Tillie's Back!

Tillie the VW has been on the road again adding Massachusetts and Maine to her state map and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Bridge said she ran like a top most of the way refusing to start only one time. Even then she was only half a block from the best VW mechanic in Nova Scotia and the repair was minor. (Tillie must be Irish with the luck she has had in choices of places to break down.)

At any rate we met up with Bridge in Tillie on Vinalhaven, Maine unloading from the ferry. I love the new sign that's appeared in the ferry loading area - am not sure if it refers to people or cars...

Photo 3 is Bridge in the ocean in front of the cabin where we were staying(cold as in brrrrrrrrrrrr is the only way to describe the water in that part of Maine!) Bridge was feeling a pit drowsy before he went in but was awake for hours after that little dip so I guess it did what it was supposed to.

Photo 4 is at the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine. You are seeing the backsides of 4 of the 8 mule hitch (take my word - it is NOT easy to take a photo of 8 mules all at once let alone hitch them up and get them to go anywhere).

Photo 5 is the "Philadelphia" at dock at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum - a wonderful little museum on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain especially if you're interested in history and sunken ships.

Taking the ferry across the Lake Champlain we headed to Tupper Lake, NY for a stop at the new Natural History Museum (also called the Wild Center). We can't say enough good things about it. A beautiful facility and it's only going to get better. It's a MUST SEE the next time you're anywhere close. The bridge goes across the "pond" - don't you love the stick railing? It looks so easy but I'm sure it's not.

Further down the road at the end of Long Lake you can enjoy the air both on the ground and in the air or do as we did and have lunch while you watch the planes take off and land on the lake. The trees are not quite in full color yet, but pretty nonetheless.

And lest you think this trip was all fun and no work, that's John on the tractor & our friend Karol moving BIG rocks around to rebuild a terrace in front of the house in Vinalhaven. Thank heavens for big machinery/toys. Years ago when the terraces were built they probably used men, rollers and perhaps a horse. (Of course those men were probably also younger and knew what they were doing!) Even so, our modern day guys did a pretty decent job.

Poolville

Poolville is one of those "destination" communities... you just don't pass through it on the way to anywhere. One needs to know it's there and hope the GPS can find it.

Admittedly there's not much in Poolville except for some beautiful old homes and a great little restaurant. It's so small in fact that I couldn't even find a population for it. Getting there from our direction is always fun as you get to pass the neighborhood goat commune - lots of little kids around. I'm not sure who's watching who in this photo...

Just on the outskirts of Poolville is the "Poolville Rural Cementary" (I always wonder where the city cementary is when I read that sign.) It's very old with headstones dating back to the early 1800's. And to leave no doubt in your mind that it is rural, that's corn being grown in the field along side.

Poolville is also home to a little known but very popular art gallery. In fact the number of folks it attracts would make many galleries very envious. If you're in the area please note it has "unusual" hours - Wed. & Sat. only from 7:10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Some galleries serve refreshments to attract visitors. This gallery works the other way - it takes your garbage... We try to visit at least a couple of days a month. Care to join us?

Family Fun Day...

Well we didn't stray far this week (a turn of the season cold pretty much wiped me out for any travel.) However...
This afternoon was another of our town's planned bicentennial events - Family Fun Day. After many days of hot dry weather, it of course rained most of the day. Our residents should work for the postal service - rain, snow - some of us still manage to turn out.
Most of the kids had never played any of the old-fashioned games. The sack race (can you believe we actually had to make our own burlap sacks?! - the feed companies use plastic or paper these days) was as much fun as always even if we did have to limit it to three at a time (we ran out of burlap for bags!)
Then there was the "hollerin'" contest but we could only get six kids to give it a try and two of them wouldn't do it unless no one looked at them (am sure that doesn't stop them at home!) Surprise, surprise! The shyest one had the loudest scream going (somehow the kids didn't quite understand the difference between hollerin' & screaming but no one was going to argue. Not to mention the adults were all too shy to compete themselves...)
The pie eating contest - (personally I find eating contests disgusting but I was outvoted.) For a bit of history it was called the "William Bulkley Pie Eating Contest". Now you may think I'm trying to associate "BULKley" with eating but in fact he was the person who developed the Chenango Strawberry Apple in our township. And the pies were, of course, apple.
For a little more exercise in the rain there was the spoon race where you had to race balancing a raw egg in a spoon (the wimpy adults including myself are all under the eaves of the roof watching.)
But the most popular game of the afternoon proved to be the good old fashioned egg toss. On wet grass it was pretty unbelievable how far a raw egg could bounce without breaking. Eventually we had a winner. Then the kids wanted to play again & again until all the eggs were broken. The rain did come in handy after all....

