Around Town

Up on Sanger Avenue, this morning, I stopped to chat with Helen Olmstead and the Rev. Kirk Hudson who were, themselves, passing the time of day with others out taking the early morning air. I asked them what it was like, now that "the dust was gone" and their answers were - from Mrs. Olmstead: "It's wonderful! We've opened the windows and washed the porch, and it's just sooo quiet!" and Kirk - speaking for Mrs. Hudson as well - added: "It's a whole new world, to us!"

At the Car Wash, all bays were filled and there were waiting lines. Until now, there's been little future in having a clean car. It only lasted for three minutes! But now ......... wash on!


At the Historical Society building on White Street, people began gathering early to go on the Loomis Gang Country Tours; Dick and Sandy Martin were ready to serve hotdogs to those who were having a late breakfast (or early lunch) and, behind the old Welsh Church, the Society's collection of hop equipment -- most of which has been in storage since the old museum closed nearly twenty-five years ago -- was on welcome display.


Inside the new little Hop Museum, Joe Falk described the hop-drying process to a full house of about ten visitors, two of whom were from Oregon where much of the country's 21st century supply of hops is grown.



The HARRIS HOP PRESS and the BEARDSLEY HOP STOVE.









Out on Main Street, Gary Hudson (unrelated to the aforementioned Rev. Kirk Hudson) is high atop the lift painting the topmost woodwork on the Hotel a nice combination of cream and pale greenish-gold while someone - less-inclined to heights - paints the elaborate cast-iron stair railing the same shade of gold.









Over on Babbott Avenue, Mrs. H. - also known as Pamela Brown, Artist - is having her studio-gallery building painted in shades of pale lichen green, blueberry, and dull gold.



And outside the village, but close enough so that there's no excuse NOT to go: a sign is posted outside of the historic Pleasant Valley Grange that says: "CHICKEN BARBECUE SUNDAY, July 9."



Remember that you can enlarge the photographs by clicking on them and that you can write to the blogger at Homeinthehuddle@aol.com

And - now that I've learned how to "link" to other sites, you might like to see this Visitor's Guide to Historic Waterville - always posted on the Village of Waterville's web page.

Sunny Saturday

51.6 degrees F. at a little after 5:00 A.M. (isn't that what it was yesterday?)and today's forecast is fabulous!

Saturday (Loomis Country Tours) Morning: Mostly sunny. Temps up to the mid to upper 70s by noon.

Saturday (Ice Cream Social at the Historical Society) Afternoon: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High in the low 80s.

Saturday night: Mainly clear. Low near 60.

Sunday Morning (The Utica Boilermaker!) Sun and clouds, comfortable. Temperatures starting in the low 60s at 7 AM and up to near 70-75 between 9 and 10 AM.

Sunday Late Morning/Afternoon: Sun and clouds. Perhaps a shower after 4 PM. Highs in the low to mid 80s. Sunday night lows in the low 60s.


New York Yankees 1 - 0 over Tampa Bay and Redsox over Whitesox, 7 - 2.
Today at Wimbledon: 2:00 P.M. Ladies' Singles Final: Mauresmo vs. Hardenne.


The WCS Marching Band Convoy rolled back into town at just about 5:30 yesterday afternoon. Amongst the throng of parents and friends waiting for them was Jim VanWormer, who had also been one of the twenty or more "private citizens" who accompanied the tour just for the fun and thrill of it. He had said - a bit earlier, in Foodking - that it was "Absolutely unforgettable! The kids were fantastic!" Pictures of their return will be no doubt be available later today, but - in the meantime - see photos taken on Thursday at the Cedar Point Amusement Park on the WCS Website.

Morning tour

Paving in the Southbound lane is in progress moving Northward from the Car Wash (where Debby gives us a smile) toward "Roc's."


The Northbound lane with be given a matching layer of ashphalt later today.





Dan Kentile and Jack (whose last name we don't know) discuss paving details at the corner of Sanger Avenue and Madison Street.

The "ditch" along the park side of Park Place has been partially filled in with "black-top."






Back on White Street is the Historical Society's Hop Yard,


and the sign advertising the Annual Loomis Country Tours and Ice Cream Social reminds everyone that it all begins tomorrow morning at 9:00!



