COOPERSTOWN —
We fear, given the current state of communication, it is more difficult than ever to really get away. Granted, we have no problems doing so when visiting the family cottage on Lake Michigan as it sports no cellphone service, no Internet service and no television to speak of. It definitely qualifies as the dark ages when it comes to communication. And we have to say there is something about being in such a state that is rather refreshing.
However, once we return to civilization as we know it, we find ourselves checking out the websites of our local news outlets just to see if something untold has happened in our absence. And of course, once back in civilization the email system continues to present us with all sorts of communiqués.
For example, we were still in Ohio when we received word from our trusty Eagle Street reporter, Robin Lettis, that once again the annual Eagle Street block party had been a success. She wrote:
“Here we are again, the summer is just about wound down and Eagle Street has just cleaned up from our 17th annual Block Party. Patrick Dewey provided music for us and managed to find Frank Sinatra singing ‘When I was 17 it was a very good year.’ It was the perfect music for this year and all us ‘small town girls.’ Bob Weidman came as an alumni representative. He had lived on our street at two different addresses in the far past. Barb and Paul Lambert ambled down to visit. It was great to see Paul looking so well. Tom and Roberta Hohensee are our newest neighbors and were here to greet Kathy and Rick Jagel in their alumni positions.
“It was a joy to have a good sized bunch of kids running around enjoying themselves and fun to reminisce with Mitchell Adsit about the last crop of little kids when he was one of them. Susan Lettis was one of those kids too and is now back in town and the new lawyer at Gozigan, Washburn and Clinton. She was a big help with the afternoon’s success along with the other hostesses Jean Lyon, Cindy Hubbell and Michelle Adsit. The weather for the afternoon was a bit iffy, which we choose to blame on the absence of Eagle St mayor Tom Lyon. It was an enthusiastic, noisy, well-fed crowd and a good time was had by all.”
Thus we think it is safe to say that the two 2012 Cooperstown block parties, the one in the spring on Upper Pioneer Street, and the one in the fall on Eagle Street, are in the books.
We also received various e-mails reporting on life in general in the village. For example, on Aug. 26 we learned that “Humidity returned yesterday bringing a nice rain shower that lasted an hour or so yesterday. Beautiful here today, some rain expected tomorrow.”
While on Aug. 29 we received the following weather prediction: “The weather is going to be spectacular for the Labor Day weekend which has arrived very suddenly once again.” The weather report continued on September 5 when we learned that “We’ve been cloudy since Monday with some rain and high humidity which looks to be changing by Friday.”
Sept. 6 brought the news that the “...town is nice and quiet.”
We must admit that we don’t really know if the last message referred to the drop in tourists following Labor Day or the fact that school started on the sixth. We suspect it might be both.
And, of course, while away we continued to receive our daily Sustainable Otsego listserv emails.
In fact, during our absence we received well over 200 such emails on a wide variety of subjects facing society at the moment. And while the sheer number of emails may seem overwhelming, we do appreciate the range of opinions, as well as the information on new innovations, techniques and undertakings, on a wide range of environmental issues.
Plus, while away, we managed to keep up on the various issues of import as covered in the local papers. And while we were not surpised by the news of the impending sale of Otsego Manor by the county, we were taken aback by the story about the electricity at Three Mile Point. In fact, as we read the story as reported in this very newspaper, we told our sister that this particular piece of news, just like the news about the silencing of the noon whistle, was a good candidate to make it into our annual Cooperstown Carol.
Of course, once we mentioned that idea, we were forced to explain to our sister just what the annual Cooperstown Carol might be, a topic, which took her fancy as she too has been known to re-write songs and produce poems when an occasion to do so presents itself. It is perhaps one of the more unusual Lake traits that we share with our sister.
Unfortunately, we received news of the Three Mile Point electricity issue just before we took off from the condo in Grand Rapids to go to the cottage on Lake Michigan. And, as luck would have it, as we plied the highways and byways of Michigan, tooling along at 70 miles an hour, we just could not stop ourselves, with help from our sister, from rewriting “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
Thus, with apologies to that particular song, we offer:
Take us out to the board room.
Take us out for the gloom.
Lost our whistle and power supply.
How on earth will we ever get by?
So it’s root, root, root for some new steam
To pull together the team.
Or it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out
Of the old board room.
PLEASE NOTE: Comments regarding this column may be made by mail at 105 Pioneer St., Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326, by telephone at 547-8124 or by email at cellsworth1@stny.rr.com
Columns
The news from home ...
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Passing along advice of seeing the humor
The best advice given to me many years ago when I started teaching had nothing to do with my discipline, English. Rather, a former mentor insisted on the necessity of having a sense of humor
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The week that was ...
