Another Stamford Adventure

My friend Linda needed a ride to Stamford to visit her mother since her car was in the shop. I offered to take her.

We met up around ten a.m. and headed to Stamford where I dropped her off. I love the Village of Stamford and I had lots of ideas for things to do while she was with her mother. So, I dropped her off and headed into town.

First I went to the CYR CENTER, which is in the former REXMERE HOTEL. They have an art gallery on the first floor, with changing exhibits. The name of the gallery is MURAL. The exhibit they had today was very nice. This is the painting I liked best:

I like the gallery, but mostly I just like the idea of going into the old hotel. You can see some of the original items from years ago, such as the stained glass over the doorways, the huge lions by the back door, etc. Also, they have some artifacts from the REXMERE days in glass cases, and a visual history of the REXMERE.

I decided to visit the OLD STAMFORD CEMETERY across the road from the Rexmere. You have to walk down a path in the woods to get to it. I had been in the cemetery a few years ago to geocache, and wanted to see it again. I didn't walk into the cemetery because the thick ground cover was very wet. I stayed on the path and took a few pictures, here is one:

Old Stamford Cemetery: Stamford, NY, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

I located the area of the geocache. I was amazed to find a beautiful hiking trail right in the middle of town. I found the geocache easily enough. Along the portion of the trail I walked, there are portions of an old stone wall:
It was so strange to be hiking in the middle of the town. From the trail you can see houses and back yards.

I looked for the Chamber of Commerce Information Booth that I read about online, but I could not find it an I could not find Gabriella's Restaurant which is in the same area.

I parked in front of the old hotel (THE WESTHOLME) just up the street from the Chinese Restaurant and attempted to call the realtor hoping that maybe I could go inside, but there was not any cell service available. I noticed an open door but I also saw POSTED NO TRESPASSING signs, so I didn't dare go in.

I checked out a restaurant right next door to the chinese restaurant.
Maybe someday I will eat there. They were offering fried smelt as the daily special.

I picked Linda up at the appointed time and we decided to have lunch at the MING MOON, the chinese restaurant. It was a good meal. Then I drove her back to SEARLES where she had left her car to have brake work done.

I had some extra time so I decided to drive down a road I had often noticed in Davenport Center. I saw this abandoned church

I drove down to the end of the road. I saw this interesting structure:
It appears that you can walk up the stairs on one side, across a long narrow platform at the top and then walk down the other side. Its hard to tell if it is on private property. Right close to it there is a building that looks like it could have been a railroad depot at one time. It had an old restored car (looked like a Chevy BelAir from the l950's) in a carport. The place was very obviously occupied complete with barking dogs, so I did not spend any time looking around. It would be a neat location for a geocache (ANOTHER MYSTERY STRUCTURE), but I think the few residents on this dead end road might get suspicious if they saw a lot of people around all of a sudden.

After that I headed into Oneonta and stopped a couple of places to pick up a few items I needed at home. It was a fun day.

A six day CHRISTA Adventure!

Project 365, Day 129: Meet Christa ! ! !, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

It all started when my friend Carol and I picked Christa up at the airport on Wednesday morning May 11th. Her plane arrived about 11:30 a.m. (right on time) and our timing was perfect. We had only been in the luggage area a couple of minutes when she came down the escalator. This is Christa just after she retrieved her luggage.

Our first stop was at an OLIVE GARDEN for lunch. Christa informed Carol and I that we were a "waitresses nightmare", but really we weren't. We let Christa order for the three of us and we shared everything she ordered. It was a great meal. The deep fried lasagna was an exceptional treat.

We stopped in Oneonta to see her old friend, Storm, for a few minutes before heading back to my house. I think Christa slept most of that first day away.

Most of the adventures I had with Christa had to do with food and driving around so she could see things in Oneonta. She has only been gone for a year, but some things have changed. We ate at Brooks once, had Brooks take out once, had pizza and homemade potato chips at TINO's Pizzeria and had a roni roll at Sal's.



Also, I prepared some of her favorite foods (at her request): ham with raisin sauce, pineapple stuffing and macaroni and cheese.

I showed Christa the new Oneonta Mural, which was painted since she left for Oregon.
I drove her out to the old YMCA camp where she was a day camper before working there several summers. The door to the lodge was open because some workmen were there, so she went in and looked around. A couple of nights we watched LIFETIME movies together.

We made a spur of the moment decision on Sunday the 15th to drive to Lockport the next day to see my father who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. We left early on Monday the 16th. Christa slept most of the way there and I stopped a couple of places to take a few pictures. We had lunch at one of those thruway service centers. She had a sandwich and coffee from Dunkin Donuts and I had a steak sandwich from Roy Rogers.

We arrived in Lockport around 3:30 p.m. and I showed Christa some sites from my childhood such as my "other" grandparents house on Pound Street, and where her father and I had our wedding reception in 1970.

We got to Dad's place a few minutes before four p.m. A couple of hours later, we had a nice family get together that my sister, Peggy, pulled together on short notice. We had pizza and soda and visited and I took a lot of pictures. My brother Mike was there. My sister, Gail was there with all three of her sons, her daughter in law Susan and both of her grandchildren, Sara and Jacob. It was a great time!

