Ithaca

[da]

melted_snowball and I were in Ithaca for our friend Lydia's memorial. We stayed with our friends Luna and Diane, who are essentially family.

Lydia's memorial was a rich experience for me. We learned new stories of our friend, who we had only known for about eight of her ninty-four years. She went to seminary in her twenties- I had no idea. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of hymns and scripture- that never came up in conversation.

She had a remarkable memory, and she also had great stories about her past. She came to Ithaca from Long Island, where she and her husband owned a doughnut shop in the Hamptons. I learned this weekend that it was apparently quite famous; she didn't mention it to us, but apparently she met a number of celebrities, and knowing Lydia, I expect she treated them exactly the same way she treated everyone else she met. I don't want to turn her into a saint, but she was one remarkable person who lived her life quite well.

After the memorial and reception, d. and I took the pup and hiked in Six-Mile Creek to Potters Falls, one of my very favourite places in Ithaca, and definitely the best skinny-dipping. Worth the price of admission, 30 minutes of steep hiking in and out.

In the evening, we made dinner for our hosts, followed up with a few hours of games, including a marathon session of Fluxx and a fun game of Ticket To Ride, which nearly ended with nobody foiling anybody elses' routes, until we got to the very end and both Diane and I had lots of spare trains which we both used to beat up on Luna. I squeaked to a two-point win over Diane. :)

This morning, we sat and talked- about the canoe Diane is refurbishing, about their crazy neighbours, about The Trouble with Kansas and where things are going in the US in general. While we were on their back porch, we got to hear the mighty fine choir of the Zion Church two doors down. Luna and I were both planning on going to Quaker Meeting, except we didn't.

Now we're home, less than five hours drive later. Overall, I'm feeling very grateful to have good friends, even far-away good friends we don't get to see face-to-face very often. And I'm tired, and ready for a beer.