New Years Eve DAY Adventure (12/31/13)

Leslie and I met up in Oneonta for a New Years Eve Day Trip and Geocaching Adventure.  We took some back roads to get to the area we were planning to go to, which took us a lot longer, but we enjoyed some great winter scenery along the way.  I think we got to Andes around eleven or eleven fifteen a.m.  We quickly found three geocaches.  One of them was among some very interesting stone ruins  and another one was very closeby.  Then we went to the Andes Hotel for lunch.  I had the bbq pulled pork and Leslie had the Hotel BLT, which had chicken in it.  We spent about twenty minutes checking out a few shops nearby.  Then we looked for another Andes geocache in a large cemetery, but we were unsuccessful.  

     It started to snow and it appeared that it was sticking, so we decided to head towards home on Route 28.  We stopped for one more geocache at a very old cemetery.  

 It appears that this cemetery has not had any real maintenance in a very long time, but someone has recently placed a flag on a former soldiers gravesite.  

    Completing our drive back to Oneonta was a bit treacherous, but we made it just fine and then the snow stopped.  I decided to go over to DragonScape and Lazer Tag because Kim's father died a few days ago, and family and friends were invited there at five p.m.  Lots of food was offered and I had some, before heading home.  .  

Christmas Day 2013

This is the first Christmas that I have been able to spend the day with my grandkids, because they first lived in Connecticut, then in Oregon, and now they live in the Caribbean. It looks like they are going to move to Michigan soon, and this year they are here in NY for close to month.  

They chose and cut down a Christmas tree and put it up, and decorated it. (Mostly with ornaments they purchased at the Salvation Army). They have done a lot of shopping. The kids and I made gingerbread houses, Christmas cut-out cookies, and we went to a local geocachers Christmas party. Its been a lot of fun. My sister visited for a few days the weekend before Christmas. We have played a lot of games and done some craft project, put a couple of puzzles together and gone to the movies THREE times!

But, best of all this morning I got to be with the kids when they opened their Christmas gifts.  First I prepared breakfast (baked french toast and sausage and strawberries).  Then it was time to pass out gifts.   Cassy received a special camera that takes fast pictures and can go underwater, and several accessories to go with it.  She was delighted.

Tyler seemed to like the books I gave him  (he picked them out himself at the Green Toad Bookstore in Oneonta a couple of weeks ago.

Megan and family gave me a LED flat screen TV and a cast iron skillet!   I love them both.  I decided to try out the skillet right away, while Chris got the new TV set up.  I cooked up a lb. of bacon.

Chris finished up
making pies for Christmas dinner and we all headed to his brothers house for Christmas Dinner.
Mike had cooked a ham (Appleton ham from Aldi's) and Chris made some delicious ham gravy.  Also on the menu were mashed potatoes, green salad, coleslaw, banana bread and cranberry bread.

After dinner, they exchanged gifts.  Mike and Tina gave me a box of Russell Stover chocolates!
After watching the kids play (Mike's son Jason came with his girlfriend and his two kids Lexy and Cody), we had several deserts to choose from.  I tried the peach cobbler I made, as well as the red velvet cheesecake and the lemon meringue pie that Chris baked.

Megan, Chris and the kids stayed, while I left early in order to be home to receive Christa's phone call from Oregon.  We talked for about twenty minutes, and then she had to go and get ready for work.

It was a very special Christmas.  Hopefully, by next Christmas they will be living in Michigan and I will visit them there OR they will visit me in Lockport (hopefully I will be there by next Christmas).

Ho! Ho! Ho! A Season ofGeocaching Event 12/21/2013

Today was the annual local geocacher's party at the HOLIDAY INN...............Ho! Ho! Ho! Another Season of Caching!!!

Peggy, Cassandra and Tyler accompanied me, and we met up with Leslie (Luckless).  The breakfast was very good (it always is).  Tyler won the UGLY SWEATER CONTEST.  We all enjoyed the ornament exchange.  
    After the event, we did some geocaching even though it was damp and occasionally rainy.  We found LITTLE CHICKEN CACHE(Cachysandra found it)

and ONEONTA'S ELLIS ISLAND (Awesome Tyler found this one)  but were unable to find SATISFACTION and ANOTHER FISHING ACCESS SITE.
     Then we went to the Calvary Retreat Center to see the nativities on display.  Here is one:  We were given a tour of the old building which was originally the CHESTNUT STREET SCHOOL.

