To Toronto and Back on Halloween night 2017

Eight or nine men from Faith Tab. needed a ride to the Toronto Airport to catch the first leg of their flight to Mexico to do a building project mission trip with Dave and Becky Snyder.

Peggy was asked to drive them.  She asked me to accompany her so she would not be alone on the drive back to Lockport.

We met up at Faith Tab at six p.m. and the guys loaded the truck, and we headed out.  Adam drove there so that Peggy did not have to  drive both ways.    The guys were a scream.  Here is one conversation.   guy 1"when I retire I might run for alderman"
                        guy 2"you are going to run to Albany?"
                        guy 3"no, he is going to walk people to the altar"
                        guy 1"Peggy, what does an alderman do?"

We found the hotel at the airport easily and then Peg and I headed back to Lockport.  

Here are some pictures from later on this week after the team arrived at their destination in Mexico.
four members of the Faith Tab team

building the new church

NIAGARA FRONTIER WATERCOLOR SOCIETY FALL 2017 MEMBERS' WATERMEDIA EXHIBITION

I called Pam last night and asked her if she wanted to go to the Kenan Center to see the WATERCOLOR EXHIBIT and she said yes.  After my eye doctor appointment, I called her and we agreed to meet at the Kenan Center.   We enjoyed seeing the paintings.

After that we met up at KFC and we split one of their small meals.  

Sunday Afternoon at Faith Tab

After church today there was a CHILI COOK-OFF and a Soup Luncheon.  I provided egg salad sandwiches to go along with the soup.

After lunch, their was an INSIDE Trunk or Treat for the kids since it was drizzling outside.  They also provided tvs so some of the men could watch the Buffalo Bills game.  I think that was set up in the large sanctuary.

Friday night walk in Lockport (10/27/17) and Saturday with Peggy (10/28/17)

Last evening I took a walk downtown because it was such a lovely warm evening.  Along the way I ran into a couple of trick or treaters heading towards Main Street.

There was an event going on at Ida Fritz Park. 

I took a few pictures before heading home.

and saw this on the way 

As I got closer to home, I started to feel weak and I barely made it home before I had diarrhea.   Which is why I did not post this last night.  

                                             Saturday October 28

Yesterday on the phone Peggy mentioned her plans to go today to get chowder at a church in Gasport and then go to the Amish Bulk Food Store.  I asked if I could accompany her and she agreed.

I met her at her house this morning.  Before leaving, David insisted that I try the chili he is making for tomorrow's chili cook off at Faith Tab.  I tried it and it is pretty good.

Our first stop was at a place where we turned in cans and bottles for nickels.  Then we went to Gasport.   Unfortunately, when we got to Covenant United Church of Christ, they had sold out all of their chowder.  I saw this sign for next Saturdays Autumn Bazaar.  Peg and I went to it last year and want to go again.

Then we went to the Amish Bulk Food Store on 104.  It was very crowded and we ran into Becky, Pat Tomaino and her daughter and Yolanda there.  Both Peg and I made several purchases.

Peggy suggested that we stop by the Beachy's so she could show them the aerial pictures she took a week ago when she and David flew over.  Mrs. Beachy was not home but several of her children were there.  The girls just loved seeing the pictures.  It was nice to see two year old Johanna, who seems to be doing very well.

We also stopped at what I sometimes call THE HAUNTED FARM STAND right near the stone schoolhouse.(the real name is PRODOM FARMS).  It has been cleaned up since last year.  I bought a tomato and another butternut squash.

When we got back to Peggy's house David gave me a jar of chili to have for supper tonight.  

Before going home, I stopped at Reids and purchased my lunch and I also left a jack o lantern rock on the deck of the ice cream shop.

the two smaller sparkly stones on the left are waiting to be placed.  

Lockport CARENET Pregnancy Center 2017 Fundraising Banquet (10/26/17)

Once again, I helped to fill Peggy's table with guests for this annual banquet. I invited Elaine, Nancy and Becky to join me and they all agreed.  Elaine drove this small group to the Tonawanda Castle in Tonawanda, NY.

This  is the first year that it has been held there. The former armory is not as fancy as Salvatore's but it is VERY nice.  Before the meal, I looked around some of the other areas of the building.  

I purchased twenty dollars worth of tickets for the basket raffle.  There was a lot of guesswork involved while choosing which baskets to try for, since the lights were not all that bright in that room and the baskets were not labelled.  I put most of my tickets on a small Vera Bradley shoulder bag.

