Snows Of Long Lake

(With temperatures here on Cape Cod in the forties over the weekend, all of our snow has fled, save a few dingy and icy piles here and there.

Since the calendar still says its Winter, I'll happily turn over photographic duties for the day to my Mom, who sent along these great photos from Long Lake, NY.

In the Adirondacks, they clearly know from winter.)

The deer came at first for seed from the bird feeders. They came on their own, or in pairs. But now they are returning for the bits of apple they've also been finding out the back door.

And on this day, there were six.

With his forage-pruning of it's lower branches, this little deer seems to be answering the gardener's question about why this Korean lilac only blossoms way up in the air.

Amongst these photos, there are deer seen out windows in every direction. It's sort of funny, if you know the views.

It's pretty clear they've got Mom and Dad surrounded, and I can only hope the supply of apples and birdseed doesn't run out before spring!

Thanksgiving Highlights

[Finally, some photographic highlights of my Thanksgiving travels...]

So, Monday morning found me cleaning and packing the car, with snow flurries occasionally winging about; got that garden moved just in time, I figure.

I was on the road by noontime. There were flurries then, too, though they didn't read so well in the photo, and only lasted until I reached the Canal. And then the trip ran steady to Albany, as darkness fell. I had Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" talking book for company. Great story, if a little dark.

After a brief repast with Bob, I rendezvoused with Dad at the Albany International Airport and a few more bites to eat later, we were on the last leg of the trip, headed north into the mountains.

There was snow on the ground there, seen easily in the dark, but the roads were clear. With two exceptions (one easy-going deer, and a fox who was pretending to be a train, and crossed the road between grade crossing signals--shame they didn't activate for him)we saw no wildlife. Overall, it was a happily uneventful journey...and we received warm greetings from Mom and the cat when we arrived around 11:00 p.m.

I slept very well, with the sound of brook just outside, and the predicted mix of rain and snow waited until we were all asleep before it made its appearance.


It was mostly rain, but turning to an icy mess as it hit the already-grounded snow...and the rain lasted most of the week.

This made for a very peaceful and relaxing visit, as we stayed mostly home, relaxing and enjoying one another's company. After the big Garden Move, I was happy for the downtime.

Which isn't to say we didn't accomplish things with our days, like the burying of Saint Joseph (to be clear, it was a statue of him)in the snowy garden out front. It is said he may help to bring the right buyer to discover the house and facilitate a sale.

But mostly, it was a delightful week to lay around and play with my buddy, my brother-cousin Dewey, seen here lounging on his magic carpet.

I did get myself slicker-ed up one afternoon, and made my way across the street to the lake, where I captured a few foggy shots.



When Thanks
giving Day arrived, followed shortly by Sue and Joe, we were too busy making merry and enjoying one another's company to remember to attempt a group photo.

I did get this shot of our table, however, the green beans strategically concealed behind the centerpiece so as not to spoil the memory. ; )

Also present and accounted for were Eastham turnips, sweet potato crunch, apple and sausage stuffing and naturally, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce.

Here's a nicer shot of our table mums, with their bright fall colors. Amusing to note, they are the same colors as The Incredibles' costumes, which we all sleepily enjoyed on television later in the evening (but that's fodder for My Other Blog).

High Peaks

A Rose for Kitty

I believe it was a waltz. My dance partner was a vision of beauty and grace in tangerine chiffon, and warm summer breezes blew through the tent on the side of Blue Mountain as we made our way about the dancefloor.

It was July of 1996, the evening of the Gala Dinner at the Adirondack Museum and I was dancing with Kitty Carlisle Hart. I was too young to know her from Marx Brothers films, or even from her television days with "To Tell the Truth" and "What's My Line?".

I was working as a Development officer for the museum, and as the chairwoman of the New York State Council on the Arts, Mrs. Hart had attended a few of our special events during my tenure.

She was of a generation which produced something we simply don't see much of anymore: the classy dame. She was elegant and funny and put me completely at ease. Our dance was, for me, the thrill of a lifetime.

We weren't friends, but I have always thought of her as such. I'm sorry I never had the opportunity to see her one-woman memoir show, "My Life Upon the Wicked Stage." It sounded absolutely delightful.

And I was very sorry to hear last evening that Kitty had passed away. The world is a richer place for having had her with us and I'm sure now she's off to teach Heaven a thing or two.

Thanks for the dance, Kitty!

Wild Center

Today, in an effort to get out of the house and work off some of yesterday's Great Feasting, we made a roadtrip to Tupper Lake, to visit the newly-opened Wild Center, a natural history museum of the Adirondacks. It's an amazing place...and a terrific spot to pass an afternoon.

