Gleaning Facebook: A Long Island Thanksgiving

 Instead of fighting traffic and crowds to view Macy's parade, we decided to go out Long Island along highway 25A. We stopped at Cold Spring Harbor State Park and walked a section of the Nassau/Sulfolk Trail then took a walk along the Long Island Sound at Sunken Meadows State Park.

Gulls at at Cold Spring Harbor.

The boat ramp and "park" (grassy area) across Hwy 25A from the trailhead is named Billy Joel Park. This is taken from the boat ramp.

Billy Joel's first solo album was Cold Spring Harbor (1971) thus this monument. 

Girls at at Cold Spring Harbor.

"The LONG ISLAND GREENBELT TRAIL CONFERENCE is a unique, non-profit grassroots organization that has created more than 200 miles of hiking paths on Long Island, including three National Recreation Trails."

This American Beech, The Sweetheart Tree, holds the records of many years of young lovers climbing this trail.

Lots of ups and downs along this trail.

Here's a description of our hike from the Long Island Greenbelt schedule of upcoming hikes: 

"...COLD SPRING HARBOR HILL HOP ... 4.3 miles – fast – hilly –... 
Not for beginners! Easily one of the toughest hikes on L.I., with extremely rewarding views of the harbor and many ups and downs on the way to NY 108 and back; bring your camera in case the Christmas elf has again decorated trees on the route; meet at Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Trail Head on Harbor Rd. (NY25A), in the unpaved parking lot adjacent to the Cold Spring Harbor Library; bring water; rain, snow or ice cancels." 

Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, NY

Topping the last hill, in sight of the finish. 

maggie and milly and molly and may 
went down to the beach (to play one day) 

and maggie discovered a shell that sang 
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and 

milly befriended a stranded star 
whose rays five languid fingers were; 

and molly was chased by a horrible thing 
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and 

may came home with a smooth round stone 
as small as a world and as large as alone. 

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me) 
it's always ourselves we find in the sea 

- e.e. cummings
Sunken Meadow State Park

Just in time for the early Eastern sunset.

I am so thankful to have be able to spend this day with three women I love, walking under blue skies in woods and in a gorgeous sunset by the sea.

It was fascinating to watch the gulls opening their shelled suppers by dropping them onto the rocks. This guy will fly up to twenty or thirty feet up and drop his little treasure to follow it to the rocks and pick out the contents.

We finished the evening with a very unconventional Thanksgiving Dinner at Country Kitchen in Norwich. Hot pint drinking jars of fresh cider, a big omelet, home fries, a big stack of flapjacks. I'm stuffed and happy.

Gleaning Facebook: NYC

Off to Manhattan to see the UN, then a show with Sheila and the girls and maybe (?) Rachel Craw. Guess I better carry that big ol' bumberchute -- it's still threatening rain out there.

Comments:

Howard Smith
love NYC theatre

Nora Matthews
have fun you guys! we love yall! and Happy Thanksgiving

Terrell Shaw
Thanks Nora. Wow! 6 days till Vada Day!!!! We are thinking of you and praying for you and Vada (and Grandma and Gramps and Daddy Derrick, too.)

Terrell Shaw
@Howard, we do too, but tonight we ate Indian at a wonderful little place on 50th near 2nd Ave and had such a good time we decided to skip a play tonight. Maybe we'll catch one tomorrow -- there are a few playing even on T'day. Or maybe we'll let that be it for this trip.

Nancy Johal Singh
Have fun, we are going in December

Terrell Shaw
Ahhhhh... Nancy tonight was almost as good as eating at the Johal/Singh Restaurant: Bhajjas, Chaat Papri, Samosas, Chettinad Chicken, Naan.. scrumptious! I thot of you and Jagdeep many times this evening.

Nancy Johal Singh
I am sure that its way better than what I can make, I love that about NY/NJ, the food is amazing, don't forget to have Chinesse and Pizza

Terrell Shaw
Yours is still the tops, but this was close! I am stuffed!!!!
(Yours was also a lot less expensive.)

Nancy Johal Singh
We will be seeing Wicked this year, last year we saw Lion King, it was EXCELLENT!!!....you are too nice, I am not an expert cook just yet but I think a few more years I could be or at least hope to be, the good thing about living in Rome is that Jagdeep doesn't get to compare my cooking to anything else so it just seems like my food is great!...LOL

Terrell Shaw
You will enjoy Wicked. We saw it 2 or 3 years ago. It is one of the few times when I disliked a book but like the play (or movie.)

Gleaning Facebook: Walking The High Line

This abandoned elevated frieght rail line has been repurposed as a pedestrian "nature walk" down the southwest side of Manhattan. What a wonderful idea. Well done NYC!

Comments:

Terrell Shaw
My pics did not turn out well -- all I had with me was my phone cam & I am seriously under-trained on it. But I wanted to share our walk with y'all anyway. Take a look at the High Line website for a better idea.

http://www.thehighline.org/

Lyn Davis
Looks like fun! Very interesting!

Joan Shaw Turrentine
Looks like so much fun! Do you have a pic of your three girls together? Or one of you and the girls?

