Tag: Adirondacks

The Kids

Here is our traditional picture of the kids who have been coming to the camp for 16 years. It includes our newest arrival, Anne, barely a year old. A new generation.

Creepy, Crawly Things

I was alone on the deck on this quiet afternoon. No sounds but the lapping of lake water against the dock, occasional bird calls and the mournful cry of the loon.

As I lay on the chaise lounge under a beach umbrella, I heard a scratching sound on the canvas of the umbrella. With my glasses off, I could only see a small black splotch moving across the underside of the umbrella. When I put my glasses back on, I realized it was a bat climbing out of the folds of the umbrella. I could see his pointy ears and the web of his wings as he made his way along the spine of the umbrella. I was both repelled and fascinated.

Check off another “close up and personal” encounter with nature.

Stargazing

Stargazing is always a potential high point of our stay in the Adirondacks. But it’s better when there’s no moon. Tuesday night was a moonless night with a spectacular display. And, for the first time in my life, I was able to actually identify individual stars and constellations other than the Big Dipper.

Which is not to diminish the Big Dipper. It is our official family constellation. Each year, it is positioned precisely over our porch/dock as though it was put there for our own edification. One of those consistencies that we rely upon for this vacation.

But thanks to the Ipad/Iphone app called StarWalk, we can hold the device up to the sky, where it replicates what we’re viewing at that moment in that place. Then, you only need to touch the star on the screen to learn everything there is to know about that particular star.

I was also able to identify the constellation Scorpio on the southern horizon.

A true breakthrough.

To Boston

The vacation had to be interrupted by a business trip to Boston to meet with the CEO of a client. Normally, I would have been able to take a pass, but the project involved an extraordinary program by this client help address the problem of hunger in America. It was the kind of project I have been seeking for years now and offered an opportunity to address a real social problem.

While getting to Boston would not be easy, as it turned out, getting back was an ordeal.

Long story short, I drove 2.5 hours to Rutland, Vermont and took a ten seater plane to Boston. As we boarded the plane, the gate agent said to the man in front of me, “you’re going to be the copilot today.” I thought he was kidding. He wasn’t. That passenger sat in the copilot’s seat.

The flight was only moderately bumpy and we never flew above 7,000 feet. Coming into Logan on that kind of plane was actually kind of a kick. See the picture below, taken from my seat.

The meeting went reasonably well, but the trip back was a nightmare. All flights to Rutland were cancelled because the weather computer was down. Their plan was to transport us by “limo,” aka shuttle van, to Rutland. After waiting around for a while, they ended up flying us to Lebanon, New Hampshire, where we were shuttled by “Gramps” to Rutland. As it turned out, Gramps only took us halfway on the hour and fifteen minute trip. We (me and another guy who had started his day in Eugene, Oregon) were transferred to into another shuttle and arrived at Rutland airport at 11 pm, 4 hours later than expected. I then started by 2.5 hour drive back to camp.

Arriving at camp at 1:30 am, I took our rickety motor boat the mile across the lake where they had lit up the main dock for me to steer toward. As I drifted into the slip, there was a huge splash to my right as a snapping turtle dove off the dock where he was presumably sleeping. He about two feet in diameter and cruised into the slip behind me. I was extra careful getting out of the boat onto the dock.

Dead heading

In a break from the past, we decided to go to the camp on Friday night, instead of our usual Saturday arrival. Technically, we’re not supposed to arrive before Saturday, but we learned that our cabin was empty and ready for occupancy on Friday. So, instead of our usual stopover in Albany on Friday, we decided to go all the way to camp.

We left on Friday morning at about 10:30 am, prepared for a long trip. While we would be able to get through New York City before rush hour, we’d probably hit Albany at maximum traffic time, a Friday night during summer time.

One interesting experience we had on the way had to do with the Olympics. The sister of an acquaintance of Bridget’s was actually competing that day in the 800 meter freestyle swimming competition. Bridget had watched her progress from the trials on. Her name is Katie Ledecky. In a testament to the new media world we live in, we were able to get live coverage of the Olympics on both an IPhone and my IPad. The connection was a bit spotty on the IPad, but the IPhone seemed to get a petty steady signal. So, driving in a car, up Route 87 in New York, we were able to watch Katie win the Gold Medal. Good thing Rita was driving, as I am easily distracted while driving. Rita was able to manage driving and while simultaneously watching the race.

Sure enough, we hit a dead stop in Albany. So, we pulled off the road, did grocery shopping and had a quick dinner at a Panera.

By the time we got back on the highway, traffic had cleared and it was a smooth ride from there on. We arrived at camp at 9:10 pm and Luke was there to greet us. The vacation had begun.

Adirondacks 2012 – No Change!

Wednesday, August 1

I reveal to the family that I may have to leave the Adirondacks on Monday to attend a meeting in Boston. Bridget erupts.

“Don’t you people realize that I don’t like change? I’m about to endure the biggest change of my life by going to college. The only constant is the Adirondacks. Danny’s coming late because of the Joe Kennedy campaign and now you going to leave for a day. This has to stop!”

I explain the purpose of my Boston trip and when I say, “It’s Panera.” She’s say, “You gotta go.”

Adirondacks 2012 A Journal

I’m trying something new. This will constitute my journal for our Adirondacks vacation of 2012. However, since we don’t have either Internet or cell connection on the camp, these posts will not be real time. I’ll lot them up when I return to civilization, but they will be chronological.

To refresh, we stay at the Baekeland Camp in the geographic center of the Adirondacks, about halfway between Blue Mountain Lake and Raquette Lake. Our lake is Utowana Lake, which means “Big Waves,” presumably in the Iroquois language. It is a three mile long lake in what is called the Eckford Chain. Baekeland is the only camp on Utowana. There is no road to the camp. You have to come across the lake by boat. There is no TV and spotty cell service. It is the perfect place to unplug. We essentially own the lake when we are here. It is idyllic.

Here is Bridget diving off the dock of our cabin, situated on a small cove on the north side of the lake.