The GREAT New York State Fair!

The end of August in upstate wouldn't be complete without a trip to the New York State Fair (at least once every 4 or 5 years). As always there was lots to see and do...

The sand sculpture is a good place to start (if only because you can look at it while you enjoy your baked potato with all the fixin's - still only $1). Then there was angora rabbit shearing in the poultry barn (it also houses the rabbits). It's also where they have the "Crowing contest". I fully expected to see/hear folks imitating roosters but, I guess when you've got the real thing on site, that's not necessary. Instead they put the "contestants" in cages where they have 15 minutes to crow. The most crows wins (we didn't stay...). For some chickens it was a "bad hair day". Tom looked like he was dreading November. The goose was huge - probably mean too. Back at the rabbit shearing - all that fur came off that rabbit! If your cholesterol is low, a trip to the fair is a good way to raise it a notch or two. You can get anything fried...

There was a woodworking demo going on outside the ag museum by the guy with the beard which John said was great. I went inside and talked to "Bob". Lunchtime for the piglets. (We did try to find Norm, our neighbor and the world's largest pig, but am not sure where they put him that day...) Lunchtime for the triplets (goats) and shearing time for the sheep (it was a HOT day!). Are those seals so did someone just do a bad job of shearing? Meanwhile in the dairy barn cleanup chores are going on while the butter sculpture stayed cool in the dairy products building (it's still possible to get a glass of milk there for a quarter). Back at the museum the demo is going on once again.

A lot of walking but a fun day!

Tillie did NOT take us to the fair (but we did go on a yellow school bus). Tillie has instead gone off on another adventure. From right to left we have John, Bridge, James, Emily (the dog is Roscoe). Bridge (who is the true owner of Tillie) came to take her on a three week adventure to Maine and Nova Scotia. John is pointing to the states of Massachusetts and Maine that Bridge will add to Tillie's window collection. Last word was they had made it to Bar Harbor with no problems (much to John's relief - he felt like he was sending his kid off to school!)

Canastota

So what do you think of when you hear the name Canastota? If your spelling and pronunciation is as bad as mine, wagons might come to mind. Now, lest you might think me too off base, Canastota did manufacture wagons, it's just that they were of the "dumping wagon" variety and not the conestoga wagons that went west.

These days Canastota is probably best known for the Boxing Hall of Fame. Is that where we went? No way - not even for the sake of this blog. Instead we went to our friend Don's 70th birthday party. (In spite of the fact that I couldn't get him to smile for the camera, he really is a happy fellow). His mother on the right said 70 years ago was "the worst day of her life" (she'd been in labor for 3 days). She, too, is a happy person who doesn't smile much for the camera. (She must be a bit older than 39...).

So what else is there to do in the area? Well, a couple miles south is Oxbow Falls County Park. Supposedly there are 3 waterfalls but exactly where they are is a little questionable - we didn't find them - perhaps spring is a better time to go. According to the sign, "the park is the northern (we thought they must have meant western) edge of the Helderberg Escarpment" formed 400 - 350 million years ago. Although the cliffs are overgrown in most places there are a couple of places you can look over Oneida Lake and the "plain" around it. (But.... can you believe everything you read? I did a search on Helderberg Escarpment and the only reference I could find had the entirety of it located in Albany County. Oxbow Falls seems instead to be part of the Appalachian Plateaus which extend from south of Rochester TO the Helderberg Escarpment south of Albany. These plateaus continue to rise to the south eventually forming the Catskill Mountains. But can you believe everything you read on the internet either?)

Continuing on a bit further south toward Fenner you come to the site of the 1615 Champlain Battle. It was here that Samuel de Champlain attacked the Oneidas, one of the six Iroquois Nations. He was unsuccessful. According to the sign... the attack turned the Iroquois Nation against the French. Over the next 100 years the Iroquois always sided with the English in battles against the French. Thus, it was "the most decisive battle in American history for it was here that the question of whether America north of the Rio Grande was to become an English or French territory was thus decided". (If you want to read other opinions, go searching.) All I know for sure is, this blog is written in English, not French, s'il vous plait...

