Harriet Tubman Family Home

This is a photo of Harriet Tubman's family home on South Street as it is being restored to its original state.

Originally it was a wooden house. Harriet Tubman purchased the house and seven acres for $1,2000 from William H. Seward. The structure burned in 1880.

In 1869 Tubman married Nelson Davis, a Civil War veteran, who was a brick maker. According to reports, Nelson had the permission of the adjacent brick yard owner, John Farmer, to make and keep bricks for a new house on the site of the former wooden one. Nelson made bricks that were 4x4x2. Nelson also built another home named John Brown Hall. In this building Tubman cared for the poor and indigent who were housed on the second floor with the kitchen in the basement. Tubman is credited with establishing one of the first homes for indigent and aged blacks in America.

After Tubman's death, the home was sold to England Norris. A few years ago the home was purchased by the Tubman Association. Traces of origianl wallpaper and an original staircase have been uncovered as well as the fact the kitchen was originally in the basement.

Teaser Tuesday (March 2)

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading .



page 238 - The thing is, about hotels, my old boss, Mr. Forney, told me, whatever happens in a hotel you keep your mouth shut. Whatever you see, you keep your mouth shut.

Week Nine - 43 to Go

Parker uses this novel to help us, his readers, understand how the professional and personal relationships of Jesse and Sunny are closely connected with each other in many ways. Some of which, let's hope, may become permanent.

Followers of Robert Parker will be glad that this one was in the pipeline.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2010

Teaser Tuesday (February 23)

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading .



page 49 - I took the camera away from my eye to see a man walking towards us. He wore an old leather jacket, unzipped, and a black t-shirt with writing on it but I didn't notice what it said.

Week Eight - 44 to Go

Joe Pike with help from Elvis Cole uses the thieves' code of the Russian mob against one of its own organized criminal gangs.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2010

Auburn Correctional Facility

Construction of Auburn Prison, designed by J.O. Daniels of New York, began in 1816. After the north wing was constructed, convit labor fromlocal jails was brought in to work on the project. The administrative building was completed in 1818. The south wing and the front wing and wall were the last to completed, around 1823.

Today the front gate matches the style of the original prison.

1821

2004

Five years ago, correctional officers - both retirees and present officers - became disturbed when the original front wall was being torn down. The officers appealed to the stae and tried to have the front gates listed on the National Register. It was at this time the Cayuga County historian’s office was undertaking the Underground Railroad study for Cayuga County. Sheila Tucker, the Cayuga County historian, discovered that a dramatic rescue of a fugitive slave was made upon his release from the prison. This incident put the Auburn prison front gates on the National Underground Railroad site. The front gates subsequently were saved and restored.

Background provided by Sheila Tucker, Cayuga County historian

Teaser Tuesday (February 16)

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading .



p. 372 - “Yes,”Blomkvist said without hesitation. Martin was dafter than a syphilitic polecat - where do I get these metaphors from? - but he confessed to all the crimes he had committed.

Week Seven - 45 to Go

Overflowing with characters whose stories will stay with you long after you close the book.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2010

Preppie killer

Valentine's Day
Friday, February 14, 2003

The man who became notorious in the 1980s as the "preppie killer" when he strangled a young woman during a sexual encounter in New York's Central Park was released from prison Friday.

Robert Chambers -- dubbed the "preppie killer" by the New York media covering his trial for killing Jennifer Levin on August 26, 1986 -- left Auburn Correctional Facility at 7:15 a.m. after serving his full 15-year sentence for manslaughter.

Speculation now focuses on where Chambers will live and what he will do. The New York Post reported that following his release, Chambers plans to live outside New York City and counsel prison inmates.

Regardless of where he lives, Chambers' release from prison stirs up memories of the crime for Levin's family.

Jennifer Levin's death, splashed across New York City's tabloids in the summer of 1986, offered a glimpse into the lives of callow youths on Manhattan's Upper East Side bar scene.

The suspect, a college dropout, was Hollywood handsome. The victim was pretty, a private school student from a well-to-do family. And the defense -- consensual "rough sex" gone awry -- was startling.

Nothing that Chambers has done since going to jail in April 1988 has changed the negative perceptions of the 6-foot-4, dark-featured killer.

Chambers, now 36, accumulated violations behind bars, including heroin possession, assaulting a guard and weapon possession.

His bids for parole were rejected five times, and he spent about a third of his time in solitary confinement.

Chambers admitted strangling Levin after they met in a bar on the Upper East Side.

Her battered, partially naked body was found by a bicyclist under a tree behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art , where the pair went after leaving the bar.

At a 1995 parole hearing, Chambers expressed no remorse about the crime.

Chambers was about a month short of his 20th birthday when he was charged with murdering Levin.

Jurors were in their ninth day of deliberations when Chambers opted to take a deal, pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter in return for a 15-year jail term.

Levin's family never believed Chambers was sorry.

Shortly after his sentencing, a videotape surfaced showing Chambers snapping the head off a small doll. "Oops, I think I killed it," Chambers cracked, the doll's head in his hand.

