Week 2:Dog (s) of the Week

Like peanut butter and jelly, or red wine and anything, these two dogs have to be featured together. Lucy and Mac live at the Joanne and Dave compound, along with pigs, chinese pheasants, hens, a plethora of deer, and a sometimes bear visitor. Their sweet dispositions and playful demeanor are like a magnet to boys of all sizes, Oscar and Clarke included. Lucy is more passive but ready to run around or show off her dead squirrels. Mac, well Mac is "special." He is sort of like the Rain Man of dogs, obsessed with all things ball. You pet him and look at his deep eyes and you can almost hear him thinking, "just throw the damn ball." He is a beautiful giant.

Congratulations Mac and Lucy, you two are the the 46er Family Dogs of the Week

Yankee Highlights

Oscar's birthday Yankee game was a blast. The Yankees were losing until the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs when they rallied and scored 4 runs to tie it up. The crowd went crazy. The game went to the 14th inning....and then they lost. We road the subway home at 1 am with 20,000 of our closest friends.

In honor of Oscar, we upgraded our normal nosebleed tickets to 3rd base box seats. When Oscar saw the seats, his jaw literally dropped and he did his signature excited "wing flapping". For Oscar, the one part of the barn this summer that was a sacrifice was no TV for Yankees. Each day, he'd catch up on last night's game on the internet and than give Joe the highlights(gratuitous barn tie-in to stay within self-imposed blog rules). I have to say the "box seat" crowd was a bit more sane, not sure if that is good or bad. At any rate, I don't think the boys learned any new profanity which is a first.
Secret side note to my family. Go Tribe!

It's just us

here in the city, busy, cramped and ...dirty. We are all astounded at how dirty we get here. Ironic isn't it? We can sleep on the ground, climb a mountain, play in the garden in Saranac Lake and feel fresh as a daisy compared to taking the subway downtown.

It's Oscar's birthday today and we are getting ready to watch the Yankees! The plans are shaping up nicely for Oscar Fest 2007 for Columbus Day Weekend. Adirondack Residents, lock up your daughters. A flock of nine-year old cityboys will descend in a few short weeks!

An Open Letter to the Saranac Lake Grand Union

Dear sirs,
Are you nuts? Years and years ago, I stopped going grocery shopping in Saranac Lake. I always found more of what I wanted a few short miles away in Lake Placid at the fabulous Price Chopper. As people are prone to do, this became my habit and I dare say I hadn't walked into the Grand Union since. Any quick needs, we could find at Stewart's or Nori's if it was more esoteric.

That all changed yesterday when I decided perhaps I was being snobby and short-sighted by not supporting my local Grand Union. I needed just a bit to take us through yesterday and today and I needed junk food for Oscar's upcoming party.

When I entered the door, it was like I had time-warped into some bad 1970's movie. The lighting, the aisles, the lackluster staff, AND THE PRODUCTS. Awful, just awful. No selection, nothing looking remotely fresh. I had 2 different conversations with people about how awful it was while in your store. A stranger and I looked helplessly at your "gourmet cheese" display, trying to find something fresh and delicious. I helped a British tourist couple who just wanted fresh bread. I told them all their options.

Your prices are not even cheap. The bargains at Price Chopper are great. The PC check-out clerks are also nice. (mine yesterday was engaged in a conversation with her bagger about Myspace.com).

So what's the story? I am not buying it that there isn't demand for this. Between the village and all the surrounding 2nd home communities, there has to be enough to merit some investment. You are leaving money on the table.

Yours in shopping,
Bridget

More hilarity

So we just finished dinner at a very Manhattan hour. Joe's gig, which has become my gig this week, has sent our schedule into chaos. Regardless, "hilarity ensued." Everytime, and I mean every time, we have dinner, the boys show their appreciation by doing a dead-on impression of Bill Murray in What About Bob. "Oh Faye.... mmmmm... delicious...ohhhh.....mmmmm....is this hand-shucked corn (or hand plucked chicken, or hand-picked berries, or hand-killed beef, or hand-made pizza). It doesn't really matter the feast, the boys will send themselves into giggling fits EACH AND EVERY NIGHT. If i could find the video, i would of course share it but no can do. But let this be a cautionary tale to those innocents who think 2 boys vs. 1 boy and 1 girl will be the same family dynamic. There was a time that I said with a straight face, "I'm not really into comedies."

OK dinner: Local potatoes from Tucker's Taters (also proprietors of corn maize you will read about soon. Red, purple, and golden with balsamic, mustard sauce. Fresh heirloom tomatoes from Joanne (OK, go on, make me feel like a tomato failure) with fresh basil, fresh corn on the cob, and roasted chicken ( i wish I could say it was one of the local, organic, grass-fed, gently-massaged, yoga practicing, nap-taking, thermarest sleeping, manicured chickens from the Paul Smith's Farmer's Market) but I didn't have enough cash with me at the farmer's market and settled for the abused, half-vulture, chicken at the grocery store.

