Summer 2014 in Review

OK, so I guess summer hasn't officially run its course, as Labor Day still lies before me and the weather is thankfully still sultry, but as a college employee it all kinda ends, along with my quiet workdays and vacation time, when the faculty and students return to the building. (Though if I look at it from that standpoint, it also starts earlier, in mid- to late-May.)

Anyway, to recap, summer 2014 was pretty much the best summer of my life. I remained healthy (and more or less happy), my family members stayed healthy, my workplace was peaceful, and I had travel adventures galore. I'm fairly certain that I've never before traveled by car, airplane, motorcoach, boat, monster truck, and helium balloon all in the course of a single summer.

Posing outside Boldt Castle

It all started in mid-May, with my magical mystery Mother's Day motorcoach tour, which took me and my mom to the Finger Lakes (Magical Mystery Mother's Day Tour). Less than a month later, I was off to visit family in Florida, and just two weeks later, it was back to a different part of the Finger Lakes (no wine this time) for an unforgettable "Mary Poppins" performance (Vacation (All I Ever Wanted).

July offered an opportunity to catch up at work and take care of some practical personal matters (car repairs, passport application, etc.) after June's whirlwind schedule. And then August brought with it my journey back in time to see Melissa Anderson from "Little House on the Prairie" and ride a Civil War replica tethered helium balloon (Prairie Tales). 

Just a week later, I rose at 4:20 a.m. for my third (and final) motorcoach trip of the summer, this time traveling to magnificent Alexandria Bay for a lunch cruise of the St. Lawrence River and a glimpse of both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the 1000 Islands before disembarking at Boldt Castle for a self-guided tour of its maze-like interior and lush grounds. After spending hours on a bus (a comfortable motorcoach, but a bus no less), followed by 2 1/2 hours on a boat (while inevitably overindulging on a gut-busting buffet), there's nothing better than a vigorous hike, especially when the weather is sunny and 75ish. It was the perfect summer daytrip escape.

A view of the St. Lawrence River from the boat

 It was difficult to imagine such beautiful summer days when I booked these trips in the midst of a hellish upstate New York winter, but I'm glad I had the faith, or determination, or delusions, or whatever it took to make the phone calls.

So, what's on tap for next summer? I'm still exploring my options (I figure I still have some time to sort things out, and even I know that not everything can (or should) be planned months in advance), but I know summer 2014 will be tough to top!

Mo(u)rning Thoughts

Mourning the death of a celebrity is a strange phenomenon. 

Nine times out of ten, you never knew the deceased, except remotely through their work, but you feel the loss as if you did. Regardless, that person showed up in your life in some way, courtesy of television, films, radio, books, newspapers, magazines, or paparazzi photos. They were as real to you as family, friends, coworkers, and classmates. So I guess it's only natural to grieve their absence from this world when they go.

For me, some of the most significant celebrity deaths that I've grieved, and will likely always remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard, were Princess Diana's, Michael Jackson's, and Whitney Houston's (I still sniffle when I hear her incredible voice), and now Robin Williams'. I never met them, of course, but those losses have stayed in my memory, as much as the deaths of my grandparents and a close friend from high school.

If someone is part of your life, does it really matter if you sat next to this person at school or watched them on TV or grew up listening to their music? Loss is loss. Death is powerful, final, and often shocking (even when it's expected). It's the great equalizer, cutting down the famous, non-famous, and infamous in the same way(s). It's part of life - for everyone - but rarely happens when expected or in an expected way. At least it seems that way to me. All of us, even those who are strong, powerful, untouchable, and larger than life are shockingly not beyond the power of death. It turns out, they're ultimately just like us. I think that's why celebrity deaths, especially the untimely ones, shake us to our cores.

It's also interesting how death changes perspectives about our lives and their lives. We can become exalted, saintlike, in death, regardless of how unsaintlike we were in life. 

Death unquestionably changes life.

