September 2024

September has been a lovely month as  a crispness is felt in the evening air and pumpkins and mutant gourds make their first appearance. Here are a few things that have been happening with us this month, and here is a link to the rest of the photos and videos.

Outings

Rob: As Fall sets in, all the big local farms here in the Hudson Valley open up for activities, which often include corn mazes, hay bail rides, slides, and various kids activities. We went to Twin Ponds Farm, which is just a mile or two down the road from us, and they had all those things and more. We took some family photos and videos of us getting pulled by a tractor. Alex wasn't in the best of moods because they had this big slide you go down with an inner tube, but he wouldn't do it by himself and they wouldn't let us pair up with him on a tube, so he didn't get to do it. But he enjoyed the tractor rides. Other things we did this month included attending our small town's fireworks display for 'General Montgomery Day'; a visit to Cold Spring, which has a fun playground full of toys for small kids that Alex still likes and a nice park by the Hudson; a visit to Bounce trampoline park which is now at the mall; a visit to Circleville Park which has a beach area where we took one last dip in the water; and various short hikes at local parks and visits to arcades at the mall as per usual. 

Brief Trip to Houston

Rob: This month I took my annual trip to Houston for a couple days for a small conference of sorts with the researchers I work with at Baylor College of Medicine. I presented a workshop, and listened to other students and postdocs present on their projects. It all went well. I didn't have much down time while I was there because we have been in the middle of submitting a lot of NIH funding applications lately. So I was mostly working even after dinner when I went back to the AirBnB I stayed at. It's always good to see my colleagues in person though, they are all wonderful people. 

Ode to a Stroller

Rob: Not long after Alex was born, my highest ambitions persuaded me to purchase one of those strollers with bike wheels that you can push your baby in while you go jogging. I bought it used from someone in the Mesa, AZ area. I tried pushing baby Alex in it maybe a couple times while jogging along the irrigation canals in Mesa, but it turns out that requires a lot of effort, and definitely more than I was willing to commit. However, that stroller was so useful to us in other ways that I'm sure we got every penny of value from that purchase. Because Alex is easily distracted, he isn't always the best long-distance walking or hiking companion on foot. But seated comfortably in that stroller, we pushed him so many miles along paths that were both rugged or perfectly paved to parks and other destinations we never would have been able to get to on foot without that stroller's big inflatable tires. Those tires, in fact, even got worn bald eventually a few years ago and I sat down one night and replaced them with some new treads. That stroller has also traveled with us in the stowage of airplanes on many trips across the country to visit our families, resulting in the loss of a plastic piece of it that once provided a place to put water bottles and car keys. Alex long ago outgrew that stroller, but we continued using it every now and then. But now that his scooter has become our choice mode of transportation through airports or along rail trails, it was time to say goodbye to the Schwinn Tursimo Jogging Stroller. Despite it's tattered lining and missing drink holder, I found someone in the area that could use it to get around town with their grandkids and left it with them. I hope they can find it useful and put a few more miles on its wheels.

What Else Is New

Rob: I wrote another story for Scenic Hudson about New York's recent law banning a very common pesticide that has caused environmental concerns, and how this puts farmers in a tight spot. This story was their idea and not mine, but I found this topic very interesting as I dug into it. They just published it and you can read it here.

Alex:  Perhaps what Alex enjoyed most this month was a trip to Tantillo's, a nearby farmer's market, to get some freshly made apple cider donuts.  That place has everything including gourmet pies, ice cream cakes, shakes, and of course, vegetables, if you're into that.  Alex also generally likes the slides the owners made themselves for kids to play on.

Becky:  My dad passed away sometime during the night on Wednesday, September 25th.  It was expected.  I miss him more than I can say, but am glad to know he is whole again.  As most people know, he had dementia, which progressed pretty rapidly in the last two years.  I am really grateful that I could take a few trips and visit him during the last months and weeks that he could still communicate.  Those memories are so important to me now.  We won't be having a traditional burial and funeral as my brothers and I decided to donate his remains to University of Arizona research (which is something he would've opted for).   Instead, we'll be gathering at my brother Dave's house at Christmas to have a memorial/low-key party to celebrate my dad.  My dad was one of my best friends who I loved talking to and spending time with so, of course, I'll be profoundly missing him.  But I do feel like he is where he should be and I'm happy that he has a full life again.  He's with my sister and all of our family's pets that have passed on.  Chuckle about the pets part if you will, but I know he's absolutely ecstatic to see all our cats and our dog, Chex, who were full-fledged members of our family and whose company my dad enjoyed so much.