Dia

We went to see the art exhibit at Dia Museum (Beacon). There were some interesting pieces, and also a lot of nothingness to contemplate.

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Turkey Run 2015

We all ran in the 3.2 mile Turkey Run. I didn't even try to keep up with Eason, who finished at about 26:00. Instead I ran with Andrea, who finished in 41:00. (These are the times we calculated from when we crossed the starting position. The official times are below.) were both significant improvements over our last run.

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Last Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year the kids and Aviva put together an apple-themed menu. Babcia fried 92 latkes, and they went like hot cakes ...or latkes and cranberry sauce. Aviva slow cooked the turkey, and everything was delicious! After hosting our family for Thanksgiving for 14 years, this is our last.

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Halloween 2015

This Halloween we went to our friend's house for a pre-Trick or Treating party. Andrea dressed up as Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. Eason dressed up as Donald Trump. That left me with the dilemma of dressing up as either Lord Voldemort or Bernie Sanders, and since Eason was going Trick or Treating with his friends, I went for the former, with the best last minute preparations I could muster. Aviva, also at the last minute, put on her best witchy custom. It was a-ghast!

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Apple Picking 2015

We went apple picking at Barton Orchards again with our friends. We went to the haunted house, played in the amusement park, went through the corn maze, and picked lots of of apples and a few pumpkins.

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Bye, Bye Bungalow 2015

We finished our yearly ritual of packing up the bungalow for the winter. We would have kept coming up more, but the kid's soccer schedules are taking over all our weekends. So after Aviva and Andrea kayaked, while Eason and I canoed around the lake, and we found the lake monster for the first time this summer, and we took a ride around in the tractor, we said goodbye to the kayaks, canoe, row boat, picnic table, rope ladder, swings, tetherball, and hammock...until next year.

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Rosh Hashanah At The Bungalow 2015

We had Rosh Hashanah dinner with our family at the bungalow. We also celebrated Babcia's 47th anniversary in America (by eating all the food Babcia made for us). After eating we had fun doing the usual bungalow things...after we stopped for a photo shoot that is.

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Labor Day Weekend, Push-Ups And More

We did our usual Labor Day weekend activities of running, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, eating, and a good amount of laying (and floating) around, plus, of course, or Labor Day push-up contest. The contest is supposed to be 500 push-ups in an hour.

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Summer 2015 With The Maldonados

We spent some time with the Maldonado family, like we do every year. It is always fun. Luis improved his boat and now his boat is very powerful. We all tried to water ski, like Jack and Riley do, but while some of us did better than others, none of us came close. As always, it was a great weekend.

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Gorham Mountain Trail

On our last day in Maine before leaving, we decided to hike round the Gorham Mountain Trail along the eastern coast of Mount Desert Island, overlooking the ocean.

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Up And Down And Inside Out In Acadia

We got an early start on Eason's birthday so we could watch the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain. Unfortunately it was so foggy we didn't have much of a view. After breakfast we took a trip around the loop. We stopped to look and listen at Thunder Hole, and to make stone art at Otter Cove. Then we had lunch at Jordan Pond House and hiked around Jordan Pond. Then we finished our trip around the loop stopping back at Cadillac Mountain. This time the view was great. We ended the day with pizza and a movie.

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Bald Peak

We spent the morning wandering through Thuya Garden, and the afternoon climbing up to Bald Peak and down Parkman Mountain trails. Neither failed to impress. Many times we thought we had made it to the top, only to find that there was another peak farther and further up.

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Blue Hill Bay Cruise

We decided to take a cruise around Blue Hill Bay. We saw beautiful landscapes around the islands there, as well as seals & eagles, and we learned a lot about the fishing villages of Frenchboro. Afterwards we went back to Echo Lake before grabbing dinner.

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Sand Beach & Grand Head Trail

On our second day at Acadia National Park we headed over to Sand Beach. First we went hiking around Great Head Trail. There were amazing views of the coast. Afterwards we hung out at the beach. The water was so cold you couldn't even feel it.

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Echo Lake

On our first day in Acadia National Park we stayed close to home base. First we got breakfast in town and then spent the rest of the day at Echo Lake. The water was chilly, but we still had lots of fun there. Afterwards we got dinner from a local lobster pound. The food was good, even though it was a very raw experience.

