Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
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!!!
New Interpretive Panel at Mt. Albion Cemetery
I went to Mt. Albion this morning to snap some photos of the cemetery crew installing a new interpretive panel commemorating prominent Albionite, Charles W. Howard – a.k.a. Santa Claus. I took the photos for a blog post I wrote for the Albion High School Alumni Foundation Blog. I won’t duplicate it, here, but I did want to bring attention to it for readers who follow my blog, but may not see the info on the Alumni Blog.
So…..here is the link — go take a peak at it!
And……here is a link to the Orleans Hub for more info and a different perspective!
I will leave you with this photo……but, be sure to go read both articles at the links above!!!
Buffalo Zoo
I went to the Buffalo Zoo, yesterday…..it was a gorgeous day – perfect for a stroll through the zoo to enjoy the animals. Here are some of my favorite photos of the day:
The Buffalo Zoo is the third oldest zoo of its kind in the United States, established in 1875. It is a small zoo – sitting on approximately 24 acres – and since the 1970s has been run by the city of Buffalo. I will only say that I was disappointed and left feeling a bit sad – it was a lovely day to stroll around the park-like setting and, as an animal lover, it is always a joy to see animals I don’t normally see, but I doubt I will return.
I did very much enjoy the Rain Forest Falls building……it was the best exhibit there, in my opinion!
That’s all……check back to see where I go, what I do, or what I’m thinking next……real soon! 🙂
About Town – September 19th
It was a windy day, today….a thunder storm has been threatening most of the day….so, what to do on a day like this? Why, I decided to wander around downtown and take some photos, of course! I like windy day photos – you can usually capture some nice movement in the photos!
So, I parked and wandered around downtown just to see what I might want to take a photo of…..and stopped to take this one on my way home – LOVE these signs and totally agree with the message:
The most daring thing I did, today: I am horribly afraid of heights, but for some reason, I got the bright idea of climbing the stairs on the Main Street lift bridge to take a shot of Main Street from “above”. Well, I got up there OK……and I snapped the photos OK…..but, then, I had to turn around on the narrow step I was standing on and look down to the pavement below in order to descend the stairs…..rut ro!!! When I was a kid, I used to run when I heard the bridge bell ring, climb the stairs as fast as I could, and ride the bridge back down after the boat passed by, but now……hhhmmm – not as fearless as I used to be! But, I did it…..it was sure scary, though…..so glad the photos I took were worth it – they came out pretty good…..not great, but I wasn’t about to hang out there too terribly long to try to get a uniquely perfect shot!!!
Several years ago, I was searching for some info on the canal for a paper I wrote for my Geography final when I was working on my Bachelor’s degree. My search brought up a post from a blogger from one of the upper New England states and he had passed through Albion and snapped a photo of the lift bridge stairway, which when not in use, can be a curiosity for someone who isn’t familiar with lift bridges. His caption for the photo was “Stairway to nowhere” and he wrote a commentary about his confusion about what, exactly, these stairs that appear to have no useful purpose are there for! I left him a comment and explained their use – that in the early days of the canal, there was more boat and foot traffic than there was road traffic, so the bridges tended to remain in the lifted position to keep from having to raise them constantly for boats and barges – they would be lowered when a carriage or other road traffic came through and needed to cross the bridge – the stairs were for people to climb and walk across the bridge when it was raised. Once automobiles became more common and barge traffic became less active, the lift bridges began to remain in the lowered position and only raised if a boat needed to pass under it. He was fascinated with my answer!!! Haha!!!
Here is a photo I took a while back showing the stairs I climbed – definitely not taken today (note the snow)!
Then, I just walked the streets and this is what I decided to take photos of:
The mural commemorating quarry men in Waterman Park
And, another shot of Waterman Park
You know I can’t resist a shot of the canal, especially if there are tugs and barges docked!
Beaver Alley…..I just adore the brick paved road and the way the buildings look along this alley!
I stopped in to say “hi” to Jeremiah Knight in his wood working shop – Knight’s Pride! Stop in and see him – have a gumball, and chat a while – he loves to talk and meet new people…..and, you’re sure to fall in love with his work while you’re there!!!
