Ferry to Vermont

We took the ferry from Port Kent, New York to Burlington, Vermont to visit the ECHO aquarium.


Aunt Carol, Aunt Ellen and cousin Austen were along on the trip with us.


On the Vermont side of the lake you see a lot of Lake Monster stuff that you don't see in New York. Is it just crafty marketing or are Vermonters a little more willing to believe? I don't know.


It has been said that the best thing about Vermont is the great view of the Adirondacks. It is a great view, but I wish we had more time to spend in Burlington. I have always had a great time there.

Lucy wants to go back.

Two People, Two Summers, Three Towers

We made it! It was a muddy slog up a mountain stream bed, but we made it. Lucy and I, in the company of my siblings and a nephew got to the top of Lyon Mountain Monday morning.

Back row from left to right. Ellen Schvetz, hiking out of Evergreen, Colorado; Mike Graser, hiking out of Liverpool, New York; Lucy Graser, hiking out of Marion, Ohio; Austen Halpern-Graser and Carol Graser hiking out of Galway, New York. The front row is Tom Graser of Marion, Ohio.




Lucy and Austen were the first climbers to reach the summit. They really pushed hard through the last mile, which was very difficult. They celebrated later in a hotel room party which consisted of root beer, popcorn, sugarless cookies and "American Gladiator""


The top of the mountain was very foggy and the view from the fire tower was no better than the view on the ground. Lucy, however, while gleefully informing us of her fear of heights, scaled the tower to complete her climb.


Uncle Mike was the first one up the tower, but the fourth climber to the summit. He was also the first climber back to the parking lot.
It was the first time the four Graser siblings had ever been on the top of an Adirondack peak together without the aid of an automobile!

Just a draft

Lucy and I will attempt to climb Lyon Mountain on Monday. That will be our third Adirondack peak in two summers. All three of the mountains have fire towers on the top. If we complete our quest I will commemorate it with a t-shirt with something like this for a design.

My talented kin

Latest from Marly in L.A.

see more at yourgirlfriend.org

My far-flung friends

Young Mike Casey gets the troops in line in Iraq

I think Youpi is in this

No one has time for this

I am going to do it anyway.
Which version of this song do you prefer?

biking and running

I biked 60 miles over the weekend and this morning I did a walk/run of three miles. I averaged 15 mph on the bike and 5.29 mph on foot. The gash on my knee came from falling off my bike. Something I do more often than Lucy - as she keeps reminding me.

Another Endo

One of the things you worry about whenever you step up the intensity of exercise is injury. Whether you are just starting out or you have been at it for a while and are moving to a new level, injury can slow you down. I learned that the hard way in the spring when I added running to my regimen. I immediately overdid it, injured my knee and had to slow down for several weeks before I could start progressing again. I was a little worried this past weekend when I did two successive 35-mile rides. I gave myself two days off from the bike and started riding again yesterday. I felt great - better than ever - after completing 15 miles in 56 minutes. This morning I decided I would do 18 miles and ride as hard as I could. I always feel safe riding in the pre-dawn hours. There is hardly any traffic and what traffic there is, is easy to spot because of their headlights. I always make sure I am well illuminated as well. This morning, going hard, I failed to notice a car, hit my brakes and pulled an endo. That is I catapulted myself over the top of my bike. My left wrist is sore, my right shoulder is bruised and I have a couple of good scrapes on my right knee. I crashed, of course, in the first 200 yards of my ride. Being the stupid boy that I am I completed my planned 18-mile route (average speed: 14.21 mph) and went home to nurse my wounds. Everything looks fine, although I am a bit concerned about yoga tonight with my sore wrist. I might have to modify my downward facing dog. I have learned that injury does not have to put a halt to exercise, but it is so much easier and so much more effective if you can remain injury free. It was 59 degrees when I started riding today. The first song on the MP3 player was “The Judgement” by Elvis Costello.

Corlei's birthday

another 35

I rode another 35 miles this morning. I picked up the pace and finished in 2 hours and 17 minutes. That's an average speed of 15.32 mph.
Over the weekend I have gone 70 miles at an average speed of 15.16 mph. My legs are feeling a bit wobbly right now.

From my friend Dirk

Translation:
"And with this plan you can really call for free??"

"Yes, you must only pay for the time you don't speak."

Here is Dirk's site: BSEPlus
It is funnier if you know that Dirk sells mobile phone services in Germany.

