Tag Archives: Mohawk Valley adventures

Post Before Many More

Posted on February 7, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

What a day, what a day, what a day I have had.  Yes, I needed to say it three times.  Earlier in the week, my sister Cheryl contacted me and told me she had been looking through Mohawk Valley Living magazine and had a full day of Mohawk Valley adventures planned.   What else could I do  but go along and enjoy?

We did enjoy ourselves!  I met Cheryl, we picked up her friend Penny, and we took off.  We spent all day riding around hither and thither (or should that be hither and yon?).  I have so many things to write blog posts about and/or suitable for articles to submit to Mohawk Valley Living, that I don’t know where to begin!

However, I don’t need to begin right now.  In fact, I have found that it is often better to wait and let all my impressions jumble around in my brain for a while.  Somehow or other (who can understand the creative process?) (oh, YOU probably can) (you know who you are),  my thoughts come to some semblance of order and I can write.  How long must I wait?  Ah, that is the tricky question, but we need not answer it today.  Today my purpose is to make a Scattered Saturday post and get back to enjoying my weekend.

I shall give a brief overview of our day.  I’m afraid it won’t be too brief, though, because we hit a lot of places.  We began at the Westmoreland Winter Farmer’s Market.  I hope to write at greater length about that one for sure, because there were several vendors there I must give a shout-out to.  From there we went to the Westmoreland Antique Center.

From Westmoreland we went to Clinton, which I am not very familiar with.  Our first destination was the Adirondack Cheese Store.  We also hit Dawn Marie’s Treasures and Artisan’s Corners.  All three stops are well worth a blog post, as well as a return visit.

After Clinton we drove through Franklin Springs, past Oriskany Creek, through Deansboro and on to Berry Hill Books.  Yay, books!  You know me and books.  After that we found our way to Villa Verona Vineyards.  You probably know me and wine, too.

I was plenty hungry for lunch by this time, but first we made a stop at The Olde Kountry Market.  Cheryl nicely bought us a snack to hold us over.  The delicious late lunch we had at Symeon’s was worth the wait.  Incidentally, Symeon’s was the only stop of the day which I had been to before.

It was the most fun day.  We’re already making plans for next Saturday!  In the meantime, I hope to get started soon writing real blog posts about today.

 

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Just Keep Typing?

Posted on February 6, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear.  It is Lame Post Friday and I am beyond lame. So is my computer.  It is my little acer netbook (or whatever it is; my nice sister gave it to me).  The screen keeps flashing white and patterns of black and white.  Oh, wait a minute.  As soon as I started typing the sentence about what it was doing it stopped.  Could it be that easy?  No way.

Earlier today I went to two wine tastings at liquor stores in Herkimer, NY (you know, where I live), both of which had a further local connection.  Vintage Spirits had brownies by Utica Bread Company.  Valley Wine and Liquor featured wines by Villa Verona Vineyard, in nearby Verona, NY.  So I was not just sipping free wine; I was supporting local businesses who were supporting other local businesses.  By the way, I also purchased wine.  I don’t just sip for free.

When I got home, there was a message on my answering machine from my sister, Cheryl.  She has a whole day of Mohawk Valley adventures planned.  Oh boy!  I bet I’ll get a week’s worth of blog posts out of that!

Here’s an interesting thing:  when I was typing away, getting the previous two paragraphs without too much problem, my computer was behaving itself.  After “adventures planned,” I hit a dry spot.  I sat here looking at the screen thinking, “Now what?”  Soon enough the screen started its psycho shit.

Do you suppose there is a lesson here?

Sounds like some half-baked philosophy to me.  But, hey, it’s Lame Post Friday.  Half-baked philosophy is welcome!

And I’m over 200 words.  Hope to see you all on Scattered Saturday.

 

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20th Century Saturday

Posted on January 10, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s time for this week’s Scattered Saturday Post.  I suppose some of you were hoping for a return of Saturday Running Commentary, as indeed I was myself, but, oh well, I guess I’ll tell you what I did instead.

Steven left for work shortly before nine, and I left shortly after that for a couple of errands on foot.  Pedestrian activities, of course, are not as fun without a cute little dog, but one does what one must.  I went to the post office and mailed some post cards and a letter.  I felt rather quaint indulging in snail mail, but I just love that kind of correspondence and I know the recipients of my little missives enjoy them too.

After the post office, I went to the bank to deposit a check (I know, that, too, is fairly 20th century, but it’s a little less dated than snail mail).  I took the long way home to get a little more exercise in. I didn’t really think I would go running later, and every little bit helps.

