Here is the obituary for my brother's wife, Chi, who was killed when she crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic on Route 32 in Cornwall-on-Hudson and struck two cars head-on. She was ejected from the car but, apparently, the car was in unsurvivable condition. Tragic.

MARIANNE "CHI" WILSON-MILLER Salisbury Mills, N.Y. Marianne “Chi” Wilson-Miller of Salisbury Mills, died tragically in a motor vehicle accident on November 15, 2006 in Cornwall. She was 49. The daughter of John L. Wilson and Mary Kissick Wilson. She was born and raised in New Castle, Pa. Marianne received her Bachelors in Science from West Virginia Wesleyan University and her Masters in Science from Virginia Tech. Marianne was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Washingtonville and President of their Women's Association, the American Dietetic Association, Daughters of the American Revolution, Order of Eastern Star, Former member of V.F.W. Ladies Auxiliary, Keyport, N.J., former den leader in Pack 717, Washingtonville, former member and Secretary for Blooming Grove/Washingtonville Rotary Club, she received the Girl Scout Gold Award. Survivors include her loving husband, Robert T. Miller of Salisbury Mills; son, Kelson S. Miller; stepson, Kevin S. Miller; father John L. Wilson of Salisbury Mills; brother, William L. Wilson of Pittsburgh, Pa.; sister-in-law, Karen E. Miller of New Windsor; cousins, Leah Kissick of Pa., David Updegraff of Ohio, John Updegraff of Conn., and Kurt Updegraff of Ohio. She was predeceased by her mother, Mary K. Wilson. Visitation will be on Sunday, November 19, 2006 from 2–6 p.m. and on Monday, November 20, 2006 from 2–4 and 7–9 p.m. at the David T. Ferguson Funeral Home, 20 North Street in Washingtonville. Funeral Services will be on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 12 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Washingtonville with a burial to follow in the Washingtonville Cemetery in Washingtonville. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation of Greater New York, Attn: Jessie Thompson, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016 or the First Presbyterian Church of Washingtonville. Funeral arrangements under the Direction of David T. Ferguson Funeral Home.

Big deal!? You bet. Last Thanksgiving, I was so weak I wasn't able to walk more than fifty yards without needing to stop to hold my head up with my hands because my neck was so weak it couldn't support my head. I had periods of double vision and couldn't chew or swallow. I had lost about 30 pounds and lived on milkshakes.

This Thanksgiving, I was able to do all my yard work, clean up my garage, level the dirt floor and lay down plywood for a real floor. Yeah, it's a big deal, and I want to thank the likes of George Bush and Rush Limbaugh - undoubtedly two of the greatest minds of the 21st Century - for their compassion and vision in their support for the type of medical research responsible for the minor miracle that has given me another chance: stem cell research. From now on, my medical consultant, Mr. Limbaugh, will help me adjust and time the doses of medicine that help me live so well. Michael J. Fox and I take our hats off to you, Rush!

New York State Capitol After Election of New Governor

Glorious day for a trip!

Along Route 112 - Ashfield, Massachusetts

Typical November New England Day, Saltbox Farmstead

Buckland, Massachusetts

Some Color Still - Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Riverside Shops - Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Lunch, 2006, in a "hotspot bistro"

Shelburne Falls - Autumn

Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters


Swamp, Dusk - Route 116, Plainfield, Massachusetts

I am so delighted when I awake to a beautiful Sunday morning. Today was such a morning and the day only got better. Decided to take the GS (Orion) out for a ride through the hills, make a few pictures and blog them. I'm finding more and far-flung coffee shops and bistros with hotspots from which I can access the world. Shelburne Falls has a couple and I even found a coffee house in Jamaica, Vermont with a hotspot. Jamaica is truly in the middle of nowhere, as the saying goes.

I'm hoping that the weather stays like this right through New Year's, then two weeks of snow, followed by spring. :)

Last Light - Albany, New York

Oh, the fun you can have with cell phones!