Tag Archives: herkimer ny

I Bounced Over to the Block Party

Last Saturday after the second performance of Four Old Broads on the High Seas (you knew I wasn’t done mentioning that play, didn’t you?), I went home to Herkimer and caught part of the block party on Main Street.  Other events had been going on earlier in the day, but of course I missed them due to my drama fixation.  Still, I walked down, took a couple of pictures, and thought I would just mention it in a post.

I bet he’d like to meet Bonita!

The first thing that caught my eye was the skeleton hanging out behind the band.  Every band should have such a cool groupie!  Or was he a roadie?

I didn’t catch their name, unfortunately.

Here is a shot of the band.  They were playing some pretty dance-able country music, but nobody was dancing at the time. I busted a move or two as I moved in for the photo.

The next step after Bounce House.

I checked out a few of the vendors, then noticed the Bounce Obstacle Course.  It looked fun.  I asked a couple people, and they said yes, some grown-ups had gone through it.  Brock was in front of the End Zone (he is the proprietor) and agreed to watch my bags.  I kicked off my sandals and went for it!

It was fun!

It was not beyond my meager athletic prowess!  But I did end up going down the final slide head first.  I had a good laugh at myself, and I hope other people saw me and had a laugh as well.  Since Brock was nice enough to watch my bags, I went into the End Zone for a glass of wine.  Sitting on a bar stool is really more my speed!

 

Walking, Sharon, Walking, Snowball, Walking, Books, Walking…

I went for a walk instead of a run this morning so took my phone in hopes of making a Pedestrian Post with Pictures. I met with some success.

Lots of blooms!

I was interested to note a Rose of Sharon with a lot of blossoms.  Yesterday I spent some time trying to rescue my own Rose of Sharon from the encroachments of  the wild grape vine which has been taking over my lawn (there may be a good horror story there).  I noticed a few blooms but could not stop to admire them amidst my clipping and pulling.  I must spend more time waging the battle against the grape vines.  Why, oh why, could they not be grapes which could produce wine?

Another healthy bush!

A block or so later, I admired this snowball bush.  I would like one of those myself.  I love how the blossoms turn brown in the fall.  Also you can clip the white ones and put them in food coloring to make colors.

Alas, nothing I wanted to read.

I walked for a while with no more photo ops before seeing this Little Free Library on the road that is really a parking lot between Park Avenue and Church Street near the school.  I continued my walk looking more for shade than picture opportunities.  It was becoming warm, although I thought I had gotten out early enough.  I suppose I am more sensitive to the heat than some.  Back home I went into my own backyard to take a picture of my own Rose of Sharon.

I do love flowers!

I zoomed in.  I tried zooming out to show how tall the bush has gotten, but I had nothing to show perspective.  Another opportunity to miss my wonderful husband, Steve, who would have been happy to stand there looking cute.  But I do not mean to introduce a sad note.  My walks and runs are for my mental health as much as my physical well-being.  Being able to use them for blog posts is merely a welcome side effect.

 

I Take a Taste

I started out my weekend the way I always used to, by stopping in at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer, NY for a tasting.  I no longer make it every weekend, but this past Friday, it was Hazlitt Winery.  I had to support a New York State Winery!

I have been to Hazlitt a number of times, most memorably in (I think) 2003 when my late, beloved husband Steve and I went on our first wine tasting tour in the Finger Lakes.  Wow, that was a long time ago!  I have learned a little bit about wine since then.  Not a lot, of course; my ultimate accolade is still “Yummy.”  One thing I have learned is that you might as well take a taste, because you never know.

I make friends at these tastings!

The gentleman pouring was Connor Hennessy (one of the all time great names).  I have met him before and perhaps included him in the blog (too lazy to go back and check).  I started with White Stag, a sweet table wine. I found it tasty.  I am not a fan of sweet wines, but I do enjoy a taste now and then.  If somebody was serving this at a dinner party, I might take a small glass.