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Boston By Foot

Our second and last day in Boston involved a lot of walking. First we walked through Boston's Public Garden and walked with the famous Mallards. Then we walked along the Freedom Trail on the Road To Revolution tour. We saw many historical landmarks, including King’s Chapel, the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre, and Paul Revere's House, and heard about the events that led to the American Revolution. Afterwards we walked along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy and finally we passed both the tortoise and the hare.

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Boston From The Top

When we arrived in Boston we decided we would start at the top. So we headed to the Skywalk Observatory at the top of the Prudential Tower. There we got a view of all of Boston and a bunch of historical information. Then we took the bus to Harvard University and walked around the campus. For dinner we went to Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse. They give you flip cards, with red on one side and green on the other. Servers bring you assorted meats until you turn your red side up. Eason was in heaven. And that was before they brought him a birthday desert.

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Snake Roads And French Toast

We left to the bungalow earlier than usual so we decided to stop on the snake road that runs along the upper Delaware River for some sight seeing. We drive here all the time, but this was the first time I've ever pulled over. As soon as we got to the bungalow it was still sunny and warm so we all decided to hit the lake right away.

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Andrea's Turn In The Kitchen

Since Eason has been preparing a meal every week as a part of his summer curriculum, Andrea wanted to get in on the action. With Babcia's help she made a roast pork loin with mashed sweet potatoes, a cucumber salad, and cabbage.

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Summer Cooking At The Bungalow

This week at the bungalow, in addition to the usual swimming and boating, Eason decided to prepare dinner as part of his summer curriculum. With Babcia's oversight he made beef and zucchini with rice noodles. It was delicious!

Not to be outdone, the next morning Aviva made us all some excellent challah French toast.

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Good Times At The Bungalow

Great family. Great food. Great times. That's how it goes at the bungalow. Aviva and babcia made some great meals to celebrate my birthday...I think. Aviva and I got to do some sailing on her kayak, and I pulled the kids all around the lake like a human motor boat.

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44th Birthday

For my 44th birthday Aviva made me a special breakfast. After work she took us all to Massa' Coastal Italian Cuisine. The food was really good and Eason and I shared the shellfish tower. The highlight of the day, for me at least, was after dinner when I gave everyone the gifts I had for them.

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Independence Weekend

We went up to the bungalow Thursday night for Independence Day weekend. It was a rainy weekend, but we had enough good weather to get in some fun on the canoe, and see some fireworks on the 4th of July. The fireworks display is not the best, but there are a bunch of displays right across the lake, which is very close to us, so it is a lot of fun to watch.

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Sun Day, Father's Day

This year Father's Day was on the summer solstice, so we celebrated the fathers and the sun. And we really did celebrate the sun...when we could get it, as even though the weekend was mostly heavy showers, it was mostly sunny on Father's Day, so we were grateful for that. We spent time eating good food, boating, and lying in the hammock reading. I got some really cool gifts from Eason and Andrea too. It was a really good time.

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Ashes Over the Hudson

We went to the Walkway Over the Hudson to pay respects to Paul Mountan, a.k.a. Norton and disperse his ashes over the Hudson. We think that this is what Norton would have wanted.

The walkway was beautiful. Dispersing Norton's ashes was obviously sad, but it was nice to meet with his friends and exchange memories.

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Memorial Day Weekend 2015 At The Bungalow

I flew home from Toronto early so we could get a head start on our Memorial Day weekend at the bungalow. We were so busy opening things up that it was a couple of days before we actually got onto the lake. Our first day on the lake Eason took out the row boat, and Aviva took out the kayak, while Andrea and I went on the peddle boat. Later Eason switched to a kayak. On our second day on the lake Eason and Andrea went sailing on Aviva's kayak, while Aviva and I followed them in the canoe. Eason manned the sail and Andrea manned the rudder. The kids went swimming even though the water was really cold. Way too cold for me!

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Storm Filled Mother's Day

For Mother's Day we went to Storm King Art Center. It was great to be outdoors with the family and walk around all the amazing exhibits they had strewn across the land.

Afterwards we had a delicious dinner at Caterbury Brook Inn.

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A Family That Runs Together...

