Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Sunday Sights
Just a couple photos of scenes that caught my eye recently! It is that time of year where things are no longer lush and green from summer…..they are no longer vivid with fall colors…..they are also not, yet, white with winter snow!!! But…..beauty can still be found!!!
End of Season Apple Orchard
Rural Mailbox
Dormant Snowball Bush against the blue sky
Brush beyond the fields
Creek side tree
The Sky’s the Limit
I’ve always been fascinated by the sky. When I was a little girl, I used to take a blanket out on the grass and lay there for hours just looking up at the sky and clouds trying to see images. I love it all…..soft, wispy clouds…..big fluffy clouds…..stormy clouds…..sunrises……sunsets……and clear blue skies with no clouds whatsoever! I just love to look at the sky!
So, I’ve had this thought of doing a post with just sky and cloud photos for a while! I went back through my photo folders to find a few favorites I’ve taken over the years and I’ve also been deliberately taking a few lately that caught my eye as being particularly interesting! So……here goes!!!
Check it out – there’s a heart in the clouds!!! 🙂
So, as you’re out and about enjoying the day…..any day…..take time to check out the sky and see what fascinating views are in store for you!
Tea and Thoughts on a Tuesday Morning
I’m sitting here at my computer on this lovely Tuesday morning with a cup of tea just reading the news and updates of the day, visiting the web sites I visit each morning, and watching out my big den window as the neighborhood wakes up with curious critters (the birds and squirrels, not the neighbors) going about their important activities…..not that much different than most mornings……and I find myself thinking about all the joys in my life……again, not so different than most mornings…….but, this morning, I realized I haven’t done a good old fashioned brain dump in a while!!! For those of you who are new to my blog, that is what the original intent was when I started it, oh so many years ago. It all started as an outlet for my thoughts……a place where I could just write whatever was on my mind and convey stories about what was going on in my life in a creative way – hence, the blog title, “Kim’s Thoughts”, and the tag line, “Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down”! It has naturally evolved over the years to be an outlet for my adventures, movie reviews, community cheerleading, and most recently as a place to exhibit my increasing passion for photography! That’s OK……it continues on in a slightly different direction, but the same original intent…..share my thoughts on my life and the things around me…..and I like what it has become and look forward to how it will evolve even more going forward! But, I find that I don’t just get on here and babble so much anymore……no photos, no adventures, just what is rattling around in my head ready to be dumped out to make room for new thoughts to start rattling around in there!!! So, here goes…..
First off…..it is November (don’t get me started on how I feel about it being November, already – where the heck did the year go?)! November is the month that proudly brings us the Thanksgiving holiday! A holiday specifically designed to remind us to be thankful for our many blessings! It is a great holiday – one of my favorites – family time, the height of the autumn season with all its beauty, and the food is frickin’ awesome!!! But, do we (should we) really need a holiday to remind us to be thankful? I enjoy reading the Facebook posts from people who do the “30 days of Thanks” posts – you know, where they write one thing they are thankful for every day throughout the month. I participated in it a couple of years ago, but found that after the first week or so, I struggled with coming up with new things to write each day…..so, I threw in some satire here and there to break up the sentimental posts and it kind of lost the spirit of the whole thing! So, I haven’t done it since……but, that doesn’t stop me from really enjoying reading the posts from those who do!
Nope – I don’t need November to remind me that I am so very blessed…….I get a solid dose of reminders every morning as I sit here at my computer looking out at the world around me……or sitting in my living room with a good book and notice how serene and comfortable I am in the silence in the home I love and my dog by my side……or out walking around my yard looking at the beautiful flowers blooming all around my house……or, mostly, when I get to spend time with my family whenever I want to – even if we don’t do anything important or structured – in fact, especially then!!! Over the past few months, I’ve started ending all my private prayers with the comment, “…with your help and grace, may I be truly grateful…”. I started that because I was in deep reflection one day and thought how just telling God thank you for the blessings he has bestowed upon me just didn’t seem like “enough”…..it seemed too cookie cutter and almost like I did think it was “enough”. But, I know that I have a long way to go to be truly grateful and to fully appreciate this amazing life and the people – family and friends – that I have in it! So…..I ask for His grace in getting there!!!
What do I see out my den window right now? Um……not much! Hahaha! I took the trash to the road this morning and filled the bird feeders, which includes two hanging dishes that I heap up with unsalted, shelled peanuts for the blue jays and squirrels. By the time I got back in the house and looked out, there was a flock of blue jays, three squirrels, and even a cardinal all swarming in to get their share! The blue jays swoop in and fly off to store their bounty for later and come back for more! The squirrels take advantage of what gets knocked or dropped onto the ground – some take them to another spot in the yard to bury their treasure and some run off to another location to store it! The cardinal perched on the tree at the other end of the island and waited until everyone else was off storing their treats to sneak in and grab one while none of the bullies were there to warn him off! I so enjoy the blue jays – and other birds, too, but especially the blue jays – they bring color and entertainment to my mornings! I’m so glad they hang around through the winter……I haven’t been a winter feeder in the past, but plan to be this winter – I hope they continue to make my yard a frequent stop on their rounds of all the feeders in the neighborhood! I also get a kick out of watching the squirrels…….they work so hard to try to reach the bowls (until the blue jays make it easy for them by dropping some of the peanuts) and hang on the Shepard hooks to get a treat…..then, they work in a frenzy to bury them in the yard and fluff up the grass to make it so no one else will find them…..then, they go back – likely nervous that someone might have discovered their hiding place – dig it back up and bury it a few feet away in another spot……then, do it all again a little while later!!! But, right now, the dishes are empty — the critters cleaned them out in a matter of a few minutes….only leaving the feeders with the sunflower seeds to sustain them until I refill and give them something to get excited about, again!
