From Buffalo to Rochester

Yesterday I said I was almost back to normal. Apparently I didn't know how far away from normal I was because we went to bed at 11 last night and I didn't get up until after 11 this morning! I was up for a while in the wee hours because of sciatica, but still I got almot 10 hours of sleep. Today I can tell I am much more alert. It's a good thing, too, because at 2:30 I'm meeting with the other 3 Comrie altos for a final note-bashing session prior to the last full chorus rehearsal tomorrow night with our soloist. I didn't go to rehearsal Monday night and it's a good thing I didn't because the word is that it was gruelling and very long. On Monday night I wasn't up for long--no matter how you interpret that !phrase!

Today's photos are from Sunday November 12th. We spent the first half of that day in Buffalo, starting with a brunch at Ruthellen and Russell's where we got to see Ruthellen's daughter, Abigail, and Don's cousin Leslie Ohl and her husband, Charlie. Russell made marvelous baked French toast made with challah (egg bread) which had been soaking in batter in the fridge overnight. With bacon, turkey sausage, and fresh fruit, the food was fabulous. We thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Abby, Leslie, and Charlie. Reluctantly we packed up and bid adieu to the cousins. We had two more stops to make in Buffalo before we got on the road to Rochester.

The first stop was to visit with Kathy and Jack Howell, friends who have a cottage in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, where they spend 4 to 5 months each summer/early autumn. We always try to see them when we're in Buffalo and we also get together once each year while they are in the UK. We had a nice chat in their sitting room by a cosy fire and enjoyed a wee dram together.

The second stop was for a late lunch at Ted's Hotdogs, the 4th on our list of Major Food Groups in New York state. http://www.tedsonline.com/history.php Jack and Kathy came too so we were able to prolong the visit. When we had chowed down on hot dogs, onion rings, and soda pop, we said our final farewells to Buffalo and hit the road for Rochester.

It is a pretty easy drive, about 2 hours. When we arrived at daughter Jill's house, we settled into the guest room and then eased ourselves into family life with two growing and very active boys and Max, a precious Welsh terrier. Both Tom (12 next month) and Kevin (9) are taking band instrument lessons at school. Tom plays trumpet and Kevin, tenor saxophone. They both had to do some practicing on Sunday evening so we took advantage of their practice sessions to get some video and some stills. They seem to be doing quite well. Don and I were both impressed with the quality of their tones. (When Don downloads his still photos from the new cam-corder, I'll add photos of the boys with their instruments.)