Lake House!!

The drive from Vermont to The Lake House was remarkable; but then again, most everything I have laid my eyes on in the last several days has been pure eye candy. Upstate New York’s backdrop is an assemblage of green rolling hills, old-fashioned farm homes with roadside produce stands, and towns that will charm the socks off you. Nothing here seems bizarre or strange – everything seems calm, cool, and collective – a picturesque slice of unrefined countryside which beats to an antique rhythm. The trees are beginning to show their fall colors, and just being here gives me a hankering for a slice of American apple pie and a glass of lemonade. We make our way West across Highway 20 towards Erieville, New York, and the anticipation to see our friends is causing me to twitch with excitement.

First-class friends can often seem to exist few and far between, and the lines of separation between them seem to increase as the roads that disconnect us grow farther apart. Those possessing the qualities which comprise a high-quality companion are hard to come by on the road less traveled, and as the days pass Jarvis and I pine for our people back home. San Francisco seems to exert a magnetic pull on marvelous individuals – they seem to arrive on the scene daily with unconscious goals of enlightening one another’s minds and expanding the limits of what each of us thought humanly possible in this life. Over the last several years, we have been awfully fortunate to have stumbled upon one of the greatest webs of human beings, and a handful of my darlings will be spending the next week with us at the Neuburger Lake House on Lake Tuscarora.

We arrived on Beebe Road Saturday afternoon and were greeted by the family on the front porch. The lake – jumping with boats, kayakers, jet skis, and geese – rested in the background. The warm summer sun glittered on the lake’s surface and skipped across the small breaks in the waves. Fresh cut lawns roll downward and kiss the water’s edge as the smell of the fresh green clippings hang in the air above our sweet teas and gin tonics. The Neuburgers are a high spirited family who invite us into their home with smiles. Their generosity and kindheartedness is wowing. Every evening they indulge us with a gourmet dinner spread, and I am thrilled to sit around a table and eat as a family. I cherish the fact that I’m in the presence of a mom and dad that adore their children and live for the moments like these when they get to spend quality time as one – it makes me miss Pops and Mamma T.


For the next five days we strait chilled out at the Lake House. Michael, Samantha, Mikk, Gwen, Jarvis, and I (sometimes with an influx of a cousin/neighbor) had a fun filled week. Late morning sun baths were taken out on the lawn. Swim sessions were frequent and usually involved floats, water balloons, and squirt guns. Ladder golf games were had with Jarvis and Mikk undefeated for the majority of the week. Wakeboarding, skiing, and dance parties transpired on the boat and girls wakeboarding day was a success. Jarvis and I rode bikes around the lake one morning and my legs felt like Jello afterwards. Food, cold beers, bonfires, and starry-filled skies filled the evenings with laughter, stories and good times. Gwen thinks its epic.

Thursday afternoon we packed up shop and Mikey drove us to Syracuse for a night out on the town. First stop was Dinosaur Bar-B-Q which we’ve been hearing about for several years. A bucket of PBR tall cans, rib racks, pulled pork sandwiches, and endless amounts of sides later, we all agree that it’s some of the best that we have had. We wet-nap our hands and drag our fat asses out to the car so we can head to the New York State Fair. It was a bit hot out, and my slight beer buzz is intensifying the warmth radiating from the thousands of bodies walking around the grounds. From one reference point during the day all I could see around me were food carts advertising their greasy, sugary creations – all the things that we all look oh-so-forward to eating each year when the carnies come to town. Michael and his brother conquered the Ejection Seat, and just watching them go sky-high gets me a bit motion sick. After watching several launches we are ready for THE MAIN EVENT. The primary reason we’re here is to see the RUSH concert with the crew and a bunch of the Neuburgers (who are coincidently one of the biggest Rush families I have ever met). The whole night was a frigin’ blast and there are too many good times and memories to exactly be summed up here. Good times, Rock n’ Roll.

It’s Saturday afternoon and we have officially been here getting our lazy on for an entire week. Hurricane Earl blew a storm in last night and the air outside is crisp. It feels nice to wear a sweater and gander out the window at the sleepy sky resting overhead. The family is gone at the Sister’s wedding for the day and the lake house has become a sleepy, snacky, game and couch potato kind of day. The campfire got a bit late last night followed by energized flower girls parading around the kitchen early this morning. Needless to say, we are all a bit on the mellow tip. Spaghetti, meatballs, Italian sausage, and salads are on the menu for supper this evening. The SF Crew will part ways tomorrow but we will meet again in the City.

Our time here has been as sweet as maple syrup – delectable and wondrous like a husk cherry. We will be in Minnesota with Jarvis’ family by midweek, and he is super stoked to see his people. I’m a bit sad to leave the friends and lake behind, but I’m stoked to visit my new family too. The heartland is on the horizon.