Pine Lake Adventure: July 31, 2013

Pine Lake: July 31, 2013, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

This morning I called Connie to see if she wanted to either go out to lunch or meet someplace for a picnic lunch. After some thought, she suggested we meet up at PINE LAKE. After I left work and picked up a sub from SUBWAY, I drove up there to meet up with her.

We had a great walk on the great trails provided by Pine Lake.  We sat by the lake for a half an hour or so, enjoying the view.

We met up with this man, who told us that his family owned PINE LAKE when he was growing up. He now lives down south, but is visiting the area. He told us how they owned a lot more cabins,which they updated a bit every year. The cabins were rented out by the week over the summer and all sorts of activities were provided. It reminded me a bit of the Borscht Belt era in the Catskills.

My complete set of pictures is here.

Good-bye Terry, Rest in Peace

This was not at all an adventure, but Terry was a good friend who shared many of my adventures with me. I met Terry Church when US Care assigned her to work at my house taking care of my daughter.  She worked five mornings a week for many years........I think six or seven years.  Six days ago, she was on her way here, and she was in a car accident at the corner of County Road 11 and State Highway 23.  It appears that she died instantly when another car heading in the opposite direction swerved into her lane.  Today was her funeral.  I picked up Betty, who was Terry's best friend and then I picked Vera up.  We met up with Wendy at the funeral home.   I had met her son and one daughter previously and I got to meet Terry's other three daughters.   The funeral was very nice.  During the calling hour (just before the funeral) there was a slide show of pictures of Terry, which was very good.  Rev. Mitch Springer from Spirit and Truth conducted the funeral.   After the funeral, I drove Vera and and another woman who needed a ride to the cemetery.

Terry and I shared MANY adventures together over the past few years.  We went to the movies a few times, out to eat several times on several day trips and a couple of weeks ago we took a weekend trip to Vermont and New Hampshire.  Thats when I found out terribly loud she snored.  Terry's first love was music (a love I did not share) but I went to the Ricky Nelson tribute with her a few years ago and enjoyed it.    Also, she LOVED geocaching with me, even though she did not have an account or a GPS.  She found a few before me!
     I will miss Terry very much!  She was always cheerful and upbeat even when her situation was less than perfect.  

James Fenimore Cooper's Town ADVENTURE

CooperstownJuly26_2013 041, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

Leslie and I met up with a new friend, Nancy, at Price Chopper this morning and headed to Cooperstown to do Leslie's multi-puzzle geocache JAMES FENIMORE COOPER'S TOWN.

We parked in the red parking lot and found the first cache in the series and then we took the trolley downtown and found the first couple of spots which gave us info. that we needed to use in order to find the final cache.This is a view of Otsego Lake from the James Fenimore Cooper Statue, which was the first stop as we looked for clues to the final geocache.  We stopped for a while at the library and spent some time in the art gallery.   It was the 78th National Juried Art Exhibition. I think our last stop in Cooperstown was at THE SMITHY, were we looked around for a while   I had never noticed this "stone book" which had information for one of the clues.  I think it was the very last clue.   Out behind THE SMITHY, I noticed this in the back yard next door.  

Around that time,  we decided it was time for lunch. We decided on ORIGINS CAFE at CAREFREE GARDENS. We all had paninis.   Here is a picture of mine, which was very good:  Leslie did not like hers and she did not seem to like the cafe, either.

Then it was time to head back to Cooperstown to look for the geocache itself. We ended up right back at the red parking lot. The cache was found and log signed. Nancy chose the nickname JuneWisconsin, since she was born in June in Wisconsin.

Our last stop of the day was at the Visitors Center in Cooperstown where we used the restroom and I picked up some tourism magazines and brochures including a WALKING TOUR OF COOPERSTOWN.  Here is my complete set of pictures for the day:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/juneny/sets/72157634803701731/

It was a great day, but very long!!!  I slept very well.

Route 7 New Eating Place Adventure

The title does not seem quite right, but here goes.  I picked my friend, Judy, up this morning and we ran some errands and then decided it was lunch time.  We were going to go to the WHITE HOUSE in Worcester, New York, but it was a gorgeous day and I suggested that we drive out Route 7 to Cobleskill and see if we passed any interesting restaurants.

The first place we saw was SHIRLEY'S STONEY CREEK just past Richmondville.  We stopped and checked out the inside the the menu and decided not to continue on to Cobleskill.  We thoroughly enjoyed our meal.  It is a family run place, and the family is very friendly.  The place is decorated with handmade quilts.  I had the sweet corn nuggets and a cup of corn chowder, both were very good.  I was really full after that, but when Judy decided to get desert, I decided to get a small twist/waffle cone.  It was really good.

I bought a very small wall hanging for only $3.00.  It was the only one they had.  I would like to buy more and I may call and ask if they can provide me with a few more.