The Albion Merchants Association and the owners of all the shops do a wonderful job keeping the plants looking inviting all summer long!
And……many of the shops have wonderful window dressings!!!
Here’s some of that “movement” I hoped for on this windy day – this Open flag was really active!!!
Love to see people sitting on the benches and enjoying their time in our historic downtown! This guy had been out cycling — perhaps he was part of a 10 person biking group that Lisa Stratton of The Hazy Jade told me passed through earlier today!
I always enjoy stopping in to talk to Lisa Stratton at the Hazy Jade Gift Shop! She told me some great stories about conversations she had over the past couple of days with people who were passing through and enjoyed our lovely Village!
Pretty trees and a wonderful Medina Sandstone walkway along the stone exterior of the building that the Hazy Jade is in!
El Gallo, authentic Mexican restaurant with the Presbyterian church in the background – the building the restaurant is in used to be Gould’s Flower Shop! I worked there as a floral designer when I was a senior in high school – one of two jobs I worked that year – the other was a waitress (soda jerk) at Woolcott’s Dairy on alternating days after school and weekends! The sky is starting to look pretty ominous!!!
A couple and their dog taking a stroll along Main St….window shopping at the Hazy Jade!
Same couple a little further up the street by Albion Agencies – Haines Insurance building!
And……my favorite shot of the day – the American Flag and the 9/11 Flag waving in the wind in front of the courthouse dome!!!
When I was done with my stroll, I stopped in the Village House Restaurant for some dinner. I sat there eating and reading my book when I overheard a couple talking to the waitress a couple tables over from me. They were telling her that they were from Orchard Park and this was their first time visiting Albion! They told her they were on a quest for apples, peaches, etc. and usually only go as far as Medina, but today they decided to venture a little further to check out Albion! After the waitress left, I heard them say “I’d eat here again” and started to get ready to be on their way. Well, you know I couldn’t let that go without chiming in! I keep a few business cards with my blog address on them, so I went over and excused and introduced myself and told them I’m a local blogger and thought they might be interested in reading my posts about Albion and our surrounding area. We chatted a little and they commented on how much they enjoyed the sandstone buildings downtown and that it is obvious we work to keep our downtown clean and nice! They said they had a few pieces of sandstone that they made a walkway out of a their home and asked about where it is mined. I told them there used to be several quarries in the area, but none are still working quarries that I know of and told the wife to Google the Orleans Hub and look for the link on the left side bar for more info on our Sandstone Heritage. They seemed impressed with Albion and I think this won’t be their last visit!!!
The gentleman seemed very knowledgeable about a lot of things – after we parted, I thought how he should be a contestant on Jeopardy!!! He told me a bit of trivia he knew about a soldier with my last name that lead a battle way back in one of the early wars – I really wish I could remember exactly what he told me! He also asked if I knew what “Albion” meant and asked if it meant “England” – I was intrigued, but had to say I really didn’t know, but I would have to Google it, now!!! So, when I got home, I did…….and he was RIGHT!!! The origin and definition of “Albion” is “England” or “Great Britain”!!! Here is what I found of three different sites:
From The Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Definition of ALBION
From the Oxford Dictionaries:
Definition of Albion in English:
noun
A literary term for Britain or England, often used when referring to ancient or historical times:the ancient religious sites of Albion
Origin
Old English, from Latin, probably of Celtic origin and related to Latin albus ‘white’ (in allusion to the white cliffs of Dover). The phrase perfidious Albion (mid 19th century) translates the French la perfide Albion, alluding to alleged treachery to other nations.
From Wikipedia:
Albion (Ancient Greek: Ἀλβίων) is the oldest known name of the island of Great Britain. Today, it is still sometimes used poetically to refer to the island. The name forScotland in the Celtic languages is related to Albion: Alba in Scottish Gaelic, Alba (genitive Alban, dative Albain) in Irish, Nalbin in Manx and Alban in Welsh, Cornish andBreton. These names were later Latinised as Albania and Anglicised as Albany, which were once alternative names for Scotland.
New Albion and Albionoria (“Albion of the North”) were briefly suggested as names of Canada during the period of the Canadian Confederation.[1][2] Captain Arthur Philliporiginally named the Sydney Cove “New Albion”, but for uncertain reasons the colony acquired the name “Sydney”.
