The Turner Family

As our days in Lake Placid waned, we decided to jump on the hiking bandwagon with which Jenny was torturing Jack all week. Through Jenny's planning and assistance, we carpooled southeast of Lake Placid, the two of them took off for a higher peak, and Jason, Ahni, Tiffani, Cori, Nick, Meg, Garrett, myself, and Farrah trotted down the road for the trailhead of Pitchoff . Check out this formidable group: still cheery. Despite the scenery and the accomplishment, enthusiasm beginning to wane... Right near the raspberry patch and the bear scat sighting. Athletes love these poses in their opponents: drooping shoulders, tired countenance , dangling arms. Ahni and Tiffani were invoking some serious inspirational chat to get members of the crew to the top. The top, at last, for the Ghana Turners. Wild blueberries , seemingly acres of them, and ravenous, myopic little'uns. Could a bear be currently sharing this patch? Who would notice? A couple of husky hikers. Or, at least one. It was

Check down the starboard side of the blog, and you will see links for both Accra weather and news. Yes, I'm a geek.

Tuesday afternoon about 4:30, and after a long day at the desk reading old dusty books, I decided to take a break for some mental refreshment. And in these moments I turn to the Turner blog. Only to find a mouthwatering description of hot dogs, which made me realize that if the greatest city in the world could do anything for me right NOW, it would be to produce a hot dog. Which of course it can: right on my corner and not 10 feet from my front door. Which is why I truly do heart NY. And this isn't just any old hot dog; it's a Broadway classic Sabrett's dog. Served piping hot out of near-boiling water. Two choices: "bigger. smaller." I took "bigger," with mustard and sauerkraut. On a very soft, almost sticky, slightly sweet bun, sliced down the middle to cradle the dog. $2. Time to enjoy: less than a minute. Here's a photo for your own enjoyment.

Likely many Lake Placid postings to come, but we'll start with dinner on Thursday night en route to Drew' s in Buffalo from Shea and Ellen's in Hartford . Tiffani had been referring to the Road Food book borrowed from mom and dad, and our timing -- hunger -- and geography -- a restaurant anywhere nearby -- hadn't worked out until this point . All of us are big fans of hot dogs, but one cannot expect white linen service at a hot dog joint, and Heid's didn't surprise: picnic tables, overflowing trash, and self service. The ordering is simple enough, reminding me of the old days of eating with Aunt Ginny at the MSU Union : grab a tray, queue up and order, slide down the line to retrieve everything, dress it out. The problem with Heid's came from the (small) dining room lying where one enters the restaurant, and before where the ordering takes place. Thus, The Belknap Turner 6, whose kids were stuck in van seats for the previous 300 miles, and all of their t

The trash bags came in handy again while we were crossing Lake Champlain from New York to Burlington, Vermont with Chris, Tiffany and family. Our visit to Ben & Jerry's factory, we sampled the new flavor-- Cheesecake Brownie. We went from beautiful Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, to sleeping under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Staten Island. We took a quick trip downtown to show the kids Times Square... can you just see the excitement on Meg's face - NOT! Last meal... PIZZA & BEER!

And finally...a picture of Rebecca from this Spring, from a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. This is looking back toward Manhattan from about half way, toward our neighborhood.  The tall skinny building with the point is the Woolworth Building... And this week was our first anniversary, so I am re-posting a photo from last year's event. This is in the Hall of Records in front of the judge.  We still look the same. Happy as Ever!

And here are some long-overdue photos from my mom's birthday party in Lincoln. Kids on trains, Nick rocking some sunglasses, a snap of the birthday girl with her "kids," listening to a toast.

I was enjoying the photos of the Lake Placid trip and thought I would post a few of my own. Here is what *I* was doing today: commuting to Rutgers! It was hot.

Some minor re-arranging of coolers and bags in a light sprinkle at the starting point, Flying J, 9am. Let it be known the Fees Road Turners were there first! The smart ones are trying to stay out of the rain. A slightly delayed repair of the drivers side wiper by the team mechanic with close supervision. Lunch in Strathroy , Canada. You can't see it, but it either is raining or is about to start. The rain followed us all the way to the lodge. All the grandchitlins at Niagara Falls in various forms of attire for the weather hamming for the cameras. Found this homeless family. Maybe they are just getting ready for the rainy season in Ghana! Ahni taking a drink of the falls. Just a fraction of the swimmers in the Best Western pool either Saturday evening or more likely Sunday morning after breakfast. One group ready for the gondola ride to the top of Whiteface Mountain. Did somebody rock the boat a little too much? A very nervous Grandma and Abbey even made the trip up uneventfu

Cori is excited about angling, she loves the thrill of the chase, the quarry of the beast, the challenge of (wo)man versus nature, the taste of the flesh. Can you sense that she truly loves fishing?