For the first time all four of us ran the local 5k derby together. In the past I would run the 5k with Eason, and Aviva would run the one mile "fun run" with Andrea. But since Andrea was able to run 3.5 miles with me in practice a couple of weeks ago, she was eager to try it in a real race. Her goal was to run the entire race, no matter how much she had to slow down. Meanwhile, my goal was to keep up with Eason, which might be hard considering I had not trained at all.

Greenwich Point Park

We went to Greenwich Point Park and walked around by the water. It was great to be outdoors.
                             
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G. Friedlander

We went to visit my mom's grave at Temple Sholom Cemetery where she's buried next to her sister, father and mother. We finally had the footstone placed. It's quite a coincidence that we live so close to this plot my grandparents purchased when they lived in Brooklyn and New Jersey as far as I ever knew.

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National Zoo

On the fifth and final day of our spring break trip we went to the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park. It wasn't as big as the Bronx Zoo, but we were really impressed. We saw the giant pandas, the primates, and our favorite part was probably Amazonia.

On our way home we saw some Seegulls (but not the animal kind). We swung by my cousin Larry's house in Baltimore for a quick visit.

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Rockin' & Spyin' In D.C.

On the fourth day of our spring break trip we went to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and spent at least two hours looking at rocks, from meteorites to minerals to crystals. We only looked at the animals a little. Then we spent the second half of the day at the International Spy Museum. They had a 007 exhibit, so I'm glad we've been watching some James Bond movies.

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D.C. By Foot: Monuments & Memorials

On the third day of our spring break trip we took a Walking Tour of the National Mall & Tidal Basin. Our tour guide, Erin, was great and the kids had a lot of fun with her. We went to the Washington Monument, the National WWII Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Tidal Basin, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Then we walked to the Albert Einstein Memorial and finally to get some dinner in Foggy Bottom. Over six hours of walking altogether!

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Air & Space & Art

On the second day of our spring break trip we headed to D.C. We took the Metro in and went to Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. We saw the sights, listen to a lecture, went on a simulator, watched a film, and went to the observatory. Then, after a quick bite (God forbid my kids should have to eat McDonald's) we went to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. I never would have thoughts my kids would enjoy it so much more that the Air and Space Museum. Afterwards we took the Metro and trolley back to Alexandria for dinner.

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Old Town Alexandria

We decided to take a trip to Washington D.C. for spring break. We stayed in Alexandria and, after a great meal, we spent our first day exploring Old Town Alexandria.

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Babcia's Birthday

We took babcia out for dinner for her birthday. She always enjoys spending time with her family, especially with all her grandchildren. She had a great time, and so did we.

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Palisades Climb Adventure

We went to the Palisades Climb Adventure at the Palisades Center. I was too afraid to go climbing myself, but my kids weren't. They were fearless...almost. Once the got the hang of things, they were zipping all around. I got a lot of video. It's probably a good thing I ran out of storage.

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Allowance, Chores & Contributing

A lot has been written on the controversial subjects of allowance for children, instilling a healthy understanding of money and saving, balancing the merits of paying for chores and paying for entrepreneurship, and contributing to charities and the household. For us, the way we manage money with our kids is framed by how we managed money before we had kids.

Sportime USA

We went to Sportime USA to play laser tag, do some rock climbing and play on the bumper cars.

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Remembering Paul Mountan

Senator Larkin Congratulates Paul
Mountan of Kingston for receiving the
NYS Senate's 2002 Achiever's Award

Today I found out an old friend passed away. Every year I get a reminder for my friend Norton's birthday - his real name is Paul. but I always knew him as Norton. Every year I call him, and if he doesn't answer I leave a message on his voice mail. The past few years he hasn't called me back, and I wondered if something had happened. For some reason this year I decided to call an old office number I had for him, just to see if it was still valid. When I asked for him they told me he had just passed away. I spoke to his good friend Dorothy who gave me all the details.

Here's his obituary:

Ice Skating

We went ice skating at Hommocks Park Ice Rink. None of us are great ice skaters, but we had fun anyway.

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Dziadek's Birthday

We took dziadek out for dinner for his birthday. Maybe next year we'll have to go somewhere else.

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So One Size Does Not Fit All Schools

I received an email from Senator George Latimer with the content of this One Size Does Not Fit All Schools article. I don't necessarily disagree, but I take issue with the way he seems to conflate issues, and sidestep any real proposals.

I responded: