I think they used to have the same address

On a recent walk around the blocks surrounding the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood with my dear wife Karen and Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle, a recently painted house caught my eye. Hover over either gallery photo for a description. Click on either image for an enlarged slide show. Two recently…

Rest in peace, my sweet middle sister Frannie

When the phone buzzes at work a couple of times in a row with voice messages from your baby sister, you check it. When her concerned voice asks you to call her back immediately, you do. And then she has to tell you words a big brother doesn’t ever expect to hear. Our middle sister…

Behold the multi-colored butterfly bush

The last of our big three butterfly bushes pushed out its blooms. Behold, to the right, the multi-colored beauty. We loved the completed trifecta in the triangle garden in the backyard of the cherished Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Yeah, I love the look back there, for sure. No question about…

You never know what gorgeous building you’ve been missing

For 33 years, I’ve lived and worked in the greater Syracuse, N.Y., area. Schooled in journalism, a reporter and editor by trade and a curious sort always, I consider myself the sort who always looks long at the surroundings. Imagine that I couldn’t quite place exactly where I had to go when my bosses at…

Meet the Mets come Labor Day Weekend

My dear wife Karen came up with a great idea for Labor Day weekend, and I did my best to make it work for 10 folks who live hundreds of miles apart. Why not get terrific daughter Elisabeth and outstanding significant George Three to join us in Syracuse to travel to Citi Field in Flushing.…

The Central Library looks smart indeed

They threw an open house on South Salina Street this week. The Onondaga County Public Library’s Central Branch has been working on its three floors of grand stuff in the Galleries of Syracuse since I’ve been working at the Liverpool Public Library. Our brethren did good. Real good. The Children’s Room on the second floor…

It’s time for the new Great New York State Fair

Things will be different when the New York State Fair opens the gates today. Starting with the gates. From the close last Labor Day, the sprawling fairgrounds in Geddes received a facelift to the tune of $50 million, the folks right there a couple of miles west of Syracuse city proper who hosted our monthly…