Christa and I spent the night at my brother Mikes house. The next morning Mike, Christa and I met up with Dad and Peggy at Denny's for breakfast.

We left Lockport and headed home around 9:30 a.m. I took the thruway most of the way because Christa was anxious to get back in Oneonta for her few finals in town. While we were driving home, Christa told me that she thinks she is ready to move back to New York and that she will talk to her boss at the Portland restaurant she works in and see if she can transfer to the Romano's Macaroni Grill in Albany. This made me very happy and I hope it works out soon! We made a brief stop in Cooperstown to drive around and see the places she has worked and hung out in the past.

I dropped her off at Storm's house and we said our goodbyes. The plan was for her friend Molly to drive Christa and Storm to ALB for her early morning flight today (Wednesday the l8th).

She made it home safely and is now relaxing with her dog, Riley.

Greenway Trail Adventure

Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway Trail, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

Connie and I met up in Oneonta this morning.
Rain was predicted, but we decided to take our chances.

First we went to the Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway Trail. We took our time and walked about half of it. I took several pictures including the one up above. The rain held off until after we left the trail.

Then we picked up lunch at Foti's. We split a sub and a giant brownie.

Then we went to the Swart-Wilcox House where they were holding a baked goods and flower sale.
Connie purchased some iris and some daffodils to plant in her yard.

We were taken on a tour of the OLDEST HOUSE IN ONEONTA. Here are a couple of pictures from the inside. They kept livestock in the basement.



We didn't feel like wrapping the day up, so we
went to the mall to walk and look around. We reminisied about the old days before malls existed.

I showed Connie this old bicycle in one of the shops.
I think the name of the store is COUNTRY JUNCTION. This bicycle looks a lot like I remember the bicycle I had when I was a kid.

It turned out to be a great day even though it rained in the afternoon.

FIVE OUT OF FIVE GEOCACHING ADVENTURE!

Leslie and I got together this morning for a few hours of geocaching. The weather forecast was not favorable, but we decided to take our chances. Our first stop was Riddell Park where there were three dog walk caches that we wanted to find. We were able to find all three of them (Leslie actually spotted all three of them first) as we did a "loop" around the park. Here is a picture I took of the creek that runs through the park:

May13thGeocaching 001, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

And here are a couple of other pictures that I took in Riddell Park:


While hiking the trails to the geocache, we saw many birds and heard some lovely
bird songs.

After that we went to look for BRIDGE OVER DUCKY WATERS. We had looked for this one before (I think I may have looked twice, but Leslie said she looked six times) without success. I was pretty sure we would not be successful this time, BUT I found
it within seconds. In fact, it took longer to replace the log into the tiny "nano" than it did to find the geocache!

We decided we had time for one more, so we drove up to the "middle reservoir" to find RESERVOIR DUCKIES, another one which we had looked for unsuccessfully in the past. We found it within a minute or two. Another nano! They are so tiny......its amazing that a log fits inside.

Finding FIVE geocaches in about 2.5 hours is kind of a record for me! It was a great day!

After that, I went home and picked Christa up and we went for a late lunch at BROOKS HOUSE OF BARBEQUE.

Bovina Center Adventure

Leslie and I met up around ten thirty this morning to do some geocaching. Our first stop was FINE WEATHER FOR DUCKIES which is along Route 28 on the way over to Delhi. We found this one within moments of getting out of my car, which seems strange since we had searched all over for it one other time without any success.

We headed out to Delhi watching for cemeteries along the way because I had brought 4 geocaches along with me (for hiding). We saw a couple on 28 between Oneonta and Delhi, but decided to stop on the way back. We headed over to Bovina Center and arrived there around 11:20 a.m. We located part one of BOVINA'S BRAVEST, a two part cache. Muggles nearby prevented us from looking for part two right away. We saw the Brush Cemetery across the street
and I took some pictures for someone on findagrave.com This is the gravesite they wanted a picture of: Bathshebe Brush


We located RUSSELL'S STORE (circa 1823). Here is a very old picture of it. and here is how it looks today:

I was given permission to take pictures, and we talked with a couple of women there. One of them offered to open up the Bovina Museum so that we could go in. We took her up on the offer and I drove the three of us around town a bit while she showed us some historical buildings. She opened the museum up and we spent about twenty minutes looking around. I was able to see some information about the Brush's buried in the Brush Cemetery. After that, Jan offered to take us over to the old schoolhouse, five miles out of town. On the way, she pointed out various historical buildings, including one that Jim Denver (Gilligan) owned and lived in in either the 60's or 70's. The schoolhouse was locked, but we peaked in the building and the old desks are still in place!

Back in Bovina Center, Leslie and I had lunch at Russell's. I had a chedder cheese, bacon, tomato and avocodo grilled sandwich. Leslie had a turkey sandwich. I bought a couple of postcards. Then we went back to the Fire Hall and found part two of BOVINA'S BRAVEST. The man cutting the lawn next door seemed to know exactly what we were doing!