For a number of years now, we have not been in Cooperstown for the spring season. And we must admit that we had quite forgotten what it is like. But since we decided that travel was not on the docket for this year, we have become reacquainted with the Cooperstown spring. And we must say we rather enjoyed it with the possible exception of occasional uncalled for snow and seemingly frigid temperatures.
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Mother's visit was a benchmark for this year
Last week, my mother made the 25-hour plane trip out to Thailand to visit her son, me, after nine months of having only choppy Skype sessions and scattered emails to give her an idea of what I look and act like since having left home last August.
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: World traveler calls Euro-Tour experience of a lifetime
While I've had a great time throughout my entire exchange, I can say hands down that the month of April brought me the best memories of my exchange if not some of the best of my entire life. What kind of wonder would bring me to say this? Simple. Euro-Tour.
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Maryland port attacked
Havre de Grace, May 3. "This morning, a little after the break of day, a British armed force, under cover of armed vessels which anchored in front of this town ... landed below a small breast work which had been roughly thrown up, and in which were one 9 and two 4 pounders, manned by 50 militia.
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Memoir reflects on 'roller-coaster life and career'
Apparently, the third time wasn't the charm. The way Reynolds described him, the third husband was worse than the first two combined and that's saying a lot. Eddie Fisher literally walked away from Reynolds and their two infant children to chase a sex goddess. At least he got his just desserts when Elizabeth Taylor tossed him aside for Richard Burton.
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Imagine what might have been ...
A while back we got a telephone call from a reader of this column wanting to know why we had not written a column in support of Otsego Manor continuing to be owned and operated by Otsego County. And even though we have followed the debate over this issue in the newspaper, we readily admitted we did not feel we knew enough about the situation to take a stand.
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Herpes virus brings harness racing to a halt
I've been going to harness horse race tracks my entire life. My family has been in the business for years.
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Time, if not traffic, moves on ...
It is with sadness we note the passing of two people who we have known since moving to Cooperstown in 1982.
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Canadian capital captured
Dear Sir, I have just returned from Fort Niagara, where I saw a Captain of the United States' navy. He is just from little York, the capital of Upper Canada, and gives the following account, which is confirmed in official dispatches from Gen. Dearborn to Gen. Lewis ...
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Local Voices From Around The Globe: Exchange is like a life in a year
All exchange students realize the credibility of this statement. Like all lives no exchange is the same, all are incredible unique exchanges. The metaphor of life, from baby to old age, extends to every part of the exchange.
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Movie depicting legendary Jackie Robinson does not disappoint
Going to the movies is not something I do often. I can count the number of times I have gone on my fingers, unless you include trips to the drive-in. And even so, it took me years before I made it to one of those -- going for the first time two summers ago.
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'Dubious' about weather, Hawkeyes 'suitable' nickname
Unfortunately, it seems to us that this spring has, thus far, been anything but spring like. In fact, we are still more than happy to stay bundled up in our polar fleece.
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'Who's on Worst?' reveals the ugly in baseball
The Baseball Hall of Fame celebrates the greatest players, managers and owners from our national pastime. Any of us who have watched Major League baseball have inevitably seen some of these immortals practicing their craft. But we have also likely witnessed a sample of their opposite brethren, players who shouldn't have been in the Major Leagues. Has there ever been a definitive source that "celebrates" the non-accomplishments of the worst that Major League baseball has to offer?
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Swallow talk and bluebird vigilance
I assume the swallows have returned to Capistrano. They have returned to Hawthorn Hill as well.
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Life in Hungry has taken a turn for the better
I can truthfully say spring has finally arrived in Hungary. It's almost time to wear shorts and sandals, for summer will be just around the corner. This brings me great happiness and great sadness, my adventure is coming to a close. Really what a time it was, I don't think I can compare it to anything else.
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The importance of speaking up ...
Over the years we have come to understand that, in writing a weekly column, it is not possible to always please everyone. And such was the case with our column that ran at the end of March in which we wrote about our experience as in inpatient following a total hip replacement.
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Public schools created
The Common School Act of 1812 marked the start of New York's public school system. Much of the credit for this was due to the radical Otsego County politician Jedediah Peck (1747-1821). To quote the NY Education Department:
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Book takes readers on path for equal rights
One of the most troubling aspects of our history is race relations. It takes a long time to achieve true equality in a society when the heritage of one ethnic group is slavery and Jim Crow laws. Even today African Americans are more likely to be stereotyped as athletes than doctors, lawyers or entrepreneurs. The path to a "color-blind" nation is still a work in progress.
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Experiencing India at every new turn
Come, sit down. Hold this and, wait ... ah, there you go. Obeying these commands, I found myself seated on the pavement, wearing a turban and attempting to make sounds out of a recorder-like instrument for the black cobras in the baskets not two feet away from me.
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Passing along advice of seeing the humor