My adventuring took me to Middleville, NY, where a couple of wrong turns took me over some very enjoyable country roads.  My destination, which I confess to driving right by twice, was Middleville Free Library.  I shall write at greater length about it later.

Back home, I waited for Steven to come home for lunch before doing anything useful.  After he went back to work, I had to find another excuse.  I ended up doing one load of laundry and going grocery shopping (I probably forgot something but have not remembered what yet).

I am now cooking a fairly unimaginative dinner.  I actually could write a cooking post about it;  it’s not completely lame.  Maybe on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I hope you are all have a marvelous Saturday.

 

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Mohawk River Run

Posted on November 27, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Instead of my beloved Lame Friday Post, I make bold to offer two Running Commentary posts in a row, because once again I ran two days in a row.  I’m just a little pleased with myself about it (happily glossing over the fact that I first took three days off).  Also, the setting of my run was definitely Mohawk Valley-ish.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am in Rome for Thanksgiving.  I had brought running clothes for two days but, as it turned out, not quite what I needed.  Well, who expects to wear shorts to run in November?  Yes, it happens, but one must admit, it is unusual.  No matter, my Mom loaned me a pair of shorts and off I went.

It was a little later than yesterday’s run; the sun was high in the sky, so I decided to check out the Mohawk River Trail. I picked it up off (I think) Culver Avenue (at least, one end of that street is Culver.  I suppose I COULD look it up before I publish this, but you know what a slacker I am on a Friday).  The trail head was clearly labeled, and there was a trash can at the entrance.  I always take note of public trash cans, for if I’m walking a dog and need to dispose of poop bags.

The trail is blacktop and wide enough for two or three to walk abreast.  I made note of that, because I thought I might be returning later in the day for a walk with members of my family.  Oh, I do love to be in the woods.  The trees were bare, leaves carpeted the ground, everything was brown and peaceful.  It was a cloudy, almost a gloomy morning, but my mood was anything but gloomy.  I could feel that I was running faster than yesterday, which you may recall, was faster than previously.  I’m thinking the reason was that I had been up for a while, drank coffee and eaten some toast and date-nut bread (protein in the dates and nuts!).

Just to interject another family note (it is a holiday weekend, after all), the date-nut bread was made by my sister Diane using my grandmother’s recipe.  Grandma always brought date-nut bread for Thanksgiving and Christmas; I am so pleased to have the tradition continued.  To add to the tradition (and the best traditions are built on over the years), my sister made the bread with her daughter, another sister and a niece, while having few drinks and a lot of laughs.  Laughs are a very important part of my family’s traditions.

Getting back to the run, I was enjoying myself quite a bit on the smooth, fairly level path.  I could see a few side paths that were not paved. I’m not sure if they were official or just used by some people, but I did not explore any today.  One led down to the water, possibly for a fishing spot.  The river was mostly visible through the trees, civilization less so. I was not sure where I was in relation to the City of Rome.  This did not particularly worry me.  I could always turn around and run back the way I came, but of course I didn’t want to do that.

There was a bridge in the distance.  Could I get there from here?  I had crossed a bridge to get to the trail so obviously would have to cross another to get back.  I was about half-way to how long I wanted to run for.  It was time to turn around or go another way.  Up a little bit of a hill, I came to a road.  Ah, but what road?  It did not look familiar.  Then I saw a sign for MVCC (Mohawk Valley Community College).  I know they have a branch on Floyd Avenue.   There was a sidewalk, to I got on it and turned in the direction of the bridge.

Things did not look completely familiar right away, but I was still pretty sure I was on Floyd Ave and headed in the right direction (I know it is more proper to say “Floyd Avenue” when I don’t have a street number, but we SAY “Floyd Ave” in conversation, so I make bold to say that here) (just a little grammatical digression).  Then things looked vaguely familiar, then I recognized stuff.

It was a lovely little run.  I went the exact length of time I went yesterday. Perhaps by Sunday I will increase it by the recommended 10 percent.  In the meantime, I’ll hit Publish and feel pleased with myself that I burned off some of the calories consumed at our Thanksgiving feast.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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Adventures in Laundry

Posted on November 17, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I thought I would give my readers an update on the washer/drier adventure I had on Saturday.  As I mentioned in Saturday’s post, a work friend sold me his old washer and drier at a very attractive price.  Saturday was the day to go get it, and several family members came over to help and/or point and laugh.