Early as it was, treasure hunters gathered at the Brouillettes' Yard Sale on South Stafford Avenue, and













out on Route 20, the Hollyhocks in front of Eb Belfield's are blooming.

T.G.I.F.

51.6 degrees F. under blue and sunny sky and there is NO RAIN in AccuWeather's three-day forecast!
The Yankees trounced Cleveland 10 - 4, and the RedSox beat Tampa Bay 12 - 5.


All the TIOGA crews will be getting more smiles than scowls, today.

It's Tommy and Squeek! Give them a wave!











We had a great visit from Jim Vivyan of New York City, last evening. He brought with him a DVD of his new Cabaret show - "First You Dream" - for us to watch and it was an applaudable joy to see and hear!





The WCS Marching Band Convoy is scheduled to arrive at the high school at 5:00 P.M., this afternoon. What wonderful stories they'll have to tell and Yankee Manager Joe Torre's autographs to show off!

Thursday wrap

By 5:00 P.M. all paving work on Sanger Avenue had ceased and, for the first time in many weeks, there were no traffic tie-ups (or even slow-downs) at all. The residents of Sanger Avenue must be ecstatic: both the North- and Southbound lanes in front of their houses are SMOOTH all the way to "Roc's" Dairy Creme. Although this was just the first layer of ashphalt, and several more inches will be needed to bring the roadway up to drain and curbing heights, it appeared that most if not all properties had some sort of driveway access and - best of all - just think! no more trucks bumping all night long and NO MORE DUST!!!!

Brick paver installation proceeded southward from Main Street and onto Sanger Avenue near Mrs. Woodhouse's residence and a TIOGA crew was at the corner of Madison Street and Park Place but it could not be determined exactly what work they were doing.



Construction of a fabulous new piece of equipment is under way at the Skate Park.





There is still no sign of driveway paving at the new library and landscaping seems to have either slowed or come to a standstill, although a basic curved pathway has been outlined and what could be a fish pond has been constructed just outside the great window in the book room.

Morning "shoot"

Paving is now progressing southward in the Southbound Lane of Route 12 on Sanger Avenue and, by 9:30, had nearly reached the Lew Residence. Beyond there, scraping is taking place and a few residences will have no driveways today. At first glance that might also be the case at CVS and Dairy Creme but - go slowly! - there is one entrance-exit driveway ramp open for customer access.




At the Hotel, Mr. Hudson has had the old, tippy stone steps removed: sad, in a way, because they'd been there for nearly two-hundred years, but they really were dangerous. He will be replacing them with something much more stable and safe.
Also, parked directly in front of the hotel is a "lift," waiting for a much more elevated project.








A "sidewalk superintendent" noticed something different about the Scerbo Building: the windows are empty and the "For Sale" sign is gone.




Mrs. Davis alerted me to the beautiful view from the "Tyler Barn" and so I went right along to the west side of town only to find that the sun was so very bright that photographs became unreal. Turning to the west, tho, was the sight of an ivy-covered wall overgrown with wild Morning Glories and a brilliant clump of Day Lilies glowed near the old stable entrance.

The building really is in need of a new owner: apply to Sexton Realtors in Clinton for details.





But another even older structure may be given new life: the building at the top of Buell Avenue, just behind Morgan's Hardware and the Hotel and formerly used as television storage by Mr. Carlton Alsheimer, has been purchased, we are told, by someone who would make it his living quarters.

Mrs. O'Dowd has provided "In Timely Manner" and "At Home in the Huddle" with a wonderfully complete summary of her recent tour of Iceland - which will appear here either in small snatches, installments or in its fascinating entirety - and Mrs. Zirkle has clarified her son's military status: yes. Todd Zirkle is indeed in the Navy, but he possesses an expertise in a particular field (which it would be inappropriate to describe, here) that is equally important on land as it is at sea. He will therefore be "on loan" to the Army in Afghanistan for a certain length of time. We wish him well!

And now you can just Google "Waterville Central School District" and a hot link from the home page will take you directly to the Band in Cleveland, Ohio! The performers and chaperones are all enjoying a well-deserved day of fun at a Water Park before making the trip back to Waterville, tomorrow.

Thursday morning

And it's a Bbrrrrrisk! morning - 51 degrees under blue sky at 6:00 a.m.
The BLOG is getting a late start because the writer has been immersed in the Music Boosters web page. There are new pictures and a great write-up describing all of yesterday's events at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and then at the Baseball Staduim.

This is what we didn't get to see on TV, but - from an on-site report received right after the Marching Band's performance - they did GREAT! "Flawless!" - band director Pat Moshetti - is quoted in an article on page 1B of the Utica Observer-Dispatch. http://www.uticaod.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/NEWS/607060318/1001/NEWS01

Oh: and Yes --- the Yankees Won! 11 - 3.

Today in Waterville: it's a "Recyclables" Day. "Garbage" is tomorrow!

Wednesday Wrap-up

How loudly am I allowed to SWEAR on this blog? I'm sure that I was not the only one, waiting and waiting for 7 o'clock to come so that I could watch the WCS Marching Band play the National Anthem at Jacobs Field in Cleveland but, instead, was dealt a full five minutes of commercials --- KIA, GEICO, and I don't know what all. Shouldn't there be something in the YES television network rules that says it's unpatriotic to NOT show the National Anthem?

I hope that someone on the field took pictures and that they will be forwarded to the school website during the night so that I can pick them up for the blog in the morning!

Back on the Highway: one thick layer of ashphalt has been laid on the northbound lane between the Tyler building and (approximately) the Olmsteads' or Bancrofts' residences. By 3:30, black-top driveway ramps were being installed along that stretch so that residents would be able to park on their own properties, tonight. But on the southbound lane, more scraping was under way and some pavement was being applied. I simply could not see well enough - between afternoon glare and heavy dust - to tell exactly where old turned into new.

The only thing that I took a picture of -- a very skewey and dusty-looking shot; too fuzzy to be useful -- was the new "facade" on the New York Pizzeria. What is it?

Soon after 7:00 A.M.

Yes! Traffic is backed up from Monument Park nearly to Foodking but, in this case, it's a very good sign!

A member of the brick paver crew was starting work and, from the Tyler Building Southward nearly to The Cole Residence, all of the temporary driveway ramps have been removed and the "hot mix" and "steam roller" behemouths were maneuvering into position to start paving!!!




Other bits of activity:

The Eisenhut Construction van had pulled up beside the New York Pizzeria, where a new facade is being crafted, and...










... we also noticed that some bulldozing has taken place behind the former Alsheimer buildings on Buell Avenue. Perhaps an answer can be found to the question: "What's going on?"

Wednesday morning

Discovery blasted off safely from its seaside pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, Tuesday, July 4th, at 2:38 p.m EDT.

55 degrees F. and sunny at 6:11 A.M. The AccuWeather forecast for Waterville calls for a high temperature of about 80 degrees with skies ranging from partly- to mostly-sunny. (No rain mentioned!)

In Cleveland, the forecast is perfect: partly cloudy and a high temperature of 72 degrees and less humid and "clear and pleasant evening" predicted for The Game. The Yankees lost to Cleveland last night, 19 - 1. Can the Waterville Central School Marching Band bring them good luck? Live Pre-game coverage on the YES TV network starts at 6:30 P.M.

Yesterday, in Fairport, band members (and all but one chaperone) got a thorough drenching before the start of the parade, but the musicians played like professionals and were well-received all along the three-and-a-half mile parade route.
The Music Boosters website (go to http://www.watervilleschools.org/education/orgs/orgs.php?sectionid=92 and click on Ohio Tour) now has several pictures of band members taken throughout the day and an enjoyable summary of their travel activities accompanies the photographs.

Local photographs and newsbits from Waterville later this morning. In the meantime, because the Writer missed the early deadline for Monday publication of the Waterville Times, here are excerpts from "In Timely Manner."


On Park Place, Mr. Sullivan has added a small front porch with spindled railings to the once-grand Brunswick and the Victorian “Gingerbread on an elegant Italianate building on Stafford Avenue North is being painted a pleasant robin’s egg blue.

Down the street and across from the Schoolhouse Apartments, however, the historic Stafford Homestead is drawing sad remarks: the building shows signs of abuse and trash is heaped along the north side. Vacated several weeks ago, the question now is: “Isn’t SOMEONE going to clean it up?”
Landscaping at the new Library, which had been started nearly two weeks ago, was delayed by the rain and - we hope - has now progressed.

On a fine Friday evening, two weeks ago, Jane Newsom Savage and Walter Stephenson were married in the pretty little Welsh Church near Nelson. The ceremony was performed by the Reverend Ed Townsend and the reception (with music by Don Brown, of course!) took place at the Linklean House in Cazenovia. Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson returned from a honeymoon in Jamaica just in time for Mr. S. to “pull the plug” (clean the drain) of their side lawn lake before disastrous flooding took place.

Mrs. Lois Newsom has telephoned to ask our assistance in promoting the (Tenth or Twelvth) Annual Deansboro-Waterville Lions Club Golf Tournament which will take place on July 15th at the Sulphur Springs Golf Course. Funds raised through sponsorships are, as with all other Lions Club projects, used to assist people in this area who need help acquiring first-rate medical care for conditions that threaten their sight or their hearing. In the past, a suggested donation has been $25.00, but - because this may be the last year of the Tournament - gifts of $50.00 are requested. If Ms. Newsom has not already found YOU, pleae make a point to find her, at 841-4619.

A most welcome E-mail has come from Ms. Sandy Martin, reporting that “twenty-four of the twenty-nine members of the Waterville Crimson Bonnets of the Red Hat Society met this week at the Beaver Den in Brookfield for a meal of either Fried Haddock, Chichen ‘N Biscuits or a Cold Salad Plate. The co-hostesses of this month's meeting (who did a fantastic job) were Mary Paquette and Marlene Jones. Our leader, Queen Barb Mario, gave each member a group picture taken at our May get together when everyone was present for the first time since forming the group.” Thank you, Sandy!

Remember to Save time on Saturday for a Loomis Country Tour, the Ice Cream Social and a look at the new “hop museum” --- all at the Waterville Historical Society on White Street.

And watch for Patty Louise cruising town in a new Dodge Durango: deep red! It’s really Steve Gannon’s new vehicle, so she may soon be driving a smaller new car (with recognizable bike rack, we hope.) Their two trusty old four-tired friends both went to “Highway Heaven” on exactly the same day at about the same time and place. Ask her “What happened?” It’s a funny story, (if losing two vehicles at once can be considered "funny"!) but it’s too long to tell, here!

In addition: within the space of five minutes, while I was shopping in Foodking on Monday afternoon, I (nearly literally) ran into: first - Virginia Leigh, who has returned from Winter Quarters in Arizona and is now in residence in Whiskey Hollow; and then, Peg O'Dowd - just returned from Iceland and saying that the tour was "Wonderful!"! Both ladies promise to send reports!

On the way out of Foodking, a poster on the bulletin board caught my eye, but there was too much information for me to copy right at the moment and so I E-mailed Katie Landers at the Harding Nursing Home (sponsor of the postered activity) and she kindly sent me the following. You, you, and you! All of you young folks who have so much energy and are growing more and more interested in the future of Waterville, please take time to register and attend!

LEADERSHIP SKILLS FOR COMMUNITY GROWTH
presented by
Alen Turof w/ Bronson Enterprises

**Leadership Impact on Community Organization
**Leadership actions Affecting Community Growth
**Different Personalities and Dealing with them Well

Thursday July 6th at 7:00 P.M.
Waterville Municipal Hall

Call Hardings to register at 841-4156

The Fourth of July!

An early sprinkle has left the air heavy but the colors bright and, throughout the village, flags wave in the breeze.





An especially large flag flies at the door of the Woodman-Getman Law Offices on Main Street; at the corner, British-born Hotel-owner Mr. Hudson honors his new country, and on McCabe Road the Maines' front doorway brings passersby to a stop to admire Marilyn's patriotic creativity.





And at just 7:16 A.M., with a beeping of horns, the caravan of two motor coaches, a school bus and a truck carrying the Waterville Central School Marching Band, chaperones, instruments and flags rode through Whiskey Hollow - all aiming for the Thruway and the 10:00 A.M. Annual Fourth of July Parade in Fairport, N.Y. - the first stop on a great musical adventure!

An On-the-Road report tells us that all is on schedule and that the only difficulty that has arisen, so far, is that there are no DVD players on the buses. One-hundred DVDs are at hand, but nothing upon which to view them. Although this may seem calamitous, it will no doubt soon be forgotten!

If you'd like to follow the Marching and Jazz Bands' Itineraries, go to WATERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL>SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS>BROTHERTOWN MUSIC BOOSTERS>2006 BAND TOUR OHIO! (It's a masterpiece in logistical planning!)

We wish the Band and all of the Readers a most Safe and Enjoyable Fourth of July!

Later on.....

.... TIOGA was attacking both the northbound lane and eastern sidewalk on Sanger Avenue and traffic was moving accordingly - or not.


But out on Hanover Hill, at Shanley Road, it was all cheers for Sally Zweifel who was - as she does every year! - planting "her" four corners!

Thanks from All of us, Sally!

Monday morning!

64.2F. AccuWeather predicts a mostly-cloudy day with thunderstorms this afternoon and this evening.

It was the Yankees over the Mets 16 - 7, and the RedSox beat Florida 4 - 3.

NASA has delayed the shuttle launch until the 4th of July, hoping that clear skies will shine on Florida and the launch can finally take place sometime between 2:37 and 2:42 P.M.

There WILL be GARBAGE Collection today, just as on all Mondays, but there will be no Village Board Meeting tonight. The next will take place on the 17th.

A gentleman who nearly always knows what's going on in the Highway Reconstruction Department hints that very little work - if any - will take place today; none, of course, tomorrow, but that on Wednesday morning ALL phases of work will come on like "Gang Busters" and that a great deal of paving will get done during the rest of the week.

8:00 A M. Update: Sidewalk prep is taking place in front of the laundromat and road scraping on Sanger. All we can do is hope that we have no torrential rains between now and Wednesday!

These views of the countryside around Waterville are especially for those readers who live in crowded cities and, even, in foreign countries. If there are any other sorts of views that you would like to see, please advise! And if you have travel pictures of your own that you would like to submit, just send JPEGS by E-mail to - homeinthehuddle@aol.com.

The Ride in the Country begins on Lewis Road, E. of Route 12, where - high on the hill - someone is building a private castle. There appears to be a great deal of work yet to be done on the edifice, but - once finished - the residents will have a 360-degree "Million Dollar View."




'Way out on White Street, at the Huggins farm in "Sheepskin Hollow," Colleen's gardens glow like jewels






and, sparkling on the lawn, this very happy Holstein planter!






On days like this, the windmills on Stone Road are nearly invisible and most motorists travelling Route 12 would hardly know they were there. But once you get close to them, at the end of Tinker Hollow Road, they are enormous! (Not that the cattle in the lower left-hand corner of the picture pay any attention to them!)


Still muddy from the rains, the Sangerfield River would beckon a paddler north from Loomis Road were it not for the "blowdown" blocking the route. Our ride had begun as one band of thunderstorms passed eastward and ended as another overtook us from the southwest, but along all roadsides (as to the left of the stream in this picture) Elderberry Bushes are in bloom. Does anyone still make Elderberry Wine?












And can anyone identify for us this mystery crop?


Remember: to better view any of the pictures, just "click" on it and magic will happen!

Sunday

ESSENTIAL STUFF: 66 F. The graduation party tents did the trick, yesterday: nary a drop of rain fell in Waterville, all day long! It will be a different story today, however. An early thunderstorm brought just enough rain to keep the dust down and more rumbly, rainy spells are forecast for the rest of the day and evening bringing varying amounts of precipitation and with the possibility of strong winds, now and then.

Thunderstorms forced NASA to call off the launch of Shuttle "Discovery," yesterday. The launch was rescheduled for 3:26 pm today, but bad weather was forecast to continue through the weekend, threatening further delays.

The Yankees lost to the Mets, 8 - 3; the RedSox beat the Marlins 11 - 2.
At Wimbledon, play resumes tomorrow at noon.
At the World Cup, the Final score on Saturday was France 1, Brazil 0. Next game: Italy v. Germany: 3:00pm EDT Jul 4.

On Page 2F of today's Utica Observer-Dispatch, this photograph!
And information about the Waterville Historical Society's annual Loomis Country Tours, Ice Cream Social and Hop Exhibit - all happening next Saturday, starting at 9:00 A.M.


On today's BLOG: a ride in the country, if it's not too rainy.