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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Brian Smith

Our son Brian is 41 years old. We know this to be true as we were there when he was born and we were there when he sat behind the chocolate octopus cake with the big 41 candles and proceeded to extinguish them with the help of his two boys. This was one of life's really good moments!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Eagles Mere

After a great week with Chris and Gary we went to Eagles Mere, PA, to visit with our friends John and Alix. One of many highlights of the visit was golf with John.
This is the #5 tee. Very beautiful as long as you don't hit the ball into the water. It is less beautiful if that happens.

Here's John about to crush his drive well over the pond. You go, guy!

This is hole #9, a 214 yard par three. The drop appears to be about 200 ft. It is a fun hole. I bogeyed.

Chimney Bluffs

One of the relatively unknown sights in the Rochester area is Chimney Bluffs, located on Lake Ontario just east of Sodus Bay. The bluffs are the eroded remains of drumlins.

A stark beauty, indeed.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, ....

It's a bird after all. Bank swallows nesting all over the place. Very cool. Thanks to our friend Mike Lanzone for the positive ID.

Edna's Japanese Garden

Knowing of our interest in developing a small Japanese garden at our home in FL, Chris and Gary introduced us to their friend Edna. Edna has spent the past 20 years or so developing her Japanese garden and it is a show piece. She was kind enough to give us a tour on very short notice.

The almost hidden entrance, almost magical. The sign informs you that you are entering the Garden of the Humble Administrator.

The pebble stream along the path.

The lantern accents the bamboo and the pine tree.

A small lantern, water feature, and pebble pond/stream.

Edna explains.

A quiet corner.

We got some good ideas. We loved Edna's garden and we loved Edna!

Visiting Old Fort Niagara

While visiting with Chris and Gary we took a trip to Old Fort Niagara, which is located at the mouth of the Niagara River at Lake Ontario. A fort at this strategic location controlled access to the other Great Lakes and therefore the interior of North America.

The French built this fort in 1726. The main building, the "Castle," was built to look like a French manor house to convince the natives of their peaceful intentions. We don't know if French noses grew like Cyrano's as a result.