Welp, since I haven't looked at birds or stepped on baby deer in a while, I still have an urge to write. Therefore I will be creating a new blog detailing the trials and tribulations and meals that evolve from my foray into gardening. Kate and I are planting a vegetable and herb garden in her back yard this summer, and preparations have begun. Last night we started some of our seeds, and there will be more to follow in the next few days.
Because this a totally different venture, one that I have never attempted, I will be putting up more assorted ramblings, grumblings, recipes and reviews of meals that we prepare from our garden. So stay tuned, the new page will be up soon and I will post a link to it. I'm excited about it, even though we just got 6" of fresh snow yesterday, because Spring is almost here and it is time to start thinking about the outdoors AND I won't have to give my hard earned money to the man in order to feed myself. Hope y'all are well! Slainte!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thursday, June 24, 2010
It has been awhile
Hard to believe that it has been three weeks since my last post!!! Where has the time gone? Most of it is due to not being home, lack of internet access on the road, and some to my laziness. Oh well, there's lots to catch up on so I will do it chronologically over the next few days. Hmmm...where did I leave off? Oh yeah, the Mohawk Valley!
If Ithaca is Gorges, then the Mohawk valley is Magnificent! Natty Bumpo Country! I have been to Cooperstown, and driven on the Thruway between Syracuse and Albany often, but you don't realize how beautiful this area is until you get out of the car and into the hills that surround the ribbon of water that carved a perfect spot for an interstate. I was enamored with the landscape, and the people who reside there.
What makes the the area so unique, and different from where I live is: the bedrock. The Finger Lakes are underlain by very thin, crumbly shales which are the result of millions of years of deepwater deposition of eroded mountaintops. These rocks, as well as glacial activity, are the reason we have beautiful, deep lakes and dramatic gorges carved by crashing waterfalls. But the Mohawk area is dominated by younger, thicker limestones. These younger limestones represent warm, shallow water deposition of calcium rich organisms, which over great amounts of time hardened and became the rock that we now from the area today. The landscapes are similar, because of the presence of many creeks and some smaller lakes, but there is definitely a difference. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it can be seen. Some of the properties I visited had broad, expansive views overlooking the river valley. There is so much texture and depth to the land that can only be appreciated in the openness. Rollicking hills dotted with thick hardwood forests and pastoral farms fade into to The Valley, while on the other side the foothills of the Adirondacks, dark with conifers, stand imposingly many miles to the North. The granduer of this area is intensified by seeing it in the warming glow of the rising sun. Luckily, my job entails me raising in sync with the sun and the birds, and forces me to open my eyes to the dawning of the new day, and a new way of seeing the land. It reminded me of my old job in Boulder, where I had to be at work by 5:00am some mornings, and would always step out at sunrise to watch the rusty red sandstones of the Flatirons catch fire in the crisp Rocky Mountain air.
Enough of the flowery talk, let me tell you about the food. Two things come to mind from the Mohawk leg of this journey: a dinner I had in Cooperstown, and Stewarts. Let me start with what an amazing store Stewarts is. For those of you who don't know what it is, or have maybe had their Root Beer or Cream Soda, it is an actual chain convenience/gas station. I believe the cut off is around Utica, but go north and south from there and every town has one. The Adirondacks are full of them. Thank God! I usually don't wax poetic about gas stations and convenience store, but let me tell you, these oases of fuel and pre-packaged foods are amazing. You can get ice crem here at any time of the day! But what made me fall in love again was not the sundaes, or the root beer, or the reasonably priced gas. It was .99 cent PBJ's. For a week and a half straight I would hit the first one I saw. Fill up my coffee mug and snag a PBJ and be on my way. The coffee cleaned the cobwebs, and the PBJ fed me and kept me energized til lunch. Walking through wet, chest high grass ain't easy, and I needed all the help I could get to keep my legs from crashing out below me. Thank You Stewarts! I can't wait to see you next week.
