Finger Lakes Friends

Each year the Finger Lakes Section of PPSNYS gathers for their annual Family Picnic. I've been a member of this great organization for over 20 years and in that time we've held the picnic in different places.
The first I ever attended was at a private park owned by Goulds Pumps in Seneca Falls, NY. One of our members at the time worked there and he arranged for us to use it. My daughter was not even a year old and I remember how much fun we had and how many families. It was a different era.
After that, we moved to a community park on Keuka Lake, took a boat trip on Skaneateles Lake, picnicked at members homes, a state park in Hamlin and one in Geneva and for the last few years we've been privileged to have Craig and Linda Hutchings, Finger Lakes members, host us at the campground where they have a seasonal spot.
As soon as everyone arrived, we got ready for the long awaited Horseshoe "tournament". I don't know who won but I do know we had a great time - win or lose.

Someone picked up my camera and took a cute photo of PPSNYS Historian, Denise Weldon. She plays a mean game of horseshoes. (not)

The highlight of dinner was a great deep fried turkey, cooked by our very own chef Craig!

It was absolutely delicious. Each member brought a dish to pass and I'm always amazed at the variety of great recipes people come up with.

This year the attendance was small but the enthusiasm was immense. Steve even brought his his sweet companion to meet us.

I guess I'm a little nostalgic for the days when a social gathering with colleagues was an important part of life. Years ago our families brought their kids to our picnics which meant games, prizes, swimming and laughter. Those children are grown now and our members with families seem to have less time for taking a leisurely afternoon to socialize. Times are definitely changing... but that's what the long time members told me when I arrived at my first picnic. Times are constantly changing.

I know I couldn't do without my internet, but I'd really miss the face to face encounters with friends to hug, who understand the life of the lone photographer and always have great conversation to share.

I don't think I'll ever want to give that up.

The Great Book Launch Event

As I mentioned in the last post, there have been a lot of interesting events happening in my family lately.


My son and daughter in law have been involved in publishing a book for the past year or so. They are very active in a group called R-SPEC, a group of writers, readers and thinkers in the Rochester NY area, that exists to celebrate and create speculative literature. Alicia is an author and David is one of the Editors and all round "go to guy" for the group. They meet monthly at Barnes and Noble in Pittsford, NY where the meetings are open to everyone.


On Saturday, July 31, they launched the book "2034: Writing Rochester's Future" at Mood Maker's Books in Village Gate on Goodman Street in Rochester, NY. The event was attended by many of the authors and lots of friends. Jack Garner, nationally known film critic, based in Rochester, wrote the introduction to the book and was on hand for the festivities. 





If you're interested in learning more about the people in the slide show, check out my facebook album. 


The group is now soliciting authors for the new compilation called "Alternative Rochesters" and would welcome your submissions. All the information can be found on their website.

Family Ties

This past week has been filled with amazing happenings for my family. On Tuesday, our daughter attended an open call for models held in Batavia. She asked me to come along since she was wary that it might be a scam. So many of these things are.

She found the right classified ad to answer!

The Keen Agency is a reputable, qualified talent agency that came to our area because they are getting calls to supply models here. They are based in Pennsylvania and many of the models they represent now are from the NYC, PA and Boston area. That makes it difficult for them to get to Western New York. This was the perfect opportunity for Morgan to join a firm which will handle jobs around our part of the state. She's very excited and is looking forward to her first go see.

I'm very proud of her for setting this all up on her own and wish her love and best wishes as she starts a new chapter in her life. She also writes a great frugal fashion blog at www.treasurextrove.blogspot.com so check it out to see what's up.

Next up - our son and daughter in law and the Great Book Launch. (as soon as I get the photos uploaded and sorted)

I thought I'd share some of the photographs we took for her portfolio. Let me know how you like the show!