Gilbertsville

What does one do when it's August but it's overcast and the temp is in the 50's? Well, I took the weatherman at his (a woman would NOT have made this forecast) word, did a load of laundry, hung it on the line, then headed off to the beautiful village of Gilbertsville for lunch with friends. Nick (photo center) & his wife Abbey (almost off the photo at the left) are the proud parents of twins who were off sleeping in some corner of this house that their great great grandparents owned and that is still in the family. It is lovely as are so many of the homes in Gilbertsville. It's been years since John and I had driven around the village but the old homes are still as beautiful as we remembered - a beautiful village to go walking.
Next "door" is another house and farm that's also been in Nick's family for several generations. The stone building Nick is standing next to is the oldest surviving "milk house" in Otsego County. It's been a LOT of years since it was used for that purpose.
Both properties look down the Butternut Valley and Butternut Creek. If you're a fan of "The Leatherstocking Tales" by James Fenimore Cooper, this is where Natty Bumppo shot arrows across the creek (or something like that...)
Can you guess what you're looking at in this last photo? It is right on the edge of Gilbertsville and was in the 1970's & 80's the world's best polo field. It's the Pete Boshwick Field (the sign is still up) and the owner still keeps it mowed and ready to go (and I thought I was an optimist!). Those little dots in the distance are horses - polo ponies I'm sure. So if you can put together a polo team this might just be the place to have a match.
Back home, the clothes are now "dripping" and we're considering building a fire in the stove. It IS August in upstate NY after all!

Sink? Swim? Sail? Regatta?

But first a bit of history...
A few years ago John saw an ad for a "free" Comet sailboat in Maryland. (Beware those ads that say "free"!) Then a harrowing (to my way of thinking) trip back to NY (rotten parts kept flying off - John took a friend. I stayed home and did fun things). Since then, John's spent many many hours (and $$) repairing it. If you think you can see the floor through the top of the boat in the photo, you're right (not to mention that's the bottom, not the top). It needed just "a little bit" of work.

In the meantime our friend Terry bought another old Comet - both boats were built in the 1930's (it actually HAD a bottom AND a top) for John to work on (guess he thought John would never get his back together). After a bunch of work and a quick sink to the bottom at the dock upon launching, it actually has been sailable the past couple of years.

This year both boats, (John's is named "Have", Terry's "Have Not"), were sailable - hence the regatta. One small problem, there is only ONE set of sails. However, since "Have" had never been in the water, it was questionable whether or not a second set of sails would, in fact, be needed...

This past weekend was the BIG launch on the St. Lawrence...
Photo 1 - John making sure the sails actually fit and work before he launches it.
2 - "Have" is backed into the water for the official launching.
3 - What is that bubbling stuff coming into the bottom of the boat? Surely not water?! (Turns out "somehow" a little round hole was letting water in.) Rather than letting it sink, they pulled the boat out, plugged the hole with a twig, and filled the boat with water overnight just to make sure the wood swelled enough to take care of any other small leaks.
4 -Male river muses...
5 - Day 2 - The mast and sails go up before Have is launched (a bit unusual but, hey, I'm only the photographer...)
6 - Have floats!!! And sails!!!
7 - And tows nicely!!! (Due to a "small" lack of knowledge regarding water depth on the other side of the bay, the centerboard started plowing bottom and more or less got stuck.)
8 - However, John & co-captain Leigh soon have their bearings and sea legs.
9 - They even get a bit adventurous (Are you thinking I must have a super telephoto lens on my camera? Let's just say it helps to be in the motor boat that stayed close just in case...)

Today? Perhaps a final sail before leaving Thousand Island Park... Then I'm sure the search will be on for that second set of sails!!!

The Mighty Hudson...

Surprise! The blog is early for a change. Instead of Tillie Tours, we joined the Waterville Travelers Club for a trip in Tillie's BIG "Uncle George" and headed for a luncheon cruise on the Hudson River around Albany.

The building with all the red turrets is the New York State capital. "No dome?" you say. The story goes that a dome was in the original plans. However, the rise (they call it a hill but I think that's stretching it a bit) it was being built on proved to be "unstable"... in other words the more they built the more they thought it might "slip" off the hill. So instead of adding the planned heavy dome, they opted instead for a skylight. (I might also add they were waaaaaaaay over budget, not that that ever has anything to do with spending public dollars.)

