Archive for July, 2014

15 Miles on the Erie Canal, Low Bridge everybody down!

Wednesday, July 30th, 2014

Boy can it rain!  It rained so hard early Monday morning,  I thought sure we would be floating by the time it stopped.  The other thing that happens with storms is the heavens rumble forever;  I never saw lightening but the thunder was non stop for several hours (or at least it seemed like that at 5 am!)  We haven’t had the best weather but when it is nice it is so beautiful.

Today we took a ride on the Erie Canal and through Lock #E18.  Lock 18 is one of two locks on the canal that operate with the original 100 year old equipment. We have done so many rides through locks that I’m not that interested but the weather was beautiful and a ride on the river was very relaxing.  We almost didn’t get on the boat!  The boat was scheduled for 3 pm and advanced reservations were recommended but we thought a Wednesday afternoon in Herkimer NY, no problem!  It was,  we arrived about 15 minutes before departure and they only had 3 spots and we were 6!  The very nice lady called the captain and he allowed the six of us to purchase tickets and come aboard!  There was a family of 8 that came in as she was calling to the captain and they didn’t get to come along!  The good news is they saved $19 per person!

Carol, David and Ethan getting ready for our exciting ride on the Erie Canal!

Carol, David and Ethan getting ready for our exciting ride on the Erie Canal!

They are constantly dredging the canal.

They are constantly dredging the canal.

The canal is only 12-14 feet deep and is used for mostly recreational use.  Originally it was built to move freight from NYC to Buffalo and into the Great Lakes.

Small Cruise Ship

Small Cruise Ship

Our captain said these cruises go from Rhode Island to Chicago!  That might be interesting to do one day.

the 2nd oldest Church in New York State

the 2nd oldest Church in New York State

Fort Herkimer Church is along the banks of the Erie Canal and is the second oldest church in New York and the oldest building in Herkimer County.

Let me out!

Let me out!

Inside lock E18!  Now we get to go up river and turn around and go back!

A Great Looper!

A Great Looper!

On the return trip through the lock we had company; there were three boats all from Ohio.  They were doing America’s Great Loop and are know as Loopers.  They are much like us only they use their boats to adventure around the rivers, canals, and lakes of the Eastern part of the USA.  America’s Great Loop can be started anywhere along the loop and takes about a year to do the whole thing.  It is about 5-7 thousand miles and includes Atlantic and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, The Canadian Heritage Canals, the Erie Canal,  Mississippi River, Tennessee River, Hudson River,  Okeechobee Waterway and the Illinois River.  Paul thinks he wants to do this someday!  I think living in an RV and traveling America’s highways is interesting enough!

 

 

 

 

The captain of one of the 3 boats is holding his boat in place as we raise.  His shipmate (wife) has rubber gloves on as she holds the bow of the boat away from the slimmy sides of the lock!

The captain of one of the 3 boats is holding his boat in place as we raise. His shipmate (wife) has rubber gloves on as she holds the bow of the boat away from the slimmy sides of the lock!

The Loopers heading into the lock!

The Loopers heading into the lock!

 

Another great adventure in New York!

A very busy Sunday!

Saturday, July 26th, 2014

Tonight we enjoyed the sounds of  Nick Ziobro, a local boy who’s family has a summer home here in Old Forge for many years.  He has an amazing presence on stage and a voice of a real crooner, it was easy to forget he is only 17!

Besides enjoying a great concert tonight, this afternoon we went to the private airstrip in town and enjoyed an afternoon of Radio Controlled aircraft!  We even got to see a couple small drone’s.

RCplanes

biplane

Yep!

Yep!

A flying lawnmower!

A flying lawnmower!

A good laugh

Saturday, July 26th, 2014

We are doing a lot of laughing this summer while we spend time with Paul’s family!

Duke get's in on the action!

Duke get’s in on the action!

No one has any idea why Duke chose to jump up on top of Carol and just sit down!  He was very serious and really didn’t want to get down – Paul had to pull him off her!

More hikes, water, and a little more culture

Saturday, July 26th, 2014

I just can’t get enough!

No smog here!

No smog here!

Psychodelic mushrooms

Psychedelic mushrooms

Mushroom

Not sure you would want to eat these!  Psychedelic Mushrooms, brilliant color.