I know I said earlier that brain dumps don’t usually have any photos, but I couldn’t resist this one…….I took this last night during one of my quiet times sitting in my living room reading a good book with Megan snoring at my side! I decided it was a good night to enjoy a glass of wine while I read, so I opened a bottle I’ve had in the fridge for a while – a nice plum wine from one of my favorite local wineries – The Winery at Marjim Manor! The lights were out in the dining room and when I looked at the bottle and the glass on my kitchen bar, I just knew that I had to put my Kindle with them for a photo – one that perfectly conveys the mood of the evening…..the house was silent (except for Megan’s snoring), most of it was dark, and I was so comfortable, peaceful, and blessed! And, I’m really enjoying the book I’m currently reading……the fourth in a series that I’ve found quite delightful – the “Rather” series by C.A. Belmond, which included “A Rather Lovely Inheritance”, “A Rather Curious Engagement”, “A Rather Charming Invitation”, and finally, “A Rather Remarkable Homecoming”. I like a good literary wonder as much as the next reader, but I really enjoy these delightful summer type reads that are quick and fun and just plain entertaining! I mostly like Barbara Delinsky, Liane Moriarty, Darcie Chan, and others that write stories like theirs. But, I also have enjoyed reading more thoughtful books, such as “The Nightingale” and “11/22/63”. When I was younger, I read a lot! Then, life started to get full and I read less……then, I went back to school and earned three degrees back to back attending classes full time while working full time……and found that reading for school and work was all I could manage…….and it was a long time before I wanted to read anything when I was done with those several years!!! But, once I retired, I promised myself I would return to reading for pleasure……and I’ve kept that promise and find it to be one of my many joys in life!!! One day, maybe I’ll write those children’s books or that novel I’ve dreamed of writing……but, until then, I’ll enjoy the writings of others with a cup of tea or a glass of wine……and I’ll keep blogging – it may not win me a Pulitzer or writer of the year awards, but it gives me pleasure……and I don’t have to follow the literary and grammar rules – my blog, my rules – I can write just the way it comes out my finger tips!!!
Aaahhh……the blue jays are back…….guess they decided to enjoy some sunflower seeds, now that the peanuts are all gone! 🙂
Since it is November……..for real……..I guess it is time I start thinking about getting started on Christmas shopping – maybe I will manage to get done before the last minute for the first time in a few years!!! (yeah…..and, if you believe that one, I have some great ocean front property in Kansas I’ll sell ya cheap!) This morning wasn’t frosty, but yesterday was……so, the weather is turning and winter will be upon us, soon! I hate the thoughts of snow in our near future, but also look forward to it, in that “nostalgic-winter wonderland-oh how beautiful from the comfort of my den window” kind of way! I’ve heard reports that we’re in for another brutal winter like the last two years and I’ve heard reports that we’re in for a mild winter……time will tell which psychics are better at predicting this type of thing. I only hope that whatever comes our way is manageable and we stay warm and safe!
That’s what’s on my mind, this morning…….so….in closing…..I thought I’d share one of my all time favorite Thanksgiving related videos – ENJOY!!!
Bill Lattin’s New Book Launch
Tonight I attended a special event. It was held at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church on Halloween – a celebration they have made a tradition at their church. This year, the celebration included a presentation about the history of photographs by Joe Struble (more on him later) and the launch and book signing event for Bill Lattin’s new book – Halloween Pictures and Pranks. It was a very nice event!
First, let me talk about Bill Lattin and his book…..cause, that was the main reason I went (Mr. Struble’s presentation was an enjoyable icing on the cake). C.W. (Bill) Lattin is many things to many people. First and foremost, he’s a hell of a nice guy and a joy to be around! He taught art when I was in high school and he is the recently retired Orleans County Historian. He has more knowledge about our county than anyone alive…..and he can tell you the remotest little detail about anything you want to talk about dating back to the dawn of time without stopping to think for a second about it! He has written several books, including this new one he launched tonight.
Back a few months ago, there was an article in the Orleans Hub saying that Bill was looking for local Halloween photographs and stories that date before the year 2000 – in particular, any stories about pranks and photographs of handmade costumes. I happened to have an adorable photo of my son, Robby, in a costume I made for him when he was seven years old – I bought some red and white striped flannel, pom poms, sheets of felt, and a pattern for a clown outfit. It came out so cute and he loved it! So, I submitted the photo with a little blurb about the costume and Halloween at my Grandparent’s house. Well, Bill included it in the book and I was so happy! I went to the book signing and purchased three copies – one for me, one for Robby, and one for his Dad! I am also very happy to know that proceeds from the sale of this book will go to help with renovation costs on our local treasure – the historic Pullman Memorial Universalist Church!
The other part of the event – the main presentation – was a wonderful talk by Joe Struble. Joe was the Collections Manager of the Photography Collection at George Eastman House / International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, NY for 26 years before retiring in April of this year (per the notation on the Foreword he wrote for Bill’s book). He showed scanned photos from the mid 1800s up through the mid-late 1900s and talked about what makes a photograph special and the significance of amateur snapshots over the years. It was so very interesting and the photos he shared were fun and thought provoking! I really enjoyed it!
