Lessons Learned from Geese

I guess fall is finally here – the days are shorter, the air is cooler, and the Canada Geese are everywhere.  I love geese – not the domestic ones, they’re too mean; it’s the grey and black and brown and white Canada
Geese that have won my heart.  I’m not sure why I find them so fascinating; perhaps it’s because they are so beautiful, or perhaps it’s because I once read somewhere that they mate for life. Whatever the reason, I find myself watching them as they fly overhead; always in their “v” formation; always honking; a wonder to behold. 

Chuck took this picture on one of his canoe trips!

As I drive back and forth to work everyday, I pass a small pond not far from the road.  Every now and then a flock of geese will stop for a short time and swim and eat some grass; I always enjoy seeing them as I drive by.  Imagine my surprise as I drove by one day last summer and noticed only one goose in the pond.  I slowed down, hoping to see other geese nearby, but there was not another goose in sight.  I was worried.  I knew that geese traveled in flocks, but I also knew that if one was injured, another goose stayed with the injured goose until it died or was able to fly again.  My husband said that I shouldn’t worry; that it would be fine, but I wasn’t so sure.  Each day as I drove by, there was only one goose, until one day a second goose appeared, and she wasn’t alone – four fuzzy little goslings were waddling behind her!  My spirits were lifted that day and every day for the rest of the summer as the goslings grew and grew until I couldn’t tell the babies from the adults.  One day they were gone; I missed seeing them as I drove by each day, but I knew it was the way it should be.

One week old

I was awed by that family of geese.  The experience made me remember something I had read about Canada Geese years ago.  I had even saved the article; it was about a speech given by Angeles Arrien at the 1991 Organizational Development Network; it was called “Lessons from Geese” and was based on the work of Milton Olson.  In the speech, Arrien mentions “facts” about geese and relates them to people.  She talked about geese flying in a “V” formation and how the formation gives the geese greater flying range; just like people who work together and share a common purpose and find the job much easier to accomplish.  She also talked about the “lead” goose getting tired and rotating back into the formation so that another goose can take his place.  Isn’t it better when people take turns and share leadership responsibilities?  And what about her reference to geese honking to encourage the others to keep up their speed?  Isn’t it better if we offer encouragement to others? 

So, as we try teach our children about the world we live in why not take some time and share with them the wonderful world of Canada Geese.  Two of my favorite children’s books are about Canada Geese; The Way Home by Nan Parson Rossiter, and Goose’s Story by Cari Best.  Both books are great resources, not just for learning about Canada Geese, but for learning about perseverance, diversity, and compassion.  We are fortunate to live in an area where children can see and hear the geese for themselves; giving us a perfect opportunity to teach some valuable life lessons. Who would have thought that we could learn so much from geese?     

Lake Placid

There's really nothing better than a late September trip to Lake Placid.  In the heart of the Adirondacks, Lake Placid is a truly beautiful little slice of heaven.



We've spent lots of time in Lake Placid as a family for figure skating and hockey events, but there's nothing like a birthday weekend with just the two of us! 

The weather report for the weekend looked "iffy", but when we woke up on Sunday morning, it was a BEAUTIFUL day...lots of sunshine and temperatures in the high 70's. 

The view from our balcony at the High Peaks Resort.

After a lovely breakfast at a cute, little place, Chuck headed out to a hockey meeting and I headed out to the shops.  What else is a girl to do?????

Lake Placid is an interesting little town that was made famous by the Winter Olympics held there in 1932 and 1980.  The quaint little town exploded with the arrival of athletes and visitors and reporters.  Although the town is called Lake Placid, it actually sits on Mirror Lake.  They have done a great job maintaining the charm of the village with "Adirondack" buildings interspersed with some more "modern" buildings.  The "Olympic" sites are on the outskirts of town, although the Ice Arenas are smack in the middle of town.  I'm sure everyone remembers the "Miracle on Ice" when the US hockey team beat the Russian team to win the gold medal in 1980.  Right next to the arenas is the speed skating oval  where Eric Heiden won his five Olympic gold medals.  The speed skating oval sits in front of the high school (which is next to the arenas) and during the 1980 Olympics, the high school was issued an alcohol license and served as a private bar during the Olympics.  The things you find out when you do a little research!

As I strolled down the street in the village, I came upon a cute, little shop with some and interesting inventory of antiques and memorabilia.  I was intrigued by the collection of "carpet balls".

Beautiful colors and designs.

It appears that "Carpet Bowling" is similar to "Lawn Bowling" except that it's played indoors.

