Friday

And Happy Birthday to Wendy Sexton, too!

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It's 58 degrees; breezy and overcast.

From WKTV: "Clouds will slowly increase (Friday) morning ahead of our next storm system. Anytime after 3-4 PM there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms. A rather moisture laden storm is going to move toward us, however we don't think tomorrow night will be an all out deluge. Expect scattered showers and a few embedded thunderstorms across the region tomorrow evening and overnight. Any shower could produce some locally heavy rain. Most of this moisture should depart by Saturday morning.
Saturday will be a mild, slightly humid day. There could be a shower at anytime, but we do not expect a washout.

The forecast on Wednesday had included possible frost and freeze warnings. These plants on Buell Avenue were "dressed" for it!


There was no sign that cold had damaged any of the impatiens or begonias in my yard nor these beautiful "trumpets" on Babbott Avenue South.


There were a great many flags on display yesterday - 9/11. This, on White Street, was just one of the several rows of houses with the colors flying: all of the homes on Barton Avenue also had flags out, but I couldn't get an unobstructed view of them.

Last Saturday morning word went 'round town that there was a bald eagle sitting in a tree on Route 20 in Sangerfield and, of course, everyone headed in that direction to see it! I missed the sight but Heath Zwahlen not only saw it but took this picture! (Thank you, Heath, and thank you, J.R., for loaning me the print!)

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THANK YOU!

Mr. Erwin T. Browne
in memory of Thurston & Barbara Browne

Norm and Carol Tower

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Yesterday's photograph of Arnold Pughe's Gas Station sparked lots of memories and comments!

Rich Lewis wrote:

"It’s ironic that Brownie’s Waterville Express truck is sitting in the background of that picture. Sorry to hear he is in poor health."

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"As a former Waterville resident myself, even though I, like Dave have not lived there for 15+ years, since moving to San Diego, CA remember Arnold's. As a young boy stopping by to get a quick fill for the ol' bike tire, definitely saved me from having to push my bike back home to upper Putnam st." Greg Stevens.

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- and from Sue (Abbe) Crosier:

"How fun to see the info and picture about Arnold Pugh's station. As a young girl , growing up on West Bacon St., I often walked down the street and across Route 12 to buy a pack of gum from Arnold.....(I'm sure it was only 5 cents).......Arnold always had time to chat with me. He was a really nice man....."

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"Oh my goodness - I remember walking to Arnold's after school each day and buying candy - oh I loved it there! What memories."
Sheri L. Brennan

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The Madison County Hop Fest starts today!

(Click the link to learn about all of the activities at the Historical Society's home on Main Street in Oneida or on the road throughout Madison County!)

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Remember to make your reservations for the

SEPTEMBER 20 WATERVILLE ALUMNI -
COMMUNITY GET-TOGETHER!

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The forecast for the Groundbreaking, Cruise-in and Dinner* looks O.K.!
(*last year: photo by Jeff Reynolds.)

According to WKTV's "Latest Sports Scores," WCS Girls' Soccer beat Oriskany 3 - 2.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday - add on

Yes! There are MANY more flags flying outside of residences and businesses, today, than there usually are!

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I've just received a note from Dee McManus Wines asking for prayers for Lynn "Brownie" Browne of E. Bacon Street. He is a patient at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, and is very ill, indeed.

9/11


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It's Garbage Day!

41.5 and starry-clear.

From WKTV: "Grab the light jacket this morning because it is chilly outside. Temperatures have fallen into the low 40s and upper 30s. Only the coldest spots this morning may see some patchy frost, but the vast majority of the viewing area will not. Fog will develop this morning as well. By the afternoon, temperatures will warm nicely to around 70 as winds switch into the southwest. As high pressure departs the region, a storm system in the midwest will attempt to organize and take aim towards the northeast.
Expect clouds to slowly build in to the region late today and tonight. Clouds will thicken through tomorrow afternoon, but we stay dry until then. "

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I don't know where the Summer's gone, but - suddenly - hydrangeas are tinged with pink ..


