A trip to the north country

Well, I had another busy week. The week I am referring to actually happened about a month ago, I am just way behind. Anyways, on Tuesday I drove to Potsdam, NY, to give a seminar at my alma mater, Clarkson University. It had been two years since I last spoke there and I was excited as I always enjoy the drive through Lake Placid and the Adirondacks on the way. It's a trip down memory lane heading to the North Country as so many adventures come flowing back into my head. I drove past all the old great rock climbs that we use to flail on (live free or die, 10,000 rednecks with guns, the watch crystal, etc.). Passing cascade lakes I always think about the time I was leaving the ADK's for what I knew would be a while, as I was headed to Utah for graduate school. I stopped to snap a picture of the sun setting over the lakes. The picture was total crap as I took it with a disposable camera, but I still cherish it to this day as it reminds me of how much I fell in love with the this area of the country and how much I missed it when I moved on to grad school.

I arrived in Potsdam and was anxious to check in at the Clarkson Inn so I could get settled and phone a friend in town who I had not seen in a decade. Checking in at the Clarkson Inn always precipitates a strange and quick moment of self evaluation. To set the picture, the Clarkson Inn is owned by the University and is by far the fanciest hotel around, mainly used by business types. It is somewhat Victorian in its decor and to me exudes the very formal attitude I associate with this era. I guess it kind of freaks me out in a way. I'm not sure if it is my disdain for formality or that it makes me think for a moment, "maybe I need to grow up and get a suit and some of those ugly shiny shoes that suggest I hold some particular level of stature." I say this as I always feel awkward as the other well dressed guests peer at me with my jeans, flip-flops and "luggage" which consists of my skiing backpack and a laptop. I am waiting for the day that the attendant informs me that the hostel is down the road a ways. It is always fun to watch their face when they pull out my reservation for Dr. Speese. I very rarely use this title, but the Clarkson people who make my accomodations always place the reservation with my title. In a way , it is kind of redeeming. Almost a quiet way of saying, "See, I am not a total bum like you were probably thinking." I grab my key and saunter off to my room whistling a Jimmy Buffet tune.

Later in the day, I met up with my old friend, and had a blast catching up on the new and reminiscing the past. We had not seen each other in a decade and she has since had a little girl. We all went to the toy store and and played with the various toys. I found a cool microscope with a mount for a digital camera that I wanted to get for piglet, but I'm guessing he won't be needing it for a few years.