Adventures in Italy

A day spent here

Our ship

Let the wandering begin

I dislike crowds very much, but felt very comfortable here

We wandered , we had pizza and Italian beer , got a very good feel for this are, and loved it so much we’d go back to Santa Margherita ,Italy again. The people were so friendly and of course the weather was marvelous, my kind of weather…90ish:)

The Shaw Festival

So..My Birthday is over but in my mind im still celebrating:), and nothing is getting done to prepare for Christmas..but that’s ok… because pretty soon, ill be packing for Florida! yes my mind is a million miles away..and pretty soon my body will be too 🙂  for awhile.

So while we were in Niagara on the Lake for those of you who don’t know.. its the  Major Theater Festival site.

The Shaw Festival is a major Canadian theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, the second largest repertory theatre company in North America. Founded in 1962, its original mandate was to stimulate interest in George Bernard Shaw and his period, and to advance the development of theatre arts in Canada.

so  id like to show you the town, we dont usually go out to much at nite..only because we are up at 4:30 am.. Monday through Friday. but .. now that it gets dark so early..i actually got to take a few “shots in the Dark”

 

Lunch time, one of our favorite place to eat..and drink.

Must have coffee, while strolling a round, after all it is Dec.. and the wind coming off of Lake Ontario is biting

found some awesome nik naks in here

finally traffic died down so i could get a good shot, one day i might be able to afford to stay there:)

time for a mid afternoon cocktail

a few door ways, and yes another coffee stop:)

had to go home(back to our Inn,) we were freezing

not the best shot, but im ot use to nitetime photoging.

any way, we came back for the Christmas lighting, and Santa, dinner and drinks

I’m on the hunt..looking for Santa

i heard rumors He was just here….

the crowds are forming, where Is He, candles are being passed out

the Queens Court….. hearyee,hearyeee..

everyone is waiting, the candles are all lite, and im getting claustrophobic

i spotted Olde St. Nick.. for a second. and He was gone

well we have never seen so many people…ever!!!  there was no room to move, i had to leave fast.. b4 a panic attack set in. of course i saw Santa long b4 the crowds did. believe me when i tell you it was a mass of humanity. so this was our stroll around the main street of Niagara on the lake, a fantastic community. and how they all came together , and everyone bought candles .. the proceeds all went to the children school in town.  $2.50 a candle. and when we did leave we gave our candles to a young family.. who probably  couldn’t afford to spend an extra 5 dollars (Canadian)  .

next time, ill introduce the faces i captured:)  and if you did stop by.. thank you, and have a wonderful week end.

Part 2 my Adirondack vacation

The Adirondack region was one of the last areas of the northeastern United States to be explored; the headwaters of the Hudson River near Lake Tear of the Clouds on the slopes of Mount Marcy were not discovered until more than fifty years after the discovery of the headwaters of the Columbia River in the Canadian Rockies. Although a few sportsmen had shown some interest earlier, the publication of William H. H. Murray‘s Adventures in the Wilderness; Or Camp-Life in the Adirondacks in 1869 started a flood of tourists to the area, leading to a rash of hotel building and the development of stage coach lines. Thomas Clark Durant, who had helped to build the Union Pacific railroad, acquired a large tract of central Adirondack land and built a railroad from fashionable Saratoga Springs to North Creek. By 1875 there were more than two hundred hotels in the Adirondacks, some of them with several hundred rooms; the most famous was Paul Smith’s Hotel

it was essential to make a living .. and farming the earth was almost impossible besides honey and maple syrup , they raised sheep  and of course logging

things were mighty tough back in the day.. still loggers have a difficult job even today

Raquette lake trail

The Great Camp tradition has analogs in the western United States, especially in the Rocky Mountains. Closely tied to the dude ranch tradition, elaborate private lodges and cabins owned by groups of wealthy Easterners were constructed in the wilderness. Often families originated from New York or Chicago, and traveled by train to spend long periods in summer in the high country. Some lodges in the West were built by railroad interests, who were able to pick the best land while surveying potential railroad routes.The early Great Camps started life as simple tent camps, often on land initially leased from hotel owners, as hotel guests sought a more authentic wilderness experience. The tent camps evolved into tent platforms or lean-tos and then into compounds of rustic cabins. Even in the early stages, some of these camps became quite elaborate. In 1883 one of the first families on Upper St. Regis Lake, the Anson Phelps Stokes, would arrive in a “special parlour horse car direct from 42nd street to Ausable for $100.” The party consisted of ten family members and an equal number of servants, “three horses, two dogs, one carriage, five large boxes of tents, three cases of wine, two packages of stovepipe, two stoves, one bale of china, one iron pot, four washstands, one barrel of hardware, four bundles of poles, seventeen cots and seventeen mattresses, four canvas packages, one buckboard, […], twenty-five trunks, thirteen small boxes, one boat, one hamper”, all of which was then transferred to wagons for the 36 mile ride to Paul Smiths, and thence by boat to their island campsite.

