When volleyball at the Empire Senior Games was cancelled due to COVID, Kathryn started researching other sports that she might be able to compete in. Looking at past performances she felt she could be competitive in track events. She started training for 100, 200 and 400 meter dash in addition to the 1500 meter run. She got two silvers and two golds in the Empire State Senior games. There weren’t a lot of women so some events were combined. Not only did she achieve gold medals within her age group but she placed high across all age competitors in multiple events.
Friday Eric and James were scheduled to move into their dorm room. They had previously coordinated joint items such as TV and refrigerator. Everything that was piled on the bed in the spare room got organized and packed away in plastic bins. Miraculously it all fit easily into the car and we made the 3 hour drive to Hilbert College. Once at Hilbert we used laundry carts to transfer everything to the second floor dorm room. Within an hour clothes, bedding and supplies were organized. Parting was tough for all parties.
Friday Eric went out to dinner with a bunch of his friends. A sort of good bye/end of summer thing. After dinner at Destiny Mall, they decided to try the go-carts. After one lap, Eric was involved in a 4 cart crash.
They drove home to his friend’s house, at which point he called us and said he didn’t feel safe to drive home. When we picked him up, he said he had a headache and was mildly nauseous. We decided to go to the ER. On a Friday night. So they did a CT scan right away, which showed evidence of a “tiny brain bleed” but that was “questionable, and might have been due to a flaw in the picture. So they wanted to wait a couple hours, observe him and do another CT scan. So they decided to admit him at 3:30AM and did the second CT scan then and it was “better.” But because during the assessment, Eric showed evidence of minor decrease in sensation in some places, they felt he needed an MRI to assess ligament damage in his neck. Unfortunately, we found out that St. Luke’s doesn’t do MRIs on Saturday and the neurologist would not discharge him without the MRI, even though Eric felt fine by Saturday. We showed an abundance of caution; his nausea was minor and his headache was livable. So we chose to go to the ER; I figured they would do their concussion protocol; CT scan, the need to observe him, second CT scan. 2 nights in the hospital, for his minor symptoms, is excessive. It looks as if the hospital has a scheme to get patients to stay an extra night by not having a MRI available.
After months of meetings, hundreds of texts and even more emails the long awaited 50th year reunion was held. The reunion began on Friday, August 13 @ Fox Creek Park in Schoharie starting at 5:00 pm for the informal “meet and greet” with other SCS alumni. Our 50th celebration was Saturday, August 14 @ The Grapevine Farms Restaurant & Boutique located on Route 7 in Cobleskill. We had 40 attendees. Our graduating class was 83 persons with 16 currently deceased. Of the 83 12 served in the US military. Friday night’s Meet & Greet was casual, free flowing and encouraged a lot of mingling as people re-acquainted with one another. A couple of passing showers encouraged participants to huddle up, but everyone stayed dry under the pavilion.
Saturday the planning committee arrived early to set up and decorate; poster boards were positioned, pictures from past reunions were placed under the glass table tops, memorabilia displayed. The check in table was set up to dispense badges (blue for graduates & white for guests), meal selections, a nick names game sheet and a Christmas ornament.
1. Cathy Summerfield, Bev Guernsey, Gail Myers, Martha Tripp 2. Terry Miller, Deb Morehouse 3. Darlene Johnston, Artie Williams, Barb Henry, Marie Price 4. Dave Bloomer, Sue Sacket, Roger Bender, Claudia Remmers. 5. Tom Tillison, Peggy Senecal, Mike Houghton. 6. Barry Przysiecki, Bob Ottman, Kenny Mann, Jim Muller, Denny Radford
After the meal our faculty guests: Stewart Linendall and Barton MacDougall spoke of their memories from 1971 and activities over the past 50 years.
The words to the SCS Alma Mater are controversial and have been changed over the years. That’s why the closing ceremonies for the Class of 1971 Reunion adopted a ‘lyrics-free’ version by engaging the SCS 1971 Alma Mater Kazoo Band. Give a listen to the undeniable kazoo talent and judge for yourself. Contact Michael Houghton to engage the band to play at your next SCS event.
RiverFest is an annual fun and relaxing paddle down the Black River. The 2021 Riverfest started at 8am at the Lower Lyons Falls Canoe Launch. This years route was 8.6 miles on the Black River. The event ended in Glenfield by the canoe launch near the bridge on Greig Road. There was a midpoint at Burdicks Crossing.
Paddlers were urged to participate in a trivia contest on their way with questions provided by Lewis County Soil & Water on large pool floats positioned along the river. There was food available at the mid-point and a shuttle was available in the morning so paddlers have their vehicles waiting for them at the end. RiverFest is a fundraising event held by the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce.
Kathryn and I left early such that we could leave a vehicle at the take out and not have to rely on the shuttle. At the launch we observed 6 canoes and many dozens of kayaks. Based on the 30 vehicles in the parking lot at the take out I estimated at least 50+ vessels over all.
We launched at 0835 behind about a dozen other boats. Due to recent thunder storms the river was bank-to-bank high and the current was strong; estimated flowing at 2 mph. We saw a few birds: herons, cedar wax wings, an osprey and a bald eagle that stoically sat as we floated by.
Kathryn set a healthy pace and after one hour we arrived at Burdick’s Landing where we found the LaMont’s Food Fair food truck and bought drinks and shared a hot dog. The on-site volunteer stated the water was the highest she had experienced in her 6 years of service. The 55 minute paddle to the destination was uneventful. We loaded up and hate lunch at the Pioneer Cafe where the service was slow, but the food was delicious.
We made the drive to Hilbert on Monday such that we could attend the full day of orientation on Tuesday. Eric and James were separated into different student groups while Kathryn and I attended complementary parent’s sessions. It was comprehensive agenda of topics which presented all the resources available to new students. A long day, but worth the trip.
Took a nice 3 day trip starting at Lake Kushaqua. Lake Kushaqua is a 380 acres lake near Loon Lake and Rainbow Lake in the town of Franklin, It is on the North Branch of the Saranac River. The shoreline is state owned except for two small in-holdings.
We paddled to Clear Pond (~5 miles). Clear Pond parallels the three-mile long narrow Rainbow Lake, separated from it by a narrow esker. Day 2 we paddled empty canoes from Rainbow Lake to Jones Pond and Osgood Pond and then returned to our Clear pond campsite. The round trip distance is about 12 miles with a 1.5 mile carry between Rainbow Lake and Jones Pond. That took us about 6 hours, which is more than I really want to be paddling anymore.We caught a break with the weather in that we only experienced rain on Tuesday morning; so we sat under a tarp and had a leisurely breakfast. Day 3 we paddled out.
Kathryn registered us in a “for-fun” pickle ball league based in Sherill. The idea being that our game would improve as we played more people with different styles. Six teams entered with clear differentiation: two very good teams, two middle teams (including us) and two beginner teams. One of the good teams dropped out due to injury. While we easily won our regular games we were easily beaten by the remaining best team 11-1 and 11-0. All in fun.
Based on a recommendation I picked up a bottle of Boat Guard SPF 50 to treat my 40 year old fiberglass Wenonah Jensen 18. Over the years it had picked up its share of scratches. The transformation was magical. I had occasionally used 303 on my boats previously, but I am hopeful this treatment will last a little longer. I was so thrilled I also treated my 16′ Seda Scout.
Eric’s Graduation ceremony was held at the HP football stadium on Friday night. The procession began with a car parade in a light rain from GWF to the HP high school. The rain did not dampen the spirits of the graduates or the spectators. The parade was initiated last year due to COVID but will likely become a tradition due to it’s popularity.
At the high school we were dispersed on the field with DIY seating to hear musical arrangements, speeches and presentation of diplomas. It’s been a rough 18 months; Eric, like many, didn’t do well with remote learning; the school – especially his principal – really worked with him; Eric put in a lot of effort to attain this “Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation.” So this celebration was well-earned!
At the end of the speeches a fabulous fireworks display.
From Rome Sentinel:
HOLLAND PATENT — The Holland Patent Central School District braved the rain to celebrate its 2021 commencement with a ceremony at the school’s sports stadium on Friday, June 18. The ceremony began with opening music followed by a welcome by Principal Russell E. Stevener, Jr. Students then marched in to Pomp and Circumstance followed by the pledge of alliegiance led by Senior Class President Grace Elizabeth Mahanna. The national anthem was then performed by Thomas R. Breil, Nicco A. Klein, Jessica Rene Landman and Arianna Rose Lange. Jonathan Schmitt gave the salutatory address. Stevener delivered a recognition of faculty before Lange gave a profile of the Class of 2021. Breil gave the valedictory remarks before Superintendent Jason P. Evangelist recognized the class standard bearers and Rory J. Richard performed “Rise Up.” Lydia Kelly, president of the Board of Education, gave the proclamation of graduation, followed by the presentation of diplomas, the singing of the school Alma Mater and the recessional.