On yet another digression, the farmer's market at Paul Smith's College is another gem which could almost make me strap myself to the ladder stairs and not return to the city....ever (Linnea, don't read this, You are already in a dangerous place).

"She's short and skinny....but she's strong"

Whenever one of us needs to be tough, that quote (from Planes Trains & Automobiles) is always a winner. The propensity for inside jokes, notable quotes and witty banter is much higher at the barn. Why is that? More hang out time perhaps? less stress? As our clever young friend Angus would say, we get up to the barn "and hilarity ensues". Many have told us of the great karma this place has - all the fun and incredible characters that have passed through here in the last 50 years. I believe wholeheartedly in that theory and i feel a real responsibility to keep the good times rolling. To that end, please enjoy one of our favorite parts of one of our favorites movies which has been the basis of any number of re-enactments.

The People Have Spoken

I'd like to thank all 9 participants in our wall treatment poll. Thanks to an outpouring of good taste, it has been decided to take down the wall. "Mr. Carpenter, tear down this wall" (said in a Reagan voice). C'mon, history buffs.

I'd like to offer some consolation to the 3 brick and bottle loyalists (otherwise know as Clarke, Oscar and Joe). You will be heavily consulted. I'd also to like to give a shout out to Linnae who encouraged me to continue to look for an equally wacky treatment that is my own. She knows standard issue isn't my usual cup of tea. I will see her over the weekend to discuss a few ideas i am mulling.

There are....

spiders the size of small mammals in the house. It says something for my love of this place that i am STILL glad to be here. Painless drive once we made it past the 1.5 hour drive up the west side highway (that would be about 200 blocks). No plans tomorrow except maybe sleeping in.

Dog of the Week

(A new feature on 46er Family is an idea from the boys to pay tribute to the plethora of dogs that make their way, unaccompanied, into our yard each day. Mostly, we don't know their owners, and often, the boys assign the dogs their own names. )

Today, I'd like to introduce you to "Root Beer" (the rumor is that his real name is Kodiak but to us he's Root Beer). When not jumping in the pond and needing to be rescued because he's too fat and old to get out, he likes eating rotting food in the compost pile, chewing all our wiffle balls, and generally trying to eat the cats. He is also a "stick man" and can spend hours with the boys chasing and chewing. Congratulations Root Beer, You are a 46er Family Dog of the Week!

Architectural Antiques

Walking home from school with Oscar yesterday, eating our Tasti DLites, we stopped into an architectural antiques store (W. 24th between 7th and 6th ave). What fun! I can't help but think this kind of store with reclaimed lumber, lighting, fireplace mantles, tiles etc. would be a fantastic business for the Adirondacks. Not only that, it is "green"and would make me happy to allow builders and homeowners to use some of these recycled materials, in lieu of shiny new ones. I am the lazy environmentalist. When there is an easy option to be better, I tend to take it, but I certainly don't proactively change things that make my life less convenient. It astonishes me that there isn't more pressure up in our neck of the woods for green building. Surely, this should be one area in which people should appreciate protecting resources, yet cookie cutter log home after cookie cutter log home gets built. They are beautiful and I often yearn to be inside with a roaring fire, a nice port, and a british accent. Nevertheless, there seems to be no options to try anything differerent.

One of my very good friends (and one of the smartest, coolest chics I know), is having great success with her green technologies home construction business, Pragmatic Construction in Milwaukee. After living in Milwaukee, I know that it is a progressive city but geez, it shouldn't be that far ahead of upstate NY. If it can work there, it can work in the Adirondacks. Anyone, anyone?

This is one of the, oh I don't know, 673 business ideas I fantasize about opening up there. If you are a business owner in the Saranac Lake area, please don't steal my ideas until I get to open at least 459 of them.

Projecting?

One week. First, we need kitty Prozac (my sister thinks I am projecting). Roxy lays like this all day, not sleeping, just looking up forelornly. I've titled this pic "Sigh...nothing to kill." Second, it feels like we never left. Third, I have realized I've put zero effort into this apartment in the past year: my knives stink -they can't cut tomatoes, the rooms are unorganized, the walls need art, the boys rooms need a total redo, our towels are a disaster etc etc etc. I guess working 60 hours a week really takes its toll. I barely noticed the apartment while I was working. Fourth, this not having a job thing feels much weirder here -not bad, but really weird. Tomorrow I have a real business meeting and I have literally not worn heels since June.
In a week I certainly became re-indoctrinated. I got a pedicure, planned a dinner party, made sushi reserverations, went to the US Open, drank a lot of espresso. That's a pretty damn good city week. Nevertheless, I can not wait to get back up to the barn on Wednesday. I am dying to walk around the property, dying to see the people and the animals, dying to watch the sky.