Another wonderful treat of the evening was some gorgeous music played on the beautiful pipe organ in the sanctuary – it is the first time I’ve been in this church when the organ was played and it was incredibly moving to hear!!!
Here are some photos:
I really hate that this photo came out blurry!!! It is Melissa Ierlan, Clarendon Town Historian, and Bill Lattin. Melissa’s Halloween costume is an historic marker that says “On this spot Oct 31, 2015 Bill Lattin former historian launched new book titled ‘Halloween Pictures and Pranks'”. It is funny and significant because Melissa is on a crusade to restore historic markers around the county by repainting them (read more about her efforts by clicking here). Bill called her up to the podium to show the audience just prior to his introduction of his book.
Bill Lattin speaking to the audience about his book!
Pullman Memorial Universalist Church Pastor, Lee Richards, introducing guest speaker, Joe Struble.
Joe Struble giving his presentation
Prior to the formal presentation and after, at the reception, my friend Al Capurso played guitar and sang for us.
Jim Knight dressed up as Beetlejuice!
The cover of Bill’s new book – Halloween Pictures and Pranks
The page with the photos I submitted of my son, Robby!
Bill Lattin signing one of his books.
If you get a chance, purchase one of Bill’s books – this one and/or one of his many other books! They can be found at Bindings Book Store on Bank Street in Albion or in other Orleans County locations. If Bindings is out of them, just ask them – they can get you one!
Beggar’s Night 2015 – Albion, NY
The Albion Merchants Association did an amazing job of hosting a crowd of about 450 kids plus their parents for their annual Beggar’s Night event! Tonight was my first time walking the streets with the kids and taking photos – what a great time I had!!! And…..a couple of the merchants even gave me some of their candy, even though I am not a kid…..and wasn’t in costume…..and didn’t “beg” for it…….maybe it was my childish good looks that persuaded them to toss a treat my way!
Anyway……it was a great night for the kids!!! There were 30 stops with merchants out in front of their businesses handing out candy, as well as other owners of businesses from outside the immediate walk route who set up tables along the way! And, most of the merchants that participated were in costume – much to the delight of the children…..and us big kids that happened by, as well!!! They also had several student volunteers from the school to help out – that is an awesome way for them to get their community service credits and have fun doing it!!!
The merchants in downtown Albion are a wonderful bunch of people…..be sure to visit and support their businesses to show them how much we all appreciate the events they put on and the work they put in to making our lovely Village a destination worth checking out….often!!!
Here are some photos from the 2015 Beggar’s Night in Albion, NY – I didn’t get a photo of every stop and shop owner – so sorry about that – but, you can see the level of participation and the fun the kids had:
Just after 6:00, the kiddos started up Bank Street to their first stop! About an hour and a half later, I left and there were still some stragglers finishing up the route! Just look at this adorable little queen and her pirate escort!
At the first stop, the little beggars found a nun handing out candy for Empire Trading!
Lori Laine (our friendly “Not so average Fairy Godmother”) and her daughter, Katie Laine Harvey, represented their business, Frontier Heating. And (in the second photo below), it was really nice to see Mary Poppins drop in for a photo with Fairy Lori!
Adam Johnson and his crew from Blue Top Management went all out with the costumes!
This beautiful swan is Marsha Rivers, Executive Director of the United Way of Orleans County. Her costume is a play on the fact that the new location for the United Way office is in the old Swan Library!!! And, even more appropriate to the whole theme of her stop on the route was her son sitting on the steps in the background reading a book! 🙂
First Niagara Bank got in on the action!
Here we have Lisa Stratton, owner of The Hazy Jade Gift Shop, dressed up like a leopard and there with her is none other than the Village of Albion Code Enforcement Officer, Ron Vendetti, as a monster convict (when I was waiting for the kids to start coming up from the fire hall, he growled at me and I growled back at him…..didn’t know who he was at that time! hehehe)
The Hoag Library is outside the walk route, but they came down and set up to participate!
Carolyn Ricker, owner of Bindings Book Store, and Frozen’s Elsa were a delight for many of the little ones! Carolyn is wearing an anteater hat from a new game she has for kids to come in to the store to play – Anteater and Antics!
Darrell Dyke is the instructor for the Jedi Academy, part of the children’s church / religious instruction program at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church.
Albion’s finest helping to ensure everyone’s safety!!!
Jeremiah Knight of Knight’s Pride Woodworking.
Just one of many big baskets of candy waiting to be placed in eager little beggar’s bags! This one just happens to be at Knight’s Pride.
Jim Theodorakos, owner of Morrison Realty, hands out more candy!
Taken from far above the crowd…..yep, I built up enough courage to climb the lift bridge stairway to get a shot of the kids lining the street from above!!!
Children loved the large cutouts along the front of Krantz Furniture – some stopped to have their photos taken with the monster from Monster’s Inc!!!
Another cool photo op for kids was the giant Weed Man character!
David Snell of Snell Realty draws a crowd.
Mitzy shares her candy by night and travel expertise by day at Orleans Travel Bureau.
And, the fun continued well past dark!!!
It was a pleasure seeing our Village Trustees and our State Assemblyman all participating and having fun with the kids!