The other meal worth mentioning was eaten at a little inn in Cooperstown called The Pit at the Tunnicliff Inn. It was in the basement of a hotel which had its heyday in the mid 1800's, and I had to pretty much duck the whole time I was there. The first thing that caught my eye was that they had Ommeganng on tap, and dammit, I love that beer (its made in Coooperstown, next time through we're doing the tour). I just wish it wasn't so damn expensive, but when I feel like splurging, thats usually what I get. So naturally, I ordered one while I perused the menu. the second thing that caught my eye was a dish that was grilled, locally made kilebasa served over Ommeganng braised red cabbage. Good thing the menu was laminated because I instantly began drooling. I was so excited to order, because my supervisor said once in awhile treat yourself to a morale boosting dinner, and this where fate found us. I sipped my beer slowly, because it is strong and I had an empty gullett. I didn't want to get drunk to fast, it was only 5:30 afterall. Well, when dinner arrived, I was not dissappointed. There were TWO grilled, locally made kilebasas nestled comfortably on a mound of crimson colored red cabbage. My Polish blood was racing at the sweet, malty aromas wafting from my plate. I have been quoted as saying, "I will eat anything soaked in beer," and eat I did. The kielbasa was delicious, especially with a dollop of tangy dijon added to it, and the cabbage was so flavorful and tender I almpst cried. This must be what they serve in heaven. It was so good, that I am inspired to do it myself, and need to get to the farmers market to buy some Kielbasa from the piggery, but first I must wait til I can afford to buy me some Ommegang.
Well, that about does it for the Mohawk Valley. There will be more to follow in the next few days or so.
If Ithaca is Gorges, then the Mohawk valley is Magnificent! Natty Bumpo Country! I have been to Cooperstown, and driven on the Thruway between Syracuse and Albany often, but you don't realize how beautiful this area is until you get out of the car and into the hills that surround the ribbon of water that carved a perfect spot for an interstate. I was enamored with the landscape, and the people who reside there.
What makes the the area so unique, and different from where I live is: the bedrock. The Finger Lakes are underlain by very thin, crumbly shales which are the result of millions of years of deepwater deposition of eroded mountaintops. These rocks, as well as glacial activity, are the reason we have beautiful, deep lakes and dramatic gorges carved by crashing waterfalls. But the Mohawk area is dominated by younger, thicker limestones. These younger limestones represent warm, shallow water deposition of calcium rich organisms, which over great amounts of time hardened and became the rock that we now from the area today. The landscapes are similar, because of the presence of many creeks and some smaller lakes, but there is definitely a difference. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it can be seen. Some of the properties I visited had broad, expansive views overlooking the river valley. There is so much texture and depth to the land that can only be appreciated in the openness. Rollicking hills dotted with thick hardwood forests and pastoral farms fade into to The Valley, while on the other side the foothills of the Adirondacks, dark with conifers, stand imposingly many miles to the North. The granduer of this area is intensified by seeing it in the warming glow of the rising sun. Luckily, my job entails me raising in sync with the sun and the birds, and forces me to open my eyes to the dawning of the new day, and a new way of seeing the land. It reminded me of my old job in Boulder, where I had to be at work by 5:00am some mornings, and would always step out at sunrise to watch the rusty red sandstones of the Flatirons catch fire in the crisp Rocky Mountain air.
Enough of the flowery talk, let me tell you about the food. Two things come to mind from the Mohawk leg of this journey: a dinner I had in Cooperstown, and Stewarts. Let me start with what an amazing store Stewarts is. For those of you who don't know what it is, or have maybe had their Root Beer or Cream Soda, it is an actual chain convenience/gas station. I believe the cut off is around Utica, but go north and south from there and every town has one. The Adirondacks are full of them. Thank God! I usually don't wax poetic about gas stations and convenience store, but let me tell you, these oases of fuel and pre-packaged foods are amazing. You can get ice crem here at any time of the day! But what made me fall in love again was not the sundaes, or the root beer, or the reasonably priced gas. It was .99 cent PBJ's. For a week and a half straight I would hit the first one I saw. Fill up my coffee mug and snag a PBJ and be on my way. The coffee cleaned the cobwebs, and the PBJ fed me and kept me energized til lunch. Walking through wet, chest high grass ain't easy, and I needed all the help I could get to keep my legs from crashing out below me. Thank You Stewarts! I can't wait to see you next week.
The other meal worth mentioning was eaten at a little inn in Cooperstown called The Pit at the Tunnicliff Inn. It was in the basement of a hotel which had its heyday in the mid 1800's, and I had to pretty much duck the whole time I was there. The first thing that caught my eye was that they had Ommeganng on tap, and dammit, I love that beer (its made in Coooperstown, next time through we're doing the tour). I just wish it wasn't so damn expensive, but when I feel like splurging, thats usually what I get. So naturally, I ordered one while I perused the menu. the second thing that caught my eye was a dish that was grilled, locally made kilebasa served over Ommeganng braised red cabbage. Good thing the menu was laminated because I instantly began drooling. I was so excited to order, because my supervisor said once in awhile treat yourself to a morale boosting dinner, and this where fate found us. I sipped my beer slowly, because it is strong and I had an empty gullett. I didn't want to get drunk to fast, it was only 5:30 afterall. Well, when dinner arrived, I was not dissappointed. There were TWO grilled, locally made kilebasas nestled comfortably on a mound of crimson colored red cabbage. My Polish blood was racing at the sweet, malty aromas wafting from my plate. I have been quoted as saying, "I will eat anything soaked in beer," and eat I did. The kielbasa was delicious, especially with a dollop of tangy dijon added to it, and the cabbage was so flavorful and tender I almpst cried. This must be what they serve in heaven. It was so good, that I am inspired to do it myself, and need to get to the farmers market to buy some Kielbasa from the piggery, but first I must wait til I can afford to buy me some Ommegang.
Well, that about does it for the Mohawk Valley. There will be more to follow in the next few days or so.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Lightning doesn't strike twice, I hope
As we pulled into our campsite at Verona Beach, there was yellow caution tape surrounding it and the sites on each side. What the hell? Was someone murdered? Nope. But someone coud've died, because as it turns out, two days before my arrival there was a wicked thunderstorm and a bolt of lightning struck a tree on the site, and they were cleaning it up. Holy shit! I was a bit uneasy, because there ain't much protection in a tent from falling trees. I was more uneasy about the fact that we had to get a new site, and with thunderstorms in the forecast, I would prefer the site that got struck two days ago. Lightning doesn't strike twice, right?
We set up camp 5 sites over, and hoped for good weather. About midnight of our first night there the first few drops of rain began to pitter patter on the tent. My tent's nice, mostly because I can stand up straight in it, but its not totally waterproof. Especially during a deluge. The rain poured down harder, and the rumble and crash of thunderstorms began to shake the sky. The storm was pretty heavy, but not very close because some time elapsed between the rumble and crash. But the rain got harder, and after awhile the began dripping in through the seams. I wasn't sleeping well, for obvious reasons. A puddle began forming near my head so I grabbed my towel and laid it below the drip and attempted to get some sleep before the alarm went off at 5:00am. Dan on the other hand, had a puddle forming near him too, but was sleeping on a foam egg crates which served as giant sponge. He got up and slept in the car, and I just rolled over.
We survived the storm and went out to our sites to do the surveys. It didn't rain but it was quite overcast all morning which wasn't very good news, because we had to dry our gear out. As we pulled up to our lakeside campsite, I noticed a stiff wind ripping off the lake. As we got closer, we noticed the tent had been blown over on its side. Sonufabitch! I just want to lay down and get some sleep. Grrrr. But first, we had to re-anchor the tent. This was no easy task. The wind was blowing straight off the lake at about 20 miles. The tent was like a kite. After a struggle, we got it anchored down, and I opened up the vents so the wind could blow straight through it. Time for bed, with nothin but blue sky's in the forecast. Good sleepin' weather.
I longed for home. I was excited because it was Ithaca Fest weekend, and my previous job never really allowed me to join in the festivities for the four years I have lived here. It's nice to have a more "normal" work schedule with weekends off. I have a life again and can see friends on the weekend. And I get to sleep in my own bed.
We set up camp 5 sites over, and hoped for good weather. About midnight of our first night there the first few drops of rain began to pitter patter on the tent. My tent's nice, mostly because I can stand up straight in it, but its not totally waterproof. Especially during a deluge. The rain poured down harder, and the rumble and crash of thunderstorms began to shake the sky. The storm was pretty heavy, but not very close because some time elapsed between the rumble and crash. But the rain got harder, and after awhile the began dripping in through the seams. I wasn't sleeping well, for obvious reasons. A puddle began forming near my head so I grabbed my towel and laid it below the drip and attempted to get some sleep before the alarm went off at 5:00am. Dan on the other hand, had a puddle forming near him too, but was sleeping on a foam egg crates which served as giant sponge. He got up and slept in the car, and I just rolled over.
We survived the storm and went out to our sites to do the surveys. It didn't rain but it was quite overcast all morning which wasn't very good news, because we had to dry our gear out. As we pulled up to our lakeside campsite, I noticed a stiff wind ripping off the lake. As we got closer, we noticed the tent had been blown over on its side. Sonufabitch! I just want to lay down and get some sleep. Grrrr. But first, we had to re-anchor the tent. This was no easy task. The wind was blowing straight off the lake at about 20 miles. The tent was like a kite. After a struggle, we got it anchored down, and I opened up the vents so the wind could blow straight through it. Time for bed, with nothin but blue sky's in the forecast. Good sleepin' weather.