After shopping, Chuck and I met for an afternoon drink and snacks at "The Cottage" at the Mirror Lake Inn.  We sat on the deck overlooking Mirror Lake enjoying the view!  I was hoping to see a loon, but no luck.

Alas, it's not our car, but a lovely little man who was having lunch at the table next to us at "The Cottage" asked us if we would like to have our picture taken in his car.  At first we weren't quite sure it was really his car and we were quite sure the real owner would come out ranting and raving at us...but it was his car and it made for a lovely photo op!



We woke-up early on Monday morning and decided to walk around Mirror Lake before having breakfast.  There is a nice brick sidewalk all around the perimeter of the lake so we were able to really "take in the sights" as we walked. 



I couldn't resist takin a picture of this little, lost "Croc".

Even the mailboxes are cute!

The Public Library is on the main street with the Lake right behind it. 

This is one of the "older" motels on Mirror Lake.  If you look closely, you can see grass growing on top of the  roof of the building on the left side of the picture.  It appears that this is a "green roof". 

The plaque explains the concept which is designed to create a "living, breathing space".  Lots of benefits to the environment and also pleaseing to the eye.  Interestingly, when we got home on Monday night, I was listening to the news and heard about a "green roof" being developed on the roof of the Convention Center in Syracuse!  I just loved knowing exactly what the reporter was talking about!

So, back to reality and foot surgery on Tuesday morning!

On the Road Again

The four "neighborhood ladies" share August and September birthdays.  In the past, we would go to dinner or lunch to celebrate "growing young" together.  A few years ago we decided to take a weekend trip instead of just going to dinner.  Our first trip was to New York City.  Believe it or not, our "Miss Amy" had never been to the "Big Apple"...so, off we went.

We left early on a Friday morning and headed to Tarrytown which would serve as our "home-away-from-home".  We stayed at the historic Tarrytown House Estate high on a hill overlooking the Hudson River.

We spent a lovely afternoon in Tarrytown and had lunch at a cute Greek restaurant before heading off to Fordham to visit Pat's daughters, Meg and Jane.  Fordham is a beautiful school and it was fun visiting with the girls.  We returned to the Tarrytown House and had dinner and drinks at the restaurant at the hotel.  Off to our rooms for a good night's sleep before heading into the city in the morning.

We took the train into the city and Miss Amy had her first train ride!  There would be many "firsts" for Miss Amy...the Empire State Building, a Broadway Show, Times Square, Ground Zero, the Empire State Building, Central Park, a cab ride, Tavern on the Green....We had a wonderful trip...lots of laughs...lots of memories with the girls....and planning for the next trip...Cape Cod.



September 2011

Our Chatham Hideaway

Our "birthday trip" started on a sunny September day...only three of us went this year because Nancy was in San Francisco helping her son and daughter-in-law with their move from Texas.  We REALLY missed having Nancy! 

We settled in quickly and then spent the afternoon exploring Chatham...the shops...the beach...the quiet streets...we had so much fun! 



A big house and a little house...chicken coop or storage shed?

A hedge trimmed in the shape of a whale!

Lots of little parks in Chatham.

We walked to Chase Park to look at the grist mill that was being renovated.  It's a great little park with beautiful plantings and a "lawn bowling" court!

Not being familiar with "lawn bowling", I did a little research.  According to Wikipedia, lawn bowling is: is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat (for "flat-green bowls") or convex (for "crown-green bowls"). It is normally played outdoors although there are some indoor venues and the surface is either natural grass, artificial turf, or cotula (in New Zealand).It is popular in United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Hong Kong and parts of the United States and more recently in Japan. It belongs to the boules sport family and is related to bocce and pétanque.

As we entered the park, I couldn't resist taking a picture of this "hood ornament" on a car parked in front of the park; what a cute little basset hound figurine.  Little did I know, that I would soon meet the "real" basset hound!!!!!

As we walked into the park, a big, clumsy basset hound came bounding towards us!  I knelt down, put my camera down next to me and "Harry" promptly gave me a sloppy kiss and grabbed my camera and ran!  It appears that Harry likes cameras and cell phones!  He was, however, very well-behaved and promptly dropped the camera when asked. 

Harry

After a lovely walk, it was time to head to the ferry and visit Martha's Vineyard.  Amy and Pat had never been, so I was going to be the tour director!  The ferry docked in Oak Bluffs so we started our "tour" with a visit to the Flying Horses carousel.  The carousel was brought to the Vineyard in 1884 and it is the nation's oldest operating platform carousel and a National Historic Landmark.  I remember taking my kids to the carousel when they were little and watching them try to grab brass rings as as the carousel turned. Every rider has a chance to grab rings which hang from neck-high metal arms extending towards the riders. The rider who grabs the last ring gets a free ride. 



