Pumpkin Regatta and More: September 25, 2011

This was my first PUMPKIN REGATTA and I was happy to be able to go with my oldest daughter, my son in law and my two grandkids. We headed off to Cooperstown as soon as everyone had eaten and gotten ready for the day. Chris drove some back roads that I had never been on before. I must remember that next time I go through Toddsville, to NOT turn right, but to turn left and find the old cemetery we passed today!

When we arrived, Chris dropped Megan and I and the kids off and he went to find a parking spot. We watched some of the contestants work on finishing decorating their huge pumpkins and saw some of the finished pumpkins:


Cassy and I found a front row seat along the edge of the lake. We took our shoes off and dangled our feet in the cool water. We watched as the pumpkins and their rower paddled out to the starting point for the races. After a while, we got bored with that and went to check out the booths. Cassy and I made pumpkin pins:
tested various flavors of peanut butter and had fried dough. Cassy and I watched the very last race, and here is a picture:

We met up with the rest of our group: Chris and Megan, Tina and Mike, Ryan, Jason and Jen, and the kids. Tyler got his own fried dough and Megan and I tried the french fries with cheese. While Cassy was looking at the alpacas, a photographer talked with her and took her picture and said it will be in the next edition of HOMETOWN ONEONTA.

We walked down Main Street. We saw this pumpking which weighs more than a thousand pounds:
Megan and Tina went into a shop to get some candy and Tyler and Jamie were fooling around with a pumpkin display when another photographer came along and took their picture to post on a local tourism website.

We walked to the front of THE OTESAGA and sat for a few minutes before going to the car. Then we drove to Oneonta. I showed Megan and Chris the new mural. We went to THE GOLDEN GUERNSEY.
Then we went out to Gilbert Lake State Park so they could show the kids where they got married in l999. This is a family picture I took on the dock.
On the way back to my house, I pointed out the Morris version of Stonehenge. It looks like it may have suffered some damage in the recent flooding.

Short Geocaching Adventure

Leslie and I decided to get together in the middle of the day today to go look for
three geocaches. I met up with her in West Oneonta and we headed out County Road 8 to The Otsdawa Cemetery where we found our first geocache. Leslie and I had kind of discovered this small, old cemetery a couple of months before and I intended to someday come and hide a geocache here, but artfullybare beat me to it. Leslie found this one after about ten minutes of looking.

Then we continued on to another old cemetery WHEELER CEMETERY, down County Road 7. I found this one. Here are a couple of pics of that cemetery and the geocache.



Then we went to Wells Bridge to find WBFAS. This one was in the woods near the Susquehanna River, off of the Wells Bridge Fishing Access Site. Lesle found this one while I kind of waited and hoped I would be able to get back to my car in one piece. It was WAY more than a terrain level of 2 !! Here is a picture of Leslie looking for the geocache.......it is #400 for her!

On the way back to West Oneonta, I stopped to take a picture of an old church.
It appears that it may have been used as a residence, but looks like it is empty now. Then we stopped at the HELL HOLLOW ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE, and I took these pictures.




I dropped Leslie off and headed home. It was a short outing, but fun!

Chick'n and Biscuits Adventure

I saw info. in the Daily Star a few days ago about the ALDRICH BAPTIST CHURCH offering a chicken and biscuits supper today (Saturday September 17th). I asked Terry if she wanted to go and she did. Yesterday, she asked me if there was anything else we could do before going to the dinner. I started putting together plans for an afternoon getaway.

This was the first day that I had to NOT wear shorts or capris and I reluctantly wore blue jeans.

After going to WalMart to pick up a couple of prescriptions and having a very light lunch at McDonalds, I met up with Terry at HOME DEPOT. We headed out towards Delhi, so we could look for a geocache (X ahead). On the way to the geocache location, we saw a farmstand that had some HUGE pumpkins on display. We stopped to see the pumpkins and check out the stand. We both purchased a couple of items and I took a bunch of pictures of the pumpkins and of a mama duck with her baby ducklings.