I sometimes forget Albany is a port city (it always seems too far inland for that) but the channel in the Hudson is 32 feet deep from NYC to Albany and over 200 BIG ocean-going ships load and unload there every year. What you're looking at on the docks in the photo are the parts to wind generators that are going up all over NY State. Just this summer we're able to see 19 more down the valley from us. Clean, renewable energy - we love it!

Further down the river we spotted a bald eagle, saw lots of beautiful cottages including two new Habitat for Humanities built homes, etc. The "cruise" was a relaxing thing to do on a hot summer day. Then it was on to the State Museum. GREAT exhibit, very moving, on the World Trade Center; another on the city of NY. There were LOTS of other exhibits but ninety minutes is just not long enough to see it all. By the way and wonder of wonders, NYS charges no admission...

On the way home we stopped at Johnson Hall (it's in Johnstown). When you think of plantations and slaves, upstate NY probably does NOT come to mind. However, NY did have a few including this one. Sir William Johnson was an interesting fellow (I'll leave it up to you to read in detail about him). However, he had a great interest in Native Americans (his second and third wives were both Native American - and in case you're wondering he only had one wife at a time) and was Supt. of Indian Affairs for the British in the 1760's.

Stay tuned - the next blog will be on sink or sail weekend... It's a 50/50 chance which way it will turn out.

We survived!!!

Circus camp is over!! The kids seemed to have a great time and so did we (although John & I were wondering if we'd survive it - reality TV has nothing on us!)

Remember the bonfire from last week? Well, boys being boys, they discovered the charcoal/ash that's left makes great body paint. That was followed by hosing each other down (our well water is 55 degrees) so that required a lot of hollering as well. Then there was "streaking" from bush to bush (it's a good thing we don't have neighbors in sight!) followed by trying to sneak in the back door with laundry baskets over their privates. And that was only Monday!

The building of the tepee -saws, dead branches, old tarps (who needs electronic games?!) kept them busy for hours. The two extra kids are Corey & Kelsey (our friend Leigh's great nephew & niece who were at Circus Camp as well).

I did manage to pick a couple of gallons of blueberries on Tuesday, not all of which went in the freeezer.

Finally, finally the big performance on Friday night. In the three middle photos, the kid on the tightrope is Maverick; on stilts there's Corey, Dillon, ??, & Win (blue tee shirt); and then Win on the left in one of their clown routines. All the kids did multiple things - diablo yoyo-ing, unicycle, tumbling; clowning; juggling etc. but my little camera is not much good with action shots - trust me, the kids were much better than my photos.

And I almost forgot to mention - we finished the latest Harry Potter!!! The kids had Friday morning off - on performance day they go in at 1 and stay for the duration (good thing too as I'm not sure we would have finished HP otherwise). Oletta read fast, the boys were up a half hour earlier than usual (on their own accord) as they were determined to hear the outcome before they had to go to camp. The boys even skipped breakfast (NOT something I would normally support but it was Harry Potter after all!) I finally sent John (who had napped through the chapters he had joined us for) after homemade donuts from our Amish neighbors to tide them (who am I kidding?)/ME over until the story was finished. Oletta finished the last chapter while they ate lunch. "The show must go on" but I'm not sure that would have included having to wait to hear the end of Harry Potter...

So is that a circus dog? No, that's Uncle Bridge's dog, Roscoe who just looks like he should be in the circus. Bridge came up to go to the performance and stayed an extra night with us. August is upon us. See the white on the horizon just beyond Bridge's head? That's typical August weather for this part of the world. The fog sits in the valleys until mid-morning making it look like we're surrounded by lakes. It also means fall is not too far behind. Where does the time go?

Listen! Can you hear the quiet? Everyone's gone with only the sound of washing machine purring in the background. Bliss!...