Peg and I were surprised to see our brother Mike there.  He came with a group from his church.  A few pictures were taken of him, Peg, Becky and I.

Our meal was very good, it included both beef and chicken.  They did the drawing for the basket raffle and announced the winners of the silent auction between the meal and the program.  I was happy to win the purse. 

  Becky won two baskets and Peggy won one.

The speaker, Claire Colwell, survived an abortion that her mother had when she was thirteen.  She was adopted into a wonderful family and was able to meet her birth mother in her twenties, and that was when she heard the whole story.  She was very good.

Peg said that she thought about four hundred people attended this years banquet.  It was a wonderful evening and I already look forward to next year.  

Buffalo Day with Marlene (October 21, 2017)

I met Marlene at Faith  Tab and we headed to Buffalo to do a few things.

Our first stop was at Hoyt Lake.  We picked up some information and then we walked around the lake.  It was a beautiful walk, with lots of nice scenery.

Then we drove to a different location to take a walking tour of the grounds of the old  Buffalo Psychiatric Center.  Marlene was able to bring up narration on her smart phone.

I had noticed people going into the main entrance of the mail building, so I suggested we check it out. The hotel (Hotel Henry) is beautiful, very spacious with lots of open area sitting spaces for their guests.

There is  an art gallery upstairs. 

Marlene had a restaurant picked out:  Plaka's. 

Its kind of like an old time diner.  Very good service and reasonable prices.  We both had the pot roast sandwich, which was huge and delicious.

We drove through Tonawanda on the way back to Lockport, in order to pass the Tonawanda Castle.  It was a great day!

Met Jean near East Aurora, NY Friday 10/20/17

Jean and I were friends back in the early l980's but we lost contact when I moved to the Oneonta area in l986.  I was able to find her phone number on the internet and contacted her about a month ago.  Last night I realized that I had a free day today so I called her and she agreed to meet up with me today.

I woke up to a gorgeous fall day!  We met up at the Yellow Goose on the corner of Big Tree Road and Two Rod Road, between East Aurora and Wales Center.  It is a huge convenience store.  I suggested that we drive a few miles east to go to the Wales Center Hotel.  I had called them last night to make sure they were open today and was told that they were.

We drove past it because it does not have a sign, but eventually (after a phone call) we found it.

We  did not eat there because they did not have any real tables and chairs, just barstools and tall tables with tall stools.  Jean can not use those tall stools.  We did use the ladies room, which was nice, and talked with the bartender and a customer.  Jean is such a good sport she said that this was "an experience".  It sure was.

We decided to just go back to the Yellow Goose.  I had a sub and Jean had a calzone.  My sandwich was just fine, but I think it was a bit expensive (over six dollars).  We visited for an hour or more and got each other caught up on all that has happened to both of us over the years.  Its been over thirty years.  

Jean needed some WHITE OUT, so we drove to East Aurora to go to a CVS to get it.  Then I took her back to the Yellow Goose to get her car.  We agreed to try to get together sometime in the spring, since winter is getting so close.

On the way back, I turned off of 78 to check out this old diner that I noticed not too long ago when I was out with Mary Ann.    It is on Route 20 in Depew, on the way to the Lancaster Opera House.  

 I had a piece of bumbleberry pie with a scoop of ice cream.  It was delicious.

I stopped at WalMart in Lockport to pick up an item that I ordered. (a bed wedge).

CONNECT Luncheon: Sunday 10/15/17

After church Peggy held a luncheon for seniors.  I passed out the newsletters.

  I think about 25 people attended and the lunch was very good.  My green salad was almost all gone by the end of the meal.

Peg had an activity which was fun.  She broke us into groups of three and gave us twenty strands of dry spaghetti, one mini marshmallow, some string and some masking tape and asked us to make towers.  The highest tower would be the winner.

Here are some of the results: 

It was a fun event

Marlene and I agreed to meet up at six p.m. for a walk but we cancelled due to rain and high winds

Saturday with David and Peggy(including flight in a small plane)

Peggy won a flight in a private small plane at the recent basket raffle at Faith Tabernacle Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser.  The flight was for four, but the pilot thought our combined weight (Peg, David, myself and the pilot) was too much so he broke it down into two half hour flights instead of a full hour.  David and Peggy went first and then David and me.  David in the front and me in the back.  I had a queasy stomach after a few minutes, so I was glad it was only a thirty minute flight.

here I am !  (in the back) with my headphones on. (to protect my ears from the loud noise)

After the flight we stopped at the Clarence Hollow Farmers Market: it is the last day opened this year.  

