Present for my niece

Thanksgiving 2011 highlights and activities for kids around Amherst

Five of six Carey siblings and families got together for Thanksgiving this year and to celebrate our youngest sister Maureen's 40th birthday.

There was quorum of Carey cousins.

My brother and sister-in-law would be the elder statesmen -- except for Brian and me.

A La Fiorentina (Springfield) birthday cake.

A great kids' activity: making marzipan figures. Almond paste from Deals and Steals, Northampton = $2.

Candlepin bowling at Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley.

We're thankful for technology, so we can stay in touch via smart-phone with Ana, who's in Mercedes, Texas for her grandparents' 55th wedding anniversary.

And talk to the relatives via Skpe.

Happy Holidays!

Hiking at the Notch

The Notch is the first place that comes to mind to take a hike in Amherst, and my brother and I had a good 2-hour hike this week. But beware -- the trails are not marked as thoroughly as some casual hikers like me would like. No wonder the police get calls to rescue people there!

The Halloween snowstorm as seen from our Amherst backyard

The night of the pre-Halloween snowstorm was so light because of all the snow you could take photos with the daylight setting. There was also a strange lightning which might have been transformers blowing up.

On Sunday, we learned that 100 percent of Amherst had lost power. We got it back at 5 a.m. on Monday, but 60 percent of Amherst residents still didn't have service this afternoon and almost nobody at work did. It seems towns in higher elevations didn't have as much tree damage and power loss, because the snow, although there was more of it was lighter. We lost a couple of arborvitae, and our neighbor's maple trees were damaged, but that was minor compared to all the trees that were down all over.
Saturday was beautiful and much of the 9 inches of snow in our yard melted as the day went on.

Our plastic Adirondack chairs looked overstuffed.

All the lilac trees were bent over but bounced back.

17th Annual Amherst Trivia Bee -- My office was the runner up!

My office team came in second in the 17th Annual Amherst Trivia Bee 1st runners up -- Team NWDA Just-us/ Dave Sullivan, Mike McHale, Steve Greenbaum and Linda Pisano.

These are some of the members of my old team, The Daily Hampshire Gazette's. One year, we won.

Another year, we won the costume contest, when we dressed as Sarah Palin and friends.

State Rep. Ellen Story, the master of ceremonies, is always the best-dressed person at the bee, always in the same blue dress.

Here are the questions Team Just-us answered:
1) Caligula made a senator of whom? (His horse)
2 )What's the connection between the 21st and 18th amendments to the Constitution? (The 21st reveals the 18th, which is Prohibition)
3) Walter Ray Williams had the most career wins in what sport? (Bowling)
4) Brontophobia is a fear of what? (Thunder)
5) What was Scotty's first name in the original "Star Trek"? (Montgomery)
6) Heade üllatuste maa means "country of good surprises" and is the motto of what country? (Estonia)
7) what child star received 100,000 presents on her 8th birthday in 1936? (Shirley Temple)
8) Donald Kaufman, a fictional character was nominated for what honor? (an Oscar)
9) On May 3, 1809 Mary Kies became the first woman to be awarded what? (U.S. patent)
10) A recently discovered planet was given what comic book name by NASA? (Super Earth)
11) Entrepreneur Milton Levine invented what childhood science project?
(Ant farm)
12) From 1784-1811 Britain opposed a tax on what clothing item? (The hat)
13) Which U.S. president gave the first televised State of the Union address? (Truman)
14) What color does amethyst turn when heated? (Clear)
15) August is what invasive species awareness month? (Asian longhorn beetle)
FINAL ROUND
1) Atychiphobia is fear of what? (Failure)
2) In Welsh Arthurian legend what is the name of King Arthur's dagger? (Carawennan)
3) Harry Potter's character Luna Lovegood was a member of what Hogwarts house? (Ravenclaw)
4) Aerosmith's song "Walk This Way" was inspired by what movie" ("Young Frankenstein")
5) Who was the only U.S. president to remain a bachelor? (Buchanan)

A 15-year-old girl created this video for the Northwestern District Attorney's Office

Fall pics

Shelburne Falls
Bridge of Flowers
We'd never checked out the bowling alley in Shelburne Falls. It's beautiful.

Hawley road and cornfield

Flowers Brian brought home from the Hampshire College pick-your-own garden

Who knew Brian was such a good flower arranger?

Beautiful Tiffany pitcher from Ana

When I called Tiffany to order a pitcher etched with lilies of the valley, using the gift card Ana gave me, the salesperson told me it would arrive in a Tiffany blue box with a white bow.

Voila! Even prettier than I thought it would be.
Photos by Brian.

Message on a Northampton dumpster

Brian meets one of his students at Occupy Wall Street - -NYC -- Oct. 10, 2011

My moment in women's history: (Photos for my alma mater University of Vermont "pre-Title IX era" gathering in 2012

Dug up some old photos today, because I got a letter from UVM saying "On June 23rd, 1972, when Title IX passed, all collegiate athletics experienced dramatic change. We would like to document the period before TItle IX was fully implemented at the University of Bermont so that UVM's pre-Title IX women's athletic history is not part of that forgotten past."

I never put together till now -- and almost certainly never would have, otherwise-- that I was on the swim team at a transitional moment in women's history!

UVM women's swim team on the road, Feb. 1977. My roommate Julie McFadden is bottom right. I am the idiot next to her pretending to bite Wendy Baldwin's leg. Next to me is Katherine Brewster. Our sweet coach -- Miss Walsh -- is back row left and second from the right back row is Meg Hutchins. Everyone else's name I have forgotten.

Julie McFadden on the left; Jenny Bunker on the right. I have forgotten the name of the girl in the middle, but I remember she was very nice.

Me in our UVM team swim suit when we swam against Mount Holyoke and my hometown friend Sarah Harrington who was going to Mount Holyoke. My sister Maureen in the bottom left corner and my mom and sister Kathy in the top right corner. According to Dad's painstaking notations on back it was Nov. 11, 1975 and besides UMV and Mount Holyoke, UNH and Williams College participated.

View from Mount Sugarloaf

Brian and a grad school friend on Mount Sugarloaf in Deerfield

Fun things to do in the Valley: Kickboxing at The Studio, Hampshire College farm, Puffer's, eating at Sylvester's and, of course, texting on the iPad

ABOUT AMHERST IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION: THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!!