Along the Ausable

Gargoyle Joke

2012-02-14T08:13:00.005-05:00

What do you call a gargoyle with goggles?

Goggoyle. Ha!

The real question is, will the gargoyles actually need goggles this winter? Last year they were buried in snow and could have used them.

With over a month left to winter, let's hope the gargoyles and their goggles get hit with some snow!

Next Chapter

2012-01-25T09:11:00.013-05:00

After months of hard work, the Wells Memorial Library will be open once again this Saturday at 11 a.m., January 28. As our Board president, Marie Anne has said, "We are five months overdue."

Many of you know the library did not fair well from Tropical Storm Irene. As it turns out, three feet of water on the main floor of a library is not a good thing and when that river water finally recedes and leaves you caked in mud, you have a major problem.

Having lost a large portion of the collection and needing to make extensive repairs to the library, reopening seemed impossible. However, the amount of support that was received has been astonishing. Neighbors, friends and others in the community lent a hand when they could and book and monetary donations rolled in from across the globe. The generosity of so many has been overwhelming and we feel extremely fortunate. Thankfully, we are seeing books on the shelves again and it is truly heartwarming.

Please come visit us and check out a book. If you happen to be along the Ausable this Saturday from 1-3 p.m., join us at a reception to celebrate the Wells Memorial Library's next chapter.

Vegetarian Bird Suet

2012-01-18T11:44:00.005-05:00

Winter has finally arrived with below zero temps and I find myself wanting to help out the birds as much as possible. Recently I went to buy some suet and was surprised when I looked at the ingredients on the back and saw that beef was on the list. I had never seen a bird dining on cow before and so I put the suet back and thought I'd figure out how to make my own.

After researching how to make suet, I have come to the conclusion that I am far from being an ornithologist and knowing what's best for the birds in my yard. As it turns out, suet is also known as beef fat and can be safely fed to birds.

However, there was no turning back. I was not going to return to the store to buy the suet, I would make my own. I found an easy recipe and had most of the ingredients at home:

4 tbsp crisco

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp polenta

3 tbsp quick oats

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp chopped sunflower seeds

2 tbsp chopped raisins

I melted the crisco, peanut butter and sugar in a pyrex cup in the microwave. Meanwhile, I combined the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl and then poured the melted ingredients on top and stirred it all together. Then I took my suet holder and figured out an approximate shape to press the ingredients into a dish.

This all went into the fridge for the night so it could solidify. Once it hardened up, it was super easy to place it inside the suet feeder. I think it took all of five minutes for the birds to discover their homemade treat and now I can watch them enjoy it from the warmth of our living room.

I just hope they like my variety more than the neighbor's. Now, what should I do with the rest of that polenta?

Junk In My Trunk

2012-01-14T18:51:00.008-05:00

We had put off the chore of taking the garbage to the dump for over a month. I should point out that it is much easier to get away with this in the winter because the garbage freezes and maggots don't form. Alas, the guilt formulated and began to hover over the garbage, so it was time.

Drew was off doing his own thing so he left the task up to me. This was a mistake. As I pulled up to the dumpster, I spotted a lamp. A lamp with a pottery base that just happened to match the decor of our living room. Upon my first inspection, I saw that it was sitting on top of a table and was oddly screwed into it. I contemplated the lamp and threw the first 2 bags into the bin. I spun around and Jim was already getting his tools out to make sure the lamp went home with me.

He told me how easy it would be to re-wire the lamp when we saw the cord had been cut. I hadn't looked to see if it was functional. I had only thought about where to find the perfect lamp shade for it, but I guess I'll be looking into becoming an electrician too. As the lamp made it to the back of my trunk, I had a few more bags to toss.

Just when I was throwing the last of the trash in, a man unloaded from his minivan an old milk can and put it to the side. Jim gave me a wink. This too would be mine.

I'm not a fan of the previous owner's paint job, but it's nothing a can of spray paint in the right color can't fix, right? Do you see where I'm going with this? I should probably not go to the dump alone or I'll end up with more junk in my trunk than I started with.

Dodgeball Fun?

2012-01-10T08:16:00.005-05:00

After reading last night's edition of the Jay Community News, I paused after seeing the announcement inviting teams or players to join the fun in the upcoming Dodgeball Tournament this February.

I immediately had flashbacks to high school gym class and thought of the anxiety that would fill me as soon as the teacher announced we would be playing dodgeball. Balls scared me, I was a runner. For a 90 pound weakling, I was always an easy target and could rarely avoid being hit.

I can tell you right now that when I was thinking about my new year's resolutions, getting over my fear of dodgeball was not on the list. A quiet, peaceful activity such as learning the art of Origami in 2012 was on the list. So, if I do attend the tournament this year, I will be the one in the bleachers making Origami cranes and I promise you that if I throw one at you, it probably won't hurt.

Robo's Craft Beer

2011-12-24T19:11:00.007-05:00

The Sunoco station in Lake Placid otherwise known as "Robo Mart" now offers the craft beer exchange. For the last month or so, I had noticed the sign whenever I had stopped to get gas.

For years, Robo was always my go to place after work if I wanted to pick up a special beer, like my favorite Samuel Smith. Now you can go there and put together your own craft beer 6-pack or have a growler filled up with fresh, draft beer.

So, when Drew called me at work on Christmas Eve asking to bring home some beer, I knew I'd stop by Robo and treat him to a growler. I should mention that you get a free growler with one beer fill.

There were twelve different beers on tap and I had a hard time deciding what to bring home, but ended up getting Magic Hat's Winter Howl for him. Being able to have someone fill a growler at a gas station almost makes the task of getting gas something to look forward to. Fill 'er up at Sunoco now has a new meaning.

M & M Diner

2011-12-15T18:26:00.005-05:00

The other night my friend and I went to the M & M Diner for a bite to eat. I was looking forward to eating at the diner because at this time of year it is decked out for the holidays and it feels like you've stepped back in time with all the vintage decorations.

They always run a special of the day, I personally love Chicken and Biscuit night, but we veered away from the meal du jour. Even before we arrived Susanna knew what she wanted to eat, a turkey club sandwich on rye sans tomato. She would have liked french fries, but they only had homemade available and she prefers the frozen ones, so she went with the onion rings.

She thought her sandwich was, "Delicious, really good... their turkey clubs are my favorite and I've eaten a lot of turkey clubs in my day."

I ordered an egg salad sandwich and thought it was good with a faint taste of mustard. We also shared a piece of marble cake with chocolate frosting.

The only problem with sharing a piece of cake at the M&M Diner is that the frosting is so good, you'll want your partner to want more cake than frosting and you might secretly angle the slice in your favor. However, 'tis the season to give so I let her have the side with the frosting. We shall see how well we share next time.

Annual Free Tree

2011-12-13T16:50:00.003-05:00

We spent the afternoon walking around an undisclosed property along the Ausable searching for a Christmas tree to add a little holiday cheer. Yes, we were permitted to cut this gem down from the secret forest.

I'm thinking there are slightly more branches than last year's tree. After adding lights and decorations, Charlie Brown ain't got nothing on us!

Gargoyle Hats

2011-12-10T20:14:00.006-05:00

Recent studies have debunked the myth that 'you lose most of your body heat through your head'. In reality, you lose no more than 10 percent. The rate of heat loss is roughly the same for any exposed body part not just the head.

What does this mean for stone-cold Gargoyles?

Gargoyle or human, to reduce heat loss when the temperature is cold, get yourself a cozy hat.

Artist?

2011-11-30T17:59:00.003-05:00

There are some things in my travels that I often ponder, some longer than others. This odd sculpture sits just above the sidewalk on Saranac Avenue.

K. Cole Artist?

The bust always seems to grab my attention when I drive by the Paradox Lodge in Lake Placid, but I usually forget about it as soon as I turn into Hannaford's parking lot and start grocery shopping. However, the other day I finally stopped to take a picture and put a little more thought into it. After looking at it up close, it reminded me of a ceramic head I made in high school art class and wished that I hadn't left it in my parents basement for years. An act that ultimately led to its demise in some landfill. So shameful and now every time I drive by, I feel guilty about not treasuring my own art work and finding a nice place for it in our garden.

A Little Bit of Brooklyn

2011-11-26T18:54:00.015-05:00

Recently I had one of my childhood bff's swing by for a brief visit before Thanksgiving. He always seems to visit during the shoulder season when not a whole lot is going on and I can never figure out what to do with him, not that it really matters because no matter what, there is always laughter.

This time was no exception. After meeting for lunch in Lake Placid we headed back to my house and I showed him the two additions to our home in the last year, saloon doors and the Soda Stream. Many of my friends own a Soda Stream and share the love of the seltzer, but if like Phil you have been hiding under a rock, you must watch this:

He immediately wanted a demonstration and after his first few sips he suggested we make egg creams. I had never tasted an egg cream before and he informed me that it contains neither eggs or cream. All we needed was the Soda Stream to make our soda water, milk, and chocolate syrup to create the fizzy beverage.

Although the fountain drink is highly associated with Brooklyn, you can make it anywhere, even along the Au Sable. His father was from the Bronx and that never stopped him from treating his kids to an old fashioned egg cream.

Phil was in charge of mixing the drink for us and used the following recipe: equal parts milk and seltzer (about 1/2 cup each) and three big squeezes of chocolate syrup. He tested it out before serving it.

When I asked him what the verdict was, he said, "It's not the best thing in the world." Drew said, "sure, sure." After a couple more gulps it turned into, "yeah, good." Always an optimist and not wanting to hurt Sal the Soda Stream's feelings, I thought it was okay but it would probably have been better if we weren't using 1% milk and tap water. Or maybe, just maybe we needed to follow a previously tested recipe? Phil admitted that he remembers feeling obligated as a kid to liking egg creams because it was considered a treat.

Bad egg cream or good, it's always a treat to see my pal Phil.

The Future of a Mansion

2011-11-17T17:40:00.017-05:00

On Monday, November 21, 2011, the historic Wellscroft Lodge, a tudor mansion will be sold to the highest bidder in Collar City's bankruptcy real estate auction.

The mansion built in Upper Jay in 1903 was sold in the 1940s due to financial troubles after the Depression and has had several owners since. Unfortunately, the most recent owners have had the same misfortune and the future of Wellscroft remains unknown.

As a tween, a popular fortune game that my friends and I played was called M.A.S.H., which stood for Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House.

You would list as the picture above shows; four different cars, four boys, four jobs, and number of future children. Then you would make a squiggly or spiral in the center of the box until your friend said "Stop!" and you would then count the lines and that would be the number you would use to go around the box, crossing selections off until you only had one in each category.

If you ended up with a shack, you obviously had no future, even if you landed on lawyer for your job. A mansion was the best thing to get. For sure. Who wouldn't want the mansion?

The other day when I was walking around the Wellscroft mansion during a preview with my husband, I couldn't help but think about the fortune game again and how his name was never, not once on any of my M.A.S.H. games. I also realized how wrong I was about ever wanting a mansion because when I walked into one room and called his name, I couldn't find him. That fortune game never told me that some day I'd be much more comfortable in an 1100 square foot home as opposed to a 17,000 + sq. ft. mansion. M.A.S.H. predicted nothing accurately, but honestly I'm happy with how things have turned out.

Question Quest?

2011-11-15T16:27:00.014-05:00

Have you been to Wilmington, New York before? Have you seen this sculpture along the Ausable river? Do you know where in Wilmington it is? Who is the artist?

I know where it is, do you? Which business with a "?" sign do you think can answer my question? If anyone will know it will be someone at Wilmington Visitor Information, don't you think that's a good place to start?

That's funny they are usually open Monday - Friday from 8 - 3:30 pm, I wonder why they would be closed on a Tuesday at 1:30 pm? Maybe I'll walk across the street, do you think the pizza man will know?

What did he say? Turns out Bob said, "I've lived here my whole life and I've never seen that, do you want to go for a walk and show me?" Who else would know? Do you think that T & T will know the answer?

Wait, what? Why is T & T closed on Tuesdays and Sundays? Okay, where is the next question mark? I thought I remembered seeing a ? sign at the Adirondack Holiday Lodge, did I imagine it there?

Here it goes, Have you seen this sculpture before? "No, where is it? Is that something to put the chairlift on?" Do you think the motel across the street will know?

They might know, but why is Mel's Diner closed and why is there a sign at the Green Mountain Lodge saying that they are closed for the winter season 2011/2012?

There is only one more ? sign left in all of Wilmington to ask, will the Little Supermarket have the answer to my question?

I showed a picture and asked Jami the pizza and deli goddess, do you know where this is? She asked me, "Is it at the beach or is it near the lift chair near the bridge?"

Wait, is that customer the manager of the Candy Man looking it up on her smart phone? Did she discover anything on google? No she didn't, but that makes me question why the Candy Man Store doesn't have a ? sign, why don't they? I wonder if the 90 year old that just came in to buy her 2% milk and newspaper that has had a home in Wilmington since 1945 will know? What was her response? "Oh my heaven! I have no idea, I've never seen it before, what is it?"

I think I got the Little Supermarket ladies on the case, will they be able to come up with the answer? Wait, what was my question again?

