songbird's crazy world

Sunday -- we drove to Lockport, NY for our Erie Canal adventure. First up was the Lockport Cave tour. this is a manmade cave -- tunnels that were used to provide water power to 19th century industry in Lockport. one of the key industries at the time was Holly Manufacturing -- which made, amoung many other things, fire hydrants (Birdsill Holly had an 1869 patent for the fire hydrant). Ironically Holly Manufacturing burned to the ground and the fire was rumored to have started in the building where fire hydrants were made. anyhow, you walk down a steep, narrow flight of stairs from the street to the canal level, then walk along the canal to the entrance of the cave. the tour is partially walking and partially a boat ride. and it is VERY DARK in the cave, especially when the guide turns off the electric lights. after the boat ride you have to climb back up the stairs to the street. not easy in the hot sun.... next we went over to the Erie Canal cruises. we'd booked a boat

Saturday -- another very full day. we got out our passports and drove across the Rainbow Bridge to Canada. you can have a very full Niagara Falls experience without crossing the border, but visiting Canada was a very nice treat. we took a drive up the Niagara River to Lake Ontario -- past all the vineyards -- and visted Fort George. DBF is a history teacher and we love old forts. this one was different from what we've seen before, because it was a British fort (not an American fort), and key in the defense of Canada in the War of 1812. on the way back to town we stopped scenic overlooks, the floral clock (it's a working clock made out of flowers, it's quite large and beautiful). our next activity -- the whirlpool aero cars. there's a bend in the Niagara River, downriver from the falls, and a whirlpool forms in the bend. on the American side there's a scenic overlook, but on the Canadian side there are cable cars that actually take you over the river.

we did A LOT but I'll keep it brief. we flew to Buffalo-Niagara airport on Friday morning, no issues with the JetBlue flight or the rental car.  Flew home Monday night, ran into a significant delay at the airport because of bad weather. we weren't looking to spend a lot of money on this trip -- we did an expensive cruise in February -- so we didn't opt for a resort-type hotel.  instead, we stayed in a very low budget motel in Niagara Falls, NY, on Niagara Falls Blvd., that's 3 miles out of town.  There are about a zillion similar motels on that street. I won't mention the name of the one we stayed at, i won't recommend them.  the  room was clean and comfortable, although there was water damage to the ceiling and the carpet was torn in one spot.  the room had a refrigerator and a microwave. my chief issues here were (1) the "continental breakfast" included two types of cold cereal, white bread and coffee and (2) the motel's brochure f

(cross posted at Midcentury Modern Moms College is a real education -- in high finance.  You learn words like "financial aid", "FAFSA", "Stafford loans", "promissory note"... You get to know the difference between scholarships, grants, government loans (subsidized and unsubsizied), parent plus loans, private loans... The enormous amount of money that is required to obtain a decent education... What I found fascinating...I took out 6 student loans (they were called "Guaranteed Student Loans" back them) in the late 1970's and early 1980's.  Those loans, long since paid back, are still in the government's computer database. What's truly sad...those 6 loans (three undergraduate loans, each in the amount of $2500 and three graduate student loans, each in the amount of $5000)  virtually paid for three years of undergraduate study at the state university and three years of law school.   Even accounting for inflation,

remember how much fun we had at last year's faire ? well, we've bought tickets for this year's faire. we're going August 21. big group going this year, not just me and Drew. big group -- including the ladies who didn't like the Chinese restaurant last Saturday [insert rolleyes smilie here]. but even so, it should be fun. I'm wondering if I should go in costume this year. I've got a pirate lady costume that would fit in....

"Mom, I want to move into the dorm two days early so that I can volunteer for a community service project."

King Tut was amazing ... but you're not allowed to take pictures of the exhibits. And dinner in Chinatown was great as always. Except for the fact that several of the ladies in our group ...well, F didn't like what she ordered and complained that the vegetables "weren't fresh" and B was convinced that the kitchen workers took half of her leftovers because "there was more food on the plate than could fit into this container..." and she convinced S that they both were cheated ... It was very hot in the city ... walking around was exhausting ... But overall ... a great day.

Headed into the city today to see the King tut exhibit. Enjoy this musical interlude while I'm gone:

It's been a long, busy week and I am so looking forward to the weekend.

I work in Jersey city, right on the Hudson river waterfront. periodically I have to attend meetings or seminars in our corporate headquarters, across the river in Manhattan. usually that means a ride on the PATH train. but on nice days like today, I can splurge a little and take the ferry from Wall Street -- a five minute ride down the East River into New York Harbor, around the tip of Manhattan and up the Hudson.

