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I thought Constable Hall deserved its own blog post, since it is open for the season and not just for the car show. For those of you who did not read yesterday’s post, Constable Hall is located at the intersection of John Street and NY Route 26, in Constableville. They host a car show and craft fair on Father’s Day.

The Hall was build in the early 1800s by William Constable Jr., the grandson of Dr. John Constable, who came to North American as a surgeon in the British army during the French and Indian War. That Constable fought on the wrong side of the Revolutionary War. His eldest son, William Constable Sr. tried to remain neutral, but ended up serving as an aide-de-camp to the Marquis de Lafayette. The pamphlet I picked up did not say how awkward family reunions became after the war.

As you enter the Hall you can pick up a self guided tour sheet which tells about the various furnishings, some of which are original. For example, an eagle paperweight on the desk in the drawing room was a gift from Alexander Hamilton, William Sr.’s lawyer. I recently read a biography of Alexander Hamilton, so I felt a little connection there. The rooms include bedrooms, a drawing room, a game room and a library. There are three stories including the basement, which also houses the gift shop. I purchased a few postcards. I might send one to a soldier I know in Afghanistan.

I mentioned the garden in my previous post, but I’ll mention it again since it is part of the ongoing display. The hedge enclosing it is the original buckthorn imported from Ireland, according to the pamphlet. The garden is divided into four quadrants. There is a sundial in the middle and an arch at one end. I struck a dramatic pose in the arch. My sister said, “Steve, your wife wants you to take a picture.”

“Only if I’m beautiful,” I said. “Take a picture if I’m beautiful.”

A lady who happened to be walking by turned around and said, “You’re ravishing, darling.”

Too bad I don’t have a scanner to post the picture. Of course, we have an old 35 mm camera, and the picture is not developed yet, so I have no idea how it turned out, ravishing, beautiful or otherwise.

Constable Hall is open from mid-May to Oct. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 4 pm.m Sunday. Weddings can be held in the garden. For rates and more information call 315-397-2323 or visit their website http://www.constablehall.org.

On Father’s Day we went with my father to the Antique Car Show and Craft Fair in Constableville, NY.

We met in Rome, and my sister Cheryl drove her van up Rt 26 to Constableville, which is a far enough drive not to be considered in the Mohawk Valley yet close enough (obviously) to be within reach. Our party included me, Steven, my Dad, Cheryl and Cheryl’s daughter Kimberly. My Mom stayed home.

Dad paid our $3 admission fee, although I told him that since it was Father’s Day we should be paying for him.

“We have this argument every year,” Cheryl told me. “He always wins.”

The cars ranged from Model T’s to more recent models. Late ’40s through early ’70s are my favorite years. I love the lines, especially of a ’70s convertible. Dad says that is when cars had style, and I agree. Dad is very knowledgeable about cars. He can say which were authentic colors, and he can name a specific year without looking at the card on the dashboard.

A couple of cars had a sign that said, “Don’t judge,” and I wondered if those cars had done something wrong. Cheryl told me it was because the cars were to be adjudicated, but I continued to make jokes. “That car has had a tough life. He did what he had to do. Society is to blame.” I’m that way.

Closer to Constable Hall the craft fair was set up. There was wood working, jewelry, clothing and more. We also walked through the garden, comparing it to our own and our mother’s efforts (better than mine, not as good as Mom’s). Food was available, and we enjoyed hamburgers (me and Cheryl), pulled pork (Kimberly), hot dogs (Dad) and nachos (Steven). Constable Hall was also open. Steven and I walked through while the other strolled through the cars again. That will provide material for my next blog post.

Constableville hosts the car show every Father’s Day, and my Dad almost always goes. That is as good an endorsement as a car show needs. You’ll have to wait a year, but that’s another thing you can do close to the Mohawk Valley.

Today’s blog post concerns a bit of local history. I’ve mentioned walking by the 1836 Jail, which once housed the murderer Chester Gilette. I thought I would talk a little bit about the murder.

I don’t remember when I first heard about the murder, but the first time I learned much about it was while we were living in Georgia. Steven gave me a book he had found in Watertown, Adirondack Tragedy: The Gilette Murder Case of 1906 by Joseph W. Brownell and Patricia A. Wawrzaszek.

