Category: travel

May the fourth

The overhead warning signs on Route 17/86 near Binghamton, New York flashed this message:

Slow down you must.
Arrive safely you will.

They were channeling Yoda because today is May the fourth, the tongue-in-cheek day to celebrate the Stars Wars franchise because the dialogue sometimes included the phrase, “May the force be with you.”

I thought I should provide the explanation because some readers would have no context on this, due to their generation, cultural background, or obliviousness to Star Wars. 😉

(Image by martin from Pixabay)

Double-header Saturday

I realize that title seems like baseball, but it’s not, although Cooperstown is involved…

Despite my current health issues, I managed to attend two major events on Saturday.

In the afternoon, I sang-along with parts two and three of Handel’s Messiah. This was an event offered by the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton, with whom I serve as a singer and board member. Our artistic director, John M. Vaida, conducted a volunteer chamber orchestra and soloists with a chorus made up of those who showed up to sing along. Most of us were members of Madrigal Choir or Downtown Singers, although I think there were a few who aren’t presently in either group. It was a lot of fun to sing with old and new friends without the pressure of performance. Madrigal Choir hopes to do more events like this in the future.

Next up was heading to the Fenimore Art Museum, just outside Cooperstown, for the Write Out Loud ’25 reading, made possible only because spouse B did the driving, as we live about an hour and a half from there. I had been accepted to Write Out Loud ’24 last year with a poem from my chapbook, Hearts. When submissions opened for this year’s event, I sent the call on to my poet-friends in the area and I’m pleased to say that the Grapevine Poets from the Binghamton area were well represented this year with Merrill Oliver Douglas, Jessica Dubey, Richard Braco, and me all having work accepted.

Merrill read her poem, “Meditation in Walmart,” as the second piece in the program, with Richard reading “Pole Star Child” as the next-to-last piece in the program. Accepted writers have the option to read their own work or to have a member of the theater company affiliated with the Fenimore perform their piece. Cait Liberati read Jessica’s poem, “Love Birds.” Jessica wished that she could have been there to read it herself but she was away on a trip. I was thrilled with Sharon Rankins-Burd’s reading of my poem, “The Bridge“! I had planned to have an actor read my poem from the start because my health situation is too uncertain. I also appreciate hearing what a trained actor does with my words.

The Fenimore Art Museum has released the recording on their YouTube channel. If you click “more” in the description, it will open the program with links to the beginning of each piece.

I had figured that expending that much energy in a day would knock me for a loop and it did. I spent most of the day yesterday in bed and will lay low today, too, just going out for physical therapy. I’m grateful that I was able to attend these events and hope that we are able to get a better handle on my diagnosis and treatment options soon so that I have more energy to do two things in one day – or even one thing…

SoCS: calendar

My calendar used to be filled with meetings, volunteer gigs, poetry workshops and readings, family events, and music rehearsals and concerts.

Now, it’s mostly medical appointments.

I am still holding on to singing with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton. We are coming up on performance week, which will be a challenge with my diminished energy.

Maybe this next round of tests and specialists will get to a full diagnosis and some kind of treatment to improve my situation. I know that it is unlikely to be fully reversed but I’m trying to retain hope that I can bring back the most important abilities and activities I can’t manage now.

If that happens, maybe my calendar will have somewhat fewer medical appointments and more poetry – with some more travel to see family and outings with friends.

Maybe that can even happen later in 2025.

It depends on what happens with the tests and doctor visits that are in those calendar boxes this spring…
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “calendar.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/03/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-22-2025/

Runza!

Inspired by Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz’s video of a campaign stop in Nebraska where he grew up, spouse B made runza for the first time.

He chose a classic beef and cabbage filling and made his own bread dough because that’s how he rolls!


They were delicious!

Thanks, Tim Walz, for introducing us to a Nebraska specialty and for your support of local businesses as you tour the country on the campaign trail!

eclipse thoughts

(2017 Photo by Scott Szarapka on Unsplash)

One Monday, April 8th, there was a solar eclipse over a wide swath of North America. At my home in central New York, we were close to the path of totality with 97% of the sun obscured.

We dutifully bought eclipse glasses but the afternoon was very cloudy. During the time of maximum coverage of the sun, we did notice that it became darker, darker than you expect from cloud cover, even from a thunderstorm. A few minutes after it lightened again, it began to rain.

Meanwhile, many people were expressing their awe and wonder at viewing the eclipse. Some had travelled many miles, even internationally, to see it. All were subject to the vagaries of weather, but most were lucky to have good conditions for viewing. Even people who weren’t able to see the eclipse expressed gratitude at being part of an excited crowd putting aside divisions to look up together.

As I’ve been reflecting on the eclipse experience, I find myself wondering if I would have felt the same mystical sense of awe that others have been describing. Perhaps it is my practical New England upbringing or my study of science or my overall sense of respect for creation but I have trouble separating the eclipse from other natural phenomena. Should I feel more wonder at an eclipse than I do for a broken, blue shell that recently sheltered a baby robin or a riot of forsythia blossoms or the ancient rocks worn smooth by the brook or the full moon?

While I do appreciate the effect that the eclipse had to bring people together, I had no desire to be part of a crowd. Granted, I am the type of introvert who is always uncomfortable in a crowd, however noble or friendly its purpose.

Did you experience this eclipse or one in a different time and place? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Fall Forever

(Photo credit: The Fenimore Art Museum website)

It was my privilege on Sunday to attend a staged reading of Fall Forever by Eva Schegulla at the Glimmer Globe Theatre in the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY. It was part of the NEXT! Staged Reading Series, which offers readings of new plays by regional playwrights.

