Family picnic yesterday. Relatives from her side came down from Utica. I could listen to that accent all day, the Central New York State accent. It isn't very different from Western New York, both with strong Italian undertones. Makes me just a little homesick.

The climatic story was humorous: beavers wrecking havoc on private property. But it was the telling as much as the tale. And, as I discovered, when the raconteur begins to rattle off what each animal weighed, you know how it all ended. It was preceded by a similar story about skunks.

Catching up on family news. Not everyone knew about me and baby-on-way. Someone left the Fort and will start teaching at Union Catholic. Another is starting a position at West Point.

Talking about back-to-school and who has cancer and which restaurants have the best sangria and what's new at Utica College and whether Utica Club is any good and upcoming family events, anniversaries and vacations.

These gatherings occur too infrequently for me.