However, much as we enjoyed our trip, it did cause problems with our usual early summer Cooperstown activities. We did, given the fact that we wrote a number of columns ahead to be used in our absence, not manage to put any information in the column about two major events, the Library Book Sale and the Presbyterian Church Ice Cream Social. We consider both events to be important parts of the summer season and do apologize for not including them this year. And, since we were away, we missed not only the book sale, but also all of the Cooperstown Area Fourth of July events.

Although we were able to take in the annual parade in Gambier, Ohio, it was just not the same. And we missed the fireworks altogether as the ones here were on the 3rd while we were in Ohio and the ones in Ohio were on the 5th when we were back here. So we hasten to point out that next year, we plan to be at our appointed seat for the fireworks here. We do hope that our hostess for the event takes note.

Fortunately, we were back in time to take in the Ice Cream Social and found it to be as enjoyable as ever. We thought the new idea of having tickets for the hot dogs and macaroni salad as well as for the ice cream and cake worked well. And as usual, we were able to touch base with various people on a wide array of subjects, ranging from a fund raising question at the hospital to the recent Leatherstocking Theater production of Six Degrees of Separation to the most recent book that the wee-we has read to the CCS impending capital project. And, of course, the hot dog, macaroni salad, ice cream and cake were excellent, as were the baked goods that we purchased for home consumption. If you didn't make the social this year, we suggest you mark your calendar for next year. With any luck, we will be able to give you appropriate advance notice.

We were also most happy that we arrived home in time to take part in Ann Rath's 80th birthday bash. Family and friends gathered under a tent, which was strategically placed in her back year so as to show off her magnificent rose garden as well as the many other flowers which make the yard a riot of summer time color. After sons Bill and David as well as good friend, Nancy Herman, made a few remarks, we asked if we might say something as a next door neighbor. And although we think there was a certain amount of nervousness as to exactly what family secrets we might be about to expose, we kept our remarks to the fact that we are eternally grateful to Ann for the fact that she spends countless hours in her garden, toiling away to make it beautiful, while we can sit back and enjoy the fruits of her labor. And for that, we thank her and wish her many happy returns.

One of the drawbacks, we think, of being away for an extended period is trying to catch up once we are home. This is particularly true of our reading when we find ourselves faced with a mountain of Christian Science Monitors. Nonetheless we do try to plow through them all and are usually glad that we did. For example, while reading the June 23 edition we came across a small piece about Presidential libraries a topic that had surfaced way last fall at our much older brother's 60th birthday celebration when our sister-in-law announced that one of her goals was to visit each Presidential Library. At the time, we were all clueless as to how many such libraries there are. But now we know.

According to the article, the first one was set up in 1939 by FDR and is in Hyde Park, New York. The other federally owned libraries are: Lyndon Johnson, Austin, Texas, John Kennedy, Boston, George H.W. Bush, College Station, Texas, Ronald Reagan, Simi Valley, CA, Harry Truman, Independence, Missouri, Dwight Eisenhower, Abilene, Kansas, Jimmy Carter, Atlanta, Gerald Ford, Grand Rapids, Michigan (although the article says Ann Arbor) and Herbert Hoover, West Branch, Iowa. And there are two privately owned libraries, one for Rutherford B. Hayes, which we think is in Ohio and one for Richard Nixon, which is in California. And, of course, there will eventually be one for Bill Clinton in Arkansas. So, we think a trip to visit all of them would, number one, take a while, and number two, take one to interesting and wide spread parts of the county. Interestingly enough, among the publicly owned libraries, Lyndon Johnson's is the most visited with 205,910 in 2003 while Herbert Hoover was the least visited, with 66,639 in 2003.

In closing, we must note that we found the sunsets at the family cottage on Lake Michigan in late June to be lovely. Each one was different depending, we believe, on the cloud formations. In fact the only thing that they seemed to have in common was that it was the same sun and basically the same time of day, about 9:20 p.m. And quite frankly, living further east as we do, we were disconcerted by the fact that in that part of Michigan, that time of the year, it is light until ten o'clock. It wrecked havoc with our bedtime.

We remain,

In these Otsego hills,

Where nature smiles,

The Ellsworths

The Ellsworths may be reached by mail at 105 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326, by telephone at 607-547-8124 or by e-mail at cellsworth1@stny.rr.com. They look forward to hearing from you.