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?

Kids...

Memorial weekend... a NY adventure for kids (our godson Dillon & his brother Peyton).
Question - What's not too far from our house that is kid friendly AND that John & I had yet to explore? Answer - Oneida Lake. Packing a picnic, we headed off to the Verona Beach State Park on Oneida Lake. It comes complete with playground (I had forgotten when a kid is told to take off his shoes before going to play in the sandy playground, it doesn't necessarily mean take off your socks too...) It is a lovely park with lots of picnic tables and shady trees but of course the highlight was the beach area. Sand castles are always in. The water temp was 71 - a bit too cool even to temp the kids. The crazies in the water at the top of the photo were all teens.

When the adults had reached their "sand limit", we headed a couple miles down the road to Sylvan Beach that has a fun little amusement park for kids... & us. It celebrated its 50th anniversary last year and many of the original arcade machines and old timey rides are still there. Bumper cars, Tilt-A-Whirl (photo shows mom Kathleen with sons Peyton & Dillon), Haunted House (the track designed by a pretzel maker) and now more funny than haunted (I speak from experience) etc. etc.

The arcade (now a quarter, not a penny) has all sorts of games where you win tickets and exchange them for prizes (VERY cheap prizes I might add). John hit the jackpot and (did he share with the kids? - NO WAY) he turned his tickets in for a VERY cheap wrist watch to wear in his workshop.

In return he "got" to take Peyton on his first (and probably John's last) roller coaster ride. Notice that even though John looks a bit pale he is wearing a wrist watch on both wrists just to show he was a winner.

Truth be told, I think Peyton (& certainly John) had much more fun when we got home going for a ride on the tractor.

Going north for spring...

Our adventure this week started off with a stop at the end of our road to give you a snapshot of the trillium in full bloom in the woods. The logging trail was put in last year (this used to the ALL trillium) but it is still one of the prettiest sights around.

For years we've heard about Rochester's Lilac Festival - after all, gathering to see their lilacs has been an annual event since 1898. Once in Rochester you really don't need directions... just follow your nose. They have over 500 varieties (all in bloom) on 22 acres - a pretty heady experience (probably NOT the event for you if your subject to allergies). The variety in the photo is called Avalanche. The Park Dept. was very kindly selling plants so of course our garden now has one too. And if you want to wear the scent of lilacs all year long, the festival sells lilac perfume made from buds and blossoms harvested by volunteers and sent to a perfume company for processing (I refrained... enough is enough).

Highland Park where the lilacs are is worth a trip in itself. It was designed by Fred. Law Olmstead who also designed Central Park. Some of the trees look like they might have been original to the park when it was given to the city in 1888. (Fortunately for our yard the Park Dept. was only selling lilacs...)

Since it was a pretty day we decided to head home via the Seaway Trail that skirts the shore of Lake Ontario and goes through some of NY's apple orchards - in full bloom right now. (It takes a LOT of trees for NY to produce 25 million bushels of apples each year!) Our tourism map had a little dot for Chimney Bluffs State Park (we'd never heard of it but it sounded interesting). Turns out it encompasses a section of shoreline being eroded away by Lake Ontario. A fairly exciting trail with warning signs not to get too close to the edge. Parts of the trail have obviously slipped over the edge since last year (probably NOT the best hike to take after a rain). But it was beautiful with lots of photo opts. I particularly liked the bit of sod still clinging to the top of the bluff in the right of the photo.

While the trail is definitely "hike at your own risk", I guess the state did feel the need to reinforce the fact that the road is also dropping off (perhaps they were getting too many nominations for the Darwin Awards...).

In search of Millard Fillmore...

Our goal for this trip was to find the birthplace of Millard Fillmore, our 13th President and the only one born in New York State.

