Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Memories of School Days
The first one is my Senior Picture – the one that was included in the 1974 Chevron – Albion Central School’s Yearbook. As Billy mentioned in his editorial, the typical hair for girls in the 60s and early 70s was long and straight – I was no exception! My hair was so long and thick that when I pinned it up on top of my head, it would make my neck sore and give me a headache!!!
Now on to the schools! Albion is a much, much smaller town than Sanford, so the need for multiple schools in each grade range isn’t necessary and some of the “old” schools are still being used. The current schools in use today are all located together in a row – first the Elementary School, then the High School, and then the Middle School – with sidewalks connecting them all together. Here are the schools that I attended and their current use today:
The Primary School – known today as Elementary School – had grades K-3 when I went there – it now houses grades K-5. I regret I didn’t get a better shot of it, but here it is anyway – it is located just beyond the trees!
When I was in school, grades 4-6 attended the Grammar School (or also known at the time as the Academy School). This was a huge old building that was no longer used as a school not long after I stopped going there. It was renovated a few years back into apartments and I see that it is being renovated again now to be used for county or village offices or something like that – not sure, exactly. Whatever it is being used for, it is great to see that they are continuing to find uses for an incredible historic structure – which, by the way was constructed of Medina Sandstone, like the churches and other structures that I spoke about in my previous post. 
I actually only attended 4th grade there. In the middle of my 5th grade year, we moved out of town and I transferred to Waterport School for part of the 5th grade and all of the 6th grade. This was also part of the Albion Central School District, but was a smaller school in the community of Waterport for grades K-6. When I say it was a small school – I do mean small – each grade only had ONE classroom and ONE teacher and less than 20 students in each. I didn’t get a picture of the Waterport school, but it is no longer a school, either. It was turned into an apartment building and I think it is standing empty now – not sure of that, though.
After the 6th grade, everyone in the school district went to what was then the High School. It held classes for grades 7-12. I attended this school through the 11th grade. It was rich in history and a great building – my Mom also attended high school and graduated from this school. It is still in use today, but is now the Middle School with grades 6-8 only. That change was made beginning the year I was a Senior, so I actually graduated from the next school I will talk about. For now, here is what is now known as the Middle School, but will always be known as the “old high school”.
I took these pictures on Memorial Day. When I got there, they were just finishing up a Memorial Day ceremony. The Purple Eagles Marching Band was playing, but by the time I got close enough to get a picture, they were “marching” from the Middle School (where the ceremony was held) back to the High School. So, I could only get a photo of them in marching formation – but, I did get some pics!!! The pics of the band also show some additional shots of the Middle School (old high school), which includes some additions that have been made over the years.
This is a shot of a monument dedicated to Vietnam veterans – it reads: “A lasting tribute to the patriotism and courage of the men and women who served our country in Vietnam.” The Memorial Day ceremony was held around this monument and it is located in front of the flag pole in front of the Middle School.
So – that is where I went to school…..I am so pleased to know that the schools are still going strong and in good repair and still being used after many, many decades of students have wandered their halls!
Movies – Where art thou, dear movies?
I really, really wanted to see a movie yesterday — I was thinking it had been 2 or 3 weekends since I’ve been to the theater. But when I looked to see when my last movie review post was, I went into movie theater withdrawal — my last visit to the theater was May 3rd!!! FIVE weeks ago!!! O-M-G!!!
There are a couple out now that I keep looking at to try to build the interest in them. In fact, yesterday, I even made the decision to go see one! I made firm plans to see the early bird matinee for “What Happens in Vegas”. Then, I got into doing some google searches and reading blogs and the time to leave came and went……. So, I looked up when the next show was – 1:35 – and shifted my plans accordingly. But, when the time came to leave to catch that show, I decided that a nap sounded more intriguing!!! So – I didn’t go and don’t have any plans to reconsider going today.
I keep thinking about “Sex and The City”, but since I was never able to get myself interested in the series, I can’t convince myself that the movie would be any more entertaining for me!!! I asked for opinions on here, but didn’t get any — so, that isn’t one I will likely see!!!