We continued our journey by walking to the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting grounds.  This is a rather unique area with quite an interesting history.  The "camp meeting grounds" in Oak Bluffs is a small community of gingerbread cottages built around a tabernacle.  The "camp" was built to allow members of the Methodist church to worship.  According to the literature we received, the first camp meeting was held in 1835.   In subsequent years the congregations grew  and people were housed in large tents known as "society tents."  Obviously, conditions were cramped, with men and women sleeping dormitory-style on opposite sides of a central canvas divider.  Over time, families began leasing small lots on which to pitch their own individual tents.   In the 1860s and 1870s, the family tents were replaced with permanent wooden cottages.   At one time there were about 500 cottages; today there are just over 300. Today the Campground is a community of summer residents and a smaller number of year-round residents.  



I was bold and sat on one of the porches!  Dont' worry, no one was home!

After Oak Bluffs, we hopped on a bus and went to Edgartown.  We did some shopping and then had a wonderful dinner on the porch overlooking the harbor at the Atlantic Restaurant.  Boy, do they make a good "Painkiller" - rum, coconut, orange juice, pineapple juice and a sprinkle of nutmeg!  It's a good thing I wasn't driving.  We took the 8:30 pm ferry back and fell into bed, exhausted, but happy.

On Saturday we spent a leisurely day in Chatham.  We went to the Chatham Pier to watch the seals and then bought some clam chowder soup for our picnic lunch at Lighthouse Beach.  Believe it or not, we saw four weddings; three right on the beach and one just for pictures. 



So cute...but I worried about sharks!

After spending the afternoon on the beach we went home and showered and changed and went to the Chatham Bars Inn for a drink on the veranda; oh, so beautiful.  

After drinks, it was off to dinner at the Wild Goose Tavern...great seafood and good drinks.  A great ending to a wonderful trip.  Time to start planning for our next trip..........................

Martha's Vineyard - All good things must come to an end

The weekend at the Vineyard started with a trip into Vineyard Haven to drop Chuck off at the ferry.  He assumed a new position with USA Hockey and needed to go to Hartford, CT for a weekend meeting.  As Chuck was getting on the ferry in Vineyard Haven, my dearest friend, Leslie was getting off the ferry in Oak Bluffs.  Hooray!  What fun lies ahead?

What a fox!

Leslie and I were roommates in college at the University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks)!  We were "northerners" living in a southern world.  We were "partners in crime" (yes, we rescued a baby squirrel once)!  We have remained close friends for 39 years and try to see each other at least once a year.  Whenever we see each other, it's like we've never been apart...conversation is easy and laughs are plenty.

We spent Friday relaxing by the pool and being served a wonderful selection of exotic drinks by Bartender Dan.  We played cards, listened to great music, and spent most of the night laughing. 

On Saturday morning we decided to take a trip to the flea market in Chillmark; it's supposedly the longest running flea market on Martha's Vineyard.  Dan and Kate decided to come along (Patrick remained in bed) and we (probably not Dan) had fun looking at all the "treasures".  The highlight was the table set-up by the local alpaca farm.  As soon as the lady said "Oh, you should stop by the farm, we have 40 new babies", Leslie and I were off.  Since we are both animal-lovers and have been known to talk baby-talk to just about anything with fur, we offered Kate and Dan the option of going back to the house.  Being "troopers", they decided to go with us.

We decided that Dan should be the designated driver and off we went.  I must say that I was a bit nervous when Dan decided to "take a back road".  The "back road" was truly a back road; it wasn't paved and the ruts in the road were at least 12 inches deep; but it was an adventure and we spent most of the trip laughing!

Finally, the path cleared and we had arrived!

We had to park here!

A recent hair cut!

What a sweet baby!  This one was less than a week old!

Even Kate thought they were cute!

We spent lots of quality time with the alpacas.  They make the sweetest "humming" sounds.  Leslie and I "talked" to just about every baby!  Dan looked bored after about 5 minutes, but he was a good sport (and besides, we let him drive through the "back road" on the way home)!

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool and then the three girls took a trip to Lambert's Cove Beach. 

Isn't she beautiful?

My contribution to the beach!

I always search for heart-shaped rocks to add to my collection!

A productive day!

We had a wonderful seafood dinner in Oak Bluffs - they made me try a steamer - yuck!  I'll stick to fried clams or clams in my chowder!  Leslie and Kate and Dan left on Sunday (so sad) and Chuck returned (so glad).  We went to the band concert on the lawn (overlooking the ocean) in Oak Bluffs on Sunday evening.  Lovely.

