3 fountains and a lunch from home in 60 minutes

So how much can you accomplish in a 60-minute lunch break in downtown Syracuse? You can sit on a bench and eat the lunch you packed, a ham-and-cheese sandwich and a baggie of baby carrots chased with a can of Arnold Palmer Zero, and thrill at how chilled your brand new Igloo lunch bag kept…

Sorry little spruce, it’s time to give up

I always show the success of the hard garden work and love from my dear wife Karen and I. Some of you may have noticed a sorry sight in the background of some shots from the backyard of our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood home. The little blue spruce we transplanted after a winter in…

A butterfly can’t always wait for a garden

I’d say on this Sixth of July that our backyard butterfly garden in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood is doing quite nicely. The three along the back fence, the purple eldest at left, the center white lady transplanted from my sister Frannie’s garden on Long Island, and the great multi-colored baby at right, are…

All-American night at the park

The folks who run the Syracuse Chiefs and the city’s department of parks and recreation decided that NBT Bank Stadium was the perfect place for a July Fourth doubleheader. The 7 p.m. Triple-A game between the Chiefs and Pawtucket Red Sox and following fireworks display drew quite a buzz. By 6:30 p.m. all entrances to…

A red, white and blue hello from Syracuse

After watching the Great American Hot Dog Eating Contest from Nathan’s Famous on the Coney Island boardwalk on ESPN. (Yay Joey Chestnut, Mr. Eight-Time.) Before heading off to NBT Bank Stadium to watch the Syracuse Chiefs play the Pawtucket Red Sox followed by the city’s annual fireworks display. (We’re ready for some big ooh’s and…

Fitting in near golf glory before the lightning arrives

As we sat eating the quite distinguished buffet lunch at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y., late Thursday morning, KP and I made the final decision. Despite the 2:20 tee time set at the start of the week at beautiful resort course Shenandoah, the eldest of the three Turning Stone pro-tournament-worthy layouts,…

Gopher gone, we have a lovesick dog

As we settle into the second day full day of the separation of Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and the backyard gopher, the sniffing and scratching continues. And my beloved 3 1/2-year-old rescue mutt looks up at me with puppy dog eyes again and seems to say: Where did my furry friend go? On Saturday,…

A dozen brand new houses, all dressed up and open for you

Hello, up there. There. There. There. I could imagine the echo. Yes, my mind sometimes got away from me a bit as my dear wife Karen and I walked through the dozen houses opened up this year during the annual Syracuse Parade of Homes. It was the best one ever. What a gorgeous neighborhood. Come…

I’ll walk you to your car, dear

With working downtown comes parking downtown. A year ago, the company that followed the big daily changed locations, and my dear wife Karen decided after a few months of parking in the old surface lot behind the former building to switch to a new multi-leveled garage blocks closer to the new office. It was good…

On June 21, a full day for the sun

The summer solstice puts an extra bounce in my step. Really, the first official day of the season doesn’t mean much in Syracuse, N.Y. It’s been warm awhile. It’s staying warm awhile. (Knock on wood.) But that’s the cynical way of thinking, and I’m no cynic when it comes to June 21. So this year,…