It had been years since we were in the village of Homer so we decided to stop there on our way. The center of town, 170 stores and homes, is listed on the Federal Registry of Historical Places, and is a VERY pretty place to walk around, especially in the spring. As far as claims to fame, they do boast this is where the "real" David Harum lived. (Do you recognize the name? It was a VERY popular novel in 1898 and was later made into a movie with Will Rodgers.) Homer is also home to 3 rare lenticular (a new word for me - something to do with metal cabling) truss bridges built in 1881 (the "kit" was made in Connecticut). Two are now "pedestrian only" bridges including the one in the picture. The Wall Street bridge is a fully functional one lane bridge (no weight limit but a large truck would not fit).

Although I have about 50 pounds of NYS tourism info, nothing tells you exactly where Millard Fillmore was born - just a dot on the tourism map outside of Homer. We finally happened upon "Millard Fillmore Road" and, putting two and two together... The picture shows the site. Pretty exciting, right??!!! Let's see - they have that pathetic little sign on the right which says "Millard Fillmore Birthplace" in small letters and "Open Dawn to Dusk" in big letters; a bigger sign down on the left by the flag... however, that just shows a map of the Millard Fillmore trail; to the right of the flag there's a very nice bronze plaque mounted on granite... however, that's in memory of MF's biographer, Robert Scarry; down by the main road there is a NYS historical marker (from 1932) that says he was born in a cabin here but that's all; and (I almost forgot) 4 picnic tables in various stages of disrepair. (Some say he's our most forgotten president - perhaps they are right.)

Although this site was a bit of a disappointment, remember the next time you flush the toilet that it was Millard Fillmore who put indoor plumbing in the White House. And of course you can Google him and learn more including the details of his last run for President in 1856 as a member of the Know Nothing Party...

Since that little adventure didn't take up a much time, we decided to stop at the 1890 House in Cortland (another thing we've been intending to do for years). It was VERY interesting. Five floors of "things" to look at (have you ever seen a Tiddlytennis game?), not to mention the lovely architecture. It was built (you guessed it) in 1890 for Chester Wickwire and is the mirror image of a house in NYC (another trip). What you may not know is you probably have one of his inventions in your home - screen wire. He ran a hardware store. One of his customers who couldn't pay his bill gave him a carpet loom instead of cash. It must have been black fly season because Wickwire got the idea of weaving metal instead of carpets. It worked. Wickwire built a factory (closed in 1972 - who knows where it comes from now) and made a fortune.

Speaking of black flies - it's that season in upstate NY so camping is OUT for me until they're gone in June as I'm allergic. But don't dismay, more exciting day trips are planned (this one was just late getting posted because our computers have been in the shop for the last ten days).

It starts with a C...

Every year for at LEAST eight years, we and our friends Leigh & Bruce have been making New Year's resolutions (perhaps that's a bit of a stretch but close...) that we HAVE to go to the Corning Museum of Glass. So, with you all as inspiration (after all I did promise you a new place each week and promises are more binding than resolutions), we finally did it. Printed on the glass entrance doors is "Corning Museum of Glass" as proof that we actually gave up a BEAUTIFUL day to venture indoors. (Just so you know how beautiful it was, our car and about a dozen others - probably staff cars, were the only ones in the parking lot. There were, however, about 2 dozen tour buses with mostly Asian visitors. In fact the glass blowing demonstration received a live interpretation in Mandarian so that gives you some clue.)

So what was it like? It was as beautiful as the day and well worth the trip. We started out diligently reading every sign board, then just the title or the artist, then just sort of strolling past all these glass objects. Our eyes were about as glassy as the display of glass eyeballs by the time we came to them.

However, I LOVED this little "perfume diffuser". The sign said they didn't actually know for sure what it was used for. (I also saw it during my "strolling" phase so forgot to note where it was from - maybe Italy????- or when it was made. Sorry. You'll have to go yourself and find out.) Anyway, did you ever see an object like this with such an attitude? And in something so small? It was only about 8 inches tall.

You probably guessed the window is Tiffany. It's the first one that was commissioned for a private house. (They didn't say how they happened to acquire it. Somewhere on the Hudson is probably "what used to be" a grand house with a plain old Anderson window.) Tiffany said something to the effect that he didn't understand why Americans had such a problem adding color to their clothing and their architecture. Perhaps I'll try to add a colorful shirt to my wardrobe - am not sure I'm ready for a purple house yet.