I really enjoyed the earlier “Indiana Jones” movies and adore Harrison Ford, but I just can’t get excited enough about this new one to run out to see it!!!
I have NO interest, what so ever, in “Iron Man” or “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan”. And “The Strangers” isn’t something I would see — I love a good suspense drama, but don’t like horror movies that are out to scare the Bejezzus out of me!!!
“Kung Fu Panda” might be cute, but…………..not sure it is worth spending my afternoon on!!!
And the “Coming Soon” lists don’t have anything that is reaching out and grabbing me, either!!! “Get Smart” opens the 20th – I loved the series and seeing it made into a movie might be fun — but, I don’t particularly care for Steve Carell and I’m not sure the whole idea is enough to get me to buy a ticket and spend a couple hours on!!!
The one that I have been anxiously anticipating and will DEFINITELY rush out to see as soon as it open is “Mama Mia” — but that doesn’t open until July 18th!!!
So – I guess I’m going to have to make my own popcorn and strike up a friendship with my remote control…………
Flip Flop
Aaww – How Adorable…..
My reasoning for such drastic measures? Simple! It seems like every single time I catch the girls doing something that is absolutely the most adorable thing ever, I never fail to miss the opportunity to get it on film! The minute I reach for the camera and start to turn towards them, they notice me moving, stop what they are doing, and go into “Mommy’s looking at us, let’s get her!” mode!! And I miss the shot!!!
There were THREE such moments tonight — all in about a 2 hour period – in the same night – what are the odds???? There are no photos to document the high level of cuteness and I am sure a written description will fail miserably in the attempt to do it justice, but here it is…………….
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Picture this: Katie and Amy were laying on the floor beside my desk chair – they were laying side by side on their sides facing each other. Amy had her front legs wrapped around Katie’s neck, Katie’s head was resting on Amy’s shoulder, and Amy was cleaning Katie’s ear!!! Katie was thoroughly enjoying it, too — her head was leaning right into it and her eyes were closed — it was pampering to the max!!!
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A little later, the scene looked like this: Megan and Amy this time – they started making a loud noise that sounded like a mixture of growling, whining, and yawning – like the sound the Wookies made in Star Wars………I looked around at them to see what in the world they were doing and saw them laying side by side facing each other. Amy had one of her paws on Megan’s shoulder and Megan had one of her paws on Amy’s chest. They had their mouths wide open and their heads cocked to the side so that their open mouths were together like an interlocking puzzle and they were both singing the Wookie song at the top of their lungs in perfect harmony!!!
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Then, just a little bit ago, I saw the ultimate heart tugging sight that looked something like this: Katie was laying stretched out on her side. Amy was laying cuddled up to Katie’s belly with her head on Katie’s shoulder and Katie’s arm laying across Amy’s chest. Megan was laying perpendicular to Katie’s back with her head resting on her hip. All were sound asleep and snoring!!
This was a great contrast to the times when they act like they hate each other’s guts and can’t stand to be in the same universe! They really do love each other!!!! Just like human sisters!!! ha-ha
Thursday Evening About Town
I had the BEST salad for dinner at Renalds — it was mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, pecans, strawberries, kiwi and balsamic vinaigrette dressing – I also had a side serving of grilled asparagus — YUM!!! What a refreshing and light dinner!!! Incredible!!! Renalds was PACKED tonight, too — it was a nice send off!
After I finished dinner, I started to head home and remembered that tonight was the first of the Function at the Junction concert series in Depot Park. So, I went over to see if I could get a bench (cause I wasn’t planning to go and didn’t have anything to sit on) and luckily got there early enough to get one! The band was good tonight — they made my night by playing my theme song – “Mustang Sally”!!! ha-ha
While there, I noticed that several friends were there, too. Just as the concert ended, I went over to say hi! Among the friends were a couple of our Sanford bloggers – Emily and Jennifer, whom I’ve known from before we started blogging. As I was chatting with Emily, a girl came up and asked if I was Kim and when I said yes, she said “I’m Melissa”!!!! So – we got to meet “I Am The Mama” — so, that was cool…..