After Chambers' incarceration, Levin's mother Ellen worked tirelessly to ensure he would serve the maximum sentence. She collected tens of thousands of signatures on petitions opposing his release, and was a constant presence at parole hearings.

His mother, Phyllis Chambers, had worked equally hard at getting her son out early.

(As reported by CNN)

West Middle School - Auburn NY

These photos were taken on August 18th and September 1st in the year 2000. These photos were intended for a lesson that was never developed.


East Side Frieze

East Side Entrance with Frieze

Science Metope

Science Metope

Arts Metope

Arts Metope

Wood Shop Metope

Shop Metope

Bird Monitoring

Montezuma Audubon Center

At 7:30 AM this morning, met up with Naturalist Dave Spier in the parking lot of Montezuma Audubon Center (MAC).

Dave and I went inside the center to await any late arrivals. Looking east through the foyer windows, Dave focused the lobby bird scope on a Red-tailed Hawk, which evidently perches out there every morning.

Red-tailed Hawks ©DaveSpier
These birds where photographed by Dave in December 2009

Peering out the French doors in the MAC conference room, we observed a variety of birds at the feeders. Jays, chickadees, downy woodpeckers (male & female), tree sparrows, mourning doves as well as a few starlings.

Since no one else appeared Dave and I headed out for a short walk through the woods. Dave pointed out a berry patch in the open field and a cluster of golden rod that the winter birds were using as cover. Dave also had me observe a gall.

Gall

Upon entering the wood a rabbit popped up just to the right of the trail. Dave took the opportunity to take a few photos. Dave then showed me a berry stem that the rabbits had gnawed. Amazing how the creature is able to chew around the thorns.

Further into the wood Dave identified the call of a Red-bellied Woodpecker. It was quite a distance away and difficult to lock in with our binoculars.

Continuing on the path after passing the observation deck we came to my favorite tree, the massive wolf tree.

Completing our walk we were greeted by two DEC workers who were shoveling out around the MAC.

While the bird count was meager the walk with Dave sharing his insights was most pleasant. Before returning home had breakfast at the Country House Restaurant.

Teaser Tuesday (February 9)

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading .



p. 8 - "Contrary to what you might assume. I did not become a detective on some quixotic quest to solve my childhood mystery."

Week Six - 46 to Go

This thriller examines a spectacularly dysfunctional family. Each member has something to hide.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2010

Teaser Tuesday (February 2)

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p. 29 - "He couldn't do it. A white deer is a sign, he said, and I knew that he was talking about my mother."

Week Five - 47 to Go

A grim installment of J. D. Robb’s first-rate series.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2010

Teaser Tuesday (January 26)

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p. 173 - "The world was different now, all right. Twenty-four-hour news channels told everyone what to think, what they should be concerned about."

Week Four - 48 to Go

Where is Slovenia? A strange inquiry on which to justify suicide. Paulo Coelho uses Veronika’s failed attempt to shock the reader into considering why life is really worth living. A short novel that packs a punch.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2010

Teaser Tuesday (January 19)

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading .




p. 67 - “I know, NYPD says prep, MPD says bandit. Can you give me a window on when she died?”

Week Three - 49 to Go

Kinsey Millhone as always comes forth as the sharp-tongued, observant loner that she is. The story takes place in 1988, with flashbacks to 1967, the "Summer of Love." Millhone solves the case and also reconciles the resentment regarding her family.

If this is your first experience reading a Sue Grafton mystery this read should hook you into checking out the other letters of the alphabet.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2010

Cayuga Community College Trail

On this bright winter afternoon I decided to rewalk the Cayuga Community College Trail.

Referencing Rich & Sue Freeman's Take a Hike! Family Walks in New York's Finger Lakes Region Guide Book (Footprint Press), parked at the coordinates below:
Location - N42° 56.727 - W76° 32.662

Stopped to admire the plaque honoring Ruth Sara Goldman.



After checking the lay of the land.



Proceeded down the path.



Came upon the first pond and checked out the bridge.




On a knoll overlooking the pond is a new red bench.




The Goldman swing can still be found on the northern lip of the pond.





Just to the right beyond the pond is an elevated wooden trail.



Came upon the second pond.




There are two bridges and a path on the east side of the pond.



There is a concrete bridge at the northwest corner of the pond. Under this bridge the runoff enters a third pond area.



Went down the path through the woods and detoured to the right for a look at the third pond.




Continuing on the trail came upon a rest area.



Walked east on the trail and passed by Andy, a former co-worker at WMS, and his black dog.



Approached the trail sign and followed the running trail.



Entering a clearing there on the path someone had left bird seed. Eating the seed were a dark eyed junco, a tree sparrow and a northern cardinal. Before I could take a photo another walker who was talking on his cell phone and his dog, Carter, enter the area and put the birds to flight.



Took an alternate path up through the woods. There I discovered an old growth tree.



Went toward the Y-split between the lily pond and a bridge to the main trail.





At the junction noticed this chicken wire protected acorn tree.



After crossing the bridge and entering an open area stopped to photograph my favorite Christmas tree.



Came to the last two bridges before returning to the entrance.



Sat for a moment before leaving.