On Monday we took a trip to Gay Head to look a the cliffs at sunset. 

The view is breathtaking.

Looking good in his RayBans!

We were too hungry to wait for the sun to set, so we headed over to Menemsha in search of the perfect lobster roll!  A perfect end to a great week! 

Martha's Vineyard ~ Part Three

Chuck and I did a little exploring today.  We headed down to Chilmark to look for the "special secret place" that the owner of our house mentioned.  It appears that there is a spot where you can kayak across a pond and then walk over a dune to a beach right on the ocean!  The directions said that we would see a Nature Conservancy sign near Abel's Hill and across the street from the cemetary where John Belushi is buried. 

We found the "special secret spot" (which will be a trip for another day), but first we stopped to see John Belushi's grave.

The epitath reads: "I may be gone, but Rock and Roll lives on".

Lots of fans pay special tribute to the "Blues Brother".

We were curious about John Belushi's link to Martha's Vineyard and asked the attendant at the "special secret spot" (a nice young man from Lowell, Massachusetts who spends his summers working on the Vineyard). He told us that John Belushi had a house on the Vineyard ( his brother Jim and Dan Akyrod still have homes here).  He told us that Dan Akyrod keeps up the memorial and that John Belushi is not actually buried in the spot where the headstone is, but at another spot in the cemetary that is known only to the family. 

Seeing John Belushi's grave peaked my curiosity about headstones (no, I don't have a morbid fascination), and the unique markings on several of the headstones (note the skull and crossbones).  So....off we went to the West Tisbury Cemetary where I had seen the grave with all the chickens.

I did a little research after seeing this grave earlier in the week.  It appears that Nancy Luce was the "Chicken Lady".  She was an artist who was a bit eccentric and raised chickens to help make ends meet.  She became somewhat of a "legend" on the island and after her death in 1890, people started leaving "chicken things" at her grave. 

Many of the older headstones had the skull and crossbones markings which we thought was a bit unusual.  After doing a little research (thank goodness for the internet) it seems that the skull and bones and the skull with wings were popular on headstones in America in the 17th and early 18th centuries; they symoblize death and mortality. Interesting.

Some also had skulls with wings, which apparently symbolize the flight of the soul from mortal man. 

                    Apparently in the 19th century, the skull and crossbones were replaced with cherubs!

As we were leaving, I noticed a grave with a bench instead of a headstone.  I had to take a closer look and I'm so glad I did.

Such a beautiful memorial for this husband and wife.  It reads:  "Come and sit by Katherine C. Long & Thomas P. Vogl.  They loved this isand, books, cooking, ideas, science, words, and above all else, each other".

Of course, I had to do a little research...Tom died in May of 2010 at the age of 80; he had an extremely rare form of cancer (mucous melanoma); he was diagnosed in 2006 and choronicled his journey through diagnosis and treatment (titled "Ruminations on Living with Cancer" and can be read at http://www.upislandeggs.com/); he was a biophysicist; Katherine was a librarian, and yes, there is a "chicken connection" - they raised chickens and sold the eggs!

I'm glad I learned a little about Katherine and Tom; I'm glad I left a smooth rock on his grave.

Martha's Vineyard Part Two

Day two on the "Vineyard" - all settled in and ready to enjoy all that the island has to offer.

Our house is in beautiful West Tisbury - between Vineyard Haven and Chillmark.  A "simply delightful" area with lots of trees, ponds, and residential areas.  We think it's the perfect spot on the island!

I made a quck trip to the West Tisbury Farmer's Market.  What fun...lots of fresh local produce and BEAUTIFUL flowers.  I couldn't resist this bucket of flowers - including the pizza can.  The lady selling these had a whole truckful of these flowers in yellow pizza cans.  She told me that she picks them up from the restaurants (for free) because it's easier to give them to her then to take them to the recycling center!  "One man's trash is another man's treasure"!  Also picked up some fresh blueberries (for pancakes tomorrow morning) and some fingerling potatoes (for dinner tonight).

Yes, I made the "happy couple" pose with one of the fingerling potatoes that was shaped like a heart!  Everyone laughed at me, but I thought it was the perfect "Hallmark moment".  I believe that Dan ate the "heart" at dinner.

On the way back from the Farmer's Market, I spotted a headstone in a cemetery that was surrounded by chickens!  I snapped a quick photo and decided to do some research into this most unusual memorial.  That's a story for another day.  Now it's off to the pool for some relaxation and some drinks  ~ as Jimmy Buffet says:  "It's five o'clock somewhere"!!!!