Last day of summer break

Labor Day 2018

Today we end a full and long summer of vacationing and visiting and celebrating family. We left the Conesus Lake house that Pat and Kathryn rented for the holiday weekend at 10am to return to Rochester for one more night. There is satisfaction in leaving a rental clean and tidy, but also a bit of nostalgia for all that has taken place so intensely over just a few days. The juice from the lobsters, a highlight of the all-day clam bake, was still on the metal table this morning. The half-finished puzzle begged to have a few more pieces in place and remnants of meals and baked goods, including the cookies that greeted us on Friday to welcome us to the house, were good for one more consideration before packing up the refrigerator. We stopped at FBH on the way to the apartment and then settled in for a quiet day. By afternoon, a walk around the Park Avenue neighborhood with Henry and Felicity gave Emma a chance to nap and Kathryn and me a chance to play. We discovered a children's sculpture garden at School #23 and a giant pig on the steps of a real estate office.

 

100th birthday

There is something certain about the change of seasons. This morning I woke up on the shore of Lake Conesus in Livonia where Kathryn and Pat have rented a house for the holiday weekend. Sitting down for my morning coffee, I was greet by the gentle lapping of the lake and the silent fluttering of leaves from the mimosa tree above; tiny leaf flakes drifting down to the water. It’s September 1st.

Yesterday we celebrated Dad’s 100th birthday. “One year older,” he said. We saw him at lunch time and again at dinner. During the afternoon a group of us including his nephew and his family who have come to Rochester from Beijing took a tour of the Erie Canal. Felicity loved the lock and listened attentively to the maneuvering of the boat into the lock applauding as the gate closed behind us.

Hot, hot, hot

The heat wave that started at the beginning of this week continues. We are heading north so with a predicted cooling off and the northern direction we hope the next few days will bring some relief. Emma has been hiding out in the air conditioned bedroom with Felicity and Henry.

School has started and after two days of orientation for new employees we opened the year with the traditional visionary address from the head of school. This year he put several stakes in the ground that will forever secure his legacy and ensure the direction into the future: requiring a person of color in the candidate pools for all job searches; expecting faculty to do the equity and inclusion work without waiting to be asked or told by ICIE; setting an expectation that everyone will participate in SEED. I'm glad that this is what marks my last year and that I can now hand it over to people with the energy to move the vision forward.

I started my class at Hunter last night. It was a group with hopeful energy and I had a moment of feeling great responsibility for their success.

We bookended the summer with two family events. Maggie's wedding in Sodus and Dad's 100th birthday party in Fairport. In between Emma, Felicity, Henry and I have filled the summer days with the excitement of being two years old and the wisdom of parenting a two year old. She led the way.

Maggie had a dream of having her wedding at Sodus Point and her wedding reception at her family's home, an historic cobblestone house on a vast property of rolling hills and apple trees. The large barn that had, over many years, collected stuff and likely had been home to many country creatures, was miraculously turned into a screening room and bar. It depends who you ask, but there are strong indications that Frank did most of the heavy lifting to get the barn ready and that Tony, the groom, was right there beside him for some intense work weekends. What emerged from all that cleaning out was enough antique dinner plates to serve a wedding feast to over 100 guests; an eclectic array of plates from delicate designs to hardier family dinnerware. The meal was delicious, the cake was delicate and the Italian pastries were memorable. The dancing went on until 11pm and by then the parents of the bride had retreated to the quiet of the house and the babies had fallen asleep.

First day

This is the first day of my last year at Horace Mann. Deep breath. It feels like I am behind the driver's seat of a plane with everything I need to get off the ground, but not yet sure exactly how I will land when the time comes. I need to visualize a smooth landing.

Lake Ontario

Remembering the lake breeze in hot NYC

July 10, 2018

For many years Ellen has encouraged us to come to Sodus and Sodus Point. We've visited her homes, but have not spent much time on the lake. Five days has given me a new appreciation for the lake. When we arrived on Friday it was a windy night and as soon as I stepped out onto the back deck I wondered if the location of the house meant that our days on the lake would all be too windy to spend time outside and in the water. Saturday was sunny and clear and calm and Sunday was the first day we swam in the lake. The sunset was bright with a deep reflection in the lake's surface turning quickly to a deep orange. Yesterday's sunset was another spectacle over the lake. For a few seconds the sun dropped behind some clouds, but quickly reappeared below the clouds to make a last appearance before setting. Right before sunset the sky was painted with a mosaic of clouds.

Today, the wind picked up again and the lake was restless with white caps and waves. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocky shore was constant all afternoon and the muddy water extended far out into the lake from the shore. There's a sign on the gate to the stairs leading down to the lake: Swim at your own risk. Andrew commented that this was a swim at your own risk kind of day. The sunset hid behind the clouds until the sun was just above the horizon and then suddenly a soft orange ball appeared and slowly set below the horizon.

Start of summer

July 5, 2018

It has been 100 years since my mother was born in New York City. Her family lived on Academy Street in Inwood and that is where she lived her first five years of life and later in life when she returned to NY to work. She used to take the 1 train downtown; I only learned about this in recent years. Though she often compared the path of her life to mine and concluded that our lives were very similar she never mentioned that we both traveled on the 1 train.

If I think about leaving NYC, again, even for a few years I can't help but feel that it would be a break in 100 years of family history. We have always had a home in NY attached to our family. I think of NY as home.

July 9, 2018

In the past four days we have traveled north from New York City to Sodus Point, NY. The night sky in Sodus is a breath-taking display of stars and planets. I suspect that Maggie, who grew up in this house, knew the potential of the landscape to bring together people from all corners of her life - family, Sodus friends, Boston friends, and children. So many children exploring the space she loves.

We are staying in a house on the lake with a large deck off the back facing the water and the sunset; there's a smaller deck and fire pit on the front side of the house. Though a compact railroad style home with a single hallway from the front door to the back door, it has three bedrooms and two baths and has fit all of us, 7 adults and 5 children, perfectly. Yesterday's sunset was particularly beautiful and most everyone made it into the water as the sun shifted west before setting well after 8:30pm. The sky remained a light pink against the blue horizon long after the sun was out of sight and even as we sat around the fire pit we could see a window of the blue and pink through the trees alongside the house.

 

Yesterday afternoon we went over to Burnap Farm Market to pick cherries. There was also a petting zoo and climbing structures.

 

There's a large gas grill on the back deck and last night Pat and Kathryn grilled the chicken that had been marinating overnight and an assortment of sausage and hamburgers. Pasta salad and watermelon and some grilled vegetables made up the rest of the meal. All delicious. This morning they woke up early and headed out to work, Kathryn with the longer drive heading west and Pat with the shorter drive going east. Gena and Derek and Ruby left for their road trip to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. They agreed to a four day stay in exchange for attending a sales pitch for a condominium on the beach. They've been coached by Kathryn on what to say and what not to say. Reminded me of the time Gregory and I went to hear a pitch for places in Canbarra Australia.

Thinking about the beach later today and a leisurely dinner here at the house.