And we're off!!!

Another great adventure! Unfortunately, Tillie the VW is with us in spirit only as we're crossing the Atlantic this go around and Tillie is... well... sinkable.

Only appropriate as we head south to pass through the "gate" built by the workers of the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company to show their appreciation. The company treated its employees very well including giving everyone and their family members a new pair of shoes at Christmas. Doesn't sound like much? When was the last time your employer gave you a new pair of shoes or you decided your employer was good enough to its employees that you wanted to build a monument?! Need I say more? However, moving on...

We arrive at the first leg of our journey - cousins John & Judy in New Jersey where John was hard at work on his new bar. Pat, another of our traveling companions, John & John decided the bar top really needed a little breaking in before it is finished. Isn't it going to be beautiful? John is crafting it from the seven different types of trees growing on their property including the black walnut on the ends. The curve on the outside was formed using some sort of rig using parts from a Dodge Caravan. Much too technical for me but obviously cousin John knows what he's doing. I think it's best if I stick with taking photos and just sipping that wine...

Tomorrow it's off to Newark and the air. Wish us Bon Voyage!

Will the real winner please stand up?

In answer to your question - "Don't you ever PLAY on that croquet court you worked so hard to "improve" and that we read sooooo much (probably far too much) about?"

I don't wish to brag but yours truly won the first game of the season (which my husband conveniently forgot by the next time we played...)

Therefore, I will only mention in passing that he did manage to win the next match only to lose to his cousin John in the final match of the day. Take note folks, no one is kneeling at their feet...

No comment...

Is one to assume their second childhood has already begun? Oh woe is me!

Soooooo big!

Peyton - what do you want to be when you grow up?

With those boots, perhaps a fireman? or a farmer? (he's only 5 so he does have a chance to grow up a bit to fill out those boots.)

However, notice that haircut, a la Peyton. Perhaps we have a budding barber in our future...

And then there were...

Once upon a time there was a family named Keck who moved through the generations from Germany to what is now the Ukraine to what is still New York City. They had several sons (none of whom stayed in NYC) and a daughter who married a Grossmann and took her son "against his will" to Boise, Idaho. This son grew up in Boise and eventually moved to upstate NY, telling his wife (me) that, other than his brother, he had no relatives. So the photos you see are of the truly miraculous LIVING Keck family at the family get-together at our house this summer.

On to the photos - left to right. Bob & Carole hand grating the potatoes for those fabulous Keck potato pancakes. These pancakes are ABSOLUTELY the ugliest glop you've ever seen but somehow transform themselves into ABSOLUTELY the best potato pancakes you've ever tasted when Betty, photo 2, fries them up. Photo 3 - Frank, John & Jules (the patriarch of the family & whose parents took that boat to NYC) watch over the tray of German sausages. Photo 4 - It's Bob's birthday with one cupcake for every year (I'm not telling, you have to count them yourself.) 5 - The Lutheran heritage continues - John with cousins Michele & Helen (In case you can't read it, the tee says "I love Lutheran Boys".) 6 - The eating continues as John cooks breakfast for John (there were a LOT of John's) & Judy. (In case you're wondering that's oil, not boos. I trust the cap was still on. Yuk!) 7 - John & Bob keep the play quotient up. 8 - Ann (the Keck connection) & her family Robert, Helen, Michele & Bob. 9 - Bob huffed and puffed and blew & blew... and lived to blow another day...

The group family photo, related to my husband John and now to lucky me. Moral of the story - don't always believe everything your husband tells you...

And for those of you who care to know, from left to right, sort of - Bob, Michele, Brian, John, Noi, Kelly, Robert, Frank, Betty, Bob, John, Judy, Carole, Janet, Helen, Ann, & in front row, Paul, Jules & John (I got to take the picture.)

More views from the River...

As some of you may remember from earlier blogs, there was this table devised by John for Terry's porch that used a Rube Goldberg type arrangement of pool table legs turned upside down as its base. While incredibly "funky" looking, one dared not touch it, let alone lean on it for fear of tipping it over. (Admittedly, it probably was a good training devise for teaching manners, i.e. do NOT put your elbows on the table during dinner, but does one really need that at a summer cottage?) So.... in my ramblings I happened upon an old examining table from a doctor's office with "sturdy" written all over it. If it could hold bodies it certainly could hold a table top plus it was the perfect size. One drawback... it was a bit high for a dining table. Let's just say it provided the dynamic duo of John & Terry with several hours of contemplation about just how high the table should be and thus how much to take off leading to how to take it off... I finished my book.