The focal point of the Wild Center is a series of water tanks, linked one to another, showcasing a series of wildlife habitats and hosting an assortment of aquatic wildlife, including a heritage strain of native brook trout. There were turtles, too, though they were much too active for my photo-taking skills.


In addition to these large tanks, there's a great assortment of smaller terrariums and other exhibits featuring frogs, toads, more turtles, snakes, salamanders and a host of other creatures.

The highlight of the visit, perhaps, are the river otters. They have several "on staff" at the Wild Center, and they come out to the exhibition tank alternately (as they are not all well-acclaimated to one another yet.). Great fun to watch, but even more difficult to photograph, since they dash through the water so very quickly.

Finally I got this halfway decent shot when this one paused on the play rock. Amusing to note that the otters have a Kong toy not unlike Emily's!

One of the larger exhibits features a faux glacier. These giant ice sheets were largely responsible for making the Adirondack region what it was today. They also make a great backdrop for potential Christmas card photos!

One of the extra surprises of our visit came in the Panoramic theatre, when we came across some old friends of mine who were also in town visiting family! We had a pretty quick visit, but it was great to see them.



All in all, it was one more great day in a series of them, and a good one to make my last in the Adirondacks for a while. Tomorrow I'll pack up and head East again for the Cape. It's always nice to get back home...


"Nature is one connected whole. At any given moment every part must be precisely what it is, because all the other parts are what they are." - Johann Gottlieb Fichte, 1762-1814

Thanksgiving Day

Today, I am thankful for many things.
I give thanks that I have so many people in my life who love me: my husband, my family, my pets...so many friends. (And I give thanks for the people who don't think I'm so great, too: they keep me real, and give me things to improve.)

I'm grateful for my sense of humor, which helps me accept the things in life which seem sad or unfair: it helps me to almost always have a smile when I need one...or when someone else does.

I'm thankful there are so many people who can help us to see the funny things in life, when we're not able to see them for ourselves.

I give thanks that I have things to believe in, like Love, or Santa Claus, or gardens that grow.

I am thankful to be healthy, to have a home and a good job.

I'm glad for the natural world...for the animals, the trees, flowers, rocks...and beautiful sunsets.

I'm thankful to live in a country that allows us to be free. A place where each of us can be the person we truly are and accept one another for that. And I'm grateful there are people are who are willing to step up and defend that right to live free...and offer their lives if need be.

I am thankful for music and art and stories and dancing.

I'm grateful for the sound of silence, too...and the inky blackness of space. Without them, how could we appreciate the sound of a babbling brook, or a coyote's howl...or the glitter of stars in the midnight sky?

When I think about it, there is more to give thanks for than you could possible count in just one day of the year, so maybe I'll try to remember to count these things every day.

Oh, yes...I also give thanks for pecan pie and carrot cake!

A Gardening Heritage

Morning in Long Lake: 28 degrees. Here's the view from Mom and Dad's front deck.


It's true, in November, there isn't too much to see outside, not from a gardener's perspective, anyway. Even these late season asters have called it quits. But while Mom was at work, Dad and I had a few projects to keep us occupied.

We had a number of boxes of old photos and other family memorabilia to look through. This is a shot of my great-grandma Berns (that's her in the middle of the back row...before she was anyone's grandma, or even a Berns, for that matter!) with her brothers Townsend and Clarence and their mother in front.

I just love this picture. It's 1933, and that's Great Grandma B.'s lower half on the ladder, and her dog Tippy, who's apparently decided to help pick fruit or prune...or at the very least, mug for the camera.

Here's a pair of shots of my Granny, who was just Josephine back then. In the first photo, she's age six (that's likely my aunt Florence up in the tree to the left). The second shows her laden with rhubarb at age 7.

Here's another photo of Grandma Berns, taken in her garden at 305 Wood Ridge Avenue (actually, I believe that's where all but the first of these photos were taken) in the early 1960s. I do actually have some vague memories of her garden myself. And I can only assume that she grew allyssum, among many other things, as the scent of it always takes me back there.

And then there's this photograph, from a Halloween party in 1962. The butterfly is my Aunt Florence, the butterfly hunter is my Uncle Charlie...and yes, that's Great Grandma Berns in the background as a French maid!!

Winter's Homecoming

Snowy pond. 


Here are a few more shots from my north country road trip.

An oak in winter, Austerlitz, near the NY/MA border. 


Buttermilk Falls, Long Lake NY.