THREE BILLBOARDS and More with Marlene: Saturday January 27, 2018

Marlene and I decided to go "to the movies".  I had noticed on Thursday that THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI was showing at the Dipson Theatre at Eastern Hills Mall and after looking it up online, it sounded like it
might be good.  So we set up a tentative plan: to see the movie, go out to lunch and then to North Tonawanda to THE OLD CHAPEL ANTIQUE store, which used  to be FIVE CORNERS Antiques.

We met up at my house and I drove. The movie was good, in spite of a LOT of profanity.  It did not have a positive ending.  The seats in THE DIPSON were especially comfortable.  The senior price is only a savings of a quarter!

We had lunch at GROVERS.

The place was crowded and noisy but the Cheeseburger Soup was absolutely delicious and the BLT we split was good.

Then we headed to North Tonawanda.  Marlene is a school bus driver and knows her way around and she navigated us right to it.  

 They recently moved and reopened and are still celebrating their grand opening.

The vestiges of ANNUNCIATION CHURCH remain and are beautiful: 

 the old pipe organ in the balcony.

Marlene made several purchases.  I found a gift for Peggy for her birthday.  Here are a couple of pictures

                                                       Pyrex

a lot of expensive cast iron.

It was a really good day.  

Niagara Emporium (January 25, 2018)

This morning I accompanied Pam to Buffalo where she had a hearing regarding Social Security Disability.  In spite of some difficulties paying for parking (I think the credit card part of the station is broken so I used coins) we made it in time where she met with her lawyer a few minutes before the hearing was scheduled to start.  After the hearing, Pam's lawyer said she thought the judge was favorable towards Pam!!!!

We decided to stop at Eastview Mall on the way home.   Our goal was to walk.  We found the neatest store NIAGARA EMPORIUM

It is an absolutely HUGE antique/vintage/collectible shop in the area which used to be MACY'S.  It was so huge that we did not really see everything offered.  

 I think the prices are reasonable, too.  In many ways it seems more like a museum than a store!

We stopped at TIM HORTONS and had their one dollar special for lunch (sausage and cheese on an English muffin).  While we were eating we ran into our friend, Janet.  We talked for a couple of minutes.  We checked out a few stores (including Parkside Candy and the Irish shop) and also checked to see what movies are showing at the theatre, before heading back to Lockport.

Night Out with Peggy: WINTER FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS in Niagara Falls, Canada and more

It has been a quiet week, but much warmer than last week so I got out a bit more.   I did a few things, went to the Tuesday morning life group, went to Cayuga Day Hab and had lunch with Carrie on Wednesday. to celebrate her birthday, chose a new pair of glasses at  Davison Road Optical, had Peggy over for supper on Thursday,   and had lunch with Pam on Friday.

Today, I stayed home and prepared a huge batch of baked beans for tomorrows meal at church and cleaned.

I met up with Peg at her house at four p.m. and we headed towards Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada for the Winter Festival of Lights.  Once we got to the falls, we decided to have supper first.  We could not find JADE GARDEN, a Chinese buffet that Peggy had been to before, but we did notice a restaurant named AlMacs Buffet and went in to check it out.  We decided eat there even though the price of

seventeen dollars per person seemed a bit high.  At least we did not have to pay for parking!  Our meal was very good.  (and it turned out to be less expensive when we paid in American money.)

Then we headed towards Dufferin Island where the bulk of the Festival of Lights was.  We really enjoyed it.  Here are a few of my pictures.

When we thought we had seem most of it we headed back into the USA.  We made one stop, at a Burger King, in order to use the restroom.  After I got my car, which I had left at Peggys house, I went to WalMart and got a few groceries.  Tomorrow is the "dish to pass" meal after church.  

Winter Farmers Market

After shoveling my sidewalk and making sure my car would start, I decided to go to the WINTER FARMERS MARKET at Harrison Place.  It is an extension of the Lockport Community Market that has been going on for several years in the summer and fall.

I didn't buy anything, but I had a sample of raspberry hot chocolate and tried out for a door prize.  Then I went to the library.

ART OF THE SENSES and more: Day Trip to Buffalo with Mary Ann

Mary Ann and I went to Buffalo to see two temporary exhibits  ART OF THE SENSES and  THE DEEP END OF THE UNIVERSE at the Albright Knox Art Gallery.    Both are only there for a couple of more weeks.

Here are a few pictures from ART OF THE SENSES:

                                                                  Carousel

                                                                         No Title

                                                                      PIANO PIECE

and a couple from THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN

After leaving the gallery, we headed towards  THE SWAN STREET DINER in  Larkinville.   On the way there, we passed THE FREEDOM WALL

The Swan Street Diner is an example of one of the early Sterling Company diner cars made by the J.B. Judkins Company of Merrimac, Mass. The company fabricated diner cars, each numbered upon completion, from 1936 to 1942. The Swan Street Diner is No. 397 and was manufactured in 1937.  The Swan Street Diner car was originally operated as the Newark Diner, located in Newark, N.Y., (near Rochester, N.Y.). It arrived in pieces in 1937 and was assembled on site. The proximity to the Erie Canal and Route 31 provided a steady pool of customers.    In 2013,  the Larkin Development Group purchased it. The Diner was transported to Akron, Ohio and then back to Buffalo for a full restoration. The interior enamel panels, bar stools and wood trim are all original. The booths have been newly fabricated in the former foot print of the Newark Diner booths. The counter has been rebuilt according the original glass top design.       WHAT I like about it is that it has been beautifully restored to its original state!!!!    

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   It opened in this location in October 2017.  We enjoyed our lunch there.   

After that we went to the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library

to see the temporary exhibit BUFFALO NEVER FAILS:  The Queen City and World War One.  It was very good.  Mostly it has original posters and reproduced posters from many countries during WWI.

This newspaper on display is from April 6, 1917.

Adjacent to the exhibit there is a childrens play area.  I was able to talk Mary Ann into playing a game of CONNECT FOUR.  

I think I got home a little after four p.m.  Since we have bad weather coming, I decided to go to the library and pick up a book they were holding for me and then I went to Niagara Produce and got some milk and a few other items.

RiSE AGAINST HUNGER Packing Event at Faith Tab January 7, 2018

Faith Tab participated in RISE AGAINST HUNGER this year.  First, we were offered the opportunity to make a financial contribution by taking an envelope indicating a cash amount from a Christmas tree in the lobby.  I participated in that.  Then Peg held a silent auction during the CONNECT Senior Luncheon and I donated several items to the auction.

Then we were asked to sign up to come in tonight to help prepare ten thousand meals.  Tables were set up with stations to fill, weigh and seal the individual meals.  Altogether, it took a little over an hour and a half to reach our goal.  

 This little girl carried the meals to the table where they were boxed up.

 This man was in charge of the event.

 This is a meal that has been put together, weighed and sealed.

the completed boxes are ready to go.

                                                  loading the truck.

All in all it was a fun evening.  I hope we do it again next year.  

DEEP FREEZE and COUSIN'S CAFE

We are pretty much in the middle of an extremely cold spell here in Niagara County.  I had decided to stay home all day today and tomorrow during the worst of it, but it worked out well for Peggy, Betty and I to go out for supper and exchange Christmas gifts.

So we went to COUSIN'S CAFE in the Bewley Building.   We all had fish and we all liked our meals.  The owner was teary eyed due to the death of one of her friends.  We exchanged gifts and had a nice time.   I was happy that the café was nice and warm and toasty!

I was glad to get home.