I longed for home. I was excited because it was Ithaca Fest weekend, and my previous job never really allowed me to join in the festivities for the four years I have lived here. It's nice to have a more "normal" work schedule with weekends off. I have a life again and can see friends on the weekend. And I get to sleep in my own bed.
Laverne to the rescue!
Well, last week was a long one (eventhough I had Monday off). My travels included the Southern Tier, and near the east end of Oneida Lake. The weather has been quite rainy as of late, which is good because we need it, but not good for our surveys because the birds don't come out and play when its crappy. So far we are on schedule and halfway done with our first go-round.
On Tuesday we were down south of Watkins Glen. We stayed in Ithaca because it was close enough for us to drive to the sites from my apartment, but it meant being on the road at 4:30am. It poured on the way to the first site. Things weren't looking good initially, but as we arrived at the first property the rains halted and the sky broke up. Perfect!! We didn't have to turn around and could continue as planned. It was pretty good day, birdwise, and as we finished the last site I took off my field gear, set down my clipboard and wrung out my saturated socks. "Lets eat," I drearily proclaimed. We drove off to this great little diner in the Glen, called Tobe's, to get some much-needed coffee and greasy breakfast food. It was a long morning and I was spent. After breakfast we went back to my apartment where I proceeded to take nap, because it was off to the Chappy for the Tuesday night ritual of Irish music, free popcorn, beer and good conversation.
Before we left for the bar I was getting my stuff together so I could have an extra 15 minutes of sleep, when I could not find my clipboard that had all the data sheets I had filled out. My heart sank. I looked in the car, underneath the couches, the table, everywhere. It was nowhere to be found. Then it dawned on me....I may have left it on the trunk of the car when I took off all my shit to wring off out my socks. I was so embarrased because I am not usually a space case like that, but the lack of coffee and sleep had made me weak. What to do? Well, luckily the next group of sites were in that general direction, so we decided to go search the roadways near our last stop. We got there about 7:00am, and it was nowhere to be found. The bright spot was there were no pieces of broken and shattered plastic clipboard anywhere. I crossed my fingers with hopes that someone picked it up and would notice the Audubon card inside and call the office.
The next day found us camping on Oneida Lake. After doing our surveys near Canastota, I was relaxing by the shores of the lake when my phone rang. It was my supervisor and he was calling to see how we were doing, and to let me know someone had called him and found my clipboard!! Halleluja (sp?)!!!! I was psyched that I didn't have to write on a stupid manila folder anymore, becasue they make horrible clipboards, and oh yeah, I didn't lose the data that I had collected so far.
Laverne found my clipboard on the road where I was sure we lost it, and had it in his posession. But how to get it? We were too far away to drive and get it, but I was headed back to Ithaca for the weekend, and could drive back down to Watkins Glen to pick it up. It was an extra trip, but there's a great brewery and resturaunt that I could stop at as I drove through there. It turned out that Laverne wasn't going to be in town this weekend, because he is a truck driver. He delivers nails. Wow, thats pretty tough. But it turns out, he delivers to NYSEG in Ithaca which is two miles from my house. Perfect, I'll just meet him there and pick it up. He called me on Friday to let me know that he did not go home and did not have the clipboard on him, but he would be in town on Saturday. But, that didn't work for me because I was going to be golfing in a tournament all day. I'm never going to get this freakin' thing I thought. But it all worked out, as Dan was not going home downstate, and was going to stay in Cortland with a friend. Perfect! As I returned from the tournament, I walked in to find my precious clipboard sitting on the coffee table. Thank You Laverne, because of you I did not lose over a weeks worth of data vital to this program. The embarrasment was killing me.
On Tuesday we were down south of Watkins Glen. We stayed in Ithaca because it was close enough for us to drive to the sites from my apartment, but it meant being on the road at 4:30am. It poured on the way to the first site. Things weren't looking good initially, but as we arrived at the first property the rains halted and the sky broke up. Perfect!! We didn't have to turn around and could continue as planned. It was pretty good day, birdwise, and as we finished the last site I took off my field gear, set down my clipboard and wrung out my saturated socks. "Lets eat," I drearily proclaimed. We drove off to this great little diner in the Glen, called Tobe's, to get some much-needed coffee and greasy breakfast food. It was a long morning and I was spent. After breakfast we went back to my apartment where I proceeded to take nap, because it was off to the Chappy for the Tuesday night ritual of Irish music, free popcorn, beer and good conversation.
Before we left for the bar I was getting my stuff together so I could have an extra 15 minutes of sleep, when I could not find my clipboard that had all the data sheets I had filled out. My heart sank. I looked in the car, underneath the couches, the table, everywhere. It was nowhere to be found. Then it dawned on me....I may have left it on the trunk of the car when I took off all my shit to wring off out my socks. I was so embarrased because I am not usually a space case like that, but the lack of coffee and sleep had made me weak. What to do? Well, luckily the next group of sites were in that general direction, so we decided to go search the roadways near our last stop. We got there about 7:00am, and it was nowhere to be found. The bright spot was there were no pieces of broken and shattered plastic clipboard anywhere. I crossed my fingers with hopes that someone picked it up and would notice the Audubon card inside and call the office.
The next day found us camping on Oneida Lake. After doing our surveys near Canastota, I was relaxing by the shores of the lake when my phone rang. It was my supervisor and he was calling to see how we were doing, and to let me know someone had called him and found my clipboard!! Halleluja (sp?)!!!! I was psyched that I didn't have to write on a stupid manila folder anymore, becasue they make horrible clipboards, and oh yeah, I didn't lose the data that I had collected so far.
Laverne found my clipboard on the road where I was sure we lost it, and had it in his posession. But how to get it? We were too far away to drive and get it, but I was headed back to Ithaca for the weekend, and could drive back down to Watkins Glen to pick it up. It was an extra trip, but there's a great brewery and resturaunt that I could stop at as I drove through there. It turned out that Laverne wasn't going to be in town this weekend, because he is a truck driver. He delivers nails. Wow, thats pretty tough. But it turns out, he delivers to NYSEG in Ithaca which is two miles from my house. Perfect, I'll just meet him there and pick it up. He called me on Friday to let me know that he did not go home and did not have the clipboard on him, but he would be in town on Saturday. But, that didn't work for me because I was going to be golfing in a tournament all day. I'm never going to get this freakin' thing I thought. But it all worked out, as Dan was not going home downstate, and was going to stay in Cortland with a friend. Perfect! As I returned from the tournament, I walked in to find my precious clipboard sitting on the coffee table. Thank You Laverne, because of you I did not lose over a weeks worth of data vital to this program. The embarrasment was killing me.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Almost stepped on a fawn
Dan (if that is his real name) and i returned from the Niagara frontier Thursday afternoon. We stopped at one site near Batavia, and I decided to take the scenic route home to Ithaca from there. It was a bit shorter, mileage wise, and it took us striaght through Canandaigua, which was on my mind because The Dog and I were talking bout a great Italian deli in town just a week ago. Casa Italiana its called, and they have great subs there. Reminds me of Palermo's back in the Rock. I'm a huge fan of mortadella with lettuce, tomato, onion, provolone, swimming in olive oil and vinegar. I used to eat there all the time when I went to FLCC. It really hit the spot! (Is this turning into a food blog? haha)
We stayed at my apartment in Ithaca Thursday night, because we wanted to save some money (we get reimbursed for lodging but that can take a few weeks) and we could drive to the two sites we wanted to knock off on Friday. The first stop was in Jasper. You forget how beautiful and varied New York is until you get of the interstate and onto the backroads, and explore. I feel blessed to live in the middle of it all too! The first site we visited (took an 1 1/2 hours to get to) was a dairy farm where the landowner was involved in the conservation program, and practiced pasture rotation. This allowed the grasses to grow back the next year in certain areas while his cattle grazed elsewhere. Its nice, because the program supports the farmer and the birds. It's a nice symbiotic relationship. I hopped the fence, being sure not to touch the electrical part, and began walking through the field towards the coordinates where I was to do the survey. I was distracted by all the birds I was hearing and seeing. Luckily, I lookd down just as I was about to place my size 13 boot on top of a baby fawn that couldn't have been more than a week old. It just laid there curled up and didn't move. What a strange defense mechanism. They just sit there not moving with hopes that a predator doesn't find them. But it must work, because their poulation numbers are astronomical. I quickly kept walking because it looked so serene and I didn't want to scare it. Plus I had work to do and birds to count. I'm sure I'll see more.
