The familiar road signs each come into focus along 88: Schoharie, Cobleskill, Richmondville, Worchester, Schenevus, Colliersville and Cooperstown, Oneonta. Between the signs there are long stretches of country dark. The headlights reflect on the snow alongside the road, but the road itself is clear. And dark. In the Bay Area it’s hard to remember such…
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Venus is brilliant in the early morning sky, clearly the disc of a planet, not a far off star. It’s so lovely against the pale blue of the eastern sky, peeking between deep grey clouds. To the southwest the stars of Orion are already starting to fade. I think about the stars and planets that…
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Late autumn seems more beautiful to me than the earlier part of the season this year. We didn’t have the cold nights in early October that produce brilliant reds and yellows. The colors were muted, and not all that interesting. But now, with a lot of leaves blown down by several days of high winds,…
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The grass grows more slowly. There’s plenty of rain, but the shorter, colder days inhibit growth. The plants all seem to know it’s time to start conserving resources, to drastically reduce the energy output that goes into growth. For the maples, oaks, poplars and their deciduous kin there will be no more photosynthesis for months. …
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Last Wednesday Peter forwarded an email about a poetry festival in the nearby tiny town of Sharon Springs. The first event, Thursday evening, was a welcoming dinner for the poets and a fundraiser for the festival. I was delighted to find that tickets were still available. Peter agreed to join us, and probably got one…
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I have written so little since my posts on our trip out to California in July, and I have missed writing. It’s been a busy few months, visiting in California, packing the Palo Alto house, driving back across the country, and unpacking here on Sunnyhill. We came back to see the beginning of the leaves…
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Our dear friend Carla just let us know that her husband, Dick, has decided to go off dialysis and begin hospice care. Dick has struggled with diabetes for years, and in recent months has declined significantly. I see his choice as a courageous one. Jay and Carla have been pals since high school, and I…
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We arrived in Palo Alto Sunday, 7/22, as planned, after a pretty easy day of driving. We didn’t get off 101 to drive the Avenue of the Giants, but we saw some pretty spectacular trees. Washington, Oregon, and much of northern California look like the green lungs of the country. It’s reassuring to see so…
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Port Orchard, Tacoma, Portland, Winchester Bay, and Trinidad – whew! We’ve been busy. We left Port Townsend Wednesday morning. Our first stop was Port Orchard. Mike Dunlap (Jay’s evil twin, as they were known in the union) was away in California, but we had a nice visit with Lolita and saw their very lovely new…
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