I went on to try the Peach Mango and Strawberry Watermelon.  Yum!  I liked the Peach Mango best.  It was sweet but not too sweet.  We discussed how it would be good on a hot day, perhaps over ice or in a wine slushy.  I know wine slushies are very popular these days, although I have never had one.

I finished up on the Red and White Sangria.  The Red was the sweetest of the day, but I did not think the White was too sweet (it was sweet, it just wasn’t too sweet).  I still prefer a drier wine, but I may pick up one of these when I am entertaining and want a variety of tastes available.

It was an enjoyable interlude.  I enjoyed chatting with Connor and hope to see him again.  Valley Wine and Liquor holds tastings almost every weekend. You can check out the schedule at http://shopvalleywine.com.

 

Who, Me? Slack on a Saturday?

Yesterday I had an almost completely Slacker Saturday, including not making a blog post.  Now, Sunday morning, I sit, having started the day in a fairly non-slacker fashion, prepared to slack once again.

Come to think of it, I did not begin Saturday in Slacker fashion.  I ran up the hill to Herkimer College (formerly known as HCCC or H-trip-C), a rather formidable hill which conquered me earlier this year.

Why does it not look so steep in pictures?

I don’t know if it is being over 60 or being overweight, but running has become increasingly difficult for me.  It is clearly impossible for me to become any younger, and it is extremely difficult for me to lose any weight.  What’s a girl to do?  I know, try harder to lose weight.  For one suggestion, I can refrain from going to Caffe Maya in Herkimer, NY and ordering Chicken Parmesan, as I did yesterday.  Yes, I slacked when it came to cooking dinner.

Really good place to eat!

In my defense, YUM!

Today promises to be extremely warm.  As I am susceptible to heat injury, I feel justified in taking it easy.  Additionally, it has long been my contention that it is useless to think I am going to get anything done on a Sunday.  Did I say I began today in a non-slacker fashion?  Perhaps I will write a blog post about it later.  That will be two things I get done!  Sometimes I even amaze myself.

 

Popping in for a Pedestrian Post

I went for a walk this morning hoping to make a Pedestrian Post with Pictures.  I was afraid it would be a little warm but felt I needed the exercise.  A nice breeze blew some of the time, and I appreciated when I could find a little shade.  I did not see any photo ops at first, then on Main Street, I saw some nice flowers in front of one of the apartment buildings.

I like the white ones that spill over.

I appreciate when people do things to brighten up the area.  A little ways down, I saw some more.

Hmm… nothing spilling over.

Then I took a picture of four pots in a row.

Waaaait a minute!

After I took the picture, I realized these were artificial.  Were the others artificial as well?  I did not go back and check.  However, a little further on, I saw some flowers that were definitely not artificial.

Perhaps not as colorful, but what are you gonna do?

I said, thank you, Mother Nature!  I continued my walk, feeling I had taken enough pictures for a decent post.  That was good, because I did not see many other flowers.  I guess I walked on the wrong streets.  Then I saw one lone poppy.

Remembering our veterans!

It looked so much like the ones the veterans hand out for donations, I had to take a picture.

I enjoyed my walk a great deal, and it felt good on my legs.  Now I have made a blog post, and that feel pretty good, too!

 

A Little More Stone Soup, Please

Recently I went for another meal at Stone Soup in Herkimer, NY, so I could sit inside instead of in the beer garden.  I took a few pictures to use in a blog post.

Elegant dining surroundings.

I am well used to dining alone; I’ve done it for years, even before I was a widow, but looking at the dining room, I thought it would be very nice to sit at a table with a few friends.  I’ll have to arrange that sometime.

I do love a tall table.

Or I could sit with one friend at a tall table.  I SO miss my bestie, Kim, who moved to Colorado!

Where I sat.

Instead I sat at the bar, which I also like to do.  I ordered the Alex Smash Burger, which is what I had before.  I feel I should branch out and try other menu options, but that smash burger is just so good!  I love the homemade chips that come with it, too.

My view from where I sat.

It might be a good idea if I stopped eating out so much, so I can cut down on calories and save a little money.  But then again, it makes for such good blog posts, and I do love to support a local business!

Stone Soup American Bistro and Beer Garden is located at 148 N. Main St., Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-219-5045.  You can find them on Facebook.

 

Just a Walk in the Park

Today I checked out the Town of Herkimer Park.  Full disclosure:  I went to get a couple of pictures to submit with my article about the Herkimer Town Board Meeting (regular readers may remember I freelance for Sentinel Media), but I have been interested in seeing what is there.  I sadly missed the Wellness Fair June 14, but I heard it went really well with vendors, food, activities, and demonstrations.  They intend to make it a yearly event, so I hope to attend it next year at least.

They looked like they were having a lot of fun.

 

Some gentlemen were playing pickleball.  I had heard jokes about how rough and tough those pickleball players were, so I asked them if they were the infamous pickleball players.  They admitted it, and graciously allowed me to take their pictures for my blog.  I brought up the Superbowl commercials with Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara playing bad-ass pickleball.  They liked the commercial, too.

Maybe not as bad-ass as O’Hara and Dafoe.

I walked around the park, checking out the other facilities.

I could use a little more fitness in my life.

I didn’t look too closely at the Fitness Court, but if I go sometimes wearing more athletic clothing, I would like to.

I do like a nice trail.

I did not walk very far on the fitness trail either, because I wasn’t even wearing good sneakers.

Nicely marked basketball court.

Of course basketball is out of the question.  I have neither a basketball nor teammates.

I don’t have an electric vehicle, either.

Another good feature is electric charging stations.

The next event the Town Park Committee is planning is a car show on July 26.  I plan to put that on my calendar! The Town of Herkimer Park is located at 154 Pine Grove Rd., East Herkimer.

 

Bad Pictures, Good Eatery

The other day I checked out the other new restaurant in Herkimer, NY, Paradise Eatery.

Must get a shot of the window without all the reflections!

I had been intrigued for some time by “This must be the place” on the front window.  I heard they had opened and stopped by one afternoon.  At the time I stopped they were only serving smoothies, smoothie bowls, or appetizers.  Appetizers are my favorite, so I looked at them first.  I chose Crab Rangoon.  Ooh, were they good!  They came with soy and boom-boom sauces for dipping.

Oh dear, this isn’t the best picture either.

I could have sat out on the patio but opted for the dining room, which was almost empty at the time.  It was just before the dinner rush.  I appreciate beating the rush.

And this one’s blurry! Damn!

I took a picture of the ceiling on purpose, because it is one of the cool ones you often see around here.  As you see, it is not such a good picture.  I am nobody’s photographer.  However, even with lousy pictures, I can recommend Paradise Eatery.  If the other menu items are as good as the Crab Rangoon, you will be in for a treat!

 

I Love Flowers

Hello and welcome to another Waste Not Want Not Wednesday.  I know I threatened to make this blog All Pride Stride 5K All The Time, and I did go for a long (for me) run this morning, but it was not very eventful.  Besides, I have some flower pictures!  I love flowers.

I forget who this guy is.

I pass by this statue many times per week on walks and runs.  It is Meyers Park, which is fairly close to my house.  Somebody takes very good care of the plants around the statues.  Next time I’ll get a shot of General Herkimer, who stands on the other side of the park.

Yay! They bloomed!

And here is my house, made extra cheerful by peonies and daisies!  I think the daisies may have gone a little too far this year.  I may need to get rid of them entirely and plant something else.  I also need to get around to planting something anything elsewhere in my front and back yards.

Ignore the mess, enjoy the daisies.

I cut a bunch of the daisies to make a cheerful bouquet for my living room.  I would like to cut a couple of the peonies and bring them in, because they smell so nice, but I am afraid of bringing in ants with them.  Ants help peonies open by crawling inside the buds and eating something.  That is about the only good thing I have ever heard about ants.

I still have not done much about making my own garden grow; regular readers may recall that the daisies and peonies come up with no effort on my part.  But the second week of June isn’t too late?  Is it?  Discuss amongst yourselves.