the “wheel”house

boards were often laid to cover small ponds, easier access

can you imagine??? i cant!!!

ohh lookie theres me:)…the Big Girl

the last time we went to this museum these steps called the romantic steps were open, and if you look carefully at the top you can see another building. its been shut down. to much to repair 😦

in case you still dot know where i am.. the Olympics were held in the Adirondacks in in 1932 and then again in 1980

an out of the way farm house, not very close to town

a typical cabin. i was surprised to see so much color

the only entertainment

we walked and walked we were as high as we could go at the museum

an idea of where we were, see inlet is wayyyy over in the corner

time to head back to our own “camp”

even the dog spotted me in town

Meet Barb and Mike….yep making friends at the bar.. they live a few towns over from us. nope never saw them b4 in my life

and back at the Marina Motel… this is a family owned place here we have the Husband and the 2 kids.. wife ran to the bakery to buy the morning Danish. which they do every morning BTW.

all kinds of things to do on a rainy day.. there a TV over on the other corner, with cozy furniture

this is their hospitality room, lots to do down here, if you have kids. they are also animal friendly

thank you for stopping by, have a pleasant week-end

A Little Side Steppin

wow, it sucks to get old.. especially when your not very healthy.   as we become the “adults” for our aging parents,  we learn a lot.. some good some bad. we all have horror storied to tell, some more than others. so i wont get into that part of it.

i had to go help out , again, my Mom, who is 80 had yet another back surgery. this time a bit more invasive.. a rod and screws.. and 26 stitches. living all most 2 hours away can some times be challenging.. with rescheduling and well life in general.. but we  do what we can.. im thankful for the Help of my baby Sister and Her Husband, who live in Bflo,Ny.

so  i thought id share, with you what i saw from the 17th floor of Buffalo General Hospital, and what i did for 2 days.

ok, now you’ve all had wings right? well just down below is their birth pace.. the Anchor Bar!!!!

well the meds are working, shes out like a light. time for some lunch

another view from another window.. below is Roswell Park, where most cancer pt.s go for treatment or diagnoses

the mighty chart… tells all….

ahhh, a bit of heaven to go with my cloud peeping

the tray!!! with NO food:(

this cloud was in Canada, causing snowflakes… and low and behold.. it made a complete circle and it was waiting for me when i got back to my  home

The Basilica .well the back end of the statue , i was at a red light. the man h=who started all of this was Father Baker.. He started a home for unweds, a home for orphans, a boys school and a girls school. the list goes on. Hes buried there. waiting to be canonized

what ive been waiting for .. my favorite pizza, and this nite is over!!!

DownTown Buffalo,NY and Lake Erie ,one more look because i wont be back this way for some time!! Mom is home now, resting as comfortably as possible, she is not a good pt. so we have all gone our separate way. id like to thank my cousin Pat, for taking her to the Dr. today to have her stitches removed. . thanks for taking this journey with me i feel so much better now:)

Part 2 of my short Mountain Vacation

Going between old forge ,Inlet, and Blue Mnt. Lake NY, can get challenging  at times, and fall being one of the times, especially if they decide to lay new asphalt. but, it was all good , we dealt with it ,with a positive attitude.

one of my favorite stops.. Raquette Lake,NY. we usually get on the boat you see over in the corner,  and take the ride, and learn about the all the Important people.. from back in the day.. Important ,powerful and very very rich !!  but im gonna pass that by this blog:)

like stepping into another era… this box of a building sits on Raquette lake, offering a small grocery store, the post office and… over favorite place… of course  the TAP ROOM.  its crazy kool, like you cant imagine.  they do serve some bar food, and there’s a juke box, and all the Raquette(ters)…lol…i don’t know what they call the people who live here, but they can sure tell some good stories. and they are all to ready to tell you ..probably the biggest fish tale you’ll ever hear. . we always stop in when we r here. but it was too early this day