Next stop was the location of the geocache. Terry and I both looked for about fifteen minutes but we did not have any success. We finally gave up and decided to head to Treadwell. Terry showed me a back road to Treadwell that I had never been on.

On the way to Treadwell (on 28) Terry pointed out this old building on the corner of 29 and Grange Hall Road. It was formerly a grange hall, and at one time a dance hall.

When we got to Treadwell, we were both disappointed to find BARLOW'S STORE closed. We went to the Treadwell Museum of Fine Art. The owner, Joseph Kurhajec, was busy talking to another visitor (obviously someone who knows the world of art and is familiar with his work) and even though I had the money in my hand, I never had an opportunity to pay our admissions. Terry didn't seem to like Joseph's work.....in fact, she said the place was a bit scary! Nevertheless, it was a real adventure being their for the second time. Here are a couple of pictures I took in the Treadwell Museum of Fine Art:


Then we drove down the road, towards Delhi, hoping to find the place that I saw on my last trip to Treadwell, a place that sells vintage furniture. We found the place,
but it was closed. The name of it is OLD SOUL: RECYCLED AND VINTAGE FURNITURE. I took a picture of a sign with a phone number to call, so that I can call and go when they are open. We drove back to Treadwell and went to an antique shop.
Terry and I both made small purchases.

Then on to Franklin. Our first stop was the convenience store, so we could use the
restroom. Then I drove further down the road in order to show MEL'S ANTIQUE RACING CARS to Terry.
Mel was not there, but he had told me before to come any time and bring my friends, and that it would be fine to look around if he was not there. Terry LOVED Mel's and we spent about twenty minutes (maybe more) walking around and looking at his cars and other old items. Terry particularly liked the S and H Green Stamp sign. After that we went to a few antique shops on Main Street, Franklin. One is in the location of a former feed mill. Terry found a piece of blue cobalt glass that she purchased.

Before heading over to North Franklin, we stopped at the Franklin Cemetery so Terry could visit her parents gravesites. We didn't take time to look around the cemetery.I think this visit saddened Terry a bit. She had not seen her parents graves in a long time. Terry told me that she has no living relatives except for her children.

We arrived at the ALDRICH BAPTIST CHURCH (on Route 28 between Oneonta and Meridale) a few minutes after four. The first thing that happened when we stepped inside the basement cafeteria is Terry ran into two "long lost cousins".
I took pictures, and will make copies to give to Terry. Then another relative came to our table and talked to Terry a bit. All four women were delighted to meet up and they exchanged phone numbers. The chicken and biscuits, coleslaw and fresh tomatoes were pretty good. The blueberry pie was GREAT! I ran into Margaret, who I worked with the Catskill Center for Independence many years ago.

Terry and I agreed that it was a great day and that the best way to plan a day trip is around a church dinner at the end! When I got home, I took a picture of the stuff I brought home from this day trip:
A small green glass bottle that I got at the antique place in Treadwell, a pumpkin, a tomato and a green pepper I got from the farmstand, and a piece of chocolate pie that I brought home from the church supper. As I was leaving, I jokingly asked a teenage girl who was working if I could take a couple of pieces of pie home with me, and she said "no problem". But I only took one!

Trip to Lockport: September 4th through 10th, 2011

I headed to Lockport early in the morning on Sunday, September 4th. The highlight of my drive across the state was when I stopped at an apple farm and had cider and apple fritters. In the past, every time I passed this stand, it was closed. I lucked out this time. It is on Route 20, south of Syracuse, but I cannot recall which towns on Route 20 are nearby.

I was hoping to make it there in time to say goodbye to my Dad, who was at deaths door. By the time I got there, he had rallied and proven the doctors wrong! I should have blogged every day, but I didn't, and I can't remember everything now. The week was punctuated by long visits with Dad, accompanying him to physical and occupational therapies, time with my siblings, a bit of geocaching and taking my shoes to the shoe repair shop.

Sunday night, my sister and I had supper at Denny's because she was in the mood for
baked fish. Monday morning, all four of us "kids" met with the doctor, who agreed that Dad was beyond the scare of the past few days when he stated "two weeks to two months".