Sex and The City?????
So, help me out here — Have you seen it, yet? What was your reaction? If you’ve been reading my movie reviews, you can tell what my taste in movies is — Should I make myself go cause I’ll end up loving it or should I trust the instinct that hasn’t let me get all that excited about it???? I promise I won’t hold any commenters responsible if I find out I missed a treasure or if I end up thinking I wasted my time!!! ha-ha-ha
Rich In History
So – what makes Albion so rich in history? What are the monuments to the past? It is the 
buildings! You see, many of the buildings and homes around Albion, in fact most of Orleans County, were constructed of one of two types of stone that were abundant in the area. There are several rock quarries that were mined for stone – in particular, there was a stone known as Medina Sandstone (FYI – Medina is a neighboring town in the same county). First discovered in the 1820s, Medina Sandstone is a smooth slab type stone that was popular for paving blocks, walls, bridges, and as blocks for architecture. The photo to the left shows Medina Sandstone slabs used as a walkway along one of the lovely churches that will be featured later in this post.
The other popular stone found in the area and used for building purposes was Cobblestone. During the ice age, glaciers carved out the Great Lakes and the surrounding land. The glaciers rounded and polished stones into “cobble” and the waters of what became Lake Ontario continued to work to form and smooth the stones. The resulting Cobblestone was gathered and used to construct homes and other buildings throughout the area. The photo to the left is an up close shot of the artistic detail of a wall constructed of Cobblestone and the unique masonry that holds them together.
So — here are some of the historic buildings in and around the Albion area — some constructed of Medina Sandstone, some of Cobblestone, and some used other materials, but all have a story rich in history and some even have ties to famous people!!
I’ll start with the Cobblestone buildings. Route 104 (Ridge Road) runs east and west north of Albion through the Orleans County towns of Gaines and Childs, among others. Ridge Road is a historic stage coach turnpike and is often referred to as “the road of the cobblestone houses” because there are more buildings constructed of cobblestone along a 25 mile stretch than on any other highway in America. The Cobblestone Society is focused on the preservation of the cobblestone buildings designated a National Historic Landmarks.
This first photo is of the oldest cobblestone church in North America. It is located on Ridge Road in Childs and is the church that I was married in. I wanted a special location for my wedding and always treasured the Cobblestone Museum Complex, which consists of this church, the parsonage, and several other cobblestone buildings in Orleans County. This church was built in 1834 and represented the Universalist faith. It is now a museum visited by tourists and used only for special events. The building is still true to the time with no electricity – which means that I had a true candle lit ceremony for my wedding the evening of June 21, 1985. It was a beautiful ceremony in a wonderful old church.
This next photo is the parsonage situated next to the church. Also made of Cobblestone, this home was built in 1836. In 1861, a lady named Mary Ann Dwinnell purchased the house and the mortgage was held by her nephew Horace Greely, founder of the Liberal Republican Party, editor of the New York Tribune, and known as the greatest editor of his time. The house is now part of the Cobblestone Museum Complex and called the Ward House – named after Mrs. Inez Ward, the owner who sold the property to the Cobblestone Society in 1975. The home is still beautifully decorated with many of the original Victorian furnishings. The personal significance of this structure is that my bridesmaids and I used it to dress before my wedding. It made for a very romantic setting to prepare for a wedding.
Now, let’s move on to the fabulous churches and other historic buildings in Albion. First – the most distinctive church in town – the First Universalist Church, also known as the Pullman church. This church was constructed of Medina Sandstone and looks much like an incredible castle. It was built in 1894 by George Pullman (of the Pullman railroad sleeper car fame) in memory of his parents, who resided in Albion in the 1840s. George Pullman had his personal architect draw up the plans and was involved throughout the construction of the building. Additionally, Louis C. Tiffany was present for the installation of 41 windows created by his Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. This beautiful church is one of Albion’s major treasures and is depicted in the next two photos.