.......... and elderberries are getting ripe.

(Click the image for recipes for everything from jams and jellies to elderberry ice cream and, of course, wine!)

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New, but old-fashioned, "fish scale" shingles - a perfect touch on the Art White residence on White Street!


Louie Langone, the superintendent of the Sewage Treatment Plant, read Dave Desany's tribute to Arnold Pughe's Gas Station on yesterday's blog post and sent this picture.

"Thought you might like this picture of Arnold's Shell gas station, The picture was taken in the late 70"s early 80"s, note the gas price, not the same as the ones you have been showing. People used to come in and ask for $5.00 worth and get around 13 gallons of gas. The middle red pump was something new, no-lead gasoline, nobody ever bought that stuff."

Thanks, Louie!

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Also in yesterday's mail was this wonderful picture, sent to me by Shirley Bynum Smith, who wrote:

"The second week of August I was in Waterville for a whirlwind few days, along with my daughter Kimberly, her two little girls (Lauren and Rachel), my daughter Jill and her daughter Hannah. The "big girls" loved once again visiting with the cousins from their growing-up years and seeing the "little girls" playing with their cousins' children who are the same ages. That was a happy week, headquartered at my mom's house in Hanover, across the road from Karl and Janice's (the girls were ecstatic about the cows, newborn calves, horse, donkey, llama, dogs, cats, and so on!). Behind Mom's house was Furby, John and Tina's horse, and Lauren (she calls herself The Horse Girl) spent as much time as she could feeding him apples and lawn cuttings.

My children and my sister Esther's children have always called my mom, Hedwig (Hedy) Eisenhut, by the Swiss-German diminutive of Grossmutti, and our grandchildren do the same. I've attached a four-generation photo of Grossmutti and the girls descended from the union of Ernest and Hedwig Eisenhut. The picture was taken at Esther's Sheldrake house on Cayuga Lake. Only Kelley, Esther's second daughter, was missing. In the photo with Grossmutti are my sister Esther and me; our daughters Joni, Kimberly and Jill; and their daughters Terra, Lauren, Rachel and Hannah. Our being together that day is a memory we treasure.

Again --- Thank You, Shirley!

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I was digging in the "archives," again - in my computer - organizing photographs of Hop Pickers .........

............... and found this (above) with a handwritten label that reads: August 1894. Bill Condon's hop yard on Canning Factory Road. (Click to enlarge!)



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LOOKING AHEAD

The Weather Channel's Long Range Forecast
calls for
mostly-sunny skies
with a high temperature of 65 degrees
and 20% chance of precipitation
on Saturday the 20th!

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Have a Great Day, Everyone!

Wednesday

It's Recyclables Day!

45.7 degrees

and we're still here!
(Read about the Large Hadron Collider!)

From WKTV: "We're starting out in the 40s and 50s this morning but we will warm up into the afternoon. You can probably ditch the sweater by the afternoon with highs in the mid 60s, but it's going to cool off again tonight. In fact, freeze warnings are in effect for the Adirondacks tonight, where overnight lows will be near or below 32 degrees. This would put an end to the growing season up there. For the rest of us, only the outlying areas run the risk of frost tonight, but we do expect this to be the exception rather than the rule. Overnight lows in town expected to be in the upper 30s to near 40 degrees. Sunshine will continue on Thursday but with more seasonable temperatures. Unsettled weather looks to be returning Friday and the weekend."

Warming up for

FARMER'S MARKET

in the Park

11:00 - 6:00

A nice change, for sure!

And a nice bright spot on West Main Street.

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I received this good letter, yesterday, from David Desany!


As a former Watervillian who has not lived there in 15+ years, I found it amusing to see the reference to the “former Douge’s” – it of course is also the former Arnold Pughe’s Gas Station (I believe there was a recent reference to it in the “Times Past” section of the Waterville Times).