RIP Rosa

2011-10-29T14:19:00.010-04:00

It has been an emotional week. My beloved car Rosa's little body couldn't take it any longer and was put out to pasture. On her final journey along the Ausable this morning, we shared one last song on the radio together, Bust A Move.

I don't think there could ever be a better farewell song for a car like Rosa. She moved all the way to her final resting place.

I leave you with the last picture from our final photo shoot today next to a phone booth in Keeseville.

R.I.P. Rosa, Honda Civic LX, 1997 - 2011

Auto Repair Sign

2011-10-18T09:24:00.012-04:00

Imagine for a moment that your nickname is Al or to some, Big Al and then picture yourself in a happy mood listening to music at the Recovery Lounge and having a slight buzz. Now keeping all of this in mind, you notice a sign in a corner of the basement that says, "Cal's Auto Repair." You inquire about the sign and someone tells you that you can take it. For free.

Jump ahead a few months, the monstrous sign is in your garage and you start thinking winter is around the corner and it would be nice to park your car inside. So, you drag the giant sign outside and clean it and ponder the name Cal. Cal not Al.

Next thing you know, you see your husband getting out the blow torch and a razor blade and starts focusing his energy on the letter, C. After only a few minutes, the C is gone. You now have a white spot in front of Al's. Then, as any Fine Arts major would do, you get out the art supplies.

You discover the best way to blend the white into the aged sign is by using a combination of colored pencils and the Milk Yellow and Golden Ochre oil pastels with a paper towel. Your neighbor stands above you shaking her head and you find yourself taking pride in your work.

Then, the moment you had been waiting for arrives and you are standing inside your garage with your husband admiring your new sign, Al's Auto Repair.

After all that, you can finally pull your car into the garage. It's just too bad there's no Al that can actually do any auto repair that lives there.

The Breakfast Club

2011-10-12T09:57:00.010-04:00

Last week we had friends come to visit. Since they used to live here and are familiar with all the restaurant choices, we decided to try a place that none of us had been to before and dined at the Breakfast Club in Lake Placid.

All I knew about this place was that they served more than just breakfast despite the name and they had a large selection of Bloody Mary's to choose from. We went for lunch after going for a hike so we were hungry.

Amy and I ordered a couple of drinks, while the boys decided to rehydrate with water.

Amy described her Raspberry Blush Mimosa as "a tangy, bubbly fruit drink." I had the BC Bloody Mary and was impressed with the pickle, olive and celery stick it was served with. I liked it, but thought it had too much worcestershire and spiciness in it for my tastes. Amy liked the Bloody Mary a lot and said, "I love salt and I love pickle juice, why wouldn't I like this drink?" I found this surprising because she usually doesn't like spicy, but this had a kick to it that she thought was delicious.

Drew ordered the Maple Balsamic Chicken salad and Chris had the Crab Cake sandwich.

Either they were too busy cleaning their plates or they just don't think they could get a word in with Amy and I, because when I asked them how they liked their meals, they simply said, "It's good."

I ordered the Turkey, Apple and Brie French Toast Sandwich. I thought the sandwich had a nice, mellow taste and probably should have paired it with a mimosa rather than a spicy Bloody Mary.

Amy had the Smoked Salmon Bene and thought that it was "easy to eat and the flavors blended well."

We were all members of the Clean Plate Club at the Breakfast Club and we all said we would come back, so I think that's the best way to sum it up.

I know I'd like to go back some time this fall for one of their Wednesday 80's movie nights. Tasty drinks and an old flick like Goonies or Weird Science, yes please! Now, if I can just get Amy to fly back to join me. I'm pretty sure my sister, a total 80's fan, would like this place too!

Up A Creek

2011-10-09T18:02:00.005-04:00

Just out of curiosity, if you were opening a restaurant in a building known for a recent wave of temporary businesses, would you dare name it Up A Creek?

Me? Not so much. According to the Urban Dictionary, "up a creek" an adjective "is the same as up shit creek, which means to be in trouble with no solution." For example, I was up a creek when the bill collector came.

I hope the owner's didn't jinx themselves when they named their restaurant. Best of luck to Up a Creek, may there be nothing behind the name and your business will last longer than the ones that came before you.

Where Have I Been?

2011-10-06T19:58:00.005-04:00

Exploring new slides.

Where is this one you ask? I'm afraid I can't tell you because my husband barely told me.

Phone Booth Saved

2011-09-20T14:36:00.006-04:00

When I had Drew turn the car around in the A&W driveway this afternoon, I wanted to inspect a wooden kiosk structure that I thought I had seen a phone inside at the North Pole Campground. I was thinking maybe I should be easier on other structures that could be defined as a booth for using a phone. I shouldn't be so strict about my idea of a phone booth, I mean it could include other kiosks, stalls, or cubicles.

Right when I was about to adjust my expectations, there 50 feet away of the questionable phone kiosk, I spotted an actual phone booth! Do you see it? It's right next to the garage in the background. I felt like I was having an out of body experience seeing it. It was hiding from me all this time.

How could it be that I've driven this road a couple thousand times and have never seen this phone booth just off the road? I know for a fact that even on one occasion I ran by it while exploring the campground.

It is a very well maintained phone booth and has been painted a nice shade of green to match the trim of the buildings in the resort. To top it off, it works. I heard a dial tone. Did I call anyone from it? No, I was caught up in the excitement of finding a phone booth I never even knew about and didn't even think about making a call at the time. As any modern lady would do, I used my cell phone to take a picture of it and then sent it to my email address.

I talked to the owner of the campground and told him to never let anyone take it away from him. He said, "Don't worry, I own it. The company that installed the phones let me buy it from them and now they're bankrupt. No one will take it from me." That is wonderful news, one more phone booth saved from extinction.

Falling Sidewalk Update

2011-09-20T14:22:00.004-04:00

Last week I managed to make the sidewalk fall. The town was quick to respond and is giving pedestrians plenty of warning about the safety of the sidewalk.

Where the Sidewalk Falls

2011-09-16T18:24:00.007-04:00

As a child, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein was one of my favorites.

The poems and drawings inside were brilliant and always made my mind wonder if such things could actually happen. Nah, never. It was all for fun.

Think again.

The other day as I was walking near the Covered Bridge, the sidewalk gave out. Yes. Little old me managed to break through the sidewalk. I did not fall to the center of the earth as you might be imagining right now, but mid-stride a cobble stone fell out and down to who knows where.

My left foot was on the sidewalk while my right foot and shin had been grabbed by the sidewalk. I had no idea what had happened because there was no hole for me to step in. It was true, the force of my weight and the push of my stride broke the sidewalk. After pulling my foot out, I investigated and looked under the stones. I have come to the conclusion that since this part of the sidewalk was near a grate, water must have been rushing underneath during the recent flooding and washed away the ground below.

I realize that the Town of Jay Highway Department has a lot to do right now trying to put roads back together and such, but I did call (as any good citizen would) to inform them of the falling sidewalk near the Covered Bridge.

They are probably running out of cones and/or signs to warn other pedestrians from this happening, so consider yourself warned. Oh, and for the record, I did not break my ankle.

Gargoyle Flood Relief

2011-09-10T16:21:00.005-04:00

Slowly, things are getting cleaned up around here. Even the gargoyles have been pitching in.

Wells Memorial Library Flood

2011-08-30T19:26:00.009-04:00

Irene hit our neck of the woods on Sunday and drenched us with 11 inches of rain. The Ausable River proved it was too much for her to handle and our communities took a beating. Many roads, houses, and businesses have been damaged and destroyed. Our home up on the hill kept us safe and we were very fortunate to not have any damages. Friends and favorite businesses were not as blessed and my heart aches for everyone affected.

Here is a picture taken across the road from the Wells Memorial Library in Upper Jay during the storm.

Before the river receded it was six feet high touching the top of the speed limit sign. Many tears were shed the next morning when we walked in and saw the main floor covered in inches of mud with the basement completely flooded to its ceiling.

Over the last few days we have shoveled out mud, pumped the water out of the basement and have begun the process of discarding several books and other items that were caked with mud and completely drenched.

The library cannot thank members of the community enough that have been able to help us in the first steps to recovery. This will be a long process of restoration. Now is as good enough time as any to thank you once again for helping me raise over $1300 in my run for reading. The money was placed into our capitol fund and that money will be used to help us get the library back up and running.

However, we are finding out it will take much more. We are getting a tremendous response from those after hearing that we have lost about a half of our books, but we are not ready to take book collections at this time. The library is focusing on the needs of our building and equipment. Financial contributions outweigh our need for books at this time. If you are interested in helping in anyway, please send donations to:

Wells Memorial Library

Post Office Box 57

Upper Jay, NY 12987

Great Blue Heron

2011-08-26T07:48:00.004-04:00

I am happy to report that after the recent stoning of a heron down at the Covered Bridge, I was greeted by a new heron sitting by the rapids this morning.

After seeing the other heron on many morning runs, I was so sad to hear that one of my daily pleasures had been taken away from me. This morning's heron filled me with happiness, what a great way to start the day.

Gone Postal

2011-08-18T12:42:00.007-04:00

The time has come when I can finally reveal the use of the thingamajig that we purchased at the Adirondack Attic last week. A mailbox post to rest the fabulous mailbox my crafty sister painted for us!

I'll provide you with a close up of her paint job.

Landscape with Covered Bridge, Jay, NY

I have to say, I'm pretty lucky to have her as my big sister. As kids we frequented a mailbox that played music and since she remembered how obsessed I was by it, she took a musical card that played, "Super Freak" and had an engineer at work attach it so when you opened the mailbox, it would burst into song. The postman first opened it this morning and had a surprise tune. I'm guessing the music startled him because he delivered a letter addressed to the wrong person.

After 3 1/2 years of driving to the post office for our mail, we can simply walk down the driveway to retrieve it. Now we'll just have to see how our mailbox does against the snow plow this winter.

Magic

2011-08-12T21:40:00.006-04:00

Let me tell you a little story about what happened to me at work today. I was helping a customer and before he left, he asked me what my favorite color was. I said red. He then made me a balloon animal. Super fast. Like, really really fast!

Apparently he is the world's fastest balloon artist. For real. He goes by, Thomas Blacke, Mysteriarch. Oh, and then he showed us his speedy rubik's cube skills. Impressive again. Not only did I get a balloon animal for my desk, but I also got to tie together the hands of the world's fastest magician and escape artist with a leather belt type thing and in less than a blink of an eye his hands were free.

Just last year he escaped from a pair of handcuffs underwater in 8.34 seconds! I can't make this stuff up. How was your day at work?

Adirondack Attic Thingamajig

2011-08-10T00:51:00.001-04:00

As a non-tourist in the area, the first thing that got us to stop at the Adirondack Attic in Keene was the Tourists sign out front. We wanted it. It wasn't for sale.

After checking out the thrift store today, we thought we were going to leave empty handed again until my eyes darted over to the barn out back and I saw some sort of wooden accessory for a tractor or some other kind of farm machinery. The first time we looked through the barn's odds and ends, we didn't even notice it. After inquiring about the item, the friendly sales lady called the owner and we were in luck, it was for sale and so we bought it!

So dear readers, what is it and what do you think we are going to do with it? Stay tuned...

little things

2011-08-09T14:03:00.007-04:00

"It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having

as little misery, and as much happiness as possible." - Samuel Johnson

take time to enjoy the little things. happy summer!

Lucky Lindy Dog Biscuits

2011-08-08T18:11:00.005-04:00

This weekend was the second time I've tasted Lucky Lindy Dog Biscuits. Yes, you read that correctly. With a claim such as, "It's people food that's good for dogs," of course I'd sample them, especially after reading the list of ingredients and seeing no by-products and only "human food" products. After trying both flavors, Sweet Potato, Maple Syrup & Cinnamon and All Natural Cheese Pizza, my taste buds preferred the Pizza.

I did not eat the Big "Bark-A-Licious" Bones, I sampled the petite treats, made for smaller dogs. I must say, I stopped at only one treat because it did leave a strange after taste and found myself picking out doggy biscuit remnants from my teeth, probably something that dogs don't worry about.

Natalie, the doggy chef and owner, makes a variety of biscuit sizes so you can choose the size that is just right for your dog. She can be found at the Lake Placid Farmer's Market on Wednesdays, where you too can sample a treat, but for those of you that I have already convinced that your dog will love her treats, you can order them from her website.

Sign in the Middle of the River

2011-07-29T17:15:00.006-04:00

Has anyone else been by the old bridge foundation on 9N between Upper Jay and Jay recently and wondered what the sign in the middle of the river said?

Have no fear, I went home and put on my water shoes. I dragged my husband along for the drive back to the bridge, we waded in and found out exactly what it said.

Are you running like a: Gorilla, Frog, Deer

I don't know about you, but I found it confusing to see this sign stapled to a log in the middle of the Ausable River. I guess if I had to pick which animal I most run like, I'd probably say a gorilla. What about you?

Phone Booth Saga Continues...

2011-07-27T16:51:00.005-04:00

I am very excited to share with all of you an article written by Seven Days in Vermont about my phone booth adventures. You can read the article by clicking on this link.

photo provided by the fabulous Lauren Ober, aka, LO. I should mention that unlike me, she was not wearing a fabulous J. LO inspired track suit when I met her for the interview.

Gnome Juice

2011-07-14T19:43:00.002-04:00

This was the scene on my porch when I returned from work this evening.