The house on the water on the right is actually the Frontenac, NY post office where you can still mail vacation postcards... I didn't.

The Wellesley Island State Park that all of us NYS residents own has many beautiful trails with overlooks of the St. Lawrence. The one on the bottom right is the Eels Cove overlook. The Park must also have at least one gigantic beaver if the size of the tree it's trying to take down is any indication.

Did I mention that this summer on the River has been unseasonably cold? Ruby's Christmas cactus must think so too. She brought it up to the island to vacation for the summer and it's blooming its heart out. Bundle up! Winter must be just around the corner.

Oh! Those Pies!

Support your local library and buy a pie - what could be better?!

The library buys the pie pans, volunteer pie bakers pick them up and deliver pies at 8:30 in the morning. The first photo shows one of the bakers and the community's ace pie buyer, Tom, who is always first in line. Tom gets before 8:30 so he can look over every pie as they're delivered. This way he can also know where to head when the sale opens. (He also has other secret pie buying strategies which I'm not allowed to divulge.) By 8:50 the line for the sale stretches down the street. You may not be able to tell from the second photo but Tom is first in line and I'm second as "pie buyer in training". (I felt very honored as not everyone is invited to train under Tom.) The tapes across the doors are cut at 9:00 and folks rush in ("rush in" is more like stampede but you get the idea). I have my eye on a blueberry and a lemon meringue. Score the blueberry but the lemon disappeared before I could edge my way there. 9:15 and half the pies are sold. It takes a while to take in all that money after all. 9:30 all the pies are gone and the library has made well over a thousand dollars. Wow!

Now for a piece of that blueberry pie....

Roquet Court Update

Will the real Tom Sawyer please stand up?
First there was Terry's idea to redo the court...
Then there was John's idea to rototill it...
Then there was Terry's idea to add top soil...
Then there was John's idea to roll it...
Then they both had the idea to get Fred to water it...
Then there was Terry's idea to aerate it...
Then there was John's idea get a reel mower...
Then there was Terry's idea to add more "stuff"...
It seems like there's no end...

(Frankly folks, the court still offers as many bumps and dips as it ever did. And, just like that fence of Tom Sawyer's, I suspect it will always need work. Either Terry will be trying to convince John or John will be trying to convince Terry that it ain't work... After all, does a boy get a chance to tend a roquet court every day? Where's Fred in all this? Somehow, I suspect Fred did a little reading of Mark Twain over the winter.)

Rollin' Again...

Yesterday we waved goodbye quietly to all our old and new friends (who were probably still asleep or who should have been -- we left at 5:45 a.m.). We needed to get home to welcome guests the next day and, although Tillie is usually fairly reliable, she can sometimes decide one's vacation needs to be prolonged.

We decided to eat breakfast on the road and stop somewhere at a local restaurant. So we drove through first one town... and the next... and the next... Just as our resolve started to faulter and we thought we'd be forced to eat at a chain (Canadians seem to have this love affair with "Tim Horton's" or as they say, "Timmy's") we passed a general store with lots of cars. Only as we were passing did we see the fine print that it was also a restaurant. Tillie braked admiredly, turned on a something much larger than a dime, and we joined the other local supporters for breakfast. Actually it was so busy because a group of women were having a 40th birthday party for their friend. Who else would think to have a party like that before work? (I know some of you Dillon's out there will think they must have been absolutely nuts!)

Taking the back roads homes at a leisurely pace, we stopped in Petersboro to visit the Canadian Canoe Museum. Seemed like the thing to do since it was Canada's National Canoe Day (does the US have such a day?) and admission was free. They have a LOT of canoes.

Other than that I can't say we found much use for the camera. Although not exactly flat, most of Ontario is not very exciting geographically either. And, either we missed them, or there's not many first's or biggest's or smallest's or whatever around. Or perhaps Canadians just don't feel the necessity to advertise them.

So we arrived home just before dark - our guests arrived about half an hour later. Oops! I got my days confused. Luckily we'd left the house semi-ready before we left... and Tillie hadn't been in one of her moods...

House blessings...

Today, Thursday, was the last day of work for some of us. Others, not wanting to offend the Legion who had signed up to serve lunch on Friday and who were not planning to travel as far on Friday, are working another half day.

In spite of having to sit idle for a hour and a half to wait out a thunder storm, our team did pour the concrete for the second home (trust me, it looks just like the first – it’s just that I keep forgetting to take my camera to that site); the trusses are all up on the first house and several more sections of fence have been built. And it was not quite so HOT, especially if you were one of the lucky women who were building fence in the shade!