Arnold’s was the midway point for me every morning, as I made my 3-4 mile trudge through the snow delivering the Observer Dispatch (up the hill from Buell Ave, left on Main Street, left on Stafford Ave (all the way up to Mellingers on the hill), back down to Bacon St (stop at Arnold to warm up and play a video game), down Bacon all the way to Gail’s Feed, back to Conger Ave, to a right on Putnam Street and back home to the bottom of the hill on Buell).

Glad to see the property is coming back to life, it certainly prevented me from frostbite on many a chilly upstate NY winter morning (glad to be in Florida, but do still miss the home town!)

Thanks, Dave!

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If you hear that I have driven off the road and am in a ditch on Route 12B, this will probably be the reason!

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Craig Cipolla is an anthropologist/archaeologist and has been in the area for a week or more making precise (GPS) records of all of the gravestones, both marked and unmarked, in Brothertown Indian burying grounds. This will be the first time (that I know of) that this has been done: an enormous boon to historians!

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Have a great day, everyone!

Tuesday

62 degrees; drippy

WKTV predicts that: "Some big changes will take place over the next 12 hours and by the time all is said and done it will feel a lot like autumn. A strong cold front continues to race into the northeast this morning. Showers and thunderstorms ahead of the front will move in over the next few hours. Expect brief but heavy rain along with a few rumbles of thunder. After that, showers and rain will remain in the forecast until that front moves by. The front crosses around noon and will drag in much cooler but drier air. Temperatures will turn a bit cooler by later in the day. After a morning high around 67, we expect temperatures about 5 degrees cooler for your evening commute. Breezy conditions will be with us through the day and into the first part of tomorrow night. Lows will be in the mid 40s, with upper 30s to low 40s possible in the North Country. Sunshine dominates Wednesday, but it won't help much, as highs may struggle to get into the mid 60s. Temperatures will plummet Wednesday night, with overnight lows reaching the upper 30s in the Mohawk Valley. " Brrrr!

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THANK YOU!

The Thomas & Kathleen Eisenhut Family

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Today's rain will probably slow down work at the McLean residence on Stafford Avenue......

..... and painting by Maple Leaf Construction at the Harts' on Putnam Street will be interrupted.

The Waterville Times building is being painted, too --- and, from what I glimpsed late yesterday afternoon, it's not going to be white! Check it out!

Really bright! It's nice to see that something is finally happening at the former "Douge's" on the corner of Stafford Avenue and E. Bacon Street.

Out in the country, there's a bright display of pumpkins at the Moshers, near the foot of Grant Hill. Up on Sanger Hill, Brian Staring's super-pumpkins are doing "so-so," due to a cold, wet summer, but he's hoping for an 800-pounder!

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The NYSDOT has been laying culverts beneath State Route 12 at the corner of Summit Road.

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It was a late night.

The Mets, on the other hand, are #1 in the National League. They'll meet Washington tonight at 7:00.

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Are any special observances planned, locally, on 9/11 ?

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Have a great day, everyone!

Monday

It's Garbage Day!

51.8 degrees; starry-clear.

WKTV predicts that: "High pressure moves back in on Monday and sunshine returns with warmer temperatures. Next chance for rain will be on Tuesday as another cold front moves in with showers and thunderstorms. Behind it, more autumn like air, with temperatures below normal."

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Also from WKTV: "On Friday night, the Waterville Indians went back to what they do best in their 26-13 win over West Canada Valley...run the ball. Mitch Clapp rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns including a 54 yarder in the third quarter to seal the deal. West Canada's Pete Sloan had two scores for the road Indians. Waterville travels to Mohawk next Saturday at 2pm while West Canada Valley hosts Notre Dame at 2pm." Click for video.

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Yesterday was a magnificent late-summer day. It had been quite a while since I'd let my car's navigational system take me on a really "back roads" tour of the countryside, so I headed southeast, aiming for Cooperstown by the "least-direct route!"


Everywhere, fields of goldenrod.


Lots of old houses and barns stuck out in the middle of nowhere.



After quite a long, dirt-road tour of Christian Hill - where I had hoped to spot "Goldpetals''" field of orange and yellow calendulas - I came out right next to "Portabello's Restaurant" in the little community of Fly Creek. (Click the image to reach the restaurant link.)