I also enjoyed a Childrens Musical version of Tarzan this week.  The little 8 year old boy who played the child, Tarzan was amazing.  He had a solo and he is going to be someone to watch!

Last night Paul and I went to the Boonville, Oneida County Fair to see the Tractor Pulling.  That’s interesting!

Small tractors

Small tractors

Loud Tractors, lots of smoke!

Loud Tractors, lots of smoke!

Then the really loud ones competed!  My butt was vibrating from the noise!

Too dam funny!

Too dam funny!

There were a few exhibits and plenty of cows, pigs, goats  and horses and these guys!

Those are some horns

Those are some horns

The fair was tiny, in fact most of the fair was the midway!  We had our fill of grease and topped it off with a giant root beer float to fill in the gaps. A fun evening.

 

 

Culture in the Adirondacks

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014

We are enjoying the nature with lots of hiking, and some boating.  This week I learned to SUP! Stand up Paddleboard.   It looked easy but standing on a surfboard and balancing while paddling was a real workout for my legs.  I will definitely be trying it again.

A Bikeboat - pretty fun toy

A Bikeboat – pretty fun toy

Relaxing in the woods

Relaxing in the woods

Another beautiful pond

Another beautiful pond

No smog here!

No smog here!

 

 

The Town of Old Forge has a great Community Arts Center.  We have been to VIEW  twice already to see a Big Band Group and tonight I went with the girls to see a Children’s Musical Production of Tarzan.  It was very creative and entertaining. The kids are very talented.  It was a musical that had a little comedy.

I have also been reading a lot.  Last night about 2:30 am I finished The Light between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman.  This is a first novel and I will be looking forward to the next.  She draws you into the story and the characters so well.  It is definitely a sad story but the tears only came at the very end.

We made a trip to Utica which is about 45 minutes south where we found a great little spot to have a real Italian Dinner.  Utica-Rome  is known for their Chicken Riggies a pasta dish with chicken, rigatoni, spicy and sweet peppers and a creamy tomatoe sauce.  I have made them myself but Paul wanted the real deal.  We found Ventura’s which we didn’t know it (we found it on YELP) but everyone here knows about it!

In the old neighborhood!

In the old neighborhood!

This place was definitely from the era when the Italian’s were prominent in the Utica area!  You step inside and down the stairs into a different era!  The bar is upfront, male waiters, male bartender, male photos on all the walls, fancy table clothes and the menu was lots of pasta and meat!  The riggies were great!  I think I come in a very close second!!!

Besides all this going out, I have been enjoying my sewing machine a little and have completed a wall hanging that I will be getting quilted here locally.  I can’t wait to get it and hang it somewhere in our home.  I haven’t done any decorating yet in the new home and it really needs some personalizing!  Matching artwork on the walls is not my style!

Another beautiful day on the lake

Sunday, July 20th, 2014

Sunday was dinner and a boat ride at Paul’s uncle Dicks place on 4th lake.  We have had several opportunities for beautiful weather and getting out on the lake.  Today was a little cool but the water was perfect for a ride!

Captain Dick!

Captain Dick!

Carol, Paul and Paul's cousin Pat.

Carol, Paul and Paul’s cousin Pat.

 

The Daily Grind!

Monday, July 14th, 2014

Our version includes sleeping in, staying up late, reading, walking in the woods, enjoying our environment and lots of relaxing!

This area is full of hikes to small lakes and along the rivers.  We have been on several in the past week, none are too long, one was really steep and not very well marked.

Moose River

Moose River

The Dam Lock and Dam Trail

The Dam on
Lock and Dam Trail

The forest floor is very lush!  It should be, we get rain about every 3 days!

The forest floor is very lush! It should be, we get rain about every 3 days!

Mountain Pond

Mountain Pond

The hike to Mountain Pond was short, only about 3/4 mile one way but very steep and the trail kept disappearing as well as lots of obstacles!

No worries!  Paul has his hiking knife!

No worries! Paul has his hiking knife!

Walking along the Moose River

Walking along the Moose River

Tonight we do a bit of gambling.  We are playing Bingo at the Firehall.  I am sure to come home happy after my donation to the Volunteer Fire Department of Old Forge.

And that is The Daily Grind with the Roberts!

And thats what it’s all about!

Wednesday, July 9th, 2014
This is the life!

This is the life!

