Tag Archives: Mohawk Valley adventures

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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Second Most Boring Post Yet

Posted on October 10, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Wow, that was a boring post.  Not yesterday’s, although I suppose some found it boring (you don’t have to tell me if it was you).  Not having written anything earlier today (except part of a letter to a friend) and feeling rather blank, I looked into my Drafts and saw, “The Most Boring Post Yet.”  Damned if I wasn’t right!

Although I guess today’s is bidding to become a close second (I KNOW at least one of you just said or thought that).  I did not have a headache today, for which I am extremely grateful.  However, these all-day headaches often leave me somewhat brain-dead the next day (cue unkind remarks about how my brain is not the most lively under the best of circumstances).

Then again, it is Lame Post Friday.  I almost always post lame on Friday, even when I have to work on Saturday (which I do this week, by the way).  It is usually my day of random observations and half-baked philosophy.  Let’s see if I can come up with any of those.

I have been making a lot of… not “real” post lately.  Call them lame, call them foolish, call the ridiculous (I know I have used all those descriptions).  The fact is, they have not been about specific Mohawk Valley events, places, or adventures.  I can offer the usual excuses:  I’ve been busy, I’ve been tired, I’ve been down.  If I was really clever I could offer some half-baked philosophy about why this is true or even why it is all right.  And here we come to the ugly truth about me:  not very clever (and those of you saying you already knew that, please shut up) (you know who you are).

Sorry, folks, I got nuthin’.  But I’m going to publish it anyways, because I don’t think I can come up with anything better.  Tomorrow maybe I’ll post The Most Boring Post Yet and you can compare/contrast.  Happy Friday, everyone.

Oh, but here’s a question:  since I have not published The Most Boring Post Yet yet, does that make this The Most Boring Post Yet?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

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Anticipating Adventure

Posted on September 12, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

It’s that moment in a blogger’s life, when you have a whole day of adventures about to start, you have not written a blog post and you wonder if you have time to come up with something before people get here and the adventures begin.

Some people might think I should not be having adventures today but should be recruiting my energies for tonight’s performance of Roxy (you know, that play?  I think I may have mentioned it).  They may have a point.  However, when several members of your family have made a special trip and your husband has gotten a rare Saturday off to go to the Mohawk Valley Garlic and Herb Festival in Little Falls, one feel obligated to make just a little more effort.

For the record, opening night last night went well.  We had more than a sold-out house, and nobody walked out (like in the dream I had Thursday night; perhaps you read my blog post about that).  I remembered all my lines.  The gun misbehaved, and I had to yell,  “BANG” once, but these things happen in live theatre.

As for today,  I wrote a few post cards and finished up two letters.  Steven and I walked to the post office to mail them.  It felt good to take a walk.  We are having a lovely day, not too hot, nice little breeze.  It may rain later, but that’s OK.  As I often say, I ain’t sugar; I won’t melt.

So this is my blog post for today.  Not such a much, perhaps, but you’ll have that in a daily blog.  Soon I shall be off to buy garlic at the festival, then to kill my husband and suffer the consequences (theatrically speaking).  I hope to see you all (figuratively speaking) on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.

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Herkimer Hop

Posted on September 3, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Instead of  Wuss-out Wednesday, how about a brief overview of Steven’s and my running around Sunday afternoon (before it became Wrist to Forehead Sunday).  We made several stops in our hometown of  Herkimer, NY, so we’ll call it a minor Mohawk Valley adventure.

We first went to Hummel’s Office Plus, because Steven wanted to purchase some small yellow envelopes  for a prop for that play we’re in (can’t help but mention Roxy, can I?).  He found what he wanted easily.  I took the opportunity to pick up a couple of the pens I currently like best (ballpoint with a find point, excellent for how small I like to write on post cards).

After a quick stop for gas and cash, we went to T & J’s Fruits and Vegetables, to get fixings for a salad for my lunch (yet another attempt on my part to lose that last 15 pounds) (to give you an idea of how well I’m doing on that, it was previously the last 10 pounds I was trying to lose).  I got romaine lettuce, tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese.  I had other vegetables at home.  I did not put the cheese in the salad, but I just love sharp cheddar cheese.

From there we went to Family Dollar, where I found two water bottles suitable for bringing to work.   We ran into another cast member from Roxy (just can’t get away from that play, can I?).  Our last stop was at Valley Wine and Liquor, where we purchased a bottle of Pinot Grigio, because we thought we might like to enjoy a glass of wine on the deck, time permitting (it did).

It did not take long to run our errands, and soon we were home and I was working on my blog post and dithering about auditions for  Lunch Hour, which were to take place that evening.  We felt pleased with our little burst of productivity.  I feel a little pleased that I wrote a blog post about something other than not writing a proper blog post.

