We’re ready for our Syracuse Mets opening day

First in line. Our traditional gang of four arrived a few minutes before the 10 a.m. start time Saturday at NBT Bank Stadium for the Syracuse Mets annual welcome to fans. With the snow that had fallen overnight and crisp March 4 temperatures, I was first in line at the ticket window to pick up…

One happy cat when that day rolls around

What did I get this time? Elisabeth and George Three can have fun watching Ava’s reaction when the monthly cat box arrives. The rescue cat in our life is as enthralled with the delivery as rescue dog Ellie is with the Bark Box. Catnip involved? Now that’s a look of cat joy.

I see spring on my living room TV

2022 NL batting champion Jeff McNeil at the plate. One benefit for this retired guy is flipping on the weekday early spring training game televised by SNY for my New York Mets. I watched on Thursday afternoon. I hardly cared that they lost to bitter NL East rival, the Atlanta Braves. The games don’t count…

Cheers for a March sunset

Pretty start. I was fortunate to look out our front door and toward the west as the sun was completing its journey on as the clock wound toward 6 p.m. Wednesday. March 1 made its mark by leaving an open slice from the gray cloud line on the horizon for the pretty orange on the…

Elisabeth gets Otto just right

Let’s Go, Orange! Terrific daughter Elisabeth turned her needlepoint talents to a gift for my dear wife Karen. The amigurumi version of popular Syracuse University mascot Otto sits proudly in our living room. She got it right, we think! Now we have to make sure Otto doesn’t fall off the shelf and into the clutches…

A solid meal at Mimi’s

Big time tasty. Of course George Two, Sue and I satisfied our appetite during our day of sight-seeing through Oswego County. They had to show me a favorite diner in Fulton. In fact, we stopped there at the front end of our trip. But I wanted to save my comment about how good my hot…

A small and pretty lighthouse in Pulaski

A beacon of solid tradition. A lighthouse does not have to be huge to keep boaters and those on the shore’s edge safe. So I learned as George Two drove Sue and I through the winding roads of Pulaski so I could use my phone to photograph the gorgeous building that stands proudly on the…

A beautiful park to drop a line

Lovely location. George Two and Sue have brought their generations to Selkirk Shores State Park in Pulaski. He smiles as he tells me about grandson Mason not wanting to pull in his line at dusk and him agreeing five more minutes, oh, a handful of times in a row. Oh, yes, Lake Ontario stretches on.…

Why you should still carry quarters

No cell tower needed. At the entrance to Selkirk Shores State Park in Pulaski sits a working pay phone. George Two says it’s one of two he’s noted around this area. The second sits just a few miles away in another popular fishing location. I’m glad New York State keeps it going, Old Guy that…

Fort Ontario stands guard

Needed in those days. Fort Ontario is a historic site where folks today can visit to see learn about its roles in the French and Indian War and the War of 1812. Housed refugees. Adjacent are restored buildings that served as refuge for Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The Fort was closed but I soaked…