On Monday or Tuesday, my Aunt Hiroko brought subs to the nursing home at lunch time, and Gail, Peggy and I had lunch together in "the great room". Later on in the week, she brought chicken and biscuits. It was delicious! One night, Mike's girlfriend Janie prepared pulled pork sandwiches and we went to Mikes place for supper. I met Janie's boys, ages five and ten, Dylan and Dominick.

One day, Peggy and I took Dad's car to the place where he purchased it a year ago, in order to have it inspected. While there, I saw a car I liked: a Chrysler Pacifica wagon. I am going to see if I can find one in Oneonta.

One night I had supper at LaPorts (fish fry) with my brother, his daughters and their boyfriends, his girlfriend and her two sons. On my last night in Lockport, my sister and I had supper at Molinaro's, which also has a great bakery.

One of the highlights of my time in Lockport was conducting business at MACALUSO'S SHOE REPAIR.
Vincent Macaluso has been repairing shoes for a very long time, he started helping his Dad when he was eight years old. He is at least seventy two now.
His shop burned two years ago and he relocated and purchased equipment to replace what was destroyed. I had developed a painful bunion a few days before going to Lockport and he fixed three pairs of sneakers so that they fit me better.

I found a few geocaches (and looked for a couple that I did not find) and hid one at the location of what used to the the POOR HOUSE. I had lunch at Reid's one day.

I said my goodbye's to Dad Friday night and headed home early Saturday morning. My first stop was in Amherst to find a geocache at the Amherst Museum.........quick and easy. Then I hopped on the thruway and took it to exit 34. I found myself in the Village of Canastota. It looks more like a small city, but wikipedia says it is a village (Town of Eaton). I saw signs for CANAL TOWN MUSEUM and decided to check it out. Before I got there, I saw this huge building that looks kind of like a cross between a church and a miniature castle, and this mom and pop type store.
The museum was small, and packed with information and memorabilia that have to do with the canal.
I have the feeling I could have spent a lot more time exploring Canastota, but I had a destination...........the small hamlet of Pratts Hollow (the geographical center of New York State).

I got directions in Canastota to Morrisville, the nearest city to
and I headed on my way. On the way, I came across the hamlet of Peterboro and I had to stop to take pictures. Here are a couple of things I saw there:
This old storefront still has the shelving and counters, etc. While I was peeking in the windows, two Amish boys rode by on their bikes.
This was a "land office" for a prominent abolitionist.
I made it to Morrisville and went into a pizzeria to ask directions to Pratts Hollow and then I headed on my way. It is the cutest little hamlet. The church has a sign saying it is the geographical center of New York State. Pratts Hollow is the cutest little hamlet. I was taking pictures of a couple of very old, empty buildings when two elderly men in a huge truck pulled up and suggested I take a picture of a huge weeping willow tree. This was my opportunity to ask a couple of questions and I did. They identified the former general store and the hotel. Here is the hotel: I think the name of it may have been something like COONSROD..........?
There is a small farmstand in front of a house just down the road from the intersection and I purchased a couple of items.

I went back to Morrisville and took a couple of pictures. As many times as I have driven through Morrisville, I never before noticed the old engine house and the huge building on a corner which appears to have been a hotel in days past. I continued on Route 20. I stopped in Bouckville and went into the Route 20 Diner and had a brownie sunday. It is a cute little place with lots of Pepsi Memorabilia.

In Bouckville, I also noticed a very small museum. The door was unlocked, but the door was "sticking" and I did not want to risk damaging the doorframe by pushing it hard. Next door to that there is an old mill building:

I continued on my way, getting closer to home. I passed through Leonardsville at exactly 3:30, and I was wondering what was going on at the church since there were a lot of cars out in front. It turned out they were having a pork dinner.
I stopped and purchased two dinners to take home.

I decided to check out two small hamlets I have been wondering about: Unadilla Forks and West Edmeston. I was particularly intrigued with West Edmeston when I saw this sign: However, it was getting late and I did not feel I had time to continue driving and looking for Amish farms. I will do that another time.