So, there you have it…….
Friday Morning at the Bird Buffet
What a lovely Friday morning spent watching and photographing the blue jays and squirrels enjoying my bird buffet, which consists of two feeders for seed, two hanging dishes for peanuts, and a hummingbird feeder…..a little something for everyone!!!
Making off with the goods…..
Favorite photo of the day…..two with peanuts and one swooping in for his share of the bounty!!!
This tree is always loaded with birds – they love it!!!
And then there are the squirrels who love to scarf up whatever the blue jays knock to the ground!
A lovely morning, in deed……
Genesee Brewery Adventure
You know I have fun wherever I go and I love a good adventure! But, today raised the bar and was really special! Just think……the Genesee Brewery and the High Falls on the Genesee River have been there all these years and I’ve never realized it would be such a cool place to go until now! What a treat it was!
My old school chum, Russ, was in town for a visit, so we made plans to get together and do something. I used to go to Utica for the Utica Club Brewery tour a lot back in the day and it has been on my Adventure Bucket List since I’ve been back home. But, it is quite a drive and I wasn’t sure if I could talk anyone into going with me. So, I thought maybe this might be something nice to do with Russ…….but, when I was searching for information and directions about it, I also saw the Genesee Brewery come up on the search! Curious, I checked it out! WOW – here is what looked like a really cool place much closer to us! Why not? So, we agreed that would be where we would go – a place neither of us had ever been to, before!
The directions seemed simple – even though it was right downtown Rochester and we had to do the Inner Loop mess, it looked pretty straight forward……besides, I have Gabby – how could we go wrong? Well……there was a lot of construction and detours right where we needed to be! Gabby was telling me we were just two left hand turns from our destination, but we couldn’t make those turns! She kept recalculating and trying to circle us back around to the spot she wanted us to turn, but it wasn’t working out! Finally, we got beyond where she wanted us to turn and tricked her into recalculating another way around the mess and we got there! WHEW! Getting back on 490 to go home was WAY easier! But, we got there and it was sooooooo worth the extra effort and a little frustration!
They do tours every hour and we arrived just after 12:00, so we decided to have lunch, first. They have a nice menu of sandwiches, appetizers, and a few entrees – everything sounded really good! We both remembered someone had told us to definitely get the pretzels, so we did……SCORE – they were amazing!!! HUGE, THICK pretzel sticks – wish I had taken a photo – that reminded me of the big joint that Cheech and Chong smoke in their movie from back in the 70s! Hahahaha! And it came with two dipping sauces – a cheese sauce and a spicy mustard sauce…..but, they didn’t really need any sauce! AWESOME!!! Russ had one of the burgers and said it was very good and I had the Beef on Weck – delicious! I had pretty much filled up on the pretzels, though, and could only eat about 1/2 the sandwich and brought the rest home for supper!
We ate out on the balcony that overlooks the High Falls on the Genesee River……what a view!!!! It was VERY nice!!!
See that empty table to the far left in the corner? That was our table!
And…..THIS was our view!!! So beautiful!!!
We got done with lunch just a tad after 1:00, so we missed the next tour time! So, we decided to walk out on the walking bridge that goes over the Genesee River for a better view of the falls! That was so nice! It was a perfect day, the falls was gorgeous, and there was a beautiful sky and breeze blowing across the bridge…….I was in heaven!!! We spent quite a bit of time on the bridge, enjoying the views and reading the info boards. If I worked near here, I could see myself walking here to eat my lunch on one of these benches and enjoying the views!
I was in total awe that here we were in the midst of the downtown area of a big, industrial city like Rochester and here is all this peaceful beauty to enjoy!!!
Then, we headed back so we wouldn’t miss the next tour time. We killed a little more time looking through the gift shop before we started the tour.
As we walked across the parking lot from the bridge, I noticed what looked like a horse on the roof of a building across the street……I got closer and – YES – there is a horse on the roof!!! You know me…..I can’t resist a painted horse or cow!!!
This lady is posed in the window as we entered the building – fish net stockings and all!!!
The whole building is cool, but I did enjoy the gift shop area! LOTS of Genny beer memorabilia, gifts, and information!