Just so we didn't get too bored with "the collection" there was a large exhibit of innovations including an exhibit on lenses and mirrors. Since you seldom see a photo of me... (By this point we had moved from our "glassy eyed" to "loopy" phase.)

In case you missed it, Saturday was Derby Day. We stopped on the way home at a bar in Ithaca to cheer for "our horse". LUCK is our middle name!!!! (We didn't have a dime bet on "our horse"...)

Until next week...

Lititz, Lebanon & Hershey...

Tuesday found John aiming the hose on Rambo to find the leak over the driver’s seat before wrapping up the day on the roof of Rambo. Wednesday found us heading south to a campsite near Hershey PA… in the rain. Apparently John’s repair worked because neither the inside umbrella or the shoulder drip pan were needed for the driver. However… the leak around the back door was another story. As luck would have it, that is John’s side of the bed so I was worry free.

So why, you might ask, were we headed to Hershey? A boondoggle (is that really a word?). We “won” two nights free camping, $50 in gas and dinner for two – all we had to do was listen to an hour’s presentation on the campground. So we listened, said “no thank you” to the “membership” concept, and explored the area. Notice the goose nesting by the light next to the campground sign in the first photo – she said "yes" to the membership.

Lititz PA was our first stop. Turns out it “could” be an interesting little town. Linden Hall (photo 2) is the oldest girls’ residence school in the US, founded in 1746 by the Moravian Church. The church was built in the 1800’s (but CLOSED when we got there). The tree (I think) is a linden (if it’s not, it should be). Across the street (photo 4) is the site of the first pretzel factory in the US started by Julius Sturgis in 1861 (currently CLOSED for renovations). Next stop, photo 3 – Wilbur Chocolates (OPEN! leaving us poorer and heavier – great chocolate though). And lest you think that’s all Lititz has to offer, it is the home of Victor Mousetraps, photo 5 (CLOSED – no deals on mousetraps this trip).

Up the road is Lebanon PA. It is the home of “Loser’s Music”, Shyla Clay Pigeons, and Hershey’s “Idle Asset Storage” (John said he could relate). The real treasure was the Union Canal Transportation tunnel (photo 6). Completed in 1827, it is the oldest existing transportation tunnel in the US. It was part of the canal system so of course it is not used much. If you’re there in summer you can take a moonlight float through the tunnel (for us? - CLOSED). The first boat to use it was “Alpha of Tulephocken” (something I’m sure you’ll remember for your next trivia competition).

Running out of obvious things to do in Lebanon, we headed to Hershey Gardens (in Hershey). John particularly liked the Children’s Garden – you guessed it, photo 7. The owner of the gardens (they also have a controlling share in Hershey Chocolate) is the heir to the Hershey fortune, the Milton Hershey School. They have 1500 residential students selected on the basis of social & economic need from age 4 to 19. A VERY nice school (not that it shouldn’t be with an $8 billion endowment). Photo 8 is the outside of their rotunda (my dinky camera was overwhelmed by the inside). In 1970 when it was built it was second in size only to St. Peter’s at the Vatican.

Wrapping up our trip we met a friend at the Hershey Hotel for a very decadent lunch and gained a few more pounds by sampling every chocolate dessert they had (lobby photo 9 – the hotel is also owned by the school). John did, however, have enough energy to “tiptoe through the tulips” before we headed home. Back in NY it was comforting to see a sign for a new business – “Rita Mae’s Flowers & Worms”…

Until our next trip...

Check out our other blog...
www.musingsfromthecountry.blogspot.com

A bit about Heifer International...

Several of you also asked about Heifer Project so.... you get to hear a bit about them too.

Heifer International has projects all over the world including the U.S. (Sad to say, but we still have hungry people in our country.) Rather than just giving food to the hungry, Heifer's aim is to provide families with an "agricultural" means to help them secure food as well as provide an income source. Therefore a family might receive a goat or a hive of bees or even a heifer and given instruction on sustainable agricultural practices - practices designed to protect our environment. The family who receives the animal will in turn "gift" another family with one of the offspring and so on, thus helping the entire community.

