Zeke in December 2009 at about 5 months of age. His weight is over 13 pounds.

Millie is below. Her current weight is just over 12 pounds.

Snow day.

Today was going to be one of the most complicated days of this school year...

• Work and school
• Abbie's Jazz class
• Abbie's Holiday Band and Chorus Concert
• Nate's CDYC Rehearsal
• Nate's "13" Rehearsal
• Adventure Club
• Church choir rehearsal
• Kim's Small Group
• ... and an event at St. Rose that Rob wanted to attend

At this point, I suspect that only Nate's CDYC rehearsal will actually happen.

Sometimes things time out just perfectly. A little bit of snow has defused this bomb.

All's Well that Ends Well

by Rob

Kim was in an accident today.

She was traveling to work at about 7:45, headed west on I-88, when the vehicle in front of her lost control, spinning and bouncing off of the guard rails, back and forth across the road. Despite her best efforts to stop and stay out of the way of the other vehicle, it hit her door.

Kim was so badly shaken that she stayed in her car. One of her colleagues from school was traveling behind her and saw the accident. Stephanie stopped and came to Kim's passenger side door. She quickly made the choice to call for police and ambulance. Then they called me at work.

The good news is that Kim is fine. She was taken to the hospital in Schenectady, where I was able to meet her when she arrived. After being examined, she was given some Tylenol and sent home to rest. She'll stay at home tomorrow as well.

We're waiting to hear about our car. It's been determined that the other driver is 100% responsible for the accident. Good thing, since we didn't have collision on this vehicle. The frame of the car is damaged, so we think that it's likely that it will be totaled. Shopping for another car is not something I'm looking forward to, but I have no complaints at this point. Kim is fine and that's all that matters.

The door was in this position after the accident and will no longer close.

Season of Flu

by Rob

This school year continues to feel strange and irregular.

I don't recall a fall when so many kids have been missing school, and the stories that I hear each day about the absenteeism in other districts add a sense that something quite unusual is taking place.

Add to that, we have been missing school and work too. Abbie is home again today. It's her fifth day in the last two weeks. Kim and I had been able to leave her at home alone when she was ill back in September, but with the flu and her goopy sounding cough, we have been uneasy about leaving her. At this point, we've managed to trade off days, but I seem to keep missing the same classes.

I don't care, though. More than anything, I've come to a point where I realize that this isn't anything that anyone will remember in three months. I think what we'll recall is that there was a whole lot of illness this fall, but beyond that, everyone will do what they need to, and that's all.

On the dog front, we've had to make some changes. Last Saturday, Millie figured out how to leap out of the pen we had in the living room. It was quite impressive, but after the fifth escape, we knew that it was time for phase two. We don't want her to get out and run around the house when we're not here, but more importantly, we don't want her to injure herself. So the pen is gone and we have set up a large wire crate that we bought last spring. It's smaller than the pen but still roomy by crate standards. They don't like it as much as the pen, so it's harder to get them to go into it calmly. The upside? When we came home on Monday, they had not relieved themselves in the crate. We had been leaving a pee-pad in the pen, but sensed that this was the time to take that away. I'm hesitant to say that they're house broken, but at this point, I think we're well on our way.

Now if we can just figure out why Zeke throws up so often...

Mid-October

by Rob

Today is October 17. We've been at the school year routine long enough now that it's kind of hard to remember how the summer days felt. For the most part, all is going well. The kids are certainly busy enough, and whenever we're not carting them around, we're looking after the dogs.

Millie and Zeke are a wonderful addition to our family life. We feel like we hit doggie gold with these two. Sure they're puppies and needy at times, but mostly they are just a joy. I'm really enjoying our morning walks now, and they seem to have warmed up to them as well. By the time that I leave for work, they are settling down in the pen, seemingly unbothered by my departure. In the afternoon, we walk again, or go to one of Abbie's soccer games. In the evening we let them out of the pen for awhile. They play in the living room, or we spend time combing them -- which fortunately, they really enjoy. Each night at about 10:00, we get them into a crate for the night. They sleep next to one of our beds. We know that they get awake every now and then, but there has been no whining or barking for weeks, and they wait patiently for me to get up in the morning to take them out.