Circus Camp - week 2

You will all be relieved to know, I'm sure, that John & I have survived week 1 of Circus Camp... and it's been FUN, even for us! We must admit, however, that several things have been in our favor...
- Corn is in season!!! and who doesn't like corn? (of course, I could also fill up this page with ALL the things at least one of the kids doesn't like but your imagination is probably as good as theirs). If you need a terrific corn shucker, Maverick is your man!
- In spite of an occasional "trying" moment, the boys get along well together. Please notice, if you will, how Win (his own idea I might add) decided to make lemonade drinks complete with a wedge of lime for Dillon, Maverick & Peyton and serve them on a platter. (Of course, the grown-ups WERE enjoying a bottle of wine at the time and hadn't offered to share.)
- The moms, Oletta (who's here for the full two weeks - John & I keep thanking our lucky stars for that stroke of luck!) and Kathleen (who came with 3 year old Peyton for a long weekend) are wonderful to have around and keep the boys towing the line as needed.
- Rambo (remember our old rusty RV?) was "discovered" over the weekend and christened the "house car" by Peyton. The boys have spent several hours in there already (can't you just see the ad when we get ready to get rid of it? "For Sale - Mobile clubhouse for the kids in your life")
- The boys did help load the rotten wood from the tree we took down into the back of the pickup (was that just a chore or had they pushed "mom's" buttons one too many times?- can't remember now...) Anyway, it made the best bonfire with a lot of whooping and hollering and even a little marshmallow toasting for s'mores. (I myself waited for the DElicious apricot-cherry tart Grandma Joey brought up - a MUCH better choice!)
- In case you missed it (fat chance) the new Harry Potter is out. Oletta has been reading it chapter by chapter to all of us (although John does seem to nod off on a regular basis - of course he didn't read the first six books so I guess he does have some excuse...)
- Circus camp must be fun too as the boys had all eaten breakfast, made their lunches, and were out the door this morning before the adults were ready to drive them there. The performance is a "secret" so we'll have to wait until Friday to see what they're up to. Stay tuned...

Lebanon...

Where do you travel when you're expecting 3 boys (9, 10 & 12) to stay with you for the next two weeks while they go to Circus Camp? The answer is... you don't! So I snapped some photos around our yard, sans kids, to just remind myself and you (if you didn't already know) how beautiful central New York is in the summer even if you go no further than your own back yard. Lilies are blooming; the grapes are doing their thing over the grape arbor (the chairs are really just for show as we never seem to have time to try them out); the asparagus is over my head; the flower gardens have filled out; John (second cello from the left) and a small quintet provided an enjoyable free concert on the shores of Craine Lake at the bottom of "our hill" as part of our bicentennial activities; the veggie garden is producing like crazy; flowers, veggies and now kids everywhere! Life is good.

Smyrna & more Finger Lakes...

Just down the road from us is the little village of Smyrna - home to the Smyrna Citizens Band. Every Monday night during the summer they perform on the porch above the library. This is their 89th year (I think they're the oldest continuous village band in the state) so of course they're really good. It's sort of like going to the drive-in movies. You can back in across the street and listen to the music from the comfort of your car (then honk your horn after each number). Or you can bring your lawn chair, or you can stand or sit on one of the steps or porches. The fire department serves hot dogs and hamburgs before "the show" and the Methodist Church has a GREAT selection of homemade pies. This Monday was also my birthday. It's not every girl who has a town band dedicate "Teddy Trombone" to her on her birthday!

Later in the week it was back to Finger Lakes. First stop - Auburn. (For those of you interested in real trivia, Auburn was the birthplace of talking movies. In 1924 Case Research Lab partnered with Fox Studios - result... Movietone News.) Anyway, the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn currently has a special "Made in New York" exhibit - well worth a stop.

Then it was on to find a campsite for Tillie (her first overnight this summer). Notice in the photo her "younger sister" is at a campsite below (can you expect anything less from a campground named "Cheerful Valley"?!) Not to hurt Rambo's feelings, but Tillie's bed IS a bit more comfortable and roomy...

Our destination that night was to see "La Cage aux Folles" (local production) at the restored 1898 Smith Opera House in Geneva. It's a beautiful theater saved, thank heavens, from the wrecking ball in the 1970's.

However, the real purpose of the trip was to go to the Peppermint Festival in Lyons. (John was pooh-poohing the idea but ended up having a GREAT time - thank heavens!) Lyons was the home of the Hotchkiss Oil Co. until it was sold in 1990 (peppermint oil is now made in Indiana). H.G. Hotchkiss, as I'm sure you know, was the world's Peppermint King. The company was established in 1839 and at one time there were over 100 stills on peppermint farms in the area distilling the oil. (Wonder if they distilled other things as well....) Wild peppermint found in the area proved to be the highest quality in the world. The Hotchkiss company bought the oil from the farmers, further refined it (how did they do that?), and sold it worldwide. The company's back door opened onto the Erie canal. Apparently you could smell the factory for miles around. (I, of course, had to buy a peppermint plant. Now to find a place to plant it where I don't mind it spreading all over! - should I begin looking for a still on ebay?)

