LIFE CHANGES RAPIDLY

Posted on by

I am down this morning. I just heard about a dear friend in Utica. Her husband e-mailed me. She has been diagnosed with cancer. Everywhere. Breasts, lungs and spine. Plus a mass in the pelvic area larger than a softball. The doctors are still testing to determine if the mass is cancerous.

A sweet woman. Never hurt a soul. Her husband my best friend.

In a split second, the world turns. Life changes.

Don’s 60th birthday party last night at Don’s Place. Packed! Larry Smith and his group entertained. Christine and the lovely Kathleen Peace singing. Ray on the guitar. Skipper on the drums. A loud night.

The crowd was a three way combination. Don’s friends, Larry’s followers from the Wine Galley, and Don’s usual friday night crowd. A good time was had by all!

Don is one of the finest people I have met in my lifetime. I feel fortunate to have met him. We are friends. I wish him sixty more years!

Hershel and Erika are in town. They left Key West several months ago for a northern state. They flew in for Don’s party. Good people! Love them both!

I saw something last night I never thought I would again. Gas under $3! $2.99 at the K-Mart station on the boulevard. My sense is the price will continue its downward trend for a  while.

Every time I think about the price of gas, I recall its cost when I first got a driver’s license. $.16 a gallon! Would you believe!

Today is Joyce Kilmer’s birthday. He died in World War I at the age of 31. He was part of the Fighting 69th.

Kilmer was a poet. Trees being one of his finest compositions. The best lines…..”I think I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree…..Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.”

Syracuse basketball tonight. Play St. John’s. A former Big East foe. Syracuse is a 7.5 point favorite. I hope.

I recall when Lou Carnesecca coached St. John’s. A short, thin amiable sort. A powerful sense of humor.

I met Lou two times. The first in Utica. My son was chairing the United Fun Drive. The final dinner a big deal. We were able to get Carnesecca as guest speaker with Jim Boeheim’s assistance. We met prior to the dinner. My father was with us. Carnesecca said several nice things about my Dad during his speech.

Lou would not take pay for his attendance and speech. Only asked that his plane ticket and motel be covered. That is the kind of guy he was.

The second time I saw him was about a year later. I was in New York City to see the Syracuse/St. John’s game at Madison Square Garden. My seats were first row behind the St. John’s bench. Lou saw me and came over to chat for a few moments.

Lou Carnesecca is still alive. He is 89. God bless him!

Dinner tonight with my Buffalo friends Tom and Fran. We are meeting at the Chart Room and then off to Hot Tin Roof for dinner. The third consecutive night I have been out on the town. For a while there, I thought I had slowed down.

Enjoy your day!

AUTUMN IN NEW YORK

Posted on by

 

There is a song that begins…..Autumn in New York.

I am originally from upstate New york. Way up. A 4.5 hour drive from New York City.

Autumn comes early. I always considered August 15 the start of Fall. Every year it was the same. All of a sudden in mid August, a morning chill in the air. A few leaves started falling. The pool was used less frequently.

I closed my pool the day after Labor Day Weekend. Every year. The weather had started turning. No one ever used the pool after Labor Day.  The leaves were more plentiful.  The leaves clogged the pool.

The proof of the pudding is the morning temperature. It is 51 in upstate New York this morning. The temperature will rise during the day. Into the 70s. The evenings will be cool and comfortable.

Merely for comparative purposes, the temperature in Key West this morning is 81. The high is projected to reach 89.

I walked yesterday morning. In Home Depot because of the heat. Afterwards, I headed over to Harpoon Harry’s for breakfast. Always a crowd. Enjoyed ham and eggs. Followed breakfast with a fast walk along the waterfront. The walk took me past Schooner Wharf. If not already done, some one should paint a picture of early morning there. A few breakfast eaters, a few early morning drinkers. The view from the dock into the heart of Schooner Wharf is always interesting.

Spent the afternoon reading, watching TV and snoozing a bit.

Last night was dinner with Lisa and the family. They were gone so long, we all missed each other big time. Ergo, dinner together two nights in a row.We did Sunday night at the Yacht Club. A buffet. Prime rib and turkey. Every one enjoyed.

Cameron is a senior in high school. Next year is college for him. Corey and Cameron visited three colleges this past week. All in Florida. Cameron has already been to New York University. An exciting time for Cameron. Everything is in front of him.

Before walking in the morning, Sloan and I worked. Primarily on the You Tube show being developed. We are getting there. We are at the stage of deciding where to present the show from. My Key West home of course. Wanted to do it outside with the ocean or MTV house as a backdrop. It did not work. The sun was too bright. The plan now is to do it either from the dining room or living room. If the dining room, there will be a Jack Baron painting behind me. If the living room, two paintings to be seen in the background.

I may very well do the show from both locations. Move it around.

Enjoy your day!