New Ipswich Library - Ice Cream Social

I scream, you scream
We all scream for ice cream

The New Ipswich Library held it's annual Ice Cream Social on May 16th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM.

It was a great chance to meet with the town folks and enjoy some ice cream. A few photos:

Kudos on the new look for Google+ especially for photo management

As many other Google+ users have noted, today was a big roll out of new updates and other goodies such as a streaming music service.

I like the new look but one feature is a great boon to folks who maintain a large online library of features.

One issue I have is the difficulty of locating a specific photo. I'm diligent about giving photos titles, keywords,  hashtags, even GPS coordinates.

Today I noticed that the omnipresent Search box actually works. I gave it a test drive, trying a variety of search words with great success. This has not always been the case.

For example this was my experiment with the search term "cloud" from my photo library. This was the result.

Excellent job Google+

Please Use Sunscreen - A cautionary (and true) tale

I'll admit that I love sunshine. Working shirtless outside in the Garden, walking the beaches of Cape Cod feeling the warm sun.

Sure I got a sunburned, but I figured it was part of the summer experience. I used a little sun screen on my instep since it was uncomfortable to wear sandals.

Ah Cape Cod sunshine:

For some time I was aware of a sore on my left ear that didn't seem to heal. It hurt and like most guys I didn't bother to have it checked out. I'm not even sure how many months went by when I finally decided to have a dermatologist take a look. That was a wise choice since it turned out to be Squamous Cell Carcinoma which is treatable with Mohs Micrographic Surgery, a technique developed by Dr. Mohs in the 1930s.

I had this procedure performed a Cheshire Medical Center in Keene NH by a very friendly and competent team. It wasn't exactly a party though since I was getting carved up a bit. I'm including some photos but they will be at the BOTTOM of his post so the reader will have a chance to look away.

The procedure is time consuming. Part of the tissue is removed, frozen, sliced and stained. The slices are examined for cancer cells. If the sample is clear, the procedure is over, if not it is repeated.
Just like shampoo, apply and rinse, apply and rinse.

I was clear after the first round. Yippee. And the team played Bluegrass while I waited staring at the ceiling for 45 minutes.

As I write this, the lidocaine or whatever they use has worn off. It hurts but not too badly.

So my advice to my readers and myself is PROTECT YOURSELF from UV.

!!! Warning - Surgery Photos Below !!!

I confess I was a little surprised how extensive this was. I did hear some clipping and smell a  bit of burning flesh... I really didn't know I was going to lose a wedge of ear but as you see it got sewed up just fine.

I'll probably have a cool scar to match the one over my pacemaker... Yikes I'm falling apart.

!!! Warning 2 - Surgery Photos Below !!!

Happy Mothers Day 2013

Had a nice dinner with the Moms in New Boston. When the portable grill was unresponsive, we dumped some 14 year old Kingston charcoal into it and fought to set it ablaze, Eventually the coals were hot enough and we had a great dinner.

The Three Moms

Grilled Chicken, Salmon, Roasted potatoes and salad

Susan being Susan

A quick game of Sets