One of the traditions of Habitat is the dedication they have for each new homeowner before they move in. Those with the Care-A-Vanner group are seldom there when this dedication takes place. One of our group, Jeff, has taken to doing a “blessing of the home” at the end of each of the builds he and his wife do. The photo is our group giving our blessings to the new homes (both homes are duplexes). Joining us is the next door neighbor, the ladies from the Union Church who provided our lunch today, and a couple of local volunteers. It’s something we hope will become a tradition at other builds we do.

Tonight we pack up, enjoy a very long happy hour with all the left overs from last night’s fish fry (the local fish from the bay is white fish – ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!) There wasn’t any fish left but we still have plenty of salads and snacks. Tomorrow we meander our way back home on the back roads. Who knows what we’ve find on the way…

Meltin'

When it reaches 30C one can officially melt! Supposedly tonight brings a bit of a cool down – we hope! Our Texas folks says it doesn’t even get this hot in Texas.

Photo 1 – John, one of the local regular volunteers, and his wife, Janet, invited us all to dinner at their place last night. Their lupines were gorgeous and I’ve added yellow lupines to my “must have” list.

Photo 2 – John & Janet’s side yard. Not only is their place beautiful but Janet is a first class cook. We all concurred this is adding up to another 10 pound build (10 lbs. on the hips…)

Photo 3 – The ladies fencing crew putting up the brackets so the men could hang the sections we made last week.

Photo 4 – The guy in the blue shirt next to the house on the right is the local rep to Parliament there for a photo shoot. (They got their photos before his tee shirt was soaked through like everyone else’s.) Hopefully the coverage will give Habitat as much good press and it gives him.

Sweatin' on Tuesday...

HOT HOT HOT!!! When they say the high 20’s C it doesn’t do the temperature justice especially when the humidity is approaching 100%. When summer started here, it took on a whole new meaning.

Photo 1 – Yes, some of us really were up at 5:00 a.m.

Photo 2 – The first of the second level floor joists goes up.

Photo 3 – Shortly before 2 and several more are up… The guys look far cooler than they felt!

Photo 4 – Quitting time – 2:00. We heard in the store on the way home they even let the quarry workers leave early because of the heat. By the way the young man coming towards the camera is Cedric. (I never met a real Cedric before – thought that was a name reserved for English novels.) At any rate, he works for the parks department at Niagara Falls. For his vacation this week he decided to spend it in Wiarton helping out with the Habitat House. Said he emailed all the Habitat projects in Ontario and this was the first one to respond. Lucky them, and us!

Back to work...

Photo 1 – House one now bare of the bracing. Folks were amazed that the bracing and scaffolding took three days to set up but came down in about two hours. It was even more amazing that it is all now up at house two in spite of the heat (high 20’s here today – that’s C, not F). Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter…

Photo 2 – The corner where we turn off the main drag in Wiarton. If you can read the signs almost everything is on Willie’s Way from camping to curling.

Photo 3 – I think these are supposed to be groundhog prints…

Photo 4 – Happy hour at the campground (pretty nice setup, eh?). Everyone voted to start work tomorrow at 7 rather than 8 so we don’t have to work as long in the heat of the day.

Exploring the Bruce...

Wiarton is on the Bruce Peninsula, hence the motto above. It is formed mostly by the Niagara Escarpment which runs unbroken for 465 miles from Niagara Falls up through the Bruce Peninsula. It’s basically a “big ridge”. Although not very high, it does have some impressive cliffs. We’re staying in a campground at the base of the escarpment and the houses we’re working on are on top of the escarpment. Although they’re only about 10 blocks apart at the most, the incline (about 2 blocks worth) is so steep that none of us are even tempted to walk.

With the weekend off, sightseeing was definitely in order. So another collection of photos to share from left to right…

1 – Eileen Vollick – who was she? Answer - the first licensed woman pilot in Canada and she was born and raised in Wiarton. At only 5’1” she had to use cushions on the pilots seat so she could see out the cockpit. Apparently she did a lot of stunt flying until she married at which time she gave up flying altogether (guess she thought marriage was exciting enough) and moved to New York where she spent the rest of her life.

2 – John has spent the winter building what definitely looks like a boat. But what does this guy have in mind?!

3 – John and me after he’s worked my fingers to the bone…

4 – I, on the other hand, am always on the lookout for a good name for John’s new boat…

5 – Ontario has 68 different varieties of wild orchids, 44 of which are found on the Bruce Peninsula. And you thought only Hawaii had orchids, didn’t you?

