Ruff event in Clayton

That’s concentration. My dear wife Karen and I thought a leisurely hour-plus drive to the north to visit our friend Chris would a wonderful way to spend one of her days off. Chris told us about a possibly interesting event scheduled in the village of Clayton, on the shore of the St. Lawrence River and…

A happy birthday bash indeed

We found them! My dear wife Karen and I are always glad that friend Georgia includes us on her invitation list for the big family and others birthday bash. Can’t beat the scene. The short drive to nearby Jamesville Beach allows us to mix, mingle and, sure, eat plenty. That’s Georgia far right, in blue.…

Happy return for Kristin and Jeff

Kristin and Jeff were back from Florida. Michelle was quick to put together a friends night at The Wood in Baldwinsville for a great post-work Friday meet-up. We were glad to ring a table on the big outdoor deck. I swear, Jeff’s face peaks over the shoulder at left. I should have done a better…

Our new fig tree likes its winter home in the shed

My friend John brought over the fig tree grown in his backyard and designated for delivery for my dear wife Karen and I to love and nature in our space since I admired his grove of trees a few miles away and listened carefully to how he coaxes them to life and cares for them…

A Martinfest under sunshine is a very good thing

When the sun shines on Martinfest, everybody has a really good time. The gathering of great friends put together so wonderfully by the Martin family took over the corner parking lot for another fantastic Saturday. We marked the almost-passing of February in fine style for, maybe, a decade straight now. I could go back and…

Another year of Martinfest brings more innovation

I never know what my dear wife Karen and I will find at Martinfest. The family that brings the big party to the little parking lot in downtown Syracuse for a winter break of friends and fun never stops coming up with new wrinkles. This year’s newbie was a portable pizza oven. I did enjoy…

Happy days to KP

The text came in, and I grinned, as they say, from ear to ear. KP was hanging it up from the old paragraph factory. My great pal, partner in words and ideas at the big daily and golf and good times in the world had made it to the good and just and deserved see-ya.…

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…

Jeff comes to the rescue to fix the fence

We knew the backyard fence at A Bitty Better was sagging. Hover over a gallery photo for a description. Click on an image for an enlarged slide show. As soon as we moved from The Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, I took a trip to Lowe’s for the cinderblocks needed to…

Lunch with the old sports department crowd

You bet I was excited to see David Elfin for lunch last week. He and I worked together in the sports department of the big daily in the mid-1980s. I was his boss, technically, the assistant sports editor to his men’s basketball beat writer. In reality, though, we’d both come up here with time spent…