a quick ride back to the other end… Old Forge… they have the biggest hard ware/five&dime store you’ll ever find. another haunt of ours

yep more hard ware store, i could go on and on but we’ll stop here and continue on our little adventure

the deer are so use to seeing people, i was standing right next to these two

well its time to move along

just driving to our next stop

getting close now:)

early supper at another favorite place of ours The RED DOG. just down the road from our motel..very handy:) there use to be a big red  Irish setter who walked around all the time, but we’ve been coming for 30 years now. Hes long gone:(

u can see from the flags on the ceiling.. they get many out of state and country visitors:)

smelling a few flowers along the way, back to our motel

the Motel Mascot , He is an awesome dog, yes thats my shadow

wondering if theres going to be a camp fire tonight. i go the marshmallows….

no way am i ever gonna sit in that swing. behind that swing is a 50 ft. drop

well.. doesn’t look like a fire tonight, too wet out. . thanks for stopping by. next up is the Museum.. see ya all in a few days

our Columbus weekend getaway

the Adirondack Park  are about a 3 hour drive for us.,  a bit of Geography before i start with my photos.. and oh boy do i have photos.  i love going to the Mnts. .. at certain times of the year.. well 6 months out of the year to be exact.  when there’s no snow..to be any clearer:)  this time of year its great for leaf peeping the colors are extraordinary

this Mnt range  form a massif in the northeast of Upstate New York. the Mnts form a circular dome pattern of about 160  miles in diameter and about 1 mile high the current relief owes much to glaciation (wiki) there’s much History on these mnts. I’ll get into that when we reach the Museum …some time this week.

excuse the glare. when we go for a short week end we usually just stay on route 28 and go anywhere between old forge and blue mnt. lake. and stay in Inlet, which is in the middle

it rained the entire first day, but by evening i was able to snap off a few. this was taken with my i phone 6. just before sunset

we have just entered the Adirondack Park

this lake stems around parts of old forge all the way over to parts of inlet, and we always take the back road (south shore ) to see wild life. and we have too, bear, and deer of course, but all in all the years we’ve taken back roads we have never seen a moose:(

these critters are so use to people, im standing right next to this one.. most of these were taken with my I phone, i didnt want to take the chance of getting my Camera wet. …no Bear this trip

this is right next to our motel.

taking a little drive for dinner

Just something i liked:)

it stated out the day from hell, we should be use to that nothing ever goes well for us on vacation. our  C.C was compromised , most likely happened the last time we were in Fl.!!!  needless to say My Husband now hates that state!!

i don’t get out to shoot much at nite time, i really like how this turned out.. of course its not nite for normal people , but it is for us.. 🙂 we are very early risers. this was taken about 7pm.. again with my I phone

ahhh, thank the Gods , Saturday was beautiful!!! yep still using my I phone. that’s Dave’s head in the middle chair. taken at the Woods Inn

as cold as it has been up there already.. there were still flowers. and out motel (we always stay at least2 nites here,over the past 30 years) always has these at every door way. last time we were here i was able to shoot a few humming birds.

a little strip of Inlet NY. this town is always bustling we got in before the crowds , Columbus week end is a biggie here, most of the places shut down the day after. till the snow flies, then its time for snowmobiles and other winter activities.. that’s when you’d never find me in these parts

and that will do it for this leg of my journey , ill be back in a few days, if you stopped by, i hope you enjoyed the visit. and come back real soon, id love to show you more of our Mountains, and what we do when we go there.

its Goblin and Ghoul time

Well Autumn has arrived here ,with temps dipping into the 40’s at nite, and some days getting to 60’s, and with any luck we see the sun.Most people enjoy this time of year, i am not one of them. but i do my best to take advantage of the things i see..so..this is what has been happening in town, Fairport,NY sit on the Erie Canal, and The community is very involved. we are also known as the” Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal”. in 2005 Money Mag. named our Town one of”The Best Places to Live”.

we have a great little History here too. i haven’t really said to much about that , I will today.

Town Hall, this is Our Government Building, and right along side where those windows are is the Police dept. The Village was originally a swampy area until it was drained by the New Erie Canal in the 1820’s. and quickly became a very busy canal port with a reputation as being a Fair Port,

the old train station, was converted into many thing, but as long as Ive lived here its always been a place to learn about sewing

do you like Gelato

another very old structure  that was revamped, so glad it was never torn down, I’m not sure what it was back in the day

the Town Square, plenty of music gets played here during the warmer months

feel like eating you lunch out side, or sipping on your coffee… this is the best place for that

the other side of the Canal, tons of foot traffic. park your car and walk into town..if your up for a hike.

