Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Sunday Stills – Barns in Black and White
For this week’s Sunday Stills Challenge, Ed wants to see Barns in Black and White. For my entry, I chose to use photos I took at the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, NY. The first four photos are of the main entrance of the museum – a huge barn that is just spectacular – taken from different angles. The final two are of barns on the grounds of the museum, which consists of actual buildings in use in the 1800s in nearby towns – the buildings represent a typical 1840s village. It really is a must see, if you’re ever in the Cooperstown, NY area. Click here for more photos of this village and my adventure in Cooperstown.
Local Shopping Adventure
I woke up this morning thinking about maybe checking out a new store that was having their grand opening today. That turned into a plan to hit three new stores in the area that were all either opening up today or having their grand openings. That turned into adding any other fairly new stores in town that I haven’t had a chance to check out, yet. I ended up making a day of it and doing all that plus stopping in at a couple that I’ve been to before, but added to my list “just because”!!!
And, it was a great day for it…..mid 30 temperatures (a major heat wave compared to what we’ve been experiencing). I ended up having a great time and some of the best conversations! At just about every stop, I ran into at least one or two or more people I knew and met several new friends. I love Albion and it makes me very happy to see so many new and interesting businesses opening up. And, I wasn’t the only one out and about shopping and checking out the new stores! Downtown Albion was busy – I had to drive around the block three times before I could find a place to park near the stores I wanted to visit – there were several people walking up and down Main Street with bags in their hands – every store I stopped at (in town and out of town) were full of happy shoppers – and I seemed to run into the same people at more than one store (were they following me or me following them? hehehe). Yes, it was a good day in the effort to support our local area businesses!
So, here is how my adventure progressed through the day:
My first stop was at the Uptown Browsery on Main Street near the canal (right next door to Knight’s Pride) – this is a brand new co-op type store with multiple vendors selling antiques, collectibles, and hand crafted items from local artisans. It is actually an expansion of the Downtown Browsery, which has been a popular business on Bank Street for a number of years. I was greeted by a very cheerful vendor who was happy to tell me all about their store and grand opening specials.
The Uptown Browsery store front
Inside, you’ll find a nicely laid out store with vendor booths on both sides.
Don’t you love the old ceiling tiles – great way to keep the historical integrity of our downtown buildings!!!
The beautiful locally made pottery caught my eye – I’ll have to remember this!!!
A nice display of lovely handmade quilted purses!
Lakeshore Alpacas sells products made from alpaca wool — very nice!!!
After I spent some time in the Uptown Browsery, I went next door to check out Knight’s Pride. I have been following this store on Facebook and drooling over the photos of gorgeous wood products posted on their page. I have been wanting to pop in and check them out in person for quite a while – he’s been open almost a year – but, just haven’t done it…..until now! And, was I glad I did!!! Knight’s Pride is owned by Jeremiah Knight (and he has a partner that I didn’t have a chance to meet). Jeremiah takes old wood, reclaims it, and works his magic to create some of the most beautiful items I’ve ever seen. I shamelessly joined in on a conversation he was having with another customer and learned that he was in the planning stages of turning an old baby grand piano into a book case of some kind by keeping the iconic look of the piano intact (turned up on its side) — the way he described what he planned to do was so interesting that I can not wait to see photos of it finished! He does custom pieces for customers and has many wonderful items already completed for sale in his shop. This is one talented young man!!! On a side note – I knew Jeremiah’s Mom, Kim Martillotta Muscarella – who owns Marti’s On Main art gallery in town – in school and I graduated with his Aunt Debbie Martillotta – who owns The Crooked Door restaurant.
Knight’s Pride store front at 120 North Main Street near the canal
Jeremiah’s shop is packed with beautiful works of art made from reclaimed wood
This chair caught my eye – as did several other pieces! Check out his Facebook page to see other photos of his work.
From there, I went up on the Ridge to check out the grand opening of Cobble-Ridge Co-op, which is located on Ridge Road next door to The Olde Dogge Inn, just east of the 104/98 intersection in Childs. This is a very nice co-op type store with multiple vendors selling antiques and hand crafted items. They just opened today and have big plans for the location – more vendors and some outdoor flea market events when the weather gets better. When I arrived, the parking lot was full and there were cars parked way up the side of road leading up to the store and quite a ways past it – a lot of shoppers came out to support their opening day! I can see this business doing well.
