Saturday afternoon

What a great Day! Sunny, warm - perfect for any and all outdoor passtimes - or, for those who stayed inside to watch baseball, it was not bad either:






We're watching the sky, hoping that it stays clear for the earlier part of the evening as darkness falls so that we can sit outdoors and watch the Perseids!

We know where we're going tomorrow! It may be five days 'til the Bouckville Antique Show officially opens, but tents are going up, browsers gather and temptation calls!

Bbbbbrrrrrrrr!

It's a shivery Saturday morning! Not quite 44 degrees at 6 o'clock this morning. But Weather Underground gives us a mostly sunny Smiley-face and forecasts a great day!



Friends camping on Adirondack Lakes will want something warmer to wear than shorts and T-shirts when they take their coffee out to the shore to watch for loons in the morning mist!

And, by 8:00, physical therapist Tim Francisco, his brother and a friend will have set out from the ADK parkinglot east of Lake Placid and be on the trail leading to Algonquin and, hopefully, making the ascent to the 5,114' summit - second highest of the Adirondack Mountains - before it gets too warm. Their day's hike will also bag Iroquois and Wright peaks - a good little day-scoot, for sure!

Algonquin as seen from Iroquois

Baseball fans feel the temperature rising: with the Redsox taking the first game in their series with Baltimore 9-2 and the Yankees dropping their opener against the Angels 4 - 7, all eyes and ears will be on the Fenway on Friday afternoon when the five game series between the home team and the NYY starts at 1:05 p.m. Of course, alot can happen between now and then!



To be continued.

Friday afternoon Wrap-up

I don't think it rained at all, today; I never saw a rainbow, but here on Tower Street I found a veritable Pot o' Gold!

It was unusually quiet all along Main Street and Sanger Avenue.

The brick pavers and sidewalk along the North side of West Main Street were being swept and scrubbed --- perhaps in preparation for the application, next week, of the mysterious "sealer" that everyone says will make the red bricks look browner.







On Sanger Avenue, a TIOGA crew was working to smooth driveways from the sidewalk onto private property by carving out four inches or more of existing surface and filling in with gravel, soil, boards or hot mix.

I had a chance to talk with TIOGA's Jack Bennett, this morning, and he gave me a rough schedule of what's going to happen, when: watch next for more topsoil and either "Hydroseed" application or sod (I think everyone hoped that they'd seen the last of the Hydroseed operation!) and for the "milling" of Route 12 pavement. Final surface paving may not take place until after Labor Day and only when that's finished will the new traffic signals be activated.



At the Library, Paul, Travis and Amanda had just about finished organizing all of the book sale contributions into categories: alot of categories; alot of books!

BOOK SALE starts Monday morning at 10:00!

As always, watercolorist W. Ralph Murray has donated a painting to be raffled off as a benefit to the Library. It's one of his peaceful Winter scenes; quite large and beautifully framed. I was unable to take a photograph that didn't show some reflections, but I hope that this picture will give you an idea of just how lovely the work is.
Raffle tickets: $1.00 each or 3 for $2.00.



We'll take the day off, tomorrow - unless something really newsworthy happens - but will be back with a late-Sunday afternoon report on our weekly "Ride in the Country."

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

Friday!

49.3 degrees and Brrrrisk! (especially on the feet, if you're used to going out for the newspaper barefoot!) but sunny! Weather Underground's figures for today:




WKTV News Channel 2's forecast. " .... on Friday, highs will struggle to get to 70. In fact, most locations will remain in the mid 60s on Friday afternoon. It will be slightly breezy as well. Sun and some clouds will be the rule.

On Friday night, skies clear out and temperatures will tumble. Lows on Friday night will be into the 40s, perhaps close to record territory. The record low is 46, and we're forecasting 45, so it will be close. Outlying areas will fall into the low 40, with a few locations possibly as cool as the upper 30s! Chilly for August!

It gets better from here though. Saturday and Sunday will be gorgeous. Wall to wall sunshine and highs in the low 70s Saturday and mid, perhaps upper 70s on Sunday! A perfect weekend to get outside!"



Both the Yankees and the Sox lost; standings stay the same.





