Saturday, June 16, 2007

Saturday a.m.


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57 degrees and sunny.


WKTV has a story about Deansboro and preparations for today's Willie Nelson Concert.

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The "Big Story" in Waterville, yesterday, had to do with traffic tie-ups in two locations:
1. On Route 315, where old pavement between the mid-way point of the Buell Avenue hill and the junction of Route 12 is being milled in preparation for resurfacing.

2. On Putnam Street, where the First Annual Putnam Street Purge offered a dozen or more Yard Sales!

Lynn and Shirley waved from the Harts' front yard;


Wendy had plants from the Garden Club's Sale and a few other treasures -

that's where Carol Tower found a nifty new hat!





The Event continues today, from 9:00 - 5:00.

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Elsewhere in the village:

at the Machold residence on W. Bacon Street a new porch that suits the rest of the house is well under way!


On West Main Street, the new Belfield Agency Building takes shape.
It will be painted dark "Ivy Green" with white trim.

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On Sanger Hill Road, the Ingersolls' peonies and Johnstons' roses are good reason to slow down.

Out on Canning Factory Road, Elfie Goedeker's Candelabra Primroses make a bright border!

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The Red Sox really shone, last night.



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From yesterday's O-D:

Lemery wins event at Albany swim meet

Clinton Cuda's swimmer Tyler Lemery, of Waterville, had a strong showing at the Albany Starfish Meter Madness Meet on June 3 at Niskayuna High School. Lemery, swimming in the Boys 10 to 11 Division, placed first in the 100 meter freestyle event. He also took fourth in the 50 backstroke and 50 breaststroke, and finished fifth in both the 50 butterfly and 100 individual medley.

Watch for feature articles written by Nicole Timian, a senior at Waterville Central School, who is a New Visions Intern at the Observer-Dispatch.

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Have a great day!

Friday, June 15, 2007

Friday

It's 49 degrees and clear.

Before you do anything else, please take a few minutes to watch "our kids" - students from the Memorial Park Elementary School - as they perform their winning "It's a Zoo!" play at the Bronx Zoo in New York. Newschannel 2's Don Shipman went along for the ride and provided a good, behind-the-scenes report on their day. (Follow the link and click on "Video.") You'll cheer, too!

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The "Putnam Street Purge" starts today!

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And then TOMORROW ........



Getting ready for Willie!


(Click HERE for Willie Nelson Bio.)

I heard Willie at "Woodstock '99" in Rome and enjoyed the entire experience a great deal. Will I go to see him tomorrow? I havn't decided not to!

WKTV predicts:

  • Today: Mostly sunny. High 80
  • Tonight: Mostly clear. Low 55
  • Saturday: Partly sunny with a chance of an afternoon shower or thunderstorm. High 82 Low 58
  • Sunday: Partly sunny with scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 80 Low 60
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There's a CAR WASH sponsored by a Scout Troop at the Fire House tomorrow morning!



Gene Ostrander and Wayne Stanbro gave two ladies with clipboards a look at the old mill, yesterday. The condition of the structure and what to do about it will be a major topic at Monday evening's Village Board Meeting.


One benefit of single-lane traffic: I had to wait in line for about ten minutes, day-before-yesterday, just North of Edie Eastman's home on Route 315 and had time to take a close look at the fields on either side of the road. There, right on the edge of a field of wheat, were these bright poppies that had strayed from the garden behind her house.

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The Southbound lane of Route 315 is now resurfaced and wonderfully smooth. However: the work extends only mid-way up the Buell Avenue hill. Presumably more paving will be necessary to finish the two-tenths of a mile between there and the junction of 315 and Route 12.

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Katie Peck made a very interesting observation and has raised the possibility that the writing on the wallboards in the Hotel (see yesterday's post) might have had something to do with the celebration of FLAG DAY here in Waterville! I searched the microfilm of the Waterville Times of 1886 for any mention of a noteworthy event taking place on that date: no luck. But what a great idea she's had!

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They're creeping up!


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Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Thursday

It's 46 degrees, outdoors, and it's Garbage Day.

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TODAY IS FLAG DAY!
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It's 46 degrees and clear. WKTV predicts:

  • Thursday: Mostly sunny, less humid, and pleasant. High 75
  • Thursday night: Mostly clear and cool. Low: 53
  • Friday: Mix of sun & clouds. Warm. High 80 Low 58
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TOWN MEETING this MORNING
at 9:00 at Municipal Hall
to meet
Thomas L. Owens, President & CEO,
ACCESS Federal Credit Union

Learn what the bank could bring to the area and discuss how the bank could provide much needed services and continue to draw people resulting in an increase in commerce and economic development in this region.

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Some event, of some importance, took place in the old Hotel building on this date in 1886.

Mr. Hudson uncovered some wall boards upon which is written
"June 14, 1886" and a list of six different groups of letters.
I've tried enhancing this photograph, but cannot make out what they are or mean:
perhaps they are, literally, Greek!

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Yesterday it was warm and sunny and a much more pleasant day for Farmers Market than it had been a week ago, when the temperature was hovering at the forty-degree mark!



Up at "The Dugway," South of Clinton, there were several people enjoying the ever-deepening pool and resulting water slide.

Black Locust trees are filled with fragrant flowers.


Yes! On the front porch of the Rectory at St. Bernard's Catholic Church, the tomato plants - backed by palm trees - are blooming!


Paving operations on Route 315 have reached the bridge just South of Bogan and Sally Roads.
As of four o'clock yesterday afternoon, traffic was restricted to a single lane between the Peterson residence and Brothertown Road.


Saving gas and getting some great exercise, Andy Dorr - who's been rollerblading for several years - gave some impressive sweeps around the CVS parkinglot as he finished up his commute to work at Roc's!