The story begins in Cortland, NY, at the Gilette Skirt Factory. Chester, a nephew of the factory owner, started romancing Grace Brown, an innocent farm girl from Otselic in Chenango County. As sometimes happens to young couples, Grace became pregnant and Chester did not want to get married.

Chester convinced Grace to go on a trip with him. The two met in DeRuyter where they boarded a train to Canastota. From Canastota, they went to Utica. Imagine my delight, sitting in Georgia and reading about Utica, NY. Oh well, as we used to say, it takes so little to please some people.

The actual murder took place in the Adirondacks, not the Mohawk Valley. First stop was Tupper Lake. From there they went to Big Moose Lake, where the two went out in a row boat and Grace was never seen alive again.

District Attorney George W. Ward, Deputy Sheriff Granville Ingraham and Undersheriff Austin Klock travelled from Herkimer through Utica and up into the Adirondacks to investigate. Chester was arrested at the Arrowhead Hotel in Inlet. He was returned to Herkimer where the sensational trial took place.

If I’ve piqued your interest, I highly recommend Adirondack Tragedy. Another excellent book is Murder in the Adirondacks by Craig Brandon. I know at least the Brandon book is available at the Herkimer County Historical Society or at Gems Along the Mohawk in Herkimer. Craig Brandon also edited and annotated Grace Brown’s Love Letters. See, people used to write actual letters in those days. I like to write letters myself, although few people write back. But I digress.

The Gilette murder case inspired Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy and the movie A Place in the Sun. I love the movie, but it is not really the same story. For one thing, none of it takes place in the Mohawk Valley. What’s that all about?

Sometimes you can enjoy the Mohawk Valley just by staying home.

Let’s start by acknowledging that a good time in many cases involves food. Someone will tell me that this is an attitude that led to the obesity crisis in this country. Oh, don’t start. I’m not saying I NEED food to have a good time. I’m saying I need to eat to live, I might as well enjoy it.

So there I was, tired and hungry after a day’s work and my only plans for dinner were just too labor intensive. But we have a telephone and a folder full of menus from a number of great local places that deliver. Last night we decided on Carney’s Corners in Herkimer.

We got an Italian sub and garlic wings. Tabby was very excited when the delivery guy showed up. Of course Steven neglected to close the inner door before opening the outer door, so she ran right out onto the porch to greet him. I don’t know if most of the delivery people around here are dog lovers or if our dog is just particularly lovable (which of course she is), but we haven’t scared off a delivery person yet.

Carney’s Corners, 232 N. Washington St., Herkimer, is open seven days. They offer a variety of subs, pizza and more. For more information call 315-866-7191.

Well, this makes for a pretty short blog post. Alas, I don’t have a cheesy TCM movie to report. Instead we indulged in one my guilty pleasures: World’s Dumbest on TruTV. In case you’re not familiar with it: they show videos of people doing various stupid things with commentary by D-List celebrities. Last night was World’s Dumbest Daredevils, but they also do Partiers, Entertainers and my personal favorite Criminals. So far none of the clips I’ve seen have come from the Mohawk Valley, but I’ll keep looking. That will surely be worthy of a mention in the blog.

Thursday we went to the Herkimer Farmer’s Markets. There are two, one in the Aubuchon parking lot and one in Herb Philipson’s parking lot.

We went to the one at Aubuchon first. According to the sign this was the first week. We admired the craftsmanship of some leather work and were sorely tempted by a peach pie. There was also produce and some pepper plants. The man at the produce table said they were out of strawberries.

“You snooze, you lose,” I philosophized. We moved on to the table with some pepper plants. I wouldn’t mind planting some peppers but would need to dig up more of my yard to do it. The man selling them said there had been some mix up and all the peppers were hot. This did not sound like a bad thing to me, but I was not sure I could muster the necessary ambition to augment my garden.

Another table had magnetic jewelry such as we had seen at the Mohawk Farmers Market. Pretty stuff, but I was not in the market for it.

We next went to the market at Herb Philipson’s, or Herbie Philipson’s as my sixth grade math teacher called it. This market had some lovely flowers. Too bad I already went overboard on my container garden. Another booth was not out of strawberries. Unfortunately I did not think I had time to bake anything with them, and nobody wants to see fresh strawberries go bad in the fridge.