My brother used to LOVE Genny Cream Ale – we’d take him cases of it when we visited him in the Navy!
I just noticed looking at this photo that it is a PHOTO BOOTH!!! DANG!!!! Wish I had seen that while we were there – that would have been a fun thing for us to do to remember our day!!!
There was a lot of stuff about Prohibition…..this brewery was originally the Standard Brewing Company and closed during Prohibition!
This is a photo of US Marshals padlocking the Exchange St Hotel in Rochester for violating the Prohibition Act in 1926.
A scale model display of the original buildings and what is now the walking bridge I posted pics of above
The tour was really good…..and FREE!!! Our tour guide, Ian, was amazing!!! He was very knowledgeable of the process and answered all our questions……after having worked in the Pharmaceutical field for 24 years, I understand the fermentation process and this aspect of it and the use of the process for making beer was just fascinating to me!!! The tour was of the Pilot Brewery – everything made in this building stays in this building for the tasting bar and the Brew House Restaurant.
Our tour guide, Ian, is not only an employee here, he is a home brewer, as well!
After Ian finished explaining the whole process to us and telling us everything we didn’t even know we wanted to know about beer, we went to the tasting bar. There, you can get a “Flight” – four samples of your choice – for only $2.00 and the proceeds go to local charities! Russ and I both picked out four samples and Ian came by before we were done and talked to us more about the beers we chose…..he even gave us a small taste of another one that we didn’t choose that he thought we might like……and we DID – actually it was the best of the tastings!!!
The tasting bartender……he told us his name, but I don’t remember it! boo…..bad blogger!!!
These look like regular size pilsner glasses, but they aren’t (look at the bartender, again, and note the size of the glasses in his hand) – I didn’t drink four full glasses of beer and drive home! In fact, I told him to not fill mine, cause I would only waste it!
I can say I’ve never been a fan of Genny Beer……but two of the four I chose (the two darker ones) I really liked – I didn’t care for the two lighter ones, in fact, I didn’t take more than two sips of the one on the far left – didn’t like it at all and didn’t drink much of the other light one, either. But, the two I liked were really very good!!! And, the “bonus” taste Ian gave us – Dundee Porter – was extremely good – I am going to have to remember it for when I may want to buy some beer to have in the fridge!!! So, I guess you might say I’m a Genny-convert!!!
When we left, we drove around the back of the building past the offices on St. Paul and found their fermentation farm where they store the full size batches made in the main brewery during the lengthy (~2 weeks or so) fermentation process! That was cool, too! The ones facing the street are made to look like giant size cans of their original beers – Genny Light, Genny, and Genny Cream!
And……there on top of their office building was another painted horse – this one holding a foamy mug of beer!!! YAY!!!
So……..an adventure that was added to my Adventure Bucket List cause I stumbled onto it while looking up something else already on the list……and knocked off during an amazing day with a good friend!!! Life sure is good, isn’t it?
Click here to visit their website and learn more about the brewery, the Brew House, and check out their menu!!!
As seen on the way to Letchworth
Today was our monthly Ladies Lunch and, like every September, we made the trip to Letchworth State Park to eat our lunch at the Glen Iris Inn. I left way early so that I could stop to snap photos of things that caught my eye along the way. Good thing I left when I did cause with the quick photo stops, I made it just barely 15 minutes early for the lunch! WHEW!
So……here is what I saw that caused me to stop along the way and a few of my favorites from the ones I took at Letchworth:
ON THE WAY:
Saw this on Main St in Albion…..poor thing was left just barely 500 feet or so from the canal……so close, and yet, so far!!!
Absolutely LOVE this sculpture of a family in someone’s side yard!
OK, all you coffee fans……here’s a tall one for ya!!!!
This person obviously does wood carvings – there are lots on the porch, but I love the hand…..and they are in process of carving one with the peace sign, too!
An old rusty buggy of some kind……looked cool!
AT LETCHWORTH:
ME!!! A selfie at Inspiration Point!
Lunch – Waldorf Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich…..loaded with chicken, grapes, walnuts, and red onions! Oh, it was soooooooo good!!!