Gary Katsanis, Albion Village Trustee:
NY State Assemblyman, Steve Hawley in front of his Albion office….dressed as a gorilla!!! 🙂 With him in the red jacket is Eileen Banker, Assemblyman Hawley’s Chief of Staff and Albion Village Deputy Mayor and Village Trustee:
Even the buildings seemed to participate!!! I love how the lights on the top of the Briggs building look kinda spooky — like when you shine a flashlight up under your chin!!! 🙂
Happy Halloween!!! Tonight was Beggar’s Night and it was all fun, but the big night for Trick or Treating is tomorrow, so be safe out there and watch out for kids in the streets after dark!
Chilly Autumn Sunday
Just a few pics I took on my way out to see my Mom, this afternoon…..
Happy Fall, Ya’ll……
Fall Cruise Adventure
A friend and I just got back from a fabulous cruise vacation! We took Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Sea out of Boston harbor up through New England and Canada! It was a wonderful week! I took 425 photos, so there is no way I can do a comprehensive photo tour here on this blog! What I’ve decided to do is pick a couple favorite photos from each port and add in some photos that have a cute or interesting story behind them and that will be that! I’ll have the photos on file, so you might see some pop up from time to time in other posts that they might make sense in!
Our itinerary is as follows:
Day 1 – Depart from Boston, MA
Day 2 – Portland, Maine
Day 3 – Bar Harbor, Maine
Day 4 – Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Day 5 – At Sea
Day 6 – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Day 7 – At Sea
Day 8 – Arrive back in Boston, MA
We flew to Boston on Sunday, Nov 11th. I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the transfer from the airport through check in and onto the ship went! This was my fourth cruise and the previous ones seemed much more cumbersome through this process. But, we used the Royal Caribbean transportation from the airport – there were RC staff waiting for us in baggage claim and our bags were first on the carousel, so it was a very short wait until they had everyone gathered to bus us to the ship. Then, the line to check in was VERY long and snaked through the building we were in, but the people at the desk kept the line moving right along and it wasn’t too long before we were on the gangway boarding the ship! Of course, our rooms were not ready, yet, so we found the buffet lunch and wandered around some to check out the ship. Once we made it to our rooms we, unpacked and were ready to sail! The worst part of that first day (in fact, the worst part about the entire cruise) was the required muster training! We had to stand in one place for an extremely long time waiting for everyone to gather and for them to do the training (which was only a matter of minutes – after all that standing)…..so, it flared up my bad knee and I was in horrendous pain….the next day, it was still difficult to walk on it for as long as I usually can, but what I finally figured out was that it riled up the cyst that forms on the back of my knee when it is stressed too much – as soon as that went back down, I was fine for the rest of the cruise!!! WHEW…..I was glad that it straightened itself out and I didn’t have to be concerned with a bad knee beyond the first day or two!!!
This wasn’t taken that first day, but I wanted to put it here in the story, anyway……
This was taken from the port in Portland, but it is of the ship, so it fits here……
Deck 11 – the open pool deck – we were cruising in OCTOBER on the upper East Coast…..not sure why there was always someone in the hot tub and pool (especially when there were warmer ones in the Solarium)!
Day Two: Our first port was Portland, Maine and, as it turns out, was my favorite of the ports we visited! We didn’t purchase an excursion package for this port. We just wanted to wander around and eat lobster! Hahaha! So, we took our time getting a good breakfast and then went ashore. As we were standing at the end of the cruise ship pier trying to decide which way to go, one of the guys on a Pedicab (a bicycle pulling a two seat cart) asked if we wanted a ride somewhere – his name was Ivan and he was a cutie – wish I had taken a photo of him! We thought, what the heck, and he took us up the steep hill through the main streets where we’d find most of the good stuff and told us all about the area! He dropped us off and we strolled back down towards the pier, looking around and snapping photos as we walked. We ate at the restaurant he recommended – he said it was his favorite place for lobster and it had a nice outdoor seating area – The Portland Lobster Company! GOOD CHOICE!!! We both got the whole lobster dinner and a shrimp cocktail and it was fantastic!!! We also wandered around the docks and piers to see if we might be lucky enough to catch a fishing boat come in with a load of lobster traps and fish……but, no such luck! The weather on the day we were in Portland was PERFECT! A light sweater or jacket was needed, but it was very sunny and perfect temperature for walking – we couldn’t have asked for a more incredible day….we thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it and had a lot of fun!!!
I do love lobster!!!
One of my favorite photos in Portland – the back of a fish market where the fishing boats unload their daily catch!
Down this street, we went into a working fish market and a shop called “Sea Bags” that hand makes tote bags and other items out of recycled sails right there on site!
Just one of the main streets in Portland…..it was a bustling city, but didn’t seem at all crowded!
I was standing on a corner and looked down to see this — got a chuckle out of it, so took a pic!
This was very sobering…..an actual piece of the Berlin Wall!