Neither market was very extensive, but it is early in the season. Even with only a few vendors it is pleasant to shop outdoors, and fresh local produce is always a treat. I’ll look to see the markets get even better as the summer wears on. Just one more thing to take advantage of in the Mohawk Valley.

I did not actually view last night’s full moon over the Mohawk River, but Moon over the Mohawk makes such a nice headline. Much better than Moon in the Mohawk Valley, I thought.

It was a beautiful day from start to finish yesterday. The temperature was perfect when I ran in the morning. It was not too hot when Steven and I planted the last of our tomatoes. And a sweet breeze was blowing as I sat on the deck with a cup of tea before going to work at one.

After work we sat on the deck and regretted that the moon was on the other side of the house. Steven’s nephew Kirby used to call it the moonah-moolah, which I find very descriptive. I felt very relaxed sitting there, but rousted myself for a short walk, because I thought that would make this a better blog post. I was right.

We could see the moonah-moolah through some trees as we left the house. Steven had brought the camera and took a picture. It is not a digital camera, so we’ll have to wait to see how it turns out. Tabby may have been a little confused, because we aren’t usually out walking after 10 o’clock at night, but she seemed to be enjoying herself. I do like living in a place where you can go out walking after dark and not be worried. After our walk we sat on the deck for a little longer and enjoyed the Mohawk Valley evening.

This is probably the tamest post yet, but I do have something to add that I forgot to mention during my post about what brought us to Herkimer. One of the first days we were here, I was in orientation for my job and Steven was walking around the village. When we met up for lunch, he said to me, “There’s a building with my name on it!” Sure enough, a building on Main Street said HM Quackenbush. I said, “Steven, you have to go in and say, ‘Uncle Bob, it’s me Steve! Give me a job!'” But Steven did not follow my advice. Imagine my chagrin a few years later when HM Quackenbush went out of business and apparently left a mess that had to be cleaned up. Still, if we could get the name off that building, I’d put it up somewhere in my house.

When Steven suggested we go to Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner for breakfast I said, “Perfect! It’ll make a great blog post!”

Crazy Otto’s, located at 100 W. Albany St, Herkimer, is an old time diner in a silver bullet of a trailer. It is not one of those ’50s-looking diners — although those are fun, too — it is a diner from the ’50s. The decor includes movie posters, vintage signs and toys, and license plates from all over the country. Steven and I always look for the Georgia plate we gave them, but have not found it yet. We’ll have to sit at the other end of the diner next time.

While perusing the menu, I always enjoy to read the history of Crazy Otto’s, which involves the story of a young Scott Tranter and an Easy Bake Oven. I was pleased to note that the Crazy Elvis had earned a permanent place on the menu. The Crazy Elvis is French toast stuffed with peanut butter and banana. Yum! It was previously only available occasionally as a special. Sitting here writing this, I regret that I did not order a Crazy Elvis. It obviously would have made a much better blog post if I had eaten a Crazy Elvis. Unfortunately, this is not a fictional blog, so I must report that Steven and I both ate the special: two eggs, bacon, toast and a huge, heaping mound of hash browns. “Huge, heaping mound” is my own description. The waitress just said “hash browns.” We had our eggs over medium and the toast was wheat.

The Diner Wizard himself greeted us as we waited for our food. This is Scott’s alter ego, an author who offers mentoring, instructing, speaking and restaurant consulting. You can find him at DinerWizard.com.

Crazy Otto’s is open seven days, including 24 hours on the weekends. Some night when I have the midnight munchies, I’ll have to pop down and check it out. For more information on the Empire Diner, call 315-866-8801 or visit their website http://www.CrazyOttosEmpireDiner.com.

Sunday afternoon Steven and I went to check out St. Anthony’s Festival at the church on South Main Street in Herkimer.

If we had been hungry we would not have stayed that way long. They offered a great selection of food including two of my favorites, calamari and sausage and peppers. You could also get beer or wine, but you had to stay in a specific place while you consumed it.

The church was open, so I went in to say a prayer. I picked up a card with a picture of St. Anthony on the front and a prayer on the back. I like the peaceful atmosphere of an empty church.