Happy October Fest

we also have a great music fest.. i don’t know where i was,.. becuz i love the Bodeans… and i knew nothing about this:(

so this past week end was a the Scarecrow Fest. Friday and Saturday the weather was just terrible, but it was crowded, so.. i came back on Sunday when the weather was beautiful and …NO PEOPLE

i was going to sit with him, but i couldn’t get US all in..so .. just a shot of Maurice:)

the only problem i had with the festival, is all the scarecrows.. are facing toward the(MAIN) street… so in order to see the front of them you had to pretty much go into the street… , even though the sped limit is only 30… still very dangerous..i think!!

gotta stop and smell the flowers, once in a while too:)

how ’bout a pony ride?
there were 2 ponies and a ton of kids.. i felt so bad for these poor animals, this took place on the foot path, away from traffic on Main street.

behind this guy is where the Hugh tent was, for 5 bucks you could get in, buy some food, and a beer and listen to some local music

i think this is my favorite

there are 2 drawbacks living in(or around) the village… one are the train tracks, and the trains that pass through our town.. about every 20 mins. right on Main Street.

this is a long cargo train..glad I’m not sitting in a car

traffic is gonna be tied up for a while

so.. i went over to the other side of the street:) this is in front of the local rental shop..where you can rent bikes, and skates .if you dont want to walk the canal:)

so neat to see people dinning out side of the restaurant in October

this boat always comes for the fest, to give people tours, so we know what they actually do, and how they clean the canal.. and once again i missed the the tour

wow, still a ton of boats here, .the canal gets drained every year.. less erosion that way. must happen in November?!

and just a few yards away from the train tracks..is the lift bridge that goes up at least once an hour… Main street is NOT a good road to be traveling in the summer months:)

well that does it for the scarecrow fest, hope you liked visiting my little town there are many family oriented activities to do here, all year long..And.. Fairport is one of the most popular walking/hiking sections of the 340 miles of the Erie canal

It is a great community. so much to do and see, we moved here 30 years ago. and have owned 2 houses in that 30 years, thats how much we like it :)….Thanks for stopping by, and have a great rest of the week.

the longest…shortest weekend

well it was a busy one, trying to catch all the left over flavor Summer had to offer. but it all started in the beginning of the week when my Feline Bella, got attacked by the neighbors viscous cat ,who just roams the neighborhood looking for trouble. Poor Bella..wrong place wrong time, and shes an old lady, stays 2 houses either way from us. so to the vets we went.. ,2 big wounds on her belly.. drugs..antibiotics shots.. still got off rather cheap..175.00. for the stories ive heard, ok shes healing fine, and doesnt even ask to go out on our deck poor thing.I had to change our plans a bit, as I was nervous about leaving her all week end.

so we did day trips , yep back and forth , from here and there…of course i bought a new Iphone in between.  i got a 6 not to be confused with the 6s. but its a 64 GB. so im set for a while:) but its taking for ever to set up, and with the new case its heavy. i always get a mophie, but this one is also waterproof. and if something happens to my phone.. the mophie peeps will get me a replacement !! not a bad deal

the new iphone 6

my mophie..regularly priced at 130.00 but i had an old iphone stashed away.. and .. got 100.00 taken off when i turned in the old 4..i was using it as an alarm clock

with the mophie case on its pretty thick

somewhere in a small farming community in Western New York

its that time …

a friend of ours watches the farm while the owners were out of town

ive been using my Hipsta more and more, this was shot with my new iphone. sitting on the canal

caught a harvest festival in our travels…and i guess he caught me with my new monster phone

this awesome creatures name was Tank.. so very fitting, this was the best picture i could get…Hes 14 weeks old.. Hes gonna be a giant

this lady did not fit into this little farming community, and i was trying so hard to see what she was doing.. thought she was sketching peeeps, but No…she was with the band,

stopped to buys some local veggies, and honey and maple syrup, North of here,somewhere:)

and back home yesterday, had to take advantage of the beautiful weather, i could not help watching that little guy, with that hat on

sitting on the canal in my village, still working with the (new phone) camera

such an awesome day.. makes me sad to think what around the corner

we’ve been watching this boat all summer. this is the first tiem it was actually moving:))

welll i wanted a try to get a better pic. of this guy… but.. once again the new phone.. i got caught. He didnt say anything, but he got up and moved away

my baby.. the old girl is 17. she think shes part dog, follows me everywhere

still a ton of boats, taking advantage , of the fine sept. weather

trying to catch the early morning fog…. not to hard.. this is across the road from my house…lol

well thanks for stopping by,  we did make a few more stops..but ill save them for the next few days..

