Tag Archives: herkimer ny

Walking on Wednesday

I took my Tablet with me on today’s walk to the post office.  For one reason, I had noticed a couple of cheery sights on my runs, and I like to share a cheery sight.  I found a few other cheery things to photo as I went.   As usual, the sun made it difficult to know at the time if the photos were any good.  Let us see.

I must find some paint suitable for rocks.

These were across the street from me.  I also saw rocks painted like bugs outside of Valley Health but have not yet walked up there with my Tablet.

Ooh, you can even see my pinky sticking out while I snap.

I was delighted to see some sidewalk art.  I took a few pictures of it.

A little too much shadow on this one.

 

I especially liked this image.

 

And the walk leading up to the house.

I took a longish way to the post office and found a few more photo ops.

You can just about see the “egg.”

This house had other Easter stand-ups, but I was trying to get the little gold ball next to the chick.  It looked to me like a leftover Christmas ball, but perhaps it was meant to be an Easter egg.

I love, Love, LOVE crocuses!

I walked up these people’s driveway to get a good shot of their crocuses.  I am SO going to put down more crocus bulbs in my yard this fall!

There by accident or design?

I think this was an artificial flower and possibly blew there from somewhere else, but I liked it, so I took a picture.

I think the idea is to walk along the snake. Looks fun to me!

This is on the path over what used to be a hydraulic canal.  There are other fun areas painted, but this was the easiest to photograph today.  Someday I hope to bring my great nephew and niece on the path.  I’ll be sure to make a blog post about it when I do!

In the meantime,  I am enjoying my solitary walks.  I highly recommend exercise in the fresh air when possible.

 

Memories of Walks Past

It seems silly to have a Tired Tuesday post when I haven’t been to work or been doing a whole lot around the house either.  Yet, here I am.  For me it is the last day of March, although my WordPress timestamp says it is April 1.  Well, I can’t spend a whole blog post whining (yes, I know I have done it before, and how unhandsome of you to remind me) (you know who you are). Quick, throw in a picture to pep things up.

One of my favorite neighborhood trees.

I went back to March 2019 looking for pictures of Herkimer, NY (where I live).  I did not take my Tablet with me on my last couple of walks.  Today’s walk was the highlight of my day.  It was a relaxed, meditative sort of walk.  I felt sad but knew I had good reason to. Walking made me feel a little better.

A more recent picture:  Herkimer County Courthouse, a local landmark.

I often find myself walking by Herkimer Historic Four Corners.

Do you suppose the park is haunted?

I almost always walk through Myers Park on my daily trek to the post office (full disclosure: I missed Sunday).  When I notice that it was a burying ground, I flash on the scene in Poltergeist:  “You son of a bitch!  You DIDN’T MOVE THE BODIES!!!”

I did not write this note, but I could have.

To end on a lighter note, here is a note I found on the sidewalk one morning when taking my cool down walk after a run.  I brought it home,  because naturally I thought it was meant for my husband Steven.

I will probably go for a walk and/or run tomorrow.  I may blog about it, or another topic may magically appear.  Any suggestions?  If so, please comment below (hey, that rhymed!).

 

Wednesday Walk, With Trees

I took a longer walk yesterday, but I took a few pictures today.  I think I’ll try for a Wordless Wednesday post, although with me, I’m afraid there will always be words.  Yesterday when I walked, there was snow in the air and on the ground.  Today, Steven and I were vindicated for our decision not to shovel, because most of it was gone.  I reveled in the almost warm temperatures and looked for signs of spring to photo.

Look! It really is spring!

The first picture-worthy thing I encountered were some flowers sprouting up in front of St. Francis de Sales Church.  I love to see a little green in March!

And here is St. Fran the Man.

I backed up a little, to show where the sprouts were.  It was one of those days where I couldn’t properly see what I was aiming at with the Tablet.  I just clicked and hoped for the best. Would any of the pictures be usable?  The suspense added a little interest to my walk.

You see the best of dead and living this time of year.

Across the street from the church, I snapped a picture of a tree dried out from last summer.  Some of these dried plants are beautiful.  I must get a few for my own yard.

One of my favorite views.

As I walked, I continually admired the bare trees against the sky.  I’m afraid my Tablet does not capture the look, so you will have to take your own walk, if possible.

Just the possibility of a tree, so far.

On my way home from the post office, I noticed some recently planted trees on Bellinger Street.  I took pictures.  My hope is to take more as the year progresses so we can track their progress.

You can see buds on this one!

 

This one, not so much.

