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Wendy and Scott wedding in the barn.
There’s nothing like a wedding in a barn and this was a good one. My brother-in-law Scott Milligan got married to Wendy Schroff in a barn where they live outside Stroudsburg, Pa. The wedding was nice and the location was really cool. It took a lot of work to make the old barn ready for a wedding and it was worth the effort. More photos on Facebook.
Walter Choroszewski makes travel changes after our flight was delayed at Newark Airport.
The adventure has begun. I’m off to Alaska with friend and photographer Walter Choroszewski. We’re starting off a little shaky, our flight from Newark to Seattle was delayed two hours, meaning we’re going to miss our connection to Fairbanks. Instead, we’re going to Anchorage, arriving at 1 a.m. and then catching a 6 a.m. flight to Fairbanks. That means catching a few hours of sleep in the Anchorage airport, so tomorrow’s post will be groggy, but it will be from Alaska!
Bill and Lynda love Manhattan.
At the wedding reception of my niece Emily, my sister Lynda and her husband Bill, felt the love in the air with the Manhattan skyline in the background.
Nathaniel and Emily head off to the reception in a 1968 Checker cab.
My dear niece Emily is now happily married to Nathaniel Hare after a great wedding day.
The beautiful bride.
The ceremony was a beautiful affair in lower Manhattan. After the nuptials, the happy couple headed out to the reception in a classic 1968 yellow Checker cab.
A print of Boomer hangs in The Hungry Hound.
Down at The Hungry Hound, the pet boutique owned by Robin’s sister Penny in downtown Somerville, there is a very large photo of my old buddy Boomer. Boomer was a Bernese Mountain Dog who was a great friend, he always met me at the door, loved attention but wasn’t needy. He’d hang around me for a while then head off to another room to snooze by himself. I could take Boomer anywhere and not worry about him running off, he’d come when he was called and never wander very far. He had a great smile and would always make me laugh. Boomer got cancer when he was way too young and was gone within a month. He can still make me cry, but I still have his smile to keep me smiling.
Kitta beams while walking down the isle with husband Bardo.
Robin and I went to a special wedding of Robin’s former co-worker Kitta McPherson. Kitta’s first husband, Walter, died five years ago after being hospitalized for nine months after gastric bypass surgery. Walter was a special person, a gentle giant, who left a major hole in the life of Kitta and their three children. It took a long time for Kitta to function normally and her friends, even her, worried that she wouldn’t ever flash her happy smile again. So it was a special honor to be among the few friends who gathered to share the start of her new life and happiness with new husband Bardo.
A view of Promfret, Vermont.
Ducky on a trail.
Our Woodstock, Vermont neighbor, Ducky, took me this morning to some land her family has in Promfret, Vermont. We headed out at 5:30 a.m. to catch the early light of the day. Promfret is an area of Vermont that is still unspoiled. Development through the years has been minimal and people are proud of the land and fight to keep it pristine.
Ducky’s father bought the land in the 1950′s when it was mostly pasture. As the years have gone by, many of the pastures have gone to wooded areas. We hiked for several hours and up some pretty steep hills. We got to what she calls The Pinnacle, the top of a hill that has a great view over the Pomfret. It is a spectacular view and a special place.
Fog climbs up through the hills.
The sun sets while drivng home.
Today was Day 2 of the Coast The Coast bicycle ride to raise money for MS. It was again scheduled to be 85 miles. After riding 85 yesterday, I didn’t think I had the strength to make it that far again today. Teammates Kathy, Stephanie and I latched on to a pack of 20 riders from Team Trane in the morning and used the power of the pack to pull along at an 18 MPH pace. Using the same energy, I’d be going about 15, but there is strength in a pack. We were rolling along until we got to a rest stop. They took too long of a break, so the three of us headed out and thought we’d go a little slower until they caught up and then we’d fly again. They didn’t catch up by the time we got to the next rest stop and we pulled in. It wasn’t long until I saw Team Trane flying past the rest stop, so I yelled at Kathy and Stephanie and we took off to catch them. Stephanie sprinted and caught up. We were in a town and I had them in my sights but I couldn’t reel them in. Kathy got held up by car traffic at a stop sign, so she was behind me. I spent way too much energy trying to catch them and just when I thought I was there the Trane left town and really took off. I used much more energy trying to catch them than I would have saved being in the pack. It wasn’t long before we got to the lunch break and I thought I was done. I could barely get food and eat it. Fortunately, I ate the right things at lunch and got my energy back. I really thought I was done.
Just as we were ready to leave, I looked out the window and heavy rain was falling. Team Trane was lollygagging again, so we headed out to brave the rain. It was pretty hard for 10 minutes but let up and was intermittent for a couple of hours. Besides being cold and uncomfortable, rain makes the roads slick and it makes things stick to the tires. At mile 55, I felt my rear tire get soft. The other two were ahead of me and I pulled over to fix the flat. I found a good chunk of sea shell stuck in the tire, it took me longer than normal to change the tire but was soon on my way. That stretch of road was named Flat Alley but the support crews because of all shell pieces caught in tires. I heard one guy had five flats.
I spent most of the afternoon pedaling alone at a steady pace. MS does a great job of organizing the event, they paint arrows on the street so you know where to turn. I wasn’t paying attention and missed a turn. I realized it a couple of miles later when the road came to a dead end at the ocean. Not what I needed. I pedaled back but didn’t see any other cyclists and the road was too wide to see the small painted arrows. Finally I saw a cyclist make a turn about a quarter mile ahead of me so i got back on track and got in a few extra miles and rolled into to Cape May.
It was a great weekend, mainly because I was able to raise over $600 for MS thanks to the generosity of my friends. Thank you all. Next year I aiming for $1,000, so be ready.