The boys are stellar when we are out and about, really loving the vibe of the city. We are checking this out this week. I've noticed when they are in the apartment, they are much more fidgety, Oscar especially. Clarke has his guitar, but Oscar needs to run. For Clarke, I am happy to be in the city. There are great arts in Saranac Lake, but I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to get Clarke jazz guitar lessons. Anyone? We have stepped up and formalized his guitar here. In the last 3 years, he has had great, talented, young guys ( see Innocent Dee) who have come to our house to teach basics and rock and roll. After seeing his amazing talent and more impressively, his dedication and yearn to learn, we have signed him up at Greenwich House Music School. We'll see how it goes after hours of scales and drills!

Now what?

So I am trying to figure out what to do with this blog while we are back in the city. Lord knows we are going to be spending plenty of time at the barn in the coming months. We have slated next weekend, Columbus Day for Oscar Fest 2007, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and then it's ski season! I will for sure blog on all that and we have some great posts I have been holding for our return also. Other than that, I think I will try to refrain from blogging things that aren't at least indirectly linked to the Adirondacks, even if it is a compare and contrast from the city stuff.

Visual Cues

To encourage poll participation(left frame) I've uploaded picture of the current wall (you may not be able to see that there are actual liquor bottles sticking out of the bricks also)and the proposed treatment. River rock is sans giganto TV obviously. And remember, just because we are insane, doesn't mean our house has to reflect such (no one says a poll has to be unbiased)

The Difference a Day Makes

6:15 am: wake up
7:00 am: deadline to move car from street parking
7:30 am: breakfast at Galaxy diner
8:00 am: Clarke at school
8:30 am: Oscar at school
8:45 am: Forgot keys at diner
8:50 am: Parking ticket
9:00 am: Boxed into parking space by 2 cop cars and ambulance
9:30 am: Deposit car at long term parking garage 9:45 am: Incoming call for coffee with friends
10:00 am: Taxi to coffee shop.
10:15 am: Same coffee shop. Run into another friend with invitation to dinner party for this weekend
10:15 am: Incoming call to schedule meeting about consulting
11:00 am: Start of errands
11:30 am: Incoming call; request for lunch with former colleague
11:45 am: Incoming call; Clarke invited to play date.
12:00 pm: gulp....i'm not even working yet

Roadtrip Vistas

A picture is worth a thousand words

The Omen

So we woke this morning to loud tapping and flapping. I valiantly sent Joe into the back storage room and he reported blue jays pecking maniacally against the back wall of the barn. I went outside an hour later and found dozens of blue jays flocking all over our yard, dive bombing from the trees and totally freaking out our cats. Not sure what the story is here but I think it means its time to go home. I guess it's better than ravens.

Last Call

Golfing was great fun. Saranac Inn Golf Course is really the best. It is the perfect mix of beautifully maintained holes, but also very "Adirondackey." Clarke and I do this James Bond thing where I drive and he runs along the cart and hops in. We also drove through the sprinklers in the cart just to celebrate our last golf outing of the season.

We made it to Tail O the Pup for the last set of Blues Noir and Joe had not one, but two, beers spilled on him during dinner but it did not "dampen" his spirits. The mood there appeared to match ours, as they are readying to shut down for the season. Lots of regulars, and extended families. We chatted briefly with our blues heroes after their set and hear they may be playing more nights next summer. We think Clarke should take a night or two of course.

Last Outings

Yesterday was about pond dig out (taking advantage of the drought), yard clean up, and dinner with our friends from Rainbow Lake. Linnae brought a delicious pork roast from the Paul Smith's farmer's market, with a mustard/maple syrup drizzle, I made a potato/apple gratin, and a shrimp, tomato, fresh corn salad with mint and asian dressing. Linnae also brough the most incredible peaches which everyone had with ice cream. It was a great send off, as we are both leaving this week.

This morning was more pond clean out, and storage room clean out. We still have at least 2 feet to go of pond muck. Anyone have any other brilliant ideas besides shoveling? I know my roots are Irish dirt digger but this is getting ridiculous. Now, off to a last round of golf and Tail O the Pup.

The rhythm of our days

As Joe and I slip into melancholy, readying for our return to the city, I find myself not mourning the outings, canoeing, mountains climbed etc. but the daily rituals that symbolize the lifestyle up here: Waking up to Clarke strumming his guitar (going to bed to Clarke strumming his guitar, making breakfast, lunch, dinner to Clarke strumming his guitar...), Joe and I's nightly ritual of watching The Wire DVD's (thank you Charlie!), our early evening fires, the cats romping around outside with Clarke, my morning berry picking, Oscar's crab apple baseball, the wiffle ball, the Euchre games, the constant flow of Stewart's root beer (how will I go back to the no soda rule?), the lack of TV (how do I go back to a home with a TV?), the mailbox conversations with our great neighbors. I miss a lot about the city, but I don't miss the chaos and hyper-activity. This place is about living in the moment and lots of welcome interruptions.

Dichotomy

Yesterday...Fresh blackberry Caipirinha

Today... Bug infested pond muck