Prairie Tales

I kicked off an unusually busy (for me) weekend with a visit to one of my favorite newly rediscovered western New York attractions, Genesee Country Village & Museum, in the tiny town of Mumford (near Rochester). What was the occasion that got me up and out early on a Saturday morning? The museum's annual "Laura Ingalls Wilder Days," with special guest star Melissa Anderson, who played Mary Ingalls on the classic TV show, "Little House on the Prairie." As a true "LHOTP" nerd, there was no way I could miss it, especially since Anderson, who left showbiz when she left the show, rarely does "LHOTP" reunions or meet-and-greet fan sessions. (Although I haven't ruled out someday venturing out to Walnut Grove, MN, for its annual Ingalls/Wilder/"LHOTP" festivities, for now this will have to do!)

GCV&M (is that too many acronyms for one post?), if you haven't had the pleasure of visiting, is a lovely little historical time capsule featuring local houses, stores, and buildings from the 1800s, with both authentic and reconstructed furnishings. There's also an art gallery, a nature center, and nature trails, so there's something for everyone, including non-history buffs. I first visited the museum on a fourth-grade field trip and rediscovered it two years ago. It's funny to me how places seem smaller as you get taller, and that's true with GCV&M, but I'd say I have a greater appreciation today of the historical details than I did as a 10-year-old.

Anyway, besides seeing Melissa Anderson, the big weather-dependent item on my to-do list was a ride in the Intrepid, a tethered Civil War replica helium gas balloon. After skydiving without losing my shit (so to speak) a year ago, I figured I could easily handle a balloon ride. So I bought my ticket at the admissions window as soon as the museum opened for business and made a beeline for the balloon. Much to my surprise, not only was I the first one there, I was the only one there. Wasn't everyone clamoring to ride this thing, or was I the only crazy one there? Either way, I handed over my ticket and was clipped in (thankfully) and up in the air with my attending docent before I knew it (also thankfully).

The mighty Intrepid - ready to set sail.

I can't say I wasn't scared and my legs weren't wobbly, especially when I looked down from a height of approximately 250 feet, but I tried to focus on the amazing view of the entire village, surrounding hills, and even the NYS Thruway in downtown Rochester, instead of focusing on what might happen if I was thrown from the balloon's wicker basket.

The Intrepid next to one of GCV&M's most famous buildings, the Hyde House.

Once I was down and my legs stopped shaking, I was off to GCV&M's Village Square for a "LHOTP"-inspired kids' fashion show. I can honestly say I've never seen so many bonnets and pioneer dresses in my life. In fact, it was difficult to tell the museum's employees from the guests with so many women dressed in prairie gear. (And if you didn't come with one, you could leave with a bonnet from one of the museum's shops, as many little girls did.)

Then, right on schedule, the still very lovely and petite Melissa Anderson arrived for her presentation and Q&A session. I wasn't sure what to expect from her. I recently read the memoir of Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson on "LHOTP," in which she pulled absolutely no punches when describing Anderson as a bully to her, Melissa Gilbert (who played Laura), and several others offscreen. 

 Melissa Anderson

Anderson, to her credit and my relief, was extremely diplomatic, minimizing any on-set difficulties by stating that she was shy, quiet, serious, and not from a showbiz family, unlike many of her castmates, which made her different and might have been mistaken by them for snobbishness. I was also impressed that she answered every question asked of her, even the ridiculous ones from young kids who seemed unable to distinguish her from her character (one asked, "How's Laura?"), very politely without rolling her eyes. (I'd like to think I'd do the same, but I'm admittedly not sure.)

I passed on the subsequent pricey autograph session (her book was on sale for $15, plus an additional autograph fee) in favor of a free informative lecture from Laura Ingalls Wilder biographer Bill Anderson (no relation), whose well-researched discussion saved me a lot of Googling and reading. After that, I briefly toured a few of the nature trails on my way to the parking lot. Then it was back home to 2014 and all its accompanying conveniences. (There's nothing like a trip back to olden days to make you appreciate those!)