After using my amazing detective skills, I discovered that a fellow book club member had been surveying the property across the way and had a little help from our garden gnomes and kindly rewarded them with some Gnome Juice.

The Pretend Train Bandit

2011-07-12T15:20:00.009-04:00

Last week my nephew was in town and we thought there was no better activity to do with a four year old boy that loves trains than to take the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. It was a peaceful journey to Saranac Lake, but once boarded to ride back to Lake Placid, I looked outside and informed my nephew that there were some peculiar looking people at the train station.

The sight of these two strangers dressed in trench coats on a hot summer day frightened him a little. As others boarded the train, we were greeted by a suspicious looking man with a red bandana covering his mouth.

The "bandit" came over to us and handed my nephew a "real three dollar bill" just in case he was accused of being a thief. With all the build up to this "Tri-Lakes Bandit Train Robbery," a certain four year old sitting across from me was getting nervous. We were told by the Adirondack Scenic Railroad's website that "once the bandit boards our train, there is plenty of fun and laughter to go around." My nephew was not laughing. It was right around the time that the train stopped in Ray Brook to pick up the "payroll" that the bandit tried to steal, we had to keep telling my nephew that it was only for fun, like a game, that it was all pretend.

I should mention here that I was probably around the same age when my mother had prepped me on real vs. pretend before seeing the movie Bambi. In the scene when Bambi's mother gets shot, I announced to the crying audience, "IT'S ONLY A MOVIE!"

This kind of steely reaction must run in the family because every time we said robber or bandit, my nephew would say, "They're just people. It's only for pretend. They're just people." As for the "real three dollar bill" he was given, we let him believe it was real, because gullibility also seems to run in the family.

At The River's Edge Emporium

2011-07-05T18:45:00.008-04:00

I heard a rumor that Wilmington had opened a health food store located at the Wellness Center. I had no idea where this Wellness Center was, so I went to the Health Center on Springfield Road. The woman there in her scrubs had no idea what I was talking about and then the nurse practitioner came out and we decided that it must be the new place on Haselton Road. You know, the end of Haselton that is across from the gas station.

Having finally located it from the "Open" flag that was hanging outside, I wandered in and was directed down to the basement. As I descended the stairs, I could smell the homemade soup and there it was, At the River's Edge Emporium, an actual back to basics store with natural and organic foods.

The owner, Arlie Adams, prepares daily sandwiches, soups and salads, and fresh baked goods. There are a few seats to eat at and soon you can eat outside along the Ausable. I was eyeing the blueberry scones that she had made in the morning, but walked away from the temptation and bought some local produce that was on my grocery list.

I found that having only been open for a few weeks, River's Edge had a great selection and was reasonably priced. Best of luck to Arlie and I can't wait to try some of her baked goods!

Trap Dike: Part One

2011-06-23T19:22:00.020-04:00

Hard core I am not. Adventurous maybe. Curious, most definitely.

For years, friends told me stories about ascending or descending the Trap Dike and I wondered how this place could be so amazing. I knew that Avalanche Pass was gorgeous from other through hikes I had taken, but this dike they all talked about definitely had me curious.

I was always jealous of listening to their climbing and skiing adventures and silently pouted that no one would ever take me. Finally, I mentioned my interest in reaching Mount Colden's summit via this classic Adirondack climbing route to my friend Emilie and we started planning when we could go. This planning process took us approximately two years to finally have days off together and have the weather be on our side. With Emilie's upcoming trip to the Indian Karakoram for a climbing expedition of her own, this first week of summer was our week. Or so we thought.

We kept watching the weather report and things looked good for our adventure, with a 30% chance of showers in the late afternoon. Emilie figured out that if we started by 8 am, we could be on our way down before any supposed rain would begin. Not trying to get ahead of myself in the story, but I should note here that approximately 3 hours later she told me that if she had a client with this forecast, they would not have attempted the proposed hike. However, a paying client I was not and as two friends, we plowed ahead and so we reached Avalanche Lake looking out for dark clouds.

Unusually optimistic for the two of us, we determined that it was partly cloudy and we circled the lake. Confident that the weather man was spot on with the weather forecast, we decided to eat a sandwich before we started our scramble and just as we were finishing the crusts, we looked at one another and said, "Was that a raindrop?" Yes, but no sprinkle was going to keep me down and so we continued.

Then those sprinkles turned into heavy rain drops, we put on our raincoats and the rocks became slippery and wet. Turns out rain and rock slabs don't mix well and Emilie, the knowledgeable guide gave Mother Nature the thumbs down.

And so there I was crouched in the rain with my SPF 70 having her tell me how nice it will be to do the Trap Dike with fall foliage.

So, as I feed her cats this summer and tell them stories about their owner climbing on the other side of the world, at least I'll have Trap Dike, Part Two to look forward to.

Best of luck Emilie on your big adventure!

Making Porch History

2011-06-16T17:20:00.016-04:00

Last month I wrote about the saga of the missing porch. We had some issues with losing our cat to its scary underworld and thought we needed to remedy the problem. In general, the porch was a little shabby to begin with and no, I don't mean shabby chic.

So, the porch was destroyed and my thoughts went to fabulous porches and reconstruction. Just across the covered bridge from us was a beautiful Victorian house that had a gorgeous wrap-around porch.

Running across the covered bridge through to the other side, the big old porch would greet me with its intricate architectural elements and I would daydream about sitting up there looking out at the river rapids. One morning, I took another running route and did not start my day passing the vacant 19th century home. Instead, a neighbor walked her dog and saw smoke coming from the home. I was already at work when I found out.

The house had been destroyed and was considered a complete loss. The charred porch, still showed signs of grandness.

This spring, demolition on that home began and we were able to purchase two of the salvaged columns. Drew rebuilt our porch and although it is small, we are very pleased that a piece of Jay's history is now a part of our home sweet home.

Thank you to Patti F for providing photos

Gold Medal Laundromat

2011-06-09T17:51:00.011-04:00

Back in the day when I was an apartment dweller in Lake Placid, I had to cart my laundry to the laundromat. This was not an activity I loved. Most of the laundromats in Lake Placid back then were places that rarely made me feel like I was walking away with clean clothes. I never hung out at the laundromat waiting for the clothes to come out because just sitting there made the last of my clean clothes that I was wearing feel dirty. Of course, this meant returning 28 minutes later to discover that the machine did not work properly and then had to wait around even longer than anticipated. So, I perfected the art of timing my visits to my parents just when the laundry basket had reached its full capacity.

When Drew and I bought our first home, his parents gifted us with our very own washer and dryer. It was one of the best gifts I had ever received and I was thankful that my laundromat days were over. Or so I thought...

Just as any homeowner knows, when it rains it pours. We came back from a weekend away and the basement was flooded. The worst it has ever been. It fried our hot water tank and our beloved washing machine. Over the course of the week I had taken hot showers in four different households within a five mile radius. Several dollars later, the hot water tank is fixed and the washer is not.

This week, our laundry collection surpassed the friendly, "Hey do you mind if we come over and do a load of laundry?" With a total of six loads, we drove to Lake Placid and went to the new, Gold Medal Laundromat in the Cold Brook Plaza.

What an improvement now that it is under new management. I know this happened awhile ago, but wow! The washing machines are all new and they work. The driers blew me away. For a large load, the clothes were all dry in less than half an hour.

We didn't lose any change in the machines and when I had a problem putting one of the bills in for quarters, the owner came right over even without me asking for help. The laundromat was clean and had a nice sitting area with a large flat screen television to pass the time. I actually didn't mind spending an hour there doing laundry and sat reading until I heard the machines beep to tell me they were done doing their job.

It is nice to know that there is a good laundromat in Lake Placid and I will probably gather up some sweaters for their dry cleaning service. I think Gold Medal Laundromat definitely deserves the gold!

Much Deserved Pedicure at Speedy Spa

2011-05-31T17:32:00.015-04:00

A quick update on my never ending toe issues...I finished the marathon on Sunday with no damage to my recent toenail removal and managed to cross the finish line with zero blisters. My tootsies actually ended up being the least of my issues and while struggling with the heat (my enemy), I thought about how my friend, Elizabeth thought that thinking about a pedicure in the last few miles might make the miles go by easier. Honestly, I needed a whole lot more than the thought of a pedicure appointment in the last few miles, but we both did it. We finished another marathon and our feet definitely deserved the royal treatment at Speedy Spa.

The owner, Claire greeted us on the porch and was happy to see us, we were happy that there was only one step to climb. Speedy Spa has such a fun vibe to it and is a great place to go with girlfriends for spa treatments.

Elizabeth came away from the marathon with a couple bruised toenails, so Laura gave her feet some needed tlc.

Elizabeth decided to cover up her already purplish toe nails with a rosy pink. I asked her what the paint color was called and she said, "Baguette Me Not." I responded confused with, "like as in a french baguette?"

Um yeah, you can tell I'm not too girly because baguette diamond was not even a thought of mine.

I went with something a little less feminine and had my nails painted, "Hot and Spicy."

I guess I was partial to the name since I really haven't been able to cool down since the race and well... y'all know I'm a little spicy.

We left Speedy Spa feeling great and it made me think I should start rewarding myself more often, marathon or not. Thanks Speedy Spa!

Running For Reading

2011-05-18T18:29:00.008-04:00

As I recently mentioned, this round of marathon training has been slower than usual. I am okay with that, but I'm starting to see habits forming. As I begin to know more and more of you within the community, I find myself breaking stride and stopping to chat.

I might be in the middle of a 15 mile run trying to crest a hill and catch up to you while you are walking your dog, so I stop and walk with you and chat. Then another 30 minutes goes by and find myself on a tour of a property that I often admire. Sometimes I stop running because I finally see a fellow knitting group friend outside weeding after having heard through the grapevine that she had been in the hospital. Maybe my pace slows because I have a question about a cool sign on the side of a barn or finally get to meet the owner and learn the names of the dogs that chase me up the hill from within their electric fence.

These last few months of running have made me really appreciate all the waves and big smiles I get from those of you in your vehicles passing by. I don't even know most of your names, but I thank all of you for getting me through those dark, cold mornings. I am so lucky to be able to run safely in such a wonderful community and for that I am racing for the Wells Memorial Library at the Vermont City Marathon on May 29th and hope that I can raise funds for what I believe is an important organization that brings people in our community together. It also helps that the library is sometimes on my running route and I can always stop in, fill up my water bottles and fuel up with some candy.

I have 26.2 miles to run, so whether it's 10 cents or 10 dollars a mile, please consider making a pledge to support the Wells Memorial Library. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below with your email address or you can send your donation to: Wells Memorial Library, PO Box 57, Upper Jay, NY 12987.

Thank You!

Missing Porch

2011-05-13T17:03:00.016-04:00

Do you know what it's like to come home after work and see that your porch has gone missing?

Um yeah, gone. Drew had timed it to so he could be secretly sitting in his car to see my expression when I pulled into the driveway. Yes, my mouth dropped. Now, the funny thing here is that I did not panic. Does this mean I'm starting to get used to these outrageous surprises?

I have to admit, when I came home one day to a cedar tree cut down without any previous discussion, I was mad. I thought it gave us some privacy and I loved being in bed and looking out at the birds in the tree. He did not have the same love for the cedar. Now, in place of the cedar tree we have a cauldron that he secretly purchased and dragged around the house leaving a trail.

Full disclosure here, I now love that the cedar tree is gone. Sitting around it with friends while a fire is going is one of my favorite activities.

Secret projects are something that I suppose I'm getting used to. Tearing up kitchen floors before I've wrapped my head around the idea of refinishing it and introducing saloon doors to me before I had fully investigated all the styles does frustrate me immensely, but it always turns out for the best.

But, back to this porch destruction thing... remember when our cat had gone missing this winter? We realized that the only place she could have gone in two feet of snow was under the porch. Drew was very close to tearing up the entire porch and mud room floor to rescue her. Luckily, she escaped on her own and came back in one piece, but we did not want it to happen again.

We had discussed the potential project of redoing the porch, but once again he went ahead without my knowledge and began demolition. He discovered the hole that Bella had fallen in.

I discovered that I would not have any stairs going into my home. My friend Elizabeth, the next morning discovered she could not drop something off to us. She called and said, "I don't mean to alarm you, but it appears as if your porch has been stolen." Yes I am well aware of the porch situation, nothing was stolen, it's called having a handy husband.

Aha Moment #1271, It's Not a Grenade

2011-05-11T13:09:00.009-04:00

I know that with any marathon training, you will have your ups and downs. Mostly, this time around, I have had my share of downs. It was a long winter with lots of snow, then came the rain and flooding, and another surgery with a toenail removal.

Last week, still on the mend, my mother and I hit the gym so I could get on the bike. It was awful. To me, there is nothing worse than being stuck inside an overheated, poorly ventilated room trying to crank it out on a bike. So, I stopped. We were putting our shoes on and my mother said, "When is the last date to decide if you will defer the race?" The guy sitting next to me overheard and asked what race I was doing. Turns out he is doing the same one and that he has been injured also. He told me that after having a grenade thrown at his head in Iraq and learning he had cancer shortly after, the doctors told him he might never walk again.

