New construction, old ???

My great friend Michelle and I looked at the renovation going on across the street from this year’s Martinfest, and we wondered. What had been in that building before the supermarket and boutique coffee shop on the bottom floor and newly restored apartments to come upstairs? Even though we’d worked for decades at the big…

A sort-of-warm year for Martinfest

I had to attend Martinfest solo this year. Bah! My dear wife Karen had her Saturday shift at the library and couldn’t make it to the annual better-than-Winterfest Bash in the downtown Syracuse parking lot thrown by our great friend Michelle and many other Martin siblings and cousins. I took the early shift, leaving to…

Hanover Tree holds a familiar swirl

Walking through downtown Syracuse this holiday season, the decorated trees in Hanover Square caught my eye. Like our lawn at A Bitty Better in the Liverpool neighborhood of Galeville, they’re working with non-evergreen-style trees to decorate. I agree with that.

Martinfest enjoys the short February thaw

A late February day in downtown Syracuse with the high temperature hitting 68º F? Martinfest really does see it all. This gathering of great friends started four years ago by the Martins, of course, has weathered deep snow blown around by gusting winds and bone-deep cold that made one wonder if the coffee would freeze…

Baseball, please, Hot Stove style

The Syracuse Chiefs Hot Stove Dinner warmed me up for the 2017 baseball season last Friday night. When my dear wife Karen asked me if I’d like her to say yes to two tickets offered to her at her job at Syracuse Media Group, I said yes in a flash. This baseball fan was ready…