Iron and Diamonds

It is important for me to listen to something I really like before I go out on a bike ride. The last song I hear is going to be stuck in my head the entire ride. Fortunately I listened to this Gibson Brothers' gem before I hit the road this morning

Eric Gibson said of the song: "The 'Iron' in the title concerns the mines, (on Lyon Mountain) while the 'Diamonds' is a baseball image. Leigh and I played for the Lyon Mountain Miners of the Champlain Valley Baseball League in the late 80s, early 90s. They were sons and grandsons of real Miners, but those guys all had that same us-against-the world attitude that I imagine their ancestors had."

Saturday morning ride

I rode 35 miles today in 2 hours and 20 minutes. That is an average speed of 15 mph. I was quite surprised with my result. I really expected to be at about 12 mph. I stopped in Prospect, Richwood, Essex, and Green Camp for sips of water and I hit a few red lights in Marion. I did not see the Richwood Opera House. Nor did I see gas for $2.19

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Mileage update

I just rode six miles to get my total bike riding mileage this week to 101 miles!

Finally, my calves of steel are paying off!

Cartoon in progress

I have some work to do on this.

Get your own graph at skinnyr

Today is weigh in day for week 35. The scale is on the light side of 220, which is a 1.5 pound decrease from last week. My body fat percentage is at 29.8, which is up from last week’s 29.7, which was up from the week before that. I am not sure what is going on there. My BMI is down to 31.6. Last week my BMI was 31.8. I am going to rate this week as a good one. It’s the first good one I have had in a while. I had a great week on the bike. I rode 15 miles this morning to make my total since last Saturday 95 miles. If I had figured that out before just now I might have tacked on another 5 miles this morning. At yoga last night towards the end of the class we went into a Downward Facing Dog position and my heels were flat on my mat. It was a moment of pure delight and amazement for me. It gives me hope that one day I will be able to sit cross-legged comfortably. I have a big bike ride planned for the weekend and have a good feeling about next week. It was 66 degrees when I hit the streets this morning. The first song on the MP3 player was “WSM 650" by Chatham County Line.

I have lived on both ends of Route 23 and driven it's length on a number of occasions. These guys have it pegged.

Fun Slide - 100 Percent Fun! Another 95 percent Duct Tape

This is the amusement park ride that Lucy designed at Camp Invention. The Fun Slide, according to the literature Lucy produced, is 100 percent fun. Can't beat that!

Newton's First Law

I think I had a fairly productive weekend, exercise-wise. I rode for about 6 miles Friday night. I had to stop because I was getting bombarded by beetles. Saturday, after working for about 3 hours at the office in the pre-dawn hours, I rode the 25 miles to Prospect and back. On Sunday I rode 15 miles on my little neighborhood criterion route. Today I did my walk/run workout. Saturday, I had my first bike crash in a long time. I was unhurt and my bike was not damaged and I found a little silver lining. Lucy and I have not be on our bikes together for more than week. She had been busy at a science-oriented day-camp. When we do ride I am constantly cautioning her about her braking habits. She has both coaster brakes and a hand brake on her front wheel. She likes to use the hand brake exclusively. ... My accident occurred because I was trying to come to an emergency stop and I used only my front brake while on a slight downhill. The front wheel stopped but the rest of the bicycle and I kept right on going. ... I described the accident to her as a cautionary tale. “I know why that happened,” she said. I was ready for her to repeat one of my admonitions of front brake overuse when she said, “That’s Newton’s First Law of Motion.” Science camp paid off almost immediately! Later she kept poking small gash I tore in my knee. Poke. “Does that hurt?” “Yes.”Poke. “Does that hurt?” “Yes.”Poke. “Does that hurt?” “Yes.”Poke. “Does that hurt?” “Yes.”Poke. “Does that hurt?” “Yes.”Poke. “Does that hurt?” “Yes.” I am obsessed with the song, “Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)” by Peter Sarstedt.

adendum to poll

What about Lyon Mountain?

wacky clothes day at Camp Invention

Lucy channeled Junie B. Jones for Wacky Clothes Day at Camp Invention.

what should we do?

one more camping photo

yeah, we're cooking hot dogs.

backyard camping

Lucy and I camped out for two nights in the backyard this weekend. We ate lot's of turkey dogs. I don't have any pictures of the s'mores we ate... You need two hands for s'mores.

crazy weight since vacation

Get your own graph at skinnyr

With the see-saw week I have had on the scale I am happy with this result. My weight came in this morning at 221.5 pounds - same as last week. My body fat percentage went up to 29.6 percent, that’s a .3 percent increase. My BMI remains at 31.8. I don’t expect anything unusual over the holiday weekend. We are planning a little backyard campout which could result in s’mores consumption, but that’s about it. Hopefully, I will get a lot of bike riding in. This morning I am going to the dedication ceremony at Veterans Park. Maybe I will see you there.

before and after

When I snapped the shot above I didn't even notice the power poles. I didn't do a great job of erasing them, but it still looks better below. This is scene from the east side of Chateaugay, Mary's hometown.

