Dryden Is Home

The 2006 Year in Review

Since college I've written a DaveUpdate whenever there were things going on in my life that I wanted to tell people about. It was the only time when I send broadcast emails out to a large group of people. The number of DaveUpdates has waned from the high point of 15 in the first year. I didn't send out a single DaveUpdate in 2006. In 2005 I think I sent just one and that directed people to read the blog and visit the website for my annual review of the year.

I realized this year after looking at about a dozen snail mail versions of your year that I wanted to simplify the DaveUpdate and put in a lot of pictures. The page I made isn't a complete picture of everything and everyone as in the past, but it does cover most of what I have photographic evidence of for 2006. I know as you come to the blog you read, but mostly you scroll down to find pictures. So here is 2006 in pictures with a little text detail of major events of the year and links deeper into the past.

http://www.544productions.com/2006/

Lest we let the blog get too serious

Three years ago tomorrow...

Day 12: Algoma, Wisconsin: 5-4-2-1-0 Friday - September 26th - 10:20am

On most days, the population of Algoma is listed as three thousand, three hundred and fifty-seven. For this weekend, counting Tom and his wife Dee, and Avery and myself, we boosted the population to 3361. So, what to do in Algoma? We headed out early for a morning jog to check out the neighborhood, and found ourselves escorted by the neighbor's dog who called upon his other doggie friends to come out and greet us!

After our run, we headed into town to get some gas for the car and some ice for the cooler. We visited the local chamber of commerce for local information. Seems as though there was a wine festival in town this weekend, including a grape stomping competition.  We'll have to keep that in mind. . . After the chamber of commerce stop,  we headed to the local library to get some email correspondence done (Thank goodness for public libraries!)  Then we headed back to Miller's and toured around the grounds of Tom's backyard orchard. Not too long after we went for a spin on Tom's ATV. Maureen calls the orchard the plastic farm -  in the background of the picture of Avery are the white plastic holders for Tom's various fruit trees. The plastic protects the trees from critters that crawl and critters that walk.

Well, we couldn't just stay in Algoma all day, could we? After looking through some of our newly acquired guides, we decided to head north to town of Sturgeon Bay where we could find art, shopping and good restaurants, and then check out the caves of the Lake Michigan coast. We had lunch at a great restaurant called "The Inn at Cedar Crossing". Then as the rain came, we drove out to the coast. We visited Cave Point at Whitefish Dunes County Park. Here's Avery with the waves crashing, the wind blowing, the rain pouring down and the camera ready to go. (What is it with us visiting scenic water areas during tumultuous weather?)

Thousands of pictures from dozens of states tell the story of Ms. A's and my 87 day cross country tour. A tour that passed through Dryden and Ithaca three years ago. An amazing time in my life. Ms. A is now off on her own other adventure somewhere and I've built my life and adventure here.

In other news, my parents and their RV arrived this afternoon in Dryden. They'll be staying for a couple of days to see Tompkins county and to help me campaign!

Friends, Neighbors and People I Met Online who once lived in my house

On June 6th I recieved an email from a nurse in Tennesee. The subject and first line:

Subject: 1960 Slaterville Road

Message: Was the house my parents built.   I left a post on your blog but I don't see it.

Thus began an e-mail friendship that spans three months in realtime, but over 50 years in the life of my house. I first posted about it on July 23rd: "The Home at 1960 Slaterville Road". I followed up with a post after Beth sent me photos from the house from 1959 to 1975 called "1960 Then and Now" and pictures of then and now at "1960 Slaterville Road - Then and Now".

Beth (her blog here) and I have been emailing and leaving comments on each other's blogs all summer. In late August she nominated my post on Women Swimmin' for a "Perfect Post" award for August of 2006.

On July 25th she sent me a long email discussing problems I had with my septic tank (when I bought the house) and the memories she had from when she lived here and her mom owned the hosue. At the end of her email she mentioned that the entire back yard used to be an open field and that before she left the house and Dryden in the middle of the 1980's an apple tree and peach tree were growing strong. Her sentences:

The land was cleared way back compared to now, where you see the fencing in back of the house in one of the old pics, beyond that was a hugh vegetable garden, I planted a peach tree and an apple tree that were still growing strong when they sold the house.   Mom had rubarb patch.

