If my Alma Mater invites me to return “to the mother ship,” as my fellow alums of a certain ‘booming’ era call it, I’m likely to respond with a “heck yes, let me see if there is a direct flight.” And so, just days after my trip to Kansas City, I found myself back at Washington National Airport. The 1889 Society at the State University of New York at Oneonta was holding its annual Holiday Reception and that meant a chance for me to see the campus I love and spend several hours more in Canadian Regional Jets. To be honest, though, American Airlines has significantly upped its game and the brief flight from Washington to Albany, New York was as pleasant as could be, featuring one of the nicest flight attendants I have had had serve me on a domestic flight in years.

What the…It’s Snowing in Albany!

One never travels North in December without suitable outerwear, but the shock was real, as I left the passenger terminal to pick up my rental car. Below is a picture of me, suitably bundled up and wearing my new Kansas City hat as I stand in front of my rental in the airport garage, thinking how pleasant it will be to have Sirius Radio to keep me company through the mountains, as I drive West to Oneonta.

Only moments later, as I pulled over on a side road to adjust the radio, were my hopes temporarily dashed when I discovered that Sirius had not be made available except for purchase. Luckily, I remembered that my personal Sirius account was available through my Android phone (some readers will recall the great London phone heist of late October, now (luckily0, a memory). So, after some fiddling with wires, I had the companionship of radio broadcasts all the way down to Oneonta, as snow squalls chased me in the late morning greyness.

Most of the journey from Albany is made on Interstate Highway-88 (I-88). During the other three seasons of the year, it can be a breathtakingly beautiful drive through a glorious section of the Catskill Mountains with vistas of hills and mountains, verdant green in summer, filled with pinks, yellows, and purples in Spring, and all the palate of Autumn leaves during that season. Unfortunately, Winter is pretty much grey. The highway was quite empty though, so the trip was pretty uneventful. Of course, vigilance is necessary because the deer will get you if you are not careful.

A Piece of My Heart Remains Here Always.

My first stop upon coming off of I-88, was the Courtyard Marriott, where I would be staying for two nights. It sits on a hilltop on the opposite side of I-88 from the business district in Oneonta.

The hotel was lovely. The staff was absolutely great. My room was very nice. I have stayed at the hotel before, but I must say that like American Airlines, this place has upped its game too.

A Slate Grey Oneonta Day-Wednesday Afternoon Visit to Campus

SUNY Oneonta has acronyms. For the best part of half a century, we referred to the institution as “SUCO,” the acronym for the State University of New York College of Arts and Sciences at Oneonta (later shortened to the State University of New York College at Oneonta). We pronounced the long U and O while SUNY College at Oswego which was also SUCO used the short U and the long O. All went along fine until a lttle over a year ago when SUCO was granted University status within the SUNY system. So now it is SUNY-O until we can think of something better. As for the weather, the snow continued to flurry and to use the term my friend Duke coined, it was a slate grey Oneonta day.

I did a quick reconnoiter of Red Dragon Outfitters to see if any new merchandise was in. I did get the first view of a new Alumni Tee Shirt that will sell like hotcakes on Alumni Weekend this year. I also made my first of two visits to the on-campus Starbucks that is temporarily located across the hall from Red Dragon Outfitters in part of a space that once sold (the now archaic) textbooks. Starbucks, I understand will eventually move back into the Hunt Student Union, once extensive renovations are completed there.

I next had to pick up my parking pass from the newly renovated Alumni Hall. The building was, through my junior year on campus, the original Milne Library. To get there, I drove down the road that separates the majority of the dormitories and dining halls from the academic and administrative buildings. As I mentioned in a message to a friend that day, whenever I see the dorms for the first time on a return to campus, particularly my freshman year residence, I get a frisson. I feel as i did when I was a student, a type of excitement with the world and the possibility it holds.

