Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
The Bread Man
Last night I went to a very enjoyable event at the Pullman church in Albion. The event was put on by the Friends of the Swan Library as a fundraiser. I had planned to go, but neglected to put it on my calendar, so…..as with anything that I don’t remember to put on my calendar……I forgot about it! Thank goodness that the friend who told me about it sent a text and reminded me — I am so very glad I didn’t miss it!!!
So, what is a Bread Man event? The Friends group arranged for Chet Fery – a.k.a. “The Bread Man” – to come and do one of his programs for us. Chet lives in Brockport and is originally from Buffalo. He is a former teacher, counselor, and school administrator who now travels all around the area telling “Bread Time Stories” and baking bread just so that he can give it away! His main goal is to promote random acts of kindness and believes “the world can be changed one loaf of bread at a time; one act of kindness at a time”.
Last night, Chet shared many stories of warm memories of family, friends, and people he’s met along the way. He talked about life as a child in the old neighborhoods in Buffalo where family was the most important thing in life and memories of things like home made bread fresh from the oven and the joys of making making those memories together. He also talked about the people he encounters in his travels and some of the memories they shared with him…..and how it made them (and him) feel to talk about those memories. He showed us how to make bread, shared some slices of warm bread with us, and we all left with a loaf of bread he had made that morning – fresh just for us!!! It was a wonderful experience that conjured up a few tears and a lot of memories of my own!
To read more about The Bread Man and his hobby of sharing bread and kindness, visit his web site – click here!
Here are a few of the photos I took at the event:
Concert on the Canal – 06-18-15
Tonight kicked off this year’s Concerts on the Canal series. Every Thursday until August 13th there will be a free concert right there on the canal at the end of Platt Street behind the fire department and Village Hall in good ole Albion, NY. Just come, bring a lawn chair, and enjoy the music! Tonight, the Albion Merchants Association sponsored a Chicken BBQ and the Fire Department had hot dogs, hamburgers, and drinks. From now on, the Fire Department will continue to have the hot dogs, hamburgers, and drinks available – all at a reasonable price! Scan down after the photos for the line up of bands scheduled for the season.
It was a perfect night to be out enjoying the weather with the temperature about 72 or so, a nice gentle breeze, and just enough sun to keep it warm, but not hot – there was a possible thunderstorm forecast, but we didn’t see any signs of it, except for a passing dingy cloud or two! The band for the kick off concert was the Dady Brothers playing bluegrass, folk, and Irish tunes. Mom and I went for the Chicken BBQ and enjoyed a gorgeous evening sitting on the bank of the canal before I had to leave to attend a meeting.
Nice size crowd listening to the Dady Brothers
Hey, there’s the right idea – pull up in your boat, dock, and enjoy the music without having to lug along a lawn chair or blanket……
The first bay is the fire dept grilling hamburgers and hot dogs…..down at the third bay is the Albion Merchants Assoc serving up Chicken BBQ!!!
You know I can’t be near the canal without snapping a photo of it – here is a tug and a cabin barge docked on the north side of the canal right across from the band stand!
Sooooooo – come out and enjoy some summer music and see who you can run into to talk to. The music plays from 6:00-8:00 every Thursday evening. Here is the planned line up of bands for this season:
- June 18 – Dady Brothers
- June 25 – Triple Play Band
- July 2 – The Who Dats
- July 9 – Creek Band
- July 16 – Jonesie & The Cruisers
- July 23 – The Lonely Ones
- July 30 – The Dirty White Boys
- Aug 6 – Julie Dunlap & High Maintenance
- Aug 23 – TBA
Sponsored by the Village of Albion. Other sponsors include Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home, Albion Agencies, Hazy Jade Gift Shop, and Jim Babcock Construction.
2015 Albion Strawberry Festival
This past weekend our town enjoyed the much anticipated annual Strawberry Festival! Every June the village puts on a huge celebration marking the start of the strawberry season with a two day festival and the best and largest local parade in the area! Here are just a few of the photos taken over the course of the two days that give a hint of the fun and excitement had by all:
Lunch crowd at the food court – Day One:
Lunch crowd at the food court – Day Two (after parade):
The parade:
The Hitmen entertaining the crowd awaiting the parade:
Lots of local groups, like these little leaguers…
…and these dance students
…and fun drill teams, like the Kendall Lawn Chair Ladies:
….and clowns:
…and a lot of local “flair”:
….and lots of marching bands….
…and, OF COURSE, our own Albion HS Purple Eagles Marching Band:
The festival:
Lots of variety of music throughout both days:
….and games and fun for kids:
….and adults:
….and….the main attraction….FOOD….LOTS of FOOD….
Dedication and unveiling of the International Peace Pole:
Located at the Albion Presbyterian Church, this International Peace Pole, one of over 200,000 around the world, is a symbol of international peace. This particular peace pole is 8 feet high and includes the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight different languages representing many of the immigrants who settled in and helped build Orleans County – including: Italian, Polish, English, Gaelic, Spanish, German, Latin and Hebrew.