Day Three: Our next port was Bar Harbor, Maine! This was the port I was looking forward to the most! The excursion package we purchased was a harbor cruise to look at all the lighthouses and other attractions that can be seen from the water! I was so excited……and, then, we got there! When we got up, it was so very foggy out the window in our room! Like, pea soup foggy!!! We got ready and went to get breakfast and the announcements began! You see, Bar Harbor is a tendering port – the cruise ships can’t get close enough to dock, so tender boats (actually the life boats on the ship) carry those who wish to go ashore from the ship to the docks……tender boats can’t operate in thick fog! And it WAS thick…..zero visibility and no evidence of it lifting any time soon! So, the captain said they would monitor the situation and make a decision by 9:00……that decision came just after 9:00 and it wasn’t what we wanted to hear! The fog was getting worse and expected to continue for some time longer – no chance we could tender ashore before it was too late to have any time for excursions or any other options ashore! So, they raised the anchors and we moved on with an unplanned day at sea!!! BOO HOO!!!! But…..you can’t control the weather, so we said good bye to Bar Harbor and made the best of the day at sea! I can honestly say I was in Bar Harbor – I have no idea what it looks like cause I couldn’t see through the fog, but I was there!!! LOL In hindsight, I wish I had taken a tour in Portland that included lighthouses, because missing out on the one in Bar Harbor resulted in my not seeing a single lighthouse up close the entire trip — how can you go to the coast of New England and not see a single lighthouse??? I didn’t let it ruin the rest of the trip, but it was a disappointment and if we had done an excursion in Portland, we would have missed some of the cool things we saw just wandering around……everything is a trade-off and I’m happy with the trip over all, so no harm done! I did get a couple good photos in Bar Harbor, though….so, all was not totally lost! 🙂
This was taken from the window in our room – it is the lighthouse tour boat we were scheduled to go on anchored near our ship in the fog!
I think this was taken looking out toward the coast of Bar Harbor…..but, I don’t have any evidence of that…..in fact, you could tell me that the Loch Ness Monster was out there and I wouldn’t be able to argue the point with you!!! LOL
As we were pulling away from Bar Harbor, we stood and watched the tender boats being put back in place – they were out and lowered deck level and ready to take us ashore, so had to be raised back in place – that was cool to watch!
Day Four: We had much better luck in Saint John, New Brunswick after a day at sea! It was another perfect weather day – they had predicted mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers, but it was very similar to the day we had in Portland, only not quite as sunny. I really liked Saint John – rich in history and wonderful architecture!
We chose to do the “hop on, hop off” bus tour – I usually really like to do these tours when I visit a city I’ve never been to (and even in cities I’ve visited before and just want to ride around and hop off for special attractions)! These buses were special……Gray Line operated the traditional English double docker tour buses, but most were painted bright, “Pepto-Bismol Pink” in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness – a portion of every ticket is donated to the breast cancer research, regardless of the color of the bus (a few weren’t painted pink). The way I (and my friend) like to do these tours is to ride the full route around once, making note of the stops with points of interest worth spending more time to see, and then stay on to go around again to hop off at the spots identified the first time around. Unfortunately, that didn’t really work to our advantage this time – first of all, we weren’t thinking about the time constraint when doing it as a shore excursion on a cruise (we had to be back on the ship by 5:00) and the map that the was given out only mentioned the one main attraction at each stop, so we ended up wasting time waiting for the bus when we could have seen things within walking distance that we didn’t realize were right there! So…..we decided to just stay on the bus and get our photos and info from the bus and it turned out just fine! If we had realized that in the beginning, we wouldn’t have wasted so much time, but that’s OK – it still gave us a good overview of the area and we learned a lot about the history……and, although it was sometimes challenging to get good photos from a moving bus, I actually got some great shots!!!
The big news about Saint John was there there were (I think they said) FOUR cruise ships in port at the same time, which meant there were something like 10,000 tourists in the little city all doing the tours and trying to get into the stores and restaurants at the same time! Even so, I did not think it was all that crowded – it didn’t seem like that many people! But, I’m sure it lead to the longer than usual wait times for the next bus and the traffic that slowed things down somewhat!
I got a kick out of this sculpture – it was called “People Waiting”! It is a cool place for a photo op for tourists and fun to look at!
This English Bobby was outside a Police Museum – he posed for me, but cautioned that it might break my camera – it didn’t! 🙂
I loved this 1965 Volkswagen Beetle police cruiser – still operational and one of just a few still in use for special occasions.
This theater was breathtaking!!! Fully restored and maintained beautifully! I took several photos, but none do it justice!
This bandstand commemorating Queen Elizabeth was interesting – there is a fountain under it and the bands have to carry their instruments up to the upper level and play up there!
This is my favorite statue of the entire trip — it was amazing! It is a memorial to those who have died in the various wars and has a cloaked man with a sword at the base and an spectacular angel reaching up to the heavens at the top! It was massive and very tall – quite humbling!
Thought I was kidding about the “Pepto-Bismol Pink”? Here’s the proof!
We didn’t see a TON of autumn colors during the trip – we found that odd, but here is some around Lake Lily that were pretty amazing!
This park had a big circle with lots of wood carved statues of important people and wild life from the area – it was pretty cool!
Looking back at Saint John from the deck of the ship
Day Five was an At Sea day, so I’ll fill in this spot with photos I took around the ship. The Brilliance of the Sea was huge and very beautiful! We enjoyed days when we could get out and sit on the deck and the buffets were amazing! We also really enjoyed sitting in the Centrum after dinner listening to music and watching people dance. The entertainment was quite good – we went to evening shows that included a comedian, a singing impersonator, and a performance of songs and dances from a variety of Broadway shows. There were also daily musical performances in the Centrum. We caught three of the daily movies while we were on ship – all were very good! But, mostly, we just relaxed, enjoyed the ride, and did a lot of “people watching”!
