Serendipity

One of the guard towers that watched over us Last Monday was my sign-in day to have the FRP (Family Reunion Program) visit with my son, but to our surprise, when we got up that morning and watched it turn daylight, this is what we saw: Wet snow icing the trees... Limited visibility  Torture on the green leaves! Heavy snow weighing pine branches down And more snow fell... We received about 3 to 4 inches total by the time the storm passed. However, in watching the traffic pass on the highway (which we can see from my house), traffic was moving right along, which meant that the roads had been kept clear. Good! We loaded the car and off we went on the trip to the prison. Although the roads weren't bad overall...we did encounter a spot or two on the highway that was a bit ify: snow still coming down hard enough that visibility wasn't all that good Here...it was trying to really come down and blow at the same time We made it to the priso...

Downtown Le Roy, NY In this small town in upstate New York, there are still no answers to what caused the mysterious tics to hit the teenage girls, but there are plenty of possible theories...none of which are yet proven or dis-proven. I have been following this story since it broke, and since my last blog post, there has only been one decent article that I found in the New York Times. Here, the reporter did her research, but it left me with more questions than answers as she has brought up some unknown issues that haven't been mentioned previously. Some history: Located on the eastern border of Genesee County, LeRoy is one of the most picturesque communities in upstate New York. Firstsettled in 1797, the community is nestled along the beautiful Oatka Creek.  The tree-lined streets are lined with stately Victorian homes which provide numerous bed and breakfast retreats in a quiet setting, only half an hour from Rochester and...

55 gallon drum Since my last post ( Still no definitive answer to Leroy students illnesses ), testing has been done and is now completed on  235  (rotting)  barrels that contained soil from wells drilled on the Lehigh Railroad Derailment Superfund site . (I am assuming here that this was when the clean-up after the railroad spill had commenced and they were making sure that the soil--then--was decontaminated .)  According to WKBW , in 32 of those barrels of soil and rock, "   some detectable concentrations of contaminants were found.  However, in all cases the levels of these contaminants were low and are below health-based levels."  In any case, these barrels were moved to a landfill that accepts hazardous waste in Belleville, Michigan. “I am pleased the EPA is removing the barrels from this Superfund site,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee.  “The EPA must now continue tes...

There are still no answers forthcoming as to what has caused 19 students in LeRoy, NY to develop uncontrollable twitching. In the past week, a new theory was suggested: that social media is to blame. As a form of mass hysteria, experts are now suggesting that the use of Facebook and other various forms of social media are spreading these symptoms through the students like wildfire. According to  Dr. Laszlo Mechtler , chief of neurology at the Dent Neurologic Institute in Buffalo, these students know each other...some are best friends...their bodies are picking up these symptoms and it's going from one student to the next and on to the next. That means that the brain is actually subconsciously mimicking the twitching felt by others. While the exact neurologic pathway is still unclear, researchers believe the common factor is stress and anxiety. Mechtler emphasized that the girls are not faking their twitching. And it all comes back to the original ideas that this is part ...

Almost white out as the storm started--10/27 Yesterday was my birthday and what a better surprise (shock!) than to see a snow storm blow in!  And blow in it did!  As it began...all visibility diminished for a while. It didn't take long for it to start building up... snow begins to accumulate on the porch...10/27 It was pretty as it came down... After a couple of hours, I went out and shot these photos... We really didn't get too much more than a dusting, as these next photos show... It stopped snowing around 9 p.m. last night, and got extremely cold. When I got up this morning, it was a very frosty 27 ° F.  Whatever was wet, froze...and what snow there was remained until late this morning. I did get a few shots this morning...showing the frost and snow... Winter is eager to get here, I think...and I for one, though I enjoy the looks of it, dread the cold! A picture perfect shot! Thanks for stopping by!

I have to apologize to everyone for taking so long to get back to my blog and my journey to Wisconsin.  As life so often does, it can become quite busy...and I won't deny that I am truly enjoying the peace and quiet here! I left New York State on the 6th of September driving a nearly new yellow Penske 10' moving van, and made my way toward Highland, Michigan, where I would stay 2 days with a dear friend.  The day was a perfect one for driving...not too hot and not raining...all was good! My co-pilots were two 3-month old kittens...Smokey and Lily.  They were all snug in a carrier...and did very well...to my amazement!  During the entire trip to Michigan, not once did they toilet in the carrier...but let me tell you that the minute I fixed up their litter box...they were in it in a flash!  I was so proud of them! The only times that I stopped were to refuel, grab a snack to eat and make sure the kittens were okay...as I put their food and water dish in wit...

Although the day was very warm and we had passing rain showers, this past Tuesday, we went on another adventure to a lesser known park, Havana Glen Campground & Eagle Cliff Falls which is f ound in Montour, NY.  Havana Glen/Eagle Cliff Falls: Tucked away in an area where a deep gorge cuts through the hills, this is truly a gorgeous and rugged area where an unsuspecting visitor will find wonderous beauty. Boasting a picnic area, a small playgound, the falls itself and pool beneath the falls in which swimmers can cool off.  Here's our photo journey: water trickling downhill walkway along the gorge decades of water cutting through the rock the creek looking down into a pool the walkway next the the creek wet stone from the rain water splashing downhill entering the dead end where the falls is looking toward the falls the falls and pool water spray clear water rip...