Well, these trips were primarily to attend Joe and Jessica's wedding (Ithaca) and reception (Boston). We managed to make a bit of a trip out of them, which was good.
We haven't been back to Ithaca since Joe graduated in 2002 (didn't realize it was more than 7 years ago, until now), although Anne and I certainly spent a lot of time there in the 70s decade. Much has changed, yet much has stayed the same. Cornell certainly has seen a great deal of modernization, I was surprised to see Clark Hall being surrounded by scaffolding, and that both the North Campus and West Campus (where I spent my Freshman year) have undergone tremendous change.
Risley Hall where Anne spent her Freshman year.
Thurston Ave Apartments where I lived a couple years as a graduate student.
Anne managed to rent a house with a view of Cayuga Lake for a couple of days. Since we had extra bedrooms, we asked the Yangs (including Bing and Melissa) to stay with us. It was quite expensive at $1000 for two nights, but the house was quite new, everything seemed to work, and was an ideal place to host the rehearsal “dinner” which was really a take-out buffet from Wegman's and Purity Ice Cream. The food bill was about $300, decorations and settings about $100, add a bit more for soft drinks, and we fed 30 or so people. It was a nice evening, though. Jessica, one of her friends and Ellie worked till very late to prepare the flowers for the wedding.
Rented house with view of Cayuga Lake.
Working till very late to prepare the flowers.
The wedding ceremony was attended by 120 or so people (I guess they would qualify as Joe's true friends), and went on basically without a hitch. Ellie and I played the music to announce the entrance of the bridal party (Ave Maria by Bach/Gounod; Meditation by Massenet), the bridesmaids walked a bit too slowly so Ellie had to improvise for a bit, all good. And I didn't mess up.
Joe & Jessica saying their vows.
Outside Sage Chapel.
The reception was held at a winery (Lamoreaux Landing) by Seneca Lake. It was a beautiful afternoon for an outdoor dinner. The cheeses served during cocktail hour were quite delicious. I had to give a short talk which I managed to do, fortunately.
These flowers are just about right.
Lamoreaux Landing. Vineyard and Lake Seneca in the background.
After Sunday brunch at North Campus, we (Ellie and Kuau joined us) drove around the campus a bit, including a visit to the Campus Store, and took a walk into Taughannock Falls. The walk was a bit longer than I remembered, but the terrain was flat. And the falls look semi-impressive with the recent rains. We also went cherry-picking at Cobblestone Farm in Romulus. It was raining a bit and the low-hanging fruits were all picked by the time we got there. Joe and Jessica joined us for a tapas dinner at Just a Taste, and we had dessert across the street at Madeline's.
I had never seen Taughannock Falls with this much water flowing.
Reach higher for that bunch of cherries.
Monday was spent at Watkins Glen State Park. We ran into Joe, Jessica, and a bunch of their friends. It was a 1 ½ mile walk from one end of the park to the other along the gorge; while it involved a bit of climbing, we did that at a leisurely pace. A few guys (and Jessica) ran to the other end to pick up our parked cars. After lunch at a local sandwich shop we visited Corning Glass Museum. The last time we were there must be in the 70s, so the place has changed tremendously. Dinner at John Thomas was the $50 “recession special,” a porterhouse steak dinner for two. It was excellent. We again ran into Joe and Jess, with yet another group of their friends. Ithaca must be a very small place, or we were stalking them.
Walking behind a water fall.
Along the walkway in Watkins Glen State Park.
After our walk in Watkins Glen Park.
We stopped by the Farmers' Market by Dewitt Mall Tuesday before we headed back to New Jersey.
We had to forego seeing Red Bank fireworks this year because of the reception hosted by the Tsais. Luckily Ellie and Kuau managed to use the boat to entertain their friends, before Ellie left for California. We were told a lot of ashes came down the marina, indeed we had to wash the boat after we got back.
The reception was held at a country club in Woburn. It was a good place to host such an event, although they could open up another line so guests could be served a bit faster. About 120 people showed up, majority of them over 50 years old and from CBCGB (reflection of our hosts' background). Anne and I were strangers among these people, but did manage to have some interesting discussions with some guests.
Anne and I drove to Salem and took the ferry to Boston. The ride on the high speed Cat took about an hour. We had a couple of hours in Boston, so we walked to the North End and had lunch at Maurizio's right by the Paul Revere Statue on Hanover Street. After ice cream we got back on the Ferry to return to Salem. Salem actually is a nice little town that one could spend a couple of days to explore, but that would have to wait for another day.
Salem Harbor.
Windy ride from Salem back to Boston on the Salem Ferry Cat.
Our drive back to New Jersey that evening was uneventful, other than fireworks could be seen all over after it got dark. While we only did simple things here and there, these were still memorable weekends.
