I can feel at home at Aston Kona by the Sea for a week

When we pulled into our place to stay for Family Reunion II, Kona was very dark. But the place my dear wife Karen had chosen in collaboration with several of her siblings lightened my spirits considerably. That first night, we dragged our bags in from the rental SUV, put them into our bedrooms, and checked…

Aloha, Kona’s open airport

We arrived at Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, N.Y., before the clock had hit 5 a.m., giving us plenty of time to check our bags, pass through security and board the first of three planes that would take us westward that day. Although the sun had yet to rise, somebody was enjoying the open restaurant…

New things are blooming up front

A tall, scraggly bush has coaxed some cuss words out of my dear wife Karen and I since we moved into A Bitty Better in the Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville last October. We never thought it would amount to much. But instead of digging it out or cutting it down, we trimmed, pruned and hoped.…

What to do with that bothersome water pipe?

There is a common bond in the Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville. We all deal with a stubby water pipe somewhere in our front yard. My dear wife Karen and I have been letting the rusty little thing just sit there between our walkway and the road. Inside, I seethe a little bit. And notice that…

Veggies and herbs, gotta hand it to them

My favorite garden in the blocks surrounding A Bitty Better in the Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville is smack dab next door. My nexties know exactly what they want from their side patch of vegetables, herbs and more. They surely make the most of their corner lot. Bravo.

Rocking the garden

A walk around our Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville in August allows me to chart some interesting aspects that surround A Bitty Better. Ideas to bring home, perhaps? Ahh … This is one interesting way to get the most out of small rocks and patches of flowers in a front yard.

Don’t sit, Ellie B

Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I were circling the blocks around A Bitty Better in the Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville recently when we came upon one man’s garbage. Of course, my cherished rescue mutt quickly wanted to turn it into her treasure. No way. Keep going.

I work with a nice bunch

Go ahead, take some green bananas, Liz wrote to all in the library’s in-house message system. Her husband had come across many bunches at work, and they’d decided to share. And so I went to the break room and selected a hardy-looking bunch to sit on my desk and admire for the rest of my…

Now, a drop in the pool water level

My dear wife Karen worked so hard to get the in-ground pool ready for swimming here at A Bitty Better in the Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville. We were so happy when the kids came over for the first barbecue and pool party. And then they dropped over with some pool toys, and my terrific daughter…

I still love A1, above the fold

My self-applied pressure was on, I will admit now, as I snapped away during the library’s ‘Tie Dye on the Lawn.’ Last year the weekly Eagle News published one of the photos I sent them at the top of A1. Could I pull it off again? I sent Editor Sarah Hall three photographs from which…