Discovery

I love me some Mike Rowe and the Deadliest Catch boys.

Another Afternoon Storm (oh hum)

It is getting to be ridiculous.

More Music in Our House

Homage to Tim Ried

I stopped drinking coffee when I was getting my chemo treatments and never started up again. I drink it occasionally.
While we were on vacation Mary made me a cup of coffee at her mom's house.
"This is really good coffee," she said. "How do you like it."
"I like my coffee," I said, "Like I like my women ... Bitter. Bitter like life."
Over the course of the vacation I repeated the line at every opportunity.
No wonder she's bitter. Bitter like life.

More Music in Our House

You can't make a 30 second video these days without a blooper reel. At least, that's what some seven-year-old told me.

Plattsburgh Drive-In Blues

True --- so True!

The music in our house

Lucy has had about 6 piano lessons. No telling if she has a musical future, but as usual, she is getting the most fun out of this experience as possible.

Daddy's little pumpkin

Tree spotting - a vacation video

The beauty of hiking with Lucy is that she is fascinated with things I find ordinary.

It's a birch tree to me. It is the most beautiful birch tree she has ever seen with so many colors and it's curvy!

Azure Mountain photos

A trillium flower on the summit of Azure Mountain.

The Adirondack High Peaks as seen from the summit of Azure Mountain.

Lucy on the summit of Azure Mountain. It is her second Adirondack peak.

Lucy with a well-deserved grin in the fire tower on the summit of Azure Mountain.

vacation video

This is a bit long, a little more than 4 minutes, but it condenses our hour long walk up Azure Mountain on the morning of June 21, 2008 quite nicely. It was Lucy's second Adirondack ascent and she did great. You can see that she enjoyed every minute of it. She is fascinated by almost every feature of the woods. We want to climb another mountain in August but have not made a decision yet. We are open to suggestions. The music is from the Carter Family.

vacation video

This is the view from the top of Azure Mountain. It was very windy as you will hear. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful view that the camera can't possibly capture.

Vacation Video

We bought this toy helicopter for Lucy's Grandfather several years ago. We finally broke it out of the blister pack last week. Believe it or not, it was still in working order after two afternoons of play. Chris Lenney my buddy from Malone Telegram days is the big guy Lucy chases with the helicopter.

Vacation Video

Lucy spent an afternoon flying a butterfly kite in her Grandparent's backyard in Chateaugay. The kite cost $2 at K-Mart. It got at least $2 worth of fun.

vacation video

A short video showing scenes of the wind turbines near Chateaugay, N.Y. These shots were taken near Dick's Country Store (Gas, Guns, Guitars and Groceries) in Churubusco.

Relay Buddies

Lucy and Abigail had a Big Time at Relay For Life

Relay in the rear-view reversifying glass

Thanks to everyone who supported Relay For Life efforts, either with me or with Relay in your own community. Now, we have to start planning next year. Well, I have to mow the lawn first. UPDATE: I made my goal thanks to Sis-in-Law Diana! Thanks Diana! And, you can still donate! Click Here to go to my donation page!

$10!!

I am $10 away from reaching my goal for Relay For Life and I have just a few hours to go before we start the event. I really would like to hit it. If you have a few bucks to spare and care about the fight against cancer, please visit my Relay For Life page and make a donation.
It's not really about hitting my personal and, frankly, arbitrary goal. It is about helping to make sure our children and grandchildren will live in a world where cancer is on the run, where treatment is easy and routine, where detection is a matter of course.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Thank you.
You can click here to make a donation.

Radio Radio

This is a newspaper photograph of me spinning "stax of wax" 20some years ago.

Here's Elvis singing about it in Detroit in 1978.

Lucy has plans for the summer

I cannot understand why she can't spell Chateaugay.

What are you looking at?

I imagine she is saying something to this man. I can't imagine what.

Gear Daddies coming so close!

This was recorded just before it all ended.

Watermelon!!

OK, the watermelon will get better later in the season, but these two don't seem to mind!

Crew vs. Revolution

Lucy and I witnessed our first in-person Crew loss. Every other game we have been to either ended in a draw or a Crew victory... This broke a six game unbeaten streak for them. It was a heart breaker. The Revolution scored in the 89th minute on a rebound from a saved penalty kick.


