Pretty girls in Liverpool

Walking back from taking photos by Onondaga Lake for my job at the Liverpool Public Library, I saw a scene a block away from my destination that made me reach for my iPhone 6. Of course, when I got there, the slice of Americana was no longer lined up perfectly outside the Federal Esspresso coffee…

Tim catches a swallowtail butterfly … with his camera

My dear wife Karen and I have been waiting patiently for a butterfly spotting in our backyard garden in the cherished Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. I have more hope now than ever. Good Neighbor Tim sent me two great photos from just his side of our shared fence. He did…

Where’s Mark amid the Diamondback crew?

Yes, my two years toiling for the University of Maryland’s campus daily The Diamondback surely helped shape my career. As much as what I learned in the academic buildings, yes. More? Probably. I wrote hundreds of stories covering the soccer, women’s basketball and lacrosse teams as my primary beats, with coverage about football and men’s…

Behold the Northern Flicker

Good Neighbor Tim is always on the lookout in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. It’s one of the things I love about having him and his wonderful wife Lorraine next door to the Little Bitty. His latest discovery was … I’ll let him tell it, from his email. “Another creature you might appreciate is…

Back on course at last

From May to September. That’s how long it took me to return to the golf course with my pals this summer. Busy for all of us, yes. In fact, that’s how long it took me to get back on the golf course at all, what with this great new job at the Liverpool Public Library…

Shine on, almost Harvest Moon

I was hit with this startling sight in downtown Syracuse when my dear wife Karen and I stepped out of the Landmark Theatre after seeing Jersey Boys Friday night. I believe we were one night past the official Harvest Moon here in the Northern Hemisphere. I know it was a beautiful nearly full moon over…

Meet the Mets … and Dory, Erin, James …

That trip to CitiField to see the Mets play the Nationals two weekends back was exactly what our family needed on the night before the services for my sweet middle sister Frannie. My dear wife Karen and I had planned for more than a month to drive down from Syracuse with terrific daughter Elisabeth and…

Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary Bash at the library had me beaming (up)

Saturday’s work assignment: Capture patrons who loved all things Star Trek enough to attend the 50th anniversary celebration at the Liverpool Public library. I posted photographs and a video from the scavenger hunt, movie screening, book signing and other activities carefully planned by my cool colleagues the librarians all over our social media platforms while…