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In this morning's edition of the Observer-Dispatch: Turning Stone Compact Legal; Elation, Frustration follow Announcement, and Police Still Search for Michelle Hutchings.

Nowhere in the news did I find a single mention of last evening's power outage or the reason for it! All I know is that sometime around 5:25 , my monitor went black and the TV remote was powerless. Fire Police turned out to direct traffic at the corner of Stafford and Main Street where traffic signals didn't do anything, saying that they're information hinted that the situation might last for several hours.

Cooking on electric stoves was out, of course, and "going out" to eat anywhere in the village was out of the question, as well, so grills were fired up and lanterns and flashlights located. There was a great deal of telephone chat, of course, about what everyone would do for entertainment - without TV or the www - and just when I'd decided that watching DVDs of "Murder She Wrote" on a fully-charged laptop was really sort-of fun ------------ at about 7:30 (far earlier than predicted) the refrigerator suddenly hummed and clocks on the coffeepot and microwave blinked.

Silly as it sounds, I know that I was not the ONLY one who said to themselves, "Aw shucks!" and ruefully returned to the fully-powered 21st century.



Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Wednesday

It's Recyclables Day!

56 degrees, and WKTV predicts:

  • Wednesday: Partly sunny and warm with scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 82
  • Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Low 57
  • Thursday: Partly sunny. High 79 Low 58


We had some very dark skies , a few sprinkles and lots of rumbling but nothing like this:

"Rusty" sent me a photograph and note!


"Picture of hail we got in Brookfield around 5 PM. With 8 flower gardens and a big veggie garden it's really not what we needed."

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SPECIAL NOTE!

Remember when Waterville students won first prize in "It's a Zoo!" - a trip to the Bronx Zoo?
Well - they went there yesterday and I've been told that WKTV will do a story about them on tonight's 5 o'clock News!!

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Karl Davis took the next two photographs at the "D.F.P." at "Michael's" on Sunday.

Sandy Davis chatting with Mark and Kathryn McLane while Kelly Falk talks with another group of guests.

There's Joe Falk and Kristin Strohmeyer; Nora Keating and Marty Cleary and - I think - Bill Vetter.

Sandy must have taken this shot, because there's Karl next to Lori Meszler, then Allison talking with Jean Davis and, again, Bill Vetter.

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There was excitement on Putnam Street, yesterday morning:
the Falks' new Swimming Pool arrived!


Nancy's garden on the side lawn of the Rectory at St. Bernard's Catholic Church is filled, now, with lupine, poppies, lemon lilies, peonies and daisies.


Earlier, yesterday, I did drive down Sanger Avenue to take an "After" picture to go with yesterday's "Before" photograph. Some difference!!

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I took a ride to Deansboro at around 3:30 yesterday afternoon to check out the D.O.T. paving project.

The Northbound lane has been completed and now paving moves Southward, back towards Waterville. It was single lane traffic all the way from Edie Eastman's (this side of Shanley Road) to the old Depot in Deansboro with the worst traffic tie-up right at the junction of 12B where at least twenty vehicles sat waiting for at least ten minutes. Plan accordingly!

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(Please click to enlarge.)

Margaret Bornick sent me this program of Tapestry's June 25 program - part of the Utica Monday Night series. (These are very impressive and outstandingly beautiful compositions. It should be a grand concert!)

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And Pat Stone sent this to me, yesterday, announcing

HELMES FAMILY REUNION
for descendants of
Bernard Henry Helmes (1851-1918)
and his wife,Anna Tresa Afenslag (1851-1923)
who immigrated to Herkimer County in 1885.

Their children
were
Frederick A. Helmes, Hannah/Anna M. Helmes,
William J. Helmes, Sr., Bernard/Ben F. Helmes, and
Louis R. Helmes.

Bernard's parents were Henry
& Elizabeth Blomer Helmes from Germany.
Many family members
lived in Utica, Sauquoit, & Waterville areas.

The family who settled in Waterville, before April 1930,
were William, Sr. and his wife, Josephine H. Roth Helmes.
Their children were Frank, Betty, Bill, Jr., Fred, Dorothy, Hilda
and June. All the children settled in Waterville when they
married, except Dorothy who died when she was a child.
Reunion Date: July 15, 2007 at Verona Beach State Park.
For more info, contact Pat (Rowe) Stone at (585) 427-2120.

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Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Tuesday

It's 53 degrees and going to be another beauty!


From WKTV:

  • Tuesday: Partly sunny, warm and humid with afternoon thunderstorms possible. High:80
  • Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy with perhaps a shower or rumble of thunder. Low: 58
  • Wednesday: Partly sunny, warm and a bit humid with a few afternoon showers or storms possible. High: 82, Low: 57
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Paul and Kim Kupris

- married 25 years, and completely, totally SURPRISED when their children and a few very straight-faced friends and relatives gave a wonderful Anniversary Party for them, last weekend! (Photo by Kristi Kosmoski.)

Congratulations!!

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Jean Davis sent me this photograph of Aztec Lilies and a Fish Pond at her neighbor, Bob Mayne's, residence.


There's alot of Water Avens growing along Loomis Road ........



and White Daisies are everywhere!

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This Friday and Saturday will feature
the Great Putnam Street Purge,
according to Ed Townsend.

Wendy Sexton will be selling the left overs from the
Garden Club Sale
at fantastic prices.

In this morning's edition of the O-D: Federal Decision expected Thursday on "Turning Stone" future. WKTV's website has a story on the same topic.

When you drive down Sanger Avenue, today, can you imagine that it looked like THIS a year ago? I'll take a matching picture this afternoon!

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