Perfect weather, now that it's a little cooler, for an afternoon or evening at Glimmerglass Opera. Or ride down to Sherburne, to see the Sherburne Music Theater Society's performances of "The Wizard of Oz," at 8:00, tonight and tomorrow at the Sherburne-Earlville High School.






Before we head uptown to see where the "action" is, here's the answer to Mrs. Desany's long-distance question: "What and where is 'Stinkers'?"



And a thought from yesterday morning:

I spotted several stalks of "Great Blue Lobelia" (Lobelia siphilitica) blooming in a soggy ditch next to the road from Oriskany Falls to Solsville.

Not as flashy, tall or rare as the Cardinal Flower,(Lobelia cardinalis) it's still eye-catching!



(Click to enlarge Snapz and Photographs. E-mail: Homeinthehuddle@AOL.com)

Thusday wrap-up

Beside the excitement over the lamp post on East Main Street, word that new plantings are in place at the Library has drawn people to that corner of the village, as well.



There is a great deal of new shrubbery, including hydrangeas and - I'm told - Rose of Sharon, as well as Gloriosa Daisies and Daylilies with many more varieties to come.

Quite early, today - before the business of the Lamp Post came up - I drove through Bouckville. "How different," I thought, "it will be a week from now!" I could easily maintain the 40MPH speed limit, this morning: next week traffic will move at a snail's pace! Just a few vendors have arrived and set up shop (or camp) on the edges of fields and the main display area is marked with stakes as far as you can see. It will be spectacular - as always!

Congratulations to Registered Nurse Lynne Gaiser!

and

Happy Birthday to Jennifer Sexton!

Street Lamp's Up!!

(Click to enlarge Photographs.)

The sample Victorian Street Lamp is up! (and it didn't take motorists but a minute or two to see what was going on and come to a not-quite-screeching slow-down!)

This post is the shorter of the two heights on order -- 10' -- and is the size that will be installed in the Park and along Sanger Avenue.
Throughout the business district, the poles will be 12' tall and have "banner arms."

The lamp unit itself is three-and-a-half feet tall.

The color of our lamp posts will be a pleasantly antique shade called "Verde Green."

Thursday morning

55.4 degrees; blue sky with puffy clouds, but Weather Underground predicts a chance of a thunderstorm and 33% chance of precipitation.



In MLB Standings, the gap widens!



Off to take an early ride uptown to take a picture of the "new" New York Pizzeria!
This photo was taken on July 5th.

and then on July 17th,

and these two - Today!

Thank You, Frankie and Rosa!

Wednesday Sweep

They're here!

The TRAFFIC SIGNALS at the junction of Routes 12 and 315 have been hung!
I couldn't find out when they are due to be activated but it will no doubt happen when no one's watching!

Cindy's CORN STAND is open!!

Elsewhere:

1. It looks as if every single driveway on the Western side of Sanger Avenue has been poured.
2. The entire length of sidewalk has been poured except for the last segment which will meet Park Place.
3. Sidewalk forms are in place in front of Stewart's and along the East side of the Swanberg Home on Stafford Avenue.
4. At least three imperfect blocks of sidewalk pavement on the South side of East Main Street are being removed and replaced.
5. Today was Mr. Dan Kentile's last day on the job. I shook hands with him, wished him well and asked who I should pick on from now on: he said "Bob!"
   

On tomorrow's schedule: "Jimmy D. and the Big Pickle" from 7:00 - 10:00 at "Michael's."

No college text books or National Geographics, please! But the Library will accept all other donations for the ANNUAL BOOK SALE which begins on Monday!

Wednesday morning ride-around

Mexcon's moving right along, this morning. They were pouring a driveway at #188 Sanger Avenue; several more had the grids in place, and it appeared that the sidewalk reached nearly to the corner of Park Place.




While Mr. Woodman's Park Place driveway was being prepped for paving, work resumed on the steps in front of the Woodman-Getman Law Offices,







and both of the tall black towers that will support the Traffic Signal are being wired.




The Rose of Sharon and Gloriosa Daisies in the side garden at St. Bernard's Catholic Church were bright, in the sunshine,














and Hop Vine in the back yard, there, is going to be filled with fine blossoms in a few weeks!


