Cavs Game & Weekend

We finally attended an actual Cavaliers game at the "new" Quicken Arena (the "Q"). We went last Thursday evening with Judy and Steve. Our seats were in the lower level behind one of the baskets - the last row before the loge level - just above and behind us was an empty loge - which meant nobody was really sitting behind us and therefore it was a little less noisy. A "little less noisy" though doesn't mean much as the whole experience is a deluge of constant noise. The music, announcements, contests, dance teams, cheerleaders, blaring lights circling the arena, and canned "Get out of your seats" screams have taken over the game. At one point they were handing out free balloons that turned out to be extremely loud noisemakers which the youths in the seats below and to our right found very entertaining. I'm not sure how they could use the noisemakers and talk on their cellphones at the same time but they could. The show seems to be everything - the game happens somewhere beneath and despite the production. But our seats were good enough and if you block out the noise and hubbub you can enjoy the athletic event. Lebron was good but the Houston Rockets were better that night. The Cavs looked a little slow and they didn't have Larry Hughes and their 3-point shots weren't even close. They fell way behind early (17 points) and made up a lot of ground late in the game but it wasn't enough and they lost 90-81 - which ended a six-game home win streak. Tracy McGrady was Houston's star and it was fun watching him work. And Lebron does have big-time aura and now we can say we've seen it firsthand.

Our weekend has been somewhat restful which was needed after this long week. We've watched 3 movies at home - Me and You and Everyone We Know, Broken Flowers, and Bad News Bears. "Broken Flowers" was very good but a bit slow. "Bad News Bears" has fun parts but is very predictable and follows the original almost exactly. ""Me and You..." was excellent as a sort of thoughtful modern art performance piece but quirky and a bit risque in parts. But this was the sort of weekend where planting ourselves on the couch with a couple of peaceful warm dogs while winter did its thing felt just right.

We do miss kayaking. How many days until the thaw?

California Rendezvous

Our excursion to Oakland was concluded very successfully. Wednesday morning Nicki and I took a 9:00 am flight out of Cleveland, arriving in San Francisco by 11:30 that morning - uneventful non-stop flight - leaving the chill of Ohio for almost balmy California. Rented a car and arrived at Sarah’s apartment just in time to see Martin heading off to play soccer with friends. After a bit of lunch we headed off to the Oakland Baha’i Center to help Sarah and Laura clean and set up for that evening’s family dinner.

Dinner was an opportunity to meet Sergio’s brothers and sisters and their families. Lots of little kids, good conversation and good food (P.F. Chang's take-out ). Sometimes a little translation was needed but overall it was a good way for our family to meet his family. Afterwards it was back to Sarah’s place for some Christmas gift exchanging. Nicki and I stayed at Nisa and Josh’s place while we were in Oakland (they were out of town). Nisa’s family owned our house in Oberlin before they moved west - her dad was one of my many principals.

Thursday started with a brunch at the Crepevine. A few of Sarah’s friends met us there. Again good exotic breakfast food. From there we dropped Martin off and Sarah, Laura, Nicki, and I drove through San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and up Highway 1 to Stinson Beach. The typical Highway 1 experience of twisty narrow road with great views of the ocean. It was a gray windy cool day but we were on the beach enjoying the surf. Perhaps the highlight was seeing a whale carcass on the rocks being enjoyed by the seagulls. Back onto Highway 1 heading back to Oakland this time over the Richmond Bridge past San Quentin and past a flaming construction truck. We collected Martin and Sergio and had dinner at the SFO Pizzeria Bar & Grill in Jack London Square. And we ended the day with TV at Sarah’s.

Friday we began the day by putting Martin on his flight back to New York. Then the 4 of us headed for the coast starting at Half Moon Bay and driving south first to San Gregorio State Beach where Nicki and I did get out of the car despite the high winds and a bit of rain in the air and as far as Pescadero State Beach where we didn’t get out of the car because of the higher winds and heavier rain. And did I mention rain? This is where the bad weather began for us. We retraced our steps back towards Oakland with a stop at a mall to procure the girls’ massage fix. Once back at Sarah’s apartment it was some TV and leftover food and relaxing. Finally about 8:30 Sarah and Laura headed for the Oakland airport to catch Laura’s flight back to Hartford while Nicki and I let the rental’s navigation system guide us back to the San Francisco airport where we joined the throngs as most flights, including ours, were delayed due to the monsoon rains outside. Finally at 1:30 AM our flight departed. The captain warned us the first couple hours might have uncomfortable turbulence but it didn’t really happen and the only thing uncomfortable was the awful sappy movie. I couldn’t watch it even with free headphones. And at 8:30 AM we landed back in Cleveland where it was 20 degrees cooler and just as gray but not rainy. New Year’s Eve Day was spent recovering.

