An afternoon tea

I finally set aside some look-around time on my last business trip. My trips of late are typically for User testing - which, while important and very useful, are also draining and hectic.  I usually am too exhausted and / or grumpy to explore after testing. Which pretty much sums up all my trips so far.

- Which is unfortunate as I have met some great people from Burning Man that always mention that I should look them up on my travels. It is hard in the face of such welcoming that i have to some how relay that I am grumpy and just want to hide on my hotel room.

My flight home was later on a friday, so I set aside some time that afternoon to explore. I sent a note early in the week to a former coworker Marcia to ask if she might be available to meet up.  I had no set agenda for the day other than to track down Portland's famous food trucks, so Marcia took the opportunity to take me to the Portland Chinese garden. 

I will be the first to admit - that this is not typically a venue I seek out on my own.  It does not seem to hit my my mechanical or techno buttons. But I was definitely in follow mode once we met up, so i was

really up for anything.  It turned out to be a wonderful afternoon, both weather wise and tempo.  Marcia has a membership to the facility and took the time we has to carefully show me many aspects of the garden as well as partake in a very quiet round of tea in the on site tea house.  The quiet, non complicated afternoon was just what i needed and it was great to catch up with Marcia.

I highly recommend the place on a quiet weekday afternoon. If you are lucky - you can have the whole place to yourself like we did  :O)

Easter with the family

Eric and I headed to Owego to join the family this past weekend. We ( I ) were looking forward to throwing an Easter Egg hunt for the nieces and nephews. Jimmy and Grace could not join us this year - so we saved some eggs for them. :O)

Kristin put on a grand easter dinner and Marks sister and her sons joined us as well.

Life's path

Just cleaning out the file cabinet this morning. I sent this flyer out to friends in 1993 just as i was to start graduate school. I knew it was an expensive gamble. ( RIT was not a cheap place to to major in an obscure design degree) I tried to map out all my adventures and stops in life since high school on a map. I guess I figured seeing where I had been would help chart the path ahead.

Finishing undergraduate had put a big ? on my future and I feel it was a pretty low part of my life. Friends had moved on to jobs and careers and I just could not see my future on a day to day basis.

Weird part time jobs and living at home..... all in the middle of a terrible recession.... it was crushing. All the occupy movement stuff going on ..I can feel the uncertainty of a young person graduating to face an unknown...... Getting in to RIT was a gamble - but the acceptance letter gave me a path and I knew where I would be for the next two years. Just that feeling of knowing where you would be and doing for that small period of time.... it was a great emotional relief. I was incredibly happy. The optimism was a foreshadowing. RIT ( as a period in my life) was a fantastic experience and I never worked so hard or felt so creative. Between the work, new friends and coming to terms with my sexuality.... I really felt myself shift into the person I knew I could be.

**you'll notice I misspelled Public Safety on the flyer. Yes - I ended up sending this out to friends and family before the dawn of spell check

Holidays in Syracuse.

It was again time in December for our annual holiday get together. I always use it as reason to get house projects started and completed. And they get completed..just maybe not in a timely fashion. This year I tuned up the living room. Repaired the walls, new paint, lighting and some furniture.

Unfortunately the lighting gave me trouble almost down to the last day - which in turn put me WAY behind with getting ready for the actual party. hence my grand visions of 6 Fondue pots never materialized ( we got 1 going) Butwhattodo? Thankfully my sisters and father were on hand along with several friends to lend a hand. Folks let us know they had a great time - so it makes you wonder what(?) makes a good party? Must be the people...... :O)

Thankful for much

The family joined Eric and I in Syracuse this year for the annual turkey burn. I used the opportunity to test run an fondue recipe for the upcoming Holiday party at our house.

While dinner was cooking, Many of the gang watched the Thanksgiving sporting event on the television. I think it was the "Brown ball " sport.

I also was initiated into the celebration rite for when one obtains a turkey at no cost due to shopping receipts. It is entitled "FreeBird!" And there was much rejoicing.

A Fabulous 50th






















A beautiful weekend here in upstate New York as we celebrated my sister Cathy's 50th birthday. The day's adventure started with a tour of some fun wineries on the east side of Seneca lake as we headed towards Geneva for the evening. The various wineries and settings proved much fodder for our goofy ways AND we actually tasted some wines as well.















































After the tour and some hotel checking in, we arrived at Belhurst castle. First time I had actually been there. A fantastic ( and haunted! ) mansion located at the top of Seneca lake. Dinner was quite Yum Yum and then there was cake!!









A friend remarked on Facebook that Mom must be smiling and I am sure she is.