The original plan had been for Steven and me to go get the appliances after he got done work at 2:30.  I had had some vague thoughts of going earlier by myself but thought better muscles than mine might be a good idea.  My sister Cheryl had expressed an interest in going to the Herkimer College Craft Fair, which was that day.  Since I was hoping my Dad would help us install the things and my nephew Dan might help us get them down the basement stairs, I suggested a family party.  For one reason, my Mom and niece Dana would probably like to go to the Craft Fair, and Dana would have to bring my delightful great nephew Shepherd.  I just can’t get enough of little Sheppie.

It was not until Saturday morning that Cheryl had the excellent idea that Dan accompany me to get the appliance so that it would not be so late by the time we were installing them.  I greatly appreciated that thought, since I had to be at Ilion Little Theatre around six for Lunch Hour (remember that?  I’ve only mentioned it several dozen times).

Driving out to get the washer and drier was an adventure in itself.  My work friend lives way out in the country, near East Winfield.  We took the twisty, hilly Route 51 out of Ilion.  It’s always fun to drive these country roads, and in some places the views are magnificent.  Saturday the views were not seen at their best, because of rain and, oh dear, snow, but we enjoyed what we could see.

After returning with the washer and drier, we had the fun of maneuvering them into the house and down the basement stairs.  I was glad to have the help of several family members, because I am not much help in these situations.  I was helpful enough to make coffee at least.  Then I enjoyed some time with Shepherd while Dad and Steven worked on getting the appliances hooked up.

I wanted to feed my helpers so called Salvatore’s and ordered pizza.  They came through with their usual prompt, polite delivery of delicious food.  Before we enjoyed the pizza, Steven and Dad ran into a couple of problems with the drier.  Steven had to run out and get a new clamp for the hose.

I put in a small load of laundry to test the washer.  When we had previously had a washer (before the flood of 2013), we had a slight problem with overflow when it emptied.  Dad brought his snake and snaked the pipe.  Alas, it was not the miracle we were hoping for.  I felt that mopping the floor was a small price to pay for in-house laundry, but Dad cleverly solved the problem by moving the hose so the washer could empty into the sink instead of the uncooperative pipe.

That problem taken care of, we discovered that the drier plug did not fit our outlet.  Undaunted, I carried the clean laundry upstairs and found places to hang everything.  For sunny days I have a clothesline, but Saturday was not.  Dad drew a diagram of the plug needed and showed Steven how to install it.  We made plans to take care of that little chore on Sunday.

I cannot express how happy I feel to be able to have clean clothes without an expedition to the laundromat.  Sometimes it is almost worth it to go through the stress and pain of not having something in order to savor the joy when you get it back.  I say ALMOST.  In any case, it made a nice little Mohawk Valley adventure to fetch and install our new (to us) washer and drier, especially as some of my favorite family members were involved (not that I play favorites amongst my family — don’t get jealous, other family members who might be reading this) (oh yeah, like my family bothers to read my blog).

 

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Wrist to Closing Night

Posted on November 16, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I knew much earlier today it was going to be Wrist to Forehead Sunday, but I was still unable to actually write the post.  I didn’t feel good.  I’m not exactly feeling better now, but the wine I drank has kind of disguised my ill feelings.  Never mind.  I do not despair of writing something readable.

Today was the last performance of Lunch Hour at Ilion Little Theatre.  It was a truly wonderful show.  The cast was top notch.  How about a few words about the cast?  They were kind of a mixed bag, but a really great mix.

We had two fellows who had done a lot but not recently, a woman who had not done much at all, and a young woman who had done a lot recently but mostly musicals.   I hope I have that right.  It doesn’t matter if I didn’t, because those things don’t really matter to the audience.  All that matters to the audience is that the play is good, and this one was.

Quite frankly, I was at most of the rehearsals and I did not realize any of these people had not been doing lots of shows right along.  They were awesome!  What made this cast good all along the line was their attitude.  They wanted to work hard to put on a good show, and they did.

They learned their lines, they listened to their director, they thought about their characters, they got on stage, and they went for it.  And it worked.

I don’t want to go on at too much length about how wonderful it was, because it is too late for anybody else to see it.  It closed after tonight’s performance.  We had a very enjoyable cast party, involving wine for those of us who were of legal age to enjoy it, which I am.

