DESTINY USA Adventure

Megan and the kids and I headed to Syracuse this morning in order to meet up with Mike and Tina at DESTINY USA.  We stopped at TIM HORTONS on the Transit and picked up breakfast sandwiches, drinks and some small donuts and headed on our way.  It was a 2.5 hour drive.

We did some shopping.  I got a pair of slippers.  The kids got several items including hats, gloves, slippers, socks and pajamas.  We went to THE APPLE STORE, which was a new experience for me.  I believe the goal of this store is for people to see and try out new technology.

We had lunch at PIZZERIA UNO a restaurant at the end of the food court.  It was VERY GOOD!

We left Mike and Tina about 3:15.  I took this "family picture" before leaving:

When we got back to Lockport, we called Peg and made arrangements for her to pick up pizza and bring it to my house.  We all had supper together.  The kids wanted to go to LAKE EFFECT ICE CREAM, but settled for Edy's Ice Cream and homemade peanut butter cookies.  

Solo Lockport Adventure: October 23, 2014

It was the first blue sky/sunshine day in several days and after doing  some cooking (company coming this weekend) I decided to walk downtown and have lunch.

I stopped at the police station to say hi to Mike.  He gave me a tour of the facility and I met his boss and a couple of other people.  I particularly enjoyed seeing this Corvette that was confiscated from a drug dealer and is occasionally used by the police department.

There is a new gift shop on the first floor of the Bewley Building.  TICKLEBRIDGE is the name of it.  I stopped and purchased an old cigar box.

I had lunch at COUSINS CAFE in the Bewley Building

 Patty melt and onion chips!  for less than seven dollars!

Williamsville Adventure

Betty and I planned a daytrip to Williamsville a few weeks ago, but she became ill and was unable to go.  Finally, TODAY worked out for both of us to go.  We met up at my house around 9:30 a.m. and headed out.  Once we got to Williamsville, we looked for signs to Glen Falls Park, but didn't see any, so we had to stop and ask.  We finally found the park and a place to park my car.  The first thing we did in the park was stop to admire some ducks in a lovely pond.

Then we looked at the creek and falls from several places and took a lot of pictures.  

We made it up to Main Street where we checked out a few shops.  I think Betty liked TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES as much as I did.  I bought four small baskets to use as Christmas gifts.  

A few more things seen on Main Street: 

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A woman at a gift shop recommended two restaurants.  Eagle House and Creekside Cafe.  We went to the Creekside Cafe and had one of the specials.  I  think it was called the Turkeylater (or something like that).....turkey, stuffing and cranberry mayo on grilled sourdough with sweet potato fries on the side.  It was great.  

Then we walked back down Main Street and went behind the library where there is a bridge to another park ISLAND PARK.    There are some great views of Ellicott Creek.

Betty had half of her sandwich left so we stopped in Glen Falls Park again and fed the ducks.   I swear they would have climbed up on our laps if we would have let them.  

On the way back to Lockport, we stopped at Andersons for a frozen custard....it was a great day.  

Tuscorora Reservation Adventure and more

Chickie and I met up this morning in order to do some exploring on the nearby TUSCORORA INDIAN RESERVATION near Lewiston.  Unfortunately, it is a very difficult place to explore because while roads on the map have  names, there are no actual signs with  the names of the roads.

We stopped at a SMOKIN' JOES ( I guess there are several SMOKIN' JOES locations, but I think this is the largest one.

There is a very nice museum inside, which consists of soapstone carvings.  They are very elaborate, detailed and beautiful.  There is a deli and you can buy various food items, as well as lots of indian products.  

By the time we were finished in the store, it was close to lunch time.  There was an interesting HOT DOG STAND between the store and the highway.  

 Each order of fries was HUGE....probably enough for three people.  The burger (we each  had the RODEO BURGER COMBO) was cooked on a grill (you could see the flames) and it was excellent. It was damp and drizzling so we ate our burgers and fries in Chickie's truck.