Abbie's soccer team has done well this fall. Only one loss so far, and that was a close game. They have two more games next week. It's surprising how quickly the season has gone. She has enjoyed it, and tells me that she plans to do it again next year. In addition to soccer, she's taking two dance classes and guitar lessons. Church activities and homework fill up what's left of her time.

Nate is in CDYC and Schalmont's marching band again. He doesn't seem to be nearly as busy as Abbie, but I think that suits him better. He pays a lot of attention to his social calendar now, and he gets a little annoyed if one of his activities gets in the way of a social event. He seems to like school again, and I know that he looks forward to seeing his friends there each day.

Kim is adjusting to her new work situation. She told me the other day that the honey moon is over. I think that means that the kids are now beginning to act out a little more. She only has two students, but from what she has been telling me, she has more than enough to do. She also is learning on the job, since the conditions of these two students are new to her. I think she's enjoying the challenges though, and I believe that the change in assignments has been good for her.

Zeke

Zeke

Millie

Millie

At Thirteen Weeks

by Rob

Millie and Zeke had their first grooming appointments today. Unsurprisingly, Zeke got high marks for being calm and polite. Millie was a little feisty. She didn't nip at anyone or anything, but she also wouldn't hold still or cooperate.

If this is as bad as it gets, and many people tell us that the puppy days are the hardest, things are looking pretty darn good. Yeah, they're a lot of work, but it's been a lot of fun, and everyone of the four of us is enjoying it.

Kim with Millie (I think)

Nate and Zeke

Millie

Zeke

This post was started in late August of 2009.

Somewhere in the Adirondacks

by Rob

This past weekend I tried to keep a promise.

Actually, it was a promise that I made to Nate last summer, after he finished his first-ever week of "out-camp" at Camp Fowler. He had spent the week backpacking through an area north of Speculator, near an area know as the West Canada Lakes Wilderness. He was bouncing when I first saw him on the day that we arrived to bring him home. "Daddy, Daddy," he said, "we are going backpacking next summer, and I am going to take you to the most beautiful place." He went on to explain the route and length of the trip that we would take. His enthusiasm was extreme, even by Nate standards, and I was flattered. The idea that his first thought was to plan to take me out on the trail so that he could share what he had seen was both unexpected and touching. So, moved as I was, I promised that we would go out on the trail this summer.

Unfortunately, I had no trail experience, and at that point, Nate had only one week. This weighed on me right away, since it was my intention to keep my promise, but it seemed obviously foolish for the two of us to head into the wood for four days and three nights with barely a week of experience between us. At that point, I began trying to figure out how to keep my promise without placing us at risk.

So for the last year, Nate has been talking about our hiking trip. He would remind me about the details of the location and the supplies that we would need, and he often reminded me that we needed to schedule our summer carefully in order to be sure that we would have a block of time available to make the trip.

As Nate continued to plan, so did I. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that we would need to take along someone with more experience. Choosing that person was fairly easy, since Eric Barnes, one of my closest friends, has lots of trail experience. His availability was always another issue. He was careful not to promise to make the trip with us, but said that he would try. At first we thought that late July would work, but eventually, that time frame became less than ideal for both of us. We decided on late August instead.

Next issue: Gear. Obviously, I needed to buy decent shoes, but the rest of the equipment I intended to borrow. Again, Eric to the rescue. Nate made a list of all that we would need, and we sent it to Eric. He had nearly every item, including an extra pack for me to use. On a fluke, we also found a pack for Nate in a thrift store that cost us only $6.00.

Our final plan was to set out for a three day, two night trip. Eric would be with us for the first night, and Nate and I would go it alone on the second. So we met at the trailhead last Friday at noon, and headed into the woods.

