Cornell University

Homecoming Weekend at Cornell! We have absolutely no ties to this university other than I treasure the area (the campus, Ithaca and surrounding landscape), and find the students to be really cool – not pretentious or stuffy.

We’re actually staying in the Statler Hotel so we’re in the heart of it all, student style. In fact, right when we got downstairs the football team was standing on the sidewalk just outside the lobby. We stood right in front of them, and Little Man's mouth was agape at their "immense size and toughness." It was a sea of red. The marching band came right through the Valet, and led the football players up the street. You'd think we were alumni at the level of emotion we had, being smack in the middle of this huge tradition.

Timing was perfect when we hiked the 160 steps up the clock tower, too. It was time for the 11:30am bells. No one else was up there so the girl in charge chatted with us, telling us how one becomes a Bell Ringer, which is a tough position to attain. She was so sweet and actually let Little Man gong the bells: Da, dee, da, Duuum… What a thrill for him!

We took an endless walk across campus to the Cornell Dairy Bar for homemade ice cream. It was particularly long because Peanut took a spill on the sidewalk. I’m certain that every person on campus heard her scream and I was sure this was going to be E.R. trip #5. Thankfully, a Biology Professor showed up and let us into the building. Again, aren't the residents wonderful? This was enough of a distraction to get past the worst of it. They had an amazing collection of glass replica sea life and also cases full of rare stuffed birds – Peanut flipped out over a 1.5 inch Bee Hummingbird and the Quetzal. (I've told her the Guatemala freedom story for years.)

We eventually made it for ice cream. Then we heard a campus tour guide tell his group that the Final Exam in a particular class is to “create an ice-cream flavor”. If it’s the class’ chosen one, they’ll serve it in the store. Cool! Our favorite flavor was Bavarian Raspberry Cream with Fudge. And we naturally grabbed a bag of cheese curds for the return walk to the hotel.

Campus Bookstores are a new thing for our kids and they LOVED it. Thanks to Gigi back home, I taught them that Cornell stands for “Come Over Right Now Eat Lots Lollipops!” We got some t-shirts, and at the counter Little Man recited the acronym to the check-out person, following up with, “Or it can just read that one word! What’s the word again, mom? Oh yeah, CORNELL.”