Meanwhile Back at the Ranch
Provided to let others know that the wood is still being chopped and the water carried back home - in New York, New Jersey, California, Arizona or Georgia
July 30,2006 I am getting a lot of "pity parties"...everyone invites me places to keep me busy so I won't miss Mike. It isn't really working but I have had a lot of fun traveling about with friends and relatives. I have been with my dad a lot, he always has projects to share and people around that are fun. Last week one day, dad and I to see my newest great neice Alexis,who, at two weeks is just your typical scrawny, sleepy baby. Brother Lucas was SO GLAD to see us because he is bored with the busy mom and baby sister thing.
The July 14-16 weekend in Ocean Pines, Md was a wonderful time. Mike's cousin Martha is such a joy...she nurtures a wonderful relationship with her many neices and nephews and their freinds who all call her "Aunt Martha". Jean, MJ and I enjoyed being part of that scene...Her house is a great party house on Macklin Creek where we played in her kayak, canoe and peddleboat. (17 of us dined on her deck one night)
Today I am just returning from a weekend in Saranac Lake where I camped with my sister and her family.I rode up with 2 Margaretville friends who went to visit their family in Tupper. I have one more camping weekend planned with the Bathen kids (great neices and nephew)...then I will be more than ready for some home life. I am happy that Mike will be home in 10 days or so. I know he has really enjoyed the rhythm of "life on the road". I hope he will be content to settle back in to "life with a wife".
The garden is producing yummy stuff now...Mike will be ready for some fresh veggies, I should think. He says he misses his recliner most, but I think he must be missing nutritious food. Ha.
7/19/06 Hey Becky - Beckster - BeckMeister - Beckalicious - Beck monster!! We want to hear about "meanwhile back at MARTHA'S ranch" !!!! xo, Karen S.
July 6, 2006 Well, Becky has been away from the ranch for a few days. She left the strain of the flood to take up the strain of a husband who has worried only about the next meal, next place to stop or the next dog along the road. She enjoyed 3 nights of camping at William O'Brien State Park north of Stillwater, MN and then one night of elegance at the Marquette Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. While visiting she and Mike visited with Terry, Charlie and his wife, Kathy for lunch in Stillwater, ate a great dinner at the Freight House and topped off the weight gaining extravaganza with a meal with Randy and Janet Kittle who moved here about 10 years ago. Besides eating she enjoyed the St. Croix river front and the boats that traveled the river. The 4th of July was busy in Stillwater with thousands coming to watch the fireworks. On the 5th she moved with Mike to the Marquette Hotel and enjoyed a peaceful city. She even got her photo taken with Mary Tyler Moore on a street corner near the hotel. She is still tossing that hat into the air after all these years. Mike will be continuing his journey home on Sat. morning. Becky will be back at the ranch this evening and all will be back to the normal that is this summer of the great bicycle adventure. Becky is was so special to have you join me on this trip. MIKE
June 29th I'm tired...Margaretville flooding effected me at work ...and I made supper at the firehall for firemen pumping cellars and directing traffic and preparing for the annual (and only fundraiser) carnival. It's a mess....the flood waters rose to surround all the rides, completely covering some of the low ones. The damage is still being assessed. Gillette has been pulling the carnival out of the mud today and moving it to Arkville. (Local contractors helped pull some stuff out yesterday as the waters rose)(Shouldn't they have sought out Arkville before the flood? - just kidding!) Goodnight! Becky
- June 27th 2006 - Margaretville, NY
Hi,
Yes, Maggie is now riding NY bike route 17.
I called Mike's brother in Nichols, NY tonight .. and Maggie was there!! (I had given her a few numbers of relatives along her way.) She rode 100 miles yesterday from here to Chenango Valley State Park near Binghamton. Yesterday , it poured here...someone measured 4 inches of rain. I was sure Maggie was probably getting very wet. Then, today was mostly mild and overcast with intermittent showers, so I assumed maybe she was drier.
(Our river is flowing serenely tonight...unlike last nights torrent. ) But just west of here, the weather was different.
(Walton has serious flooding after a long day (today) of heavy rain.)
Maggie said yesterday wasn't bad for her but today it rained A LOT. It took her all day to do the 50 miles to Bob and Patty Porter's house on West River Road, Nichols. They live right beside the Susquehanna river. She arrived as they were moving stuff out of their garage in anticipation of flooding. They were so pleased that she pitched right in to help.
The river hadn't reached flood stage yet, but forecasters predict it will spill by morning. ANd more rain is on its way. They had 2 feet of water in their garage in a 2005 flood. They showed her pictures of that so that she would accept their invitation to sleep inside their house which is built up out of harm's way, instead of in her tent in their yard which may be flooded by morning.
Mike phoned my dad today from Fargo. He heard about the flooding!!! and wanted details. I don't know how he heard.
My Dad has a scanner, he has heard the emergency people reporting all day . Just now...10:30 pm they transported the manager of the Big M supermarket out of the store by boat. So, the parking lot there is still flooded. The Delaware is receding though.
Delaware Street became one with the river all day...but things are looking up. Everyone hopes that the band of rain expected to come into central NY tomorrow does NOT happen.
My neice on Pine Street in Oneonta was evacuated. She and her family were up at SUCO at supper time, I don't know for how long.
How are things in Morris? Things in Morris aren't bad at all. Just a few wet basements. Oneonta's Main St was flooded and you couldn't drive out Chestnut St to get to NYS 23 west.