The Centrum (center of the ship) looking up from Deck 4 (bottom) – each deck had seating areas around the Centrum
The Centrum looking down from Deck 11 (top)
Just one of the daily musical acts in the Centrum – this one was big band sounds and really got people up and dancing!!! They were very good, as was most of the musical acts we caught before and after dinner almost every evening!
This little guy put a huge smile on my face – it was the first “formal” night and he was taking a photo of his parents in the Centrum — he looks like a real professional photographer in his suit and crouching down to get the best angle for the shot!
This is the Solarium – an enclosed pool and hot tub area with a fruit/salad buffet and snack bar – it was always tropical and warm in there!
The hallway along the specialty restaurants and lounges – very elegant all through this area
The pool tables were equipped with a device that kept them level regardless of how the ship may be pitching! It was cool, but almost dizzying, to watch them float around on their bases!
The casino — I love playing slot machines, so I went in there one day with about $25.00 – after the first $2.00, I was up $48.00!!! I printed out that voucher to not lose track of the winnings and kept playing (and losing) the rest of my initial $25.00!!! Then, I just HAD to try to win more (even though I was technically up $23.00) and loaded the voucher in a different slot machine……and left empty handed!!! But……I had fun – I played quite a while on winnings and, in the end, only lost $25 of my own money, so I was happy!
The theater where the live shows were performed — it took up three decks for the stadium seating!
Me – enjoying a beautiful, sunny day on deck!
And, really getting into this “relaxation” thing with the sun on my face!
My friend enjoying a cup of coffee and some sunshine and fresh air on deck!
Unfortunately, we missed the sunset most nights because it was either not a pleasant night to be out on deck or it happened while we were having dinner or something……but, I did manage to snap this shot just before the sunset ended one night!
I love this shot — I ran out one night just as we were leaving port (I think it was in Halifax) to get a shot of the lights in the skyline! It was cloudy and raining and dark, so my shutter stayed open longer than usual and I, obviously, didn’t hold the camera steady enough, so it blurred……but, look how cool it looks!!!!
Day Six – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada was the last port of call in the trip! The weather, again, was quite pleasant for this time of year, despite the predictions of rain! We chose the Big Pink Bus “hop on, hop off” tour, again for this port. The history in this port was fascinating…..especially the story about the massive explosion that destroyed most of the city and killed thousands! The architecture was less ornate, in most cases, than some of the other places of their era, but it was still an impressive port. Our favorite spot was the Public Garden designed to commemorate Queen Elizabeth – it was absolutely stunning and so very peaceful! They had a Dahlia exhibit that was so beautiful – I was amazed by how many different varieties and colors of Dahlias there are!
This is the Queen Elizabeth bandstand in the Public Garden – so beautiful!
There were bed after bed after bed of gorgeous flowers!
One of the more unusual Dahlias in the exhibit
And one more stunning example!
One of the rows of Dahlias in the exhibit
A row of historic buildings
I couldn’t get the whole building in the shot from the bus window, but still wanted to share this breathtaking church!
Day Seven – Another day At Sea……I’ll take this opportunity to share some of the photos I took of the amazing food we ate…..and ate……and ate……and ate!!! Hahaha
The desserts were to die for…….this one is a chocolate souffle with Bailey’s espresso sauce
We ate at one of the specialty restaurants on ship one night – Chops Grille – and it was amazing!!! My dinner was the braised short ribs – OMG – I’ll never eat another short rib, again, cause there is no way it will compare to this!!! I could have eaten it with a cheap plastic fork and no teeth……and the flavor was incredible!!!
We both went for the delicious chilled soups every night…..so good!!!
Other appetizer choices included this amazing jicama and seafood salad loaded with shrimp, crab, and lobster!
Succulent lobster wasn’t limited to in port eating – it was served up for dinner on ship one night, too!
Then, there was the buffets……a huge room full of them with everything and anything you could possibly want to eat!!!
And, the amazing food wasn’t limited to that available to eat – it was also part of the decoration – these were made with pineapples, carrots, squash, and turnips!!! Imagine that!
Day Eight: We pulled into the home port – Boston – on Sunday, Oct 18th! Again, I was so very impressed at how quickly and smoothly we got through the deboarding, claiming our luggage, and clearing customs process! WOW – so much better than I remember on past cruises!
Neither of us had ever been to Boston, so we considered extending our trip to see some of the sights there…..but, then we discovered there was a shore excursion that picked us up at the ship, took us around the city, and dropped us off at the airport! So, we did that! I’m glad we did – I did enjoy seeing some of the places I’ve heard about in history lessons. But, I was very disappointed in Boston as a whole! It has outgrown its space and continues to grow, but not in a good way…….they continue to tear down existing buildings and put up these massive glass skyscrapers full of condos they sell for millions of dollars! These buildings over shadow the historic buildings and, in some cases, take them over! It is so very sad……I like to see growth and progress in a city – you have to have it to keep up with the times and stay alive…….but, this is just too much! But, even though I found the changes they are going through to be sad and I’ll likely never plan a visit to Boston to further explore it, I am glad we did the tour and enjoyed quite a bit of it!
The World Trade Center of Boston
One end of the “big dig” that has taken many years to complete (and parts are still not complete) – this is a multi-lane bridge and the cars go underground as they pass under the bridge our bus was driving across – impressive!
Downtown Boston
The very first subway station in North America!
One of many lovely historic churches
Beautiful old architecture
A perfect example of what I think is wrong with what they are doing to the city – here is this amazing church – a beautiful piece of history…..and then right behind it, taking all the attention away from it, is a tall sterile glass building! How sad!!!
