First Snowfall

Photos:
Left: Gardens in Lockport, NY where the Erie Canal tour begins. Besides the beautiful flowers, there is a small waterfall and benches where one can sit and contemplate.

Right: This is called an upside-down bridge. Notice the girders are on the bottom rather than the top. When the railroad came through they wanted to discourage canal traffic, so put the girders under the tracks prohibiting tall sail boats from coming through. To keep costs as low as possible the railroads wanted to build low bridges which would prohibit canal traffic. Both sides came to a compromise that the trestles had to be 15 feet above the canal. The loophole was it said nothing about where the girders had to be. The bridges were removed or "disassembled by more angry methods" when the canal was widened. This info comes from The Erie Canal: The Ditch that Opened a Nation by Dan Murphy.

Snow, Snow, Beautiful Snow!
Woke up to the first measurable snow this morning. Snow depth was a whopping ¼ inch at best. Also woke up to cold temps and wind. I guess it’s winter.

The Christmas book is done!
I have all the Christmas books (Come Ride With Me) completed and ready for delivery at Christmas. It’s not as thick as the Volumes I and II were, because of this years added activities. Planning and doing the Erie Canal bike ride, my mother’s multiple hospitalizations, and believe it or not, the elections took up a lot of my time. As far as the elections go, I was not involved in either race other than rapt interest. I could not be happier with the results.

Mom should be home soon
My mother sees her surgeon on Wednesday, and it is hoped she will get the “get out of jail card”. She is physically more than ready to leave the nursing home. We are just waiting for the medical OK.