The Main Events

Thursday dawned cold with a slight frosting of snow. I had time to get a walk around part of the campus before I thought my feet would freeze. Then I had a lunch meeting to discuss, among other things, my class’s upcoming 50th reunion in 2025. I was also given a tour of the newly renovated Alumni Hall. The facilities are fantastic. As always, the Director of Alumni Engagement and the Vice President for College Advancement, two incredibly hard working, incredible people (and people who have become dear friends of mine) provided me with many interesting insights and great discussion, as well as a good lunch.

The pillars from Old Main still held up the front entrance of that grand old Victorian building, the original home of the Oneonta Normal School, from which the university grew. Tragically, a fire in the 1970s caused damage too severe to save the structure, but the pillars were brought here. There is now a tradition of students passing through the pillars as they begin and end their studies. See an old photo of the grand old building below.

Another monumental reminder on the quad is the one in the picture below, honoring SUNY Oneonta graduates lost in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

The above two photos are just two reminders of the passage of time since the happy years I spent on this wonderful campus. But perhaps the happiest and most important memory I took away from this visit was the 1889 Society’s Holiday Reception in the lovely Welcome Center on campus. This event is a chance to mingle with faculty, staff, students and other alumni who are members of the society, and we get entertained by students, including the university’s A Capella group “Hooked on Tonics.”

The incredible Gerry Raymonda took photos at the event. I suspect they will be available on SUNY Oneonta social media.

Over Too Soon

Another uneventful drive back to Albany on Friday morning. I said farewell to the Empire State.

Sorry this took so long. No excuse beyond the usual, jet lag and idleness.

A Long-Anticipated Oneonta Visit

The Final Chapter started with the arrival of Gwen Schuster, a longtime friend I know through SUNY Oneonta. Gwen and I first formally met when we served together on the Alumni Board of our alma mater a few decades ago. I had known her before as “that red haired lady who always won some golf contest at the alumni weekend golf tournament”. She knew me as one of the Class of ’75 alums who came back every year and were known for our class spirit. Gwen’s late husband Rudy and I had become friends too. He had an interest in all things nuclear and he and I would have great chats at various alumni dinners over the years. This was Gwen’s first solo trip since Rudy’s passing and I was thrilled to be able to welcome her to London on the morning of her arrival. Gwen continues to represent the class of 1963 with charm and panache.

Liseta Carmi Photography at the Esoterick Collection

I always try to visit the Esoterick Collection, one of London’s smaller modern art venues during my annual sojourn. About two weeks back, I realized I had not yet been there. I went online and saw that it had a rather provocative exhibition on and decided I would choose a morning and go up there to see “Liseta Carmi Identities. Ms Carmi died at 98 in 2022. The exhibit focused on her photos of Genoa Italy’s population of people who today would be called transgendered, transsexual or cross-dressers. In those days, such distinctions were not made. The other part of the exhibit focused on the social issues of the working people of Italy and how they did their work. The picture above is one of the ones on display as are the ones below. The community of people welcomed Ms Carmi and her photos somehow showed such openness and kindness to them. Similarly, her photos on the subject of working people are quite remarkable. The final picture is from a video that was shown of the late artist at the end of her life, unadorned and quite satisfied to discuss her many accomplishments.

No More Pennies for the Guy

The coming of Autumn used to be the time of bonfires and children making a Guy Fawkes to be paraded around the streets on Bonfire Night (November 5th) with requests for “a penny for the Guy.” Now, however, it’s all about Halloween. Here are two pictures of the decorations at the Tube Station near the Esoterick Gallery and in Brunswick Centre, the local shopping precinct near the flat I rented.

