Friday, August 31, 2007

Friday

Labor Day Weekend begins Tomorrow!

60 degrees

  • Friday: Some morning clouds, followed by afternoon sunshine. Cooler and less humid. High in the mid 70s.
  • Tonight: Becoming mainly clear. Low in the upper 40s.
  • Saturday: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 75, Low: 43
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny, pleasant. High: 80, Low: 55
  • Monday: Mostly sunny and warm. High: 81, Low: 58
WKTV's Central NY Weather Blog says:

Labor Day Looks Fantastic!

You can check out all the daily events at the New York State Fair.

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Boston got swept with the Bronx Broom, for sure!
My condolences to all of the Stacys, Beldans, Dickinsons and McCarrahers!


Perhaps it's time to say, "Tennis, Anyone?"
and put your sights on Long Island and the USOPEN!

This photograph was taken here in Waterville in the 1890s.
The "tennis club" was in what is now Monument Park." There have been some very noticable changes made - if not to the rules of play - at least in the design of tennis racquets and certainly in attitudes of what constitutes appropriate afternoon apparel on the court!

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I've been trying to ignore these random sprinklings of colored leaves, but perhaps it's not just dry weather that's causing them!

It takes moisture to produce fungii like this - a "Tooth" Mushroom - and no: it is NOT edible.

Perhaps it's time to admit that it's really Fall: petunias and impatiens are looking leggy and tired and tomatoes age on the vine.
WCS Athletes are in action;
the season's ending at Glimmerglass and the Great Artist Series schedule is available.

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Having seen the photograph of the Candee Block on yesterday's blog post, an anonymous reader sent these recollections to share:

"The picture of the Candee block from John (Ogden) reminded me of the Children's parties given every year by St. Bernard's Church. It started about 5:30 P.M. with a dinner. After the dinner the children skipped around the very nice dance floor with a partner holding hands. The winners each got a half cake. My Mother waited on table at the dinner and always made me a new dress for the occasion. Later there was a dance for the adults. The 3rd floor was later condemmed. The ground floor contained the Post Office in left hand corner, then Luker's Dry Goods Store and at one time Robert's Men's store. There was a dentist office on the second floor."

What I remember most about the Candee Block, back in the late 1960's, was the wonderful Ben Franklin Store, where you could always find exactly what you wanted and have a nice chat with Peg Pfohl and the other ladies, too!

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Work continues at one end of the Car Wash - the rest of the building is open for your convenience and the well-being of your car!


More painting has been done on this house on West Bacon Street and Yes! It's a "Painted Lady!" (The accents are sort-of like those on the Falk residence, but they give a different effect against the deep blue!)


At other houses, flowers add the color.



From either direction, South Babbott Avenue it bright!


Even this shady spot on Bogan Road shines.

Another of Gene Ostrander's photos taken in the cellar of the old Mill.
When I drove past the site, yesterday afternoon, most of that area had been filled in and once the debris has been removed you'll probably never even know it was there.

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(Only six more days 'til school starts!)

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Thursday


GARBAGE DAY!

It's 62.4 degrees
  • Thursday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Otherwise, sun, clouds, warm and humid. High in the low 80s.
  • Thursday Night: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower. Low in the upper 50s.
  • Friday: A mix of sun and clouds. Chance of a few showers. Cooler and much less humid. High: 73, Low: 49

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Mr. John Ogden sent me this view of the Candee Block that stood where the New York Pizzaria is, now, and was built in 1889 and burned in 1982. I imagine it's a post card, but not one that I've seen before. The photograph was taken some time before the fire of 1929 which destroyed nearly all of the frame structures on that side of the street.

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And Gene Ostrander sent me several pictures that he took at the mill site, yesterday. These two show DPW's Jamie Bechy in the cellar of the building. What wonderful stonework!

(But "why?" are there so many window-like openings? Was the ground lower when the building was constructed, or .....?)


I'll make some prints and take them up to the Gallery Wall at the Waterville Public Library.


