
Christmas 2021
23 Thursday Dec 2021
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23 Thursday Dec 2021
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25 Friday Oct 2019
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inWe were a couple days early for peak Fall colors last weekend and we were a couple days late for peak colors today. Peak colors at the Arboretum were estimated to be approximately 2.337 days ago.
29 Sunday Sep 2019
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in≈ Comments Off on Back To School For Me
This piece, made from soda lime glass in a Corning Museum of Glass studio is my first-ever attempt at hot glass forming. (Substantial assistance was provided by a very experienced glass blowing instructor.)
I am very fortunate to be selected to train to become a Corning Museum of Glass “Glass Guide” (formerly called a docent). I’ll be trained over the next several months to learn the basics of the art, history, and technology of glass; become more familiar with CMoG’s glass works and resources spanning 3500 years; and learn how to help the Museum’s guests have an enjoyable and rewarding experience at the Museum.
I was motivated to pursue this as a retirement activity to do something worthwhile for the community, challenge my brain with continuous new learning experiences, and “rub elbows” with some superbly talented Museum staff and a rich variety of guests.
Basically this is about my health. Lori and I have the fundamentals of diet and exercise covered but I need something to keep the noggin healthy. Research has shown that challenging the mind is crucial to it’s continued function and combating many of the effects of aging. Similarly, maintaining quality social interactions has great benefits for emotional and mental health.
I couldn’t think of a much more effective way to keep mentally active than working at a world-class museum with the world’s largest collection of glass objects, the world’s most comprehensive library of all materials related to glass, and an extraordinary staff devoted to research, teaching, and sharing the fascinating story of this one substance.
My first day of class I even got to make my first piece of glass art in one of the glass studios. How cool is that?
30 Friday Aug 2019
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inReturning from a great concert by Pat Metheny at Smith Opera House in Geneva with friends Bill and Lanie, we stopped by for a quick visit to the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a curious juxtaposition of the NYS Thruway and a 10,000-acre wetland refuge for birds and other wildlife. Our brief cursory visit was rewarded with egrets, herons, kingfishers, ospreys, geese, and all kinds of other brown ducks we weren’t familiar with.
20 Saturday Jul 2019
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inLori and I had the pleasure of visiting Corning Museum of Glass‘s New Glass Now exhibit, an extraordinary display of contemporary work from artists all over the world. We were highly impressed by the skill and creativity showcased in this spectacular collection beautifully displayed by the Museum. See it if you’re anywhere in the vicinity!
05 Friday Jul 2019
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in≈ Comments Off on Birthmonth Extravaganza Begins
Lori, a patriotic American, was born on the 4th of July but we choose to celebrate not just her birthday but her birthmonth. A joint birthday celebration dinner with our friends Bill (birthday on July 3) and Anne and their daughter Sydney is now a traditional kickoff for the month’s observances.
A hike, preferably in insufferably hot humid weather, is another kickoff event for the month. This year we cut things a bit short and enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the Cascadilla Gorge Trail after enjoying breakfast and coffee at Collegetown Bagels.
Next up, we’ll have a nice dinner at Gola Osteria, joined by Mike and Kali. Eventually we’ll get back to a proper heat-prostration-inducing hike designed to delight Lori as she marvels at Paul’s inability to cope with miserably oppressive tropical heat and humidity. Yes, just non-stop fun for all of July. Happy birthmonth Lori!
29 Monday Apr 2019
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inTwelve years ago Lori acquired a new Toyota Prius and put 137,000 miles on it over years of mostly trouble-free use. She has traded it in for a new Audi A3. It’s bolder, sportier, and much more fun (much like Lori). Of course Lori does bold and sporty in a careful and responsible manner so this is not an outlandish impulsive leap. You can bet she’s factored in speeding-ticket fines in the total cost of ownership.
Congratulations to Lori on her wonderful new (belated) retirement present to herself.
14 Monday Jan 2019
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