6 – This is “the grotto” - a formation left on the edge of escarpment. Supposedly, if you have really good lungs and don’t mind REALLY COLD water, there’s a passage under it to the other side. None of us tried it. Of course, none of us ventured down the rocks to the water either. Wimps one and all.

7 – This photo is for Phyllis. Jim, our team member from Vermont (on the right), likes to bring his motorcycle to ride. So what does this have to do with you Phyllis? One would never suspect Jim had both his knees replaced in January, even going up and down ladders and hiking over rocky terrain. (Just think what you’ll be up to in 6 months, Phyllis?!)

8 – Some of us on the northern shore which, by the way, is only half way between the equator and the North Pole. BIG world isn’t it?!

9 – One last photo of the rugged coast and beautiful water. Did I mention this area is the scuba diving capital of Canada?

Thursday & Friday...

The real Thursday and the rain was not to be. “Oh woe”, said our bodies; “Yeah!” said our minds. Today’s challenge – completing everything that needed to be done before the concrete could be poured.

Putting up Styrofoam blocks to be filled with concrete sounds like a piece of cake, and it is. However….. there’s all the other stuff that also has to be done. The framing for the

doors and windows has to be secured. Bracing and scaffolding has to be erected on every wall to secure it. The building has to be squared and righted. Holes have to be cut for pipes for dryer vents and air exchangers and the like. Exterior bracing has to be put in place. Brackets to hold the second level floor joists have to be embedded in the foam. Rebar has to be dropped into all the channels – that’s in addition to the rebar that goes horizontally with every layer of block. Foam has to be sprayed in all cracks around openings, both inside and out. I’m exhausted just trying to remember.

The group even worked an extra hour today. Can you believe this fool hardy group actually decided to cut into their happy hour?! One would think when you retire over achieving would be a thing of the past, but somehow it occasionally still has a way of reaching out and grabbing you. Bottom line – the cement truck is coming at 10:30 tomorrow, not Monday as planned.

We ate out……

And finally, it’s actually Friday and the concrete truck arrives. How many supervisors does it take to pour a wall? Actually those guys are just waiting their turn for a try at the nasty job of filling the wall or, worse yet, using the vibrator to make sure no air bubbles are left. They predicted it would take 5 hours to complete the job but the guys were very happy when it was done in three.

Meanwhile, back at the pavilion in the park, the fence crew took it easy enjoying the view of the bay in the shade. Don’t you love this scooter that came by? By the way, we did have an excuse for lounging around - we had to wait for the park manager to return to turn on the power. And someone had to be there to direct folks to the Friday’s farmer’s market…

Thursday, June 18

Another day, another collage. Actually, these are always a day behind because I write them at night and post them the next day on our way back from work. Starting at top left…

Jeff, the inventor of the drain pipe heat exchanger. It replaces a section of your drain pipe and recoups the energy from the hot water going down the drain. Supposedly recoups 70% of the energy lost. His company is donating one for each of the Habitat homes.

Happy hour got happier as Harriet, our yoga teacher, joined us. She tried to teach Juan the goddess pose but don’t think he quite got it (and almost didn’t make it up again!).

There was a classic car “cruise-in” next to the campground. Harriet we insisted we take Tillie over and enter it. As usual, Tillie was a real standout.

For my mother – a photo of the beautiful iris garden that is the front yard of a home a couple of doors down from where we’re working.

The next two photos are of the second duplex our team has also been working on. That house is now on hold until the cement is poured in the first house – which will take place on Monday as there is only enough bracing to do one house at a time. We were all hoping to have one house poured this week but rain is predicted for the next two days.

The fence building crew extraordinaire – Karen, Charmaine & myself. We built 5 today with only 35 sections left to go at this site and the same number at the other site. Of course if it rains the next two days, the fence building project may take a giant leap forward.

Old wagons in front of one of the houses in town. We think the one on the left may be a “low down” wagon like the ones that used to be built in Earlville.

Betty & Leo, our rebar cutting crew. Checking in at age 78, Betty is the oldest member of our team. This is her first build proving it’s never too late to try something new.

Wednesday, June 17

Since I know at least one of you eager beavers out there has googled Wiarton, I thought it was time to include a few pictures to make you all just a wee bit envious.

Top left – a homemade hamburg grill on wheels (hopefully John does NOT get any ideas!). By the way, that was lunch yesterday. They’re feeding us well!