The Barge Canal (it replaced the Erie Canal) goes through Lyons and, as it happened, the Schooner Lois McClure was docked there for the day. This boat is a reproduction sailing barge canal built by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vermont and is spending the summer on the Barge Canal stopping at various towns so folks can take tours. John LOVED it. My boat of choice on the other hand was the little tug boat that's pulling it through the canal (the schooner only sails across the lakes).

Even without the boat and the festival, Lyons is a pretty little village to explore. If you're ever out that way, be sure and plan a stop. It's a great place to stretch your legs.

Hector

Tillie is back on the road again! and running like a top I might add even though we heard the comment more than once as we passed through parking lots - "Look, there goes Little Miss Sunshine".

Cherries are ripe here in NY and Hector is where it's at if you want to pick your own. The orchards had only been open three days when we got there. Even so, we stopped at three before we found one that still had sour cherries - guess we're not the only folks in NY who like them. These were semi-dwarf trees so no climbing was needed (John was relieved) and we ended up with 20 pounds off a couple of trees in not too much time. Since we were literally right across the road from the Red Newt Bistro and Winery we discovered when we went to Watkins Glen, we of course had to "reward" ourselves with another GREAT lunch - that woman sure knows how to cook!!! - even the fruity wine seems to taste better on a hot summer day.

When we left home we left with intentions of going to the Cortland Repertory Theater and camping overnight. But even being packed in Happy Ice (it's made in Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester & Buffalo & John now thinks it's the best ice on earth because it's clear unlike the ice our ice maker makes that John now thinks looks too frosty - fussy, fussy) the cherries seemed too ripe to spend the night in Tillie (plus there were thunder storms all around and the closest campground to the theater is the Empire Haven Nudist Park - sometimes there is such a thing as too much entertainment...)

Mystic to Cuddebackville...

Even though NY does have coast line, for some reason the Wooden Boat Show was held at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut instead. So, because John loves wooden boats so much, off we went. There were LOTS of beautiful wooden boats including the one in the photo. Plus John took a class in caulking (perhaps because he took so much grief when Terry's wooden sailboat he worked on a couple of years ago immediately sank - it did eventually swell up enough to float so all was not lost. Watch the blog in August - Terry's boat and John's should both be out of the workshop and a sailing regatta is being planned.)

Turns out "everyone" is "doing" wine these days. Stopping with John's cousins John & Judy we sampled Connecticut's wares - really GOOD wine and we're all kicking ourselves now that we were too cheap to only buy a couple of bottles.

The handsome fellow to the left is our friend Jack with his pretty wife Joann. Jack's 70th birthday was over the weekend - looks GREAT doesn't he? (John & I discussed that perhaps walking 4 miles starting at 5 each morning as Jack & Joann do is the key to the fountain of youth but at 5 this morning it seemed VERY unlikely...)

Back in NY we took backroads home and passed through the little blink of Cuddebackville. There's not much there except for a school and the D&H Canal Park with a little museum (not open today). However you could see the stone base which carried the canal aqueduct across the Neversink River (LOVE these names). It (the base not the river) was designed by J.A. Roebling who was also the architect for the Brooklyn Bridge. That man did know how to work with stone! We had hoped to visit the Neversink Gorge State Unique Area (whatever that means?!) but the only way to it seemed to be by foot (a loooooong way by foot) and this was not the day for us to do that. So we settled instead for going to Monticello and discovered the absolutely BEST Jewish bakery we've been to outside NYC. (My hips are VERY grateful it is a long way from home!!!) We also stopped in Hancock where they're redoing one of the old hotels in town. In fact the whole town looks on the verge of being discovered so if you're of a mind to start a small business Hancock might bear looking into. After all if a man can make a living there catching eels from the river and smoking them (he was even written up in Gourmet magazine), then anything is possible... You heard it here first!

Zigzagging around...

Last week it was a woman's outing to Longwood Gardens. This week it was John's turn for a man's outing - a baseball game. (To my way of thinking I got a MUCH better deal.) It was NOT a Yankee's game (their stadium is usually full) but the Syracuse Chiefs (to our north). Fans John & Karol are being photographed by fan Bruce. If YOU are into baseball, the minor leagues are a fun way to enjoy the sport (I'm told).