Our waiter doing his magic with my flaming dessert!
Dessert – Berry Hill – blueberries and strawberries sauteed in butter, then flambeed in Triple Sec, then he added some brown sugar and served it on top of two scoops of vanilla ice cream……OMG – I died and went to Heaven!!!
Middle Falls – the most spectacular of the three waterfalls – located across from the Glen Iris Inn
View from Inspiration Point with the Middle Falls and the trestle……and I even was able to capture a train going across the trestle!!!
View from Inspiration Point…..without my face in it!
Wolf Creek waterfalls
The drive through Letchworth is so beautiful and peaceful!
The roadway snaking through the 18 or so miles of the park!
Beautiful break wall along the roadway!
That’s all for today…….I’ll leave you with another selfie I took in my car at the Glen Iris:
One HOT Festival – St. Rocco’s!!!
Every year I think about attending the St. Rocco’s Italian Festival in Hulberton – a little town on the canal between Albion and Holley – but, every year something else seems to be going on or I just plain forget to go! This year, I agreed to go, take some photos, and talk to some people for an article for the Orleans Hub about the festival. So, I was definitely going to get to go this year!!! Then, Sunday morning came and it was shaping up to be one HOT day with some wicked humidity, to boot! If I hadn’t made a commitment to Tom, I probably would have chosen my air conditioning over being out in the hot sun on a day like that! But…..I DID make a commitment, so I went! And, you know what? I am sooooooo glad I did!!! I had a BLAST!!! The heat wasn’t THAT bad….well, yeah, it was bad…..but not enough to ruin the day for me! I stayed a couple hours and then went back a little later! It was a GREAT event!
So, let me tell you about St. Rocco’s Italian Festival…….it is definitely ITALIAN!!! hehehe It is hard to say whether the main attraction is the massive amounts of Italian food or the WNY Bocce Tournament or the people you run into! Guess, that is up to the person……for ME, it was all three!!!
First…..the people! I LOVE that I can count on running into dear old friends and newer friends just about anywhere I go! I was able to chat a while with several friends that I ran into. I wanted to take a photo of my dear friend, Debbie, giving out one treat that helped cool everyone down – the Italian Ice Cream – but, she wouldn’t let me……can’t say as I blame her, though – as pretty as she is, she still looked about as wilted from the heat as I felt!!! And…..I managed to meet and talk to some new people that I found totally delightful!!!
Then, there was the food……OMG!!! I didn’t even see all the food that was available…..there was Italian sausage piled high with onions and peppers, hot dogs, hamburgers, Italian ice cream, popcorn, and a spaghetti dinner to die for……and I heard there was some totally awesome homemade eggplant Parmesan and other amazing Italian and festival type treats! I promised myself I wouldn’t go crazy with the food, but had to give the spaghetti dinner a try when I went back later in the day…..YUM!!!
Just look at all that food being cooked up by Sean Poprawski, Doug Heath, and Bill Austin! And the aroma coming off that grill was so incredibly amazing….I could have stood there all day long!
I found that when you say you’re doing an article for the Hub, people like to pose for you!!!
For $7.50, I got this huge plate of spaghetti with two LARGE and spicy meatballs, a salad loaded with assorted veggies, a glass of refreshing lemonade, and each table had a big basket of Italian bread! Sooooo good!!! I hate that I couldn’t finish it all…..what a shame to see any portion of this go to waste!!!
Just look at all the people waiting in line for some of that delicious food…..and it was early – the line grew as the day progressed!!!