Um okay, I guess the angry, open wound on my big toe isn't so bad after all. It was a lesson from a stranger at the exact right time. This whole week I was in pain, I kept saying, "It's not a grenade in my head. It's not a grenade. It's not a grenade."

Yesterday, I stopped being a wimp and went for my last long run. After toughing it through the dark, dreary months, Mother Nature rewarded me with budding trees and green pastures.

The snow banks and freezing temperatures became a distant memory. Spring had finally arrived and my toe screamed, "Let's do this thing!" So, if you see me at mile 22 bonking my brains out, just say, "It's not a grenade."

Through the Ausable

2011-04-28T16:59:00.005-04:00

When I saw the one lane road sign ahead, I was prepared to see some water on the road. I never imagined it meant I would be driving through the Ausable River as opposed to along the Ausable.

Yikes!

Wild Water

2011-04-27T19:18:00.015-04:00

Water. Lots and lots of water. That was the scene today.

After a heavy rainstorm last night, we woke to the sound of the river's rushing water from atop our little knoll. We knew it had to be wild. Fields were flooded and so were the roads.

The roads surrounding us were closed and so we decided to stay put for a bit and take care of a little flooding of our own.

Cascading Waterfall From Basement Pump

We made good use of the basement water given to us and hosed off our metal garden chairs and washed off our muddy "gardening" shoes after digging in the dirt this afternoon.

I'm definitely not complaining because you know what? It wasn't SNOW and April's showers will bring May flowers! Am I jinxing myself by writing that it is finally feeling like Spring? Exhale.

Grocery Store War

2011-04-17T06:37:00.006-04:00

The recent excitement in Lake Placid has been the opening of Hannaford in the old Grand Union location. This has created some buzz because now Price Chopper has some competition and it's even on the same side of town.

Recently I went grocery shopping at Aldi and bragged to everyone about how I bought the bulk of our groceries for a week and it only cost 40-some dollars compared to the usual $90 at Price Chopper. However, Aldi doesn't have everything I need and I always end up going to a few different stores to complete my list.

I was interested to see how the prices compared between Hannaford and Price Chopper and so I began my investigation.

Hannaford VS. Price Chopper

I selected three random items to compare.

1. Toilet Paper - Charmin, 6 pack, Ultra Strong Mega Roll

Hannaford wins! On sale, $5.99. Regular price, $7.49

Price Chopper - Regular Price, $7.99

2. Frozen Pizza - Freschetta, Naturally Rising, Four Cheese Medley

Hannaford Wins! Regular Price, $5.69

Price Chopper - Regular Price, $7.79

3. Beer - Budweiser, 6 pack

Tie!

Hannaford and Price Chopper - Regular Price, $5.99

After this investigation, it was clear that Hannaford was the winner based on prices. Of course when you want real savings, you need to shop around for the best deal and that might mean going to both. The savings off gas from Sunoco with your Price Chopper Advantage Card is

worth gold right now, but a couple dollars off on gas could also be saved on a frozen pizza from Hannaford.

I am not a paid employee of Hannaford and their complimentary gifts of Sparkling Soda and Belgian Chocolate didn't determine the winner, but it certainly made my day.

Bday at the Adk Cafe

2011-04-15T19:02:00.013-04:00

My husband treated me to a birthday dinner at The ADK Cafe in Keene last night. It being mud season, there weren't many other people dining out, but three of the four tables that were there also shared the same birthday. Weird.

The ADK Cafe is located where Cedar Run used to be and we were curious to try it out. The first thing we noticed was how great the napkins were. Yes, for real. Drew piped up, "for paper napkins, I have to say they are really nice paper napkins." They come wrapped in a little paper sleeve with the ADK Cafe stamp and they are heavy duty napkins, cloth like. Okay, enough about what we wiped our mouths with and onto the food.

Drew started off with a salad. I don't remember the name of it, but from what I got to taste, it was delicious. Field greens, shredded carrot and cucumber, red onion and sunflower seeds with a really tasty vinaigrette.

I didn't order an entree, but pieced together my meal with the Caribbean Black Bean Soup and White Bean Bruschetta. Drew ordered the Earth Plate that came with roasted root veggies, savory beans, grains and greens. Wow, I just realized we ordered completely vegetarian.

We took bites from each other's plates and liked everything. It all tasted fresh and our selections were hearty, we definitely didn't leave feeling hungry. We actually had leftovers and to top it off because it was my birthday they gave us complimentary cupcakes to take home!

Next time we go we'll have to go as carnivores and order the meatloaf we've heard such good things about. That bacon, cheddar burger with homemade cafe chips sounded pretty awesome too. Or maybe we should try them out for breakfast and lunch. Ugh, I'm making myself hungry. We'll definitely be back!

Wax On, Wax Off

2011-04-13T04:03:00.005-04:00

WARNING: Potential to read "TMI" about the author

I'm a little lady and during the winter months I need extra help keeping warm. I usually stop using the razor some time in November. My friends like to monitor the growth on my "manly" legs and laugh. Maybe it's an urban myth or in this case some kind of North Country myth, but I like to believe I'm warmer because of it.

The change in temperature recently made me think it might be time to shed my werewolf style. Driving by "Town & Country," I saw it. Wax Room.

There it was, the quickest most efficient way of getting myself smooth again. Don't worry, I didn't go to the front office and ask about their new wax room because that's part of their ski and stay package. The only hot wax there is going to be dripped on skis, not body parts. There are spas in town for the kind of waxing that I need done.

I will spare you the details of how my legs got back to looking like they actually belong on a lady. As for my upper lip, that's another story. Kidding, totally kidding!

Spring Sunshine

2011-04-07T18:43:00.004-04:00

Is it just me or is everyone smiling today because we finally have some sunshine?

Missing!

2011-04-01T17:58:00.010-04:00

Something was off this morning. I knew it the second I woke up. I was expecting the roads to be blanketed with snow, but the storm hit East of us and we were spared. I was happy to put my running shoes on and head out 9N without the slush, but I forgot my ipod and so I had to actually be inside my own head. Do you know what that's like? Usually my tunes distract me.

However, I had no music and I started getting nervous as soon as I hit the curve after the first "Parking Area" and saw a grey, Tacoma truck pulled off to the side of the road. Immediately, I thought about my upcoming abduction and how I should have told Drew my route. There were plenty of cars passing by, but I wondered if any of them would remember seeing my black leggings and reddish pink jacket, if I had gone missing.

I cautiously approached the vehicle and saw no one. This made me run faster and my eyes searched the woods next to the truck for signs of life, but saw nothing. I decided I was safe and kept running. I know I am pretty crazy, but like I mentioned before, something was off. I came up to the Gargoyles of 9N and indeed something was off. In fact, one was gone!

Nah, just kidding, APRIL FOOLS! Both Gargoyles remain happily perched watching over the activity of Route 9N. As for the owner of the Toyota Tacoma, thank you for making me run just a little bit faster this morning. :)

note to self:

Beware: Flying Cows

2011-03-29T17:13:00.005-04:00

First there was the pegasus of Upper Jay to watch out for and now drivers need to be on the look out for flying cows in Ausable Forks.

Pegamoo?

Arcade Fun!

2011-03-22T19:38:00.026-04:00

I started yesterday morning off by saying to my husband, "My prom date is spending the night and I don't know when we'll be home." Obviously he'd met him several times before and knew he had nothing to worry about because I've known Phil since our potty training days. Drew's only concern when it comes to my relationship with Phil would be that I might as an adult pee my pants from laughing so hard. I had been excited for months about his visit.

He met me at my place of work and had made plans to meet up with a friend from our hometown for dinner. Her trip took a little bit longer than planned and so we were left in Lake Placid with nothing to do on a Monday evening. We walked along Main Street in the spitting snow as stores were closing and feeling a bit defeated, we ended up at Bowlwinkl es.

It was league night and we were told that we couldn't bowl, but it made no difference to us because there was an arcade! Phil was psyched to see his favorite game, Time Crisis II and got us a handful of coins to play our hearts away.

As he was shooting up bad guys I hung out at Ms. Pacman, but the joystick was broken and couldn't play too much of that before I started getting blisters. We noticed that several of the games were broken, but we weren't too sad because my all time favorite arcade game was there, Skee Ball! Oh, and after the first game of that we discovered we could get tickets and try to win something. I had my eye on the gummy worms.

We knew we had to get serious and started up some major rounds of skee ball.

Drew ended up joining us and we needed as much help as we could get if we were ever going to have a chance of winning those gummy worms. He and Phil warmed up and bonded over some Air Hockey.

This strategy seemed to work because Drew had one skee ball roll and got it into the 10,000 hole and shot out a long line of tickets. After running out of tokens and counting up our tickets we ended up with a measly 149, way short of the 325 needed for those worms. Phil picked out some "Groovy Playing Cards" and I scored a cat eraser and some play doh to give to our friend once she finally got there.

It's funny how I walked away from last night's fun thinking about the "drug-free" after prom party we attended and how I played similar games to collect enough tickets for a flashlight. The flashlight is long gone, but my prom date remains in my life after all these years.

Sugar Shack Dessert Co.

2011-03-19T18:54:00.010-04:00

Drew's birthday gave me the perfect reason to check out the Sugar Shack on Main Street.

They make lots of sugary treats, but they are best known for their cupcakes and have an assortment of flavors and sizes to choose from. Since it was my sweetie's birthday (pun intended), I wasn't going to skimp on size and get a couple miniature cupcakes, although that would have been a nice afternoon pick me up. I restrained myself from the snack and bought two big cupcakes, one Peppermint Patty and one Peanut Butter Chocolate.

They survived the trip across the street and barely made it through the rest of my work day because they smelled so good and coworkers would come by for a look and I would have to close the bag before they drooled all over my husband's cupcake. The cupcakes did take a dent in the frosting on the car ride home and I had wished I had asked if they had a box, but I guess it doesn't really matter because the cupcakes still looked impressive hours later to the birthday boy.

Those that know me, know that I LOVE chocolate and mint and was super excited that for St. Patrick's Day (I mean, Drew's birthday), they had made a cupcake combining those flavors. I was nice though and split them in half so we could try both cupcakes, after all it was his birthday. I was surprised to find out that we both agreed hands down that the Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcake was out of this world and blew the Peppermint Patty away!

I couldn't believe that my favorite flavor duo got beat. I think I'll have to go get some miniature cupcakes this week and see how they do against other flavors in round two.

A Birthday and a Goose

2011-03-13T08:41:00.006-04:00

Have you ever had something so bizarre happen to you and realize no one will believe you unless you have a picture of it? This actually happens to me on a regular basis, nonsense stories that no one believes. Thus, the reason why I cart a camera around in my purse.

A few years back, my friend and I were celebrating her birthday in Lake Placid. We had one of those nights that made our cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. We ended up winning a beer trophy in the toboggan race and then ran down Main Street showing off our grand prize and came across a couple walking down the sidewalk with a goose on a leash. The goose was wearing a bow tie and a dress! We needed a picture of this precious moment and convinced some strangers to take our picture, gave them my email address and begged for them to send it to me. We never got the picture and have been sad about it ever since.

Reminiscing in all of this, I called my friend.

E: Hello?

A: Hi! I hate to be a d-bag, but is your birthday tomorrow?

E: Why, yes it is.

A: What are you doing? Do you want to do something?

E: Sure. Remember that year we went tobogganing?

A: Yes, of course. And the goose. Too bad the chute is closed this year.

E: That sucks.

A: Yes, let's get together anyways. I'm sure we'll figure something out.

So, when I met up with her last night, I put together a little something for her in a frame.

I knew my Fine Arts degree would come in handy some day

We didn't get to go tobogganing and we didn't come across a goose with a dress and bowtie, but we did manage to have a good time and make it to the toboggan run.

da girlz

What happened next should not be documented on this blog. Happy Birthday you tall of drink of water!

Lost Cat in Two Feet of Snow?

2011-03-07T18:27:00.008-05:00

After getting two feet of snow in the last 24 hours, this is what everyone in our neck of the woods dealt with in the morning.

Normally we love this kind of accumulation and have thoughts of rare powder days at Whiteface, but if I couldn't make it into work because of unsafe conditions, we probably shouldn't risk our lives driving in it for one day of fun in the snow. Um yeah, when did we smarten up?

In the middle of all the snow excitement, our cat Bella decided to venture out and turned up missing. We were puzzled because there was nowhere for her to go and the paw prints along the house all stopped and back tracked.

We came to three conclusions: 1) she died in a kitty avalanche 2) an owl scooped down and took her away from us or 3) she wanted nothing to do with the snow and hid under the porch and got stuck. We called and shook her treats for half the morning and just when we were getting ready to tear up the porch floor boards in the middle of a snow storm, we heard her meow. She had come from the depths of the underground porch world covered in cobwebs, not snow. Hopefully she'll spend the rest of her life in the prison of our home.

Phone Booth Found!

2011-03-02T07:46:00.012-05:00

Do you remember when I was upset about the Jay phone booth being taken away and how I tried to track it down? To refresh your memory you can read about it here.

Well, the other night we were driving along Rt. 9N and I spotted it! There standing in all its glory was the phone booth hiding behind someone's garage. It all happened so quickly, I didn't know if it was a mirage. I just knew I needed to go back during daylight to see if it was really there.