Our first leg was about 6 miles. When we found an available leanto, it seemed like a better option than tenting, since there was rain in the forecast for the evening and next morning. Packing a wet tent the next morning and then hiking another 7 miles to our next leanto seemed like a poor option. Right on schedule, by 8:00 PM on Friday, the wind was picking up and it started to rain lightly. By midnight, the wind was gusting, the temperature was dropping, and the rain was much more steady. It was hard to sleep that night, but at least all of our gear was dry, and we were able to stay warm in our sleeping bags.

By 6:00 AM, we were all up. It seemed as though the rain might be stopping, which was also what had been forecast. After pulling me aside to assure me that he was comfortable with Nate's level of knowledge and experience, Eric left us. It was was 7:00 AM.

By 7:30, Nate and I were packed and ready to head back out on the trail. By 8:00 it was raining. By 10:00 it was pouring. When we reached the West Canada area it was about 11:00, so we decided to find a leanto to warm up and eat an early lunch. Within minutes, Nate began to tremble from the cold. For me, anxiety quickly set in, and I began to worry. At this point, we were at least 10 miles from the car, we hadn't seen any other people, we were wet, our gear was all getting wet, and I realized that building a fire might not even be possible, since there wasn't any dry wood or bark anywhere. Add to that, the air temperature was in the 50's, and it was the middle of the day. I thought, "What if it keeps raining? What if it gets colder?"

At that point I decided that we had to get as close to the car as possible. I figured that even if we did end up spending the night on the trail, we needed to be able to get to the car in as little time as possible on Sunday morning. I rushed Nate through his lunch, and we got back on the trail by 11:30. Our goal was to reach the Sampson Lake leanto about 3 or so miles away. About an hour later we found a directional sign that indicated that we were 2.5 miles from Sampson, 6 miles from Pillsbury. This meant that we were still about 8 miles from the car.

Nate was onboard with the the idea that we should head for the car,

8/25/2012

I never finished this post.  Of course that's why I never published it to the blog.  But I know that what I would have written next was too raw and vulnerable at the time.  I couldn't finish it, much less share it.

The story ends with us reaching the car late that afternoon.  What transpired in between is something that will remain a strong memory for me.  It was one of the most challenging and anxious experiences of my life.  The rain never let up, and as we struggled through those 8 miles I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it to the car because my feet and back were killing me.  I remember that eventually every step hurt.

At one point we found another leanto site.  It was down a long, steep embankment, and getting there was hazardous.  When we finally reached the empty leanto, it was wet inside with a gushing stream flowing underneath it.  There wasn't any firewood prepared and everything nearby was soaking wet.  Having struggled down the hillside, I was concerned about trying to get back up it to reach the trail.  As cold and tired as we were, I felt helpless, but I still suggested to Nate that we needed to stop and try to hold out in that location.  His response was clear and calm.  "No, Dad.  We can't stay here. We need to keep going."

And so we did.  And that day my son led me out of the woods.  Every part of me wanted to stop and try to wait it out, but he just kept encouraging me and leading the way.  It took several more hours and a few stops, but we eventually found a leanto where a group had set up for several days of camping.  They offered us hot drinks and let us warm up by their fire.  Then we headed back out.  Those last two miles took forever, and my knees had now joined the chorus of screaming joints.  But we reached the car before dusk, and were soon on the road headed home.

Phew.

For the next couple of days, I couldn't talk to anyone about what had happened without becoming emotional.  I'm sure that's why I didn't finish writing this entry.  I had been quite scared, because with no one around to help us, I had no idea what I would have done if he had gotten an injury or severe hypothermia.  But the leftover fear wasn't why I was so emotional thinking and talking about it.  It was Nate's response to the whole situation and to me.  And it still chokes me up.  He never wavered.  He never complained.  And even though I'm sure I was totally unable to mask my anxiety, he never showed any fear.  That was one of the most challenging days I can remember.  It was also one of the best days I'll ever have.  I wouldn't trade the time I had with him that day for anything.