After that we headed out of town, pausing to take pictures of some of the places Jan showed us. While we were peeking in the windows of Hilson's Store,
a woman came over and offered to open it up so we could go in. It turns out her great great grandfather started the original store. It stayed in the family until her brother worked there, but it closed down, I think she said in the l960's. The original
shelving and some other items are still there, but many items have been sold. The store, eight acres and the house next door are on the market for $280,000. I hope someone buys the place and restores it.

By the time we finished up in Hilson's, it was after two p.m. and we decided to call it a day. We didn't have time to hide any of my geocaches. We arrived back in Oneonta a little bit after three p.m.

It was a wonderful day! I hope to return to Bovina Center soon.

Guilford and More Adventure: April 28, 2011

It all started a few days ago when I was trying to get information about the Guilford New York Historical Society. In a roundabout way I came upon the facebook page of the wife of the Guilford Town Historian. She responded with a phone number that I thought was for the Historical Society, but it turned out to be her home phone number.

When I reached her on the phone, I asked her for direction to the Roots Corners one room schoolhouse. She said her and her husband would gladly take me there. I recruited my friend Carol, and we agreed to meet up in South New Berlin early Thursday afternoon so that we could do some exploring and then meet up with Wilma and Tom Gray in Guilford at three p.m.

We met up at one p.m. and drove south. Carol knows the area, and she navigated while I drove.

Our first stop was in the hamlet of White Store. There is an old hotel and restaurant which may or may not be open. Its hard to tell. Nobody responded when
we knocked on the door, but a car had just pulled out as we were approaching. Here are a couple of pics: and


Then we went to the White Store Church and Evergreen Cemetery. This old church is on the National Registry.
and



Then we headed to Mt. Upton. WE stopped to look at THE OLD MILL. I hope to eat there someday.

In Mt. Upton, we stopped to look at a church that was in dire need of a paint job, found out that it was open and went inside. It is a beautiful church. Then we looked at the abandoned school next door. I could not find the road to go to see the Lady Uptons monument, so we missed that.

Further down the road, we stopped in the hamlet of Rockdale. Unfortunately, the old hotel/restaurant closed down recently. Here is a pic:


The we headed towards Guilford, stopping in Guilford Center to see THE PILLARS (former Angels Inn). It is apparent that a little bit of work has been done on it.
The broken windows on the first floor front are boarded up.

In Guilford, we met up with Wilma and Tom Gray at their house. They live right next door to what was once a blacksmith shop
and then a creamery and across the road from a shingle factory. They showed us their albums of information and pictures of historical Guilford.

Then we went to THE KLEE HOUSE, where we saw the angel that used to adorn THE ANGELS INN. It is much smaller than I expected. We also saw a display of artifacts retrieved from the bottom of Guilford Lake.

Then it was on to the ROOTS CORNERS SCHOOLHOUSE. Tom had the key and we were able to go inside, but the inside is being renovated. I hope to someday see the finished product. Here is a picture of the school.

Guilford New York One Room Schoolhouse, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

Then Tom led the way to the remnants of an old mill. These ruins are on property that he owns.
The creek was full and wild and frothing and very loud at the area where it became a rushing waterfall. Tom showed me a cave that was built by Italian
immigrants, probably associated with the mill. Here are a couple of pictures. and



After that, we headed towards Gilbertsville. I stopped at THE OVERLOOK to do maintenance on my geocache. We drove around a bit and then went to CHRIST CHURCH where there was a free community dinner. It turned out to be tossed salad, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, green beans and brownies or rice pudding for supper. It was a great meal.

Then I drove Carol back to S. New Berlin where we started this adventure!
It was a great day, thanks to Wilma and Tom!

Good Friday Adventure 2011

Rosa's in Bainbridge, NY, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

As soon as Terry finished working yesterday morning, she called me and we met up at her place in Otego.

First stop was at Rosa's in Bainbridge where we had a nice lunch. We both had the baked meatballs with parmesan. It was a good meal, and quickly served up.

Second sop: Pine Ridge Groceries (commonly known as The Mennonite Store). I really splurged today because it is a holiday weekend. This will be my first time tasting goat cheese (which is very expensive).

Third stop: Frog Pond Farms, which was bursting with color. I bought a lot of fresh fruits and some parsnips and tomatoes. I took a lot of pictures of the plants and flowers that they had for sale.


Fourth stop: convenience store in Bainbridge so that we could use the bathroom.

Fifth stop: The highway department in Bainbridge where we looked for a geocache on a "steel angel". Fifteen minutes of searching brought no results.


Sixth stop: PIE IN THE SKY in Otego where we were successful in finding the nicely hidden geocache.

Then Terry and I said our goodbyes and I headed home to await my Easter company.
Dad and Peggy arrived around 6:40 and an hour later supper was served: beef on weck, baked beans and a creamed corn casserole.

Then Dad, Peggy and I played dominoes before going to bed around ten thirty p.m. It was a great day.