(cross posted at Midcentury Modern Moms I first met Dr. G the day Jen was born. I hadn't had time to choose a pediatrician, I had thought about it but...so I was in the delivery room with my brand-new daughter and my obstetrician told the nurse "call Dr. G." And thus began a long and wonderful relationship. Over the years my daughters saw other doctors -- doctors who covered for Dr. G when he was unavailable, ER doctors for emergencies, specialists ... but Dr. G remained their primary care physician. He's truly a wonderful man, gentle and understanding. He knows how to treat children, and their parents. He knew the girls well. Knew where they went to school. Knew their hobbies, their likes and dislikes. Hearing his voice over the phone was so soothing to a stressed and frazzled mother. He wasn't just a doctor, he was a friend and confidante. He kept photos of all of his patients on a bulletin board in his office. In the March 2009, when Jen w

by the time youu all read this I should be at my desk and starting my week. please pass the caffeine...er, coffee...it was a long night last night ... never bok an 8 PM flight home if you have to work the next day.

I am a little peved right now, my nook -- bought from Barnes & Noble just a few short weeks ago -- has temporarily stopped working, and I need to have it repaired/replaced. but that isn't stopping me from reading. or from reading electronically. I've got more than one e-reader downloaded to my iTouch. and a different set of e-readers on the Droid. I recently found free -- yes, free - versions of all seven Harry Potter novels. They have a lot of typographical erros, which can get a bit distracting. but in preparation for the Deathly Hallows movie in November, I've decided to re-read all seven novels. I've finished Sorcerer's Stone and I'm reading Chamber of Secrets now.It's amazing what was left out of or changed when the movies were made. After this, I will likely take a short break from Harry Potter and read something else. but I will finish the re-read before the movie opens in November. So, what are you reading these days?

Springsteen the folk singer

what movies can you watch over and over again? where you've seen them so many times you can recite pages of dialogue by heart? where, if the movie happens to be on TV, you choose to watch it no matter how well you know the ending? I have a few movies I can put in that category. The first, and my favorite, is Casablanca . Exotic locale, wartime tension, interesting characters, a complicated love story and no happy ending. The Wizard of Oz also comes to mind.I even paid to see this at the multiplex last fall, though I have most of the film memorized. Ghost always makes me laugh, and cry. And Men in Black is a guilty pleasure.

I first saw Harry Chapin perform live in 1975, when he did a concert IN MY HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM. Harry lived in Huntington, NY at the time and I lived in a nearby community, and the concert was to raise money for his charity -- world hunger. Saw him perform again in college. More than once. And I was sitting in Eisenhower Park on July 16, 1981, waiting for the Harry Chapin concert that never happened. Thank you, Harry, for all those wonderful moments.

I've started a new travel blog . Drew and I are planning a Disney World trip for next summer.

(cross posted at Midcentury Modern Moms Since she's now gone to her college orientation, can I officially call Becca "a college student"? I never thought to ask that question about Jen. Her orientation took place in June, before she'd even graduated from high school. We drove to her college in rural New England on a Sunday night. She checked into the student dorm and I took a room in the dorm set aside for parents. We spent two days traipsing around campus as each of us was bombarded with information. I think we saw each other for about 5 or 10 minutes. When we were done, she'd registered fro her freshman classes and was looking forward to moving into her dorm in the fall. Becca's school is much different in its approach. Freshmen move into their dorms on August 29, and there's a program for parents at the school that day. Parents are expected to leave by 4 PM, at which time orientation will officially begin for the students. Registration fo

My father always told us to watch for signs of diabetes. his mother was a diabetic. as far as I know, though, she was the only one in our family to have the disease. not so with Drew's family. Drew's father has been a diabetic for over 30 years. Drew's uncle (his father's brother) is also a diabetic. a few days ago Drew told me his older sister was diagnosed with diabetes about a month ago. and Drew was just tested for the disease -- he'll get the results in a few days. I am hoping that he didn't pass that gene down to his kids....

headed up to Niagara Falls on Friday. neither of us has been there before, though the funny thing is...Drew and I each considered taking the kids there for vacation at one time or another. it will be a short one, more like a long weekend. but I am looking forward to getting away and having a new adventure.

spent Saturday afternoon at a barbeque hoted by Drew's best friend from college (they guy who was best man at our wedding). Hadn't really seen him or his family in years. saturday night we met up with another old friend for dinner, a woman I hadn't seen in over 20 years. it was weird yet wonderful to renew the old ties.

so Jen is back at work at the day camp. yesterday she left the house at 6:30 AM so that she (along with a few other counselors) could set things up for the camp's special event, "pop culture day". and she even dressed up as Lady GaGa, can you imagine that? and then, later in the day, I was eating a pice of pound cake. a simple piece of poundcake. you know the kind, individually wrapped in cellophane, with the pan liner still attached to the bottom and sides of the slice. and I had a flashback to my own days at day camp. my dad worked at the day camp every summer from 1960 through 1972. and my sisters and I were lucky enough be be campers there every summer. one of our "special events" was the cookout, which was held on alternate Fridays throughout the summer. the counselors grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for the kids. and we all got pound cake for dessert.