Throughout the village and down Route 12 to Sangerfield runners and walkers were out enjoying the almost-chilly morning.
If there was ever any question about the reason for a sidewalk all the way to Sangerfield, all anyone has to do is watch for a few minutes: someone will come smiling by!

Wednesday

It's a refreshing 50 degrees, at 6:00 A.M., with nice bright sunshine!

Last evening's forecast by WKTV Channel 2's Matt Lanza went like this: "This will be the coolest night since early-mid June. Also, with a full moon, it will be bright out there!
But on Wednesday, we'll bring back the sun again from start to finish. It will be a little milder too, as high temperatures should push 80 degrees. After another cool night on Wednesday night, a cold front will approach us from the north."

WeatherUnderground gets specific:



Baseball fans are blue: the Yankees lost to the White Sox 6 - 5 and Boston lost to the K. C. Royals 6 - 4, so the standing stay the same with Boston 2 G.B.



Many blog-followers live quite some distance from Waterville, and ask for more "Before & After" pictures!



(Click to enlarge Snapz and Photographs.)


On East Main Street - April 2005 and July 2006.





The 1906 Watering Trough is now IN the park - moved on one very cold day in January - but now surrounded by a nice walkway. -

Tuesday wrap-up

One mystery solved: the work in progress at opposite corners of Main Street and Babbott Avenue involves the removal and replacement of cracked and/or chipped pieces of curbing!

While searching for the picture of Mrs. Davis, ths morning, I came across one dated Aug. 4, 2005, showing Hutchings Tree Service pruning the ancient elm tree in front of the old library. At that time, no one gave a "plug nickel" for its chances but, a year later, here it is! Given close scrutiny, there are a few dead-looking twiggy things in the center of the crown and a touch of yellowing along one of those twigs: whether or not this is serious, time will tell.



And just a year ago, the Main Street Committee was wondering if they could possibly raise enough money to put Victorian lamps along Main Street! Well, they have! The sample light fixture arrived at Municipal Hall yesterday; the pole was due in sometime today and, within the next few days, a LAMP POST should be on display somewhere in the village. Watch for it! (Bear in mind that "our" lamp posts will be of a color called "Verde Green" - not black --- but the lamp fixture itself is as shown and is, really, absolutely appropriate to the style of architecture throughout the village.) In all, there will be eighty lamps installed: on both sides of Main street from the Fire House to Monument Park and then on the East side of Sanger Avenue as far as the Village Limits with nine lamps in the Park itself.

Mexcon, Inc. worked its way Northward on Sanger Avenue, today: the sidewalk nearly reaches Park Place and several more driveways were poured.

Pavers have been laid from Main Street onto Tower in front of the little old schoolhouse and now are being installed along the curvy sidewalk on the point of Monement Park.

Plans for Saturday? Remember the Annual MARSHALL TOWPATH RUN AND WALK. Everything starts at 9:00 behind the Marshall Town Hall! Chicken BBQ at 11:00 (Best to order ahead by phoning 841-4879) and then zip back to the American Legion in Sangerfield for the BENEFIT for little Riley Diehl!

Tuesday

WKTV New Channel 2's Adam Musyt headlines his morning weather forecast with this question: "A Preview of Autumn?"
Today: Plenty of sun. Less humid and pleasant with a breeze. High 75.
Tonight: Fair and cool. Low in the 40's to lower 50's.

And Weather Underground concurs:



Neither the Yankee nor the Redsox played, last night, and so - in lieu of baseball scores - we bring you a new sports score challenge!

How much do we really know about BICYCLE RACING? It's been in the news a great deal, recently, for both good and bad reasons. The reason that Watervillians should know more about the sport is that there are at least three up-and-coming young racers right here in town! I asked one of their parents to tell me about a race that they competed in on Sunday, and received the following:

(Oh - the first thing to know is what a peloton is: that is a French word for the main group of riders in a race, often riding one behind the other to shelter in each other's draft.) (And it's also the root word for "platoon"!)

The main Peloton

Patrick and Alex Meszler, Scott Bancroft (all of Waterville) and Ryan Diehl (cousin of the Bancrofts and co-worker of Patrick's at Guy's Bike shop, of Madison) all participated in the Rome Circuit and Concrete Crit yesterday at the former Griffiss Airforce Base.