On the way home, I realized I didn’t take any pictures all day, I guess I was too wet and tired. While driving up I-2t87, the sun gave me one peek for the day, so I pulled out my point-and-shoot and made a couple of shots over the steering wheel. Much better quality than yesterday’s iPhone shots. Time/speed report
Marilyn, Brian, Kathy and Stephanie on Long Beach Island.
The cool part of the ride was that Marilyn Dillon and Brian Horton invited the team to stay at their Long Beach Island home, which sure beat sleeping on a gymnasium floor with tons of smelly riders.
Stephanie, Kathy and Loren after finishing Day 1.
Somehow I thought it would be a good idea to ride my bike 170 miles in two days to raise money to fight MS. Thanks to the help of my friends, I raised over $600. The not-so-good idea was not getting into great shape before attempting the ride. I made it through the first day, but it wasn’t pretty. The last 20 miles was tough, but I got through with the help of teammates Kathy and Stephanie. Tomorrow is another day.
Penny, left, and Robin in downtown Somerville.
I had dinner tonight with Robin and her sister Penny at our favorite restaurant, Chao Phayo in Somerville. We call it “cheap Thai” because we can get out of there about as cheap as any place and the food is always good and plentiful. We go there at least once a week.
The only thing Robin doesn’t like about it is they have small wine glasses. She likes those big ones that fill up your hand. Robin hasn’t seen a wine glass that was too big. So she started taking her own wine glass to the restaurant. The owner, Apple, thought it was funny, so I suggested that the restaurant keep the glass. So now when Robin sits down, a large wine glass appears on the table.
Charles Morgan is ready for another race at the Special Olympics.
If you haven’t met Charles Morgan, you’re missing out on a great friend. Once Charlie knows you for 30 seconds, you’re his friend forever. Charles first came into my life nearly 20 years ago when he was the coverboy of the Courier News’ first Wish Book, a project I got going to raise money for less fortunate folks who have a need. My wife Robin wrote the story on Charlie. At that time he lived 20 miles away but he soon moved to Bridgewater and our phone hasn’t stopped ringing since. He has become part of the family, joining us for most holiday and birthday celebrations.
Today was the local Special Olympics and Charlie is a regular participant. He blazed down the track in his motorized wheelchair and got third in his obstacle course race. Charlie has a case full of medals from the Olympics and now he has more to add.
Dinner at Beana's in Rahway, NJ, with Brian Horton and Marilyn Dillon.
Three years ago on Tax Day I got one of those horrific phone calls you hope you never get. I was driving back to NJ from Vermont when my friend Brian Horton called. I had helped Brian take his wife, my co-worker, Marilyn Dillon to the hospital after she had a major MS attack. She had been doing fine in the hospital but on that Sunday her kidneys essentially exploded. Brian could barely talk as he tried to tell me what was going on. The doctors were fairly sure she wouldn’t make it through the night. I was about three hours away from the hospital and got there in two hours.
Brian was distraught, as could be expected. They finally took Marilyn into surgery later that evening. She was in a coma and they let me and Brian go along as they rolled her to the operating room. Robert Wood Johnson hospital in New Brunswick is one of the best around and the building is a combination of new additions and old brick buildings. We wound through the bowels of the old part, with hallway so narrow two beds couldn’t pass. We got to the OR door, which was as far as they would let Brian and I go. We both stood there, not knowing what to do next as we waiting for the door to open. Finally, they came out to take Marilyn inside.
Forever etched in my mind was the look on Brian’s face as he kissed his bride. It was the unmistakable look of a man thinking this may be the last kiss he ever gives his wife. It ripped my heart out.
Today Robin and I were lucky to have dinner with Marilyn and Brian. She was in a coma for months and in the hospital for seven months. She fought harder than anyone I had ever seen. She is still fighting and showed off tonight by walking from the car to the restaurant using her walker rather than taking the wheelchair. You can read their blog about her amazing journey here. She is great fun and an inspiration. Frequently when I’m feeling lousy I stop to think “What would Dillon do?” The answer always gives me a reason to press on. Thank you Marilyn.
Robin and Loren on top of Mt. Peg in Woodstock, Vt.
I’m married to Robin Gaby Fisher. I’m one lucky guy. It is coming up on 20 years of luck.
Robin spent the weekend at our Vermont home, I had to stick around NJ for some work. I took this photo last fall after we went to the top of Mt. Peg, which is a nice hike from our Woodstock house.
Robin took Sophie, one of our Bernese Mountain Dogs with her, leaving the newcomer, Zian, with me. When she got home this evening, Sophie came to greet me in the garage, so I let her into the yard, closed the door to the garage but it didn’t close all the way. Zian wanted to see Robin, so he opened the door and saw the big garage door was open. Sophie was right behind as they took off for the neighbor’s yard and the chase was on.
I caught Zian but Sophie headed for the street. I thought Zian would stay with Robin and took off after Sophie. Zian must have thought that was fun because he ran faster than Sophie through the neighborhood. Robin gets more excited than me when these events occur and I tried to calm her down in a rather rude way. After a good run we caught the dogs.
Robin’s passion is always right on the surface. She is always concerned about the innocents who can’t fend for themselves, especially animals. That’s what I love, her passion. She doesn’t do anything half-way. It is full-blown whether it is taking care of dogs, getting a great interview or thinking two caps of laundry detergent must be better than one.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Loren Fisher has been a professional photographer for over 35 years. He has published books on Pope John Paul II and Branson, Missouri. He is completing his latest book on the 109 covered bridges of Vermont and is founder and editor of Somerville NJ news site SomervilleToday.com