 

And here are several at once.

I am thinking I can continue to photograph these trees as the years go by, and we can all watch them grow.  How’s that for a bit of optimism,  thinking we’ll all be here for years and years so we can look at trees? What better reason to stick around?

 

Just Another Day of Quarantine

After logging onto WordPress at least three times, I found that no blog post was forthcoming.  I know, I know, blog posts don’t just happen; you have to WRITE them.  Well, here I am, early Wednesday morning, trying to do just that.

My sister Diane approved Monday Punday and further suggested Tuesday Cruise Day. I could take a walk, run or ride, and blog about that.  That would have the charm of rhyme over my usual features of Running Commentary and Pedestrian Post.  Accordingly,  I went for both a run and a walk.

My walk was to the post office, because I had written a few more post cards.  I took a long walk before arriving home.  I put my Tablet in a bag.  It was a lovely shoulder bag purchased at Paca Gardens in Little Falls, NY, just to throw in a plug for a local business. Alas, it was snowing and I got no pictures.

Returning home, I read a book, looked at Facebook, watched some movies.  I called Salvatore’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Herkimer for dinner.  Yum!  Later I heard it was National Take-out Day.  We got delivery, so perhaps it did not count.  Perhaps we should do real take-out tonight, just to be sure.

I see I am over 200 words, so I guess I’ll call it a Tired Tuesday post and hit Publish.  We’ll see if I can do better than a Wuss-Out Wednesday post later today.

 

Porch Sitting Preview

The Mohawk Valley really warmed up today, with highs close to 70!  Steven and I actually sat on our front porch for a while.  I took a few pictures.

I LOVE grey skies!

We did not know how long we would be able to sit out, because ominous storm clouds were moving in.

These are even better!

As I moved off the porch to get this shot, I reassured a couple of kids playing soccer that I was photographing the sky, not them.  They were not too worried about it.  Then Steven said, “Take a picture of the soccer players!”  I asked them, and they said OK.

They had some pretty good moves, but I was unable to capture any.

We enjoyed sitting watching the clouds move in and the kids play soccer.

The porch roof kind of blocks this one.

 

The clouds moved in further…

 

And further!

Eventually it started raining.  We kept sitting on the porch, even when the rain blew in on us.  We did not get too wet. Then it stopped raining, and we felt vindicated.  When the wind started to feel a little chilly, we came back inside.

It was wonderful to sit on the porch in warm temperatures.  The weekend is supposed to be cold, but we know the overall trend will be warm.  Come on, spring!

 

 

Salvatore’s for Supper

Today Steven and I decided to help our local economy and one of our favorite restaurants by ordering in.  Eating a delicious dinner we did not have to fix was strictly by the wayside.

Steven called Salvatore’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Herkimer and ordered lasagna, which is on special on Thursdays (I never like to call places on the telephone).  When Steven asked what they had for dessert that two could share, they suggested chocolate spoon cake or strawberry cheesecake.  I voted for spoon cake! Yum!

Delivery did not take long, and we were soon enjoying our food.  Alas, I did not take a picture.  That’s a habit I have never gotten into: taking a picture of my food before I eat it.  I know others do, because I see it when they share the pictures to Facebook.  I think it is supposed to be a good dieter’s thing to do, because it makes you more aware of what you eat.  So much for my weight loss goals!

It was a delicious supper.  I encourage everyone to support local eateries by ordering delivery or take out.  I’m going to make a list of local places for us.

Salvatore’s Pizzeria and Restaurant is located at 650 1/2 German St. In Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-866-2600.  You can check out their specials on Facebook.

 

We’ll Be Sociable Again!

Apropos nothing, here’s me and a friend pretending it’s the 1920’s.

I wanted to open with a picture, and for some reason, this one spoke to me.  It is Jay Groah and me at the Ritz and Ragtime at Rutger Park fundraiser for the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica.

Here’s the thing:  this social distancing thing is really hard on a gregarious soul like mine.  In lieu of a Tired Tuesday post,  I am going to share pictures of social times in my past.  I will resolutely keep to myself during the current health crisis.  In the meantime,  I can bask in memories and make plans for good times to come.

Check out the hair! Check out the glasses!

I am not sure when this was taken, but here are Steven and I and a young friend.  Look how happy Steven is!  He has a terrific smile.

How embarrassing that I do not remember their names!

Here is the owner of the End Zone Pub and Grub in Herkimer, NY, and his son.  No more hanging out at the bar for a while!  Damn!

Another pleasure temporarily gone!