When John & I visited the "ranch" in Arkansas, we saw several examples of how this works. I particularly liked the goat demonstration. Rather than letting the goat graze wherever as is the normal practice in much of the world, owners are taught to build confinement areas/buildings on slopes with slatted floors to allow the manure to be easily collected. The manure is used to enrich the land so food can be raised for the goats and for the owners. The confinement areas protect the goats from predators and the children, freed from the responsibility of watching the goats all day, can now go to school. The goat itself is also a food source, not only for meat, but for milk to drink or make cheese which the family can eat or sell. (And, of course, goatskin gloves are always popular.)

There are 3 demonstration farms in the US (Ark., Mass., Calif.) if you'd like to visit. Although "generic" contributions are always welcome, they also have a neat way to make a "contribution" gift. (This is what my family has been doing for several years for Christmas gifts instead of buying more things for each other that none of us need.) For example you can sponsor a flock of chicks for $20 or three rabbits for $60 (just in time for Easter) or a water buffalo for $250 or even a heifer for $500 (for some reason a camel is NOT listed - maybe that's why he's at the ranch). The next time you're looking for that perfect gift for the person who has everything, consider sponsoring an animal in their name. www.heifer.org

I'm going to take the next few days "off" from blog posting. If I can think of some new topics next week, I'll post to www.musingsfromthecountry.blogspot.com
So until our next trip, stay well....

A note about Habitat

Several of you have had questions about how Habitat works so (although I'm NOT, even though I might try to convince you otherwise, the ultimate authority) I'll share with you my thoughts.

Habitat is one way of providing decent housing to low income deserving families. The projects are Christian based but non-denominational. The builds we've been on were generally sponsored by several churches in the area. You do not have to be a church-goer to participate. John & I aren't. Volunteers have a wide range of faiths.

It is up to each affliate (local group) to help raise the construction money necessary to build a house. I assume they also get some assistance from Habitat International and, I'm told, Whirlpool continues to donate a stove and refrigerator to each Habitat house. Although the affliate is given guidelines for home construction (example - no garages/car ports should be included), they have a lot of flexibility in its design. Two of the houses we worked on (NC & TX) were energy efficient houses (something I personally think should be required of all new construction). Floor plans vary (the open floor plan in NC has been my favorite so far). Some places rehab existing houses but we've not worked with any of those sites.

Who gets the houses? Again, that's determined by the local affliate. Some require participants to put in volunteer hours before they're even considered. Others screen prospects first (financial history/need), then allow participants to fulfill volunteer hours on the house that will be theirs. The number of volunteer hours required to qualify for a house varies as well - we've seen as low as 50 or as high as 1,000. In the places we've been, participants were given instruction on budget management and home maintenance.

How do the finances work? This too varies but the most common way (that we've seen so far) is to give the new homeowner two mortgages. The first mortgage covers what it cost to build the house (around $60,000). It is an interest free loan. The term of the mortgage is calculated so the homeowners monthly payment for the mortgage plus insurance & taxes will not exceed what they could afford to pay in rent. The second mortage is the difference between the cost of the house and the accessed value of the house. This second mortgage is sort of an insurance for Habitat that the homeowner will not sell the house immediately and come away with the profit. When the first mortgage is paid, the second mortgage is forgiven.

Usually local volunteers do most of the construction on the houses and form a support network for the families to help them succeed. The affliates can also request the help of other volunteers. John & I volunteer through the branch called Care-A-Vanners where a maximum of 20 folks bring their campers and work on a project for a couple of weeks. This gives the local volunteers and their building project a boost. And everyone has a good time.

If you'd like more info or want to volunteer or contribute to Habitat in your community or abroad (John & I want to sign up for a build in New Zealand), just Google Habitat and read more. And lest you think we're soooooo good here, we get much more in return for the work we do. For one thing (even though we LOVE NY), it's a great excuse to leave home during the coldest time of the year. You meet LOTS of fun people. You get to spend time in a neighborhood you'd probably never visit otherwise and scope out all the good things it has going for it. Usually you get very generous, good lunches provided and free camping. (You can make a contribution in return but it's not required.) And, of course, it gives me something to write about in this blog.