Karol and a couple of other guys from Maine were around most of the week working on a barn nearby. Boys baseball night was followed the next night by dinner at Matthews on Main in Callacoon on the Delaware (to our south). Absolutely wonderful food (the women were HAPPY to join in that event). And a new trick was added to our repertoire. Put a cork in a bottle and then a toothpick in the cork. Hook the tines of a fork over the bowl of a spoon, then poke another toothpick through the tines of the fork. Now put the toothpick points together to suspend the fork/spoon in perfect balance. It's easier than you think (but comes increasingly harder with each glass of wine consumed).


Saying goodbye to friends and barn reconstruction we headed towards Jefferson County on the St. Lawrence (back to our north). In Watertown we just happened to park in front of the Museum. "Free" & "Open" the sign said so of course we had to take a peek. Thanks to someone named Kinne, it has the largest collection in the world of cast iron turbines. (The "pointer" in the photo found the exhibit much more interesting than the photographer...)

Most of you owe many a good night's sleep to a Watertown invention. Turns out that in 1853 the wife of James Liddy wanted him to take her to town. While she was shopping he decided to take a nap on the buggy seat - best nap he'd ever had. He decided it was because of the springs in the seat. The next day when he went to work in the carriage shop in Watertown he devised springs to replace the planks or ropes in beds and thus became the inventor of bedsprings. Unfortunately he neglected to get a patent so only his dreams, not his wallet, benefited from the invention.


The St. Lawrence is home to the Thousand Islands and thousands of different things - far too many for this blog. However, the Wooden Boat Museum in Clayton is a must visit anytime in you are in the area. They also host special events including weddings. The Zipper just "delivered" the bride and groom (NOT John & Terry).

While Terry was at the wedding reception, John & I wandered off to the NYS Food & Wine Festival where we sampled FAR too many "products". In the food line there were LOTS of different cheddar cheeses, a few salsas & barbecue sauces, maple syrup products, honey. And then there was the wine........

Peterboro & ...

For the past 15 years Peterboro has hosted a Civil War Weekend to raise funds to preserve and restore its historic buildings. Seems like a strange location until you realize Peterboro was the home of Gerrit Smith, a very wealthy and very active abolitionist. Both the NYS and National Underground Railroad trails list the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Gerrit Smith's Land Office has sites in Peterboro to visit. This is the first time we had ever been to a reenactment (we probably do NOT need to do that again). The South won the day we went, the North won the day before (apparently they take turns). It was rather odd to watch the reenactment take place under electric lines with a wind turbine on the hill in the distance.

Elizabeth Smith Miller, Smith's daughter, was very active in women's rights, suffrage and even dress reform - in fact she was responsible for what would later be known as Bloomers. The talk I went to on "fashions of the times" was very interesting (John chose to go elsewhere). Thank heavens we do not have to wear corsets (you couldn't breathe) or bonnets (they held the heat in - NOT good on hot days) so us modern gals do not worry about passing out on a regular basis(goodbye smelling salts!)

The last thing this little hamlet (don't you love that term) is known for (thanks again to Gerrit Smith who imported the mom)... it's the home of the first registered Holstein-Friesian cow in the US (those are the black & white cows that supply more milk in the US than any other breed). The name chosen for this first calf was Agoo...

On a totally different trip last week, I zipped down to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania with my friend Mary. It's always a beautiful spot to visit - you can see lots of great pictures (much better than mine) on their web site. Have you been there but don't recognize this one? That's because it's outside Mary's back door right here in NYS. Who needs to leave home when it is so beautiful here?!

On the other hand, I might never have spied this sign outside a convenience store near where we stayed in Amish country in Pennsylvania.

Watkins Glen...

Watkins Glen was one of my parents favorite stopovers when they drove from Arkansas to visit us in NY. John and I have been to Watkins Glen several times. We've even been to the auto races (once -quite enough for me, thank you). But (we should hang our heads) we had never walked the gorge.

So... we packed up Rambo (Tillie is out of the barn for the summer but hasn't been re-licensed yet) and headed west. As luck would have it we made it to the Finger Lakes region in plenty of time for lunch at one of the local wineries (Red Newt - the BEST food I've had in ages. When was the last time you had homemade whole wheat ravioli with caramelized rhubarb and a creamy roasted garlic sauce? - heaven!) Anyway, it turned out it was a good thing we took time to fortify ourselves. There are over 800 steps UP (did my parents actually "climb" that trail every time they stopped?!) on the mile and half gorge trail. The 19 waterfalls offer plenty of photo opportunities (and let you catch your breath). If you have not been there it is well worth the trip/walk! Once to the top you can opt to come back via the Indian trail along the top and past a massive cemetery (is that for those folks who didn't quite make it to the top?).