 

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Family, Fun and Forehead

Posted on August 17, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sometimes Mohawk Valley adventures render you too tired to write about them.  For me this is especially true when I spend any amount of time in direct, hot sunlight.  I have some sort of sun sensitivity.  And I’m a big, fat baby.  Don’t judge.

Speaking of big, fat babies, Steven and I saw our delightful great-nephew, Shepherd today.   Well,  he’s not exactly big and fat, and he is more toddler than baby, but he is nine months old and he has sweet, chubby feet.  Everybody loves him, with good reason.

We met him and his family at church, then met up with some other family members and drove to Fly Creek Cider Mill.  I have written numerous times about Fly Creek Cider Mill, but it is always worth another visit and shout-out.  My father and I made sure we tried every sample offered, although he eschewed the fudge and the alcoholic beverages (wine, hard cider and today there was gin and vodka).  In case anyone is shaking his or her head at my lushiness, I did not try ALL the alcoholic beverages offered.  Two wines, one cider and some gin, and it was eetsy-beetsy tastes of each.  Why am I justifying myself to you?  That’s a bad sign too, isn’t it?  Oh dear.

The highlight of the visit was showing Shepherd the ducks, geese and chickens.  He loved them.  He couldn’t get the hang of throwing them corn, but he enjoyed watching them gobble down the corn we threw them.  This was the part I spent out in direct sunlight. I even took off my crazy old lady hat for part of it, because I put it on Shepherd’s head.  Must protect the bambino, after all.

After our fun visit, we went for some food at Jerry’s Place, which I have also written about before.  I got one of the chocolate shakes in a mason jar this time.  Yum!  Perhaps tomorrow I can finally begin to do something about my big fat butt.

Before, after and during our adventures, we enjoyed beautiful drives through some of the best scenery I’ve ever seen.  Up hills where you can see for miles over farmland, forests and mountains.  Down into valleys near lovely lakes and rivers. I positively must get some kind of camera or device whereby I can post pictures.  In the meantime, I’m afraid you’ll just have to use your imagination.

In conclusion, this really is a Wrist to Forehead Sunday, because I feel some distress over the fact that I cannot do justice to today’s adventures.  Tomorrow I plunge back into the whirlpool of overtime, play rehearsals and my new diet and exercise program.  And a few other projects I have in mind.  Will I have the wherewithal to take my wrist off my forehead and write about them?  We’ll see.  Once again, a little suspense adds interest to the blog.

For more information about Fly Creek Cider Mill, visit their website at http://www.flycreekcidermill.com/.   For more information about Jerry’s Place visit http://www.jerrysplaceny.com/.

 

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Lame Old Woman

Posted on August 1, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello, everybody, and welcome to Lame Post Friday, the day I do a silly post and do not apologize for it (that’s my new description for today. I like it).

It really is a Friday for me, because I am not working Saturday.  Woohoo!  Overtime is nice, but I like time even better, if you see what I mean.  I didn’t even have any overtime today, which meant I could sleep in to a leisurely 5 a.m.  I felt like a new woman!

Now that it is after work, I am feeling like the same old woman as usual.   Well, these things happen, especially at my age (middle).  I do not despair of thinking of something to say.

I was going to mention that I have some Mohawk Valley adventures planned for tomorrow.  However, I am uncomfortably aware that I have not yet blogged about last weekend’s adventures, nor yet a few adventures I had prior to that.  I use the silly verb “blogged” instead of  “written,” because I have in fact written about some of them.  The paragraphs reside in my notebook (the paper, spiral-bound kind) (do they even still make a computer called a notebook?), awaiting further work.

Wait a minute, I did blog about one adventure.  OK, you pedantic sorts (and I know some of my friends are; hell, I’m something of a pedant myself), I wrote a blog post about it.  That was yesterday’s post about eating a hamburger at Jerry’s Place in Hartwick.  I wish I had another hamburger to eat tonight.  Oh well, one can’t have everything.

One virtue I insist upon for my silly posts is that they be brief.  This post is over 250 words. I call that respectable. Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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Burger Bliss

Posted on July 31, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last week I got a craving for a hamburger.  Not just any hamburger, but a GOOD hamburger.   A juicy, beefy, yummy burger on a bun with stuff.  “Stuff” was not well defined in my craving.  It may have been lettuce and tomato, or maybe cheese and bacon, perhaps mushrooms, onions, or something unusual.  You know, a good burger.

I got such a burger Saturday at Jerry’s Place in Hartwick, NY.  Steven and I were in the midst of our adventures, which ranged among Richfield Springs, Cooperstown, Fly Creek, Burlington Flats, and points in between.  At one point we were very hungry, and there was Jerry’s.