My husband wanted to go up the driveway to see it, but I thought that was a little intrusive and I didn't want to get in trouble for trespassing. I had to settle for staying 100 yards back.

I know what you're thinking, "Where is it? How did she see it?" Well, I see everything. Please don't think I'm a stalker or anything, but when your beloved phone booth has gone missing and it is whispering your name in the night, you most certainly are going to see it shining under the light of the garage up on the hill.

Standing on 9N, the phone booth seemed a little sad. This is where you tell me objects don't have feelings and that I was being unrealistic to say in a recent article in Adirondack Life, "I felt like I had a relationship with it."

I guess my expectations for the phone booth's new life was too high. I can only hope that the phone booth is treated with respect and the new person in its life, treats it well.

Ausable Beach Vacation

2011-02-28T08:26:00.006-05:00

Schools in the area are delayed and closed because of the nasty weather conditions today. Right about now you might be looking out your window through a thin sheet of ice and day dreaming about a southern getaway. Is this the location of the beach vacation you are imagining?

No? Well, maybe if you squint, you can change the snowy river into white waves and those snow banks, turn them into white sand dunes.

If this dreamy, beach location on "Lake Everest" is for you, you are in luck! The Owaissa Club, the future home of an Ausable beach front community is busy building you that townhouse just a quick walk from the shores of the West Branch of the Ausable River.

If you are so inclined to invest in this opportunity, please let me know. I'll bring over my bathing suit and a pitcher of margaritas!

Oh, to the Oval I go!

2011-02-27T19:32:00.008-05:00

The day started off just like all the others with the alarm going off at 6:30 am, the thermometer was in the single digits and it was snowing outside, so I opted out of my morning run and watched something on hulu instead. This pattern is bad for someone that is supposed to be in marathon training.

I decided I'd pack my running things and run after work around Mirror Lake a couple times. As it turned out, I spent too much time watching internet tv and did not pack a couple crucial layers to do this. I figured I'd compromise and run around the 1980 rink. Fail. The ipod didn't want to work and there was no way I was going to torture myself with that kind of boredom.

As I ran past the windows of the mezzanine, I looked down at the speed skating oval and knew that I could join my friend Ann for some laps. Faster than I had run in months, I darted out of the building and ran down to the Lake Placid Skate Shop to grab some speed skates.

Linda was so helpful, she had the skates ready for me before I could even tell her my size! She could tell I was a little nervous because I had only been on speed skates once before. Luckily, the first person I ran into was her daughter and so she skated a couple laps with my friend Ann and I, giving me pointers along the way.

Honestly, I should be ashamed of myself that I had not done this sooner in the season. The night was gorgeous and the ice was perfect for my beginner's glide. It is so sad to think how quickly Mother Nature might change that surface tomorrow.

Having been a figure skater, it took me awhile to adjust to the blades and find my center of balance. Once I got a little bit better and my feet weren't shaking, the distance runner in me kicked in and I started mentally calculating laps and counting miles. This was way more fun than running around an indoor ice rink.

I've been known to say that if I had been introduced to speed skating as a teenager after giving up figure skating and turning to track that "I could have been a contender." A legend in my own mind I suppose, but tonight I skated on the same rink as the real "Legends of the Oval."

Snowy Gargoyles

2011-02-08T15:50:00.005-05:00

The snow banks surrounding the Gargoyles are high and threaten to bury them, but have no fear that they haven't been forgotten and have been getting plowed out.

Bragging About Pacman and Inspiration

2011-02-06T07:21:00.010-05:00

Back in the day I worked in Boston with a very creative gal. Sometimes on lunch breaks she'd drag me around the city to show me interesting architecture, obsolete T stops or parade me to Chinatown for awesome food. I always admired her excitement over the little things in life and was so glad she befriended me. She is a true original and her blog This Is Framingham was the inspiration behind starting my Along the Ausable blog.

Recently, we have reconnected and she still amazes me. She has become quite the baker and has been sending me tasty treats in the mail. Wanting to do something for her, I thought I'd knit. She's a lover of all things retro and has a long lasting love of pac man. So, I went ahead and pieced together a few patterns I found online at ravelry, graphed it out and started knitting a headband she could wear while training for the Boston marathon.

Since my last knitter's night was cancelled due to the snow storm, I wasn't able to "brag" about my latest project. Every time we meet, the ladies come in and "show off" their completed projects. Finally, I had something to show off and the snow stopped me. So, here I am bragging all over the world wide web over the pac man headband I sent to my friend.

pac man side

ghost side

I've had word that pacman and the ghosties traveled safely from the post office along the Ausable all the way to Framingham and a certain role model of mine was nicely surprised.

Lilac Morning

2011-02-04T07:54:00.002-05:00

in just a few short months, the lilacs will be blooming...

Winter Darkness

2011-01-31T07:38:00.005-05:00

It's the end of January and the darkness of winter is really starting to mess with me. I have been forcing myself to stay active so I don't turn into a complete hermit. However, this means waking up in the dark and running with a reflective vest and if I can't stir in the morning, then it means skiing with a headlamp in the evening.

Last night, I felt the darkness slowly seeping into my pores while I was skiing up Whiteface Toll Road. My skis were following the footsteps of a child. I'd like to blame the night sky for making me think such creepy thoughts about why a kid would be running down the mountain by themselves in the dark.

I don't think my mind would have gone there if it was a sunny sky. I probably would have noticed the footprints of an entire family and maybe some sled marks, but alas it was dark.

The dark days are slowly becoming lighter and lighter and I will not let the winter darkness beat me this year. What do you do in the winter to scare away the darkness?

My Green Goddess Oatmeal Experiment

2011-01-22T17:20:00.014-05:00

My mother gave me a slow cooker last summer and just recently in this cold month of January have I started using it. I'm not a big fan of chunks of meat in stews and such so I have been searching for recipes that take little prep work. This past week, I checked out from the library the cookbook, Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker, Recipes for Two and fell in love with the overnight oatmeal recipes. The author convinced me that once I had made the magical oatmeal, I would never want to go back to instant.

Green Goddess, the natural food store in Lake Placid was first on my list to start gathering the ingredients for the Cinnamon-Apple Oatmeal I wanted to make.

The recipe called for steel-cut oats and dried apple rings. This is the perfect place to get those items because they have a great selection of bulk foods and I find it to be way cheaper than getting them pre-packaged from any other grocery store.

After purchasing the oatmeal ingredients along with my beloved Tamari Almonds (not needed for the recipe), I was good to go.

That night, I turned the slow cooker on low and combined the oats, apple pie spice, salt, water and dried apples and went to bed. I was so excited about eating the delicious oatmeal, I could barely sleep. For real. I was like a kid on Christmas eve, tossing and turning all night long. I convinced myself that the house smelled like apple pie and that I was in for a big treat. I mean, can you imagine waking up and having a fabulous bowl of oatmeal waiting for you on a cold morning?

Finally the sun came up and I raced down the stairs, lifted the lid and saw a perfectly cooked, creamy porridge. I spooned it into my bowl, took one taste and BLECH! No taste. None what so ever. It was just a bland tasting rib-sticking bowl of oatmeal. The apple pie spices didn't come through at all and the apple rings lost all their flavor.

I don't think the oatmeal was overcooked, the consistency was fine, just no taste. I added way more brown sugar than the recipe called for at the end and it still didn't help it. Being disappointed is an understatement, not with Green Goddess, but with the morning glop.

Everyone keeps praising their slow cookers, but I have yet to be convinced of their powers. So, if anyone out there knows about any good recipes cooking on low for 8-9 hours for dinner or breakfast, please fill me in on your slow cooker successes.

Adirondack Yarns

2011-01-18T17:31:00.012-05:00

If you were to walk into my home, you'd see signs that I might be a tad into knitting lately. The coffee and side tables have been stacked with books checked out from the library, scraps of paper with patterns and instructions are piling up, and balls of yarn have been poking out of bags and baskets. Drew noticed this recent wave of craziness and gifted me with some yarn and a book from Adirondack Yarns at Christmas.

With two skeins of beautiful yarn and a book on felting, I found a pattern that I wanted to try, but I still needed to figure out if I had the right needles. I used the handy little business card that Adirondack Yarns has with a chart on the back to organize my needles.

I checked off quite a few of the boxes, but of course I didn't have the right size for my next project. This I find to be the most frustrating thing as a novice because it seems like every time I want to make something new, I need to spend more money and buy more needles. So, I turned to Adirondack Yarns in search of the latest needed sticks.

Adirondack Yarns has a great selection of both needles and yarn. The store is also filled with the creations of the employees and inspires me every time I go in.

The owner is so helpful and more than happy to help customers with any knitting dilemmas they might have. Although my knitting group meets at the Alpaca Shoppe in Jay, it is nice to know that I can get some help in the big city of Lake Placid too.

I walked out with the right size needles and got to check off another little box on the card. Now the yarn sitting in the corner is ready to get knitted and come to life!

Adirondack Birch Worx

2011-01-13T19:33:00.017-05:00

Have you stopped into the place with all the bay windows in Jay yet? Do you even know what I'm talking about? Yes, yes it is the one on Rt. 86 on the left before you drive the final hill down into Jay. Since opening in September, I had been meaning to go in and check it out.

As it turns out, "Adirondack Birch Worx" does not sell bay windows. They sell a variety of Adirondack style furniture and accessories. Carl, an ex-welder turned furniture designer can take any old log and create a unique piece of furniture. His slogan is "We make it look like it grew there!"

Carl is passionate about what he does and is trying to get other artisans in to sell their work here. One older artisan, Don Whalley, only 84 years of age has for sale a variety of items showcasing his burl work.

His work at this stage in his life, seems very refined and delicate, something that I could imagine would take years to achieve. Nothing like the bulky lamp I discovered in the corner that had a whole lot going on with it.

I asked for the full effect and had them turn the lamp on for me. It was then, with the extra light, that I could see it wasn't just the fawn at the base and the pine marten on the elbow. There were two squirrels poking out of the lamp too! Apparently, they were all found within two miles from one another as road kill. Can you not see it? I'll provide you with a larger image.

I asked who made it and Carl said it was one of Don's earlier, less refined pieces. He had sold it two dozen years ago to a couple and when the wife's husband died, she called him up and told him to take it back! I can't say I blame her.

Annual Sappiness

2010-12-31T17:39:00.004-05:00

December 31st always signals a time of reflection about what is important and the joy and sadness of the past year. I take great pleasure in remembering all the laughter that was shared with family and friends in 2010.

This year, I was fortunate enough to see several childhood friends that brought tears to my eyes from laughing so hard. Visits with friends from far away places reassured me that we share a great bond that never seems to fade away. Those that live closest to me remain as some of the most supportive people in my life and oddly, some of the hardest to make time to see. This is something that needs to be remedied in the year to come. My budding relationships with those in the community at the library, book club and knitting group are ones that I look forward to developing in the year to come. All of these friendships mean the world to me and I realize how lucky I am to have them.

Tonight, we will make a toast in honor of our friend Dennis that we lost this summer. You are missed.

Happy New Year! May 2011 bring you and your loved ones lots of laughter and good health.

Ski Partner Pets

2010-12-22T22:08:00.018-05:00

Just yesterday, Drew and I were talking about training our cat to hang out in a pack basket during Nordic ski adventures. Yes, I am well aware of the "crazy cat lady" label that would come with that.

Today, I forgot about the whole cat on my back thing when I became slightly jealous of Jen's speed down the hills with her dog assisting. You see, that's Jen way in front with Hadley and my slow body being left way in the back. Each and every hill.

Our 9 pound cat might give me a little extra weight to go a tad faster, but I don't think it would equal the speed of a husky racing and pulling me down the descents.

Honestly, I don't know if I could handle an added obstacle to my downhill skiing. I have a hard enough time as it is staying upright over hidden rocks and roots, with or without a dog or cat. I should add that Drew and Mike didn't have an animal pulling them along and somehow they also managed to beat me to Marcy Dam. No worries, I was smiling the whole way.

Happy first day of Winter from a lady, crazy even without a cat on her back!

Covered Bridge Mystery

2010-12-14T17:12:00.010-05:00

I notice things that most people never see and I guess I ponder things that others would never waste their time thinking about.

Like today for instance, I took great pleasure in being the first one to cross the Covered Bridge. When my footprints sank into last night's snowfall at the bridge's entrance, I wondered how long it had been since someone else had walked across it. Then, just a few strides in, I noticed something so peculiar. There on the ground of the Covered Bridge was a small pile of pencil shavings resting atop fresh snowflakes.

Weird, huh? I glanced around looking for other clues to provide me with some background information on the remains of this No. 2 pencil. There was nothing other than an old cigarette butt further down.

I don't know why, but I've always thought that at some point in my life I might be needed in a crime scene investigation and the FBI might ask me everything I know and can remember. I am observant and think that I'd make a good lady detective.

Not that I would ever, ever want this to happen, but if some child was abducted and they found her backpack with a pencil sharpener inside and evidence that it had been used just hours ago, my observations would be useful.

I'm just saying, sometimes it's good to question things.

Upper Jay Pegasus

2010-12-12T09:05:00.004-05:00

I know it is the season to watch out for Santa's flying reindeer, but apparently you also need to be on the look out for the pegasus of Upper Jay!