Alex, Scott and Ryan competed in the cat 5/beginner race. They each performed remarkably well for what was each of their first race! Ryan finished 1st and Alex was 6th in the state one circuit race. This was an 8 mile race.

Alex and Ryan also competed in the stage 2 criterium. This comprised of a .6 mile loop that they had to do 10 times. Ryan finished 3rd and Alex finished 5th. Ryan received the overall award of first place in his division. The amazing thing is that these two 14/15 year olds were competing with adults!

Patrick competed with the cat 4/5 racers. In the circuit race he finished right in the front of the pack at 8th. They traversed the same course as the beginners, but they did it 3 times making it a 24 mile race.


Patrick also rode the .6 criterium track 25 loops. Due to low numbers of cat 1/2/3 racers (pros) they combined the fields for all of the Sr. Racers. This no doubt was the reason why the pace was reached an amazing 40mph on the back straights. The pace proved a little too much for the majority of the cat 4/5's and in the end there was less than half the field remaining on the track. (once you are lapped you are out of the race.) Patrick didn't feel too bad about his performance since he was in a pace line with two cat 4's and a cat 3 when they were lapped.

The Meszler boys are headed to the Canal Classic next weekend! (I found this map on the internet: please correct me if I have the wrong "Canal Classic" route! This seems extremely --- well -- um --- "demanding," to say the least!)

(Click to enlarge Photographs.)

Other sportsmen out for exercise, this week, are paddlers - aiming for the "orange bridge" in Hubbardsville. Their goal will not be how far they can paddle in what shortened length of time, but how many clusters of Cardinal Flower they'll see along the banks of the Sangerfield River in Nine Mile Swamp.

JPEG file dated 1998. Could be older?

Monday final

While nothing seemed to have been happening in front of the Woodman Getman Law Offices to advance the installation of the stairs, Mexcon, Inc. was working its way Northward along Sanger Avenue. By 4:00 P.M. sidewalks had been poured as far as #188 and it looked if all but one driveway had been poured from Roc's Dairy Creme to the Hudson residence.

Something strange is going on at the corner of Babbott and Main on both North and South sides of the highway. It appears that portions of curbing have been removed on opposite corners, but a reason for that is yet to be seen.



Some topsoil or sand was delivered to the point of Monument Park: more likely the sand which is used as a base for brick pavers.








And - North of the Village - the clump of Cardinal Flower that many have been watching for is now in bloom. It's precise location is kept a secret by those who watch for it every year for fear that someone with less appreciation for its rarity will think it would look nice in their garden!

It got a little bit steamy, this afternoon, but the cool-down is already under way.

Have a nice evening!

And more again!

Here is the AGENDA for tonight's
Village Board Meeting.

1. 7 PM call to order; Pledge of Allegiance
2. Audit of Expense Abstract #08-07-06 for payment approval
3. Purchase Order requests
4. Approve minutes of the 7/17/2006 meeting
5. Open bids for SIDEWALK PROJECT
6. Decision on LAMP POST BIDS
7. Public Participation; a. Ed Townsend/Gerda Mortelette (old library)
8. Dept. Head Reports:

• a. Clerk-Treasurer;
• b. Supt. of Public Works;
• c. Code Enforcement Officer;
• d. Fire Department;
• e. Village Attorney

9. Trustee Reports
10. Mayor's Report
11 Adjournment. Next Meeting August 21st.

More on Monday

Teary Goodbyes: to Nao Arito, our Rotary Exchange Student, who leaves to return to her home in Nagasaki, Japan, today. The parent of one of Nao's clasmates said, "We have all been blessed to have her here with us!"

- and to Peter Wilcox, who had been the pharmacist at CVS for a good ten years. He has been snatched away from us by a drugstore in Clinton, where he lives. (Since there are only two drugstores in Clinton and one is a CVS, we can deduce that he will be behind the counter at Kinney's new store.) We'll miss him a great deal!

Two more photographs from the Sunday "Ride in the Country:"


Beardslee Castle was especially eye-catching, hung with the deep green "drapery" and orange blossoms of Trumpet Vine.