Did I drink and type, you may ask.  Full disclosure:  yes.  Sue me.  No matter.  I had an authentic Mohawk Valley Adventure and I made a blog post about it.  I am only having a Wrist to Forehead Sunday now because I am worried my blog post is not as good as it should be.  Then again, what ever is?   I hope what I’m typing  now will be good enough.

Lunch Hour was definitely “good enough.”  The audience liked it.  I liked it.  Come see the next show at Ilion Little Theatre.  I bet you’ll like it.

 

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A Mystical Stop

Posted on October 28, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

The most unusual stop on our day of adventures a few Saturdays ago (remember that?) was at The Mystical Dragonfly in Richfield Springs, NY.  For anyone just tuning in, I recently had a lovely day with my sister Cheryl and our friend Penny, exploring various sites.  I’ve gotten several blog posts out of it.

According to the website, The Mystical Dragonfly offers Alternative Health Therapies and Mystical Gifts.  We enjoyed wandering around looking at  jewelry, sculptures and spiritual things.  I saw Tarot cards as well as book about how to read them.  I admired some shirts, tops, pants and even a couple of Halloween costumes.

I was especially taken with some tiny pendants carved out of stone, falling in love with a little green dinosaur.  I couldn’t quite make up my mind, but Penny said I had to have it,  so I bought it.

I also purchased some stones that are said to have healing qualities.  There is a table with bowls of stones, each with a card telling the specific properties of that stone. You are supposed to carry the stones around with you to take advantage of their healing properties.  I don’t know much about this kind of therapy, but at least the stones are pretty.   I got a little bag and chose a few I thought might do me good.  Unfortunately, I have neglected to begin carrying them around with me, so I am still unable to offer an opinion as to their efficacy.

When we paid for our stones (Cheryl and Penny got some too), we got a card for each stone, reminding us of their qualities.  I think Steven put the cards and stones somewhere when he cleaned for our Halloweddinganniversaweenary party.   As soon as I locate them, I will begin carrying the stones and make a full report.

The Mystic Dragonfly also offers many psychic and holistic health services.  For more information, you can visit their website at www.mysticaldragonfly.com.

 

 

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Where I Got the Wine

Posted on October 18, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

It was a whole week ago that I went to Rustic Ridge Winery as part of my day of adventures with Cheryl and Penny, and I still have not drunk the bottle wine I bought there. Aren’t you proud of me?  Or are you wondering what I was thinking?  But let me write a blog post about it…

It was a beautiful drive to Burlington Flats with views of mountains covered with color.  The color was perhaps a little past peak but there were still plenty of reds, yellows and oranges to delight the eye.  I know, I know, forget the scenery, get to the wine.

My plan was to purchase a bottle of either Untamed Red or Untamed White for our, wait for it, Halloweddinganniversaryweenary Party next weekend.  The label of the bottle has two big, mean-looking eyes.  I am buying several Halloween-ish-looking bottles for the party and thought this would be a good addition.

Therefore the Untamed White was the first wine I tasted.  It was yummy, but I already knew that.  However, I had not tried the Untamed Red.  I liked the bouquet.  It was good, but I liked the white better.  Of course I also tasted a few other wines while I was there.

The Lazy Days Dry Rose was nice.  The Cabernet Sauvignon ’11 was very dry.  I tried the Merlot this time, which I had not tried before.  Steven is more of a Merlot fan than I.  The man doing the pouring also gave us a taste of the Native Port, a dessert wine. it did taste very desserty.

The fellow doing the pouring was friendly and knowledgeable.  I foolishly did not ask his name, but I knew he was important, because when I talked about how I wanted the bottle with the scary eyeballs, he said he designed all the labels on the wine bottles.  One day when I get a fancy camera or phone that can add photos to the blog, I will return there and post pictures of some of the bottles.  Ah, good, another reason to return.

In addition to the wine, I found a Rustic Ridge Winery shot glass to purchase for Steven.  He collects shot glasses, although he very rarely drinks a shot.  On our way to pay, I saw a Mohawk Valley Living magazine and opened it to the article I had written about Rustic Ridge.

“Hey, that’s the guy that just did our pouring,” Penny said, pointing to the picture of Rick Bennett and his mother.

We really enjoyed our tasting, and I AM going to save the Untamed White for the party.  Rustic Ridge Winery is located at 2805 St. Hwy 80, Burlington Flats, NY, phone number 607-965-0626. Their website is www.rusticridgewinery.com.

 

 

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What a Hot Dog!