Christmas Tree Mission 2010

2010-12-08T08:57:00.021-05:00

After last year's $7 bargain tree, we refused to pay the going rate of $25 - 50 and decided we'd take a walk in the woods with a saw in hand. Don't worry, we had permission at a secret location in Keene.

We contemplated cutting down a conjoined twin tree, but their trunks were connected at the very bottom and it would have made the tree stand's job difficult.

The forest was scattered with tons of scraggly looking trees that we considered, but we kept on hiking in search of the "perfect" tree. We also kept thinking the tops of the trees looked the best, so that is exactly what we did.

We found a medium sized tree that had dead branches on the bottom and a decent sized top. Drew sawed the tree down and then proceeded to cut it in half. The top half fell on my head, but I don't think it caused any damage. Here's the trimmed up tree being held by its proud owner.

We thought we had done a pretty good job until our 6 year old friend came over and said, "Where are you supposed to put the ornaments? There aren't any branches."

After decorating it, I think we proved her wrong. For a free tree, it looks pretty dang good.

Missing Phone Booth Adventure

2010-11-30T12:00:00.007-05:00

I received an email this morning, "Where is the Jay phone booth? Gone!"

I thought for sure this was some kind of practical joke since I was just preaching about my love of the phone booth the night before. I immediately hopped in my car with my pajamas still on and drove to find the truth.

It was true. The phone booth was missing.

I drove home immediately, gobbled up some peanut butter toast as fast as I could because I feared if I didn't find out the phone booth's fate, it would be too late. I was worried it would end up crushed at some scrap metal factory.

The Town of Jay informed me that it was the property of Frontier and they were the ones that removed it. Next, I knocked on the work building's door for Frontier in Ausable Forks and a nice employee told me his coworker took it home with him. He was reluctant to give out his information to a crazy woman demanding to know where the phone booth went, probably because he thought I might consider stealing it. I gave him my contact information and went along my way in hopes of some day being able to say good bye to the charming structure and take a picture of it at its new home.

This is a bittersweet ending to my morning's missing phone booth adventure. I am sad that this historical artifact is now missing for the public to see at our Village Green, but am happy that it is still intact and will be taken care of by a fellow phone booth fan.

Little Supermarket Pizza Tasting

2010-11-23T06:42:00.019-05:00

The display of ready-to-go pizza slices at the Little Supermarket taunted me recently whispering, "Take me home, I dare you."

I have always been a skeptic about Convenience Store pizza. It rarely looks appetizing sitting next to the corn dogs and chicken wings that have been baking in the faux warmer all day long. We all know The Little Supermarket ranks way above the category of gross Convenience Store food and makes awesome made-to-order deli sandwiches, but what about their pizza?

Last Friday, we had plans to go to our friend's house for pizza and a movie. I suggested we phone in an order with the Little Supermarket and give it a try since they make pizza on Fridays and Saturdays from 3:30 - 7:00 pm. The phone order and pick up transaction went smoothly, but we were all anxious to know how the pizza was going to taste. We took a peek at it even before we left the store and all thought it looked good.

The six year old in the group was the first to dig in and even before we had tried a bite, she was half way through her first slice and said, "I think the cheese is the best part."

We were all very surprised at how good the pizza tasted. There were no issues with the sauce and agreed that what makes the pizza is the flavor of the crust. The 5th grader that took part in our Little Supermarket pizza tasting thought, "The cheese and crust mix well together. This pizza is my 2nd top favorite pizza place in Essex County." He also noted, "The crust is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside." His mother remarked that she couldn't believe that his sister "ate her crust because she doesn't always do that and the fact that she went through almost two pieces is really good."

Unfortunately, we all liked the pizza so much that there weren't any leftovers for their Dad when he got home late that night from a business trip. Looks like we'll just have to try it again, but next time we will have to order two.

Rosa Gets a Little Help From Ward Lumber

2010-11-16T18:04:00.010-05:00

Something magical happened today. Rosa drove into the garage for the first time! However, she struggled moving over the cement entrance because of its unevenness. Luckily, we live just down the road from Ward Lumber and thought if we could buy some gravel and spread it over the dips it would be a smooth ride in and out for her.

Since most people aren't doing the landscaping thing at this time of year, the only option was a bag of white marble gravel. After purchasing a 50 pound bag, they called on the radio for someone to meet us with a forklift at Building Two because it had been put "up in the air" for the winter.

While waiting, Drew spotted what we needed and maneuvered the bag down himself.

Just as he was bringing the marble down, the forklift showed up. The worker just shook his head and said the same thing we were thinking, "All this for just a bag of marble. A bit overkill, huh?"

Ward Lumber always provides the best service and continues to go above and beyond. They continue to impress me, even if it is just a $4 bag of marble to help Rosa.

A Letter to My Beloved Car Rosa

2010-11-04T18:07:00.007-04:00

Dear Rosa,

Congratulations on hitting the 110,000 mileage mark today. I'm guessing that after driving that far and closing in on 14 years old, you wanted to take a little break for yourself when deciding not to put the driver side window back up after using the ATM drive-thru.

I need to apologize for having my doubts about you and accidentally calling you a "Piece of S..." to my parents on the phone. I hope you can understand my level of frustration because it was cold and rainy out. Rather than having an all out fight with you, I removed myself from the situation and got a few groceries.

I took a deep breath before seeing you and it helped. I turned on your heat and pointed it toward the window. Slowly you poked your window head back up and with my assistance, I brought you to the top again.

I know you've felt sick plenty of other times before and I've helped you get over those illnesses. Christmas night 2008 was not one of the best when you decided to let the brakes go in Santa Clara and made Drew drive home 45 miles brakeless through the Adirondacks in the dark. The mechanic doctor helped you the very next day. You have proven to me that you're exhausted with the several complete exhaust systems I've bought for you. That summer that you had a leak in the gas tank, your fumes actually made me sick, but I still didn't give up on you.

What I'm trying to say little Rosa, is that I love you even after 14 years. I'll keep loving you and giving you the benefit of the doubt, but I need you to keep loving me too. I know that you look at that two door garage every night wishing that some day you'll make it inside. Believe me I want to be able to give that to you before the day comes when you no longer have that as an option. Maybe tomorrow morning when you see Drew, you could give him a little wink of the headlight and win him over so he'll clear out one side of the garage for your red hot body this winter.

Love always,

Your faithful driver

Visitors and a Cascading Waterfall

2010-11-02T09:27:00.048-04:00

I like having guests visit me along the Ausable because it generally means good food and lots of laughs are on the way. If we know visitors are coming to stay at our house, it means we'll be eating a higher quality dinner thoughtfully prepared rather than our usual last minute frozen pizza option. If they're staying elsewhere, I try to figure out a place they would really enjoy eating at together. Good food and drinks always wins me over whether I'm a guest or a hostess.

As for activities, I like to plan out some fun things to do as well.

When I heard that L and P were going to be staying in Lake Placid and wanted to get together over the weekend, I immediately wanted to know where they were staying. Why? Well, I hoped their lodging accommodations would have a pool and I could build it into the evening's itinerary.

L informed me that they would be staying at the Courtyard Marriott. I wrote back right away telling her to pack their bathing suits. Now, I know writing this to someone you haven't seen in roughly 12 years and having gotten reacquainted through one another's blogs might seem strange, but L quickly wrote back, "I hear the pool has its own 'cascading waterfall' (as opposed to one that does not cascade)."

Before we checked out the cascading waterfall at the pool, we toured two dining establishments for drinks and food and then sprinkled in a little Adirondack ambience. The tour de Lake Placid seemed to exhaust everyone, but we rallied and put on our suits since we did at one point call the hotel to confirm that the pool wasn't closing until 11:00 pm.

There wasn't just one cascading waterfall, there were two! One each for L and P to relax under.

If L&P would like to return, I'll show them a real waterfall next time, one that cascades more than two feet.

Carbo Loading at the Village Bakery

2010-10-26T08:28:00.013-04:00

With my next marathon less than two weeks away, it's time to start thinking about carbo loading to avoid bonking and the Village Bakery in Lake Placid has plenty of carbohydrates to choose from.

The Village Bakery bakes fresh Italian loaves, French baguettes, boules and petit pans daily.

There is a weekly bread schedule with specialty loaves on certain days. My favorite day would be Saturday because of the tasty focaccia and olive bread that comes out of the oven.

♥ Olive You! ♥

It's not just bread, there is an assortment of muffins, turnovers, and chocolate croissants available too. I cannot tell a lie, even if I wasn't about to run 26.2 miles, I'd still find myself at the bottom of Mill Hill at the Village Bakery. Who can resist fresh baked goods?

Eek! The First Sound of Winter

2010-10-18T08:30:00.010-04:00

The seasons have changed.

I'm not talking about seeing the first snowfall accumulation on Friday and hearing my husband rustle around in his ski pants at 5:00 am the next morning to ski up the Toll Road before work. The sound of winter is a noise that wakes me from a sound sleep at 3:30 am and makes me lose sleep. The noise of mice scurrying in our bedroom ceiling. It happened. Last night.

In bed I feared the worst and could not fall back asleep. Thoughts ran through my head. Could this little animal gnaw through the ceiling and fall on me while I sleep? I haven't seen any droppings and the fun size Snickers haven't been touched, maybe I'm just hearing things.

Just when I convinced myself that it must have been the wind against the window, I heard some more scurrying. I let out an Eek! and quickly covered my head with the covers and nudged my husband who simply rolled over and said, "There's nothing I can do right now." Geez, thanks for comforting me. At least I had the cat on the other side to protect me.

There you have it folks, the first sound of Winter. Tonight after work I will buy some peppermint oil and cotton balls and madly place them around the house because apparently mice hate the smell. I will also start researching how to shoot mice with a gun that I don't yet own. As for Drew, you better believe he'll be setting the traps with peanut butter.

Equine Center aka Bomb Shelter

2010-10-11T19:39:00.017-04:00

When I first moved to the area almost a decade ago, I had this sweet deal through work and paid only $100 a month to live in this little apartment on the old Lake Placid Club property.

When I wasn't surrounded by snow drifts in the winter, you could see that I lived in the middle of a parking area for the tennis courts. During the day, when I was actually inside (rare), the door would get knocked on asking if I was the Tennis Pro. At night, I would wake up to the sound of cars slowly driving in and parking. I started to recognize the cars that were either doing drug deals or parking to make out. My cinder block apartment never really felt like home and my friends referred to it as the "Bomb Shelter."

Turns out the "Bomb Shelter" is now surrounded by horses.

The Equine Center now has a location here and they offer horseback riding, carriage and sleigh rides. As my dedicated readers know, I have a problem with motion sickness so I will not provide you with a review of the horseback riding. I shall leave that to someone else.

No offense horsies, but I sure am glad I don't live in the "Bomb Shelter" anymore. I hope you enjoy the teenage face suckers more than I did.

Help Stop Hunger?

2010-10-08T17:30:00.005-04:00

How can I "Help Stop Hunger" when there isn't any candy for me to buy to end my own personal hunger?

Friday's Flight of Stairs

2010-10-08T07:24:00.013-04:00

This post is another little glimpse into our home renovation progress for friends and family that won't be visiting our stairwell along the Ausable anytime soon. Oh, and I can't forget the maniacs out there like me that spend hours looking these silly things up on the internet. I thought I'd share with you our latest house project, painted and stenciled stairs.

Years ago, even before moving, I had ripped out a page from Country Home Magazine and kept it in a folder. Turns out, my sister tore out the same picture for me. I never knew if we'd have stairs some day, let alone ones we could paint as beautiful as these stairs I drooled over in a magazine.

Turns out we ended up with a narrow painted grey stairwell that was sandwiched in by lovely wood panelling. We ripped down the faux wood (correction, Drew ripped it down), and went to work on new walls. It's been a long process, but I was patient waiting to get up close and personal with the stairs.

Before

AND

After

So, there you have it, our flight of stairs painted in green with a stencil on the risers. Does this mean I can finally recycle that magazine picture?

We have one more day of driving the cats insane by locking them up and sealing the stairs with a polyurethane. Yeah, that's fun. Um, not. Oh well, Happy Friday!

p.s. If anyone out there would like our extra gallon of Louisville Mint Julep floor paint, let me know!

It's Nana Time!

2010-10-06T21:12:00.006-04:00

Over the years, I have picked up the nickname, Nana. Yes, as in the old lady Grandma kind of way. As the seasons change and darkness creeps in on us, the Nana in me is more noticeable. I like to go to bed early, before all my television shows even start.

Just now, I ignored my phone ringing downstairs because it was 9:00 pm. Most friends and family know I'm pretty much not available to talk at that hour. However, I listened to my voice mail and it went something like this: "Hi Nana. It's 8:59 and I thought I'd be safe calling you before nine, but I guess not. I'll just have to catch up with you tomorrow to coordinate our run together."

This made me laugh because she is a new friend and has caught on rather quickly to my habits. Her five year old daughter lasts longer than me at parties. Do you think I can use the last month of marathon training as an excuse because I need to rest my muscles and sleep should be a priority?

