Appreciating the big moon

Staying power The big moon has been catching the eyes of my dear wife Karen and I for days now. Evenings and mornings. I remembered to bring out my iPhone while it was at its fullest. Beautiful, yes, when we woke up early Thursday. Goodnight, moon. Gorgeous, still, before we retired at the end of…

Bounty appreciated

So many tomatoes. Come on over and get some tomatoes, texted terrific daughter Elisabeth. We’ve got so many, she exclaimed, attaching the above photo as proof. Happy pickers. She and George Three were still gathering when I arrived just moments later. Oh, so lovely. The container I brought home for my dear wife Karen and…

Smile at the party

And then there was the time … Tater and Linda hosted a fantastic shindig when KP came to town from Atlanta. Great food, wonderful big daily reunions, stirring conversation. KP snapped a wonderful photo of my dear wife Karen while I was in the midst of a wickedly competitive cornhole match in the yard with…

Bake and I, through KP’s lens

Since the ‘80s … KP sent Bake and I a photo he took of us on the track in Saratoga. We look like we’ve been hanging out with each other for a good, long time. Yes, I’ve known these two since I started working at the Syracuse daily in August, 1983. Using all my fingers…

Signs of figs!

Keep on sprouting, please and thank you. A wonderful August development has popped up with our backyard fig tree. My dear wife Karen and I have noted the arrival of possible figs. Could be fruit in our future. This would be a first from the tree gifted us as a baby twig from our friend…

Second deck can be fun

Oh, the patio! When terrific daughter Elisabeth asked if dear wife Karen and I wanted to take in the union picnic for a Syracuse Mets game at NBT Bank Stadium with she and George Three, we were all in. It’s a hit. The tickets said 1st base patio. That cool location on the second level…

Great seats down low

See it all. George Two and I decided we’d take in a Syracuse Mets weekday day game, just us two old guys. I bought ahead at the box office and snagged really close seats. Big sky. Behind the dugout with a blue sky kept us happy, yes it did.

Honoring the greats

Honoring winners. This fountain near the gate at Saratoga Race Course caught my eye as KP, Bake and I wound our way out. We stayed happily for seven of the 10 races. Bake was the big winner for the day, cashing frequently and enough to play with the track’s moolah. Yay, Bake. Everybody left with…

Take a swing at it

Party all sorts of ways. Of course there was a band to help Saratoga Race Course patrons behind the grandstand appreciate the between-race scene with their own gait. I did not trot past, more of a stroll.

Picnic for horse lovers

Eat, drink and watch races. Thousands of folks take a seat at picnic tables, spread out the contents from their baskets and coolers, and take advantage of big screens and betting windows set up outside the grandstand. Path through the picnic. It’s an interesting place to throw a hootenany, indeed.