St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic church is another striking building built of Medina Sandstone in the mid-late 1800s. The church is accompanied by the Catholic School, as well, shown in the photo right after the church.
The following photo is of the Baptist Church located next to the Catholic Church and was constructed of brick in 1832.
The church my family attended was the First United Methodist Church – also constructed of brick in 1832.
The County Courthouse is a Greek Revival Style dome building constructed of brick in 1856.
And, finally, Albion has a famous prison with significant historical value. Construction for the “Western House of Refuge for Women” began in April 1892. The institution opened in December 1893 and was designed as a “refuge” for reformable women aged 16 to 30 charged with misdemeanors such as petty larceny, drunkenness, prostitution, and “waywardness”. The mission of the institution was to give moral and religious training to form a good character and to provide domestic training that would enable them to find employment, secure good homes, and be self supporting. Over the years, the facility went from a State Reformatory School for Women to an Institution for Mentally Defective Delinquent Women to a medium security Correctional Facility for men to a co-ed facility. Once the new Correctional Facility for Men was constructed nearby, the original building returned to a Women’s Correctional Facility, which is as it stands now.
The most notable inmate that the Albion facility has had was Amy Fisher (of Joey and Mary Joe Buttafuco fame) – she spent a part of her sentence for her attack on Mary Joe Buttafuco in the Albion facility.
So — that is a sampling of the rich history of my home town!!! Watch for a post about the schools and one on an incredible historic cemetery in the next day or so.
And The Winner Is….
Check out all the winners by clicking here— you might find an interesting blog in the list!!!
Rosa Marina Salad
I don’t think I have ever been to an Italian wedding without finding Rosa Marina Salad on the table. It is always made lovingly by one or more of the Italian ladies in the family. I even attended a fully catered wedding once (rather than the usual ones where the ladies in the family cook for days prior to the wedding to supply all the food) and there it was – a huge bowl of Rosa Marina Salad available for the guests to enjoy!!!
Rosa Marina Salad is made from Rosa Marina pasta and can be a dessert or side dish – whatever works for the occassion it is being made for. It is very sweet, so dessert is usually the choice, but not so sweet that it couldn’t hold it’s own on a plate along side of a grilled burger or steak! This dish always brings back fond memories for me and I really enjoy making it and seeing the surprised looks on people’s faces that have never tried it before. At first, they think it might be a rice dish, like rice pudding or something – then, when they taste it, they are hooked!!! ha-ha-ha
As I said – the dish is supposed to be made with Rosa Marina pasta – unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find Rosa Marina pasta this far south!!! So, I began to substitue Orzo pasta! Orzo is the closest thing I have been able to find to Rosa Marina – it is a small rice-looking pasta – and works out very well.
Try this and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!
Rosa Marina Salad
Ingredients:
1 pound box Rosa Marina Macaroni
*This is hard to find around here. I substitute Orzo Pasta when I can’t find Rosa Marina. Don’t use Rice – it won’t soak up and swell, like pasta does.
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 large can mandarin oranges
2 8 oz containers of Cool Whip
Directions:
Cook Rosa Marina or Orzo Pasta per instructions on box for “al dente”. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
Separate the fruit from the juice. Refrigerate fruit for use later. Use juice in next step.
Cook eggs, sugar, salt, flour, and the juice from the cans of fruit together until thickened. Stir or whisk to keep smooth while thickening. Consistency should be like a milky, thick gravy.
Pour sauce over macaroni and stir to coat thoroughly. This should be rather soupy. Refrigerate overnight to allow sauce to soak into macaroni.
The next day, the mixture will be firm and usually solid – sauce will be all soaked in. Use a spoon or spatula to break up the macaroni.
As close to serving time as possible, fold in the fruit and Cool Whip thoroughly. Serve chilled.
NOTE: A single batch as outlined above is usually enough for most small gatherings.
NC Symphony at the Civic Center
The downfall of the day was having to do it with a painful knee and leg brace!! Have you ever tried to get in and out of a car with your left leg braced so that it can’t bend at the knee? Not easy!! Luckily, it isn’t the leg I need to drive.
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