what a weekend.

...so far, the weather has been stellar; in the low 80s all week! Let's hope the weekend has weather this great!

Carlottas' people say she's locked in a Brooklyn soundstage working through a set to bring to Rochester.

Like the phoenix rising, Carlotta will too. It feels like a comeback, people. Just like what Liza had a few years ago, except without David Guest clawing to get more exposure than the performer, of course.

plan to *not* plan

a'right - just an update of what our weekend will look like:

Friday evening - welcome!
Saturday - absolutely anything; open to suggestions, perhaps the public market?
Saturday evening - dinner at home, local friends to join for cocktails following dinner
Saturday evening, part two - a little entertainment?
Sunday late morning - walk through local park
Sunday midday - a little walk through town
Sunday dinner - dinner out - casual italian, maybe greek?
Sunday evening - applecrisp and chat by the fire
Monday - reluctant traveling ensues.

definitely open to suggestions -

I'll be corresponding soon to get a more formal plan together! Sorry for the down time...

I'll be emailing / mailing directions shortly. We'll also put together a list of things that may be helpful for others to bring...

Great news - it seems as though both Robert and Stephen are definitely coming for the weekend...

Scottie and Rodney will also be joining us! Scottie hasn't been to a fest since Harvey's Lake.

For the life of me, I can't recall whose birthday falls on the same weekend as FallFest...could it be the woman who fell down her stairs in Elmira? JonBenet's father? Ah well, must not be anyone important.

resting place tour - could be fun

Richard Reisem, a dear friend of ours and avid local historian, has graciously offered the fallfest folks a personal tour of Mount Hope Cemetery; an internationally renown victorian resting place, created in 1838 here in Rochester. Known for its grand monuments and historical residents, the cemetery can be an interesting walk one of our days this fall.

Richard is a retiree of Kodak, writing many a speech for former corporate heads. He's gone on to publish books of local interest, one of which focuses on Mount Hope...

Mount Hope: America's First Municipal Victorian Cemetery

Erie Canal Legacy: Architectural Treasures of the Empire State.

200 Years of Rochester Architecture

Blue Sky Mausoleum of Frank Lloyd Wright

warm summer days are fleeting...
let's hope October will be warm enough for a dip.

Along Lake Ontario

The chimney bluffs, about a half-hour outside of Rochester, run along Lake Ontario...could be fun to visit for our fall walk!

Chuck & Val, October 2004.

happy birthday, Stephen!!

...one of my favorites

fallfest, 2004

An autumn snapshot of the Genesee river as it weaves its way out of downtown, past the University of Rochester.

downtown or out of town...

A birds-eye view of downtown, looking south. Our former neighborhood is to the left of the bridge, just out of frame.

What's wonderful about our fare city is we can go from concrete to country in a short amount of time, watching street lights change or the leaves of a london plain...

George Eastman House - International Museum of Photography & Film. Home to Kodak's founder George Eastman (rumored to be a poofter) and now open to the public. The home has amazing gardens, ever-changing exhibits and interesting film history. The museum is a bit close to my heart as I do a lot of the advertising for the house.

links.

VisitRochester.com - all-inclusive site.

Eastman Theatre - Home to the Eastman School of Music. I'll update the blog with a calendar of events as the time nears.

Browncroft Neighborhood - A little bit about the area of the city we live in.

ImageOut - Rochester's gay film & video film festival. This occurs the same time FallFest folks will be in town; could be interesting to take in a viewing?

Downstairs Cabaret Theatre - a small theatre troupe specializing in local productions with the standard mainstream fare. "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" has been playing since I was dancing to disco...

Susan B. Anthony Home - Early civil rights and suffragist leader's home in a part of town once riddled withe crime and poverty. The Susan B. Anthony neighborhood is slowly being revitalized and brought back to its original glory. A park in the middle of the neighborhood now pays tribute to Anthony and another civil rights leader, Frederick Douglass. Definitely worth seeing for you history buffs.

Memorial Art Gallery, Strong Museum, Rochester Museum & Science Center, - All stops along the cultural trail.

Sam Patch Canal Tours - We can cruise along the Erie Canal in a canal boat. Cher did it when she was in town last, so it HAS to be good.

Of course all of these are just suggestions, ideas. We can bake in MANY things to do the weekend of fallfest, or simply do NOTHING! Either way, a wonderful time awaits you.

look closely...

...and you can see Kimber having an afternoon cocktail on the rooftop!


Google Maps allows you to view virtually any address...

what's real, what's true.

FALL FEST 2004
a gift
a view
of sparkling water
lapping waves
to see
and renew
our souls
from our daily daze
what's real
what's true
is the love we all
can know
from the sea
from the sky
and through the wind
as He helps us grow.

- Val Bird-Streuli

Free Martha! That was then, now's she's free.

...one October morning in Connecticut

In your Best Paul Lynde impersonation.

An early comical genius with coy wit and timing, Paul Lynde firmly held down the Squares of Hollywood. Here are some classic Hollywood Squares Q & A's

Q: Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A: Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Q: If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A: Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.

Q: It is the most abused and neglected part of your body - what is it?
A: Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused but it certainly isn't neglected!

Q: Do female frogs croak?
A: Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q: Imagine you are a child in your mother's womb, can you detect light?
A: Paul Lynde: Only during ballet practice

and, my favorite:
Q: Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your
elephant?
A: Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?

nervous energy.

Okay, to be honest, I could not be more excited to host fallfest this year...part of me (okay, MOST of me) is nervous, but definitely excited to share our fun little world with the folks that mean the most to us...Rochester is (in my humble opinion) a great gem in Upstate New York.

I'm starting to gather ideas for the weekend; anything from a hike along Lake Ontario's Sodus Bay to a tour of Kodak founder George Eastman's estate, now a museum.

Traditions will be kept alive and started anew, all at the same time. The only constant that matters most for the weekend is having the folks that do indeed matter most; you.

Definitely keep checking back to this off-the-cuff blog. I'm hoping to update this site on a more regular basis, hoping to get as much feedback from you as possible!

Hope the late winter is treating you all delightfully!

Rochester hangs hopes on purchase of high-speed ferry

The city of Rochester has taken ownership of the once-struggling ferry; originally launched last summer and running for only three months before succumbing to a poor business plan, the city purchase is great news for the further development of the city's port and tourism industries.

With the hope that the ferry will *once again* run its designated course, a trip to Toronto can always be a fun option for the weekend of festivus de fall. A cruise 'cross Lake Ontario is always fun in good company...here's a good link with Toronto's current activity.

FallFest '04 Photos

in case you missed 'em, here are the photos from FallFest 2004 in Connecticut.

Fall Fest in Connecticut, 2004

Let the 2005 planning of FallFest begin!

I'm in the process of updating this blog to keep all of the fallfest '05 boys and girls in the loop...Eric and I are really quite excited about hosting this year. Should be a memorable time!