Center top – the old train station that is now the welcome center in the park where we’re camping. It’s as beautiful inside as it is outside (although we haven’t been able to thoroughly check it out as they are never open after happy hour – maybe this weekend…)

Top right – If my camera lens was wider you might also have seen Tillie camped in this photo about 50 feet from shore (to the left, not the right). The “permanent” lady campers in the park have taken on the project of doing flowers along the shoreline path. A wonderful place to take a stroll (that is if you haven’t been wearing lead weight steel toed shoes all day!)

Bottom left – This is Canada’s famous Wiarton Willie who, on Feb. 2^nd, just like a groundhog we know in the states, comes out, searches for his shadow, and decides if Canada can breathe a sign of relief and only have six more weeks of winter. As opposed to Phil, Willie is a white groundhog (camouflage for the snow perhaps). And, while this may not be the best photo, locals tell us most folks never get to see him at all so this photo is a BIG deal.

Bottom center – Willie lives next to the library (just across the street from our campground) where all donations are gladly accepted. Who knew we would one day be sleeping just down the street from a famous groundhog?! How many of you can put that in your resumes?

Bottom right – A stone statue in our park is dedicated to the original Willie. The current Willie, by the way, is really a girl. (Perhaps that’s why there’s a comb – see first photo - next to her groundhog hole…)

By the way, our internet connection comes to us thanks to ReMax, the local realtor. Tillie did her usual slow drive-by of the neighborhoods but couldn’t find a stray, unsecured network. (John always gets nervous when I insist we try this. For some reason he thinks a slow moving yellow VW bus with the passenger holding a computer in her lap might put a Neighborhood Watch program on high alert…) Realtors, on the hand, WANT you to be able to look on line at the properties they have for sale. Keep that in mind when next you’re travelling…

Tuesday, June 16

The build continues with the blocks, bracing and scaffolding nearly all in place for the pouring of the concrete on Thursday or Friday. Half the crew, including Juan from Texas with the genuine Texas hard hat, started work on the second duplex.

It’s the end of the day and we’re all still moving. However, a decision was made early in the day that we would all go out to eat tonight. Yeah! Gives us a chance to find a wireless connection which, in case you haven’t noticed, have been rather hard to find in this community. The locals all say things like driving 30 miles to the nearest internet café…

Monday, June 15

Day 1 on the work site. Everyone up and at ‘em and ready to go. First job – outfitting the “have nots” with steel toed shoes and hard hats. Second job – yoga stretches compliments of Harriette (even the grumpy old men dared not deny Harriette and her stretches). Third job – safety video. Then a short devotional (just in case the video didn’t work). And it was out to the job site.

Allen, our site supervisor, gave us a fairly comprehensive training session on how to put together these Styrofoam blocks just in case some of us had flunked Leggos as kids. These houses are very energy efficient. The houses they’ve built to date using this construction have averaged $57 dollars (Canadian) per month for heating (a good portion of the year this far north) and hot water. As Allen said, the furnace in his 100 year old house costs $57 to even think about starting.

It was a lovely sunny work day in Wiarton. The group has decided 3:30 is quitting time. None too soon if the weight of my steel toes shoes has any bearing in the matter – perhaps there was a mix-up at the factory and they used lead instead of steel. It will be interesting to see if we’re as springy tomorrow as we were this morning.

Sunday, June 15

After spending the night with our friend, Pat, and planning trips (For some reason those trips

never involve Tillie, always planes. Is there a reason for that?!), we headed north to Canada. You will be relieved to know the great Niagara Falls is still there and that we decided NOT to go over in a barrel.

Wiarton (pronounced wire-ar-ton), where we were headed, is north of Niagara Falls on the eastern coast of Georgian Bay. We had never been to this area of Ontario before, but it is relatively flat farm land. Pretty in its own way but nothing in the way of photos to share with you. There are no main roads so there’s a lot of stop and go as you pass through the small towns. We did inhale deeply and Tillie kicked up her tires a bit more as we passed through Mount Forest whose motto on the sign coming into town is “High, Happy, & Healthy”.

Wiarton is a beautiful little town and our campground is right on Colpoys Bay. John already has his eye on the marina just down the bay that is filled with sailboats. But, alas, this is not a sailing trip. We’re here to help Habitat build two duplexes. The construction is to be Styrofoam block & concrete, a new method for most of us on the team. While we’re all excited and ready to get going early, there did seem to be a lot of foot dragging at the meeting last night that we work until 5. (Habitat Care-A-Vanners are more than willing to come early, but dipping into their 4:00 Happy Hour time is entirely another issue!)

Of course the other task is to find a wireless connection to stay in touch with you all…

Off to Wiarton!

