Heaven is in PA!

Well, winter was a bust in Rochester this year. Too warm, and not enough ice. I was itching to go ice fishing all winter, but the weather wasn't cooperating. Then Dom invited me down to Big Al's cottage on Lake Underwood in northeastern Pennsylvania. Dom told me that this private lake never failed to produce, in fact he gave me the "G" that we would catch fish. Well I couldn't pass up that chance!
First, I should thank Big Al for hosting us, and the Silver Bear for feeding us. The accomodations were rustic, but it couldn't have been better: woodstove in the middle of the first floor, comfy sofa to sleep on, extra helpings of food. Deer mounts on the wall, and pictures of the trophy fish from the lake decorated the walls. It is exactly the kind of place I can see owning some day. Part summer cottage, part hunting camp. It was perfect. I was sore from laughing at Big Al's constant banter, and diligence in keeping us happy and warm.



The oncoming nor-easter made for a great day of fishing. The TV called for an blizzard along the seaboard, but we were far enough north and west of the storm, that we only got maybe an inch. But the fish were ready for us. I have never ice fished a better variety of fish. We caught pumkinseeds, perch, bass, crappie and pickerel. Big Al's sons came with some friends for saturday afternoon, and they pulled in a 26" pickerel, the biggest of the weekend. The state record I am told is 30" in PA! I mostly jigged while Dom and the Silver Bear manned the tip-ups. I couldn't catch a small crappie if I wanted to, they were all keepers. When we finished filleting fish on Sunday, we had 9 lbs of fish. This was an unforgetable weekend, and I thank Big Al, the Silver Bear, and Domzer for making it a great time!

Sharing Stones

First, I should say I don't really like the word "in-laws". When I say this to people, everyone always rolls their eyes. My in-laws aren't like that, I love them very much. I really consider them a second set of parents, and even more that that, dear friends. I was very delighted when they came to visit in early January for a late Christmas with Laura and I. I was also very delighted that they wanted to learn about curling.

They asked if they could come to the curling club and see what it looked like. They don't have any clubs in Ohio, and they hadn't really seen any on TV before. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take them down on the ice to throw a couple of stones. I got grippers for their shoes, and assured them they wouldn't fall. They were impressed by the grippers ability to hug the ice (I don't know why they don't sell these to the general public!). We did stick realeases, so they could get the feel for the throwing the stones without having to get down in the hack. I even got Laura out for the first time. We didn't have a lot of time, so it was just long enough for a tease. I was sure glad they came, and got to share another of my intersts with them.

Weekend with Friends

Staying in touch with friends isn't always easy to do. We are self centered creatures for the most part, and its easy to get engulfed in our own day to day tasks. I am very grateful when I can see friends that I have not seen in a long time because we are separated by distance. A phone call, a letter, an email are wonderful, but it never beats a face to face reunion. Luckily I was able to have two great reunions this weekend with great college buddies. On Friday I got to see Fernando and Samantha for dinner at the Distillery and bowling. These two make you smile from ear to ear, their joy is contagious.

Then on Saturday night, Dom (left), Laura (middle), and I traveled down to Corning to have dinner with Ken (right). Of course the restaurant we picked out from the internet no longer existed when we got there, but we quickly regrouped and found a fine replacement. Ken had great stories for us from his time in Memphis. We couldn't help but wondered if anyone sold "glass" in Corning. What a great way to spend a weekend, catching up with the people who make us who we are.

Passing of the Great Bill Casello

Bill went by a lot of monikers. "Old Man" Bill, "Bionic" Bill, were a few recently, I don't know how many more he used in his long and amazing life. Bill was an inspiration to me, and I believed I was not the only heart he touched. I will give him his last nickname, The Great Bill Casello.

Bill was always a bit of a mystery to me. I don't really know a lot about his history, but Bill saw most of the 20th century. He saw the depression, he saw the world wars, he saw all the history I only read about. Being a student of observation, Bill remembered it all, and used it in his vivid stories. He had kids enthralled, and not just for five or ten minutes, but for an hour, sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for what Bill would tell them about next. This is how I will remember Bill the best, on those warm summer days at the Leslie Science Center in Ann Arbor watching him weave a yarn where you were whisked away to a Pacific island, an apple orchard, or maybe a Depression age school yard. All those little kids looking up at him from the front row, eyes wide, waiting for the next plot twist. Then Bill might end with a big game of HATS!, where everyone got a silly hat, and we all paraded around taking on the persona of the hat we wore.

But the Great Bill Casello didn't stop there. Bill was a naturalist at his core. Those acute observation skills didn't go to waste, he saw everything. From a tent catepillar on a branch, or a pawpaw at the top of a tree, Bill saw it all. And his travels around the world, looking for exotic and endangered species he cataloged on film and slide. I remember the sound in his voice as he would show us a slide of an animal he wanted to see before they were gove forever from the face of the planet. You could hear how much he cared about the earth and its inhabitants. One of this most lively friends was his dog Patsy (pictured). Bill and Patsy would come by the science center and Patsy would want to chase squirrels all day. In one of Bills acts, Patsy would jump on Bill's lap and they would sing together. You couldn't help but laugh.

