Eric's Trail in Dean Mountain Park

Here are a few more pics showing Eric's project in progress. (Refer to last posting.)

The journey ends, as a new one begins

One day, in the year 2001, a light bulb glowed over the head of Eric Robert Santell. “I do believe I will join up with Stony Creek Troop 22, BSA ,” he said. (BSA: That’s Boy Scouts of America for those of you who hate acronyms like I do.) He joined and two years later moved to a troop in Hadley, where he worked up the ranks and leadership roles. His second year at summer camp he was Senior Patrol Leader. (That means he was in charge of all the boys in the troop.) It is the highest leadership role a scout can obtain. (I, Grandma, did not make that up. Someone much wiser than I said it first.) After becoming a Life Scout in 2005, he began the journey to Eagle Scout.

He finished all the merit badges needed and began to focus on the actual project, which was to create a nature trail in Dean Mountain Park near Hadley, NY. The trail runs along the Schroon River and is used widely during the summer months. Eric and some of his fellow scouts went into the park one Saturday and raked out the area and lined the pathway edges with logs. Some of the available logs were used to create steps where the trail was steep. Others were used to build a landing where the trail broke off and went down near the water. Home Depot donated wood and Eric used it as he worked with a Cub Scout troop to build birdhouses that he later hung along the trail. He must have had a goodly supply of wood, because he then used some to make signs to label the trees.

After 16 hours of hard work on this project, on November 6 of 2007, Eric stood before a panel of scouting officials, the Eagle Board of Review. After an arduous oral exam – kind of like the ones graduates students go through – the Board approved Eric’s Eagle Scout Award and on February 9, 2008 Grandpa and I will travel to upstate New York and have the honor of seeing him receive his Eagle Scout Award.

Some think of the path to Eagle Scout as a journey. In June Eric will complete another journey as he graduates from high school. He's already into his next life-journey as he is part of the 'New Vision' program in Saratoga, NY and it appears he is headed for a place in the field of medicine.

Good Job, Eric! We’re very pleased with your efforts and your accomplishments. Keep up the good work.

Love you all, Grandma for both of us

P.S. Doesn't someone out there have something to send me to post on my blog? Business has been a little slow lately - anyone with an exciting life can post just by sending me the information by e-mail.

Does this sound alluring?

Hey, I've missed you guys! I haven't talked to you since the 6th or 7th of January. (Mine was the posting just before Hershey's.)
Today's posting is about the charming region around Lake George, New York. The lake itself is about 32 miles long and varies from 1 to 3 miles wide and is situated at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York.
It provides the usual activities and amenities of a large lake - swimming, boating, fishing, restaurants, resorts, lodgings, people watching - and also has some unique museums and summer stock theater (at Schroon Lake) which just happens to be named SEAGLE. (We think the owner is a distant relative of the 28 of us.)

Why am I telling you all this? Listen up! Now that the Grandma Gazette poll has ended, with 12 people voting (9 wanting to wait until 2009 and 3 eager beavers wanting to go for it in 2008), Grandpa and I are thinking of looking into lodging at Lake George and letting you know what we find out. If it looks good, and it probably will, we'd like to set up another family get-together in the summer of 2009. We'll keep you posted on what's happening.
Maybe you'd like to make a suggestion. Your opinion and/or fresh ideas are welcome and will definitely be considered. Let us know what you think about meeting at Lake George. You can find scads of info about its region on the Internet.

Love you all! Grandma for both of us

A posting by Hershey!

Who does this remind you of? Hey, Hydro and I need for you to add your pet's picture to this blog. Send it to Grandma at sseagle@hotmail.com. God bless you! Hershey

More raucous behavior at the Seagle Christmas

It never ends - Christmas noise. Even without a video, the sounds of Christmas - including those on this video clip - continue to ring in our ears. They're happy sounds and they'll be with us long after 2008 has passed away. Love you all! Grandma and Grandpa Seagle

What's Aunt Carol best known for?

What is Aunt Carol best known for? Did I hear someone say her collection of fake dog stuff and a whoopie cushion? Santa must have found out, because in 2007 he presented her a whoopie cushion with a remote control. The video reveals that whoopie cushion in action with Chris and Saya blaming the other for the odor in the air. No one seems to know who's holding the remote. Hmm. Where's Aunt Carol?
Chris has been warned not to tell any of those intellectuals at the University of Chicago about the way our family, some members that is, behaves when we get together.
I suggest that, when visiting Aunt Carol and Uncle Den, check under the chairs and nearby places, before you sit down.
Goodnight and love you all! Grandma Seagle for both of us

Music(?) and another Superdog!

Our family is loaded with talent. Hydro won't show off his more useful skills in this video, but you can see he is very, very intelligent, knows his dog etiquette and - well, almost always, 99.9% of the time - obeys. I hope I don't wound him psychologically by getting his gender wrong. Maybe I should use the word 'it' for all family dogs and I won't have to stop and think every time I mention one.
Still hopeful someone will send me a new pet picture to post - or any other picture, for that matter. (I reserve the right to censor!) Love you all! Grandma

Do You Ears Hang Low?

Do your ears hang low? Hershey's do! That's what makes her so fetching. Granted, all but the photo of her with Jeff and Deb were taken when she was a puppy, but her ears only got bigger. You can't tell it from a picture, but the only thing about her that is bigger than her ears is her sense of smell, which she used in all quarters of our house when she visited over New Year's weekend.
Speaking of size, her feet may be a bit exaggerated - she looks like she's on a platform. She's short, but mighty in muscle and self-will and, actually, her heart is bigger than her ears. She loves Jeff and Deb and, when they are absent, she sniffs the air and whimpers in hopes of their return. She is one beautiful granddog!
Love you all! Grandma for both of us

P,S, If you have a pet picture, send it to Grandma's Gazette and watch for its publication.