Something to keep the men interested.


We had some pretty good seats.


World's most unimaginative stadium sign. They didn't have room for the one that said. "Our Loyalties Lie With The Team Headquartered in the Geographic Area in Which We Reside."


The one and only picture I took that had the ball in it. All I can tell you about what it going on is it is off a set piece and the Crew did not score.


Frankie Hejduk is probably the Crew's most exciting player. He played most of the game on the opposite side of the field from us.

Another Blog

From my weight loss/fitness blog
Lucy and I took part in the inaugural Harrison Elementary School One-Mile Fun Run/Walk Friday night. It was a lot of fun. I would say that we ran about two thirds of the route. Lucy finished with a personal best of 14:37. It was a nice event. The highest number I saw was 70, but there could have been close to 100 people in all. There were kids from all grades, parents and teachers. Mrs. Beaver really works hard to instill the importance of physical fitness with the students. My daughter talks often of her accumulated miles on the Harrison Highway (a sidewalk that circles the playground). Hopefully, the lessons will stick. My only disappointment is that a kid who ran the last 200 yards or so with one shoe in his hand beat us. ... This morning, my weight had climbed a pound. I think it is going to be a good weekend. I have lots of yard work planned and I put in twelve miles on the bike as the sun was rising. I timed the first two laps of my personal criterion and was averaging about 15 miles per hour. I know I slowed down on the last one. ... When I got in the house I unrolled my yoga mat and did one Sun Salutation for each lap (that’s four). I feel good. ... It was 44 degrees when I climbed into the saddle. The first song on the MP3 player this morning was “Two Against Nature” by Steely Dan.

Some pictures

Ready for the one-mile fun run. Photo quiz, can you spot my nod to breast cancer awarness, my ostomy pouch and my new glasses? Hint - the breast cancer band is on my right wrist, the ostomy pouch is next to my persistently large belly and my glasses are right in front of my eyes (which need to be re-balled).

The last day of spirit week at Benjamin Harrison Elementary was Dress-up day.

It was dress-down day at work for dad and dress-up day for Lucy at school.

Beach Day

The difficult thing about beach day at school, was the kids weren't allowed to wear swimwear and it was 50 degrees.

Junie B Jones

It is dress like your favorite character day at school today. Lucy chose Junie B. Jones. How much time do you think those glasses will spend in the upper-right-hand drawer of the teacher's desk?

33 pounds and still going

Get your own graph at skinnyr

Started at an incredible 250 pounds six months ago.

wacky hair day

viral

1st Grade Concert Video

Lucy photos

Above is Lucy on the first day of first grade.
Below is Lucy as the last day of first grade approaches.

From my friend Dirk

chess cartoon

Lucy and I started playing chess this year. She beat me the other night. I am a horrible player and she is tenacious. Anyway, I drew this cartoon for her lunch.

I am on a Corner Gas kick

my favorite "Corner Gas" exchange

Oscar: I need you to protect my sidewalk. Wanda's been casing the joint so she can write her name.
Davis: Oh, that's Wanda that's been writing her name.
Oscar: Who else would be writing Wanda?
Davis: I thought it was an acronym for something.
Oscar: For what?
Davis: Oh, I don't know. Western Association of Non-Developed Agencies. World Agencies for Non-Developed Associations. Wizards Against Naked Dancing in Alberta. William and Nadine's Dental Appliances. And those are just off the top of my head.

TV and exercise

My knee started to bother me a bit more yesterday than the day before. I think it might be because I finally turned up the resistance on the bike trainer and rode for a full hour. I had to ride for an hour. I was watching “The Deadliest Catch” and the guys on "The Wizard" were working 20 hours on and four hours off. Surely, if they could do that I could pedal my bicycle for an hour.
Last night I was watching “Corner Gas” while I was riding. The pace in Dog River, Saskatchewan is much different from that of a crab boat, so I stopped after 45 minutes. I did leave the TV on and while I was cooling off I was treated to a the Tragically Hip song, “Fireworks” as the show ended. Exercise is going to be tough today. Lots to do at work, plus I am attending our Laughs and Lipstick show at the mall tonight. I will be there from 6 to 8 p.m. Stop by The Marion Star booth if you want to talk about weight loss, fitness, or even, the newspaper.

conversation with a friend

"Wow Tom, how much weight have you lost?"
"Going on 30 pounds!"
"Man!, If I lost 30 pounds I'd be skinny!"
"So, what you are saying is that even after losing 30 pounds, I'm still fat."
"no, no, no,..."
Even when people mean well, I try to make them feel uncomfortable. What's wrong with me.