We stopped at the LEWISTON ANTIQUE MALL and looked around, but neither one of us bought anything.  It is a large building with areas divided off for individual vendors.  Some of the prices were very reasonable.  

As we were leaving the antique place, Chickie asked if there were any geocaches we could look for.  I checked my GPS and noticed that we were about two miles from OLD PINEY, a geocache hidden in a park behind the Sanborn Fire Department.  I found it first, but then I backed off and Chickie found it.  

When we got back to my house, I helped Chickie to log her three cache finds (two last Friday and one today), and showed her the page that lists all of her finds.  

OPPENHEIM Adventure and more

My friend Chickie and I have been trying to get together for a month or so and today finally worked out.  Barb joined us (all three of us graduated the same year l967).

After dropping something off at Opportunities Niagara Unlimited we headed to Oppenheim Park, so that we could find the remains of the old zoo.  My parents took us kids there in the 50's and 60's and I have vague memories of doing that.  I had coordinates from a geocache that has been archived and was using them to find the remnants.

When we arrived, I was not sure we would be able to explore because there was a sheriff's vehicle
sitting there.  When my GPS seemed to be pointing me in the wrong direction, I decided to ask her if she knew where the remains were.  She pointed in the same direction that my GPS was pointing and said it was OK for us to go in and look but she wanted us to know that there is a homeless veteran living in one of the buildings.  His name is Fred and she said he is rarely there during the day and that he is harmless, anyways.  This seems to be Fred's habitat.  A tent set up beside one of the buildings.  The building has cages in it.

Here is a pic of one of Chickie at one of the cages.  

Fred has bags and piles of bottles and cans (the redeemable kind) in the building and all around outside.  Here are a couple of his personal effects.

Here is a picture of Barb and Chickie inside this building

After we completed our urban exploring of the zoo remnants, we decided it was time for lunch.  We stopped at a place called HOOVER'S 

which I think is just outside the village of Sanborn limits.  Barb and I had their beef on weck and Chickie had a burger and a HUGE order of fries.

Then we headed back towards Lockport.  I had a bit of difficulty finding THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE, but after some driving around we arrived.  I gave my GPS to Chickie and told her about the geocache.  She found it with a few hints.  Both she and Barb seemed excited about both the geocache and the remnants of what we think was a mill in "the olden days".

Then we headed for THE ROAD TO NOWHERE.  I was not with Peggy when she replaced the missing cache that she and I hid, so this was a new one to me.  Chickie was very assertive and she found it before me!!!!  Here she is showing Barb and I

 Here is a picture of the road that goes nowhere!

It was a great day!  When we got back to my house, I helped Chickie open up her own  geocaching account!

DONUT Adventure!!!!!

Janie wanted to introduce me to two of her favorite places, so we met up this morning  at my house and headed south on the Transit.  First stop : Mayer Brothers CIDER MILL in West Seneca, New York.  Janie bought two boxes of donuts (I think one half dozen in each box) and I bought two cider donuts to take with me.

Then it was on to Paula's Donuts in Williamsville, NY.   I really had never heard of this place until Janie mentioned it.  But since I never met a donut I didn't like, I was willing to check it out.

Paula's Donuts (inside) looks a lot like an old time diner.  There was such a wide variety to choose from so I started with a peanut stick.  It was good, but not as good as the peanut sticks from DeCamillo's.  I ate half of it and decided I had to have a cream filled donut.  So, I went up and got myself one.  

I should have taken a picture of it, because it was so full of cream, that it was spilling out all over the place.  This was the best donut I have ever had.  

 I hope to go again soon!

Lunch at THE FIELDSTONE

I met up with a bunch of girls who were in my high school graduating class (1967) at THE FIELDSTONE today for lunch.  It was Barb, Lynette and her grandson,  Carol (Lynette's sister) Bonnie Thomas, Liz Tenbrooke and Marie Johns.  I had one of the specials (french onion soup and chicken salad sandwich).

After lunch, I asked Barb if she wanted  to to down to the canal to take a walk.  She said yes and we met up at Wide Waters pier.  We had a nice walk.  Not very much fall color to see though.