I stopped there, yesterday, and found Amanda Briggs looking at some of the new additions to the collection.


Then I went to the Farmer's Market in the Park.

Pam Brown was going to spend the rest of the day making sauce!


This gentleman laughed when I asked if I could take his picture;


..... but the fellow who should have been in this shot of a Crafter's Table did a rapid disappearing act when he saw my camera!


The "Flower Lady" - Nola - laughed and giggled and tried to escape .......


... but Dot McConnell said "Certainly!" and happily posed behind her table holding a spray of nicely dried hops. She always has a wonderful selection of crafts and homemade jams, jellies and baked goods. (Some of her fudge found its way home with me!)

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The O-D has a nice article about the visit of the 1862 schooner the Lois McClure to the Utica Marina, yesterday.

Actually - the whole O-D website is worth visiting: they've moved into the 21st century! A banner that caught my eye said something about downloading whole books from Midyork - you can check out the details HERE!

It's Veteran's Day and Fire & Rescue Day at the New York State Fair.

Wendy Sexton reminded me that I was ignoring the fact that the US OPEN Tennis Championships are under way!

This, of course, is why!
I have a great many relatives and friends in Massachusetts!

She advises that the US OPEN can be watched on NY USA - Ch. 21 locally - at 11:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. Today's baseball game starts at 1:05.

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Whatever you do, have a good day!















Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Wednesday

58 degrees.

It's Recyclables Day!

and

FARMER'S MARKET DAY

At the New York State Fair tonight in the grandstand it's Hillary Duff and The Click Five.

  • Wednesday: Mostly sunny with a few clouds. Hot and a bit humid. High in the mid to upper 80s.
  • Wednesday night: Partly cloudy with a chance of a shower or storm. Low in the mid 60s.
  • Thursday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High: 80, Low: 57

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Subject: Dateline: Ann Arbor, MI
From Waterville High to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Jacobs Field, the venues have gotten larger over the years. This past week, Justin was selected to join the University of Michigan Marching Band Drumline Performance Block! He will be playing tenor drums in a marching band over 200 members strong. He anxiously awaits his debut in front of 110,000 enthusiastic Big House (Michigan Stadium) fans as Michigan opens their season on Saturday against Appalachian State. You can wish him luck at jghop@umich.edu.

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When George Reynolds E-mailed me to say that he'd taken some of his photographs of the Mill to the Library to add to the display, also sent me this picture that he'd taken of his wife, Barbara, during a recent visit to Waterville, IRELAND!! (Thanks, George!)

Don't forget to take YOUR photos to the Library, too!

Skip Foppes was the first, then I took a few and the collection is growing!!!

And if you don't have pictures to add --- just go and look!

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Coming over Hanover Hill from Clinton, the other day, I pulled over to admire a fantastic HOP VINE growing up the guy line of a telephone pole in front of a pretty little house. The lady who lives there saw me and came right out ..............


Sarah Schachtler, who said that her late husband Pete's family had been in the hop business when he was a little boy, remembered that the rootings of that vine had been given to them when their house was new by Fredolyn and Sally Zweifel!

Just North of Sarah's house, at the Marris residence, there's a dense row of
Rose of Sharon

Seeing these bushes always starts me humming: "I am the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valleys" which is, of course, from the Song of Solomon, but was set to music in a wonderful early-American composition by William Billings (1746-1800) that was sung, many times, by Tapesty - the All-Centuries Singers when I was one of their number.

(Hibiscus syriacus)

Smaller, perennial Hibiscus.

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The 1840 Inn B & B, North of Bouckville.
Except for the size of the tree, this picture must have looked the same for years and years!


On West Bacon Street, one of the houses is getting a new look!

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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Tuesday

It's 52.3 degrees.

No collection today!

Countdown to School:
9 Days (or 216 Hours.)

WKTV forecast for today:
  • Tuesday: Mostly Sunny and warm. High in the mid 80s.
  • Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy to mainly clear. Low around 60.
  • Wednesday: A mix of sun and clouds with a slight chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. Warmer and more humid. High: 86, Low: 62
  • Thursday: Humid with a chance of some morning showers. Gradual clearing in the afternoon. High: 78, Low: 54


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At the New York State Fair

it's "Sr. Citizen's Day" and "Beef Day."