All in all a good but short trip. Nice to have the family together. And certainly a memorable experience. For a more complete set of photos just click here.

Foods for Thought

Sam enjoys her leather candycane.

We started Christmas day lazily - up at the crack of 10:30. No little kids to pressure us and the dogs enjoy a long quiet morning. We did open gifts and everything was greatly appreciated. The rest of Christmas Day was full of food. Started with a large breakfast of fried mush and sausage - think we’ll make that a tradition. From there Nicki prepared a mid-afternoon roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, squash, peas, etc. Martin brought Gretchen and her two children. (Ed - we pulled out our old castle with the little people and Bobby, the 4-year old, focused on it). With barely a break (or opportunity to loosen the belt), Laura and I collected Ursula at 4:30 and transported her to Norma and Han’s where Nicki joined us for another dinner - ham, chicken, shrimp, etc. Such a variety and abundance of food. Ursula enjoyed the company and food.

Grandma has a way of telling us when she’s had enough photos.

After that celebration Nicki and I took Ursula home. Just after we got there I discovered that the TV in the lounge down the hall was showing a concert of Renee Fleming with Christoph Eschenbach conducting. Ursula was quite pleased to see her “godson” performing and proclaimed such several times. While she watched I setup the new radio we all got for her - hopefully she won’t notice the change and will accept the gift. Tomorrow’s goal will be to teach her how to enjoy the music.

Back home all was quiet as Laura went out to visit friends and Martin was off with Gretchen. Nicki and I talked with Sarah and then lazily reviewed the day and digested.

Better Service Without More Cost

I did a quick trip to Little Valley Thursday to Friday. The goal was to deliver a few Christmas presents for brothers and sisters but also to do a quick check of the homestead and to soak up some of the ambiance of the area. The house was fine. A little cozier and warmer than expected but that is good. And the driveway was very clear - even at the entrance - so the plower we’ve employed is doing his job well. Which may be expected since we are paying by the plow. Makes one wonder what the final bill will be.

Martha had arrived just ahead of me so we ran over to Ellicottville (“the little Aspen of the East”) to have dinner. We ate at the Ellicottville Brewing Company which was a little crowded at first. But we got a small table right away. Once we ordered (fish and chips for both) the meals came almost instantly - hadn’t had more than one sip of our beers. Suspect they may have judged us as we walked in and dumped the fish in the frier. But it was a good meal. Afterwards did a little walking and window shopping on Main St. and drove through Holiday Valley. Not many skiers but lots of slopes open and the snow looked good. Then back to Little Valley where we tested the internet connection (still good) and watched TV.

Friday morning we met Ed for breakfast at Dina’s for our package exchange and to review Ed’s homestead 2005 expenses and 2006 projections. Nothing but good news as the corporation has successfully weathered several household improvements and repairs, the unit is in healthy structural and financial condition, and dues for the next year have been reduced. The new motto is "Better Service Without More Cost". The spreadsheet will be reviewed for possible adjustment at the annual June convention. I should also report that Dina’s has opened their second floor area. As you come in their front door there is a stairway to the left going up to the new dining area. They have also added a huge ceiling to floor curtain to block out drafts at the front door.

After a little shopping in Ellicottville and a short stop in Little Valley (and a short tutorial on podcasts for Martha), I started the return trip to Oberlin. On the way Laura called me to report that her flight was slightly delayed which gave me enough time for grocery shopping at one of our Trader Joes - coffee, wine, soy milk, and marzipanstollen. Laura’s flight arrived 45 minutes late which wasn’t too bad. Traffic around the airport wasn’t bad at all. Stopped at Lorenzo’s to get take-out for supper.

The only other interesting experience that evening was a call from Martin (still in NYC) asking for help. His old Jeep, which he has given to a friend in Oberlin, was not starting and she needed to visit relatives that evening. So I grabbed my jumper cables. Had her started after a few tries. She only lives a few blocks away. We decided she will need to have the battery tested as it is getting very old and looked mighty corroded. Martin will be arriving in just a couple hours. At that point everything should be in place for our family Christmas festivities.

We hope all of you have a worthy Christmas and enjoyable holidays.

Prepared for Winter

Suppose there comes a time when you must admit that the season really is over. Lakes are freezing shut. Snow covers the ground. Days are much too short. The thought of lashing the kayaks to the top of the car is enough to numb the fingers. So the kayaks are mounted on the garage wall - much like hibernation. Can't even think of doing the little maintenance things you should do in the coldness of the garage - wait until just before Spring breaks. But we can't help seeing them every time we pull the cars in or out of the garage - a reminder of where we'd rather be - if not for seasons.