When Drew asked why I was laughing at my message, I filled him in and he proceeded to laugh along. I decided to come clean about what caught my eye on the bulletin board at the bank this afternoon. There was a flyer that said: "Do you like to eat? Do you like to play bingo?" YES, YES, I DO!!! Before copying the information down, I noticed the fine print welcoming me to a night of socializing at the senior citizen home.

Yup, that's me, Nana along the Ausable. Good Night!

Which Way for Wood?

2010-09-20T19:02:00.028-04:00

Let's pretend that you are a tourist in Wilmington staying at one of the campgrounds and you want to build your family a fire and cook up some s'mores. You head into the center of town and at the four corners you are faced with making the difficult decision of turning left or right for camp wood.

I'm guessing you choose right because it takes less effort to make a right hand turn than a left hand turn because it doesn't involve crossing the yellow line. Right? Right.

Wrong! You are a failure. You reach the matching camp wood sign .5 miles later and see that there is no wood.

You make a gesture with your arms questioning the sign to the man driving out of his driveway and he shakes his head, NO.

You drive back to the four corners and head only .2 of a mile up the hill and see an amazing display of Camp Wood. Score! Here they have nice cubbies of about 20 pieces of camp wood for $5 and also starter wood to get you going for $2.

They even demonstrate on site how wood burns and creates smoke. The sign also reminds you that fire can be "Danger Hot" and you feel like this camp wood seller cares about their customer's fire safety.

Before picking out the camp wood that you were trying to buy you check out the rustic chainsaw carvings. Out of the corner of your eye you see a sign, "Take Your Picture with Dad Wilminon NY" Yup, right there in "Wilminon" you start acting like a true tourist and get camera happy.

Big Al with "DAD"

Drew, aka Fred Flintstone

After all the fun, you get back into your real car and head back to camp and discover you never even bought any Camp Wood.

20 Main, We're not Scared!

2010-09-14T09:50:00.026-04:00

The night started with a simple plan to go to Ladies Night at the Hollywood Theatre in Ausable Forks, but since Lori's coworker dared us to go into 20 Main, the night didn't just end with Eat, Pray, Love. 20 Main has over the years gotten a bad reputation. Some natives have told me they wouldn't dare step into the bar.

I'm not really sure why or how 20 Main got their reputation, perhaps it had something to do with this sign.

Needless to say, I'm a curious person and the ladies didn't put up a fight about checking it out. No "dive bar" was going to scare us. We are a tough group of ladies that are not to be messed with. Look how unapproachable we are.

Here's your proof Chuck!

Honestly, I'm a bit sad that I hadn't been into 20 Main sooner. Hello? Why did no one tell me they had table shuffleboard? I love shuffleboard and hadn't played it in years.

As a kid, my parents would take my sister and I to the Chase Mills Inn in the middle of nowhere St. Lawrence County for dinner. While waiting, I'd annoy my big sis by sprinkling sand all over the place and knock her discs off while she tried to play a "serious" game of shuffleboard.

So, the discovery of the shuffleboard's existence at 20 Main thrilled me and we started a serious game of our own!

Oh, dirty sand and germ ridden shuffleboard discs

how I've missed you!

The ladies divided themselves into two teams - red vs. blue or A&E vs. J&L. The game was tied up until the last match when I placed a red disc onto the 3 and no one came close to knocking it off. Emilie and I won 10 to 6!

Now that we know the music didn't stop when we walked in and didn't get our teeth knocked out, we'll be back to perfect our game of shuffleboard at 20 Main!

Largest Beer Selection?

2010-09-02T18:37:00.008-04:00

Wilmington's North Pole Camping Resort has a new sign out front announcing that they have the "Largest Selection of Micros & Craft Beers In Town!"

Knowing that they have two major competitors in town, the gas station and the Little Supermarket, we were curious to see their beer selection.

The five shelves probably shouldn't be described as large, but then again, I guess it's all relative, especially in Wilmington. We were happy to see that they did carry a few hard to find varieties of beer. They let you mix and match and put together your own six pack which is always fun.

Drew ended up with a six pack of Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Otter Creek Copper Ale, Negra Modelo, Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA, Smithwick's Irish Ale, and a Hoegaarden White Ale. He quickly cooled them off after the car ride home in his "dorm room fridge" in the garage.

We also walked away with a bottle of Samuel Smith India Ale. Sammy Smith beers are my favorite and being able to buy them in Wilmington makes my life even better. Now, I think I'll go find myself a cold beer...

Musty Smell Solution for Furniture

2010-09-01T16:13:00.013-04:00

I used to spray myself with Gingerale Perfume until my sister started accusing me of smelling like an old dirty basement. Yup, my family tells it like it is. Straight up honesty, like soda bubbles up your nose.

As much as I loved the scent, I certainly didn't want to smell musty. That goes for my husband too. We recently acquired an old dresser for him, but my nose immediately detected the scent of that Gingerale Perfume and so I went to work researching how to spare his clothing from smelling musty.

I realize that this is probably far too much background information and this really has nothing to do with being along the Ausable, but in case anyone else out there has searched high and low for answers on how to eliminate musty smells from antique furniture, I now present you with a solution.

1. Put furniture outside on a hot, sunny day to let it breathe.

2. Clean out all the dirt with a rag and vacuum out any remaining debris.

3. Using a diluted water and Murphy Oil Soap solution, wipe down the entire dresser and let air dry in the sun.

4. Put trays of baking soda in the drawers for 24 hours.

5. Dump out the baking soda and then put Activated Charcoal on baking trays inside the drawers and dresser for at least a week.

Activated Charcoal can be purchased at any Pet Store. We found it in the Fish section. I guess it makes aquarium water crystal clear and removes organic waste, colors and odor. Drew read somewhere that one gram of charcoal is equivalent to the surface area of 1/10 the size of a football field!

6. Remove charcoal trays and give the furniture another wipe down and it should be ready to store clothing!

So far, it seems to have worked. Cross your fingers for us that we have found the solution and if your nose tells you we haven't, please be honest and tell my husband he smells like an old, dirty basement as my sister once told me.

Detective Case #1: Gnome Lights

2010-08-30T21:17:00.016-04:00

Recently I've been reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series and have been obsessed with thinking I too could be a really good female detective. Last week I had to get a new cell phone and decided on a black phone because it would be inconspicuous, just like a private eye would have and I even chose the Inspector Gadget theme song as my ring tone. No joke.

Tonight, I have my first case to solve. I wandered outside to call in the cat and as I turned the corner shaking his food bowl, there glowing in our cedar tree were some gnome lights!

I knocked on our living room window to show Drew my excitement and he acted surprised. I thought for sure when he was outside trying to get the cat in and I talked to my friend Lori inside behind the curtains that he was busy stringing lights. He claims it wasn't him.

Lori had already left when I discovered all this and I immediately called her cell phone. The connection wasn't the clearest and I thought for sure she said, "Gnome it wasn't me, I don't gnome what you're talking about." I asked her if she was saying NO or GNOME, it wasn't clear. I hadn't seen her in awhile and she did just kind of show up at my house acting a little strange, but that's not that unusual. No offense Lori. Really? Were you really "just in the neighborhood?"

Why isn't anyone owning up to gifting me with these fabulous gnomes?

The first person I would suspect just flew across the country to go rock climbing, so it's not her. The second suspect lives in Finland, and I don't think she'd fly all the way here to string up some lights without saying hello.

What would Mma Ramotswe of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency from Botswana do? I looked for other clues. I noticed the empty box in the garage and there were no hints to where it was purchased. However, the person did place it on the table near our Recyclables, so it makes me think it is someone that is organized. I started calling other suspects and no one is fessing up.

It troubles me that friends and family members that have been accused of trespassing and stringing gnomes on our property tonight have laughed at my inability to solve my first detective case. I don't have the equipment to do finger printing, but I do know enough that I am 100% sure that this person contains the "awesome" gene.

This case is not closed. If you have any information or possible leads, please contact me.

Gargoyle Yard Sale

2010-08-29T08:29:00.009-04:00

The Gargoyles had a Garage and Yard Sale this weekend.

I stopped by to see just how much two Gargoyles could accumulate. I was surprised to see that when I'm not spying on the Gargoyles and taking their photograph, they have been busy playing the guitar, using a George Foreman Grill and Tubing.

Their Yard Sale also gave me some insight into other hobbies of theirs, such as reading and fashion. They must have outgrown a lot of clothes and I also suspect that they became tired of playing with dinosaur toys.

The Gargoyles were trying to purge many items from their lives this weekend, but they accepted some Easter Rabbit Eggs that I found at a Yard Sale before visiting them.

I thought they'd be a perfect addition for an Easter Gargoyle Party. Stay tuned...

Mulvey's Adirondack Farm Market

2010-08-21T20:39:00.018-04:00

I love summer. I love farmstands. I love vegetables on the side of road. I love not having to go to the grocery store for just one ingredient. Sometimes I just need lettuce, other times it's onions, today it was the tomato.

I knew I could rely on Mulvey's Adirondack Farm Market after work today to grab that one tomato. Mulvey's is so convenient, it's on the way home and all I have to do is pull over, I don't even need a quarter for a cart or fight for a basket.

Right away, I found the tomato I wanted, but then I grabbed two ears of corn. I love corn. Favorite summer food ever! It didn't stop at just the tomato and corn.

All of a sudden, I needed creamed honey. Oh, and then I was talked into a purple tomato because it was ready to use tonight in my zucchini pie. I didn't think I was stopping by for a purple tomato. A purple tomato, huh? I guess it's just a fancy heirloom tomato that Jessica said, "looks like an ugly tomato, but it's purple." Another shopper, Cal, told me it probably tasted old since it was an heirloom. "Silent Cal" is just so funny.

So, remember how I thought I was going in for just one tomato? I ended up with with two tomatoes, two ears of corn, a jar of creamed honey and a finger trap.

Yes, I said finger trap. Otherwise known as "Chinese finger cuffs". Mulvey's has more than just fresh veggies and berries. They sell locally made jewelry and other Adirondack crafts.

Mulvey's is open Thursday - Sunday from 10 - 5 pm. It is definitely worth the stop between Wilmington and Jay, but be prepared that just like in big grocery stores, you might not walk out with just one tomato.

Desperately Seeking Help with Herbs!

2010-08-19T19:34:00.017-04:00

Every year I plant herbs with the intention of using them. I always think that I'll try them in different recipes, but who am I kidding, I'm not much of a cook. I started to feel kind of guilty that I was mostly using them as a background to various vintage finds.

The guilt finally got to be too much for me and I started cutting and picking the herbs to make some refreshing sun tea and pesto.

I read that I should use about 1/4 c. fresh herbs per cup of water. I washed and salad spinned lemon thyme and pineapple mint and then left it in the sun for hours.

After, I chilled both jars in the refrigerator and strained the herbs. I first tried the pineapple mint tea and pretended that I liked it. Drew sipped it and without trying to spare my feelings said, "It's not for me."

Next up, Lemon Thyme Tea. Much better than the pineapple mint, but it was still nothing special. They both tasted a little bit too earthy. Not like dirt, but maybe like drinking twig water. I don't know if honey or a simple syrup would make it any better. Should I have not let the herbs bathe in the water overnight and do you think a green tea bag might help things? Maybe the pineapple mint should be used in a mojito because doesn't rum make everything better?

Oh, and I made the pesto and it was also below average. I used a simple recipe with basil leaves, olive oil, parmesan, garlic, and walnuts.

It turned out to be a little too dry and garlicky and it kind of looked like poop. I guess next time I'd just add a little bit more olive oil and one less clove of garlic, but I don't think that's the problem.

What do you all do with your herbs? Do you have any good herbal sun tea recipes and what's your secret to a fabulous pesto?

Roller Girls

2010-08-17T18:11:00.007-04:00

Tonight we had two thirsty college girls stop by for a water break. Who says you can't train for Nordic Skiing in the summer?

Janie, UVM and Sophie, Middlebury

Their coaches should be pretty impressed by their motivation in this summer heat, I certainly am. I just wonder what happens when cousins have to compete against one another?

Trail Running Adventures

2010-08-13T18:06:00.017-04:00

I know it has been awhile since my last post and before any rumors start, I need to tell you that I have not been in rehab. I'd like to say that I have been on a glorious summer vacation far far away, but I've been along the Ausable this whole time.

Honestly, sometimes life here does feel like a vacation. My early morning trail runs have all the elements of a great getaway: beauty, laughter and wildlife.

I see the same landscape everyday and it never gets old. I could run up the Lake Road from Ausable Club to Indian Head a billion times and I think the view would take my breath away each and every time.

Ausable Lakes from Indian Head

Some mornings aren't as peaceful as a running break on top of Indian Head. On Tuesday morning, Drew and I headed over to the trails in Ausable Acres and in the first mile, I tripped on a rock. I flew through the air and fell flat on my stomach in the dirt. Within seconds of landing on the ground and realizing I hadn't broken anything, I began laughing hysterically.

Drew stood over my body on the ground and said, "Wow! That was impressive. You're laughing, so I guess you're okay. I really wish I had a camera right now!"

I stood up with tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard and discovered that the entire front side of me was covered in dirt. He now refers to me as Pete Rose.

The rocks and roots brought me down that day, but it wasn't enough to keep me away from the trails this morning with my friend Amy, who was visiting from Lake Tahoe.