He left for college a couple of days ago.  I'm okay, but it's hard not to think about him and remember things, which is why this post came to mind.  I'm hopelessly sentimental, but I needed to revisit this memory, even though it makes me miss him all the more.

Millie and Zeke at 8+ Weeks

Dinner and a Show

by Rob

Today has been another great day. I know, broken record.

The weather has continued to be hot and sunny. Today the humidity dropped a bit, so the views became more clear, and everything seems bluer.

Aunt Susan and Uncle Jim came today. They arrived shortly after lunch. We sat on the porch and talked. After awhile, we walked down to Crescent Beach and dipped our feet in the water. Once again, the road was lined with cars and there were dozen of people swimming, beach combing, sun bathing and just hanging out.

We went to dinner in Rockland at Rustica, a restaurant that was recommended by Paul and Donna. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the meal. After dinner we went to the Farnsworth Museum. We saw work by Louise Nevelson, Jamie Wyeth, NC Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, and Robert Indiana.

Sunny with a chance of hurricane...

by Rob

It's Wednesday of our second week, and the weather continues to be amazing. We certainly timed things well this year. Actually, the past few days have been some of the hottest that we have ever experienced here. Even right next to the water, it's been hot and sticky. The beach that we go to, just down the road, has been full of people for the last few days, unlike any time that we can remember.

Mom and Dad arrived at about 6:00 PM on Monday. It's great to have them here, and we have been getting caught up. Mom seems to be doing much better, and she says that she may actually be feeling better than she did before she got so sick. I'm glad she's well, of course, but especially while they're traveling.

This afternoon, Aunt Susan and Uncle Jim will be here. We haven't had them visit with us here before, which seems hard to believe. I'm not sure why we didn't invite them up years ago. The afternoon is forecast to be in the low 90's. I expect we'll hang out on the porch, or maybe head down to the beach. In the early evening, we'll be heading to dinner in Rockland, and then we'll take a look at the Farnsworth museum. It's open, free to the public, this evening.

We'll head home on Saturday morning. We're still buzzing about picking up the dogs on the way home. This weekend, Maine may be facing it's first hurricane in the last 18 years. I'm sure of this since I know that Hurricane Bob came on shore on August 19, 1991 -- while we were on our honeymoon.

The Rope Swing

A Good Day

by Rob

It's Saturday morning, August 15, and I'm sitting on the porch of the cottage. It's already warm by morning standards, and the sky is, for now, cloudless. I was awake at 5:30, and although it was light, the sun hadn't yet appeared over Monroe Island, across the channel from Hendrickson Point. I love to watch the sunrise here. I suppose it would be enjoyable to watch, just about anywhere, but on a clear morning here, you can see it rise, and as it comes up

the whole scene transforms, slowly but perceptively.

We're still hearing how great the weather is. We'd be pretty dense, not to notice it. Yesterday was sunny and hot, but not humid. We spent the morning on the porch reading and drinking coffee. By 11:00 AM, Kim had moved to the beach to do some more beach combing. The kids and I followed her a short time later, choosing to walk the 1/2 mile, so we could ride back in the car at lunch time. Lunch was homemade bruchetta. A short time later, our friend, Paul, came to pick us up and we went blueberry picking. Paul and Donna have a connection to a family that lives about 20 minutes north of here. They have over 3 acres of wild blueberries. We picked for almost 2 hours and brought home between 2 and 3 gallons of berries. Now we have the task of sorting and freezing them, so we can take some home. Of course, we'll also do some baking with them while we're here. When we returned home yesterday, I set to work, making a pie, which was ready to be eaten by early evening. It is quite a good pie, if I may say so.

This summer's exceptionally wet weather has had a substantial impact on the blueberry crop. In many places the berries seem to be in endless supply, and larger than normal. In other areas, the dampness has caused a "blight" to form on the plants and there's very little to harvest. As for our picking site, even though we took so many berries, it would be hard to tell that we were there. Most of the berries in that field will never be harvested. It's a shame, really.

