Dryden Is Home

Three Ithacans Depart

M,D, and D
Originally uploaded by dmakar

My good blogger friend D. and his wife and son have left Ithaca. They are now camped out somewhere in vacation land (the state of Maine). We met because of this here blog. They moved to Ithaca about a year after I did and were looking for other Boston/Somerville/Cambridge people who moved here with a partner attending Cornell and working from home. That was me (at least it was in 2004 and 2005). Since then they've started a family and I myself have gotten married.

It was sad to see them leave last Saturday - everything in boxes - the "sold" sign already taken away by their realtor.

With their departure I think about my own thoughts of departure back in 2005. I told myself back then that I wouldn't leave until I found someone to move here and replace me. That was before I settled in, started a garden, ran for office, got married, and focused on helping the local economy with my web business.

Now I'm planning on being here for the long run and as is any college town - I have to learn to say good bye to friends.

At least now we'll have another place to stay in Maine!

They join a long list of Ithacan's that have departed for other places: http://ithacaishome.typepad.com/ithaca_is_home/ithacans_departing/index.html

Jonathan and Julie laughing

Jonathan and Julie laughing
Originally uploaded by dmakar

My dear friends Jonathan and Julie are departing Tompkins County for points south. Julie will be starting a job in North Carolina soon. They'll be moving sometime next week with their two boys (Oliver and Felix).

I met Julie and Jonathan when I participated in a Cornell University evening book group in 2005. The group was called NWAEG and we discussed agriculture in NY, the US, and the world.

It was a great way to meet some researchers, scientists, students, farmers, and potential activists - to see some agriculture issues from other points of view. That was also the autumn of my first garden harvest - so my own small gardening added to my ability to contribute to the conversation.

I wish Julie and Jonathan a lot of luck in North Carolina and hope to visit them some time.

Au Revoir Greggy

Greg departs Ithaca around noontime Thursday. He'll be moving on to Columbus, Ohio to get a PhD. Greg amazed even me with his cross polination of groups in and around Cornell. He knows locals, he knows people outside of his area of study, he knows people outside of his age group. He's a kind and gentle and intelligent guy who will no doubt achieve great things based on his intellect and his ability to bring people of different backgrounds together. He will be missed.

We had a pot luck dinner at his house in Varna this evening, not far from the house at 366 and Freese Road that I stayed in years ago when I was looking to buy a house near Cornell. I've been here long enough to see a lot of good people leave town and have their departures really make a difference to me.

I guess to me that's how I really know that I've found my home. I'm now in a place where people going off to new adventures on other continents, in other cities, in other states are leaving the place I have started to place my roots. I hope someday they come back to visit. When they return I hope the lands around Cornell are as wonderful and as magical as they felt the first time they arrived here. And that as someone who is staying to make this home I can help create a place they consider moving back to someday.

Safe travels to you Mr. Greg. Thanks for bringing so many of us together for one final night.

Ciao to Wai

Mr. Wai is now in NYC. His name is Wai-Kwong and he was the coach of the Ithaca Dragon Boat Club for the last two and a half summers. Last Thursday we had a farewell to Wai party at Benchwarmers on the commons. Melissa organized the group, Barbara brought a cake, Siv bought a new paddle for all of us to sign. It was a nice sendoff.

Two days later a few of the 2005 dragon boaters got together at the chapter house to bid Wai-Kwong adieu again. We talked, ranted, joked, laughed and told crazy dragon boat stories from the chapter house to the state diner.

Wednesday night was Wai's final final night in town. Thursday morning he drove to New York City - car full of stuff, but leaving a little bit of his dragon boat heart with all the many many paddlers he influenced over the years. We will all miss him and know that he is irreplaceable. I hope Wai has all the success in the world in his next life (the NYC life) and I hope he comes back to visit us every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Pictures from Wednesday night's final final at Taste of Thai

The blog post from last summer's post-NYC dragon boat competition - Check It

Blog-Sabatical

Sablogatical - When I left the blog for 10 days and did some other things. Here is a quick recap:

May 3rd: Ginger's going away party at the Chapter House (with Dragon Boat Club friends)

May 4th: View of the Sagamore Bridge (which connects Cape Cod to the mainland)

May 5th: The first of three great nights of sunsets

May 6th: Walking around Provincetown with kirsten, jenn, and phil

May 7th: The world famous Welfleet Drive-In Theater Flea Market

May 8th: Phil's dog Keva (Chieva?) chilling at the cottage

May 8th: Mini-golf at Pirate Cove in Hyannis

May 8th: Crappy picture at Skull Island Mini-Golf

May 9th: A stop in (final final time!) at my parent's house in Berlin which will no longer be in the family on May 24th! (This picture is actually from my April 12th visit - note the lack of green leaves)

May 10th: NWAEG Theatre at the byway in Ithaca

As for yesterday and today - - I worked! I can't be on vacation all the time! More details of these adventures may or may not come soon.

Dinner for Helena at Stewart Little Coop

Group at Helena's Sendoff

A group of Ithaca Dragon Boat alums merged with the Stewart Little Coop tribe and the CU department of Nutrition tribe for a couple of hours in the evening of March 16th. We met up to send off newly minted Cornell PhD Helena and soon to be resident of the country of Columbia. It was both a good luck and congratulations dinner.

A large potluck dinner was organized by Ginger who lives at the coop and was a member of the Ithaca Dragon Boat club in 2005. Helena has lived here in Ithaca off and on for the last few years and for a lot of people this was the first time that we met each other in person. Helena does a great job at networking individuals together to help to mix and match interests. It was fun to see different groups getting along and meeting new people, brought together by good food, good friends and a few bottles of wine.

All the pictures are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmakar/tags/helenasdinner/

Enjoy!

Say adieu to Tiffany and Matt

I just created a new category - Ithacans Departing. My blogger friends from "Life in Ithaca" Tiffany and Matt are leaving Ithaca and moving to London. I feel like this is going to be a common trait with people I meet here. Their new blog is going to be at London.Different-Day.com.