Saturday night – still in Endicott

Not much time to write. We change our mind and decided to spend tonight here in Endicott .. That means that we need to leave before 6 tomorrow morning in order to get hom in time for our obligations tomorrow. We’ve had a great visit here in NY.. it’s the first time we’ve been here since Sam’s passing.. and that’s made it an emotional visit for me. Last night Diane and I made a late night visit to Dave Linda and Andrea .. We had a really nice time sitting out on their candle lit patio.. We spent the time tlakign about Sam.. Andrea and Linda needed to do that.. and we love to talk about him… It was tearful and fun.. if you can imagine that.

Andrea, Me, Diane

Linda’s cool candle thing

Linda and Andrea

Their Sam ‘shrine’

We spent today just hanging out again. In a repeat of yesterday, Diane and Linda went for a longish bike ride and I went for a run. I found a loop that was just short of 6 miles.. which felt good. The hot sun fried my brain and I forgot to think on my run.. it was sort of a relief.

The boys stayed here and hung out with their cousins and Andrea.. Lots of video games, basketball and swimming. Gabe managed to stick his foot inside of a water balloon.. Max gave us a musical serenade of ‘Hot Cross Buns’. While that was going on, What talent !

Gabe as ‘Balloon Foot Guy’

Diane and Linda took the dogs down to the river to place a SamStone.

Dane and Linda

Chai and Colby

Mid afternoon. Big Gabe. Andrea. Max and I went out on an errand to a local electronic store to find some components I needed…

Max with his eye on me

On the way we passed the old IBM sites.. Endicott was the home of IBM… but very little of it exists here now. Most of the old buildings are owned by other companies. It was somehow strange seeing those old IBM buildings with other companies logos on them.. I took the opportunity to grab a piece of the main building while I was there.. There’s so much IBM in me, I figure I deserve it.

The old main IBM building

The piece of the building I ‘borrowed’

Shortly after we came home. David and Linda showed up. David was in his scrubs.. He changed careers about 5 years ago. he’ been an electronics technician then decided he wanted to do soemthing more meanigful. He went back to nursing school and became an RN. He finds it fulling and exhausting. I’m really inspired by what he did. As I mentioned Linda’s studying Reflexology.. and she practiced on me.. Felt great !

David checks out my heart.

We all had an early dinner.. then all went outside to play. We played about an hours worth of ‘capture the flag’.. a game the three boys, their cousins and I always played. Diane and Andrea joined us to round out our teams.. It was a hoot !.. The kids are so much faster than us old guys… we kept having to remix the teams so we didn’t keep getting creamed. It was great !

Gabegrabs the flag