48 powerless hours and two chilly nights where the temperature in our home hit the 40's can affect a guy. Like many people who lost power in the worst October snowstorm ever to hit Westchester County, we had to "camp" a little in our home, getting acclimated with flashlights, candles, sleeping bags and fireplaces. Two powerless nights were rough in different ways; the first night was out of routine for the children, especially Gregory, who is on the spectrum for autism. The second night was better for the kids, even a bit more fun, but virtually sleepless for me, because it was bloody cold and I was constantly feeding the fireplace every 90 minutes for some ambient heat.  With the lights out in our neighborhood that long, we decided that even after power returned that the kids should tr... 10/31/2011

Milky Way        Earth                                                                                            USA                                                                                         New York                                                                           Westchester                                                                     Briacliff Manor                                          Chilmark                                                The Faranda House Seoul, Korea, to Rego Park, Queens, to Ossining, NY to Briarcliff Ossining to 7 other places in 4 other states to Ossining again to Briarcliff   10 years, 4 kids, one moderately sovent business, a dog, and a million bajillion gajillion dollars in debt later, we still smile.    09/29/2011

When I was a kid I had a Murray 5-speed bike with a banana seat and high handlebars, and I would ride between my neighborhood, Ossining's Indian Village, and Chilmark, across Pleasantville Road on the other side of Ossining Resevoir. Homes in Chilmark were bigger and nicer than my own. While I rode through those streets I dreamed that someday I'd live there. When I was in high school and ran after wrestling practice at night, I'd run through Chilmark because the hills weren't too rough and there were never any cars to avoid. It's funny how a place can be good for you for different reasons at different ages.  Chilmark was built in the early 60's, and is now a very mature community of tree lined streets with beautiful colonials, capes and ranches on spacious lots. It is the sort of place ... 03/24/2010