Here are Steven, our friend Kim, and one of our favorite pourers, Dannielle, at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer.  Valley has suspended all tastings, but they assure me they will reschedule.  Phew!

There are many local businesses I must wait to patronize again.  I can order take-out or delivery from some restaurants.  No doubt I will, because we must all do our part to keep local businesses going.  Eating delicious food is strictly by the wayside!  I hope to write blog posts about such things in the future.

In the meantime,  I am over 250 words, and I have barely whined at all.  Score!  Happy Tuesday,  everyone!

 

Scattered Sunday? Or Time to Swoon?

I don’t see why I should not have a Wrist to Forehead Sunday post.  We’re all stuck home, trying not to spread Covid-19 (such a comfort to call it by a name not shared by a beer or a typewriter).  Nobody can reasonably expect me to have a real Mohawk Valley Adventure.

In fact, I did leave the house, but I hope not in an unsafe fashion.  I went for a nice run this morning.  Later I went to a big box store (no need to name names) for yarn.  Then I went to Little Falls to take a walk along the canal.  I hope to write about it for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  I hope they like what I will come up with.  In any case, it was a pleasant walk.

After walking and taking a few pictures,  I returned to Herkimer to buy groceries.  I observed a few bare shelves, but I managed to get most of what I was looking for.  I was exceptionally happy to return home for the bra off, sweatpants on, movie watching portion of the day.

I have been enjoying my day but feel a bit guilty about not making a good blog post.  Shall I swoon onto a handy chaise lounge,  posed dramatically with the back of one wrist to my forehead?  I shall decide as time goes on.  I wonder if I could manage a selfie of same for tomorrow’s blog post.

 

Seeing the Sights on a Sunny Monday

It was a perfectly beautiful day in the Mohawk Valley, sunny and warmer than it has been in a long time.  I knew I would be happy if I got outside after work to enjoy it.  I decided to take a walk with my Tablet and take pictures for a Pedestrian Post.

I did not really know what I hoped to get pictures of.  The dirt-covered remains of snow piles?  Brown grass at last uncovered?  Bare tree branches?  The last actually sounded good.  I love to see bare branches against the sky.  I have been admiring them against whit and grey skies lately.  Today the sky was a lovely blue.

But could I get the shot?  When I finally picked a tree to try, I found I could not clearly see the screen of my Tablet because of the sun.  Oh dear.  I clicked and hoped for the best.

I just think the branches look so cool!

That one didn’t turn out too bad.  This is on the path over what used to be a hydraulic canal, a favorite place to walk or run. I took a shot of the path as well.

The painted spots invite you to step or jump on them.

Next I decided to walk by my beloved Herkimer Historic Four Corners.  I took pictures of all four corners, but I will only the best shots.

The Courthouse is a handsome building.

I have not made it over to see this exhibit yet.

This was outside the Suiter House of the Herkimer County Historical Society,  obviously one of my favorite places.

Gravestones in front of the Herkimer Reformed Church

I continued down Main Street to Basloe Library.  Naturally I wanted to give the library a shout-out.

I love libraries!

It was a very pleasant walk.  I am SO looking forward to spring!

 

Winning Prizes to Help the Cats

So on Friday I declared I would be posting every day.  It only took me till Sunday to make a liar out of myself.  Now here it is early Monday morning and I will attempt to finish what I started last night (I am going to give myself credit for at least starting it on Sunday).

I walked from my house to the VFW  in Herkimer for the H.A.LO. Chinese Auction.  HALO is the Helping Animals Live Organiziation. It is a no cage, no kill cat rescue organization in the Mohawk Valley. Their annual Chinese Auction is huge and hugely popular.  I donated an afghan.

Tables and tables of fabulous prizes!

I had a fun time putting in my numbers for various prizes.  I put in for a print, jewelry, baskets of different things, gift certificates, and more. I ate a hot dog.  My friend Kim joined me, and I helpfully tore her tickets while she made her selections.  It was getting close to time to draw winners!  We also put in for the 50/50 and Baskets of Cheer, which included Tylenol, much to our amusement.

We got a glass  of wine and walked around again, pointing out to each other what we did and didn’t try for.  Then we went and chatted up the bartender.  We liked him.

Mark Sommer and Kim Darling.

It took a long time for the HALO people to draw all those prizes.  We all looked at our tickets and hoped! I won a tote bag donated by Weisser’s Jewelers.  Score!

Everybody hoped to be a winner, and a lot of us were!

We had a great time for an excellent cause.  Now we can look forward to the HALO Hoedown in September!