Monday, October 24, 2011

Bus Trip To The Finger Lakes

On Saturday Jim and I took a bus trip to the Finger Lakes. We were up at 4:45 in order to be in Syracuse for the departure time. The first stop was in Penn Yan where we spent a couple of hours at the Windmill. This is a farm and craft market run on Saturdays only through the Spring, Summer and Fall. There are a number of large buildings as well as many open air vendors. They sell produce, baked goods and all kinds of crafts handmade by the Amish and Menonite communities.Jim really liked their windmill.  Our next stop was at Seneca Lake where we boarded Captain Bill's Cruise ship to enjoy a wonderful lunch accompanied by a Trio called the Boogie Woogie Girls. They sang all the old Boggie Woggie songs and were very good. We saw a lot of fall color along the lake shore and passed a salt refinery and Hector Falls. Our final stop was at a winery along the Finger Lakes Wine Trail where we did some tasting and buying. We arrived back in Syracuse about 5pm after a fun filled day.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Road Trip-Pixley Falls, Wetstone and Turbines

 On Monday Jim and I decided to play
hookey and we took a road trip. Our first
stop was at Pixley Falls State Park just South of Boonville. There were quite a few people there due to the beautiful weather and a "no school" day. Our next stop was Wetstone State Park just South of Lowville where we had planned on eating our picnic lunch by the babbleing brook. However, they had already closed most of this park so we had to settle for a table near the parking lot with a small creek nearby. This park was also quite busy with a lot of hikers.  After spending awhile here we headed into Lowville and had dessert
                                                        at "LLoyds of Lowville", a small diner that Jim has had on His 
                                                        "bucket list" for years. We then headed for home by way of Route
                                                         177 so we could check out the wind farm. They have put in a nice
                                                         observation center with information about the turbines. We had a 
                                                          nice day and just loved the spectacular weather. 

Windmill Maintenance -October 12, 2011

 Today SED came to do the annual
maintenance on the windmill. No
problems were found and the guide wires
just needed a small amount of adjustment. I
don't think I would care to have to climb to
the top of the tower and hang by a harness
to work on the turbine. I guess they get used to it after they do it awhile but I have to wonder how they felt the first few times. 

Mesquito Lake Camping Trip, Ohio

 Last weekend Jim and Josh
decided to get in one more
camping weekend while the
weather was still nice. This park is
about 30 miles from their house so it makes a nice get away without
having to drive for hours. Josh really loves to go camping and is a
great little companion for Jim.

Jennifer's Trip to Anaheim, California-SharePoint Conference

 Last week Jennifer went to Anaheim, California
to attend the SharePoint Conference . Since
Disneyland is also located in Anaheim she, of
course, made sure to spend some time there too.
Actually, part of the park was closed one night
to the general public and was open only for those attending the conference.  She said
this was great because the lines for the attractions were much shorther than they would have been had the park been open to everyone. She had a great time, learned a lot and enjoyed beautiful weather.

Jim's Trip To Fort Worth- Fireman's Convention

 
 Jim recently attended the Fireman's Convention that was held in Fort Worth,
Texas this year. Although he was kept busy
all week with classes he was able to get
out and take in some of the local sights. He
said he had a great week and learned a lot.

Chili Sauce-What a Heavenly Aroma

Today Jim made a batch of Chili Sauce using my Grandmother's recipe. This is the best Chili Sauce I have ever tasted. I think the recipes from our parents and Grandparents are so much better than the ones you see today. We had a super good yield and ended up with 15 pints. We're set for winter

Visit to the Park-September 2011


Today Jim took a walk down to
Pine Grove to check on his
Geocache. After he hiked
through the park to check out
the lake. Even the Burdocks are
pretty this time of year.

Jim's New Truck-Septemebr 2011

Jim has been saving for awhile now and was finally able to trade in his old van for a new ( to him) Avalanche.
Everyone seems to be quite pleased
with the new wheels.
 

Geauga County Fair, Ohio

 Every September Jim, Cathy and the boys attend the Geauga County Fair with their friends Asha and Brad and their daughters. The weather was beautiful and a great time was had by all.

Jim's Birthday-September 4th

Today we celebrated Jim's Birthday. The kids were all here and Jim chose
to have Hoffman Hot Dogs, Potato Salad,
 Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob and his
favorite cake-Ange Food with Chocolate
 whipped Cream. He received some nice
 gifts including some ammuntion and targets.
Jeremy and Emily decided to try out the teeter totter.