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.)

Highway Project report - Mon. 10:20

Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at 9:14!


The village is so quiet! I think that the only noise - such as it is - is coming from lawnmowers whose owners want to get their lawns mown before it gets REALLY hot.

On Sanger Avenue there are only three crews working:

Power Line is installing what might be a (for lack of the technical term) Victorian lighting "control box" next to the bulletin board in the Park.
Powerline is also installing more lamp post bases in the vicinity of the Zirkle residence.
TIOGA continues sidewalk prep on the west side of Sanger Avenue.

And that's it!

Monday morning

AccuWeather shows a Weather Advisory for the Waterville Area: it's 70 degrees F., now, and it's going to be VERY HOT, today. (Remember: the new Library is a COOL place to be!)




Boston lost to Oakland 1 - 8 and the Yankees beat the White Sox 6 - 4 bringing them to just .5 games behind the RedSox.

The Waterville Village Board will meet at 7:00 P.M. in the Municipal Hall.

There will be a Key Power Line Hearing Tonight in New Hartford and a wide range of entertainments at Utica Monday Night.



When you drive through Waterville, today, notice the new facade on the New York Pizzeria.

If you're driving out Tower Street towards Oriskany Falls, you'll see that the new Pumilia residence is moving right along and that the new colors on the first "little house" after the Fallon residence are happy as can be!











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

More when it happens! Have a good day!

Sunday, all day.

By ten o'clock, there was so much activity at Firemen's Field, between the softball tournament, work in the "kitchen" and out at the BBQ pit (where it was already smelling awfully good!) there simply were no more parking spaces, anywhere!


(Click to enlarge.)
Out on East Main Street, the parking situation was the same. Doors were open at the Presbyterian Church where SouthGate Ministries was holding service, at Grace Episcopal Church, and the First Baptist Church.




The St. Bernard's Church parkinglots were full and, through the open doorway, just enough light shone on the beautiful altar to make it visible from the road.



St. Paul's Episcopal Church, up at Paris, was closed, but will be open for Eucharist at 4:00 on Sunday afternoons in August.


Midway between Waterville and Paris., we stopped at a new establishment - "Rancho Cerritos," an alpaca farm operated by Robert and Judy Reyes - chatted with Judy and met several of the twelve alpacas currently in residence. http://www.ranchocerritos.biz/


Keep watching! Judy said that three or four babies will be coming along, soon, and that she and Robert also plan on opening an Alpaca Goods shop in the little farm stand. (I had an alpaca scarf, once --- sooooo soft and warm --- I'll have to have some yarn to knit with next Winter!)



The alpacas are wonderfully cute and inquisitive but No, Father Tom: you cannot hug them!

Winding through the back roads over the hills and through the valleys, the views were pretty special.






Our Ride in the Country took us on a search for hollyhocks!
These are at the Brouillette Farm....


...and here's a clump in front of the Gray residence in "Dicksville."


The Keith Farm on Pleasant Valley Road has some of everything: plenty of hollyhocks but also these bright red "shirley" poppies. On the road between Hubbardsville and Poolville we came upon a garden plant that we'd never seen before:






a Thistle, obviously, but what sort!






Back in Waterville, the Field was full of activity. Rides were running, the food concession was busy and the softball tournament was still in progress. A happy wind-up to a successful Field Days, for sure!




E-mail: Homeinthehuddle@AOL.com

Sunday morning

69 degrees F. and lovely. The AccuWeather forecast predicts (oh so precisely!) Rain at 7 o'clock --- but, other than that, simply HOT for the rest of the day.





Softball players and their fans in Waterville will be happy, and both Yankee and RedSox fans are, also. The Yankees trounced Chicago 14 - 3 and Boston took Oakland 7 - 0.

At Fireman's Field in Waterville:

The Softball Tournament starts at 8:00 A.M.

Chicken BBQ at noon (but we've learned to get there early!!!)

Music by "Good Ole Boy" from noon 'til 4:00 and "GJ the DJ" until Field closing, at 8:00 P.M. sharp.

A few of Yesterday's Field Days photos - the only ones of which I can determine what the purpose was in taking them!

Had it been at the Fen or Yankee Stadium, they'd have pulled out the tarps, but not in Waterville! Under steady drizzle they continued to Play Ball! and their fans cheered them on.

(Click to enlarge.)

At just a few minutes past noon, this little girl was waiting for her ride on the "Merry Mixer" and we were giving Evelyn Gerhardt our orders. (She probably remembered what we wanted, without our asking!)




We positioned ourselves in front of Foodking and had a grand view of the Parade!



Mayor Younes got a great hand when he passed by, and when the crowd spotted the purple and gold emerging from Putnam Street they were on their feet, cameras in hand, ready to cheer!






Mary Zenon popped her head out the front door of "La Petite Maison" just at the right time!


E. Carter Stephenson and the Ambulance followed, and amongst the many displays by visiting Fire Departments, were West Winfield's engines: both old and new!









(Later today I'll look closely at the other photographs that I took and try to figure out WHY! In the meantime, Have a nice day!) E-mail: homeinthehuddle@aol.com