No plans for today, so we did some more kayaking,  I tried swimming but it was just a little cool, and a lot of relaxing near the lake.  We took one last boat ride around the lake and were almost swallowed by waves!  Everyone got a bit wet on the ride.

smashball

We played some more games and relaxed until we remembered we needed to play at the arcade!

golf

girlsgolf

gokarts

The winner!

The winner!

Paul says this was the worlds worst miniature golf course he has ever played!  There were no windmills, no clowns, just strips of green astro turf and no trick shots!  Audra was able to hit the waterfall with her ball and Stephanie almost got washed away trying to retrieve it!

We ended our week with another campfire at our camp overlooking the lake with s’mores and a couple of roasted hot dogs!

What a great week!

What a great week!

 

 

Happy Birthday America!

Wednesday, July 9th, 2014

The day started out with a huge breakfast and then a hike to Bald Mountain. Not a long hike but very steep and the view from the top is amazing.  About 25 of the group met up and started up the mountain.

The climb

The Climb!

Fancy footwork

Fancy footwork

The Top!

The Top!

Another BIG group shot!

Another BIG group shot!

Congratulating theirselves!

Congratulating theirselves!

The View!

The View!

The weather was great for a climb and the views were spectacular.  The group was home and ready to hit the town by 12:30.  In town, only about a mile from Judy’s house is the ski mountain,  McCauley Mountain where they operate one chairlift in the summer for a very scenic view of the lakes without much exertion!  Getting off the lift is the hardest part!

Male Bonding on the ride up!

I wonder what they talked about on the ride?

A family of deer just under the chairlift

A family of deer just under the chairlift

The View of the lakes from the top of the lift

The View of the lakes from the top of the lift

We enjoyed another family reunion, this time Paul’s mom’s side of the family!  There are only 3 besides Pauls siblings!  4th of July BBQ was much smaller, only 30.  We had a great dinner of Fish Fry!

Sue is incharge!  Paul, Audra, Carol and I are the breaders, dippers, and fryers!

Sue is incharge! Paul, Audra, Carol and I are the breaders, dippers, and fryers!

And even though we had plenty of food and dessert we talked Paul into the funnel cakes!

Good enough to sell at the fair!

Good enough for the fair!

An evening of fireworks on the waterfront and more campfire stories.

Help!  I am relaxing and I can't get up!

Help! I am relaxing and I can’t get up!

Tomorrow is an unplanned day!  Hooray!!!

 

How big is your family?

Wednesday, July 9th, 2014

That is what Audra and Nick kept asking!  Today is the big day where we all get together and all nine of Paul’s siblings will be gathered for the next 2 days!  Sometimes it seems like more than 9!  Besides the nine siblings and spouses we had some of the children of the 9 plus a bunch of cousins and their kids and a couple of Aunts and Uncles!  And some forever family friends that grew up with Paul’s parents.  I think the total number was somewhere around 60!

A mighty fine group!

A mighty fine group!

There was 60 people and we also celebrated Cindy turning 60 this year –  the siblings all tried to sing her a song to the tune of Rocky Mountain High as Cindy is from Colorado.  The lyrics were written by Judy the youngest sister and were pretty good.  The singing – not so much but it did give us a good laugh and they all made it through the song!

Lets see if they can sing?  Nope!

Lets see if they can sing? Nope!

We also watched some home movies from Paul’s childhood which some of the cousins had never seen.  They were in the movies.  Then we watched on the screen under the tent in the rain a tribute to Dad from the theater group he was a lifetime member of.  His last play was in 2010. We had enough food for 100 people!  There were some yard games!

Kan Jam

Kan Jam – I think Fred missed!

Cindy's Game

Cindy’s Game

Not sure what the name of this one is, I think she created it!  I guess when you are 60 it is time to create some new ones because you’ve mastered all the others!  It was a big hit and very challenging.

There was a lot of sitting, telling stories and of course the food!

There was a lot of sitting, telling stories and of course the food!

The party got a good bit of rain after we ate so we mostly hung out under the tent. The rain finally stopped and it got cold so campfire time.  Susan and Carol entertained us with some campfire songs from long, long, long ago!  I am still not sure they had the words right!

Amy and Nick are learning one.

Amy and Nick are learning one.

Tomorrow is 4th of July,  more family reunion, fun and games and hopefully no rain!