So Much Snow. So Very Much Snow...

Last I saw, we've received 41.7 inches of snow so far in 2010 in Rochester.  That's just 10 inches away from the record snowfall in December with expectations near 60 inches total for the month.  As for the "Golden Snowball Trophy" Syracuse is in the lead with 55 inches.  "What is this trophy?" you ask.  Well, it's a nature driven competition between Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton, and Albany to see who gets the most snow.  Go to http://www.goldensnowball.blogspot.com/ for more information/



Oh bike.  How I won't see you until June.



It's been a long time since I've lived in a snowy climate.  Chicago gets snow, but not like Rochester or Muskegon.  What makes winter awful there is the bone chilling wind off the plains or Lake Michigan and the complete lack of wintertime activities because they have flat land as far as you can drive.  Maybe my wife will get me a sled for christmas...






So, I had 4 job interviews in a week.  All seemed to go well and were interesting in their own ways.  Certainly won't hear anything about them until after the holidays and the 2010 budgets are done.  Megan is out shopping tonight for gifts.  She'll be done by Modern Family is on.  Buffalo this weekend for dinner and It's A Wonderful Life on the big screen.  


I'm off to draw some pictures or something...

The New East Wing of the Eastman Theatre

The Eastman Theatre had their Grand Opening Dedication Concert for the new East Wing last night http://www.esm.rochester.edu/evolution/.  Above is a sculptural glass work by artist Dale Chihuly: http://www.chihuly.com/

Outside of the Eastman Theatre in downtown Rochester

New entrance to the East Wing 

The party

The food

the music

Kodak Hall (formerly Eastman Theatre)

During the construction, the theatre was also renovated

More views of the Dale Chihuly glass sculpture

Lots going on these days.  I've had three job interviews in the last week.  Interviewing seems to be my full time job, which is a good sign.  Dog sitting this weekend.  Going to Buffalo to see It's a Wonderful Life on the big screen next week.  Another job interview on Monday.  Lots of Christmas stuff to do.  So, keeping very busy...

It Isn't X-Mas Until They Light the Liberty Pole

In Rochestarian tradition, they lit the Liberty Pole for x-mas.  If you are like me, you ask "what does a pole have to do with liberty?"  Apparently, during the American Revolution cities that supported the cause would erect a wooden pole in their main squares.  Before this pole, there were two wooden ones at this site.  Here is a link to an overly exaggerated history: http://www.thelibertypole.org/history/history.htm


Here comes the tuba!



Festivities inside the warm Sibley Department Store Building



COUNTDOWN TO LIGHTING THE LIBERTY POLE!



TA-DA!






Megan and I's first Liberty Pole lighting together



The snow looks like stars



The parade to Manhattan Square Park



Rochester Mayor (Lieutenant Governor Elect of New York State) Bob Duffy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Duffy_(politician)) with Megan's friend Erica and her son Noah.  It's really nice to talk with a mayor of a city and he thanks you for moving to his town.  Well, you are welcome.  



Western New York is a lot like western Michigan.  I forgot what it was like to never see the snow stop falling...



Megan and I looking for the perfect Christmas Wreath for our little home at the Public Market






MEGAN FOUND IT!


Other than a couple of job interviews and finding out Megan is directly related to William the Conqueror, that's about it.  Now to watch the Bills...

CONGRATS TO MEGAN!!!

CONGRATS!!!

I promise this will be the last congrats to Megan on her job situation.  Promise...  She was the interim executive director of the Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation (Xerox Family).  Then, was offered the Event Coordinator position at another great organization on a permanent basis.  Well, she did such a great job at the Wilson Foundation that they decided to not let her go.  She'll be the permanent Executive Director from now on.  So, everyone send Megan your best wishes as this is an opportunity of a lifetime.  I'm proud of you!

Don't Tell Dumbledore Our Sorting Hats Are For Muggles...

I'm now Twit-able.  Please go to http://twitter.com/MikeKrausBlog if you'd like these updates on your phone or whatever.  The same still goes for the Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Kraus-The-Blog/148570945185850



Pete at the JCPenney in "the mall" of Batavia, NY waiting to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One.  Word...



Sarah, Megan, and Pete in playing with knit hats at JCPenney since we got to the theatre really, really early.  Megan and I are use to getting tickets really early for Harry Potter IMAX in Chicago, which you have to fight for.  Batavia is not Chicago...



I had to join in with my frog hat.  



Megan and Sarah squealing about the snowmen in the rest of "the mall."


 
The Channing H. Philbrick (Linear) Park in Penfield, NY.  Megan and I live in the Panorama Plaza area, which is surrounded by parks.  So, we decided to check out this one which is a couple of blocks from our place behind the Home Depot.



Philbrick was a former Town Supervisor of Penfield, NY and the park features Irondequoit Creek, which drops 90 feet in a one mile stretch of class III whitewater cascades.  The area was first known as Sgoh-sa-is-thah (smashing water against rock) by the Iroquois and later became a mill and factory center around 1795 when Daniel Penfield purchased the township that now bears his name.  This settlement lost its importance when milling around the High Falls in downtown Rochester started.  The land was later converted to a sewage treatment plant that dumped right into the creek.  It was removed and is the park we know today.



A nice hobo gazebo on an island in the middle of the creek






We saw giant Salmon carcasses and this bend.  We just missed their run this year.  These are clay cliffs that seem to have a lot of homes for little animals.






The bridge at Washington Street



Megan with her feet dangling off the edge watching the falls



Washington Street Bridge






A strange cascade/fall.  Not sure if this is natural or manmade.  It's a really long, perfectly straight falls.  It may be manmade since it's so close to the milling area.  Then again, the whole area is a milling area.  So...






Foundation of one of the many old mills in the area



This appears to be an artificial waterfall runs for one of the old mills






Wonky bridge 



Shelley Bridge.


So, a lot of nature shots these days.  Probably because I haven't lived near anything natural since I started college in 1999.  We'll stay in Rochester for Thanksgiving.  The Lions should get destroyed by the Patriots.  We'll see how the Cowboys can handle the Saints.  And staying as far away from anything retail-oriented for the next week as people go Christmas Crazy.