Make a wish...

We had to cross the Hudson River Way pedestrian bridge in order to get to the Half Moon yesterday. Unlike the Walkway Over the Hudson with its attractive views up and down the river, this is a walkway over the I-787, a less than lovely interstate highway.

But it's still a magical bridge.  Among hundreds of brick inlays engraved with the names of donors - look! - we found this:

Half Moon mission

The Half Moon is in town!

It's the ship (strictly speaking, a faithful replica of the ship) that British explorer Henry Hudson sailed up the Hudson River in 1609 (though it wasn't called the Hudson River then, obviously), which led the Dutch (for whom he was working) to claim and settle New York (or as they called it, New Netherland).

The Half Moon is a beautiful vessel.  It's visiting Albany and is open for public tours for just a few weekends (it's here until mid-October), and the rest of the time it's a travelling museum and a teaching ship, taking groups of students and volunteers on board, literally to learn the ropes.

A team of docents explained the different areas of the ship to us, from the galley to the crew's below-deck sleeping quarters, to the officer's more comfortable accommodation and the open-to-the-elements "weather deck".  In a short time it was easy to get a feel for the rather cramped and demanding conditions of life aboard a small 17th century ship.

There were historical diversions along the Hudson riverfront where the ship is docked, too.  Displays of tools and equipment of the time, demonstrations of ironmongery and barrel-making, and period toys and games to play with.  We were rather intrigued by an old-English pub game which we'd never come across before - bat and trap.  We were informed by our docent (who had never been to England) that it's big in Sevenoaks.

Another week, another Fall Festival

More than a week had gone by since the Man ran a 5K, so he put that right with another race this morning.  This time it was the Capital Care Race for Hope in Slingerlands, running in aid of head and neck cancer research, and I went by to watch and enjoy the event.

It was a bright and lovely morning for it as he set off on what turned out to be a fairly demanding up and down course.  He returned just outside the top ten, which wasn't bad going out of 599 starters.  Admittedly, a fair number of those others were walking it - pushing babies in strollers and what have you - but even so, a good effort.

In the afternoon we (Man, Girl and I) checked out another Fall Festival, this time at Thacher Park.  They couldn't have had better weather for it - sunny, warm and still.  It didn't seem quite as jam-packed with activities as the Five Rivers event, relying more on craft and produce vendors for colour, but there was a pleasant atmosphere.  We had some fun playing old-fashioned games...

met some owls and gentle alpacas...

and enjoyed the glorious surroundings.

Trail mix

On Tuesday I had an unexpected day out with a couple of my Karen friends.  They called me to say they had some spare time.  So did I, and the weather was lovely, so I picked them up in Albany and took them out to hike the Indian Ladder Trail.

They were very thrilled to get out into the countryside, which they said looked just like Thailand (where they'd lived for years as refugees).  They were excited to be able to see the Corning Tower from the escarpment - they live just a short walk from the tower, so it was almost like being able to see their own house from a completely new vantage point.

We also stopped at Thompson's Lake and took a walk by the water.  In spite of my dedication to the cause of environmental education I have to admit that, for me, a walk in Nature is still a bit like a trip to a museum - lots of interesting things to see, but I don't necessarily know much about what I'm looking at.  For my friends it was...well, apparently more like wandering through an endless buffet. During their years in the refugee camp they had to forage for food in the jungle, so they know their plants and what's good to eat.  They were eyeing up the water snails, too.  Now that they live in a city I think they really miss having access to a range of free dinner ingredients, there for the picking.

We had a very happy few hours together, enjoying the scenery and the sunshine on a perfect autumn day. I'm already wondering where we should go on our next trip...

Open House, and thoughts of home

Tonight the Man and I attended Open House for both the Girl and Boy - we had to split up in order to do the crazy condensed-timetable dash around the school.  The Man met the 8th Grade teachers, while I did the rounds of the 6th Grade classes.  With a lot of information to absorb in each ten minute classroom chunk, it's quite an exhausting evening.  But as usual we came away impressed by the dedication of the staff, and optimistic about a good year of learning ahead for both our kids.

My thoughts for the rest of the day were often with my parents; Mum in particular, as the funeral of her younger sister was held today.  Sheila had severe Downs Syndrome and spent her adult life in care, where she was looked after by kind people.  Her mark upon the world was light, but she was loved - which is a contribution in itself.  I was sorry that I couldn't be with family saying goodbye today.

Photo fit

The kids have "picture day" this week - school photos.  I've just finished filling out the order forms. 

Blimey!  Talk about a homework challenge.  Sifting through the myriad "package" options is like solving complex equations (for example:  PkgD1: same as D12 remove 2 - 5x7s & 8 2x3s) - and then you have to choose the pose, and the background (blowing autumn leaves; aurora borealis;  the sky from the Sistine Chapel ceiling; weird cascade of white chocolate buttons...etc etc.  We opted for "Gray").  And that's before the optional extras, such as the Multi-Image Collage, or "Premium Retouching", which promises to "whiten teeth, even skin tone, remove blemishes, scars & fly-away hair" (thus providing you with the air-brushed fantasy child of your dreams?  "Basic Retouching" just deals with acne, apparently).

I'm sure it didn't use to be as confusing (or expensive) as this - even last year, let alone in my young day.  Too much choice.  People (this person, for example) don't necessarily like it.  Someone should tell the photography company...

Fall Festival fun

Here's a little video to give you a glimpse of the fun had at this year's Five Rivers Fall Festival.  With thanks to film-maker Paul Miller, a great friend to the Friends of Five Rivers!