ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Our summer stay has finally come to an end here in Upstate, New York. We plan to be on the road Tuesday morning and are going through the usual mad rush to get things packed away and in travel mode again. After being here for four months, we had pretty much adapted to a permanent set up. What a busy summer and we did not even manage to see or do a majority of the things we had planned - oh, well - maybe another time. Michelle and I did manage to get one more kayaking trip in on a windy Sunday afternoon. We paddled up to Spire Falls Dam - against a rough afternoon breeze - on the Hudson River. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people enjoying the last of the summer outings on Labor Day. We had never seen so many kayaks on the the river before. The trip down from the falls was a snap with the wind behind us, we just had to float most of the way. This are of NY is a favorite place to kayak - lots of little lakes, rivers and "swamps" to explore. It has not been all play and no work, however. Our morning glories finally decided to bloom. We were beginning to think that we would only have leaves and looks pretty cool running across the from porch. All the flowers have been beautiful and admired by Michelle's friends. Guess the all the gardening payed off. We also had this neat daisy looking plant (don't know the name of it) that went wild in the pot that we planted it in. It managed to wrap itself around a hook and the fence behind it and was amazing. The egg plant next to it was also in a pot and it was enormous. We had great luck with everything we planted in pots. Of course, I could not manage to get away from here without another bout of poison ivy. Michelle and I trimmed back the grape vine between our fifth wheel and the dog agility area - what a job - and I managed to run into some. Back on the Prednisone again, because this time I had it on my face, arms, legs and torso. This is bout number five and Robert said that I'm going to bulked up soon from the steroids if we don't get out of here soon! The three of us managed to pick enough grapes to make about twenty little jars of grape preserves. The grape vine had not been trimmed since Michelle bought the house and it was so heavy with leaves that the sun could not get to the grapes. We are hoping that she has a better crop next year by trimming them back. Not being grape experts, they may either live or die after our attempt to get them under control. They have perked up since we "scalped" them, so we are encouraged. In between all this, we have been picking tomatoes, peeling them and freezing them for Michelle to can later. They are just beginning to ripen a little at a time.
While we have been here, I have managed to reconnect with some of my cousins that I have not seen for over 40 years. It has been a real joy to visit with them and reminisce about the past. We managed to get together with Jimmy, Paul and his wife Pat, and Agnes for a quick lunch today at the local China Buffet in South Glens Falls. They are a great group and Robert has really enjoyed kidding around with the guys. So that wraps it up. We are off tomorrow morning for Ohio for Robert's 50th high school reunion and then on to Wisconsin to visit some of his cousins. After that on the road to our winter home back in Apache Junction sometime in October. It will be good to see our children and grand children again, and our friends and "extended family" back at Superstition Lookout.