But there are many ways to volunteer or contribute to make this world better (and also have a good time). Habitat is just one of them.

Home at last!!!!

We LOVE New York!!! John & I may be "transplants" but we live in New York because we think it's the best. Admittedly, it DID rain on us the whole drive through New York (out came the "indoor" rain jackets again) but at least it wasn't snow which is about gone (in the photo you can see there's still a bit in front of the house, mostly from the road crew). There are crocuses blooming in the garden. We saw flocks of robins so assume the bluebirds and red wing blackbirds are back as well and the geese are heading north. Two ground hogs were sighted and yards and hayfields are beginning to green. And, the best part, it's not FLAT!!!!

While we were zipping across that little bit of Pennsylvania that everyone forgets is there, John & I discussed taking Tillie out this summer for short "tours" to get to know our own state better. Decided we'd take time to stop at the NY Welcome Center on the way in and pick up tourism information. Can you believe NYS does NOT have a Welcome Center as you enter from the west - just a toll booth, the first tolls we'd paid our entire trip?! I was shocked (about the lack of a Welcome, not the tolls). Our Niagara Falls area often complains because most tourists go to the Canadian side (bet THEY make you feel welcome). When we go away on a trip and come home, we always see our home through "fresh" eyes and the list of things that needs to get done suddenly grows. Zikes! We can't take on all of NYS too but at least a letter or two definitely needs to be written. Any ideas who to send them to? Let me know. And feel free to send a letter on your own, too. We have a beautiful state and we should welcome our visitors.

Even though we're home, I'll be posting a couple more items in the coming days. So if you're still interested...

Movin' East...

Goodbye Beni, Goodbye St. Louis, Goodbye Venice Cafe... Thought I'd throw in one more photo of the Venice Cafe as it was by far more interesting than anything we saw today.

So, on through Illinois. If "t" equals a tree then the route through Illinois looks like _________________________t__________tt____
Got the picture? Luckily, we didn't even need to stop for gas so I suppose we could legimately say we didn't set foot in Illinois.

As soon as you cross the Wabash River in Indiana you come into some very pretty country with (if my imagination is right) an international influence - towns named Brazil, Poland, Denmark. However, as soon as you near Indianapolis you're back into ______________ttt__________tt___________ etc. Southern Ohio isn't any better. John & I seem to have an attitute about FLAT so perhaps we'll look for a Habitat Build in one of the FLAT states to give us a better perspective on things.

After so much FLAT driving, John & I looked sort of like this Ghar Buffalo tonight. Actually we (and the buffalo) were at Steve's Dakota Grill for dinner (a good place to eat by the way) but I thought if they'd decided to "mount" either John's or my head, it would have fit right in. We DID try to stay the night at the Mt. Gilead Ohio State Park but staying with friends the last two nights has spoiled me. There was no running water, thus no flush toilets and showers (Ohio parks better catch up - Arkansas & Texas have them beat 9 ways to Sunday! - plus it cost just as much). Me and my backside said "no way" and we've ended up in a nice hotel in Mansfield for the night. It WOULD have been fun to stay in Mt. Gilead since that's Warren Harding's birthplace and the home of "Pop 'n Cruz Drive-Thru" liquor store but they have no motels so Mansfield it is.

Tomorrow we hope to make it home!!!!

Missouri

What is big and square and flat and not-damp and very comfortable? A real, honest to goodness king size bed! Jeannette (a high school friend of mine from... well, we don't need to think about that) and her husband Don, treated us last night to an overnight in the bridal suite, no less, of a B&B in Amish country. Even gave us a nice bottle of Missouri wine that we're enjoying tonight. (There was noooo way I was going to let John open it last night - it was all I could do to haul John out of the Jacuzzi, he was so relaxed.) And, of course, we also got to enjoy their great company before they surprised us and took us to the B&B for the night.