As we were gabbing away on the Wilmington Flume Trails, we heard something in the woods off to our right. This was not the sound of a pine cone falling to the forest floor. We stopped dead in our tracks when we saw a black animal running away from us. At first I thought, "How rare, I've never seen a black fox before." But then we saw a better view of the animal and knew for sure it was a black bear cub.

No, this picture did not come from my camera. The picture I took was a blurry mess. I spent half the day obsessing over images of Black Bear Cubs because it was so darn cute.

As we slowly walked backwards, our eyes scanned the forest around us. We were nervous that we were on the trail between Mama and Baby Bear. A couple minutes passed and we felt safe enough to continue running forward while the cub scurried up the mountain. Amy and I picked up the pace for that section of the trail and made it back to the car without seeing the mother.

I wonder what might happen during tomorrow's run?

Antique-Aholics Anonymous

2010-07-29T20:39:00.041-04:00

Hi my name is Big Al and I'm an Antique-Aholic.

Like so many other addictions, mine started in College. I would sneak out of my dorm room early on Saturday mornings and head to auctions. At one point, I convinced a professor to provide me with money for my habit and found myself buying one too many dinnerware sets for an upcoming play.

More than ten years later, I'm noticing that I still have an addiction.I frequently find myself having conversations that center around my problem and I brag about what I find and how little it cost me. Bragging is not a behavioral quality to be proud about.

$1 wicker chair!

I regularly am in search of "good stuff" upon awakening and it has interfered with my work schedule. Having to work on the weekend gets in the way of 9 am yard sales. No early birds? Whatever, that phrase doesn't exist in my world of antique dependence.

Flower Frogs and Flower Pins

I have had periods of time when I can't remember what I did. Recently, I blacked out at an auction and lost out on a ladies rocker that I sat hours waiting for. I became obsessed with finding another one and couldn't think about anything else until I finally found one for a steal at a flea market one month later.

I sometimes have family members or close friends go with me so I can experience a rush when they score.

Yes, I did get excited over my husband ending his week long search for a punch clock.

Recently, I went so far as to fulfill another addicts wish and sent a package all the way to Atlanta, Georgia!

Experts say you should try to give something up and not experience physical or emotional distress for 6 weeks. I can't even imagine the shakes that might happen if I were to try.

Labor Day is only a month away and my opportunities will soon be limited to Etsy and Ebay and this brings a great amount of anxiety to me. Can I stay off the wagon a little bit longer? Speaking of wagons, check out what I did with the Radio Flyer I got for free at the Town Dump.

The weekend is right around the corner and I have to be honest, I'm really jonesing for my next fix. It helps that I don't have any cash in my wallet right now, but the yard sale sign on our corner is taunting me.

Liquids & Solids

2010-07-21T08:22:00.020-04:00

If you haven't been to Liquids & Solids at the Handlebar, you need to drop everything and go because this gastro pub is to die for. They've only been open for a month, but it seems like T & K are already in their groove. Their Liquids Menu offers a great selection of beer that you normally can't get in our neck of the woods along with wine, and interesting cocktails.

Looking at the Solids Menu and talking to friends at the table next to us, we knew there was no way we could go wrong with our picks. We decided on sharing three smalls and because it was all so amazing, Drew and I rotated the plates every few bites. My usual descriptions are missing because he's a fast eater, I had to keep up. There was no way I was going to miss out on my fair share of all the foodie goodness.

warmed panzanella, arugula, pesto, and honey horseradish vinaigrette

sweet and spicy rice noodle salad, pea shoots, bean sprouts, peanuts, dried mango, cilantro with crispy tofu.

grilled Boston blue fish, lemon pudding, cornbread french toast, crispy onions.

It was really hard to eat this food.

Um, NOT!

Oh, and how could I forget the Sweet?

lavender creme brulee and preserved lemon

It was such a treat for us to go out for dinner and we were more than satisfied when we left. However, last night I dreamt about going back for the burger I saw come out with cheese curds, eating poutine and washing it all down with mint chocolate pie. Swoon.

Are you salivating yet? Give them a try, you won't be sorry.

Liquids and Solids is open Tuesday - Sunday from 4 - 11 pm. They are located just down the street from the train station across from Lamb Lumber.

For Sale: Water Tube

2010-07-14T10:14:00.016-04:00

After purchasing three tubes from the Mountaineer less than 24 hours ago, I have discovered that tubing down the river is not for me.

Our friend Heather from Colorado was visiting and we thought it would be fun to float down the river to our house. We started our journey from the parking area on 9N between Upper Jay and Jay. Everything started off smoothly and I was loving life.

A little more than half a mile later down stream, I could tell my body wasn't liking the adventure. I had visions of myself grabbing onto the bridge foundation and holding on for dear life like Anne of Green Gables did before Gilbert rescued her.

No, the current wasn't strong and I was not in danger of drowning. This lazy river tubing adventure was carrying us at a rate of less than one mile an hour. You see, my body is fragile and I am prone to motion sickness. I have gotten sick while flat water kayaking on Mirror Lake. I thought I would be fine just floating down the river not exerting myself. However, I am a freak of nature.

Drew and Heather were perfectly happy drifting further and further down the river away from me.

Something happened 1 1/2 miles down. I vomited. Yes, that's right, I puked. It was a technicolor yawn. I tossed my cookies. Upchucked. Barfed. Threw up. Hurled. This projectile ralph happened in my beloved river.

I was still only about half way to our house and had no choice but to float and walk along the river banks while my husband and friend laughed at me during other bouts of vomiting. This unfortunately is something Drew has gotten used to over the years with me.

Finally we rounded the final river bend and came to the parking area less than a mile walk to our house. I exited the river and waved down a woman that I've seen often while running in the morning to give me a ride to the Covered Bridge to meet them.

Drew and Heather completed the three mile river journey. Drew ended it with a grand finale of sliding down the rapids just before the bridge. He obviously had no problems with his stomach.

So, if anyone else would like to give it a try, I know of one River Rat tube that won't be used anytime soon.

Life Size Dollhouse

2010-07-10T21:32:00.028-04:00

The house on the corner of 86 and 9N in Jay has seen better days.

There is a creek that runs through the base of the house and I don't think it did much to help it structurally over the years.

Slowly, the house has been falling down room by room and has become a life size dollhouse. Everyday I drive by and am reminded of my childhood because oddly, the cross section resembles the layout of the rooms in the dollhouse my father built for my sister.

Being the younger sister meant that her toys got passed on to me when she moved onto teenage actvities. That dollhouse was one of my favorite playtime activities. I remember spending hours removing all the furniture from the rooms and redecorating.

When I opened the doors and roof to the dollhouse yesterday, furniture was tossed around from it being moved around the basement. Without even thinking, I moved the items into the rooms the same way I did 25 years ago.

Sometimes the bird cage and sewing machine would be placed on opposite sides of the red house, but most of the time they were grouped together. I'm not really sure what made me think that sewing and song birds went together at the age of six, but what kind of doll wouldn't want to sew in the company of a bird?

Looking back, it may have been what my sister had done all along and I've always admired her decorating skills. I can't imagine matching the gold on the sewing machine with the bird cage all by myself, but these are things I find myself doing as an adult.

The rocking chair and side table were placed in the green stairwell room. Unfortunately, due to where my father is storing the dollhouse, I couldn't get to the rooms on the other side of the house to find the miniature green vase that is supposed to go on the table.

From this stairwell room, I peeked into the master bedroom and noticed that the father was lying in bed with a blonde while the mother was down in the orange kitchen putting salad on the table! Looks like the plastic people have been up to no good.

I wonder if a similar scandal happened at the life size dollhouse on the corner because someone got a little angry and spray painted "Dick" in the bottom right room.

People need to keep in mind that when you live in a dollhouse, your whole life is exposed and people might start making up stories about you.

Buttons Buttons

2010-07-07T16:05:00.020-04:00

Facing the Jay Village Green is one of my favorite houses. If you've been to the Green, you know the house. It's the one with the awesome wrap-around porch, purple and green trim and the Cottage garden that comes up to the sidewalk. This is the home of Buttons Buttons.

Buttons Buttons is a vintage textile business. Barbara works with a huge collection of vintage fabric and antique buttons in her studio on John Fountain Road.

She takes old textiles and turns them into one of a kind pillows that almost look too pretty to lay your head on.

If you want something a little bit more rugged, you should check out her collection of Porch and Adirondack pillows.

I think Buttons Buttons hours might be a hit or miss type thing, but she also has a booth at Red Barn Antiques in Upper Jay which is open Wednesday - Sunday. It was here I first saw her work and fell in love with these two little lampshades she created.

If you are looking for a special gift for someone (hint, hint) or just need a little inspiration, check out Buttons Buttons in Ye Olde hamlet of Jay.

90 Degree What?!

2010-07-06T23:03:00.014-04:00

What does one do when family comes to town during a heat wave?

1. Take turns hugging the icy North Pole.

2. Drive 1000 feet from the house in an air conditioned vehicle to the famous swimming hole and submerse your body into the refreshing Au Sable River.

3. Decide you are not leaving "Heaven on Earth" anytime soon and finally turn into a swimmer after 32 years.

4. Don't cook, go to A&W for dinner and drink Root Beer Floats.

5. Repeat step 3, walk down to the river for a quick dip before bed and wait for the sun to go down.

Patriotic Gargoyles

2010-07-04T13:00:00.001-04:00

Have a safe and happy fourth of July from the Gargoyles!

Roaring Brook Fireworks

2010-07-03T23:24:00.009-04:00

Instead of watching the fireworks from behind our house in Jay tonight, we hiked to the top of Roaring Brook Falls to watch them over the Ausable Club.

We arrived before sunset and found our spot on the rocks. Lori, Drew, and I couldn't get over what a perfect summer night it was and quietly took in the beauty around us. We were all relaxing until some loud obnoxious hikers from New Jersey showed up and got right in front of us and ruined our wilderness experience!

Just kidding, we love you Muffin even if you are from NJ! :)

There are moments every day when I realize how lucky I am to live here. Tonight was no exception. Being able to pick up my husband and friend after work and take a short hike to watch fireworks in the mountains is definitely not something I take for granted.

Happy Fourth of July from the top of Roaring Brook Falls!

BBQ Festival

2010-07-03T17:45:00.006-04:00

The I Love BBQ Festival has returned to Lake Placid this weekend.

Sadly, I was not asked to return as the ILBBQF Mascot. Do you think it's because I'm not piggly enough?

Perhaps it's because I tend to try out only one rib in the Buck a Rib Contest. Maybe I need to start bulking up for next year's festival and eat more homemade potato chip nacho towers and pulled pork sandwiches.

Signs at Stein O' Hoff's

2010-06-26T20:48:00.026-04:00

Thinking about all the signs outside of Steinhoff's has taken up a tremendous amount of my mental energy driving to and from work recently.

The main sign for Steinhoff's stands proudly on Rt. 86 just as you enter Wilmington. The sign screams, "Stop, you're done with work, come on in for a stein of German beer!"

The sign for Stein's Wines & Spirits is a little more discreet for those of you that just want to paper bag it.

You know, "Stein's" for short because it's only a short visit when buying alcohol as opposed to nursing a beer all night long. Oh, but wait...maybe it is Steinhoffs Liquor Store.

Are you confused? Do you need a shot of the infamous German, Jagermeister? Yes? Well, make your way to Hoff's Irish Pub. Wait. Irish?

My friend Jenny was visiting from Montana and she was the lucky gal that participated in my questioning of Steinhoff's employees. I mean, Hoff's. Whatever.

Ben proved to be the World's best bartender last night and didn't even get annoyed with my chatter. I don't think he looks German or Irish.

The new co-owner Jason, calls himself Irish, but we were in a bar and he might have been pulling my leg. Jason did talk with an Irish accent though. When asking him about Steinhoff's German-Irish partnership, he said, "Germany and Ireland are the combined forces of the alcoholic world." And with just that sentence, I understood.

Jason also informed me that he recently ordered an "O" to go in front of the Hoff's Irish Pub sign and also two leprechauns holding beers that will also be placed on the sign out front.

So, if you find yourself sitting on a rustic creation in wood (chair) on the new deck, wondering about all those signs, you might just want to go on in and ask. You are guaranteed a good time, no matter what nation you prefer.

Ms. Jenny, Montana is treating you well,

but never forget your wing lady.

Unique Blue Bird House

2010-06-21T18:11:00.017-04:00

I always loved the red bird house my parents had hanging in the pine trees behind their house. When we bought our home, they gave it to us. For two lonely years, it hung at the corner of the house empty.

Then today, as I walked up to our home, I heard a noise and spotted a little brown bird with a blue tail fly out of the hole of the bird house. Standing in the driveway by myself, I screamed, "Oh my God! We have Blue Birds!"

Not being sure, I checked our bird book and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology site. All searches confirmed that we have a family of Eastern Blue Birds as guests.

How can it be? We didn't research how to construct a special Blue Bird house.

I thought that these birds were supposed to be picky when selecting their house and Blue Birds required specific measurements and proper ventilation. That they only ever wanted to live attached to a post in a field near a shrub with gnomes living 100 feet away.

As it turns out, our blue birds had something else in mind. They had their eyes set on a cute red house with a sloping roof and brick chimney.

What Blue Bird wouldn't want to live here?