We had lunch at MoMo's and stopped at TOPs on the way back to their house.    I bought ingredients to put together a green salad for tomorrows Seniors Luncheon.

Drive Across NYS (from east to west) to get home!

I left Carol's house about nine fifteen this morning.  I lost ten or fifteen minutes on Route 8 north of New Berlin, due to road work.  I continued on without stopping until I got to Auburn.  There, I pulled over because of sirens and then pulled into a gas station to get gas.  I could not get into the right lane when I left the gas station, so I had to drive around a block to get back on 20.  That worked out fine because while going around the block, I saw this old diner that I had noticed previously while driving through Auburn

It appears to be an original OLD diner.   I enjoyed my fish sandwich, clam chowder and pie!  

Then I continued on down 20 with a destination in mind.  SAUDERS in Seneca Falls. 

It is a HUGE Mennonite bulk food store.  They offer LOTS of samples of their products. I bought a few items.

outside they had MANY different kinds of pumpkins and huge mums, etc. 

That was my last stop.  I got on the thruway and stayed on it until I got to the Depew exit.  I arrived home at four fifteen.  I called Peg and we agreed that she would pick up Chiavettas chicken and I would provide the sides.  David joined us for supper.  

DAY WITH CONNIE: October 12, 2017

Carol and I decided NOT to go to Jordanville for a tour of the HOLY TRINITY MONASTERY.  Instead, we decided
to spend the day with our friend Connie.  Connie is older than us and she is not in good health
For years, she has wanted to go to Carol's house to see Carol's horses, but she has been unable
to get herself there because she cannot spend a lot of time driving, due to one of her vestibular
disorders.   So, yesterday, after talking with Carol, I called Connie and asked her if she
thought she could come out to Carol's house if we picked her up and took her home.  She said
yes, she could. So, we planned out our lunch and left at nine thirty a.m. this morning to drive to Oneonta (just this side)to pick her up.

Before going to Carol's house, Carol took us on a drive up LONGVIEW ROAD to get a
nice view of the valley.  The sky was gray and overcast without a bit of blue showing, but it was still stunning.   I took several pictures.  I think this may be my favorite

Once back at Carol's, we all went down to see Carol's horses, DIA and MYSTIQUE.  Carol brought them out
of the pasture area so Connie could get close to them.  Connie thoroughly enjoyed this and I took
several pictures.

After lunch of egg salad sandwiches, salad and chips we dug into Carol's homemade APPLE PIE!!!! It was
thoroughly delicious!!!!  Carol went out to feed the horses and I cleaned up the kitchen.  Then we
visited for a while.
When it got to be time to leave, we noticed that the sky had cleared up, so we went back to LONGGVIEW
ROAD, and I took a couple more pictures.

 Before we headed back to New Berlin. We stopped at The Magic Closet in the Zion Episcopal Church and each of us found  few items to take.  We checked out the Morris Farmers Market but it looked  like most of the vendors had already left, so we did not stop.
Carol prepared a ham slice for supper  Very good!

Norwich and more: October 11, 2017

Carol and I headed to Oxford this morning to drop off her son Nick's mail to him.  Before getting there we stopped in WHITE STORE, NY and found a geocache at the cemetery.   On the way to his house, we saw his truck at a place he was working, so we stopped and gave his mail to his partner.  As we were pulling away, Nick pulled in and suggested we stay so we could go inside and look at the house which is THE OLDEST HOUSE IN OXFORD, built around 1750.

Then we headed into Norwich to go to the ARTIST'S PALETTE, which is owned by Carol's former daughter in law, Jill.

We were there about a half hour or maybe more.  We looked for a couple of geocaches in Norwich and found one of them.

Then we went back to Carol's for lunch.

And then we went to ROSA MYSTICA. Father Cyril introduced himself to us.

This is the large chapel.

Carol wanted to show me YODER's GREENHOUSE, but when we got there, it appeared that they were closed for the season. Carol bought a  pumpkin across the road.  Then we called it a day and headed back to her place.  Carol prepared breaded pork chops for supper.  They were very good.