After lunch, Judy and I went to THE WEARHOUSE in Worcester, where she purchased two bags of clothing.  Then back to her place for a bit, and then I headed back to Oneonta.

Carefree Gardens ADVENTURE (including food)

CAREFREE GARDENS, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

I was on tripadvisor.com this morning and noticed a place in Cooperstown that I have never been to, and that had excellent reviews. ORIGINS CAFE at Carefree Gardens. I called Linda and asked her if she would be interested in going and she said yes. She met me at my house and I drove us to Cooperstown. It was a bit tricky finding the place because of various detours.

ORIGINS is a cafe right in the middle of a nursery/greenhouse. It is absolutely gorgeous. I ordered the Pesto Platter which is actually an appetizer and Linda ordered quiche. Unfortunately, it took a very long time for our food to arrive, which upset Linda somewhat.

Our food finally arrived and it was very good. Then our check was not delivered to us, and we had to get up and look around for someone to ask. After we got the check, it took several minutes for the owner to return to us, and then again several minutes for her to get us our change (we had left tips on the table). Linda was getting increasingly anxious and upset.

When we finally finished up in the cafe, we spent several minutes looking around some of the greenhouses and I took several pictures. As we were leaving, the owner (Mary) came up to us and introduced herself and we talked for several minutes. She told us that they were "off work" for several days for a family reunion, and that things were not yet "up to speed". She seems like a very caring person, and I enjoyed our conversation.
I think Linda felt somewhat better after meeting Mary and talking with her.

 I hope to return soon and as many times as I can 

My complete set of pictures can be seen here.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/juneny/sets/72157634755978098/     ORIGINS is my new favorite place to eat in Cooperstown.

HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR SO FAR Adventure

According to this evenings news, today was the hottest day so far this year, and probably will end up being the hottest day of the entire year 2013.

This morning, my co-workers and I set out for Cooperstown. Our first stop was at THE COOPERSTOWN CHEESE FACTORY. Even though a sign on the door said they would open at ten, and it was already eleven a.m. when we arrived, it was not open. We explored the outside premises, in hopes that someone would show up and open it up for us, but that did not work.

I mentioned that there is a geocache hidden in the purple and yellow cow in front and Mark, Eileen and Mary went to look for it. Mark (who had never even heard of the sport) got down on his back and found it. Mary explained the game to him.

Then I suggested we go to WOOD BULL ANTIQUES, which is almost right across the road. Nobody in the group (Mary, Eileen, Geneen and Mark and I) had been there before besides me. Its a great place, kind of like a huge vintage museum. I think we were there a whole half hour, and I took many pictures.  I never noticed all the the mannequins before:  

Then we headed to Cooperstown for lunch at the OTESAGA RESORT HOTEL. 

This photo of The Otesaga Resort Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The lunch buffet is $17.00 and includes drinks and desert. Its really quite a bargain when you think of it. I paid $15.00 for lunch at Applebee's yesterday!!!

The entree was turkey and stuffing and I had two helpings of that. As usual, the desert table was magnificent, and this time a young fellow was making crepes on an individual basis. I had one, and it was outstanding!!!

We stopped at the Cheese Factory again on the way back to Oneonta, but it was still closed.

Anyways, it was a great day!!!!!  My complete set of pictures taken today can be seen here http://www.flickr.com/photos/juneny/sets/72157634713275724/

BEAT THE HEAT ADVENTURE

We are in the middle of a July heatwave here in the Oneonta area.  On days I work, I automatically spend a half a day in a/c so those days are more maneagable, but today was not a work day and I was determined to
BEAT THE HEAT.  I decided to try to find someone to go to the movies with since the movie theatre here is air conditioned.

Leslie was busy with her parents, Linda had to work today, and so did Carol, Connie does not go to the theatre but Terry was very happy when I mentioned it to her.  After running a few errands and getting gas, I met up with her at the mall. We had lunch at Applebee's.    We had the lunch special combo......a sandwich and a salad, but that turned out to be kind of a small meal so we both ordered the TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MELTDOWN.

It was delicious, but it turned a cheap meal into an expensive lunch, since the desert was over five dollars.  But it was good to try it ONCE.  

The movie we chose was WHITE HOUSE DOWN,  and it was VERY good.  

When I got home, it had cooled down a bit, with the threat of 

rain.  It was a good day!

Madison County Fair ADVENTURE

Carol and I met up in New Berlin this morning in order to go to the MADISON COUNTY FAIR in Brookfield, New York  A geocacher had mentioned to me that it is very much like an old time fair, and that turned out to be true.  We took our time and looked at the 4H projects and all of the products offered by various vendors. There were some historical booths, also.  Most interesting to me was the table set up by a woman who metal detects  When I expressed interest, she offered me a seat and told me about her hobby.  It ounds interesting and I am thinking about getting started.   This man was offering free walking sticks if we would take the time to listen to him explain the basic story of  Christianity. 