Terrell Shaw
Brannon is working through tomorrow, so this walk was missing one.

Weyland Billingsley
Love the High Line...my son lives in the apt. building between 17th & 18th that connects to the High Line.

Gleaning Facebook: Seeing Pete Again!

with John McCutcheon

with Tom Paxton

at William Carlos Williams Center, Rutherford NJ.

A great night with our daughters. Pete Seeger, John McCutcheon, Tom Paxton and assorted other performers in Rutherford NJ raising money and awareness for the wetlands along the Hudson on the Jersey side. Pete is still Pete at 92. This was my first time to hear Tom in person, but I've been singing his songs since the sixties. And John is simply the best folk musician in his prime today. I love that hammered dulcimer and have enjoyed his albums since sometime in the seventies I guess. I hope to upload my rendition of John's Christmas in the Trenches soon.

Comments: 

Lynne Crothers Williams
Wonderful to hear that Pete is still Pete at 92.

Susan Cherones
IVE been singing Tom Paxton's songs since the sixties!!!!! My dad worked on a production with him and brought home an album that I played and played and played...I can still sing every song on the album!! Wow, you're the only other person I've met who knows him!!

Ruth Pinson
Can't wait to hear yours! Loved seeing you last week!

Jenifer Beaver
Went to a dulcimer festival in Louisville, KY once. Heard dulcimer all day long. Beautiful.

Kathy Wilson
Sounds like a great time was had by all.

Veterans Day 2011

I enjoyed singing the National Anthem today at the Veteran's Day program at Myrtle Hill -- the Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour. 

Gleaning Facebook: For Daddy this Veteran's Day Eve

 Charles Columbus Shaw, USMC, 1944/45 on Ulithi (I think). Ulithi was converted by our guys, in a matter of weeks, from an extremely remote and primitive atoll into the largest (for about seven months) anchorage in the world.

Comments:

David Martin Rains: Can I get a Witness?

Nancy Johal Singh: Very handsome:)

Brenda Johnson Cochran: Terry, this has to be your dad...you look so much like him:)

Ruth Baird Shaw: After the Japanese attacked the USA at Pearl Harbor, Pres. Roosevelt declared War (I was 18 years old and Charles was 22.) All able-bodied men were required to sign up for military service and would be called up in time. If they volunteered before called up, they could choose their branch of service. It continued to be scary times and many, many USA casualities.

As more and more of our soldiers were being killed, married men and fathers were being drafted and more and more signed up including Charles Shaw and 3 other men in our community , choosing to serve in the Marinie Corps , incluidng Grover Foster, (Galen's daddy) Charlie Miller and Roy Connell. Charlie Miller was seriuosly wounded at Iwo Jima and was never well again.

BTW...Both Charles Shaw and Grover Foster lived to come home after peace was won by USA and Allies. Both bought houses, next door to each other, in the town where they both were raised. A little less than a year later, Galen Dale Foster and Charles Terrell Shaw were born in the same month. Galen Foster and Terry Shaw played together and had their own language talking to one another (both big talkers...both still are) for the first three years of their life. Then we moved away to Kentucky and parts unknown as Charles' (and my) life was changed as Charles answered the call of God to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Brenda  Ron Carroll: Thank you Charles, for your service and sacrifices! Dad so loved his Shaw cousins

----------------------

Remembering & honoring my Marine father for Veterans Day 2011

Here he is in the Pacific during World War II probably on Ulithi.

Comments:

Katie S. Kimbrough

that's a good picture!

Dan Bolton

I am going to do the same with my dad, sister and my nephew and brother in law thats still in

Terrell Shaw

"...for seven months in late 1944 and early 1945, the large lagoon of the Ulithi atoll was the largest and most active anchorage in the world..." - Wikipedia

Dan Bolton

I meant to tell you I never watch Fallon and the one time I did guess who was on lol

Terrell Shaw

Actually Dan, you are only the second friend - that I know of - that happened to see the Jimmy Fallon show that night and recognized me on it.

Barbara J. Gale

My dad was a Marine in the Pacific during WWII as well.

 From Rose Darby's Facebook page: 

Good to see you again after 30 odd years. Are you still teaching? Our daughter Jennifer loved having gifted class from you when she was at Pepperell.

Comments:

Terrell: Hello! I am still teaching, but am seriously considering retirement (and then finding part-time teaching or education related work) at the end of this school year. This is year #31 (I took 11 years out for a business venture.) 

I have very mixed feelings about it. Now that am getting used to the idea I'm beginning to think of the positive aspects.

What is Jennifer up to? And Bill?

Great to hear from you!

Rose: Jennifer taught school for 10 years in private school. She is still home after having a baby--8 years ago! Our younger one Margaret also taught till she had her baby--6 years ago! Jim and I are both retired and enjoying doing just what we want to do. He had a pancreatectomy in March but is now well enough to enjoy all his hobbies

Gleaning Facebook: Off to Tallahassee!

Taking a day of personal leave today -- off to Nora's baby shower and the Annie-Albert (Snell) family reunion with some of the greatest folks in the world - the bunch I married into.