Please forward message to AOL users!

AOL subscibers are, either temporarily or not,
unable to access recent postings to this blog.

If you know anyone who is having that problem, would you please suggest the following Two Solutions:

1. use another server if you can, i.e. Netscape or Safari. (Explorer gets the blog but only on a dark brown background and no one can read it - including the writer.)

2. open the site using AOL and then click on the "Refresh Page" icon. (That's an orange circle with an arrow located just to the right of a red "X" and the left of a box that says "type search words, addresses or keywords here."

I appreciate your frustration: it happens to me, too!

Friday Wrap-up

As far as wrapping up, goes, TIOGA and PowerLine closed up shop before 4:00, but - by that time - they'd:

• finished laying brick pavers from Mac's to the Alsheimer property driveway as well as along the White Street side of the former bank building
• paved numerous driveways
• and given Mr. Cleary a sidewalk upon which to walk downtown
• installed sidewalk forms along the South side of Sanger Avenue as far as the Mowreys.

Expert sidewalk superintendents - of which there are more, every day - question things like the "lump" shown in this photo and wonder if a little levelling could have been done, instead.

"In other news:"



Unless you travel on Route 315 regularly - and especially if you walk or try to push a stroller up and down the hill, often - you can't appreciate what a super job the "summer crew" has done cleaning vegetation away from the Buell Avenue sidewalk. Thank you, guys!

And, over at Babbott Field, it didn't take these "children" long to discover the new pieces of playground equipment!



I'll be "playing" at some distance from my computer, tomorrow, but hope that all of you have a Safe and Pleasant Weekend!
See you Monday morning!


(E-mail: Homeinthehuddle@AOL.com)

Friday morning tour

It's looking lowery - a neat old word meaning that "it looks like rain!" - but so far there's no precipitation and brick pavers are still being laid in front of the Laundromat, Totally-U and Mac's Diner. But don't think that that is interfering with business: the sidewalk is dry and those establishments are OPEN!


The new sidewalk in front of the hotel was, apparently, laid
per Mr. Hudson's request that he be able to built a porch on
the front of the Hotel.
Sidewalk pouring continues, today, just beyond Karl Davis'
Main Street Garage.




After I'd turned around at the Park (oh! we all miss that "watering trough turn-around!") I spotted four V. I. P.'s - from left: Waterville Superintendent of Public Works, Gene Ostrander; Mayor Jim Younes, D.O.T. Engineer in Charge Dan Kentile and TIOGA's Jack Bennett - who all seemed to be in a particularly happy frame of mind despite the fact that this was the regular Friday morning tour at which time the "punch list" usually grows! We did learn two things: that the guy wire at the corner of the Park WILL be removed and not left in the sidewalk and, that it is Mr. Kentile who should be thanked for the "curvy, funky," sections of sidewalk!


Turning in the other direction, there was Rosemary Broedel, adjusting letters on a sign advertising "Magic Bubble Shirts." Asking what they were, she led me right inside the Merri-Rose Florist Shop and showed me a colorful display of what appear to be small bits of ultra-soft, stretchy, wrinkley nylon and, if for no other reason, I instantly wished I were a teenager again!



For several weeks, now, everyone in this area has been following the progress made by Steven Smith, of Brookfield, who is recovering from injuries acquired while serving with the U.S. Army in Irag and, now, one of Waterville's own boys has barely escaped death. Pvt. John Sigsbee was driving a tank when it ran over a bomb and exploded into flame, late last week. As of yesterday morning we heard that he was making rapid improvements and had been moved to an Army hospital in Texas and that his family had been flown there by the Army so that they could be with him.

The writer would appreciate knowing how to directly send this "Blog" - and all of our Gratitude and Best Wishes - to him.

E-mail: Homeinthehuddle@AOL.com

Another Friday

69 degrees and muggy with evidence of just a bit of a sprinkle - "enough to keep the dust down," as they say in New England, but there's a Flash Flood Warning for Northern Oneida County and AccuWeather's forecast includes more rain for Waterville, later on.






And that leaves the NYY 2.5 GB the Sox, again.











Time for an "Uptown tour."

Thursday afternoon. 86 degrees with haze and the sort of clouds that look as if it might rain, but Gallaghers' cows are all standing up, so perhaps it won't, after all!

(Click photos to enlarge.)
Laying brick paving stones must be one of the hottest jobs of all and,
after that, paving sidewalks. The walkway on the point of Monument Park
is finished and crews were working on the short "legs" of sidewalk at
the Eastern end of the Park. Everyone notices and is appreciative of all the
pleasantly curved sections of pavement!

There weren't very many people out and about: children on bikes, of course, but the only three "regular" walkers that we saw were Bruce Payne and Mr. Pesto with K.C.

Mark Bentz was outside touching up paint on his sign. Mrs. Eastman has painted a great deal of the building during the past week.
Although Mr. Don Brown, II was not in sight, you can see how much refurbishment he is doing to his residence on Sanger Avenue.


Looking for a cool, shady spot, I stopped at the Treens' "mountain cabin" at the Home Shop! So many lovely rustic-looking papers, fabrics and decorations. And then there are Bob's new "trompe l'oile" paintings: all very "Cool"!

Have a Pleasant Evening!

E-mail: Homeinthehuddle@AOL.com

GARBAGE DAY!

65.3 degrees at 5:00 A.M.
According to AccuWeather, we'll be keeping warm, again, today!


The extended forecast - for Friday, Saturday and Sunday - gives a little more variety, adding in some evening thunderstorms and cooler daytime highs.

New York Yankees fans might seek distraction:
(Click to enlarge.)

At Glimmerglass, it's the Pirates of Penzance on Friday and the World Premier of "The Greater Good" on Saturday.

For a "change" (sorry: couldn't resist!) of voice and venue, ladies might consider seeing Syracuse Stage's hilarious production of "Menopause the Musical!" Lurena McNamara, Bev Gibbons, Linda Rauscher, Nancy Salm and Sandy Martin all went to see it last weekend and loved it. "It had you laughing from the opening act to the closing act." (With lunch as part of the outing, it sounds like a perfectly enjoyable sort of "ladies day out!" and gentlemen will surely have no difficulty finding alternative means of entertainment for a few hours.)

6:30 A.M. Some of the sidewalk crews are already on site.


Applause to these gals:




Trudy was just finishing her walk;














Barb came running by ......







.... and Angie and Peggy stopped to say Hello!
One man was already at work painting a house on W. Bacon Street. South of the village, Ellie Allen was watering flowerbeds, and it's time for me to get to work, too!

Afternoon Ride-around

Cooler still; 89.6 - but it's as hard to differentiate between a few Summertime degrees as it is degrees of coldness in the Winter.
The fact is, cold is cold and hot is hot!

Sidewalk paving has been completed on the North side of East Main Street and the sort of sand upon which brick pavers are installed was being delivered.

The entire sidewalk length from the Hotel to Stewart's has been poured, and - so as not to completely interrupt commerce - a handy "bridge" set in place to allow customers to get from one side of the sidewalk to the other without using other means, i.e. pole vault or slurping in the wet concrete.



Out at the point of Monument Park the framework is in place for tomorrow's work.



CONGRATULATIONS, FOR SURE!!!



Fr. Tom was out on the front porch of the rectory giving his tomato plants some attention. Asked what he fertilized them with, he said, "Miracle Grow!" But I wondered whether or not that was the same sort that the rest of us buy in the stores or if he has a different source!

PLAN AHEAD: The Carman Caramanica Trio will be at Michael's Fine Food & Spirits, tomorrow evening, from 7:00 'til 10:00 P.M. and the cuisine du jour will be "Indian!" (Tandoori chicken, I hope!)

If you see Pat Mangan, wish him a Happy Birthday! He'll turn 56 on the 24th!

Early tour.

The sidewalk-driveway crew are at work on the North side of East Main Street. It looked - from where I was first parked, in front of the Presbyterian church - as if concrete was being poured for driveways along the stretch between the church and the Laundromat building. The sidewalk certainly looks good! As on the South Side of Main Street, all of the space between the buildings and sidewalk and sidewalk and curbing will be filled in with brick pavers. (I apologize for the dull photograph. The sun was right in my eyes and I'm sure that my camera was as blinded as I!)


Sidewalk forms are in place along West Main Street. Those will probably be poured later today.

There 's something going on at the White Street part of the main intersection: I couldn't tell what it was.........


....and the junction of Routes 12 and 20, in Sangerfield, is a maze of orange and white pylons but, at 8:15, there was no indication what they were there for.

Wednesday morning

59 degrees: just perfect, outdoors, now!



Both the New York Yankee and the Boston RedSox won, last night: standings stay the same with NY .5 GB.

Something to look at while I take a morning ride through the village.






(Photographs saved from an earlier project. Click to enlarge.)

And for those who prefer history to herbs.........

Tuesday wrap-up

It IS cooler, today! A gentleman - working in the pleasant, air-conditioned refuge of Foodking - stated, quite happily, that his car thermometer had only read 92 degrees as opposed to yesterday's 96! (We feel better, already!)

The sidewalk crew has been going nothing short of "great guns," today: starting at the Presbyterian church, they have worked their way down to Mac's and around the corner down onto Route 315 past Tom Eisenhut's parking lot.




A confab on the Corner - it looked as if Mr. Hudson was discussing sidewalk location with Mssrs. Kentile and Ostrander and, from their smiles, they were all in agreement!

Earlier today, Ms. Leslie Olivera-VanWormer brought me a CD of video that she had filmed at Jacobs Field in Cleveland when the WCS Marching Band was playing the National Anthem. It IS WONDERFUL to see and hear! Also on the disc - a film clip of the band marching onto the field, single file, looking is if it were the largest band in the country!

At her request (and after I'd made a copy of the disc for myself) I've taken the original to the Library where ANY- and EVERYONE can watch it!



(Click to enlarge photographs.) E-mail: Homeinthehuddle@AOL.com Have a nice evening, everyone!

Tuesday morning add-on

We have an answer to the question: "Is TIOGA all through paving the highway?"

"No. Two more layers of asphalt still need to be applied, but that will only happen once all of the sidewalk and driveway paving has been completed, thus avoiding the possibility that heavy-duty equipment used for those jobs might mar the super-smooth final coat of blacktop!"

Tuesday- Cooler!

GREEN WASTE DAY!

68.5 degrees at a little after 5:00 A.M.

Well; you can tell it's really over: the only reminders of Field Days' Fun, yesterday afternoon, stood lined up in the hot sun outside the Firemen's Pavilion waiting to be taken away.
The AcccuWeather Forecast does NOT include another heat advisory for today, and - with a shower or two - we should be more comfortable than yesterday.


The digital thermometer in Whiskey Hollow registered 96.6, yesterday afternoon and a lady from New Hartford said that it was nearly 100 degrees, there. I'm sure that it felt like 120 to the few TIOGA and Power Line crew members who were working on Sanger Avenue.

The New York Yankees won last night's game against Seattle, 4 - 2, but still remain .5 GB the RedSox who bested the Royals 5 - 4.

It's still too early to expect to find any activity up in the village, nor have any detailed reports of topics discussed at last evening's Village Board Meeting filtered in, so - while we wait for something to happen, perhaps you would take the time to read this: the late Isaac Asimov's tribute to the National Anthem - and essay that I wish I'd had at hand when our Marching Band was playing "The Star Spangled Banner" in Cleveland! http://personal.ecu.edu/snyderh/Check%20Out/natlanthem.html

7:30 A.M. UPDATE

Yes - Just as Jack Bennet said it would be, Tuesday is SIDEWALK DAY, and the crew has arrived in force and is starting in front of the Presbyterian church.

South of the Village, Tom Eisenhut was giving the planters at the Car Wash an early drink, and we gave him honest praise for
tending those and - especially - the second-floor window boxes on his Liquor Store and Laundromat buildings.



UNOFFICIAL reports in re: bits of business from last evening's Village Board Meeting.

Bids have been received for the eighty Victorian LAMP POSTS that will be installed along Main Street, Sanger Avenue and in the Park. The company offering the lowest bid is, however, suggesting a lighting company (Sun Valley) other than Sternberg. Mr. Dale Meszler asked that, before the Village sign a contract accepting the bid, a sample lamp pole and lighting fixture be obtained for viewing and scrutiny by the Board and Main Street Committee members. (Perhaps a picture will be available, before then?) Other communities with Sun Valley brand lights include Elmira and Watertown.

More improvements are planned for Babbott Field: there are sufficient funds at hand to allow the construction of a pavillion large enough for "a couple" of picnic tables AND the purchase of an additional piece of playground equipment.

Mr. Hudson suggests that he would like to construct a porch across the front of the Hotel. Whether or not that can be accomplished may depend on the sidewalk installation. The hotel building, constructed in the 1830's, has never had a porch, but - although it is within the Historic Triangle District - the Village of Waterville does not have an Historic Preservation Ordinance that would preclude the addition of such.

It's finally true!! Residents of Buell Avenue - from the Berrill Avenue corner down the hill - will no longer have to slurp or stutter-step along the 30-year old sidewalk! Narrowed by vegetation and cracked from uncontrolled drainage, the current sidewalk is only wide enough for single-file use and miserably rough under the wheels of small bikes, trikes or strollers. Too often, these conditions lead the thirty-five or more residents and/or visitors of that stretch to abandon the sidewalk and walk in the road, instead - the only place within the village limits where there is not clear line of sight and vehicular speeds are often well-above the posted 40MPH speed limit. A new sidewalk will also be installed along Elmwood Avenue. Both paving projects will be made possible by a generous grant from the Edward S. Barton Trust.


Because the name "Barton" has meant so much to the Village, Mr. Ostrander suggested that South Stafford Avenue be renamed "Barton Avenue."


Edward S. Barton 1899 - 1984




Mr. Mark Mowrey - noting, first, that he does not attend Village Board meetings on a regular basis - said that he was pleased that the current administration is doing so much for the betterment of the village.

(Click photos to enlarge. E-mail: Homeinthehuddle@AOL.com.)