The food carts and trucks were not open, so that was a disappointment.  I really wanted a blooming onion!  Carol and I had lunch at the FAIR DINER. Prices are reasonable and service is good.  We had burgers and fries.

We watched a bit of a riding competition.  It was teenage girls jumping over barriers with their horses.  After that we headed out.  I stopped in Morris for a twist frozen custard cone.
    My complete set of pictures taken at the fair are here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/juneny/sets/72157634615611686/

Otego and Unadilla ADVENTURE 7/8/13

After running some errands this morning and having lunch from Subway, I met up with Leslie at her house, and we headed out on 88 towards Otego and Unadilla.  Our first stop was at the OTEGO'S HISTORY ROOM (I guess this is just another name for historical society).  We enjoyed this small museum, and were there about fifteen minutes. 

 After that we went on to Unadilla to the  UNADILLA HISTORY MUSEUM in a building that was forrmerly a Catholic Church.   where Leslie wanted to do some research about the Unadilla turnpike.   Although their website says it is open on Saturday afternoons for four hours, and we arrived during that time period, it was closed.  As we were walking away from the museum, a woman who was driving by stopped and asked if we wanted to go in.   She is the UNADILLA TOWN HISTORIAN, Nancy Burnett, and she offered to try to find someone with a key so that we could go in.  She returned a few minutes later and said that she did not have any luck.

  She suggested that we might want to go to the library to look at a book that has pictures and narrative about historical buildings in Unadilla.  She gave us a ride and the book was located and Leslie and I looked through it.  Turns out Nancy wrote the book!!!   The library closed at two p.m. and Nancy invited Leslie and to her house, so she could show Leslie a map of the turnpike.   We agreed and she drove us to her place.  She showed us the two barns behind her house, both which were moved to that location.  One of them was originally a blacksmith shop.  Here is a pic:

 Nancy offered us cold drinks and we visited for a while and she made a copy of the Unadilla turnpike map for Leslie.  Leslie told her about her historical walking tour geocache in Cooperstown and the three of us agreed to get together to do this geocache sometime soon.

  Then we went to the consignment shop in Unadilla.  I am in the process of looking for an item to put in a bare spot in my side garden.  No luck at this store.  It is a very interesting and large shop with LOTS of items at reasonable prices.  On the way back towards Oneonta, we stopped at another place, I think it is called P.D.'s and I looked again but was not successful.  Out last stop was at at PIE IN THE SKY for ice cream.  I had pie a la mode (apple raspberry with chocolate ice cream) which was very good, and I purchased a small teacup for to add to my colored glass collection. .  

  We had planned to look for a geocache that we did not find the first time we looked for, but we got so caught up in other stuff that we totally forgot!    Except for the extreme heat, it was a great afternoon.  Pictures taken today are here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/juneny/sets/72157634514655153

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2013Classic Car ADVENTURE and more

Terry and I decided to go to Norwich to the Classic Car Museum   We met up in Morris and took my car and drove to Norwich.  

This museum is wonderful. It does not look like much from the front, in fact it looks small, but it is HUGE. Cars are displayed in various rooms by various themes, with spots to sit and watch informational videos along the way.   We split up and took our time going through it.  There are five rooms, each themed, and the presentation is really good.  There is also a guide available to answer questions.

In the gift shop, I purchased some postcards to send to my grandkids for their postcard collections.  I asked the clerk in the gift shop if she could recommend a good place for lunch and she said BILL"S DINER which was just around the corner on Route 12.

It does not look like much from the outside, but inside it is just fine.  They have a pretty big menu, and they offered a lot of specials for Independence Day.  Terry ordered the steak sandwich, and I ordered the Greek combo.  (three Greek items).  My meal was delicious and it included a cup of soup (I chose Pasta Fazoole) and a salad for a reasonable price. Our waitress was a bit "out of it", but another waitress responded when we needed refills on our water, etc.

We drove to the Coventry area to see if I could find the old general store that someone posted in flickr.  I found the road, and had a choice to turn left or right onto it, and I chose right, which was a mistake.  It was a dirt/stone road, very narrow and when I got to the end of it, I was relieved to be off of it, but no store, so I had made the wrong choice.  But now I know where the road is and can return sometime and go in the opposite direction.

From there we got on 206 and drove to Bainbridge, and got on Route 7.  We stopped for ice cream, and again at an antique/consignment store in Unadilla, which turned out to be closed.  After dropping Terry off in Morris, I stopped by the farmers market behind the fire hall, in hopes of purchasing a fresh tomato, but they did not have any.  It is probably too early.   It was a great day but very tiring (I think because of the high temps).  I am glad the a/c in my car was working good!!!

Todays photographs are here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/juneny/sets/72157634513332495