See you next year!!!
Pink Flamingos
I always used to think having pink flamingos in your yard was corny – something you see in retirement communities in Florida or your grandparents home……in fact, I do believe I remember my grandparents having pink flamingos adorning a bird bath at their summer cottage! But, lately, I seem to be drawn to them! Maybe they’re making a come-back so they are around more…..or maybe I just seem to have a new interest in them so I see them more…..don’t know, but I find I see them everywhere I go and I LOVE THEM!!! All of a sudden, I find them to be a symbol of fun and nostalgia and I can’t seem to get enough of them!
Here are some recent examples of ones that have caught my eye:
A fashionable flamingo found at the Kazoo Factory Museum in Eden, NY
Found at a yard ornament vendor at the Albion Strawberry Festival
Another one at the same vendor – I like this one much better – so fancy!
I couldn’t resist putting a set of mini flamingos in my fairy gardens
Soooooooo…….I finally broke down and purchased a pair for my gardens!!! But, I couldn’t just put a regular old set of plastic pink flamingos out there……nope…..they had to be ones with a little personality!!! Meet Priscilla and Penelope – the newest residents in my lovely gardens:
Priscilla
Penelope
And…..I’ll close with this……I could not resist trying on Priscilla’s glasses!
Have a great day and smile at every pink flamingo you see…..
As seen along the way….
What fun is an adventure that only has one focus? I typically like to expand my fun on the way, around, and on the way back, if at all possible! You never know what you might find along the way!
When I drove to Eden, I set Gabby to avoid toll roads so she wouldn’t keep trying to get me to go on the thruway – nothing great to see on the thruway! As usual, it paid off……here are a few of the things I discovered along the way:
The coolest looking Subway shop I’ve ever seen!!! This was in Eden just before I got to the kazoo factory.
An army helicopter and war memorial at the American Legion Post in Eden!
A lovely park across the street from where I had lunch!
Every little railway town has a depot – the one in Eden Center is in really nice shape!
I had lunch at the Four Corners Cafe in Eden – love the corner focus of the building!
And, the building on the opposite corner of the same intersection was cool looking, too!
Notice the name of the pizza parlor next door to the Four Corners Cafe – if you can’t read the sign, it says “Eatsa Pizza”…..hahaha!!!
Now, on to Hamburg, NY…..this wall mural of a train over a tressle was between Eden and Hamburg!
This optometrist in Hamburg has a cool sense of humor……giant glasses in the trees!!!
Love the art work in front of this veterinarian in Hamburg!
These two wall murals were in an alley in downtown Hamburg!
I sat on a bench to rest while wandering around downtown Hamburg across from this beautiful building – it was once a lodge of some kind and is now used as an assisted living home – note all the residents out on the patio enjoying the sun and watching the world go by!
I usually love to find horse or cow statues – none to be found on this trip, but this buffalo on top of a restaurant roof was a good substitute!!!
That’s all for now…….
Kazoo Factory Adventure
Check another item off my Adventure Bucket List……I finally went to tour the Kazoo Factory and Museum in Eden, NY this week! The Original American Kazoo Company was established in 1916 right here in the small village of Eden in Western New York, where the first metal kazoo was made. This same building, with the same die presses that were in the business for other purposes since 1907 and the same process for manufacturing kazoos used since 1916, is now the only metal kazoo factory in North America. It is a true working museum where you can watch the employees manufacture kazoos exactly as they did in 1916. Visit their web site for more history and tour information – click here!
When you think of a kazoo, you likely think of a child’s toy. But, in fact, kazoos have many professional musical uses. When you hum into the end of a kazoo, it creates a vibration that turns your hum into a musical instrument. It really is very cool and fun! Like they say at The Original American Kazoo Company in Eden, NY: “If you can hum, you can play”! This is a photo of the original metal kazoo – sold to me yesterday – looks just like it did back in 1916!
Here are some photos of my adventure:
Enter through the front where the gift shop is located
You can’t miss this stunning pink flamingo just before entering the factory
All along the horseshoe shaped walkway are tutorials with step-by-step details of the process
This young man greeted me and asked if I had any questions while he worked one of the presses
This tutorial board describes step # 18 – the final step in the process
And then there are the displays of many different vintage and novelty kazoos
And displays of ads, historic information, and photos
I loved this photo above the manufacturing area – a All American Kazoo Band!!!
Visitors are invited to pin a piece of paper with their name and where they came from on this map
And, finally, the bins of various types of kazoos that are for sale in the gift shop
They also have less expensive plastic kazoos that they do not make there, but some people like that option for their kids
So, there you have it……a gorgeous day for an adventure and a very fine adventure it was!!! I’m very glad I took the time to learn all about the history of kazoos in our little corner of the world……and I got a t-shirt to prove it!!! hehehe
Fairies in the Garden!
