Today was what we call a STAFF FUN DAY at Family Services. Instead of working, we all meet up and then take off for something fun. Mary (my boss) asked me to put
together some ideas of where we might like to go. After we discussed a couple of these ideas, we decided on going to Delhi and Hamden for the day. The group included myself, Mary, Geneen, Kim, Carol and Phylicia. What a mixture.....women ages twenties to sixties!
We started out early in the day and drove to Delhi. The first stop was the Village Square, where a geocache is hidden. Mary found this tiny geocache pretty quickly. I took some pictures of the square and the buildings around it. Then we walked down to the Co-operative Store, an organic food store at the other end of Main Street. By that time, Stewart's (the old fashioned store) was open, so we stopped there. The woman working showed us the old "initialer" which was used to stamp initials on leather hat bands in the "old days". There is a picture of it up above, third one down. We also went into a tiny gift shop, and I got a few postcards to send to my grandkids.
From there we headed out to Hamden. I had found the geocache named THE MYSTIC FOREST before, but I love that woodsy area and wanted to go again. We parked and took the trail in, stopping to see the huge old red oak tree on the way. Once in the Mystic Forst (I am sure that is not its real name), a few in the group took off to find the source of the running water we heard. They returned with stories of a stream, small waterfalls and a cave. In the meantime, Geneen had located the geocache. I highly recommend hiking at the West Branch Nature Preserve in Hamden, New York.
We then went to THE LUCKY DOG FARM STORE AND CAFE. This was my third time there, but it was a first for the others. We looked around and then had lunch in the cafe.....which is an experience in itself, with the old porcelian topped tables and
displays of antique and vintage items.
We stopped to see an eagles nest from the road, as we left Hamden. There is a small geocache hidden nearby, which I located. It was down a pretty steep incline, and I did not want to climb down it, so Phylicia and Geneen went down and got it.
While at the eagles nest area, I noticed a huge old abandoned house across the road and the door was open!!! We walked up the driveway and explored a bit. Geneen and I went inside but the others declined. The place is full of furniture, including an organ and pool table, and lots of junk and boxes piled all around. We did not go upstairs, but we could have since there seemed to be about five stairways going up. The picture way up at the top is a picture of the abandoned farmhouse.
We then went to see the Hamden covered bridge, which we had passed a couple of times earlier. We took pictures and explored. The rural area just beyond the bridge looked so inviting.............maybe another time......
After that we headed back to Delhi, and went to THE HEART OF THE CATSKILLS, which is a pet shelter run by the Humane Society. It seems to be very well run and organized, and it is very clean. Mary might get a dog sometime soon, and I saw her doing paperwork with someone at the front desk. I took some pictures of the pet cemetery there.
The day was winding down and we headed back to Oneonta. I think everyone had a wonderful time!
great fun!
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