It was remarkably hotter inland at the blueberry field. We all had to take breaks to sit in the shade and drink. We were all quite hot and sweaty by the time we finished picking. Paul suggested that we stop for a swim on the way home. Our kids were disappointed, assuming that they would need suits, which they hadn't brought along. Paul, casual as ever, told them they could just swim in their clothes.

When we arrived at the swimming spot, Paul parked the van at the road side, near an opening in the woods that resembled a trail head. It was easy to see that the pond was only 30 or 40 yards away. By the time I reached the waters edge, Nathan had already stripped to his shorts and was ready to take a plunge. The water was clear and warm and they both seemed delighted by the unusual circumstances. Then Nate noticed the swing in the tree. It took us awhile to reach it, and work out a system for lifting him up so that he could launch himself, but once we'd mastered it, he didn't want to stop. Abbie wanted to try it, but was clearly fearful. As I held her up the first time, she was trembling. But she did it... screaming. We all laughed. It couldn't have been too bad

though, since she took a second turn.

Once back at the cottage, we had grilled pork tenderloin, baked sweet potatoes, and fresh green beans. It was amazing how good everything tasted. After dinner, I sat on the porch until almost 8:00. No bugs. No breeze. Just clear sky and warmth.

It was a good day.

I figured out that this is our ninth trip to this spot. I'm not tiring of it at all. It has been my fear that our kids might begin to lose interest in coming here, and to a certain extent, there are times when it's harder for them to stay occupied than it used to be. But then there are days like yesterday. I know that they had a great day, one that they'll probably remember years from now. That seems to be the magic of this place for us. We continually have these good days. I expect that in the future, we won't be able to remember which year we did this or that. I suspect we might even start to blend activities that didn't happen on the same day, or even the same year. But those kinds of details don't matter at all. It's that we're here together, and having some of the best times that any of us will ever have. What an amazing thing it is to be able to say that.

If Today is Any Indication

by Rob

If today is any indication, this will be another great Maine vacation, with great weather. In fact, we have heard from several folks already that the past few days are easily the best weather that these folks have seen this summer. Apparently, it has been rainy and foggy here. We lead such charmed lives, because we always seem to hit it just right. If the forecast holds, the rest of this week will also be great.

We've had a full day as well. As is so often the case, we have met up with some folks that we got to know during prior visits. Yesterday, we spoke to a family who is visiting from Virginia. Peter's parents live just a few cottages down from ours, and he and his wife Margaret are here for a few days to visit and pick up their kids, Ian and Claire, who have been staying with their grandparents for almost three weeks. Although we only spoke briefly yesterday, Peter mentioned that his family would be going out to Sheep Island today, and they wondered if we would like to come along. Two years ago, Peter, Ian, Abbie and took the same outing. (click here to see the Original "Sheep Island" post from 2007) This time, Kim, Margaret, Claire, and their dog Sandy would join us.

Our time on the island was fascinating and relaxing. Kim and I enjoyed talking with Margaret and Peter, while the kids had a great time exploring and swimming. Kim also spent a great deal of time beach combing, and we both took several pictures.

As our time on the island was ending, Peter invited us to join them for dinner -- hot dogs cooked over a fire on the rocks in front of his parent's cottage. We all had a great time and stayed out until the sun had set and the mosquitoes started biting. Before we gathered all of the food and firewood to head inside, we spent some time gazing at the stars and trying to identify some of the constellations.

As I'm writing this summary of our day, the kids are off playing board games, and Kim is sitting nearby, reading a book. All in all, it's been a pretty great day for the second full day of our vacation. It's not realistic to think that everyday will be this full, but that's okay too. I'll be happy to sit on the porch and read for at least a couple of our days here.

From Hendrickson Point, 8-9-09, 5:30 AM

"We'll take two..."

by Rob

So today was the big day. Actually, it was a slightly bigger day than we had thought it would be. On our way to Owls Head for our Maine vacation, we stopped at Cheryl's house to choose our dog, but instead of choosing one, we chose two.