And, then, there are buildings like this……
……and this, thrown into the mix…..it appears to be a city that doesn’t know what style it wants to be when it grows up!!!
And then, there’s this……they couldn’t tear down the facade because of its historical significance, so they kept the outside and built a glass skyscraper in the middle of it and up through the roof!!! What??? Seriously???
But, then you see this……the world’s first public library……not just the first in the US or even North America…..the first in the WORLD!!! How incredible is that???
And this stunning church beside the library!!! Took my breath away!!!
When we got out to photograph the library and church, I couldn’t help but be fascinated with these two people on the ground with bags and a large number of pigeons gathered around them!
And another gorgeous church across from the library!
I have no idea why this sheep sculpture is out in the water – don’t think they said what it was for – but I thought it was cool, so I’m adding it to my blog!!! Hahaha
So, that was our trip……it was incredible and we had so much fun!!! Next cruise I’m hoping to start planning is a land and sea one to Alaska on Holland America…..one I’ve wanted to do for about 40 years and maybe now I’ll get to go….but, not until sometime in the summer!!!
I’ll leave you with one more photo……and example of the towel animals we found on our beds at night – this one was my favorite!!!
Autumn in Albion – 2015
I just got home from a week long cruise to New England and Canada with four ports of call – Portland, ME, Bar Harbor, ME, Saint John, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia (a blog post on that adventure will come after I finish going through the 425 photos I took – 🙂 ). My friend and I chose this time of year so that we could enjoy the autumn colors in those areas – the destinations were the biggest draw, but the timing was based on the change of seasons! But, you know what? We saw MUCH more impressive colors after we got back home here in beautiful Western New York! I’m not kidding! The tour guides kept pointing out the colors and saying that they were at their peak, but we kept looking at each other wondering “what color”? Don’t get me wrong…..there was a good amount of color change and it was very nice, but not the stunning, vivid colors we see around here and that I’ve seen in photos from those areas in the past! I wonder if the warmer September weather retarded their autumn vibrancy??? I know it resulted in a later than usual Autumn, here, and in some cases, the leaves did go from green to brown to on the ground, so maybe they experienced the same phenomena. Who knows…….all I know is I went all that way, had a fantastic time, and saw some amazing new places…..but didn’t get my fill of Autumn! And…..I’m noticing that I almost missed it here while I was gone! So…..today, I drove around some and took some photos around town – here they are, along with a few I took the day before I left on the cruise!
Taken 10-10-15:
Around the Courthouse Square
Taken Today – 10-19-15:
Canal Shots – From Ingersoll Street Bridge
Mount Albion Cemetery
End of Season Corn Stalks
Along Eagle Harbor Road
Pumpkins at Rush’s Farm Market
A section of Otter Creek near the corner of Ridge Rd and Allen’s Bridge Rd – west side of Otter Creek Cemetery
And…..I’ll leave you with my favorite shots of the day! This is an abandoned building on Rt 31 across from Walmart. Call me crazy, but I always find beauty in old, broken down structures that have made their own spot in the landscape over time! These photos are just stunning…..in my never to be humble opinion! The same structure from the same angle – each with a slightly different perspective. There was no way I could choose just one favorite of the three!!!
Hope you enjoyed my view of Autumn in Albion, NY!
The Burning Bush
The first summer in my new home I did some major landscaping…..one item I wanted really bad was a weeping cherry tree! So, I had one put in my back yard. It didn’t do well…..that first summer, it bloomed nicely, but after that, the limbs started dying off and had to be cut more and more each year until we finally gave up on it and replaced it. When the landscapers asked what I wanted to replace it with, they cautioned that it might not be the best place to put another weeping cherry – it was a very wet area! So, I asked about a burning bush and they said it should do great there. So, a burning bush was put in!
I didn’t really know much about these bushes. Of course, I do know the biblical story of the burning bush, but that was all together different…..or so I hoped……I wouldn’t want a blazing flame in my back yard speaking to me! But, other than hearing about these bushes and having one brought to my attention in passing one time, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen one up close…..I probably have, but likely didn’t realize what it was. The one that was brought to my attention was so vivid and gorgeous, I couldn’t stop thinking about it…..I knew I wanted one in my yard and was happy for this opportunity.
Burning Bushes are a green leafy bush in the spring and progressively change colors throughout the summer and into the fall when they turn a vibrant crimson red! Apparently, the more direct sunlight it gets through the summer results in a darker red in the fall. So, it is located in a perfect spot in my yard with no shade to hinder the sun from doing its magic!
Here is how my bush progressed in the first year it has graced my yard:
May – just after it was first planted
June
July
Early September
End of September
Yesterday – October 5th
Today – after a nice rain overnight – 10-06-15
Close up today – 10-06-15
UPDATE: 10-18-15….this shows how amazing this bush became at its peak:
I am so happy I added this beauty to my yard……it brings a variety of color spring thru fall with a spectacular showing at its peak!!!
Seventh Annual Ghost Walk Celebrates History!
The seventh annual Mt. Albion Ghost Walk took place the evening of Saturday, October 3rd. The Ghost Walk is a Service Learning project of the Albion High School Drama and Music Departments. A total of 55 students work to put the program together by researching a variety of residents of Mt. Albion Cemetery, writing their own scripts, and performing roles as ghosts, tour guides, singers, and tech crew. This year, approximately 425 people participated in the tour that featured 13 ghosts, including war heroes, prominent citizens, two nationally publicized murders, and even Santa Claus.