At long last – Tillie is on the road again!

With the two of us…

With our tools (for working on the Habitat house we’re headed for)…

With our work clothes…

With our play clothes…

With a few cooking/eating items…

With our bedding for Tillie…

As a friend said to me once, “You’re going to spend two weeks in that?!!! With a man?!!!”. It’s true. Stay tuned.

Heading west to spend the night in Buffalo, Tillie decided once again to jiggle on by the Jello Museum without stopping. Where’s the fun in that? But John had his mind on Buffalo treats including beer battered hot peppers. Am not sure if this is what happens to a person after driving Tillie for four hours or the side effects of starting on one’s fourth hot, hot, hot pepper… Will he able to drive tomorrow? Stay tuned.

Pluggin' along...

For those of you who follow this blog you're probably wondering what we're up to now on the roque croquet court. Is it a weird lawn mower? Is it a rototiller? Is it a line marker? Is it some sort of new exercise machine (after all, we seldom actually PLAY croquet...)?

In real life the machine is an aerator/plugging machine. One walks behind it while it takes removes small plugs of dirt and spits them out. The theory is (I will admit there have been a LOT of theories developed in conjunction with this court...) the holes will allow the roots to expand thus leveling out the court and the sod. Anyway, Terry & John "plugged" (or is it "de-plugged"?) the court and spread lawn winterizer (special fertilizer) and 250 pounds of sand. It turns out that much sand is not that much. Supposedly the holes are supposed to be filled with sand -- didn't happen. (Oh well, I'm sure the squirrels will be happy as there are thousands of acorns in the park this year and the squirrels won't have to dig so many holes.) Now it's up to chief hydrologist, Fred, to keep the winterizer watered until winter. (With all this tender loving care can't you just envision a sea of oak seedlings next spring?!)

Of birthdays & wood...

How do you surprise an "experienced" birthday girl (cousin Judy - photo right) with a birthday party? It ain't easy especially when your husband (cousin John - you guessed it, photo left) says he's taking you out to dinner, then parks at the Emergency Squad/Fire House. Their community room is a GREAT place for a party!

Do you remember from blogs past, trees being cut from cousin John's woods for John's boat building? In case I didn't mention it before, cousin John is VERY experienced with tree cutting. All the lumber in their absolutely beautiful home (John & Judy built it themselves) came from their property. Since they finished their house, John has switched his skills/talent to furniture making. The latest addition to their ever growing furniture collection is this absolutely gorgeous "entertainment" center (it certainly kept cousin John entertained for months!). It's made from black walnut and ash from their property. While John was waiting for the lumber to dry naturally in his garage, he designed it in his head. If the sides look curved as well as the top it's because they are plus they're all dovetailed together (my mind won't even begin to grasp how one does that!). Even the handles on the doors and drawers were hand made. Notice the handle under the TV (John waited until flat screen TV's were available to begin this project). The bottom molding under the TV is actually a sliding shelf so the TV can be pulled out if needed. The counter top John took to his auto body shop and spray painted with anti-graffiti varnish that makes it practically indestructible. Good planning. Even though Judy is now another year older, she's still sometimes up for dancing on table tops...

A croquet love story...

Croquet mallets... Lest you think that John spends all his free time working on boats, that's just not true (even if it sometimes it seems that way...)

Even John will admit that sometimes he can be a bit of a scrounge as in "that's just too good to go to the dump"; "there will eventually be a good use for it", etc. (He blames this trait to some extent on his German heritage.) At any rate, it IS true that he often has squirreled away just the right "thing" for what's needed. His ability to find it is another issue.

Now about those croquet mallets... please note the ball hitting portion was made from bits of oak & walnut he laminated together (I probably would have used the scrapes for kindling long ago) and banded with brass. But the piece de resistance are the handles. They're made from broken pool cues. (Of course the fact they turned out so great does in no way support my cause to clean the "crap" out of our old barn!)

What does this have to do with romance & love? Well one of my sister's high school classmates was relating how her parents met over 60 years ago. Her mother grew up near Dallas, her father in the Ozark Mountains. There was little or no work in the Ozarks so Isam's cousin suggested he come to Texas and find work in the oil fields. One sunny Sunday afternoon looking for something to do on his day off, Isam went to the town park. There on the town croquet court was Opal, the love of his life. Isam & Opal were married (hopefully after playing several rounds of croquet) and moved to the Ozarks to raise their family. So if you're looking for a new love in your life, look no further than your nearest croquet court!

A new home for the Comets!

Remember the Comet sailboats "Have" and "Have Not"? Ah, such sweet memories!
- John taking a friend to Maryland with him to tow home "Have"... (Patty wouldn't go because her crystal ball foresaw pieces of "Have" flying off as they trailed it back to NY - how true that turned out to be!)
- Terry took a look at "Have" and, good friend that he is, acquired "Have Not" for John to work on instead because he thought "Have" a hopeless cause. (It is amazing how a few dollars instead of the word "free" can add so much solid wood to a boat...)
- The trip made (or attempted to be made) to the St. Lawrence in early spring to acquire "boat bottom" wood. (For some reason Terry's pickup just had to "kiss" that car ahead even if no one was going more than 10 mph - one example of Mother Nature's lake effect on highways...)
- Hours/years? spent by John in his workshop (Patty has grown to love his time consuming boat projects!)
- The memorable initial launching of "Have Not" (as Terry pumping vigorously from inside the boat asks John if he's sure it isn't pumping water in rather than out... did it really "sink" that day even if it was in only 3 feet of water?)
- A week later, the "real" launching after "Have Not" had time to "swell" (No sinking that weekend!)
- The initial launching of "Have" (no leaks in the seams but there was that cute little fountain caused by an errant drill bit hole - promptly fixed by John with a twig...) From there it sailed like a dream!
- One summer, two boats, one set of sails... (how does that work? it doesn't!)
- The big regatta at last - two boats, two sets of sails, wind, crew (a wee bit of bailing but no sinking!)

And then the BIG decision... what to do with two lovely boats that, in spite of the fun had, are just not quite right for Terry's camp? The solution... donate them to the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY. When John & Terry first approached the museum they thought the museum would sell them at their fundraising boat auction. However, when Dan Miller (shown in the photo with the boats at the museum) took a look at them, the museum decided instead to use them initially to demonstrate and teach boat restoration and to educate visitors about the Comet class. Then they'll be added to their in-water fleet for sailing instruction. The boats were perfect because they were both originally built in NYS, are wooden and antique (1939), and they're a "size larger" than the other boats in their sailing instruction fleet.

If you've never been to the Antique Boat Museum it's well worth a trip www.abm.org/ ! They have absolutely beautiful boats on display. And, who knows, if you go next year you may actually see "Have" and "Have Not" being sailed in the waters in the photo. Needless to say, John & Terry, the Museum (and me) couldn't be happier!!!

And then it was croquet!

Just look at that court! (Admittedly, it's not putting green smooth, and we know it's a poor workman who blames it's tools, but, honestly, Murph really should invest in a better mower for Terry to borrow...)

At any rate the very first game of the season took place on Sunday (very fitting since Thousand Island Park was originally a church camp). The first six players were, from left to right, Terry (still practicing, not that it helped a whole lot...), John (still giving directions, not that it helped a whole lot...), Judy, Cousin John, Bruce and Leigh.

Needless to say there was a whole lot of discussion and a whole lot of fun on the new court. And who knew what to answer when someone walked up and wanted to know if they were playing roque or croquet? And don't forget backyard croquet with "poison".

It looked for a time as though John would be the winner when he became "poison" and was "killing" off balls right and left. With one ball left to go (Cousin John's) he took aim and sent his ball spiraling forward. It looked at first as though Cousin John was done for. Then John's ball veered slightly away, missing Cousin John's ball, and squarely hitting the end stake. (Those of you familiar with poison rules know this is instant death for a poison ball.) Winner of the first croquet game on the new court.... Cousin John!!!

Sail & Bail Regatta

Gee - another sailboat photo. How nice... However, this photo is downright amazing.



The blue Comet sailboat name "Have", circa 1939, was rotting in some one's backyard in Maryland before John "rescued" it. In fact, parts of the original boat may still be laying along the road as the boat tried to self destruct on the way to its new home. Let us say John put a LOT of new wood into "Have's" restoration. (John & Leigh are crewing that boat.)



The white Comet sailboat named "Have Not" , circa 1940, Terry bought for John to work on because he thought "Have" was a hopeless cause. It, too, needed work, just not as much. Those of you who have been reading this blog for some time might remember "Have Not" as the boat that tried to sink to the bottom when it was first launched 3 years ago. Lesson learned - old wooden boats need an "adjustment" period to allow the wood to swell so they don't leak. (Terry & Lloyd are crewing that boat.)



Last summer, "Have" made her debut in the water. Aside from a small drill hole in the hull that made her look like a whale before John plugged it with a twig, that launch was fairly normal. The only problem remaining - one set of sails, two boats.



