Some Updates

So, we have not had so much rain in the past month or so. Thus, the grass is drying & turning brown. That has not heppened in the past 2 years. Basically I like that. We are having a dry spell. The fire wood I have stacked is seasoning nicely. Last Summer we had so much rain that mold & fungi grew on the fire wood. I never once mowed the lawn when it was dry.

Friday morning my aunt Jaunita died. She was my father's sister. She was 78 years old. She had cancer. However, prior to that she had some heart trouble. So, I am assuming a combination of the 2 maladies is what placed her in the hospital. Then, she decided she wanted no more treatment and she died within a few days. She was an unselfish woman with a HUGE heart who always saw the good in people.

The day after she died we got a call that a member from the Better Half's family died. He was here niece's husband. They have a 15 year old son that he leaves behind. They had gotten divorced a few years ago. He re-married and had a a second child with his new wife. Cancer claimed him too. He was 48 years old.

It makes one wonder. Though I knew him, I have not seen him since he divorced the BH's niece. Also, I never knew him well. However, his death strikes me as sadder than that of my Aunt, whom I have known my whole life. It's because of the age discrepency between the two. How much sadder it is to leave behind children under the age of 16 as opposed to one who leaves behind grown children that have families and children of their own.



On a different note, when we got home from the Adirondaks a couple nights ago, we pulled into our driveway to be greeted by a small sized Maple tree that had fallen across the driveway. Today I cut it up and added it to the wood pile for Winter's heat.

My garden this year is growing strong & lush. No deer or other vermin feeding on it. Also, appears to be no blight affecting the tomato plants.

I also painted the front porch floor & steps today. Red floor paint by Valspar. Really good paint.

After that one of BH's daughter's & family showed up & we went to the lake for a couple of hours & had a nice swim. We go to a place called Wilson's Bay in Lake Ontario at Cape Vincent, NY. About 10 miles from our house. It was well over 80 degrees F with a brisk wind blowing toward shore. Waves were probably 2 or 3 feet.

The photos presented here were taken on our recent drive to Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondak Mountains of NY State. Whiteface is the 5th tallest peak. It has a road that leads close to the summit. You then walk through a tunne (around 500 feet) to an elevator. The elevator takes about a minute & half to reach the weather station / observatory at the summit.

What I LOVE about tjis place is the man made structures. The weather station and the castle. There is a trail that leads from the summit station back down to the castle. This was constructed some time mprior to mthe Great Depression. I love it beacuse it reminds me of the Myst games. It's almost as if you were within the game Myst hiking about. Going along the trail with the old rusted irion railings. The views that make you feel as if you ar isolated in the world. I am anxious to go back there again.