast. We hadn't traveled more than an hour when it started to rain. On I-40 the precipitation changed to a driving snow as we crossed some of the higher passes on the interstate. What should have been a picturesque drive, featured white-out conditions in several spots. It was still raining when we reached Cedar City, Utah, and fortunately our room was ready. Not the most exciting day of our trip.
Our last day in Utah was our longest. Our flight was not scheduled to leave Las Vegas until almost midnight, so we had a lot of time to play. We started the day by hiking in the northwest portion of Zion National Park. This section of Zion, known as Kolob Canyon, has a brief scenic drive of 5 miles that ends at the mile long Timber Creek Overlook Trail which we hiked.
From there we drove back down the road to the trailhead for the Taylor Creek Trail. As a point of reference, it is probably better to visit Kolob Canyon in the PM, as the morning sun obscures views from the scenic highway as you look eastward and that;s where most of the dramatic rock formations are.
The Taylor Creek Trail is a 5 mile round trip to the Double Arch Alcove. The water level in the creek was up some due to the rains of the previous day, making hiking the trail more difficult as you were required to cross the stream 96 times, by my count.
The Double Cove Arch is huge and impossible to photograph as the trail leads right into the first alcove of the arch. It was very impressive and we had it all to ourselves. Again the benefit of being early morning hikers. Here's a picture of me in the alcove which hopefully will give you some idea of its size.
From Kolob Canyon, we had hoped to visit Cedar Breaks National Monument. However, due to the amount of snow, the monument, which has the highest elevation of any National Monument, was not opened. Therefore, we headed down to St. George, Utah, to visit the winter home of Brigham Young. The St. George area is called the "Dixie" of Utah, as during the Civil War cotton was grown along the Virgin River. The tour was interesting and only cost us getting our names on the Mormons list to receive a Book of Mormon.
Our last visit of the day was made to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area just outside Las Vegas. Here a 13 mile scenic drive loops through the high desert where a number of viewpoint and trailhead stops gives you some great views. Including the Calico Rocks.
and Pine Creek Canyon and Ice Book Canyon.
From here we went to the airport and had to wait an extra two hours before taking off at about 1:30 AM, making it an extremely long last day of vacation.
Our last day in Utah was our longest. Our flight was not scheduled to leave Las Vegas until almost midnight, so we had a lot of time to play. We started the day by hiking in the northwest portion of Zion National Park. This section of Zion, known as Kolob Canyon, has a brief scenic drive of 5 miles that ends at the mile long Timber Creek Overlook Trail which we hiked.
The Taylor Creek Trail is a 5 mile round trip to the Double Arch Alcove. The water level in the creek was up some due to the rains of the previous day, making hiking the trail more difficult as you were required to cross the stream 96 times, by my count.
The Double Cove Arch is huge and impossible to photograph as the trail leads right into the first alcove of the arch. It was very impressive and we had it all to ourselves. Again the benefit of being early morning hikers. Here's a picture of me in the alcove which hopefully will give you some idea of its size.
From Kolob Canyon, we had hoped to visit Cedar Breaks National Monument. However, due to the amount of snow, the monument, which has the highest elevation of any National Monument, was not opened. Therefore, we headed down to St. George, Utah, to visit the winter home of Brigham Young. The St. George area is called the "Dixie" of Utah, as during the Civil War cotton was grown along the Virgin River. The tour was interesting and only cost us getting our names on the Mormons list to receive a Book of Mormon.
Our last visit of the day was made to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area just outside Las Vegas. Here a 13 mile scenic drive loops through the high desert where a number of viewpoint and trailhead stops gives you some great views. Including the Calico Rocks.
and Pine Creek Canyon and Ice Book Canyon.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Utah Trip - Arches and Moab
Our last day in Arches was effected by the weather. We again hit the trail early(a routine I would suggest using regular to any serious hiker wanting to see a National Park without massive crowds). Our first stop was at the Windows Section of the park where we saw
Turret Arch
North and South Windows(also referred to as The Spectacles from the side that this picture was taken)
From the windows section we drove to an area adjacent to the Campground and saw
Broken Arch
and Double Arch(seen in one of the Indiana Jones movies)
From the windows section we drove to an area adjacent to the Campground and saw
Sand Dune Arch
From there we hiked a loop trail as it started to rain and saw
Broken Arch
The rest of the day was spent trying to avoid rain drops. We explored the Colorado River Scenic Byway(Rt. 128) out of Moab. The steep walled canyon gives something of a precursor of what the river will due a hundred miles or so downstream.
The city of Moab is a very tourist oriented place. It is said to be the mountain biking capital of the US. Within the city itself are a number of paved biking trails and outside the city are hundred of miles of trails including one that goes from Moab all the way to entrance road to Canyonlands. In addition at the city's Visitor Center you can pick up a number of auto tour pamphlets - Native American Rock Art - La Sal Mountain Loop - Colorado Riverway. We only scratched the surface of the things that could be done in Moab. There is also a golf course.
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