IC 25

It was Carey's turn to traipse down Memory Lane this weekend at her 25th Ithaca College Reunion. We had glorious weather on arrival day, Friday, then mostly overcast with drizzle on Saturday and a lovely day today when we departed. Managed to cram quite a bit into the just-under-48-hours trip. In mostly hyperlinked, chronological order: Lunch at Ithaca Bakery, a hike to Taughannock Falls, check-in at the new-to-us (2011) $65M Athletics & Events Center, student presentations in the "Park Tank" (think "Shark Tank" with smaller stakes, but student business ideas, "Park" being the last name of the gentleman who paid to have his name on their first-class Communications school), a walk through campus (tunnels everywhere -- the modern IC student barely has to go outside in winter!), the Golden Doorknob Awards (too hard to explain, but click the link. Amazing stuff.), dinner at Luna Inspired Street Food, nightcap at the Marriott while watching those miracle Nats beat the Cardinals in Game 2. Saturday dawned with a trip to Collegetown Bagels, then a drive up the hill from our airbnb to campus for a brunch reception with the college prez, a costly visit to the Campus Bookstore, one half of the football game vs. Buffalo State (Ithaca crushed 'em, 48-14), a drive over to Cornell University to bring Max good luck on his college applications and to check out a couple suspension bridges over Fall Creek, linner at Souvlaki House, a student theater production of Everybody on the main stage of The Dillingham Center and then a quick appearance at the alumni "dance/reception." Sunday was breakfast at Waffle Frolic and a lovely 3-hour ride home through the autumnal hills of west/central NY.

The star of the show, somehow as beautiful as the day we married 20 years ago!

Wait! You buried the lead! Yes, it was also our anniversary weekend, and blog readers, all of whom were in attendance, will remember that we were married on 10/10/99 in Ithaca. Twenty years later, Carey bought me this ring to replace the $100 white gold band I've worn for half of our marriage. This one has a diamond in the middle flanked by two sapphire slivers, kind of the reverse of the one I designed in Fort Collins, Colo., two decades ago. Vera Wang liked my style and ripped it off as part of her "Love" collection. It's beautiful and I am not worthy.

The Dillingham fountains -- legend has it that seniors strip down to their party pants during Finals Week and jump in.

Former Ithaca College President J.J. Whalen's "Turtle Bridge" - I don't really know the story, but Carey liked him as a leader when she was a student there and I like the composition of her iPhone photo.

The lucky couple in front of an aptly seasonal wall.

A quick morning hike at Cascadilla Gorge, just steps from our airbnb.

That's yoga. I think.

Had to be done.

We hadn't eaten in about 10 hours. Can you tell? This is that Luna place.

Carey with a pair of her IC besties, the Adler twins, Phyllis & Mona (left to right)

The sun was not where it should be for fine photography.

The base of Taughannock Falls. That's as close as they let you get after some falling rock deaths in the last century or so.

With fellow grad Ilka, now an administrator at Emerson College in Boston.

Undoubtedly my finest photo of the weekend. Probably destined for Shutterfly framing.