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There is a startling dearth - or paucity - of items to post in the blog, this morning!

Not only did my searches of the O-D and WKTV website yield nothing, my camera apparently did not come in to the house with me, last night: no brand new pictures for you, this morning, either!

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In the meantime: a few left-overs.


Just a bit north of Crown Hill Cemetery on Route 12.



At the Bouckville Mill.



Along River Road - between Oriskany Falls and Solsville - there a whole ditch-full of


Great Blue Lobelia.

And growing with it ......

Boneset

The plant's common name is derived from its use in treating a kind of influenza prevalent in the United States during the nineteenth century, known as "break-bone fever," which was characterized by pains that felt as if all the bones in the body were broken. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Boneset was said to have no equal as a cough, cold and fever remedy, and in the nineteenth century, it was used extensively in American medical practice. In 1887, Dr. Millspaugh wrote: "There is probably no plant in American domestic practice that has more extensive or frequent use than this (boneset)," and it was even listed in the United States Pharmacopeia.

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The Redsox had the day off, yesterday.

And the Yankees had an off day!

The two teams meet, tonight, at 7:05.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Monday

It's Garbage Day!

59 degrees.


  • Monday: Partly to mostly sunny. High: 81, Low: 58
  • Tuesday: Mostly sunny. High: 86, Low: 63
  • Wednesday: Sun/Clouds. Chance of a thunderstorm. High: 82, Low: 62
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If you missed seeing "Mohawk Valley Living's" visit to Waterville on TV, yesterday morning, you can see it on You Tube on the internet.

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It was a misty day, yesterday - perfect for a different sort of "Ride in the Country" with Karl Davis in an "off-road touring vehicle."

I hadn't been down to look at the gully behind his and other Sanger Avenue houses since before TIOGA began dumping all the residue from the highway reconstruction project down there, over two years ago. They'd promised to make sure that it was all graded before they left and now - there's no other word for it! - it's a Park!


A great place to walk or hit a few golf balls in peace and quiet.


There are lots of trails. We followed one up to the rear of the Car Wash where it's really easy to see that the first bay - the one that will become a "touchless" wash - is considerably longer than it used to be.

Then back down through the Park we went and across a bridge. There didn't seem to be a drop of water in the creek!


We went up and around "Mayer's Woods;" followed the edge of a field of soy and turned into Art White's back yard. There was something Karl and Art both wanted me to take a picture of: these three wonderful old barns. (Thanks for that view!)


Then back to Karl's workshop, noticing, en route, that a sturdy gate bars "motorized vehicles" from the Park area except during snowmobile season. He'd been cleaning up some of the pieces of cast iron decoration that he'd retreived from the Mill debris. (We'd all hoped that the 10' columns would survive their fall, but they didn't. Karl saved what he thought he could to at least make a small display of "what once was.") He said that the iron had originally been coated with mortar, and then several layers of paint had accumulated on top.

What he found beneath all those layers was amazing and the results are breathtaking!

(Thanks, Karl!)

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More breathtaking views were waiting for me on my computer.


Phillip Sexton had sent me several pictures taken on Saturday when he and a buddy had climbed "Algonquin" (5114') and "Wright" (4580') peaks in the Adirondacks.

Trail up Algonquin.

Dick and I only climbed Algonquin once: that was enough! But I know several Watervillians who really like the mountain and my daughter, Allison, may have climbed it as many as three times!


Oh! I remember this! If going UP looks hard, coming DOWN is even worse because there's nothing to hang on to! "Why do people do that?"


Because of views like this. When you're standing on bare rock and the "trees" are only a foot tall and you look around you and can name the rest of the peaks you've climbed. It makes the aches and blisters worth it! (Thanks, Phill!)

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My friends and relatives in Massachusetts are waiting for this week: the Yankees and Boston play each other on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday!