Buffalo was an interesting choice for a marathon as it meant I would be in close proximity, relatively speaking, to much of my family, so I should make an effort to visit, but on the other hand often it’s impractical to visit my family. We saw my father on the last day of our travels for lunch and then we saw my mother, briefly, as she was working. In fact, she returned home from Florida the day before we saw her. But first, we woke up in Aurora.
We started the day in Aurora with the Coffee and Croissants cruise – a rescheduling from the day before. This enabled us to sip coffee and enjoy croissants from a pontoon boat. To be fair, we both had coffee before and we actually, well, one of us, went running and then more walking, before boarding the boat at 9am. Then we packed up most of our stuff and headed to the docks.
It was a beautiful late spring day looking the length of Cayuga Lake. The sun was bright and warm with the water cooling – the air temperature was in the mid-70s but water temperature was perhaps 58 or 60 at the shoreline and I think he said 48 in the center of the lake. Definitely moderating and I think only two of us plus the captain, out of seven, were wearing shorts.
On checkout we went to the Grill at the Laurel in Watkins Glen to meet my father for lunch. Dad won a gift certificate at a car show sometime last fall so we let him take us there for his birthday (Mom would not go with him for some reason…. She is suspicious of the place, so I figured we’d better go lest he use it simply on takeout instead). It’s always good seeing my father but it actually takes several hours to have a conversation. And saying goodbye takes forever. We were standing and talking to him, as he moves slowly walking around this earth, and then we said goodbye and he got into the car. By the time I walked around and got into the driver’s seat to drive away he had pulled away and down the road – basically disappeared. At 85 years old, walking isn’t his forte, but put him behind a lawn mower, a tractor, or a piece of machinery, and he’s as good as anybody you know.
This was the final posting of this travelogue. Five hours home from there, with a stop to visit Mom, and pick up Meraz who had been at her doggy vacation spot.
Next up – My conference in Baltimore, camping at Big Meadows, and likely a handful of other adventures.
On Tuesday May 26 we woke up in our room at the Inns of Aurora. This would likely be the penultimate day of our rest and relaxation this time around – the one day where we “sat around and did nothing.” We did, however, do something.
I started the day with a hike through the woods and fields above Aurora while mostly conversing with my father on the telephone. As it had rained several days prior it was pretty muddy, but it was a beautiful, still late-spring morning along Cayuga Lake.
The walk took me past a few of the Inn’s many properties including an old renovated farmhouse and the spa. After my walk we were scheduled to go on a coffee and croissants cruise on the lake but the boat captain called in sick. Not sure, but it’s possible he was just out too late the night before. Anyway, this activity was postponed until the next day.
The Inn recently changed their breakfast service. Instead of having breakfast available in the main restaurant they now have breakfast as counter-serve, coffee shop style, in the general store. And yes, they now have a general store that serves as basically a takeout place as well as a small gift shop. In addition they serve coffee, tea, juice, and breakfast snacks (artisanal breakfast bars) in each building within The Inn. Not sure if this is a decent substitute for those who want a hearty breakfast but likely it is what they have done to reliably provide breakfast in a place and time where it may be hard to entice restaurant workers for a sporadic meal service.
After breakfast we returned to the spa to enjoy their outdoor thermal suite. This was truly a blessing – the day was beautiful for lounging outdoors. We intermittently dipped into three different hot pools (99 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit) and I intermittently dipped into one cold pool (about 54 degrees Fahrenheit). It took me more than 90 minutes of plunging, sitting and reading, and relaxing to fully immerse myself in the cold. It was invigorating.
The hydro pools at the spa are not the best value. They come complimentary with spa services, but as we had our spa service the day before they charged us for a 90 minute pass instead.
This “forced downtime” actually forced us to have some downtime. We spent much of the afternoon reading on the porch. I was able to finish a few chapters of The Three Body Problem for the first time in a couple of months. And then for more “forced downtime” we took a ride to Long Point Winery.
There were three British cars at Long Point including mine (not shown above). This Austin Healy is pretty amazing and very well kept.
Long Point actually purchases most of their grapes from what I can tell, and most of their grapes are purchased from out of state. Usually I’m horrified by this – and in this case to a degree I am still horrified a little. However, they do a decent job especially with the Cabernet Franc they grow – it has a great finish and decants well. Their Zinfandel (California grapes) is also well made and a lot deeper expression than many California Zins. For this reason I decided they’re actually a mediocre vineyard with some amazing winemakers – and in a beautiful setting as well.
After the winery adventure, The Boss piloted The Beast to the Village of Skaneateles where we would meet my uncle and significant other for dinner.
Skaneateles sits on the north end of Skaneateles Lake which is maintained in a pristine fashion to serve as the water supply for the City of Syracuse. The only reason I have really spent any time in Skaneateles is because my mother, and thus my uncle, grew up there. My uncle moved there before he can remember (I believe he was less than a year old) with my mother’s family when my grandfather’s company moved from New Jersey. Now, Skaneateles is a combination between upscale bedroom community for Syracuse and resort community surrounded by farmland.
We had dinner at a pizza and Italian place in the village before heading back to the municipal parking lot.
Where we parked had a view of this house. My uncle said, “You know that’s the house where we grew up, right?” Yes, this is what my mother refers to as the State Street House.
As the light faded, The Boss piloted us safely back to Aurora, two lakes over, past farms and fields that remind me of growing up on a farm in that part of New York. And thus everything became complete.
For the remainder of March, and early April thus far, adventures have been limited. Work has been somewhat exhausting with a lot of new priorities and some leadership change. End result, I have not had the opportunity to take Saturdays to head to the mountains for hiking. However, this past week there were a couple of day trips. My older child is headed to college in another year and a half and has started doing college tours.
Our first visit was to University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.
Fredericksburg is about 60 miles from home but at least to the old town portion it is definitely a world away – and sometimes it’s a journey getting there. I drove down with my older child and her mother (my ex-wife) after a pretty stressful morning at work. We left at 11am, and spring break traffic was in full bloom. So, I had this shell shocked look on my face. I think we made it about 35 miles at home when I decided we would be better off to stop for lunch at Waffle House and continue the journey after, a fortuitous decision as the southbound express lanes opened as we were dining! The 60 miles took two hours.
Mary Washington is a mix between old and new. Originally it started as a normal school – a school to train teachers – for women until 1972 when it was granted coeducational status shortly on the heels of University of Virginia (until then, all boys) receiving the same status in 1970. UMW was renamed as a university in 2004 when they began to offer a much wider range of degrees beyond teaching and standard liberal arts fare; it’s hard to believe that when I first moved here 30 years ago it was still known as a “good place to learn how to be a teacher.” There are still a number of buildings over 100 years old on campus; many of them have been modernized, some are still traditional as you can see above.
Many of the older classrooms still have chalkboards – something which if you’re my kid you have not seen in a classroom ever!
I’m the same hand the science building is brand new with all modern trappings and a ton of programs of study.
There is even temporary math nerd graffiti on windows and glass partitions.
UMW met all the checkmarks for our visit – and it had the nicest dormitory kitsches I have ever seen. The student population seems to reflect the same type of attitude as my offspring – a bit artistic and creative and not too much standard social flair and Greek life. They enjoyed the school because the outdoor spaces were quiet and it was not as chaotic as our 2400 student high school on a city campus.
After the tour we went off campus to enjoy a meal at a pizzeria. I haven’t spent any real time in Fredericksburg in a couple of decades and it has really modernized while maintaining the typical Virginia old town feel in town. There is a lot going on. Unfortunately I think a lot of it is to serve the upper middle class sprawl that is growing in the area. Translation – there is not much for college students to explore off campus.
Our next adventure took us south to Richmond on Friday.
This time I was provided with chauffeur service. My kids’ mother had driven down to Richmond the day before in an effort to get away overnight and do some bonding with both kids, so The Boss and I drove down Friday morning with the plan for The Boss to take my younger to an escape room while my older, my ex, and I tour Virginia Commonwealth University. Unlike Wednesday there was no traffic heading south. We left at 6:40 and by 7:30 we were in Fredericksburg. With a tour appointment for 10:00 we decided to stop for a leisurely breakfast. First Watch didn’t disappoint, but we were served and well fed by 8am and soon on our way to Richmond. The 90 mile drive took an hour and forty-five minutes – Wednesday’s 55 mile drive took two hours on the same highway!
Northbound wasn’t as lucky with a multi-car accident and a delay.
VCU started off their tour with the same type of marketing presentation and Q&A session as UMW, but here they presented a ton more material. It is literally ten times the size of UMW. VCU is of a similar age and similar type of history – originally it was the medical school for Hampden Sydney College from the 1830s eventually becoming a more professionally-oriented school in 1968 due to an act on the behalf of the Virginia General Assembly, and it has largely grown from there. Medical, Dental, Nursing, Pharmacy, and similar programs are on one campus; other programs are on the other campus (I would call it “the main campus,” the Monroe Park campus). VCU wraps Monroe Park on one side spilling out into the city and the fan district on the west.
VCU is set up differently than the college I attended. The classroom buildings are often largely classroom buildings – professor offices and so forth are often in the old brick row houses next to them. They only briefly took us through an academic building and as it is on a campus in the middle of the city it didn’t seem as welcoming to go wandering through without a purpose.
Like I said, it spills through the city a bit, but much of what you see above is actually university.
Several streets through the core are blocked off to vehicular traffic to create something called the “Ramsway” reflecting the Ram as the school’s mascot. The admissions counselor also explained that she was contractually obligated to use the term “Ramily” in describing the student body, faculty, and staff of the unversity. Kids kept groaning when I used this term over and over.
VCU prides itself on the variety of its student body and the variety of experiences available. If I had to compare UMW and VCU, I would say UMW is upper middle class diverse whereas VCU is truly diverse, as in state of Virginia diverse.
My older enjoyed spending time sitting under trees in Monroe Park waiting for The Boss and my younger to return. When I asked what they thought of VCU I was surprised to hear that they really liked it. It isn’t as “non-chaotic” as UMW but they also said they liked it because there was much more to do and it was much, much easier to get off campus to see things and do things. In my mind it also sees as if it has more things for college kids to do around the area – more cheap and free activities for instance.
None of this should really surprise me as my offspring haven’t exactly sat still for their lives. They go out and explore just as much as we do and we live in a walkable urban neighborhood with a lot to look at and a lot going on.
We eventually left The Offspring with their mother. They had the opportunity to try out the dining hall with three lunch passes. We took the opportunity to visit Jamaica House Restaurant for lunch and then stop for a cortado before heading back.
I enjoyed mine while strolling through the city.
As we were walking towards the parking garage I heard running behind us. It turned out to be The Offspring returning from lunch. My older decided she wanted some quiet time and to stop answering her mother’s questions so she joined us for the THREE HOUR drive home.
You gotta love a 12 lane interstate with six lanes stopped.
It was good to get out of town two days in one week. Would I have enjoyed taking two full days rather than shorter days? Maybe. But not with my ex-wife involved.
I learned to drive on my dad’s old Chevy truck—a hulking relic of steel and grit. It had a three-on-the-tree transmission, no power steering, and no power brakes. Every turn felt like arm-wrestling a giant, every stop a test of leg strength. But once you mastered its stubborn charm, it was magic. Perfect for long, lazy drives down winding country roads, where the horizon stretched wide and the world slowed down. Even in town, once you knew its rhythm, it danced through traffic with surprising grace.
Summer evening drive, windows down
Fast forward to today, and I’m behind the wheel of a Range Rover Sport. Funny thing—it’s about the same size as that old Chevy, and sometimes it feels just as commanding. I sit high above the fray, surveying traffic like a hawk. Parking still gives me that familiar “am I going to scrape the wall?” moment, though I never do. The turning circle? Huge. Sharp corners mean spinning the wheel twice, just like old times. But that’s where nostalgia ends. This Rover is a rocket. The supercharged V8 growls like an old Buick, but without the sway in corners. It glides over pavement like silk, stops on a dime, and those red brake calipers? They whisper speed even when standing still.
Rover
Then there’s my other ride: a ten-year-old Mini Cooper, base model, wearing its city scars—dents and scrapes like badges of honor. Driving it is pure play, like hopping into a go-kart. Quick, nimble, and perfect for darting through tight streets. My kids adore it. Most adults? Not so much—unless they’re car enthusiasts. And honestly, in DC traffic, it feels a little too fragile. Still, for errands and coffee runs, nothing beats its cheeky charm.
My eleventh grader behind the wheel
The past few months have meant countless miles—commuting for my kid’s treatment. In those long drives, I’ve found comfort in the Rover’s quiet strength and joy in the Mini’s spirited zip. But now, life is shifting. The urgency is gone, and for the first time in a while, I can leave both cars resting in the garage. Sometimes, the sweetest drive is the one you don’t have to take.
NOTES on writing this Post – I experimented using Microsoft Copilot to write this. Usually I take about twenty minutes to write these posts. As I have upcoming travel coming I want to practice jotting down and summarizing thoughts quickly and then simply adding photos. To write this, I instructed Copilot to write me a blog entry, provided three subject areas and summarized six or eight bullet points I wanted to cover for each. It’s the same method I may have used to write it myself but saved half the time and, let’s face it, Copilot’s writing is a little zippier. Honestly, I may have written more and droned on with pointlessness, but as it came out it was fine.
It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m relaxing in a comfortable chair while watching football and reading. Meanwhile, a huge stockpot is on the stove in the next room and I’m making turkey stock. Don’t worry the turkey carcass was frozen immediately after dinner Thursday so all is good. This weekend has been a trifecta of Thanksgiving activity.
Turkey dinner after dinner – there was so much more before dinner
First, there was dinner on Thanksgiving. Lots of cooking. Most years I roast a turkey at home with full fixings – stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Every year as I am doing this year I use the turkey to make more stock and can it to use through the year always retaining one or two jars for the following Thanksgiving. As not everyone in the household eats land-based animals, I have to find creative ways to use the stock. In the fall and winter there are roasts with potatoes and gravy for those of us who enjoy the stock. And for Thanksgiving I always add a few chunks of roast salmon. This year personally I made the turkey with stuffing and potatoes and gravy, the sweet potato casserole, the salmon, vegetarian stuffing, and home baked bread. I found the four bottle bottle of Cabernet shown above at Costco. As always, I’m thankful for my friends and family, the continued health and prosperity of all of the above, and the good food. However, next year I kind of want to take a year off and head to New York City, maybe see the Macy’s Day Parade, and go to Bourbon Steak for dinner.
Black Friday shopping
As an exception to the usual I went shopping Friday. My sister always heads to the Black Friday sales and has been for the past four decades but I usually avoid the crowds. This year I went because one of the teens needed to be somewhere at 8:30 in the morning and I had four and a half hours to kill in suburbia so I showed up at my favorite mall a little before 9am, found parking fairly easily, and watched as the mall became more and more crowded. I could have just as happily found a comfortable chair and sat with a book while watching people in the mall but instead I went shopping – some for me and some for family. Eventually I left the mall and went to other stores where I was promptly ignored so ordered online instead.
Meraz in front of the tree
Finally, Saturday, and mainly because there was time and the kids were here, the tree went up and the house was decorated for the holiday. This is the end of the trifecta – decorating, and if you’ve done it you’ve completed your Thanksgiving holiday in my opinion. So we headed to the Optimist’s club where every year they have a Christmas tree sale and fundraiser. A couple of high school athlete volunteers helped us select a tree and fasten it to the car (I say “fasten” loosely as the tree had a very loose relationship with the car and I’m convinced that if we went on the beltway it would have become airborne and past tense). We brought it home and wrestled it into the tree stand and exercised one of the “great pains of Christmas” which is “stringing up the lights” and a couple hours later the tree was decorated and lit. The whole exercise from leaving the house to returning actually only took three hours.
Alamo Drafthouse
Last night was the cap to the weekend. Wicked For Good is in the theaters and the kids wanted to see it so we went. I chose the Alamo Drafthouse so I could have an excuse to not cater dinner. The challenge is the expense…. Tickets are $25 each and a personal pizza, drink (or cocktail in my case), and box of candy total up to about $40 each person there. I think I could go see a musical at the Kennedy Center for that price.