Backstairs Billy

I had booked tickets for this production back in the late Spring knowing very little about it. I knew it was about Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and a servant of whom she was very fond. I, of course, assumed it would be like Queen Victoria and Mr. Brown, and all be very tasteful and proper. Boy, was I wrong! Well, not completely. Billy (William Talon), starting at age 15, rose through the ranks at Clarence House, the Queen Mother’s home, after she was widowed at 55, to become “Page of the Backstairs,” Her Majesty’s most trusted aide. He keeps the house looking as if it is still in Edwardian times and does his best to keep the Queen Mother who went from being the best known and loved woman in the UK and Empress of India, to being a widow whose family didn’t have much time for her, happy and amused. The Queen Mother made it quite clear early on that she had no problem with Billy’s sexuality or that there would be “two queens” in Clarence House. In fact, she is portrayed very sympathetically as a rather jolly lady who enjoyed a gin and a dance with Billy. He was allowed to “take liberties” and even do impressions of Princess Margaret and the then Prince Charles. He did make one serious blunder of getting caught by one of the “bean counters” from Buckingham Palace when he brought a ‘rent boy’ to Clarence House. But the Queen Mother meted out her own punishment and then forgave him. He was with her until she died at 102.

Rainy Days

The last nine days featured a good amount of rain. In order to make sure I made my step count on one of those days, I visited the British Museum, (in the neighborhood) and walked through its upper floors. Along the way, I came across some interesting mosaics and ceramics that I thought I might share.

King Lear

The above picture might say all that needs to be said. Branaugh was bigger than life, as one reviewer put it, overenunciating every word. But he was good, very good. In my own cynical way, I had to notice that the Lear daughters, a multi-cultural trio of outstanding actors were obviously from different mothers. The story, I think most of us know. A ridiculously bloody tale, with the typical Shakespearean bodies all over the stage ending. But the staging was good. Minimalist in set decoration and an almost pre-historic feel to the costuming.

It was a wonderful last performance to see, and I had hopes for the trifecta of Backstairs Billy on Friday, Lear on Saturday (matinee) and my final visit to Wigmore Hall for one last Classical Blast on Sunday.

The Last Concert at Wigmore that Wasn’t (or The Great Phone Heist)

At the risk of repeating myself to many of you, at this late date, a lovely Sunday morning dawned, and I got an early start for my walk to Wigmore Hall from my flat. I like to arrive early and have time for a coffee and croissent at the restaurant in the lower level of Wigmore Hall. I was enjoying the crisp morning air, but Google Maps kept cutting out on my earbuds and so I would take my phone out of my trouser pocket to make sure it was working, and that the problem wasn’t my earbuds. I took the phone out, noticed that I was .7 miles from Wigmore Hall and suddenly a bicyclist came from behind me, in between me and the plate glass window of a large building and grabbed my phone. He was gone in seconds. The man was dressed head to toe in black with a black ski mask and black gloves. I was annoyed more than surprised, as phone theft is a major problem in London. Usually, though, the streets I walk on are so busy a maneuver like his would not have been possible.

I did complete my walk to Wigmore Hall, but rather than go to the concert, I went looking for the Mobile phone stores on nearby Oxford Street, a major shopping district, but they wouldn’t open until Midday on a Sunday. Luckily, I had a backup pay-as-you-go UK phone that allowed me to let some local friends know. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get through to T-Mobile, but good old Google saved my bacon, and I was able to “brick” my phone through them. My biggest worry was not being able to contact the fellow that drives me to and from Heathrow Airport. I had a feeling, though, that he would show up, based on our previous agreement and he did! He and I now have all forms of communication instead of just WhatsApp.

The Metropolitan Police could not have been nicer or more helpful or honest. They said there was little chance of getting the phone back, but expressed lots of concern about me and if I needed any kind of follow up care of any kind. As I’ve said many times, I’m just glad it happened to me and not a first-time visitor who might be put off from returning to the great city.

After a nice flight home on Virgin Atlantic, my local Naples. FL. T-Mobile store was great. They helped me with the form to report my stolen phone to the insurance company and order my replacement which I received two days later. The staff at the store got me up and running and most of my data, beyond phone contacts and messages was backed up and saved.

So, all things considered, I had another great sojourn in the UK (and Normandy). I still love London and my heart is with Fulham FC. Stay tuned for more adventures.