Another full day of activities. Kasey could not wait to play pickleball. Our host invited us so we drove the 15 minutes to the courts in Lyons, NY. We crossed the Erie Canal, but hardly noticed. At Buffalo. NY, when we crossed the Canal to enter the US a few dats ago, there was a big ship in the canal. Everyone at the pickleball courts was so welcoming. It was hot though. I only lasted a couple of games before seeking shade. But Kasey was in his element and despite a respite from the game for months due to his achilles injury, he was back in the swing of things quickly. Those idioms. Once again, I had to look up the origin. Apparently it is unclear where "back in the swing of things" originated. Perhaps golf or chopping wood. Anyway, it seems to fit here.
After pickleball we hurried to our "home" and took a quick shower before heading to a Travis Knapp concert 35 minutes away, in Bloomfield, NY. There we listened to the talents a banjo musician with a very good voice. He sang happy songs and Kasey bought a few items from the merchandise table. The venue was a vegetable and flower farm. The backdrop of sunflowers was soothing as they swayed in the wind. We did travel to these parts to attend the wedding of Ryan Kincaid, who was Umpqua Watersheds Director of Education. She is marrying Ryan Heller next Sunday. They both were at the concert and we got to visit a few minutes with them. We will see them on Wednesday and on Sunday, the wedding day.
We next headed to Victor, NY, about 10 minutes away to meet up with a friend that lives Albion, NY, (about 1 hours drive). One of the claims to fame of the town is the Erie Canal.
I don't want to digress too much but I am always interested in learning something new. Built in 1825, it was a 351 mile canal to link the Atlantic Ocean to the Great lakes for transport of goods. It was an engineering marvel at the time. Over half of the original route is abandoned for transport of goods now that the Barge Canal is operating.
Tracy Ford is from Ukiah, California but was in Roseburg for a few years teaching English at Umpqua Community College part of the time and working on one of the spotted owl survey crews in Spring and Summer. Which is where I met him. He and his wife left in 1999 when he was offered a position in New York to teach. It's difficult to stay in touch across all of these miles. And life tugs at your time when you have kids. I lost track of his phone number and email so I had to keep trying other options. Luckily, he still has a Facebook account. He rarely posts but I sent a Facebook message and we figured out a time to meet up. Lots have changed in our lives and we did our best to catch up on the time in between. Kasey and I enjoyed the conversation and sharing our story. We hope to see him when he comes out west next time.
After our visit we thought the dogs deserved a nice walk and and a swim since it was hot. We went to Ontario County Pathway not far from our host's house. It is a 25 mile converted abandoned railway system of trails that winds along Flint Creek. It is a perfect place to take the dogs.
Our day was capped by a beautiful sunset.
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