I looked out into the woods and saw nothing but towering trees. I figured if there were any fruit tree they were out deep in the woods and weren't producing any fruit. I didn't think much else of those lines in that email.

Yesterday as I spent a few hours doing lawn work - trimming and mowing and moving yard signs around. At one point I looked up from the push mower and saw a woman looking at me from about 40 feet away. I went over to talk to her - she's my new neighbor W. who just moved in next door. She's a professor in town and her husband works at one of the bookstores downtown. They've lived in Ithaca for a couple of years and before coming to Ithaca they lived in Cambridge and Somerville! Of course, her husband has a blog - so counting Melissa that makes three out of four people on my side of the street bloggers (Dryden is the capital of upstate bloggers, I'm certain!).

So I was telling W. about the yard and garden and history and the conversation turned to the thick forest in the back yard. I mentioned the growth in just the last 50 years and Beth's mention of peach trees. W. looked up and said - - "There's a peach tree right there!"

And there it was! A giant 40+ foot tall peach tree full of orange orbs! Really! Here are the pictures from dusk last night. Tomorrow I will bring out a ladder and a tool to cut and catch some peaches!

From the presidents of the united states of america, peaches (1995):

Movin to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches
Im movin to the country Im gonna eat me a lot of peaches
Im movin to the country Im gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin to the country Im gonna eat a lot of peaches
Peaches come from a can they were put there by a man
In a factory downtown
If I had my little way Id eat peaches everyday
Sun soakin bulges in the shade

Movin to the country Im gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin to the country Im gonna eat a lot of peaches
Im movin to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches
Movin to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches

I took a little nap where the roots all twist
Squished a rotten peach in my fist
And dreamed about you woman
I poked my finger down inside makin a little room for a ant to hide
Natures candy in my hand or can or a pie

Millions of peaches peaches for me
Millions of peaches peaches for free
Millions of peaches peaches for me
Millions of peaches peaches for free

And the YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7IxqnOwdt0

That's for the Sunday long post. Check out http://www.davidmakar.com for campaign happenings!

3 Years Ago Tomorrow

  Three years ago tomorrow I became blonde (it wasn't the first time and it wasn't the last time). I just thought I'd let you know that at one time (three years ago tomorrow to be exact) I was blonde.

http://544online.com/dmakar/blonde/

Where were you three years ago?

Another visit to City Hall

From January 20th, 2005 until October 20th, 2005 (last Thursday), Avery and I were legally (as legal as Ithaca City Hall was going to make us) connected as domestic partners. See 1/20/2005 here.

So, Thursday afternoon, after a few missed chances (city hall was closed when we came in August or Early September for "City of Ithaca Employee Appreciation Day" - which meant all offices were closed for the day), and a lot of scheduling conflicts (I just spent four out of the last eight Fridays going to weddings or preparing for wedding weekends - and Fridays and an occasional Thursday are the only days Avery isn't doing Cornell graduate school stuff all day), we finally made our way to City Hall and in about five minutes (plus a $5 fee) we got our selves domestically un-hitched. I just re-read the hitching post (eh eh?) and it cost $25 to start and only $5 for a little "Edit > Undo".

After City Hall the more demanding part of the breakup was upon us. We went to the Verizon store to disolve our family plan. We just passed the 1 year contract and as we reviewed the new contracts for individuals and the number of minutes we needed and text messaging, it actually looks more affordable to keep the family plan. We're still in negotiations about that. If you have a Verizon call, call me anytime - I have free verizon to verizon minutes that work day and night.

Seven years ago today

98.08.19

I met Hunter S. Thompson again last night. He was telling his own sordid type of stories at Dick's Last Resort. Of course it wasn't really him, but he sounded damn close. (Ed. Note: Think Fear and Loathing in Miami Beach).

Thoughts: Daily? + Idea for this post stolen from Tony Pierce +  Pictures from Dragon Boating in NYC