This grand old wagon, loaded with marigolds and impatiens was right next door.

I came back to Waterville by "the shortest route," which took only a quarter of the time but wasn't even half as much fun!

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Waiting for me in the Mailbox:

From Gil Condon: "On the Waterville Academy" building, I've heard the bragging rights from childhood, and they were serious: if you could "make it" out of Waterville ..... you'll be set!"

"As kids (mid 40's - early 50's) the building was used by the Waterville Knitting Corp. We used to try to get up on the granite ledge and walk around the peek in --- a very difficult slant on the sill and the 6 - 7 foot drop --- The mill ran 24 per day, I think, and (we) could see the huge looms turning. Familiar faces inside included the Ruane brothers and others. Waterville was a big Mill town, too."
- and the next day Gil wrote: "Hi! I went back and looked at the building pictures. Those students can't be t ft tall -- maybe 5.5ft -- but it just seemed big when I was small!" (Thanks, Gil!)

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Terry Tanner wrote and asked me to "add a reminder about the Alumni-Community Get-Together the evening of the CruiseIn and a note that reservations are encouraged by the 13^th and maybe a link to the reservation form if you could? We’re hoping to get a pretty accurate count to Michael’s for the dinner so would like people to sign up early."

Saturday, September 20, 2008
7:00 - 10:00 PM
Waterville Public Library Garden

Featuring Michael's Fine Foods and Spirits

Roast Beef Carving Station
Pasta Bar
Tuscan Vegetable Blend
Tossed Salad
Rolls and Butter
Cash Bar
Tickets $20 or $15 in advance (by September 13)

(Click the link!)

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From Doris Stephan: "The Waterville Book Discussion Group meets this month on Sept 24th at 1:30 pm at the Library. We are reading Richard Russo's 1994 "Nobody's Fool". Call the library to reserve a copy." Amazon quotes the publisher: "In this slyly funny and moving novel, the author follows the unexpected operation of grace in a deadbeat, upstate New York town--and in the lives of the unluckiest of its citizens." If you havn't already read the book, perhaps you remember seeing the movie, "Nobody's Fool," starring Paul Newman.

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Another blog-reader wrote to me, saying, "I am forwarding an email which I've received several times lately. Anyway, around Waterville the flags fly all the time, however, a reminder of the phenomenal outpouring we had after 9/11 isn't a bad thing and I thought your blog was a great way to get the word out (since you reach far beyond h20ville). Obviously, only if you want to get the word out. I'd be surprised if you haven't received this email by now...but stranger things have happened and I thought I'd at least give you an "fyi"
(Yes - I have received this, over and over again, and although I have no idea where the letter originated and almost NEVER forward "chain" letters, I decided, right away, to publish it here. And Yes: I do have two bright flags flying, all the time!)

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THE LETTER

Please join us in this FLY THE FLAG campaign and PLEASE forward this Email immediately to everyone in your address book asking them to also forward it. We only have a few days to get the word out all across this great land and into every community in the United States of America.

If you forward this email to least 11 people and each of those people do the same ... you get the idea.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.


On Thursday, September 11th, 2008, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this seventh anniversary of one our country's worst tragedies. We do this honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

So, here's what we need you to do ..

(1) Forward this email to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Please don't be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.

Thank you for your participation. God Bless You and God Bless America!

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DOWN IN THE FLORIDA KEYS .......

Mark Masca writes in his blog:

"A lot of folks have left the keys. Hospitals are closed. Because of the mandatory evacuation, I along with a bunch of other folks are truly on our own now. Beautiful day today...lots of sunshine. There will start to be tropical force winds tomorrow night and possibly hurricane force winds tuesday night. We're in for a rough and stressful couple days."

Good luck, Mark!!

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It's Murray vs. Federer, today, at the U.S. Open

Elsewhere ...........

(Click to enlarge image.)

You know that I'm going to be up very late, tonight, don't you? ..........

............. and tomorrow's blog post may be very late, as well!

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Have a great day, everyone!