Posted on October 15, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

One of our most satisfying stops on Saturday was at Jerry’s Place in Hartwick, NY.  For those of you just tuning in, this is the latest in a series of posts detailing the various adventures Cheryl, Penny and I had last Saturday in the vicinity of Richfield Springs.

Earlier in the day when we talked about lunch, Penny said we could always stop at [a fast food place which shall get no plug from me].  I was not enthused as that food tends to sit like a lump in my stomach until it become extra flab.  Just as I was becoming hungry enough to consider it, we saw Jerry’s Place. Yay!

It was past the usual lunch hour, but we still had to wait in line.  I suppose the other people were out adventuring too.  Everyone was polite and nobody tried to cut the line (I wanted to, but Cheryl wouldn’t let me).  While we waited we checked out the vintage lunch boxes that line the walls.  I always notice something I haven’t seen before.  I also like the model vintage cars on display.

I ordered a hot dog, which I have been wanting since I saw my parents have them the last time I was there.  What a hot dog!  It’s huge.  It’s tasty.  The bun is soft and fresh.  Not just my stomach thanked me; my whole body thanked me.  I enjoyed the homemade chips as well.  Penny got a hot dog too,and Cheryl had a bacon cheeseburger.  We all got water, thinking the delicious milk shakes would be too substantial.

One might argue that a hot dog and chips could contribute to my flab as I feared the fast food would.  I suppose that may be true. However, I assure you it did not sit like a lump in my stomach in the meantime. It was a great meal.  We felt properly fueled up to enjoy the rest of our adventures.

Jerry’s is located at 6635 State Hwy 28, Hartwick, NY, phone number 607-547-1037.  For more information you can visit their website at http://www.jerrysplaceny.com/.  You can also Like them on Facebook.

NOTE!  After I hit Publish and went to share this on Jerry’s Place’s Facebook page, I saw that their last day of business for the year is Oct. 30.  Better hurry in!  I hope I can make it back there for one more hot dog.

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Sunday Story about Scattered Saturday

Posted on October 12, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Instead of my usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday, I shall give a Preview of Coming Attractions in the form of a brief overview of my Saturday adventures.  I would like to write a full post about each stop, and I may yet do so.  For now, a brief summary will have to do.

I wanted to go to Finders Keepers, a second-hand store in Richfield Springs, NY, because I was writing about it for Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  My original plan had been to drive there on my own, feeling like an independent, take-charge kind of woman.  Then I talked to my sister Cheryl and asked if she and her friend Penny (Penny is my friend, too, I hope) would like to join me.  They would!

After our stop at Finders Keepers, on Main Street in Richfield Springs, I briefly lost Cheryl and Penny, because they had left the store while I was chatting up the owner.  They felt chilly, so walked down to the park to enjoy some sunshine and the Farmer’s Market.  I did not see them so walked down to the Richfield Springs Historic Association Museum and Exhibit Hall looking for them.  Then I thought to myself, “Silly, she has a cell phone and so do you!”  (I talk to myself in the second person sometimes.)

A volunteer in the museum motioned me into the building, telling me to come in and get warm.  Cheryl and Penny soon joined me, and we had a nice visit.  I did not get the volunteer’s name, which was too bad, because he shared a lot of stories with us.  He also knew that I had played Roxalana Druse recently in the play Roxy.  I thought that was pretty cool.

Next we went to The Mystical Dragonfly at 8531 St. Rt. 28.  This is a store of mystical and metaphysical things.  We purchased some stones which are supposed to have specific healing properties.  They also offer such services as tarot card readings, past life consults, paranormal clearing and psychic medium sessions.

I was quite hungry after this and hoping to stop at a winery, so I was very happy when we got to Jerry’s Place, where we have eaten before and enjoyed very much.  Feeling comfortably full, we headed out Goose Street in Fly Creek.

We bypassed the Fly Creek Cider Mill, which was having an event so was extremely crowded, and went to Pail Shop Vineyards, which I have also written about before.  From there it was a slightly longer drive to Rustic Ridge Winery in Burlington Flats, but well worth the trip.

We bypassed Dyn’s Cider Mill twice, which I am a little sad about, because I’m running out of their popcorn.  I would like to purchase some more before they close for the season.  Then again, why not take another drive out that way?  It is a beautiful area.  Even if we had not made any stops, I would have enjoyed the trip.

Today at church, Cheryl pointed out that I now had at least seven topics for blog posts. I count six stops.  Oh, wait, there’s also today.  No reason at all to have my wrist to my forehead!  Just another warning:  next Saturday, I might go adventuring with Cheryl again.

 

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