He wrote: "Of Course I am still reading the blog. I never miss a day.
I thought that to go along with the discussion of the history of Waterville today, I would include pictures of a recent trip I made to "America's Oldest City"...St. Augustine, Florida. This city was founded in 1565 by spanish explorer Ponce De Leon. This city is heaped in history. In fact so much it's hard to decide what pictures to send you. Here is a great link
My Aunt Joan and Uncle Rusty (readers of the blog and area residents) first visited here years ago and that was the main reason I decided to check it out.
Some highlights I bet you didn't know about St. Augustine....
- The first catholic mass in America was held here. (The oldest church picture is attached)
- St. Augustine was also a pivotal site for the civil rights movement in 1963 and 1964.
- The original "Fountain of youth" is there. (I had a drink of the same water Ponce De leon had in the 1500's....odd tasting...I felt no younger)
The Fountain of Youth- The oldest wooden schoolhouse is there.
- The first Ripley's Believe it or not museum is there.
- even the world golf hall of fame is there.
Flagler College.
Great town!!
enjoy.
Mark
Ft. Myers
PS. It's cloudy here today too!!! (but at 8am it's 70 degrees with a high today of 84)"
*****************
And then he sent these, saying
"And - just for the record -- I AM only ten minutes away from this! Sorry!!!!
"And - just for the record -- I AM only ten minutes away from this! Sorry!!!!
Click for best effect!******
Another blog-reader --- one of our "snow birds," and I don't ever tell their names --- sent this bright picture!
Thanks, both of you!!! I think you've made ALL of us feel BRIGHTER and WARMER!
*******
*******
ASH WEDNESDAY
**********
Recyclables Day
35 degrees and raining hard.
There's much more "geen" in view than "white", but I imagine that where there were patches of hard-packed ice on pavement, yesterday, it will be slippery!
**********
Recyclables Day
35 degrees and raining hard.
There's much more "geen" in view than "white", but I imagine that where there were patches of hard-packed ice on pavement, yesterday, it will be slippery!
- Wednesday: Snow and sleet in the Adirondacks and North Country. Rain changing over to sleet and snow in the Mohawk Valley. Rain, potentially changing over to freezing rain south of Route 20. Several inches of snow and sleet accumulation likely in the North Country and Adirondacks. A few inches possible in the Mohawk Valley and points south. Slippery travel likely in spots. There may be a lull in the precipitation after Noon. High in the low 30s.
- Wednesday Night: Snow and sleet, with a couple inches of accumulation possible. Low in the mid 20s.
- Thursday: Morning flurries. Some sunshine. High: 29, Low: 20
The Observer-Dispatch has a Rundown of Primary Results in Oneida and Herkimer Counties.
***************
***************
It might be a good idea to check back at the Millers Mills website just to make sure that the Ice Harvest and all of the other events scheduled for Sunday are still "on."
To reach the Ice Harvent site, drive E. on Rt. 20 beyone West Winfield and turn North onto Rt. 51. Watch for a right-hand turn on to Millers Mills Road.***********************
Fortunately, members of the Red Hat Society are never - well, hardly ever! - deterred by the weather. Sandy Martin just wrote to say that, "The Crimson Bonnets met last week at Solsville Hotel. There were about 20 members present. Many of the members are in Florida for the winter months. Barb Mario and her group The Dancing Boots provied the group with entertainment - which was greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Barb was also in charge of the arrangements for the month and a good time was had by all."
*******
My apologies to all of you for this "minimalist" blog post! Yesterday was another gray day - not good for pictures - and so I immersed myself in historical research (which I just love!) to the point that I forgot to go and vote and couldn't pull myself away from online reading to go to the Pancake Supper!
One of the topics had to do with George Putnam - the entrepreneur who created Putnam Street and built the mill building that was razed last autumn, but also erected the present Swanberg Home as his own residence - and one of the queries about that building had to do with its
"Historic Register" status. (This is the second time in two weeks that someone has said, "Well I didn't know that!" or "Why didn't they tell us?" about buildings along Main Street.)
So - for the upteenth time..........................
One of the topics had to do with George Putnam - the entrepreneur who created Putnam Street and built the mill building that was razed last autumn, but also erected the present Swanberg Home as his own residence - and one of the queries about that building had to do with its
"Historic Register" status. (This is the second time in two weeks that someone has said, "Well I didn't know that!" or "Why didn't they tell us?" about buildings along Main Street.)
So - for the upteenth time..........................
(Click to enlarge.)
The outlines of this map are replicated on a bronze plaque that is mounted on the outside of the Bank at "the triangle."
What does his mean? In my opinion - not much! Some property-owners are very proud of National Register status; others don't know and don't care. The municipality does not have an "Historic Preservation Ordinance" because those are very tricky to write and then enforce. (Clinton has had one for several years but it's been troublesome to everyone on the committee.) One FAQ is: "Is there money available to make repairs to buildings on the Register?" Not in lumps of cash: no. However, there are tax incentives. To learn more, start HERE, at the NY State Historic Preservation Office Home Page.
History in general is fun for some people but boring for others: I try to keep a reasonable balance, here. Mark - are you reading this? I think we need some sunny pictures from Fort Meyers!!!
*******************
Have a bright day!
***
***