Eva is a friend and fellow member of the Boiler House Poets Collective, so I was especially happy to attend and to see her. Her writing covers a wide range, including stage plays, screenplays, radio plays, fiction, essays, serials, reviews, blog posts, and poetry, some of which are published under pen names. Her blog, Ink in My Coffee, just celebrated its 20th anniversary.

I had never been to a staged reading before. The actors read from the scripts set on music stands, although there were a few instances of characters moving around a bit. Another actor read the stage directions so that we knew where and when the scenes were taking place. There were also some sound effects, although a full staging of the play would include more. Although it is structured as a 2-act play, the reading was presented all in one block, which felt a bit overwhelming but gave me a new appreciation of intermissions.

The story revolves around the aftermath of the accidental death of Lily, especially with her sister Leah and husband Alan. I especially enjoyed the performance of Sharon Rankins-Burd, who read Leah. She is part of nearly every scene and, though having the script in front of her, Rankins-Burd was able to project who Leah is as she struggles with grief over her sister’s death and additional challenges that arise.

After the reading, there was a talkback session with the playwright, the performers, and the production team. It was interesting to hear Eva talk about the growth of the Fall Forever from a prompt at a workshop with the Williamstown Theatre Festival to its current form, awaiting a final round of edits as the result of the reading to be sent out for submission calls. There were some questions that elucidated the choices Eva had made in the play and how the staged reading format had impacted the version of the piece that we experienced. It was also fun to hear choices of favorite lines from actors – and audience members!

A recording of Fall Forever by Eva Schegulla will soon be available for a limited time. I’ll share the link when it is posted. I hope you will find it to be as enjoyable and meaningful as I did. Update: The video is now available here: https://youtu.be/GSgrLP56Q3Q?feature=shared. It will be taken down in mid-June 2024.

February in London

Belatedly sharing a bit more about our February visit to see our daughter E, son-in-law L, and granddaughters ABC and JG.

Most of the visit was spending time with the family at our rental home in their East London neighborhood. There were games and make-believe, reading, puzzles, drawing, watching BBC children’s programs, especially Swashbuckle, eating, napping, and even a couple of sleepovers for ABC and JG.

Our nod to the girls’ being on half-term break from school was a visit to the Tower of London. Given that we had a 3- and 6-year-old in tow, it wasn’t the most comprehensive visit, but we did see the Crown Jewels, the White Tower, and more cannons and armor than I’ve seen in the rest of my life combined.

ABC and JG were not enamored of the ravens.


London winters are much milder than here in the Northeast US, so daffodils were blooming at our rental house, even though it was only mid-February.

There was the excitement of ABC losing her fifth baby tooth. Of course, the Tooth Fairy arrived on schedule!

Mostly, though, the trip was a time for me, B, and T to be Nana, Grandpa, and Auntie. Because of the distance and infrequency of visits, we aren’t sure when we will be able to see them again, so it’s nice to have a remembrance of some snuggling time.


(In the photo at the top of the post, ABC’s bear is wearing a Binghamton Rumble Ponies hat. The Rumble Ponies are the AA baseball club of the New York Mets. Bear is trying on ABC’s cap.)

One-Liner Wednesday: I haven’t quite fallen off the face of the earth

Just a reassurance that I will get back to substantive posting soon (I hope), after a period of travel, catching up after travel, family health issues, not nearly enough sleep, manuscript work, jet lag/time change, trying to solve problems that never should have happened in the first place, rallying and lobbying against CO2 fracking/carbon sequestration and working on tax returns…

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/03/06/one-liner-wednesday-detriment/

(grand)childcare

(Photo: ABC’s bear wearing a Binghamton Rumble Ponies cap)

Spouse B, daughter T, and I are in London this week visiting daughter E, son-in-law L, and granddaughters ABC and JG for half-term break. This first half of the week, both E and L are working, so our main goal is taking care of ABC and JG so they can do that.

The last time we were together in person was April when they came to our home in the US. Although we do video calls, they can’t really capture the changes that happen. JG, now 3 and attending full-day nursery school is chatting up a storm! She loves making puzzles, zooming around our rental house near their home, and following the lead of 6-year-old ABC, who likes or tolerates it most of the time. ABC, now in year 2 at school, is reading well and a master of make-believe. She can make up songs and lyrics on the spot, taking after her musically-and-literary-accomplished parents. ABC also enjoys dance and art.

I love watching B being Grandpa, playing games, reading stories, preparing meals and snacks, and dozing off during naptime. T is an involved auntie, playing endless games of hide-and-seek and whatever make-believe ABC has invented and giving gentle hugs, in deference to her still-healing shoulder.

My favorite thing is just being here as family. With the ocean between us, it’s a rare gift to snuggle on the couch, especially with JG who was born during the early part of the pandemic and whom we didn’t get to meet in person until she was a year old. Such a different grandparenting experience than with ABC who lived with us in the US until she was two.

For JG, I’m just Nana. ABC, though, remembers her Great-Nana, who passed away in 2019.

I miss my parents and wish I could be as good a grandparent as they were with E and T.

flying in the dark

I like window seats.

Granted, I don’t often get to sit in one because we are most likely to be travelling as a group of three on a long flight, which usually puts us in the center of the plane and far from the windows.

This morning, though, I got to sit in the window seat of a small jet, flying from our home airport to Detroit, from which we will continue after a ten-ish hour layover to London to visit daughter E, son-in-law L, and granddaughters ABC and JG.

Even though it was dark out, I enjoyed looking out the window. Town and city lights. Occasional wisps of clouds. A few stars visible above the wing.

As we flew west, it seemed we were trying to outrun dawn. We nearly succeeded, orange and pink blossoming on the eastern horizon as we made our descent.

The stars had disappeared but Venus shown brightly.