The Bocce Tournament was really cool! I have seen people play bocce on TV and heard about it, but never saw it played in person. I learned from talking to Randy Bower – tournament organizer for the past 20+ years and local candidate for Orleans County Sheriff – that people come from all over the state and even from Canada to play in this annual tournament. The bocce tournament courts that are a permanent fixture on the Hulberton festival grounds are the only ones in Orleans County. Now, that is cool! And…..these guys (and a few girls) really take this game seriously! It is a time honored Italian tradition! I watched them play for quite a while…..it really takes some skill! From what I could gather by watching, a small ball is rolled out onto the court as the target ball (probably not what it is called, but you get the idea). Then, players take turns rolling their balls to see who can make their ball come to rest closest to the target ball – when all the players on both teams finish the round, the player whose ball is the closest to the target wins the points. But, then the strategy…..and fun…..comes in —- if a player has a ball pretty close to the target, a player from the opposing team can roll their ball with the intent of whacking it out of play……oh, you bugger, you…..and the next player on that team can roll more precisely to land close to the target to grab the points for the team!!! They play in elimination rounds until a winning team is declared. It was really interesting to watch and listen to the teams talk about their strategy and get all excited when someone on their team played their turn well! I hoped to go back and get photos of the winners, but I was told there was no way to tell me when to come back – all depends on how fast the rounds go – and it would likely be well into the evening hours and probably too dark to get a good photo! I hope I get to hear who won!
This guy is Frank Ruggiero. He’s from Rochester and has been doing this tourney for about 15 years. I loved him! He looked, to me, like the quintessential bocce ball player…..and, what sealed the deal for me was his broken Italian accent! He was sweet!
Not to foster a stereotype, but the players in this tournament were predominantly men – in particular, older Italian men! So, when I saw this young girl playing, I thought “that’s different” and really wanted to include her in my photos! Then, when I talked to her, I fell in love with her story!!! This was Cortney Quaranto’s first time playing in this tournament. She told me that her father has been playing here since she was a baby and her brother usually plays with him on his team. But, her brother is in the Air Force, now, and wasn’t available to play this year, so Cortney stepped in to play on her Dad’s team! How great is that story?
Louis LaPietra was also a very nice man from Rochester who has been coming here to play for about 10 years.
This is Randy Bower (center) – the tournament organizer and candidate for Orleans County Sheriff – pictured with Paul Quaranto (left), who played for Team Red and I believe is Cortney’s father, but I didn’t get a chance to confirm that (that’s Cortney walking away from us on the right), and Libby DiPardo (right), who came here from Niagara Falls, ON to play on The Gamblers team.
Basket Raffle…….I love theme basket raffles……I like to buy my strip of tickets and walk around the table sizing up the different basket choices and decide where best to place my tickets! I usually bid on baskets that I want for myself and some that I know would make great gifts to give family or friends. At the St. Joseph’s Lawn Fete a couple weeks ago, I won a basket that I walked past several times thinking it wasn’t anything I was interested in…..then, I had one ticket left and thought, “what the hell” – it was a coffee themed basket that I wouldn’t use cause I don’t drink coffee, but my brother and his wife do and it was Tim Horton’s coffee, which I also know they like – so, I popped my last ticket in that basket and I won it!!! THIS time, I used the same strategy, but I was REALLY hoping for two baskets that I would definitely keep for myself and I put multiple tickets in each one……and, guess what……I won the one I wanted MOST!!! It is called “Curl Up With a Good Book” basket and has a gorgeous handmade afghan, boxes of tea, a mug for the tea, Milano cookies (love them) to go with the tea, a candle, a book that looks like it is going to be a really good read, and a word find book! That basket couldn’t have been better for me if it was made specifically with me in mind!!! I am going to love that afghan this winter and can’t wait to start the book right after I finish the one I’m currently reading!
Black, white, and gray……a stunning combination and looks so cozy!!!
And….finally…..all proceeds from this festival benefits St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Holley – it is their big fundraiser each year! This year marks the 150th anniversary of St. Mary’s, so there was a booth with information about the historic milestone and several commemorative items for sale, like t-shirts, magnates, etched wine glasses, and more. I bought an etched wine glass to add to my other commemorative wine glasses.
St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church on S. Main St. in Holley is a stunning example of Medina Sandstone!
And, so…….the moral of this story? Life is too short to miss out on something wonderful just because the weather might not be exactly to your liking……get out and grab the gusto……you will rarely regret it…….and, you just might have the time of your life!!!
As for my article for The Orleans Hub…….this was the first time I’ve done an article for editor and friend, Tom Rivers. I hope he thought it was good enough to ask me to do it, again…..it was fun and I found it challenging to censor myself to write more like a reporter!!! I am not a journalist – I’m a creative writer who writes just like I think and talk…..not really the right style for the news! But, I do love to write and this was a cool change for me! Click here to read it!
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