The best thing at St. Anthony’s Festival, to me, was the music. They had a polka band that was excellent. People were dancing the polka, and it was fun to watch. I’ve never learned to polka, but I bet I could pick it up fast. You only have to count to three.

I remember at family weddings when I was a little girl, the band would strike up a polka and everyone my parents’ generation and up would be on the dance floor. I remember my mom and dad being particularly good at it. Had I known there would be a polka band, I would have tried to get Mom and Dad to make the drive to Herkimer. Maybe at a future festival.

St. Anthony’s Festival was a three day affair. I know we missed many activities and other bands. We had actually thought about going down Friday or Saturday night, but were discouraged by rain and my own tiredness. I’ll make a greater effort the next time I see that St. Anthony’s Church is doing something. Those Catholics know how to have a good time.

Sunday we went to a fundraiser at Silverado for two families that were left homeless after a fire in Herkimer. I love these fundraisers. Not only are they a good time and you can feel good about helping someone, you can get inspired by how generous people are. This is what people are really like, I tell myself. they come together to help each other and they have fun doing it.

Silverado is located on Marginal Road in Herkimer. It is decorated with a country western theme and is a good size for such an event. After we paid our admission we filled paper plates with hot dogs, potatoes, salad and beans. Steven got a bottle water while I indulged in a beer. After all, we must also support the venues for these events. I noticed a sign for another fundraiser that day in Ilion, this one for a sick little girl. I hope they did equally well. I felt a little bad not to attend both fundraisers, but our budget would have been a little strained.

After we ate we checked out the Chinese Auction. Steven and I love Chinese Auctions and have experienced very good luck in winning things. It is fun to walk up and down, debating which jars to put your numbers in. I saw that the afghan I had donated had been paired with a floor lamp. I put in for it, because I could really use a floor lamp. My scarves had been broken up. I had donated four of them together in a blue basket. The basket now held other things, and I spotted the scarves with various other groupings. I put in for one of them because of the other prizes in that basket. We did not experience our usual luck, though, and no phone call telling us we had won a prize brightened our evening.

The musical entertainment was top notch. Johnson and Co. was playing when we arrived. Very danceable stuff. I boogied while I was putting my numbers in the auction cups. After Johnson and Co., Gridley Paige took the stage. They had a more mellow sound and were also excellent.

It was very enjoyable just to sit at the bar and watch the crowd. You get quite a cross-section of people at these fundraisers. All ages, shapes and sizes, and everybody smiling and having a good time. A great way to spend part of an afternoon in the Mohawk Valley.

A friend suggested I write a about how I came to the area. I seem to recall referring to that as a long story, not very interesting, but let’s see if I can make is short and amusing.

The year was 2003 (oh dear, that is a long time ago!) and I was on terminal leave from the army, staying at my parents’ house in Rome, NY. Now I have not been unemployed since I left college in 1987, so I went right down to Working Solutions to see what I could find. One job opening was in Herkimer.

“Where’s Herkimer?” I asked my Mom. I had heard of Herkimer. Other classes in my elementary school had gone to the Diamond Mines for field trips.

Herkimer, it turned out, was my kind of town. Steven remarked that it was reminiscent of Potsdam in its heyday. By Potsdam’s heyday, of course, he meant Potsdam when he was a college student there in the ’70s. Or perhaps when we were newlyweds there in the ’90s. Anyways, a fun little college town, with a lot to offer not just to college students.

Here’s where I’ll make the long story short. I took the job in Herkimer. Steven found a job in Herkimer. We took an apartment in a farmhouse on Rt. 5 in Schuyler below the Frankfort Bridge. Eventually we bought a house in Herkimer.

I really like Herkimer. For the most part people are friendly. Just this morning I ran up to Herkimer County Community College and encountered two nice people with nice dogs. I only got to pet one, but that was OK. There is a lot of green, lots of trees and nice lawns to run by. I take notes of what other people are doing with flowers and steal their ideas. I’ve mentioned before what a good walking/running village it is, and that is something I appreciate almost every day.

Herkimer is also an active place with lots of community events. This afternoon we plan to check out the St. Anthony’s Festival at his Church and a fundraiser at Silverado’s. I’m happy to look back and see that I have been a Herkimer resident for almost six years. Does that mean I can count as a Local?