Neahwa Park in Oneonta was flooded by waters coming into the park via the old mill feeder that comes off from the Southside Dam. Southside Dam isn't in great shape so I hope that it can hold through the next 48 hours or so - Remember that they closed the area down river from the dam for a while early this spring when they found damage to the wings of the dam?
To go west on NYS 23 had to cross the Susquehanna river and start toward Delhi on NYS 28 and then turn off before going up the mountain and cross back over the river by the transfer station on NYS 205. NYS 23 was closed in West Oneonta right near the post office for a while because a huge amount of water was coming down Baker Hill Rd and blocking the road. It was open by 4:00 PM or so.
Laurens is a mess. The bridge on the Otego Creek near the Taylor's Mini Mart has two or three trees stuck under it and debris is collecting. There is fear that the bridge might go.
Finally I saw a Corning plant worker from Oneonta who reported for the 3 - 11 shift and was sent home because they were closing the plant - which is in a very low lying area.
NYS 17 was closed due to flooding, NYS 10 near Deposit also. NYS 23A was closed due to a mudslide.
This LONG entry is so unorganized that I don't think it deserves to be in the web site...but if you want to put it in, you may. I am rambling on...wish I could reach Mike tonight. I feel like talking to someone about all this. Becky
- June 25th 2006- El Sobrante, California
Hey Dad,
It's Sunday night but my phone battery's dead. I'll give an update as it charges. I'm in the middle of a three week stretch of working every day. I guess that's the price I pay for those ski season vacations. The Bay Area's been hot- 88 in downtown San Francisco, up near 110 in the "East Bay" (East Bay is pig latin for beast, and it's been beastly hot). I guided a hike on Mt. Diablo, and it was indeed hellish. 98 degrees in the shade, but these mediterranean foothills don't have much of that. I actually used a trail marker post to shade my thermometer at one point! Fortunately, one needn't go very far 'round here to reach a more temperate climate. Thursday I was grouting tile in 94 degree temps, then drove a half an hour closer to the coast and it was 59 degrees. Everyone tired of all the temperatures? Alright, that's it for now. Stay cool everyone.
Jed
- June 17th 2006 - Margaretville after a trip to Cape Cod
Cape Cod camping was awesome...we rode bikes on the rail trail. Ate our meals and read books and napped on the beach. Thought about sleeping on the beach but that was before we got in trouble for having a campfire on the beach. There were no signs saying we needed a permit. Oops! We weren't busted until 10 pm after we had already spent several hours basking in the warmth of the fire with the sound of surf lulling us into total relaxation. We got warned and our names on file in case of future infractions. NO fine this time. The ranger was nice. Us mountain folk don't know how to act at beaches!!!
- May 31st 2006 - Margaretville
Hi Mike,
The tent caterpillars are pretty bad here, worse in Roxbury. It is like our infestations of the early 80s. Orchard street maples are fine but the side hill behind Southside Road is mostly ugly brown. I am hoping that it is partly because the ashes and oaks aren't fully leafed out yet. But, it is more likely that the tent caterpillars have denuded all the maples. We saw yellow billed cuckoos in the 80s here, eating the caterpillars, didnt we? When you come out of retirement, you could raise some cuckoos to have at the ready in case we get another infestation. You would be a hero.
You picked a good summer to be away. These critters are gross. Take care...happy pedaling!! love, Becky
- May 26th 2006 - Margaretville
All is well here, except I have to plant the garden all by myself. Ha, I will put in squash and beets this year. Mike usually finds there isn't room for them. (Only because he doesn't like them) Heck , maybe I will plant arugula ,too! - Love, Becky
- May 24th 2006 - Margaretville
If I think of anything else, I will email. I have to run now. I read to a friend who is working on gettting a college degree, 18 years after she had to leave Siena college when she had a brain hemmorhage. She has some sight issues, cant read very fast. So 5 of us take turns reading to her.
- May 23rd, 2006 - Margaretville
Hi Bob,
Mike gave me these stats last night....forgot to mention them when I emailed you. 47.25 miles, avg speed 10.5, riding time 4 hours 28 min. They could see mountains ahead, (when the clouds and fog cleared occasionally) Jay interjected....they look big and they have snow on them!! (Maybe that should be entered somewhere, if you get a chance.?) I have to make and set out signs for a church rummage sale , and make some phone calls tonight. If Mike calls with today's stats, I will email later. Hope you don't mind. - Becky
- May 21nd, 2006 - Margaretville
Hi,
Do you mind putting Kit's pictures on the journal page? thanks so much. Megan helped me figure the "comments" thing out. I was not finding a spot to login...because Mike had already logged in from this email address. So, she coached me through it. Boy , this computer stuff sucks up a lot of time. THANK YOU so much for doing the website stuff.
I kayaked the West Branch (of the Delaware River) yesterday. We put in right behind the Cooperative Extension office (in Hamden, NY) and ended in Walton, NY. It is so beautiful...we paddled through hail, rain, sunshine and snow. But the scariest thing was the irate merganser who responded negatively to my paddling into her little covey of ducklings. (current carried me around a corner right into them) I rode my bike in the cold today...just to the hospital for my PT... (I'm improving my knee issue) then later to a ZBA meeting.
- Becky
Comments (1)
karen shaughnessy said
at 12:09 am on Jul 20, 2006
Becky - we want to hear about "meanwhile back at Martha's ranch"....!!!!
xo, Karen S.
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