Our thirty-sixth year, I think. Some things never get old.
One of our more recent traditions is the Dolphin watch on the Thundercat. As usual, the ride was packed, but this year we had one special guest waiting with me and Philip at the dock.
At least the guest was quiet …
while it waited for our ride
See below to understand better why we keep doing this.
Erika and I like to walk on the beachfront early in the morning. We’ve done that every time we go. After the walk we stop to pick up bagels for breakfast. When we went with Erika’s parents they used to come with us and Philip came to when he was younger. Erika’s mom is too frail for that walk now and we let Philip choose walk or bike ride. This year he picked bike ride.
We hit the pool in the late morning. This year we had it to ourselves every morning.
In the afternoon we head to the beach. The last few years we’ve favored Philadelphia Ave. beach. It’s relatively easy to find parking there even when the beach is crowded. The water was cold this year, 67 degrees F according to the Cape May beach patrol, but once you get numb to it, who cares? Philip and I like the water, Erika likes to read in the shade.
Good old Charlie Brown isn’t the only one with a weak spot for lousy-looking Christmas trees. We are fortunate enough to own a small farm property, including several acres that were once used to grow Christmas trees. Most of the trees are still there, only now they are 30-50 feet high. Still, since we moved to Syracuse we’ve cut down one of the trees every Christmas season and used the top portion for our Christmas tree. This year was no different.
The process is simple. First, you go out and find the right type of tree with a promising top. Like this one:
A fraser fir, one of my personal favorites for a Christmas tree. From 40 ft down that top looks pretty full and balanced. Sure, it’s not trimmed to a perfect conical shape like the people who run tree farms for a living do for their customers, but it’s good enough for government work.
Next, we cut down the tree and lop off the top 9-10 feet for our Christmas tree. See how good it looks now!
OK, there are some issues, like the brown stuff in the middle and the gap in the branch spread about 2/3 of the way up, but it still looks like a Christmas tree.
We drag it to the house and I chop off the lowest branches to leave room for the trunk to sit in the tree stand. And then I realize my mistake. Those lowest branches hid a layer of unexpectedly short branches right above them. Withe lowest branches gone the tree suddenly takes on the shape of a 60 year-old man, like this guy:
How many of you allow a 60 year-old man to prance around your house clad only in his underwear? Neither do we (ha, I’m 62).
What to do? As I set the base of the tree in a water bucket I weighed my second thoughts. We have about 4 acres of firs and spruces; I could cut down a better one. But no, dammit! To leave this tree naked by the cold roadside for the township to pick up while we are inside celebrating with a better-looking tree seems unnecessarily cruel and self-indulgent. The tree didn’t ask to be cut down; it’s only fair that we use it. Well, actually my second thought was, do I really want to haul out the chainsaw and wander back under the trees in the half-dark and cut one down that may be worse? And so, after taking inspiration from my inner Linus and inner Dude we decorate the tree, yielding a festive treat for forgiving eyes.
Those of you with a tender conscience about trees may take comfort in learning that a nearby nursery took the rest of the branches from that tree to use in their annual wreath-making classes. The trunk will be cut up and used for firewood.
We have been looking for a horse to replace our beloved Becky, who broke her leg this winter and had to be put to sleep. After trying for several months to locate a horse that met our needs in central New York, Erika decided to check whether Miracle Mountain Ranch in Spring Creek, PA had any horses for sale. Philip had gone to horse camps there several times a summer for many years when he was younger and had very positive experiences with the horse instructors there. We had several occasions to discuss horses and their training and care with conselors and camp staff over the years and felt confident that their horses would be kept in good condition. Furthermore, as soon as Erika showed us the ad both Philip and I recognized Boudreaux, because he had ridden him during an event Philip and I attended together at the ranch.
Today we traveled to Miracle Mountain Ranch in Spring Creek, PA to check out Boudreaux. Here’s a short video of the tryout:
Philip trying out Boudreaux
We decided to buy Boudreaux! All that’s needed is to work out transportation to Syracuse.
Well, don’t get too excited. Actually, it’s our barn and a small part of our back property that made it into a brief video originally posted to syracuse.com, the website for the Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper by Lauren Long.
You can find the video here. Our property shows up in the segments 0.23-0.40 and 1:10-1:22. Ms. Long used a drone to get these shots. Nice work!