Jeannette & Don joined us again for breakfast and then for a bit of antique shopping. Found a tomato knife (mislabeled as a small scoop) like the ones Jeannette & I used to use when we worked in our youth in the local tomato canning factory. THESE are definitely better days.


Trivia question with two hints - What author lived in the little house in the photo in Mansfield, MO? (We stopped to take a picture but escaped the tour.)

Decided to stop for lunch in Licking although it did take a bit of courage after passing the sign for the "Denture Mart". Had some GREAT fried okra, cornbread, blackberry cobbler at P & J's Cafe followed by GREAT indigestion.

On to St. Louis for a night with our friend Beni that we haven't seen for years. Of course, none of us have changed at all. Beni took us to this wonderful, eclectic bar called the Venice Cafe which is a "MUST go to" if you're in St. Louis. Gourmet Magazine even gave it one of their top 10 fun places to visit in the US in 1996 - they weren't wrong and the prices are VERY reasonable. That's Beni and me beside the Cafe's bus thinking we might be inspired to add a bit of paint to Rambo.

Jeannette & Don took us for Chinese food last night and Beni took us for Vietnamese food tonight. We're definitely starting to break from BBQ - YESSSSS!!!

Heading east again tomorrow. Where we'll land is any one's guess!

Trivia answer - Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" series

Excuses, excuses....

So where were we yesterday?!!! The morning found us at the Clinton Library in Little Rock. Our critique? - a wonderful library, extremely well done, well worth a trip. However (and no offense to our Republican friends), it was a bit depressing to be reminded of where our country was during the Clinton years and where it is now. Am sure there are lots of better photos on their web site - take a look.

Also very interesting is Heifer Internationals administrative building right behind the Clinton Library. It too is a "green" building but taken to a higher degree. The mote in the photo is actually their parking lot run-off filtering system using native vegetation. All the offices have natural light; they air condition through vents in the floor so only the bottom 6 feet of air in a room is cooled; the roof is a rain water collection system and that water is used in their cooling system and to flush the low flush toilets (the men's urinals go one step further - they're waterless); and on and on. Not only is Heifer Project one of the charities we're proud to say we support, but this building is also an education in itself. So when you're in Little Rock - put them on your must-see list.

Leaving the big city we headed to Perryville to visit Heifer Project's global village (look them up on the Internet if you're interested in learning more). The kids visiting got to ride the water buffalo but John & I decided to take a pass.

We spent the night at Petit Jean State Park which is truly a beautiful part of Arkansas. For some reason, however, they seem to think when you're camping there you should enjoy the scenery, the fresh air, the fishing, the hiking etc. instead of working on a blog, so no wireless - go figure.

Today we took the scenic route north through the Ozarks enjoying the beautiful dogwoods and redbuds blooming in the woods. So what do I take a picture of? "Booger Hollow Double Decker Outhouse". (Upon occasion, Rambo's indoor plumbing does have some advantages.)

Tonight we're in Missouri with friends. Will fill you in on that tomorrow... (I hope)

Bye Bye Texas

You can't put anything over on the Salyards. Having learned about "omelets in a bag" in boyscouts, they fixed us a wonderful "bag" breakfast and sent us on our way north.

Oklahoma proved exciting mainly because John had never been there before. However, we did pass such attractions as a small farm saying they had "Show Pigs" (all we saw were goats so perhaps they've been showing the wrong animal). Another place had signs advertising "Cedar logs"; then "Rustic cedar logs"; then "Cedar Furniture"; then "Wanted - Cedar Logs". I was thrilled to see the first vegetable garden of the trip that showed spring lettuce, onions & peas. (Southwestern OK also seems to have dirt, more rain and mixed hardwood and pine forests.) We resisted the urge to try to find points of interest in Frogville and Swink.