It's not the first time in history that puppies have swayed people's reasoning.

In truth, our decision to get two dogs was not exactly an impulsive one. Kim and I have been reading about these dogs for months. On more than one occasion we had discussed the thought of getting two. Our main reason for considering two was companionship. Of course, we understand that having a dog is a time commitment, but we also know that we need to leave for 7 to 8 hours each day. This is the factor that has never felt quite right to us. Today, this perspective seemed to really take hold of both of us. At that point, we started to calculate the time and cost of two verses one. Ultimately, we reasoned that having twice the vet bills would be about the only thing that would actually double by having two.

So on August 22, we're bringing home Zeke and Chloe. What happened to "Millie"? Well, we haven't ruled out the name Millie altogether, but after meeting the dogs and calling them by the names that Cheryl and her family have been using, Abbie started to warm up to the name Chloe.

For now, we're in Maine. This evening, we moved into our cottage. It's a beautiful clear night with a nearly full moon rising over the water. It's great to be back here. Nonetheless, we're each still buzzing about the dogs, and every now and then, one of us will say something about them. As we headed down the last stretch of road, just before we pulled in this evening, Kim and I overheard Abbie in the back seat; "I'm still in puppy shock. I can't believe we're getting two."

Chloe or Millie?

Chloe

Zeke

Abbie holding Chloe and Nate holding Zeke

Puppies as of July 26

In There Somewhere

This picture was sent to us recently by Cheryl, the owner of Bella and Charlie. Bella had this litter of puppies on June 26. We have been promised one of the two females. She's in there somewhere. She's likely to be named Millie, although we hestitate to make this final until we've met her which we expect we'll do in a couple of weeks.

"The Adventures of Leprechaun" - Episode #2: "It Came from Downstairs!"

This entry and the one below it were posted by Nate. On the first day of his summer vacation, I left him a list of possible activities that he could do. My goal was to avoid the possibility that he would watch TV all day. One of my suggestions was "make a documentary." Although these are clearly not documentaries, as first attempts a film making, they are pretty impressive. He worked for hours without any written notes. The first piece was filmed entirely while he was alone. He made a mental plan of all of the camera angles, shot the footage, and then sat at the computer to edit it all together. He has more "episodes" planned...

http://taolob.blogspot.com/

"The Adventures of Leprechaun" - Episode #1: Not My Day

http://taolob.blogspot.com/

June Already
by Rob

As the weather has slowly adapted itself, we've been adapting our attitudes too. Frankly, it's been difficult to keep focused on school and doing things according to the routines. Fortunately, we don't have to stick with it for much longer. Our summer plans are taking shape, and we're counting days until the summer break begins.

The kids seem to be growing right in front of us these days. Nate is less than 1/2 of an inch shorter than Kim. We expect he'll shoot past her in the next month or two. Abbie's looking more like a teenager all the time... and she's acting the part.

Dad: How is it that you're so cute?
Abbie: I don't know; maybe it skips a generation.

CDYC at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Saturday, April 4, 2007

Sitting in Panera
by Rob

So this Wednesday evening, I'm one of four people (that I can see), sitting in the Clifton Park Panera typing on my laptop. I haven't decided if that makes me up-to-date or just pathetic. That probably means that the latter is more appropriate. Half an hour ago I would have told myself that it doesn't matter anyway, since I don't live here, but since then I've run into someone I know from school.

I should be doing homework (which for me is lesson plans), or retreat planning (it's in less than three weeks), but I don't feel like doing either of those things. Besides, I'd have to pull out more books and papers, and that would just seem more ridiculous than just sitting here typing.

I'm here because Nate's at a CDYC rehearsal at Shenendehowa high school. The fall rehearsal schedule was almost entirely consistent, Saturday mornings at SUNY. This spring semester is all over the place, and includes at least 3 rehearsal locations. I don't know if this is typical for the spring, but I intend to find out. If Nate isn't wild about doing this next year, I won't push for it if I have to drive all over the region on odd days. The irregularity of the schedule has created a lot more conflicts, and as it is, tonight Kim and Abbie are at church for a potluck dinner and the Ash Wednesday service. Neither Nate or I were really happy about missing it.

