Quick Trip to the 'Dacks

I made a quick trip last weekend to the Adirondacks, to visit my friend Z. We met in Ann Arbor in the early 80s while we both in (different) grad schools and we also both worked in the University Libraries. I went on to jobs in Ohio and then Chicago, finally ending up here in DC. Z went on to jobs in New Jersey and Philadelphia, and finally ended up with her husband north of Albany, in a self-built cabin on the edge of the Adirondacks. Each of those way stations for us provided opportunities to stay connected, not always a given in the pre-internet mobile young adult days. NJ was on the way for me to drive to Bellport, Chicago was on the way to Z's family in Madison Wisconsin, and Z's job took her to DC once or twice a year. So we visited each other's families for holidays, and have a deep connection that was renewed and expanded often.

Z and her husband picked a place to live based on a preferred lifestyle of an outdoors life, and the jobs in unrelated fields came along after, to make it all possible. They have an annual family camping trip in early October to a lake in the park. For 35 years, both kids, a new spouse, and the two (now) old folks haven't missed a year.  I admire their commitment to the lifestyle. And both kids (about the same age as my "kids") have jobs that use the skills and knowledge they developed from all those years outdoors.

But I hadn't been back to the 'Dacks since the weekend before September 11, 2001. (For obvious reasons, the date is easy to remember.) Twenty-five years! I'd last seen her husband in 2007, when the whole family came down and we took my boat across the Bay for a night. And Z's trips to DC dried up with the pandemic and her subsequent retirement, so it had been quite a while since an in-person catch up. 

There is a trail along a ridge below the top, just visible
We hiked along the trail and the top

Quick and easy flight on Southwest from Baltimore to Albany, and a scenic drive up to their cabin. So nice to see them! We hung out, visited the NY State museum in Albany, took a hike on a glorious cold golden day, went to newly bougie Saratoga Springs for dinner and some old-timey string band music (their other passion), watched a movie on Netflix, and mostly hung out. Z and I are both avid readers, and we were constantly giving each other recommendations. Her husband is a fan of Arctic and Antarctic exploration, and we watched some short videos and documentaries. I've promised to send a photo from the Drake Passage. 

Z is also an accomplished sewist. She has always made a lot of her own clothes, and those for her kids. One of her current specialities is Hawaiian shirts. When her daughter got married last year, Z made shirts for the entire wedding party (not for the ceremony). Z's niece, who attended, has since asked for shirts for her wedding this spring- she will supply the fabrics, but Z will do the rest. Z is also newly much more into quilting, so we spent some happy hours in her sewing room, looking at fabrics and designs. I was so happy to have someone I could ask many questions! Our specific tastes are different, but we've always been able to celebrate our different takes on the world.

Very nice to renew the connection!