here again!

It's been a crazy week here in southern Ohio!!  Friday morning, as Ani and I were driving around town, we took a look at the cloud guide that lives in the car, to see what the clouds might tell us about the weather we were getting...alto-cummulous is what we figured we were looking at (high, bumpy, whitish grey).  On the card Ani had written "It is hot? You might be in for a thunderstorm!"  And how. It all started with some dang-hot weather last week which turned stormy in the span of a few minutes Friday evening, with a storm that blew through here at 100 mph, blowing over trees, knocking out power for 85% of the county.  That was us for a little under 24 hours, but there is much of the county, and even the city, that is still without power.  The lines for gas were horrendous for a couple of days as people fill up their extra gas cans for generators, and there is no ice.  Dan was out with a friend having a beer and didn't know the storm had blown in until the power went out, but the girls and I were here having supper when the wind kicked up.  After convincing them that they really probably shouldn't run out into the maelstrom of branches whipping around our street, we settled onto the living rug with a few candles to finish dinner.  It was exciting and worrisome and finally Eliza said, in a little voice, "I wish we had cake."  Brilliant. No cake, but who doesn't want comfort food in a crisis?? One dark chocolate bar and several dried apricots later, we had settled into our evening...when Papa got home there was Phase 10 by candlelight, a few chapters of Harry Potter, and we were all out. (Might have to do this no-electricity thing more often...)

The following morning we still had no power (our water was fine, thankfully), which became a problem when Mama couldn't have her coffee (I know, I know...it's a problem), so though we couldn't call and check in, we went ahead with our plans to drive out to The Woods, bringing a full cooler of food with us to cook on their propane stove. The drive showed us many downed trees and power lines, but we were met with smiles and coffee.  And to make what was a rough day soooo much better, after golf we went out boating in the late afternoon.

the "good little skiff"

It was awesome - the girls rode in the skiff with A and E and Dan and I got to canoe together, and we swam from the boats and saw 5 or 6 real live beavers, which was so very exciting.

I'll save the first thrilling days of July (I tell you - Summer!!! It just doesn't stop for a breath) for another post, and share some photos of the more "normal" days of June...

Some dressing up with friends...

Eliza's playin' the blues...

Measuring, estimating, figuring...

"Mirror" chalk pictures - she explained that it was like the under dimension of her - as if she were sitting on a mirror...and one for Ani too...

Some experimenting with color and water and Queen Anne's Lace...

learning cribbage! a family tradition

three days later - fireworks!!

And there you have it! June! Oh wait, I'm still catching up on June....darn it.  Yes, I have at least one more post on Ithaca coming up, maybe two...

Water and Air

A friend of my cousins owns a sailboat docked in Lake Cuyuga, and he had offered when we arrived to take us out sailing.  The girls were both thrilled and terrified at the prospect, but it came up every day and in every lull in every day - are we going sailing today? Is it today?  When we finally determined the day, it was windy - more than leaves-moving-on-the-trees windy - and B. was really set on not scaring the pants off the girls, but giving them a great experience out on the water.  I could tell he was hesitant, trying to read them and the day, so we all sat on the boat for a while, just talking about what it would be like out on the open water.

Then we got distracted, trying to save a very nice hat from a very wet fate. No luck.

Then, while Ani ran circles around the deck of the boat, we deliberated a bit more, and we took a quick walk down to where we could see the boats already out on the water, and B. determined it was not as choppy as he'd thought and Eliza determined that she had enough courage to summon for the adventure, and we were off.

It was heavenly. Blissful. I got to see one girl overcome some serious nerves and another discover that she was fearless on a boat, both exhilarating feelings.

We all got to help - the girls managed the rudder and stayed out of the way of the lines, and cousin J got to try her hand at managing the sail.

 

It was such rush, and so peaceful, all at the same time.

Thank you, B! It was a dream of a day that we won't forget.

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tillandsia bulbosa

I fell in love while we were in Ithaca. For reals, as Ani would say.  With epiphytes.

tillandsia medusa

Known as "air plants" epiphytes don't require dirt for nutrition, and only need to be soaked in water once or twice a week and set somewhere to dry and flourish.  In the wild they would grow in the crook of a tree or on a branch.  They are so animate, so full of character, that I was smitten several times during our visit.  We had one already - Ani's best friend Ari gave it to her a week before we left - and we ran into them a few more times during our stay, until finally my cousin took me to a little greenhouse where I could select one several of my very own.

tillandsia tricolor

the heavenly epiphyte corner

 What a beautiful little place - A New Leaf - with a friendly owner who told us lots of stories about the critters he finds around his greenhouse, including smooth green snakes and mice nesting right amongst his pots.  

In addition to the epiphytes, there were many orchids, each so uniquely beautiful.

is it a wasp? is it a flower?

 A poor dutchman's pipe had lost one of its blooms, and the owner gave it to Ani to have and investigate.

She pried it open and it was like opening the shell of a sea creature...

So wonderful.

We love Ithaca, Part II

This chronicling of our trip is going to take me weeks, but it was such a rich, packed time that I am determined to get it all out there, for our own remembrance as much as for sharing!  Bear with me, or skip it all; it will be interspersed with the Here and Now as best I can.  So - one of the highlights of the trip for me was the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the surrounding Sapsucker Woods. Any time I have a question about identifying a bird or a bird call, I end up at the Cornell Lab of O. website, where they have hundreds of calls cataloged, and so much great information about bird identification and citizen science.  Going there was a little exciting for me...So, my cousin CB suggested we meet there in the morning (I believe he asked, "hey, does anyone ever picnic for breakfast??" The answer to which was "We'll bring the bagels and the strawberries, see you there at 8:30?") and we ate our bagels while watching this huge Great Blue Heron nest, filled with five "babies" (who, incidentally, have started to fledge, if you've been watching the Heron Cam!).  It's hard to see how scruffy and awkward they were in these photos, but they are hilarious and beautiful to watch. The parents seemed eager to demonstrate flapping, and did many cruise-by's, as well as perch nearby and flap like mad.  Any time either parent flew to the nest the babies let loose with loud clacking of their beaks!

five babies

parent on the branch

 This is also when we discovered that Ani has a natural ability with the binocs - she was able to pick out the nest, a frog, a swimming turtle...she wore this huge pair during the whole walk around the pond.

Checking out the muck

 The inside of the lab is just as interesting, but most of that will have to wait for our second visit...

python skeleton

hummingbird case

We were visiting the week before my cousin J was to head off to Ethiopia, and while I deal with leaving on a trip by cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, she seems to approach it by making a list of all of the craftiness she's been putting off and trying to accomplish it all by the day of departure.  I was impressed with what she managed to finish while we were there, and her crafty mode worked well for all of us to have a few hours of downtime here and there.

Lake Cuyuga, while really cold, was a relief on a 95 degree day, and the girls waded and wallowed and then figured out how to skip stones with all of those beautifully flat, smooth pebbles...three skips, seven skips...such an accomplishment on a summer's day.