Headed towards the next site, along Colonel Bills Creek valley, I was listening to that lonesome blue yodel of Jimmie Rodgers on the radio when I passed an old, abandoned tavern that advertised "Legal Beverages." I found it odd, and it got me a wonderin'. How old was the place? Prohibition? Are there any illegal beverages? Moonshine? Or was I in a dry town? Hmmm....the mind wanders early in the morning. Anyways, I cranked up Jimmie and kept on towards the next stop, which brought me closer to home and closer to the holiday weekend. Y'all have fun, and remember your friends and family memebers who have served in the military. They are all greater men (and women) than I.
We stayed at my apartment in Ithaca Thursday night, because we wanted to save some money (we get reimbursed for lodging but that can take a few weeks) and we could drive to the two sites we wanted to knock off on Friday. The first stop was in Jasper. You forget how beautiful and varied New York is until you get of the interstate and onto the backroads, and explore. I feel blessed to live in the middle of it all too! The first site we visited (took an 1 1/2 hours to get to) was a dairy farm where the landowner was involved in the conservation program, and practiced pasture rotation. This allowed the grasses to grow back the next year in certain areas while his cattle grazed elsewhere. Its nice, because the program supports the farmer and the birds. It's a nice symbiotic relationship. I hopped the fence, being sure not to touch the electrical part, and began walking through the field towards the coordinates where I was to do the survey. I was distracted by all the birds I was hearing and seeing. Luckily, I lookd down just as I was about to place my size 13 boot on top of a baby fawn that couldn't have been more than a week old. It just laid there curled up and didn't move. What a strange defense mechanism. They just sit there not moving with hopes that a predator doesn't find them. But it must work, because their poulation numbers are astronomical. I quickly kept walking because it looked so serene and I didn't want to scare it. Plus I had work to do and birds to count. I'm sure I'll see more.
Headed towards the next site, along Colonel Bills Creek valley, I was listening to that lonesome blue yodel of Jimmie Rodgers on the radio when I passed an old, abandoned tavern that advertised "Legal Beverages." I found it odd, and it got me a wonderin'. How old was the place? Prohibition? Are there any illegal beverages? Moonshine? Or was I in a dry town? Hmmm....the mind wanders early in the morning. Anyways, I cranked up Jimmie and kept on towards the next stop, which brought me closer to home and closer to the holiday weekend. Y'all have fun, and remember your friends and family memebers who have served in the military. They are all greater men (and women) than I.
First week done
Well, finished up my first week of bird surveys. The weather was scorching hot and dry, but I had a nice campsite in the shade right on the shore of Lake Ontario. As soon as I got out of the car at the first site (6:00am), there were hundreds of New Jersey's state bird everywhere...mosquitoes!! As I waded through the waist high grass, it raised their ire and they attached themselves to any exposed part of my body. I got stung on the palm of my hand a couple of times!!! What a way to start the day. Overall, it was a good day of observations. We saw a fair amount of the target birds we were looking for, and got done before the sun got too high and made life miserable. On the way back to camp, my partner and I (Dan), stopped at a little diner advertising home cooking. There were at least ten cars parked out front of this little place, so I thought this must be some good food to have all of these people here. From the outside it looked pretty busy for 9:30 am on a Wednesday. So we walked inside and there were ten people in there. Everyone must've drove themselves. The "host" brought us some much needed coffee, and warned us that the church group got here before us so it may take a minute or two longer to get our food. I assured her it was not a prob, "we're on the clock anyways." After slamming a cup of coffee and washing up a bit, the waiter/cook/cashier/owner came over and took our order. $3.99 for 2 eggs, homefries, toast and bacon. What a bargain!!! The church group, which was nothing more than a group of retired folks, got their food and ate. Our's was ready within ten minutes of ordering, and it was delicious. Really hit the spot, and was well worth the extra "minute or two." So if your ever in Barker, NY stop by Hanks Diner on Rte. 18 and check out the breakfast special. If you're in a hurry, pray that you beat the church group there.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Hittin' the road
After wrapping up a few things around the office, I will be hitting the road this afternoon. First stop: 4 Mile Creek State Campground right on the shores of the mighty Lake Ontario. Seems like a nice place, I have driven by it many times. It is on the route my family used to take to get to Michigan. I'm looking forward to spending the next two nights outside. The weather should be nice, and the moon full in two nights.
After those two nights I will be headed back to Ithaca, and my apartment will become home base for a couple of nights before Memorial Day weekend, which will be filled with more cookoouts and beach party beach party. Summers' here!! Get out and have some fun!
After those two nights I will be headed back to Ithaca, and my apartment will become home base for a couple of nights before Memorial Day weekend, which will be filled with more cookoouts and beach party beach party. Summers' here!! Get out and have some fun!
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