now i need to check and see id the cloud is done uploading.lol have a nice day. these were all shot with my new iphone 6

Artist Row

so today.. besides being football Sunday, its also Artist Row, at the public Market, yep, the same  place  i get my fruits and veggies on Thursdays and Saturdays. This event is held once in the Fall and again once in the Spring. its in its 11th year. i cant believe how much it has grown. i started out here, in the beginning stages, when i was making jewelry.  till i lost my shirt. but that a story for another day:)!!!

i always try my hardest to be early.. i think everyone else thought that too

lets see what looks good………….

ohh boy everyone is taking advantage of the nice day

more food trucks

this is John Archer, Hes an RN byt day and a sculptor by nite:) He had some awesome pieces. a real nice guy

one of John Archers pieces.. Hes in the process of making a complete set. this piece automatically caught my eye

where on earth is the coffee truck…………………….hmmmm

these were so cute.. but.. a tea towel.. ? i just dont know what id do with with it

so clever..

this woman was working for her Daughter in Law..who is the artist.. Lorraine of Lorraine’s concert leaves… i was so tempted.. the prices were very reasonable.

i fell in love with these, but .. i was told u have to take them in ,in the winter… i have enough to bring i all ready.. so i didnt get any 😦 wish i would have now

besides the fantastic art.. ..this event usually bring out the very artsy peeps too

still Lorrains stuff.. i really loved it…can ya tell

like i was saying.. artsy peeps

loved all the iron work too

ohh yeah.. shes was just gearing up for this day…… shes a buyer

how ’bout a hat…… im not a hat wearer myself

i usually dont like running into people i know…usually… theres a few exceptions.. and these 3 are always on my list,(of peeps i love running into) i dont see them very often any more. lives just going in different directions….

the best part about this event .. its all local artists. and there was much to see, and people to look at and of course the food trucks showed up, and there was some live music..all free, another thing thats not all to common.

fantastic art.. some thing for everyone

this guy knows every body. i don’t know how he does it, you can find Him anywhere and everywhere playing.

well thanks for stopping by. hope you have an awesome week.

a week end to myself

So the men went off camping in the 1000 islands. i had the week end to myself. i took myself to dinner and stayed out to catch a sunset right here in the village,on the Erie Canal. And then this morning i got up at 5am and went Downtown to the big farmers market, which we call the Public Market. Talked to a very interesting woman. Since we have been trying to eat according to the Paleo way of eating. I ‘v been making alot of our own food. I can ..I’m home. and i like to cook..so its a win win.

i always try to get to the market early… i don’t like crowds… and i guess a lot of others feel the same way

we are blessed with some of the best muck farming around.. in Western New York

so i finished my veggie buying spree and it was time for coffee

Billy and Bob were working mighty hard today.. the line was really long and i was in line at 7am

this is Philomina she prepares a healthier way to eat. and boy she gave me an excellent dish today

busy preparing another dish

yep thats her,

ohh wow, yep this is my breakfast, shes almost done

here we have roast sweet potatoes and plantains, with a a bit of red sauce on it, i have to tell you, I’m far from a fussy eater anyway.. and Dave and i will try anything at least once… but ill be back for more of this..till i buy the book and make my own:) this was what Phil called a small portion.. here it is a little after 11am, and I’m still very full. btw.. it as delicious , the flavors were something i cant describe

i don’t know what any of you do when your standing in line but i snap to my hearts content.. mostly because i don’t like to wait.. and this keeps me occupied

Phil also makes these bars and breads. i bought one for Dave.. with blueberries and other goodies in it. she uses honey for a sweetener.

right next to Phil is an olive oil company.. very good oils too!!

its still peach season here, with apples right behind them.. lets not forget my tomatoes..which i came to get:)

im so glad i go early, always can find a seat somewhere:)

and I’ll close with the sunset, which i got last night , in my village on the Erie Canal.

thanks for stopping by. have an awesome rest of the week end..or week:)!