Catching sight of this field of wheat (oats?) we stopped to take a careful look at the way they were stacked and to debate whether the arrangements were called "sheaves" or "shocks."



A websearch yielded this informative article and the answer: yes - they are both "sheaves" and "shocks." - small bundles (sheaves) standing teepee-style and topped off with two more sheaves laid crosswise for a protective "roof," all resulting in a "shock." We don't know who raised or harvested the crop, which we found somewhat west of Nelliston, but the technique was as interesting to us as it must have been to Vincent van Gogh in 1885.

Good Monday Morning!

It's about 66 degrees; blue sky with puffy clouds. There was a brief thunderstorm during the night but - in Waterville, at least - the thunder and lightning weren't severe nor was the precipitation what anyone would call "torrential."

WKTV News Channel 2's Adam Musyt describes today's forecast as "Just Dandy!"

Today: Clouds and sun. A shower or storm or two, especially this afternoon. High 80-85.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Fog after midnight. Low in the upper 50's.
Tuesday: Early morning clouds and fog, otherwise sunny. Cooler with a high in the mid 70's.

And - if you're a Yankee fan - everything's "just dandy" in New York, too!

Yesterday's "Ride in the Country" took longer than we'd planned! We headed eastward, as we said we would, along Route 20, aiming for the community of Sharon Springs where, back in 1988, Mrs. Desany, Mrs. Davis and I had gone to explore the old hotels and "take the waters." (We did plenty of exploring, yesterday, but we did NOT "Take the waters:" it must be an acquired taste!)

We had to make a couple of stops along the way:



Just West of West Winfield, on the South side of Route 20, there's a low meadow filled with purple loosestrife that gives the appearance of a Heavenly-sized can of purple paint having been spilled.



In East Springfield, a tiny "Antique Shop" that always draws a treasure hunters eye was as crammed as ever with items that I'd never wanted but couldn't resist. A sign, however, declared the business closed and the building SOLD: I'll miss it!

And, just across from the "Teepee," we always have to stop and look at the Northward view.



Reaching Sharon Springs, we turned left on Route 10 and began the curvy downhill ride through the famous old Spa.









Several of the smaller old buildings have been nicely refurbished within the last few years, and the American Hotel is a fine example of those efforts and has become a very popular restaurant.
Twenty informative plaques have been placed along Main Street showing 19th century views of structures and providing pertinent historical facts. Even the story behind the plaques is interesting and could be especially so to the Waterville Historical Society!

But to get back to the tour. As recently as twenty years ago, Main Street was crowded in the Summertime.
Yesterday it was deserted except for three elderly couples strolling slowly past the Imperial Baths, reminiscing, perhaps, about those busy years, and aiming toward the Spring.



The lovely "Magnesia Temple" is on private property. We didn't trespass.



We took a rough, ill-maintained roadway to the old, neglected ADLER Hotel remembering that the late Steven Gates used to spend time during the Summers playing the piano, here, in the diningroom and wondering if the building could, in fact, ever be restored.


The Adler and the Imperial Baths are, according to an article on page 4 of the current issue of the "Route 20 Pulse," two of five impressive structures that ARE going to be restored by a group of "investors" from New York who intend to spend approximately $33 million to create an "international health spa" there! That will be fun to watch!!

(Click to enlarge Photographs. E-mail" Homeinthehuddle@AOL.com)

"Ride in the Country"

Just received from our former Buell Avenue neighbor, Jean Desany, three 1988 photographs which inspire us to drive eastward.




Do you know where they were taken?

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

Sunday morning

Yesterday was a grand, blue-sky day, that started with a Saturday Surprise: Nannette, up at the top of the hill on Route 315, and a TIOGA crew replacing a catch basin (She laughed at our confusion, but reassured us that we hadn't "lost it," completely!)..........



............. and included a dandy Saturday Treat:



eight-year-old Iain Methe and his parents came from Ballston Lake to spend the day doing what kids of all ages like to do in the Summer: play in "Big Creek!"

The weather this morning is equally fine: about 54 degrees and clear,


and we'll be off for our "Ride in the Country."