Love fairy gardens! So, this year, I created two of my own and I am really proud of them!!! I did one in a small birdbath and put it under my weeping crab apple tree in the front yard. I did the other one in a dish to put out on the back patio.
Here they are:
Art – it’s in the eye of the beholder….
I may be many things……I fancy myself an amature writer, adventurer, and movie critic, among other things…..but, artist? Um, not so much! But…..when a friend and local downtown shop owner asked if I wanted to do a painting for a fundraiser our local Merchants Association is doing, I said, “why not, this ought to be fun”. I thought I can do as well as the famous painting monkeys and elephants (and some artists) do…..right? Well, turns out, I can…sort of!!! LOL
I knew as soon as she asked me that I was going to try to do a “fashion girl” – something I used to sketch in high school and still do in some note cards I write. They are rough and not so perfect, but fun! But, when I was sketching out some practice ones, it evolved into the “fashion girl” plus a nice sunny day scene plus I threw in the infamous “Kilroy” and his fence…..and it came out kinda cute!!! I’m sure it will never hang in the Louvre……but it just might raise the $10.00 price all the paintings will bring to help the Albion Merchants Association with their flower fund and other downtown activities! If you’re in town between May 16 – June 13, stop by the Hoag Library and see this and all the other masterpieces that will be on display and available for sale!
Black Bird Gets His Prize!
So, I was getting in my car at Walmart and saw this HUGE black bird fly in from who-knows-where carrying this big McDonald’s bag in his mouth – the bag was bigger than he was!
He lands across from me and starts circling the bag…..assessing his situation and making his plan!
Then, he gets on top of the bag and tears a hole in it…..
….then he pulls out the napkins and drops them to the ground…..
….then he pulls out the wrappers and drops them to the ground…..
….then, as he is finally getting to something worth his trouble, people start walking by – he flies a short distance away, but keeps his eye on his prize…..
….then, he goes back and circles the bag, again, before he gets back to work on his dinner…..
….then, some seagulls start to fly in circles looking for a chance to steal his treasure, but he runs them off and defends it – IT IS ALL HIS!!!
I don’t know if he ended up getting enough out of the bag to make it worth his while, but he made a heck of a mess in the parking lot and it sure was an entertaining scene to watch!!! LOL
I love that the bag is positioned on the “I’m Loving It” side…..cause he sure was….and so was I!!!
Movie Review – The Longest Ride
It has been a while since I’ve been to the movies and I was itching to go! There were several I really, really wanted to see over the winter, but the harsh weather we had for so long and some other things got in the way……now, they are no longer in the theaters! So, guess they will have to wait until they come out on OnDemand or other sources! Yesterday, I decided on the spur of the moment to head to Tinsletown! I wasn’t sure what was out right now, so I looked it up and was excited to see a new Nicholas Sparks movie!!! That was it — I grabbed my purse and off I went!
First off……for all you Nicholas Sparks fans out there……rest assured – he did it again!!! This movie has everything we’ve come to love and expect from his stories – everlasting love, heartbreak, beautiful North Carolina scenery, tears (sobs), laughter, and a well balanced mix of new love and enduring love across the years! OK…..I usually leave my rating to the end, but I’m fairly sure you’ve guessed it, so here it is…..I LOVED IT and rate it a solid A+!
The movie starts out with Sophia Danko, an art student at Wake Forest University, reluctantly attending a bull riding competition with some friends. Sophia is a city girl with her eyes on a summer internship with an influential art dealer in NYC, so she isn’t much interested in donning a pair of cowboy boots and watching a bunch of bull riders. But, she meets and is instantly attracted to one of the cowboys – handsome Luke Collins. Sophia is played by Britt Robinson – you may recognize her from the TV series Under The Dome – and she does a great job with the part. Luke is played by none other than Clint Eastwood’s son, Scott Eastwood….hubba hubba – be still my heart!!! Although Sophia is attracted to Luke (and, by the way, the attraction is just as strong on Luke’s side), she sees no sense in responding when he calls her because she will be leaving for NYC in a couple of months. But, alas, she can not resist…..she agrees to dinner with him and he treats her to a romantic evening that any girl would swoon over! On their way home, they come upon an accident and save the life of an elderly man – Ira Levinson, played brilliantly by Alan Alda (I do love Alan Alda – such a sweetie). A friendship and bond between Sophia and Ira develops as she visits him to read his old letters to him and listen to his stories of the love of his life – as told through flash backs of a young Ira and Ruth played by Jack Huston and Oona Chaplin – I don’t believe I’ve seen either of these two actors before, but really enjoyed both of their performances a lot!
No more spoilers……except to remind those who know Nicholas Sparks and to warn those who don’t — take a hefty supply of tissues or napkins in the theater with you…..you’re gonna need them!!!
I’ll say it again – I loved this movie! I highly recommend it for anyone who loves a good romantic story and I know that all the Nicholas Sparks fans won’t be disappointed at all…..so, go see it!!!
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