Getting into the Spirit

Sam and Cricket
are thinking
about the holidays.

Branching Out

Ursula has now spent a week in her new place. She didn't go very far - maybe 50-60 paces. From one end of the swimming pool to the other. But Nicki is still sorting out papers and boxes. Our garage has the furniture that wouldn’t fit into the slightly smaller room. Somewhere in the move some of Ursula’s warmer clothes have disappeared and the care level increased to the where laundries are more frequent, so some shopping may be in order. The walls are filled with her artwork and we tried to make the area around the outside of her door look familiar so she will recognize her place on the way back from meals. Photos from the move can be found on My Website.

This blogging thing is getting too easy. I’ve decided to branch off a second blog with a theme - a logical extension of this blog. Head here for Kayaking Across America. Probably an odd time to start a journal about kayaking - at the end of a season. But I decided to grab the name while it was available. Also I’m considering the use of verse. An experiment for sure. In the next few months you’ll probably read a lot about kayak maintenance and musing on places we can kayak in the future that are located beyond Ohio. Time to start a list - got ideas?

The Sound of Music

Nicki's sister Barb came in the middle of last week. She had been invited to do a presentation at Kendal Friday evening on her experiences with the Von Trapp Family Singers in the late mid-1950's. The program went very well. Large enthusiastic audience. Ursula sat in the front row with Nicki. She seemed to enjoy the music. I'm sure she recognized most of the songs. Not sure she heard much of the talk but that's okay. People at Kendal were still talking about it today. I think Barb should go on tour. Bob drove down from Lansing and made it for the last couple numbers.

Barb discussed her invitation to join the Von Trapp's, the travels throughout the world, and visits to the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont (A little of Austria - A lot of Vermont). She sang songs learned from the Von Trapps as well as selections from "The Sound of Music." Barb also demostrated several different sizes of recorders and tricky maneuvers with poi balls. The Trapp Family added poi balls to their concerts during a trip to New Zealand. And Nicki well remembers the poi ball craze among the kids in her neighborhood after Barb returned from that tour.

Saturday we grabbed the opportunity of sunny weather (and temperatures in the high 40's - low 50's) to do a little kayaking. We also had Bob and Barb bring Ursula in their car so Ursula could watch us unload and launch the kayaks. She was bubbling with curiosity. After watching us they gave Ursula a bit of a drive throught the country. And later that evening we all got together at Hans and Norma's for pizza, chicken fingers, salad, and chocolate pie. I think we tired Ursula out with all the excitement and excursions.

As for our kayaking report. The paddling was fine. The water was probably very cold but we wisely or luckily didn't dip. We were just about ready to give up on wildlife when we spooked 3 great blue herons at the same time. They flow off in 3 different directions. Think we saw a couple small groups of diving grebes. I was just about to suggest to Nicki that we set the goal of taking the kayaks out at least once a month every month of the year - when we came upon a big batch of funny looking water. Of course, it was a large sheet of ice. So I played "ice breaker" for a while - interesting feel. However, the kayak doesn't turn or backup well in an ice field. There may come a point when the ice wins and the kayaks stay in the garage.

Deer in the headlights

Last night, after I chaired my monthly district technology committee meeting, I drove over to Kendal to meet Nicki and her mother for supper. As I was driving into the parking lot just outside Ursula’s room a deer walked across the drive right in front of me. A buck with 5-6 points on its antlers. Good thing I was driving slowly since I always worry about hitting a resident. And we had a nice supper with Ursula.

And have you checked out the luxury casino/hotel plans for Salamanca? Wow - a step up from the Dudley.

Yes Yes ... again

Amazingly both our levies passed. I figured it would be very close but the numbers were very positive. The replacement proposal passed 64% to 36% which I figured since there wasn’t much difference in cost. But the 5 mill new levy passed 55% to 45% which was respectable. This will give us financial stability for a while provided the state doesn’t do something screwy or GW doesn’t declare war on the economy. Click here for the campaign website.

Had our first opportunity to do the touch-screen voting. It was different but the process went smoothly. The only disconcerting part was when part of an issue would start on one screen and finish on another. Some precincts had machines that broke down or the paper back-up jammed. But I only waited 5 minutes and it was overall less worrisome than our usual punchcards. The voting results were slow to be reported. Turns out the board of elections always counts the absentee ballots first and then deals with the regular voting - and there was some problem with the absentee processing. And with the reporting pace it was hard to grasp a trend. I did a lot of reloading of the board of elections website while the levy campaign committee snacked and chit-chatted. But we got the same results at the same time as the radio stations and the TV. I gave up and went home to catch the final results. And now we start thinking about the technology levy that will need to be renewed this time next year. It never ends.