March

Catching up on March, here are all the photos linked and what we've up to below:

Trip to Binghamton/Syracuse

Rob: Alex had an appointment with his developmental pediatirician in Syracuse, so we made a weekend trip out of it like we did last year. We got an AirBnB in Binghamton for a few nights that was cozy and worked out really well. So we landed there after driving 2 hours, then went to the mall to get a bite to eat and let Alex run around, then picked up a few groceries at Wegman's. The AirBnB was a little old house that had been renovated, but Alex found a weird crawl space behind a curtain in the closet that he was pretty excited about. The next day we drove up to Syracuse for Alex's appointment, which was actually for some genetics testing that was offered. They took a cheek swab from Alex, and from mom and dad too, and they run it through some tests to see if he's at risk for any diseases and also test for anything related to his condition that could be treatable now or in the future. (A few weeks later we got the results, which came back negative for both, which is the most common outcome they said). After that appointment, we got lunch at Salt City Market in Syracuse, which is this restaurant space with all these trendy and ethnic foods. Then we went to the mall in Syracuse and wandered around for a while and let Alex play in this Kidz Zone place with slides and trampolines, etc. We also tried a mochi donut at that mall, which was life changing. The next day, we went to some othear familiar places around Binghamton like visiting a library, a thrift shop with room full of toys that Alex likes, doing some shopping, and eating at Core Life Eatery. We also stopped by our house that we are renting and visited with the tenants, checked out the water softening system I had installed a couple months ago, and picked up a few boxes of things that were still there in storage. The weather was pretty cold, so we had to limit ourselves to indoor options, of which there aren't many in Binghamton. And then the next day we drove home. So the trip was a good for a change of scenery if nothing else.

Getting Outside Again                  

Rob: We finally saw some consecutive days above freezing in March, and dare I say even a few pleasant days, so we got outside more to visit some of the parks and such that I think Alex has really missed. I think we've all had a bit of cabin fever. Once the snow melted enough, Alex was really excited to run around in the yard outside and especially visit the little spring that runs along the forest at the edge of the yard. It's been hard to get him to come inside whenever he gets out of the car because he just wants to frolic in the yard.  In the photos, you'll see huge chunks of ice still in the Hudson or lakes even though its warm enough to be without a jacket, so that's a bit of an oddity. Outdoor visits included some familiar places like Denning's Point, and also some new hikes at Minnewaska State Park, which I'm hoping to explore more of this year. Alex is a pretty good hiking companion as long as the weather isn't too muggy, so this is actually a good time to take him with me on short hikes.

I was working on a magazine story about some local ice caves at Minnewaska State Park, and for this story I was talking to this biology professor at Marist who studies some blind crustaceans that live in these caves. He invited me to join him on a hike to visit some of these ice caves, which we did early in March. His son came along too, who is in his early 20s. We didn't go to the main ice caves because they are closed during the winter, but we went to some smaller ones that he knows of. I really enjoyed the snowy hike and the conversation. His son is wanting to do some science writing so we talked about that career path. His other son is on the autism spectrum, and has some special needs, so we talked about that too. It was a neat experience, and I hope to join him on a hike again sometime.

Amphibian Migration

Rob: A while ago I signed up as a volunteer for a project that involved counting and identifying amphibians that crossed roads throughout the state on the first warm and wet nights of the spring when they emerge from hibernation, and then reporting the data, which they gather from all over the state. So, when the weather was right one night, I headed over to the County park down the road from where we live, and walked along the road there with my headlamp looking for amphibians. The only car that came by was a cop who was passing through and  so I had to explain to him what I was doing. Anyway, it was a successful outing as I found 7 different species of frogs and salamanders, including some that I've never seen before. 

Other Updates

Rob: Our Elders Quorum planned a temple outing this month, and 3 of us made the trip to the Hartford Connecticut temple 8 am session (which meant leaving at 6 am on a Saturday morning), and eating some Chick-Fil-A on the way home. Getting guys together for activities is a bit of a struggle sometimes in our small ward, but since we have quorum meeting twice a month at most, and most of the guys aren't there because they are in primary or young men, activities are kind of vital for getting guys together. We do an annual barbeque that is usually well attended. We've done pickleball, service things, and other things that are hit and miss. I'm going to try and get guys to go hiking with me this summer, although my first attempt at that was unsuccessful. But I think the change back to weekly quorum meetings that will happen in September will be good, even if they are shorter. So I look forward to that (if I'm still EQ President then). We invited a new young couple in the ward over for dinner and a board game this month, and they were a lot of fun.

Alex: He is still between schools at the moment, but things seem to be moving along slowly with the new school that we are hoping to try out this year. More on that next month probably. In the meantime, he's been home a lot, but we have a babysitter who can take him out to places like the library in the morning a couple times a week while me and Becky are working. So that helps get him out of the house a bit. Becky continues working with him on things, and taking him other places in the afternoon so he doesn't get too bored at home. He's going through a stubborn phase with food lately, he just takes forever to finish a meal and sometimes just keeps food in his mouth and won't chew, especially when it's not his favorite food. We have tricks to get him to eat things, but eventually he finds other ways to resist. Despite being a picky eater, he continues growing. It's getting harder to pick him up and spin him around like he always wants us to do. But overall, he's happy as usual.

Becky: We're finally getting out of the house.  I took Alex out to ride his bike that has training wheels.  Getting him to steer and pedual uphill is a work in progress, but he really likes it. As for myself, I still really enjoy volunteer work with For The Many.  As mentioned previously, it's a local grassroots/activiist organization.  I got my neighbor, Connie, to volunteer with me.  We're having a great time together. This month we did some more work on passing New York For All (to keep ICE out of New York) as well as the REST Act, which has to do with rent affordability and stability.  The Newburgh chapter had free papusas at today's phonebanking, which I love.  And I always enjoy hanging out with the other regular volunteers there.  They really are a breath of fresh air.