The Cobble-Ridge Co-Op from the road
And the front entrance
My friend Al Capurso and his sons Dan and Kenny were entertaining the shoppers! It was great to see them there!
Two of the vendor booths – the one on the right is all hand made quilted items – the one on the left are crafts made with (get this) paper cupcake cups! YES – I was fascinated when I looked at them closely and saw that the flowers heads were made with lots of little paper cupcake cups – how clever is that???
The store is laid out nicely with cute displays – like this vintage ironing board used to display items (and another one right behind it)
Next stop was Fair Haven Treasures just up the road on the corner of 104 and 98 – kitty corner across from the Village Inn. Carol Culhane – well known local artist – is the manager of this business focused on showcasing local artisans. The owners purchased an old brick home that was in BAD need of repair with the sole purpose of renovating it for use as an artist co-op. They are currently looking to fill the house with artists, authors, and high-end crafters who want to sell their work locally, as well as offering use of the space for book signings and art related events. They don’t charge space rental – they only ask for 20% of any sales. They did an amazing job of renovating this old home and making it into a wonderful showplace for local artists. I know first hand what they were dealing with when they bought the home – I actually looked at it when I was house hunting before I moved back to Albion in 2011. I was open to the idea of perhaps purchasing an old brick or cobblestone and fixing it up, but it didn’t take long to realize this particular home needed WAY more work, time, and money than I was willing to invest – but, I’m so very happy to see someone purchased it and was able to put it to such good use! It really is amazing!
Fair Haven Treasures – exterior from the driveway
One of two square baby grand pianos with art pieces displayed on top
The second square baby grand — two gorgeous pianos!
Some pieces displayed in a curio cabinet and a “work in progress” that I’d love to see when it is finished!
An old built in stove original to the home with a display of cups and saucers lined up on the mantle
On my way back through town, I decided to make a stop at my favorite gift shop – The Hazy Jade! Lisa Stratton runs this fabulous gift shop that is FULL – and I do mean FULL – of great gift items all hand crafted by local artisans. I love this place! Whenever I need a unique gift or something really special for someone really special, I head to The Hazy Jade!
The Hazy Jade Gift Shop store front
There are so many wonderful things there – you can wander through 2 or 3 times and still find things you missed seeing! And, it is all displayed beautifully!
BTW – Mom got me one of those handcrafted newsboy hats for Christmas — LOVE IT!!!
Next up on the agenda was a quick lunch at The Village House restaurant on Rt. 31 (the avenue) – if I was going to keep shopping, I had to fuel up!
The Village House Restaurant – popular local diner!
I had a cup of Italian Wedding Soup and the Tuna Pita Wrap – delicious! I can’t believe I ate the WHOLE thing! HA!
After I filled my belly, I headed out Rt 31 to the Fancher curve to check out the opening day for Antiques & Rusty Relics – they are located in that old railroad terminal where Big Ash is (Big Ash is still there – they just no longer need their big showroom, so it is now home to Antiques & Rusty Relics. This is a lovely shop loaded with furniture, what-nots, gadgets, crafts, and more. I had a nice chat with the owner – she said they have a LOT more to bring in, but the nasty weather made it difficult to transport everything they wanted to have there in time for their opening day. I thought they had a great selection of stuff…..guess I need to go back in a couple weeks to see what is added!!!
Antiques & Rusty Relics building — I LOVE their name – isn’t it great!!!???
Baskets and art and pottery and more!
This church bird house caught my eye — it made me think of a good friend who loves bird houses
There is a little foot stool in this section that I really liked – thought I took a photo of it, but didn’t! 😦
Everything is very nicely displayed — they did a great job setting up the store – very inviting and comfortable!
My last stop of the day was back in downtown Albion. I have been in the Downtown Browsery on Bank Street several times, so wasn’t going to stop in there, today, but decided to go ahead and pop in while I was out and about. The Downtown Browsery is the original location that has just recently branched out to a second location on Main Street – the Uptown Browsery I mentioned earlier in this post. They, too, have a number of vendors offering vintage items and hand crafted treasures in a co-op type store.
The Downtown Browsery store front
Many great vendors with cool stuff to browse through!
Some really cool handmade jewelry
Need some unique glasses for entertaining? They have some here for you!
