March 2025

While March weather here has been predictably unpredictable, life for us has mostly been business as usual. Here are all the photos and videos. 

Outings

Rob: The first weekend of the month we did a winter hike to Awosting Falls at Minnewaska State Park, where we've been many times. This time though, the bottom half of the waterfall was frozen, so it was kind of spectacular. We got a state park pass this year, so I'm sure we'll be back there often, it's a great little hike any time of the year.

We had a nice walk along the washed up twisted tree trunks on the beach of the Hudson River at Long Dock Park in Beacon, another spot we visit often.  That beach area is strewn with logs and tree trunks, and if there's one thing Alex loves, it is balancing himself while walking along long fallen trees and logs.

There are some photos of us walking on a frozen lake at Winding Hills park near our home, where we go often., This was a new experience for Alex, which he found quite exhilarating. The day after that we enjoyed nice weather on a walk to a playground without coats. That's March for you: frozen one day, pleasant the next. 

Also in our photos from this month is our annual visit to this amazing garden show that a local home/grocery store puts on each year, and a visit to Algonquin Park in Newburgh.

Becky's Trip to the Big Apple

Rob: Being dissatisfied with the local salons she has tried, Becky wanted to have the experience of getting a haircut at a fancy salon in New York City. So on a Friday afternoon, she hopped on a train to the city and with the help of some kind strangers, she navigated the subway and found her way there. She also spent some time time in Chinatown and Little Italy, which were nearby her destination. She tried some fancy vegan food and brought us back some fancy donuts from a bakery she found. The haircut wasn't life changing, but at least she's a bit more familiar with navigating her way to the city, which takes some practice since we don't go there often.

St. Patrick's Day

Rob: Our only celebration was making corned beef and cabbage and baking soda bread. It's a big meal, so we invited the missionaries over to share it with us.

Work

Rob: Most universities are on hiring freezes to some extent, but fortunately no major layoffs yet. But the uncertainty remains. Becky's work is continuing as usual so far, but Medicaid cuts could be a big problem for her clients who rely on that for special needs services. So we all have to be ready for major adjustments, unfortunately.

What Else Is New

Rob: You are probably wondering what's new in my aquarium. Well, the shrimp are reproducing at an alarming rate. So I've been finding new homes for the baby shrimp, through people in a local Facebook aquarium group. But what I was more excited about was finding a baby fish among the floating plants. I hope to see more of those.

Alex: We've been working on having Alex learn some drawing by imitation, and you'll see some videos of that. He's done a lot of that in the past with letters and numbers, but starting with stick figures and such, we can probably teach him other things and maybe spark some imagination.

Becky: One of my big projects lately is to get Alex to drink from a straw.  We've been trying to get him off of his particular sippy cups for years.  His BCBA's and I may be making headway, though.  We've come up with a new plan, which we'll be starting in April.  It will take a lot of patience and precise implementation, but I'm really hoping we're on the right track.