The camp site in the park was quite nice (it was a bit disconcerting to hear the drone in the distance from the racetrack). The next day dawned with a promise of hot and muggy (but Rambo has air conditioning so we weren't worried). First stop - Ovid. The map indicated this is the home of the Three Bears. The Three Bears = buildings. The health dept. is in the big one (no one there). The sheriff's dept. is in the middle one (no one there). The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is in the small one (no one there).

Next spot of interest on the map - the "Museum of Drainage Tile" (now really, how could you NOT want to go there?!). Inquiries were to be made at the Rose Hill Mansion (photo). Unfortunately, the Drain Tile museum's furnace had "backfired" over the winter and covered everything in oily grime so the tile were still out being cleaned (we were encouraged to come back in the fall). We took a tour of the mansion instead - not a bad second choice.

As luck would have it there was another winery serving lunch across the street. We enjoyed a pleasant meal on the deck but when the temperature reached into the 90's we decided to head towards home. Roll up the windows in Rambo, turn on the air and start out. I said "turn on the air", okay "please turn on the air"... Rambo refuses to cooperate - no air, no fan (this vehicle does NOT have Tillie's charm so when the air refuses to work I am more than happy to take it to the junk yard!) But no... we sweat our way home. Rambo's outdoor thermometer (never reliable) fluctuates between 95.0 and 108.4 - I believe the latter! Maybe next trip it will be Tillie's turn.

Oswego....

Even if you don't live in New York State, chances are you hear of Oswego at least once a winter. That's the place that measures lake effect snowfall in feet rather than inches. When we left to journey south in February, Oswego's snowfall for the week (that's 7 days) was already over 8 feet. From that particular storm they ended up with 11-15 feet depending on where you live (and who you talk to). LATE spring is a MUCH better time to visit!

One of the most interesting and perhaps least known tidbit about Oswego is that it is the only place in the US that took refugees during WWII. Roosevelt was VERY reluctant to admit refugees but in 1944 (perhaps due to Eleanor's influence), 982 refugees from 18 countries, most Jewish, boarded a US ship in Italy and came to New York. Fort Ontario in Oswego was chosen for the camp because the barracks were habitable (barely). The refugees lived for two winters (18 months) in these barracks - no insulation, frame structures, tar paper roofs, long two story buildings with only a pot belly stove at either end for heat (coming from warm Naples...). The common language was Italian, but local teachers taught them English and the kids went to Oswego public schools. When the war ended no one knew what to do with them. Roosevelt had died, they had no visas and they had all signed documents saying they would return to Europe except they had nothing to go back to. Congress finally decided to put them on buses, take them to the American consulate on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, get their visas stamped, bring them back to the US and put them on a bus to wherever they wanted to go. Some had relatives in this country. A good many chose California. Only one family elected to stay in Oswego (I wonder if the snow played a part in their decisions...) Anyway the museum in the former office for the camp and is well worth a special trip (just try to make it in and out before the snow starts falling!)

Our next stop - Mexico (still in Oswego County). If you're a baked bean fan, you might recognize Mexico NY as being the home of Grandma Brown's baked beans. Unfortunately they no longer give factory tours but I was able to snap this photo of Grandma (her photo is on the label) and, the rarely seen, Grandpa Brown (note he did NOT need to wear a hairnet).

Also in Mexico is what the sign describes as "Upstate New York's Liberty Bell". It's in the public school and not a bell at all but "La Guerre d'Independence" - a multi-colored woodblock series of murals depicting America's War of Independence. It was made in France and only two exist -the other is in the White House. (You might be interested to note that when we asked the high schools kids "loitering" at the front door where the mural was described on the sign to their left, they had no idea. It turned out to be about 20 feet behind them on the second floor just opposite the library. They were able, however, to tell us where the baked bean factory was. You can draw your own conclusions...)

Our last stop in Oswego County - a little walk in the woods to Salmon Falls. This falls was the "end" for Atlantic salmon that came up river to spawn. It's 110 feet straight up and even a salmon can't jump that high. It was an important fishing ground for the Iroquois Indians who caught and smoked the salmon. (Dams of course now prevent the salmon from spawning here. Instead there's a salmon hatchery down the road...) Although we didn't see any, the brochure says bald eagles winter here (are they nuts?!!! perhaps this is the reason they are/were endangered!) Can you see the rainbow in the middle of the falls?