Handmade baskets by Jan Ferries from Kendall — she was named one of the 100 top artisans in the country recently!!! Her work is beautiful, indeed!
This guy caught my eye — fence post frosty!!! So cute!!!
So, I obviously got a lot of photos, but did I come home with any actual purchases? Of course!!! I didn’t get much, but did pick up a few items I thought were special just for me!
A wooded birdhouse themed basket with a swivel handle and a cute little mitten ornament for my Christmas tree from The Uptown Browsery
Four packs of local lighthouse themed note cards from Fair Haven Treasures
A pack of beach themed note cards from Antiques & Rusty Relics
One of Jan Ferries’ beautiful baskets and two Lakeshore Alpacas’ items (socks and fingerless gloves) from Downtown Browsery (I regretted not getting an alpaca item when I was at the Uptown Browsery, so when I saw the Downtown Browery also had their stuff, I had to take advantage of it)
So….. that was my day…..my local shopping adventure!!! If you are in the area, please take advantage of these and other wonderful local shops in and around the Albion area! Shop locally – it feels good, you get some great stuff, and you help support your local businesses and your local economy!!!
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Despite the frigid temperatures and brutal winds, I had a lovely day today! I stayed in my jammies looking out at the artic weather until well after lunch time. Then, I went to the store and out to visit with Mom for a little while. This evening, I went to my regular Thursday Bible Study meeting…..when the meeting ended, so did my fairly routine day! Some friends from church and I went to the local community college campus to listen to our county historian, Bill Lattin, talk about the Civil War and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument – a memorial to the 463 Orleans County men who died during the Civil War – that is located in our lovely Mt. Albion Cemetery. After his presentation, my friends and I went to Tim Hortons for a hot treat – soup and chili – and great conversation!
So — what I really want to write about is Bill Lattin’s presentation. It was so interesting and enjoyable – I always love to hear him speak about our local history or other topics of interest. Mr. Lattin was also my art teacher in high school, so it is a pleasure to see him. He started out talking a little about the history of Mt. Albion Cemetery to set the stage for why it was chosen as the site for the monument. He also talked about the grief that the war caused, given that there were so many lives lost and families left alone to mourn and move on without their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons. He had several photos and artifacts he had collected from that period. One item that struck me most was a long glass tube that the widows would capture their tears in – some would fill it with tears and take it to pour their tears onto the graves of their loved ones – others would fill it with tears and leave it on a table until all the tears dried up, signifying the end of the mourning period. I find it fascinating to hear about customs from long ago.
The history, stories, and visual aids he offered us kept the small room of close to 40 people glued to their seats and totally engrossed in what he had to say. But…..what made it so very personal and sentimental for me was his inclusion of information surrounding the efforts to restore the monument in the 1973-1976 time frame. I was in high school at that time – graduating in 1974. Although I was not directly involved in the work started by some students at the school, I did participate in some of the fund raising activities and was very aware of and supported the “SAVE THE TOWER” campaign that resulted in major renovation and restoration work on the tower. I remember that time fondly and he spoke of several people who I knew well. His recounting of the efforts that he, too, was very closely involved in, stirred up a heavy sense of pride and strong memories for me……I got a little teary eyed! At the time, it was obvious that the students and community leaders who lead the campaign were doing something special – we all knew it, but it wasn’t until tonight – when Bill Lattin put it all together and presented it so eloquently – that I realized just how incredibly special and historic it was! Before this campaign, the tower was falling into disrepair and was locked so that no one could go up and enjoy the view from the top due to safety concerns. The Village wasn’t in a position and didn’t have the drive to put forth the effort to repair it. Thanks to this group of caring people – in particular, the students who did not accept the suggestion that the Village “just tear it down” and came up with a way to save a historic monument – the tower was repaired and reopened so that it could be enjoyed once again…….and now, 40 years later, it is still going strong as a memorial to those who lost their lives fighting for the Union and as a great site to visit and climb to take in the amazing views – you can actually see clean to Canada on a clear day from up there!!!