CLICK HERE to read about the entire line up of ghosts on a blog post I wrote for the AHS Alumni Foundation Blog. Be sure to check it out — the students who participated deserve to have you see their photos and the ghosts deserve to have you read their stories!!! 🙂
Last year, I booked a slot after dark cause I thought it’d be cool to walk through the cemetery in the dark to see “ghosts”, but it was hard to get any good photos! This year, I knew I was going to want a photo of every ghost for the Alumni blog, so I booked a 6:30 tour figuring I would have daylight to shoot the photos. Then, as it turned out, I also covered the event for the Orleans Hub, so when I got there and they said I could go on the 6:15 tour, if I wanted to, I said YES to ensure enough daylight…..but…..it was still getting dark before we finished and some of my photos towards the end were either too dark or blurry because of the shutter speed and no tripod! Oh well, live and learn! Luckily, I still got a good shot of all the ghosts – I could delete the really rough ones and was able to brighten up a couple and the slightly blurry ones weren’t that bad!
Here are just a few of the photos I took – some of my favorite shots, for various reasons, and a couple that I did not include in the other blog post:
I like this shot…..it was taken with the thought that I would want to show the attendees getting on the bus to go to the cemetery, but it just turned out to be a nice photo with the crayon pillars at the Elementary school.
Kinda the same thing with this one…..I got off the bus after my tour and it just looked cool to see the next group waiting for their turn to be taken to the walk…..tours left every 15 minutes and the tours lasted about 45 minutes. I actually wasn’t sure it would be usable, but it turned out good – I like it!!!
Each group had a tour guide – this was the guide for the group I was in, Meredith Patterson. She did an awesome job telling us all about the history of the cemetery and other historical facts along the way. I like this shot just because it is a sweet photo of Meredith and I like the way the background looks – just enough of a hint of fall colors starting to peek out!
This was one of my top two favorite shots of the night – the “ghost” of James Sheret standing by his head stone!
This photo is cool because of the connection between the “actor” and the “ghost” – Kyle Thaine is portraying his great uncle, Eugene Barnum!!! I also covered this event for the Orleans Hub and got a great quote from Kyle about his experience: “It was an honor playing my Great Uncle Gene. I didn’t know him, but I’ve heard many stories about him from the time I was a little kid from my grandmother. I love history and I love my family and it was so cool to put them both together in one place.” Because of his family connection, he was able to add a few personal tidbits to his monologue! I just thought it was all too cool!
I love this photo, too…..it shows the original intent of the park-like setting of Mt. Albion Cemetery – people used to picnic and hang out at the cemetery. This happens to be a musical performance along the Ghost Walk, but it wouldn’t have been unusual to see young girls singing in the cemetery in this era….of course, back in those days, they wouldn’t have had a boom box playing the instrumental accompaniment, but we won’t split hairs, here. And…..people STILL enjoy the cemetery for reasons other than just putting flowers on their loved one’s graves – they go for walks, sit in the gazebo, and really enjoy it!
This student was a hoot…..Zach Shaffer was portraying John G. Rice, an Orleans County Sheriff who investigated a murder in 1894! He really got into the part and was fun to photograph! It was hard to choose just one photo of him!
I picked this one as a favorite to post here because it just seemed spooky with the mausoleum behind the ghost! The student is Evan Allen and the ghost is David Jones – the man who patented the mouse trap and manufactured them in large quantities! And, as Evan said in his monologue…..if the expensive looking mausoleum is any indication, building the better mouse trap must have been a very lucrative venture!
I adore this shot – even though it came out a tad blurry! Most of the others stood to tell the story of their ghost. Shannan Broda as Sarah Harling was first seen kneeling at the grave of the person whose story she was telling – Robert Chapstick – to show how much she cared for him in life! I thought it was very touching when we came up upon her. She did stand to do the bulk of her monologue, but finding her like this was a perfect touch!
My absolute favorite photo…….this is the grave site of Charles W. Howard – our beloved resident who opened the first world renowned Santa Claus School and Christmas Park right here in Albion! What a magical scene – as we came up on this stop, we see Nate Trembley portraying Charles Howard as Santa sitting up on the terrace above us beside his family’s monument and sitting beside him is Valerie Rush as Mrs. Claus……it was truly an overwhelmingly emotional experience and the highlight of the night for everyone! It was, appropriately, the last stop on the tour! Because this was the last stop on the tour, the photos I took of Santa came out the worst – either VERY dark or VERY blurry!!!! I was so upset with myself!!! Luckily, I took a LOT of photos at this stop and was able to brighten up a couple of them enough to make them look half way decent…..and, I actually like the way this one came out!
Then, as I was waiting for the bus to come take us back to the school, I looked around me and realized that I’m not usually at the cemetery after dark……correct that statement – I’m NEVER at the cemetery after dark (with the exception of last year when I deliberately booked a later tour so I could do it in the dark)…..so, I couldn’t resist snapping a couple shots of an area by where I was standing with the stones and trees in the dark…..very eerie, in deed…..glad I wasn’t alone……and glad I didn’t see any REAL ghosts!!!
So, that’s that……..now, if you didn’t do it earlier, go read the entire accounting of the Ghost Walk at the link above……oh, what the heck, here it is again so you don’t have to scroll up to find it…..CLICK HERE!!!
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