North Again

     As the turmoil of settling into the new house ebbed, I took the opportunity to head north to handle a couple of business related issues.  There are no direct flights from Durham to Albany.  I usually take a flight that stops in D.C. and then on to Albany.  This time I wound up going to Charlotte first, then boarded a plane to Albany.  It always seems a little strange to go south to get north, but it was a beautiful day, had no seat mates, and managed to get the picture below of West Sand Lake.

    You can see Crystal Lake just above the engine, Reichards Lake on the left edge in front of the engine, and the village of West Sand Lake.  The brownish-white area below Reichards Lake is the Bonded Concrete operation.  From the air you can get a pretty good idea of the extent of their gravel mining operation and the scar it has left on the land.
    After taking care of business, David and I got a chance to play a round of golf over at Skyline Country Club in Lanesboro, Ma.  I hadn't played the course in probably 30 years, and it has grown up(well the saplings that lined the fairways back then are now mature trees anyway).  It still has great views of Pontoosuc Lake in Pittsfield and the Berkshires in the distance.

      David and I also got a chance to go to a Tri-City Valley Cats play-off baseball game.  Although they lost the game, they went on to win the NY-Penn League Championship.  Sitting behind us was Pat Valiquette and his son.  Pat and I served together on the  All-Tournament Team Selection Committee when RPI used to host a holiday hockey tournament.  It was good to see him and chat about our lives.  His son just completed law school and is waiting for the results of the bar exam to be released.  You take the bar exam in July and don't get the results until December.  It's tough to be in limbo that long.  David bought a Valley-Cats hat and coordinated his golfing outfit around it.

     The trip north ended on a high note as I attended the Actors Equity Association 100th anniversary celebration at Cap Rep in Albany.  It was great to see a number of people I've worked with over the years and share a drink, food, and some good conversation.  The party also featured the best decorated cake I've ever seen.

 
     Yes, that is a cake.  Amazing isn't it.