Because of the rain/fog we took the less scenic route to Hot Springs. If you haven't been there they have a street lined with old 1920's bath houses such as the one in the photo, run by the park service. (Therefore they also close at 5:00, just when tourists like ourselves are arriving.) The horses are in town racing at the beautiful Oaklawn Racetrack but, they too had gone to bed for the night. Uncle Joe's second hand store (you didn't tell us about this little investment scheme, Joe!) was also closed. Next door, however, McClard's Bar-B-Q was open as it has been since 1928. It just happens to have been rated the best BBQ in Hot Springs and of course they had a photo of Bill Clinton eating there. (We must be out of the true west - they serve pork, not beef.)

PS - Doing this blog does have some advantages... John gets to go dry the sheets. Rambo leaked somewhere else than just on John's shoulder. However, the moon is out so perhaps we'll spend a dry night after all.

Destination... Dallas

Have you ever experienced Texas rain? The old saying "When it rains it pours" describes it perfectly. When we left Brady this morning they had had almost 3 inches in 24 hours. Even our van, Rambo, recorded about a quarter inch in one of the drip pans (that was indoors - John's leak repair wasn't entirely successful). Instead of chip on his shoulder, John donned a rain jacket and almost resorted to a dishpan on his shoulder as we drove through torrential rain to Dallas.

Sights along the way...
There's a Turkey Hunters BBQ on March 31 in Winchell (we're left to wonder what they're barbequing).
The oldest Dr. Pepper Bottling Plant in the World is in Dublin, TX. We stopped at their museum and soda shop but they had the bad form to be closed.
Stephensville had this nifty cow in their court house square indicating they have $223,000,000 in milk sales annually. Where those cows are is another issue as we have not seen a single dairy cow since we've been in Texas.

VERY happy to arrive at our friends for the night (John was developing "drip pan" shoulder). John, Oletta & Maverick entertained me with a 6 handed piano number. Not bad at all.

And a note to you readers from yesterday... now that he's been "featured" in a blog, JA expects job offers to come flowing in. If any of you are interested, he says he will work for tips.

Bye Bye Brady...

Although Scott & Jessica did NOT register for their wedding with the hardware store, Becky (my sister, a.k.a. Scott's mother, a.k.a. Jessica's mother-in-law, a.k.a. JA's wife, a.k.a. daughter of Alice) DID make them a quilt and hand quilted it. Although you can't see it up close, the signatures of all their relatives and close friends are around the squares.

JA, not much into quilting himself, has decided to take up waitressing as a sideline. He did manage to deliver our silverware & napkins plus refill the iced tea glasses without mishap today at Mac's BBQ. Even so, he still had to pay for his own lunch.
One last bit about Brady...
The San Angelo paper had a Sunday insert about small towns in Texas, giving each town a whole page to talk about attractions. In paragraph 1 of Brady's page we're reminded of the "World Championship Goat Cookoff" Labor Day weekend. (If it wasn't so hot then, we might be tempted.) Paragraph 2 mentions the the "Heart of Texas Thunder Drag Boat Races" in June. (Brady does have a reservoir - a miracle in a flat state!) And the attraction in paragraph 3 is that it is within 125 miles of three interstates (is that so we can come or leave?)... I suspect Ms. Garmen will be directing us towards one of those highways as we leave for points north tomorrow.

Bridal Registry - Texas style

We (meaning my mother, sister & I) drove to Voca this afternoon for a quilt show. For some reason the thought of either going to a quilt show or touring Voca (pop. about 12 - NO stores) had no appeal to John. Anyway, the Voca Quilting Group was celebrating their 60th anniversary by displaying over a 100 quilts the group had made over the years for friends and families. Am not sure if any of the founding members are left, but several current members are daughters of the founding members (it does seem to be an all-female group).

So if you're a bride-to-be how do you register for a quilt? I have no idea... Suspect you have to be lucky enough to be related and on good terms with one of the quilt members.

However, I do know you can register for other items at the hardware store in Brady. The store puts out a table and folks leave their "gift" purchases on the table. The bride for this table is planning a June 9th wedding. As you can see, gifts so far include a shovel, an ax, garden hose and "accessories", a jet burner and (my personal favorite) several boxes of shotgun shells.