This past winter another set of sails was secured and, walla, a regatta! If you're interested in a complete photo session (compliments of Bruce Moseley) go to the web album site

http://picasaweb.google.com/pattyjohng/FunInThePark

Table nouveau...

New tables today are mostly made in factories. Occasionally, however, one gets created with a bit more history behind it. Take the table in the photo for example. The table and the story have many parts but hang it there and, just like the table, it will eventually come together.

Years and years (and, ok, years) ago, we met friend Terry (that's a looooong story in itself...).

Many years later we replaced some of the studs in our house with a bay window. The house was built in the early 1800's so these were manly studs (4"x7"x9.5'). Too good to throw away, they have been used here and there for various purposes and the rest moved hither and yon.

Then came the building of our grape arbor (a.k.a. Temple of Cynthia) when we found 6 old porch columns in a salvage yard. Some of the circular "bits" couldn't be used so, of course, got stored and moved hither and yon.

Several years later a BIG storm came through central NY. Friend Bruce, then director of the Oneida Community Mansion House, let us know one of the historic pines had come down in the storm. As a fundraiser they were selling the planks from it and thought we might be interested. Is the Pope Polish? (He was then...) At any rate we ended up with a couple a planks which, since then, have been moved hither and yon.

Along comes this spring and the "restoring" of the croquet court at TI Park. After a hard day of rototilling and raking, what's left but an evening of good food and drink around a table? And since we were all friends it was only natural that we discuss how absolutely pathetic Terry's table was. Hydrologist Fred (the chief waterer of the court) decreed that 33" was the correct width for a porch table. (Fred is also now known in some circles as 33" Fred.) John remembers "the plank" and a table project is born.

Friends visit in June who like to go antiquing and what did we find but a set of old pool table legs. Who knows what stories they might have to tell and of course they met the chief criteria of being sort of funky and having been moved hither and yon.

Here the project may have stalled but, thanks to the boys (Win, Maverick, Dillon & Peyton) who spent last week with us, it found new life. John suddenly "had" to spend many hours in the workshop working on the table. Wonder why? Of course, Oletta was also there and was able to add a bit of design element to the legs deciding on the proper curve to be cut out of stud and where to place the round column bit.

Our local lumberyard planed the plank and added on some local black walnut to make the top Fred's required 33". John rounded the edges and varnished it within an inch of its life. The rest (with a few modifications on site and perhaps a couple more to come) is now history. If only tables could talk, or perhaps it's best they don't...

If you've made it this far, any suggestions for chairs????

Croquet Olympics

So what's wrong with this year's Olympic games? They forgot to include our croquet team! Or any croquet team for that matter. In fact, if Wicked can be believed, croquet hasn't been played at the Olympics since 1900. (What's with that?!!!) Our team has practiced HARD too!!! Oh well. I can guarantee you the air in Earlville is a lot cleaner and cooler than Beijing at the moment.

Team Earlville left to right - Ace in the Hole Dillon; Out of my Way Win; Someone has to be Second Maverick; Move over Boys Oletta; It's my Court (and my Rules) John; Watch Out Kathleen; and Little Boy Peyton. And just in case you're wondering, the US is well represented - NY, NJ & Texas!

Sweating at the beach...

Photo right - Ocean City in a heat wave... The photo was taken in early morning which explains the lack of people on the boardwalk that remains historic with businesses like Thrasher's french fries since 1929, Kohr Bros. frozen custard since 1919, Dolle's salt water taffy since 1910, and Dumser's Dairyland since 1939. These days you can also get their treats at other locations as well. Just our luck - there was a Dumser's about half a block from where we were staying (an easy walk even in the heat and well worth every ounce of sweat that was generated!)

The Keck/Grafer clan (brothers married sisters - photo is some of that clan) showed up in force for the softball game against the Berlinicke clan (no photo - they were the opposition after all...). In spite of the temperature and humidity vying for top billing (in the 90's) the game went on for two hours (11 - 1) and was finally called for lunch with the Keck/Grafer clan the winner! (They get to choose the location for the next game four years from now. Needless to say several are already petitioning for a cooler location!)

Rambo was still standing with all 4 tires inflated when we returned to NJ (miracles do happen!). Even more amazing he made it all the way back to NY with nary a complaint and even managed to keep his gas consumption in check (marginally better than an air craft carrier...). John wants the wood to be wet when he steam bends it, so Rambo also did his bit by continuing to leak in the intermittent rain storms. Wouldn't want the wood to get too dried out after all...