I must admit, the title is a NaBloPoMo prompt. but it's a good one, isn't it? I'm not going to limit myself to "bands" per se.... Paul McCartney at Citi Field has got to have been the best show I ever saw. July 2009. Loved, loved, loved it. He's so comfortable in his own skin, and he's so good at communicating with his audience. You felt like you were one of 50,000 friends Sir Paul invited into his living room. Next would be Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band at the Garden in November 2009. I won the tickets -- floor seats. I was just getting into Jimmy's music at the time and didn't know what to expect. It was one huge beach party. Loved it so much that I bought tickets to see him again next month. I saw the Rolling Stones at Shea in the mid 80's. My first stadium concert. I was completely and totally floored. Believe it or not, I'd have to include a Britney Spears concert at MSG that I took my kids to see back i

I was four days past my due date and feeling absolutely miserable. I'd found out I was pregnant again just a few days before jen's birthday. with a due date in July, that would put the age difference between my children at 20 months. A due date of July 4th -- we referred to the child as "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Jen had been born a day before my due date...but that Independence Day, as we stood on the balcony of our apartment and watched the fireworks all over the neighborhood, i knew that my second child would be born "late". on July 8, a warm, sunny Wednesday afternoon, Drew and I strapped jen into her car seat and drove to my obstetrician's office for my weekly appointment. I fully intended to ask him to induce labor...I had had enough... ...and he told me that I was already in labor -- despite not having felt so much as a single contraction -- and that the baby would be born tonight! we had just enough time to drop Jen off at my paren

(cross posted at Midcentury Modern Moms ) summer has just barely begun, andyet it's time now to think about the fall. it's an exciting time for Becca, as she compiles a list of all the things she will need for college. her freshman living quarters will be not be a conventional dorm, but rather, she'll be in an on-campus apartment. she hasn't received her official hosuing assignment yet, so she doens' tknow whether she'll be ina two-bedroom or three-bedroom apartment. the college has provided her with a list of all the things she will need for her bedroom, plus a suggested list of things she and her roommates might want for their living room and kitchen. I see a lot of shopping in her future. entering her junior year, Jen is an "old pro" at college life. but this year she's making an interesting transition from dorm to off-campus housing. she has all the things from her dorm room, and the house they've rented is completely furnished

GPS is a wonderful tool, but... well, it does have its limits. like when the GPS told Drew to get off the New Jersey Turnpike at an exit that didn't exist . or how Becca and I circled around Lake Ronkonkoma for 45 minutes the night before her SAT exam, trying to find the test center -- we found it quite randomly, despite the GPS, because my instincts led us to the right place. Jen had a major adventure a few weeks ago, driving with her friends from Long Island to northern Westchester and back -- using a parent's GPS device that had been programmed to avoid major highways . GIGO -- garbage in, garbage out. a GPs is only as good as its programming. don't be afraid to follow your instincts and don't be afraid to ask for directions.

More NabloPoMo "rescue" stories. from time to time the cats have been known to go hunting in our back yard. We've had to rescue mice, chipmunks and other small rodents as well as the occasional bird. and long-time readers of this blog will remember the rescue of the baby bunny: Is this the face of a killer? iller Part II Baby Bunny is Free At Last

NaBloPoMo wants us to talk about things we've rescued or saved. for me that triggers thoughts of many of the pets I've had over the years. Molly the beagle. We got her from a shelter. the sweetest, dumbest animal that ever walked the face of the planet. when my daughter jen was a baby, she learned to stand up by grabbing Molly's ears and pulling herself up. That dog never complained, not once. TJ the cat. My mother was working at a local courthosue at the time. Someone found a cute orange kitten abandoned in a box in the woods nearby. My mother broguht him home "temporarily" because we had a cat (Cinders) and cat food and could take care of him until other arrangements were made. My mom had that cat until he died 10 years later. And then, of course, there's Mr. Kitty. The self-rescued cat. At the time Mr. Kitty joined our family we already had three other cats in residence. there's a pond about a quarter of a mile down the road from my ho

that's teh theme for NaBloPoMo for July. the only thing that comes to mind...is the Christian concept of being "saved". too funny, when you consider that I am very, very Jewish. and then I look at the control panel for my blog and it tells me tha tthis post has been saved. from the spiritual to the humdrum in one fell swoop...

July is dressed up and playing her tune.... welcome to July, and once again I find myself in the discipline of NaBloPoMo. I wonder what the month will bring.