This is a photo I took a few years ago of our beautiful Soldiers and Sailors Monument Tower – constructed of locally quarried Medina Sandstone, the tower was originally dedicated and opened on July 4, 1876 – the 100th anniversary of our great country. It stands 68 feet tall and sits on top of the highest point in the county in the oldest section of Mount Albion Cemetery. It has the names of 463 Orleans County Civil War casualties engraved in marble slabs on the interior walls. Visitors can climb the 84 steps of the winding wrought iron staircase to reach the top of the tower and have an incredible unobstructed view for miles and miles in all directions!!! It really is incredible and a historic treasure for our county. The rededication and reopening after the restoration work took place on July 4, 1976 – the 200th anniversary of our great country!!!
Sunday Stills – Cows
This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge is Cows! Ed wants us to focus on cows and the products we get from cows. I live in an area with a LOT of dairy farms and, therefore, a LOT of cows! But…..I decided to go in a different direction with this post:
This is a cow on a New York State themed carousel at the Farmer’s Museum in Cooperstown, NY
And…..on the side of the cow is a carton of milk – showing one of the products cows produce
This cow is located at the Jello Museum in Leroy, New York
I found this cow, adorned in beautiful Yankee pin stripes and blue catcher’s mitts on the horns, in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY
This cutie greeted customers on opening day at the new Chik-fil-A restaurant in Sanford, NC
And, now, for some products…..I was sure I’d find a photo of a nice juicy steak in my archives, but I couldn’t find one……DANG!!! But, these will do nicely:
Ice Cream…..I enjoyed this luscious banana split at Friendly’s in Brockport, NY
More Ice Cream…..I devoured this little piece of heaven – an amazing old fashioned chocolate (all chocolate) soda – at a little soda shop in Pittsboro, NC
Leather — I bought this gorgeous leather Guess bag at Macy’s (click here to read a post I wrote about it)
The End…..
Icicles…..
I am always fascinated by icicles – the way they form and grow and the shapes they take on. They can be quite dangerous – you don’t want to be under a big one if it breaks off and falls! But, they can also be quite beautiful! Here are some photos I took around my house this afternoon….
The first two are taken from the outside – one on the first floor over the porch and one on the second floor over the patio. The rest were more interesting, to me….they were taken from inside the house looking out the upstairs windows.
The Frozen Black North
OK, so I was having lunch with the ladies from church at Ho-Jack’s, today. It has been a particularly cold, snowy winter this year, so I was thinking it might be fun to go to Point Breeze and get some photos of Lake Ontario all frozen over – you know, since I was already almost there! Well, while I did wonder about the snow and ice conditions on the road leading up to The Black North Inn and the lighthouse, I didn’t think about how much COLDER it would be there at the lake and how the weather might be worse. The road conditions were actually pretty good — no problem, there! I parked the car and got out to get closer to the lake, but the path was covered in deep snow – I had to climb a pretty big ridge of snow and tread through some deep patches……but, I did it (you know, for the sake of artistic expression and all)! Once I got to where I could get some good shots, my hands were frozen – can’t wear gloves and snap photographs – and the wind was biting my ears off – literally!!! As I was standing there looking out onto the frozen lake – which was an amazing blend of beauty and eerie macabre – all I could think was “ARE YOU NUTS??? WHAT THE H*** WERE YOU THINKING???” So, I got my photos and headed back to the car where I cranked the heat up as high as I could and high tailed it out of there!!! 🙂
There really was quite an eerie feeling down there…..all by myself in the cold and haze of the winter sky – it was also quite peaceful and beautiful. Anyway – I hope you enjoy these photos – my ears and fingers paid dearly to capture them! hehehehe
The first two photos may look like a pile of rocks – in fact, I had to get closer to see that they were, indeed, NOT big rocks or something sticking up out of the ice! They were actually a large flock of geese all huddled up on the frozen water of the Oak Orchard River:
Oak Orchard River – all frozen – where it meets Lake Ontario:
Looking up the Oak Orchard River to the typically busy, full boat docks in front of The Black North Inn – now looking pretty lonely:
The lighthouse at Point Breeze:
Some shots of the Great Lake – Lake Ontario – frozen and deserted:
A marina with all the sail boats safely dry docked – anxiously awaiting the chance to get back in the water for some sun and fun:
And, finally, as I was leaving the Point, I stopped for this shot of Marsh Creek – usually full of boating activity, now desolate with an artic appearance and a wintery haze covered sun:
Now – I think I’ll go move my swivel rocker over in front of the fireplace and thaw out!!!