I know that I haven't been blogging enough to account for much of the events and changes that our kids are going through. They both look taller. Abbie's little-girl-ness seems to be vanishing into makeup and a quickly changing wardrobe that looks like that of the teenagers we know. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she's still only 11. Nate just turned 14; his birthday list was Fruity Pebbles, soda, a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough, and Guitar Hero. He looks like he's going shoot up any day now. I fully expect that by this time next year he'll be 4 or 5 inches taller. He argues with us more and is showing other signs of his age -- the movies and TV that interest him, his language, and stuff like that.

And they both eat constantly. I knew this would happen and still it amazes me. A snack when they get home. A full dinner. Then, within an hour or two, it's snack time again.

Last week was vacation week. We seem to have established that our February tradition is a few days in NYC. This year we saw "Billy Elliot" and visited Liberty and Ellis Islands. The show was great. The kids seemed to really enjoy it. The time spent on the islands was very memorable. We took our time getting there, but still had several hours to spend looking around at each site. Kim took a zillion pictures. She seemed especially interested in photographing the statue, but I know that she also took some shots at Ellis Island that she's particularly happy about. Since we got on the ferry to leave the island she has asked several times when I think that we might be able to go back.

No one else in our family had been to these sites before, but for me it was the second time. It was a fascinating for me because of memories from my last visit in the spring of 1983. At that time, visitors on Liberty Island were still permitted to take the stairs to the top of the statue. I remember climbing the narrow spiral staircase and being inside the head of the monument. I can't remember the view from the small openings in the crown, but I have a pretty strong memory of the tiny observation room inside her head. Post 9/11, most of rules about where visitors can go have changed. Now, no one is allowed to go inside the statue. At the top of the base, they have cut a few rather large openings in the ceiling which offer a view inside of the statue. The spiral staircase is easy see. It was odd to look at it and imagine myself walking up it all those years ago, understanding full well that no one I know will ever get to do that again.

I had forgotten that after 9/11 the entire island was closed for awhile. The security now is airport style. Twice during the day, once before we left Battery Park, and then again before we could enter the base of the statue, we had to empty our pockets, take off our belts and watches, and pass through x-ray machines. As if the searches weren't enough, the guys in SWAT team garb carrying riffles made the whole scene a bit surreal. The contrast of all of this with my memories gave me a sense of sadness for Nate and Abbie. There are several things that I have done that they will never get to do.

My sadness was overcome by a sense of being uniquely privileged when I saw Ellis Island again, now that it has been restored. In 1983, when I was a junior in high school, one of my teachers organized a day trip to see Ellis. It had only recently been opened to the public and none of the restoration work had begun. It was an amazing scene to me. We were brought into the complex through an area far from the main building. We were led through hallways lined with protective scaffolding, past offices and rooms that looked like they were simply deserted one day. The desks, cabinets, window dressings, fans and other objects were all covered in dust and fallen paint chips, but pretty much left in order. The Registry Room, or "great hall" as I called it at the time, was the most chilling scene. I remember feeling as though I was in a sacred space, and yet at the same time, it was desecrated. Any of the fixtures that might have been of value had been taken by looters. There was graffiti, broken doors and windows, water damage, and the room was filthy. Now the room looks like it could be rented for receptions. The fixtures gleam, the stone work is immaculate, and the windows are fully restored, flooding the room with light. It's odd; the space amazed me again, but this time it seemed less sacred. I guess that's main reason why I experienced such a strong feeling of gratitude for my first visit, 26 years ago.





This picture was taken at Ellis Island, just before we boarded the ferry to return to Manhattan. All of the other pictures in this post were taken by Kim or me, except for the picture of the Registry Room from 1983. I have pulled this image from the web without permission.