 It was very interesting.  Peg and I offered to take the kids out for a light lunch, but they seemed to want to go home, so we went home instead.  It was a good day.

Cassy and I go to St. James

I read in the paper about how the Christmas window figurines from the former Bresee's Department Store are at St. James Manor (a retirement home just outside of Oneonta).  My friend Connie and I agreed to meet for lunch and then go to St. James, but she woke up feeling ill and cancelled.  I was going to go by myself, but I ran into my granddaughter (with her family) at WalMart and she decided to hang out with me, so after we completed our grocery shopping, we went to St. James.

here are a couple of the animated figures.  

They also have quite extensive "Christmas Villages" set up. 

as well as some really nice Christmas trees. 

We headed for home after our time at St. James,

and we all decided to prepare LUPPER.    (combination lunch and supper)   I prepared mac and cheese and green salad, Megan and the kids made Ghiardelli's brownies, which will be served with berries and whipped cream and Chris made Reuben sandwiches.  

Another DAY OUT with Tyler and Cassy (12/13/2013)

We decided to do some shopping and go to see THE HOBBITT today.  First we went to the library where I picked up a few more Christmas DVD's.  Then we went to THE DOLLAR TREE, where the kids bought Christmas cards for their parents and Aunt Tina and Uncle Mike.  We also purchased a few other items.  Then we went to WalMart to get some groceries............heavy snow is expected and I wanted to stock up.

When we started talking about lunch, Tyler really wanted a double cheeseburger from McD's so we picked that up at the McD's in WalMart and then headed to the mall so Cassy and I could get sandwiches from SUBWAY.  We ran into my friend Vera, collecting money for the Salvation Army, and we all had lunch together at Subway.  While waiting for our subs to be made, Tyler wrote a letter to Santa, which he then deposited in Santa's mailbox. 

Then it was time for the movie:  THE HOBBIT.  It was very good, great visuals.  Cassy has read the books, so she was able to tell us what was going on.  After the movie, we noticed a new and interesting candy store across from the theatre.  We bought some chocolate dipped and decorated pretzels.

We stopped at Daddy Al's Bread Store on the way home.     It was a good day!

Staff Fun Day: December 11, 2013

061, a photo by JuneNY on Flickr.

We had our last STAFF FUN DAY of the year (perhaps forever) today. We started out by going to SULLIVAN'S TREE FARM (I think its in Otego). Mary always cuts down her own tree here, and the rest of us wanted to experience it with her and her dog Leah. It was Mary, myself, Geneen, Eileen, Kim and Mark.

Since we were enjoying it so much, Geneen and Eileen both decided to cut down a tree to take home, also.

We went back to Family Services where I led the group in a craft project, one I saw on facebook, where you put some decorations and lights into a mason jar or another glass container, and decorate it.  We weren't quite finished with it when it was time to go to ALFRESCO'S for Mary's farewell luncheon  (she is retiring at the end of the year).  We all enjoyed the meal as well as the Christmas decorations.  Then we went back to FSA where we finished up the craft project.  It was a fun day!!!

My complete set of pictures taken today can be seen here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/juneny/sets/72157638605693795/

Day in Oneonta with Cassandra and Tyler

My grandkids are staying with me for several days while their parents go on a job interview in Michigan. We decided to use our first day together to go into "town" and do a few things.

Our first stop was on Main Street, where we wanted to see the GINGERBREAD displays in the store windows. While doing that, we made several stops. We stopped at the new candy store and had some "peppermint bark", browsed in two bookstores and stopped at the sporting goods store which is selling out its merchandise before closing down for good.  The highlight of the shopping for me was my purchase of an ELMER FUDD vest at the sporting goods store on Main Street that is selling all of its inventory due to closing soon.  I think the correct name is "fishermans vest", but the label says "OUTBACK VEST" It is a lightweight vest that has a whole lot of pockets.  I got it for half price!

Tyler was disappointed that Santa was not in his house today.  I suggested he write a letter to Santa in a day or two, just in case he and Santa miss each other.

After "doing" Main Street, we went to the library to see what Christmas DVD's are available. And then we decided to have lunch at Denny's.

I purchased DUCK DYNASTY T-shirts for all four of them for Christmas presents at DICK'S SPORTING GOODS at the mall.

Then we went to see the movie FROZEN, which we all enjoyed.

We made a couple more short stops to shop before heading home. It was a great day.