Though Bill might of thought himself as a "codger" like some of his characters in his stories, you couldn't believe it. He couldn't be mean and keep a straight face for long. Bill took interest in anything. I remember how he enjoyed looking at my Safari pictures from Africa, and how we shared that twinkle in our eyes when we envied what the other had seen. Bill embraced technology as well, I remember when he got his first digital camera, and how he took pictures of everything. I have been very fortunate to be the recipient of his online nature journal that he sent out to friends about his recent travels and nature observations.

One of the greatest gifts Bill bestowed upon me was a CD-Rom, with the written files of all his stories he had written to date. I was, and am, a budding storyteller as well, and marveled at Bill's uncanny ability to bring life to a story. One day I asked him if it would be alright if I could tell one of his stories some time, and he didn't blink and eye lash, letting me know that it was o.k. by giving me everything he had. I hope I can bring the stories to life, and share the passion he gave everytime. That's what Bill was all about; giving. He expected nothing, and always gave his knowledge, his enthusiasm, his passion, and his caring. Long may we remember The Great Bill Casello.(Obituary)

Easy Slippers

Now this was a fun and easy project! We made six pair of slippers for our guest when they visit our house (yeah, we keep the heat low, and we have drafts like everyone else). I wouldn't think of walking around my house without slippers, so we found this pattern on Martha Stewart's website for felt slippers. With my sister Ellen's help and sewing machine skills, we had these whipped out in an evening sitting. O.K. so Laura and Ellen did the majority of the work, but they are great, and we spent less than five bucks for six pair. Now they sit in a little basket for our guests. Now don't you want to visit?

Christmas at Home

The smells, the warmth, the comfort, its Christmas at home. Its like the smell of fresh baked cookies, somehow its comforting at a deep level. I feel at "home" in two places now, at my parents house in Pierrepont, NY, and at my inlaws house, in Shreve, OH. This Christmas was in Pierrepont, and it was very relaxing. How is it different from being at my own home in Rochester? Well, I don't look around and think of things to do, I just spend time with my loved ones. I don't have to think about the leaky faucet, or the garbage can. Its just soothing. It not really recharging the batteries, as it is letting the batteries run dry, just let the energy sap out of me. Just wish there were more snow this year...ha!

The Warmers Holiday Gathering

We pulled it off again. Another year of fun at the holidays with the Warmers crew. We scrapbooked for our album, we ate Sergi's pizza and wings, and we played an epic duel of BANG! What a fun evening, thanks everyone we made it, and thanks Marylee for hosting.

Sausage Party

Ah, the time honored craft of sausage making! Dom, Jeremy, and I made venison sausage today. Dom provided us with choice ground deer that he killed and slaughtered himself. Jeremy provide the sausage stuffer. I provided the beer. Jeremy put us to task, and showed what a real pro he we was in packing the meat.




We made two varieties, an Italien version, and a spicier buck-basi sausage. We had about twenty pounds of meat, and made roughly three dozen links and an assortment of patties. Cheers!

Summer Azure

A Summer Azure is a butterfly. Its a small butterfly that is purple-ly blue, and lives for only a short time. When it lands, it doesn't look like much, white and gray hides it into its surroundings. But in flight, it is a small gem. Its fitting that one of my favorite places on earth is Azure Mountain in the Adirondacks. This little mountain breaks no height records. It doesn't have a long or really interesting trail. But when you get to the top, it makes your heart fly. The views are panoramic, and dramatic. The fire tower reminds you of the past, and how key this location is when looking down on the surrounding forest. The blueberries, well all I can say is YUM. And it holds a lot of great memories for my friends the Warmers (pictured) and me. I tried placing a letterbox here, but it didn't last long. Probably found by some disapproving purists, or a zealous ranger. I made sure it was not off the trail, and was easy to get to by only stepping on solid rock. But people disapprove sometimes of things they don't understand. They don't understand that the Warmers only wanted to share this place with others. There was a large pile of rocks in the parking lot below that Friends of the mountain wanted at the top for erosion control. We carried as many as we could, we even loaded the dog down with rocks. I hope whoever removed the box understands that we care too, and our letterbox could bring a few more people to this remote mountain to help carry rocks too. Maybe I'll try again, but like the Summer Azure, sometimes things just don't last as long as you would like, and you just have to enjoy them for a short time.

Thursday Night Victory

Wow, what a curling game we had last night! We had a roller coaster match. We got off to a bad start, losing three points in the first end. Then we lost three more in the next two. We were down 6 to 0. I was pretty deflated. Then we managed to score in the 4th. Then we stole points in the 5th and 6th. We were coming back! Then in the 7th, I had one rock left, oppenents had the hammer. They were sitting one and two in the house. I had two biters on the outside. I was going for the obvious take-out, didn't even see the chance for a double. But I lucked out, and pushed both their first and second out, and I stuck around to score three. We took a two point lead, and held it in the 8th end. Couldn't believe it. Thought we were done. Shout out to my team, Tony, Monica, and Brian. They are so much fun to curl with!