Sunday Stills – Murals or Graffiti
For this week’s Sunday Stills Challenge, we were asked to provide photos of Murals or Graffiti. We have a lot of great murals in our area, but the weather is a little nasty, so I only stopped by a few right in the downtown area to get photos while I was out today. Here are my offerings for this challenge:
The first photo is our newest mural recently added in Waterman Park on Main Street to honor the legacy of our local sandstone quarrymen from about 100 years ago. For more information on this mural, our quarrymen legacy, and sandstone heritage, click here and here and here.
I love this mural in a third floor window of one of our historic downtown buildings – especially with the visible snowflakes that were falling as I snapped the photo! This dapper looking gentleman is always looking down on Main Street, tipping his hat to busy shoppers.
The next two photos are murals that can be found along the Erie Barge Canal near the Main Street lift bridge. The first one faces north and is located behind Bank Street – it depicts a team of mules towing a barge along a rural section of the canal. The second faces south and is located just west of the Main Street lift bridge – it depicts a high one lane bridge over the canal. Due to the weather and deep snow, I couldn’t get in position to get a straight on shot of the second mural, so I had to zoom in and take it on an angle – the photo isn’t very good, but I still wanted to include it in this post.
And, finally, I took this shot of a nice example of vintage advertising on the side of a local business:
Our Wonderful Bed
There is nothing in this world like your own, warm, cozy bed!!! I know it…..most people know it……and so do my girls!!! Actually, “my” bed really is more “their” bed than it is mine! 🙂 Night time is one story…..all four of us taking up just about every inch of a queen sized bed (click here for another post on the subject of sleeping with three big dogs)…..but, it is the rest of the time that the bed is one of their favorite places to be!
They LOVE being on the bed and, as we affectionately call it, “getting silly on the bed” – this means rubbing and rolling and scratching around on the covers like silly little gooses! I can make the bed and within minutes, it is unmade and rearranged to their liking! I’ve even entered the bedroom and found every blanket, sheet, and pillow off the bed and piled haphazardly on the floor!!! Take this morning, for instance…..I made the bed and left to brush my teeth and splash some water on my face. When I returned, just minutes later, I found THIS – so much for a nicely made up bed:
Amy loves to make a cocoon – she skootches herself around until she’s under the covers and then rolls around until she’s all wrapped up in the blankets and only her nose is sticking out:
Most any time of the day, Megan will head upstairs all by herself and lay on the bed – she can be found up there sleeping, rearranging the covers, or playing with her toys. The first photo was another time that the bed was all freshly made up and she decided she wanted the pillows and blankets in a more comfy arrangement:
One time, in our old house, she even decided to take our bed into the den with her……she took the comforter off the bed and dragged it across the hall to the den and put it on her doggie bed:
And, there are times when they are just as happy to lay on a nicely made bed……but not often – hehehe:
Oh, and I can’t forget to include a link to a post telling about the time I found a nice little “gift” in our bed…..click here for all the gory details!
May everyone be blessed with a wonderful, cozy, warm, inviting bed to enjoy!!!
Movie Review – Grand Piano
It was a lazy Saturday afternoon with not much of interest to me on TV. So, I was looking for a movie on Movies On Demand and found one that caught my eye – Grand Piano, starring Elijah Wood and John Cusack. Not really sure why I even checked out the trailer cause I don’t usually care much for Elijah Wood, but I did watch the trailer and found it intriguing! So, I watched it!
This movie isn’t due to be released in theaters until March 7th, but it is on On Demand, now. It is a suspense thriller about a gifted concert pianist, Elijah Wood, who is making a come back after being away from the stage due to his severe stage fright and a catastrophic performance five years ago. When he gets on stage for the much anticipated performance, he finds a message on his sheet music telling him that if he plays one wrong note, he will be shot on the spot and if he alerts anyone of his predicament, his famous actress wife – who is in a box seat in the audience – will be killed. While playing the concert of his life, he must figure out who is making the threats and why.
It will keep you on the edge of your seat, for sure! The performances are well done by all the actors and the music played during the concert makes for an incredible back drop to the suspense! It is a little slow in some spots and I would have liked a little better ending – I felt like it didn’t do the best job of tying it all together, but over all, it was really quite good! I rate it a solid B+ and recommend it for those who like a little suspense.
Here is the trailer:
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