APRIL 2026 -
Daffodils - good to see beautiful color and life showing up
Visit with Rich’s family - drove to Queensbury, NY to see sister Eileen and Steve and niece, Heather. Steve served his delicious gluten free coffee cake warm. Yum. After a couple of hours catching up on things, Perry and his family came bearing a pint of his home made maple syrup. It amazes me how much detail this family remembers about years gone by - friends’ names and nicknames, their relatives’ names and nicknames, where they lived, who died when, how and where. Then the micro details of events within their own family - details from three generations. You have to pay close attention to keep up with it all.
Perry took us to a new Thai restaurant nearby and it was just delicious! Apparently I have never had Pad Thai before - this recipe had sweetness and vinegar flavors. The protein was huge shrimp.
Motorhome - went to drive it to Mercedes for an oil change and the roof was leaking water through the visors and overhead lights! We knew there was a problem as the rear lights were on - with and without the trickle charger! This was the first winter she was left in the New England elements and we paid the price. The caulking was ok when we had it winterized, but the snow melted and pooled in the seam between the cab and the living quarters. When it thawed things got loosened (I guess). Of course, the damage done was electrical so we had to take it to Camping World for re-caulking before Mercedes would repair that. Several days wasted and much moulah spent on this project - let’s move on. After a week, we picked it up from Mercedes all fixed and maintained. Now we will make plans for camping trips this summer.
KIA Sportage - took her in for the first oil change. When we bought the car, we were pitched 10 “free” oil changes and apparently took it. They text you a cool video of their findings while you are in the waiting room. Ours showed two dirty filters so we replaced them. The audio visual really helps inform your decisions on maintenance.
Renter - thrilled to have a renter in the condo from May 1 to September 1, with the option to stay until November 1. It wasn’t easy and I installed a new A/C unit to seal the deal. I guess it was time!
Nora, young Nora and Kearin drove to Lee for a visit - it was great to see them. Nora has been working in Binghamton, but will be back in Whitehall for the month of May with the girls. Went to the Locker Room for a late lunch, early dinner.
Notice the Project Hail Mary “thumbs down” from Kearin! They had seen the movie and LOVED it. I saw it and am in awe of the imagination of author, Andy Weir! And the cinematography, but liked R2-D2 and ET characters better than Rocky - they were cuter…
Dress for Success Day - Class of 2027 boys…
These two 2027 girls are seriously dressed for success…
Spring vacation - Randy and family went to our Bradenton condo this year. Shannon, bff Danica and their boys went to Dee’s son, Tim’s condo in Sarasota. They were very lucky to be invited to go there. So happy that they were able to meet up at our Stoneybrook pool and hang out together.
Shannon and Randy…
The whole crew…
My crew…
Ukulele group - the group we have played with here is called the Berkshire Ukulele Band (BUB). We went and the same players had been playing all winter. They have become more professional and are showcasing the amazing talents they have. They have two performances coming up soon which will be lovely. This isn’t a “sing and strum” group like Aloha Ukulele. They meet at 6:30pm so it is dark when we leave to drive 20 minutes back to Lee. Our night vision is not that good, so we talked about it and would really love to find a day group. I reached out to Steffi, who is the very reason we found Aloha Ukulele. The first time I met her was at a BUB meeting last year. She walked into the room and stated that she just got back from Florida where she was playing ukulele yesterday morning with 100 other players on Nokomis Beach. My ears perked up as we were heading to Florida in the fall. She gave me the scoop during a break and that was the first place we went to play. It was so much fun! Steffi was there and we looked on with her since they use paper books (we prefer a tablet). It took us 45 minutes to get there in the ever-growing Florida traffic. Steffi told us of a group in Lakewood Ranch - much closer to us. And that is how we joined Aloha. So when I texted her and told her of our concerns, she told me about a group meeting in Stockbridge (10 minutes away). I reached out but they disbanded a couple of years ago. Hmmmm. Called Berkshire Music School and they actually have a “pay-as-you-can” program on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30! We are registered and will attend on May 7th. Fingers crossed that we fit in with the group and have a lot of FUN!
I have decided to also keep playing with BUB in the summer months as sunset is later…
Visit from Tucsonians - Sister Terri and Jim are here for a week - sure wish the weather was warmer and dryer than predicted. I know they like to escape the desert heat, but it could be better than this. In any event, they will stay in our motorhome with flannel sheets and a toasty heater. Much ado about meal planning and logistics. It isn’t easy coordinating visits with family members in a 60 mile radius in one week. This is dinner with my family…
PICTURE
