Goodbye Summer--- Hello Fall!

I have been so in denial about summer’s ending that I have mostly refused to check my email this weekend—not wanting to acknowledge that classes, and the whole semester, begin this week! It seems that I have been more reluctant than ever to let summer end—it began so beautifully with an emergency management conference in Emmitsburg  (always lovely to see old colleagues and meet new ones),

Elizabeth’s visit, which included beach trips to Cape May,

Rehoboth
and running up to New York City to meet Sophia’s young man, Tait,

and an Amish buggy ride through Lancaster County.
Next came some shopping, and a few college tours for Elizabeth.
In July, Ed and Fawn and I enjoyed a day exploring Herring Point

and having lunch in Lewes. That’s also where I took some great shots with my new Sony camera.

Finally, August brought a trip to SanFrancisco ...

...to attend the ASA annual meeting, which included being picked up at the airport by my son, Michael, and meeting his lovely Annie.

This was the cherry on top of an already lovely summer! ASA also included a pre-conference tour of sustainable wine growing in Sonoma...

...which also included wine tastings... (yes, note the plural!)...

And I also took a combined day trip to Angel Island (exploring the history of Pacific immigration) and to

Alcatraz (to explore the history of this island as a notorious prison from which everyone wanted to escape but very few actually did!).

In between, I finished Chapter 4 of my dissertation and have been working on purging papers stored in the garage. This weekend I’ve purged and cleaned my office, rearranged the furniture and now I am soooo looking forward to writing there in the coming months!

Yes, summer is over… sigh…The Old Farmer’s Almanac  

forecasts a terrible winter much like the brutal one we had last year. I’ve decided to treat myself to some great new boots (already ordered) and a great cashmere sweater to make it all bearable. Haven’t found the sweater yet, but this will give me something to do and look forward to. I’m also mentally preparing for revising Chapter 4 and drafting Chapter 5. It will be great to be done! It’s been a long time coming.

In between I will also be developing several new programs at work, as well as Chairing the Curriculum Committee. It’s also time to put the plans together for a family beach vacation at a pet friendly place for next June. In my spare time (haha!) I will continue to purge—and that feels oh so good!

Hello Fall! I might as well get used to you being here J.

What I Like About the ASA Conference...

 I am a member and former council member of the section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology... and this year we recognized Rosabeth Moss Kanter, from Harvard Business School, for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Kanter was generous with her time and gave us a full hour presentation on the direction of business schools and the need to get back to the basic sociological principles to solve problems...

 Shown here are the section officers with Rosabeth Moss Kanter. 

 Moi with Rosabeth Moss Kanter...

 Eviatar Zerubavel presents his latest paper...

 ...I use many of his ideas in my dissertation. 

 Meeting of the section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology. 

ASA New York City 2013

Trying to play a little catch up as I'm months behind on postings! My dissertation work is top priority right now so that's why the blogs have been lagging... but I did want to share some photos on the time I spent in NYC for the American Sociological Association conference in August. As luck would have it, we had great weather with a little rain, but not as much humidity as usual. NYC in August can be brutal, but this year it wasn't too bad. 

 Imagine, if you will 5000 sociologists descending on NYC! We usually occupy two hotels everywhere we go. 

 I love the hustle and bustle of the city, but only for a day or two!

 These pigeons are used to scrambling while the getting is good-- they tend to hang around horse carriages and swoop in when the horses are being fed...

On Sunday afternoon I walked over near Central Park...

...and decided to explore nearby architecture, such as these classic NYC brownstones. 

Wonderful old Dutch style influences can still be seen in some of the older buildings...

 and of course, when space is at a premium there's no place to go but up!

 Contrasts between old and new are everywhere!

I wonder how much the brass on this siamese connection is worth???

 The Central Park area is definitely upscale!

 Madison Avenue is the shopping mecca for the well-to-do...

 ...and the side streets are neighborhoods whose occupants have great wealth.

 Public sculptures and art are seen everywhere...

...and the streets surrounding Central park are lined with vendors selling all sort of things. It reminds me a little of Paris. 

And of course, this would be NYC with NYPD's finest! They're quite friendly and very willing to talk with tourists. 

Next post-- a lovely little place where I had brunch, and a twilight tour of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Stay tuned...