“It’s the place with all the lunch boxes,” Steven said.  The walls are lined with vintage lunchboxes.  The rest of the decor is pure Americana, including models of old cars and a statue of Elvis.

Steven ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger while I got and M.O.S., which had caramelized mushrooms and onions topped with Swiss cheese.  Steven also got a chocolate shake, because he noticed that it was served in a mason jar.  I got a bottle of water, because I feared dehydration.

We made our orders at the counter and were given a plastic magnetic letter to put on our table.  It did not take long for someone to bring us our food.  It was quite yummy. We could have gotten ice cream for dessert, but the burgers were pretty filling.  We left feeling well-fueled for further adventures.

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

 

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We Interrupt this Scattered Saturday to Make a Blog Post

Posted on July 26, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I have been adventuring all afternoon after getting up at 3:30 a.m. and working overtime, with the result that I am too tired to compose a proper blog post (what a surprise, me not making a proper post.  Say it ain’t so!).  I will go with my usual Scattered Saturday method and give a brief overview of what we did.

We headed to Richfield Springs, NY to go to the Richfield Springs Historic Association Museum and Exhibit Hall.   We knew it was located at 134 W. Main St., but you know, Main Street in any town can be long.  We missed it the first time through but noticed a Farmer’s Market going on. We turned around and parked near that.  We figured it was a nice day for a stroll down Main Street in any case.

The Farmer’s Market had some interesting looking vendors.  I would have liked to purchase some cheese or produce, but since  I was not sure how long it would have to stay in my hot car, I refrained.  On down Main Street we went. Richfield Springs is a charming little village.  I pushed the button to get a Walk signal just about the time a fire engine was turning onto Main at that corner.

The fire truck was followed by roughly 8,764 motorcycles (no, I didn’t count them, but I thought that number was closer to the truth than “a bazillion,” which is what I started to type).  It must have been some official ride for something, although I never found out what.  Still, it was fun to see all the motorcycles.  I do love a parade.

When we finally found the museum, it still lacked ten minutes till it opened.  Luckily we had noticed a store a couple of doors down called “Finders Keepers.”  It was easy to kill some time wandering around looking at antiques, collectibles and, well, one man’s trash.  Then we were on to the museum.

I’ll write more about both Finders Keepers and the museum later.  For now I’ll just say we had a great time and both places are definitely worth another visit.  We walked back to the vehicle feeling that if that was all we did, it would not be a bad afternoon’s adventure.  As we reached our vehicle,  I noticed a lady walking down the sidewalk.

“Hey!  That’s Aunt Mary!”  I didn’t mention that my Aunt Mary and Uncle Ted live in Richfield Springs, but they do.  I had gotten their phone number from my mother thinking we might call and stop by at some point.  As it turned out, we would not have had a chance to do so, but Aunt Mary and I had a nice little chat on the sidewalk.

Our adventures continued and included Pail Shop Vineyards, Jerry’s Place, Dyn’s Cider Mill, Rustic Ridge Winery, and a whole lot of driving through windy, hilly country roads.   We had a wonderful afternoon.

And now I’m tired.  I’m having a cup of coffee, which may revive me somewhat.  One might think I could then write a better blog post, but I don’t think this one is contemptible. Or do I flatter myself?  No matter.  I’m over 500 words.  I’m going back to enjoying my weekend with my husband.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

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It’s Only Lame Post Friday, After All

Posted on July 18, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am having a simply dreadful time. This is at least the  fourth time I have logged onto WordPress in the last hour and I cannot seem to compose a blog post.  Even a lame one.  What, I ask, is my problem?

I know, a lot of you have been asking that question for years (you know who you are).

Full disclosure (I use that phrase a lot, don’t I?):   It’s not a “real” Friday for me.  I have to work tomorrow.   Of course overtime can be a beautiful thing, especially when one has already spent the money (who, me, not stay within my budget? I daresay I might if I had one, but let’s leave that alone for now).

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I have a fun adventure planned for tomorrow.  At least, I hope it will be fun.  It involves some nice friends and helping a worthy cause.  What’s not to like?  Tonight I have rehearsal for Roxy, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre, another Mohawk Valley adventure.

Now that I think about it, I seem to remember a few other adventures I never wrote about.  Must think back and try to remember those; I don’t suppose it is too late.

All this by way of introduction to a very brief whine about how I can’t seem to get my brain to write anything substantive TODAY!  I feel certain that this is not an uncommon phenomenon among writers.  Perhaps I could overcome it if I sat here and tried.  Unfortunately, I do not have time for such exertions right now.  I must scurry to rehearsal, and when I get home I must hustle to bed to be up early tomorrow.

As I said, I feel dreadful about it.  But not too dreadful to post this piece of nonsense.  I hope you’re all having a marvelous Friday.

 

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