Friday

It's 44.8 degrees.

Soggy, but not raining right now.

WKTV predicts that: "Lake rains should taper off by mid morning but clouds will stick around. Friday afternoon will just see a few scattered showers across the region. Friday night, on northwest winds will see additional lake rains in the area, likely further south than tonight.
Saturday will see slow clearing and slow moderation in temperature. Highs should get back up near 60 degrees. It won't get bright and sunny, but it should be a bit better. Sunday looks like the best day of the weekend with partly sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 50s."

Yesterday was another off-and-on / rainy-sunny day.


Foliage next to Route 20 seemed especially bright against the dark sky.


On Route 12B north of Hamilton.

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From this morning's issue of the Observer-Dispatch:
Waterville Post Office to be Renamed after Sigsbee

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Yesterday's photograph of foliage on the Marshall Trail prompted someone to ask "Why is it called the 'Towpath'?" Good question! Towpaths run right next to canals and are created by the mules or horses that pulled boats.

The Chenango Canal (1837 - 1878) did run right through Deansboro, but the "Marshall Trail" is situated on the rail bed of the New York, Ontario and Western Railroad (1882 - 1957) which was built mostly parallel to, but not right next to, the canal. The original "towpath" is only visible in a few places and is very overgrown.

The Chenango Canal Association has done a fine job improving the real towpath for five miles, through Bouckville.

(Click image for history.)

Whatever you call it, the Marshall Trail is a wonderful place to walk!

You'll find Witchazel in bloom .......

......... and "buckeyes" fallen on the ground.

Here's a plate of peanut butter and chocolate "buckeyes!"
Click the image for the recipe!

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Another good walk:

Trenton Falls Trail will be Open

this weekend and also on the 11th and 12th.

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I had an E-note yesterday morning from Brian Staring linked to an article about a man who had raised a super-huge pumpkin. I asked when he was going to be ready to start weighing in his pumpkins, and he answered:

"I'll be going to Oswego this Saturday. My son and I will be loading my pumpkin Friday night. This year I named my pumpkins after my grandchildren. Attached is my biggest pumpkin. It's tapping out at almost 900 lbs. I'm hoping it goes heavy and I'll hit 1,000 lbs or more. The attached pumpkin's name is Emily. Emily is my oldest son's six month old daughter. He lives in North Carolina and was up to visit last month.

And then I asked him why he kept his pumpkins covered:
"This way the shell stays very soft so it can give a lot when your averaging sometimes 25-30 pounds per day of gained weight. Sometimes growers will put orange tarps like you saw in the picture I sent you to help out when you have a pumpkin with a split in the stem. You want the pumpkin to stay as dry as you can keep it." (Thanks, Brian! And Good Luck!)

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This weekend at the Stanley - it's Herman's Hermits with Peter Noone at 7:00 on Saturday and Burt Bacharach at 4:00 on Sunday. Click HERE for tickets.

At the Earlville Opera House, it's Jose Conde Y Ola Fresca on Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

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WCS Varsity Football
at Richfield Springs, Saturday @ 2:00


WCS Girls' Varsity Soccer is home to
Canastota Saturday at 6:00

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The Redsox meet the Angels, again, tonight at 9:30.

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Have a grand weekend, everyone!!

Thursday Add-on

Rainy morning walk on the Marshall Trail.

What a great photo!

My thanks to Mary Ann and Gary Ford.


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ALSO:


Donna Pisiak-Relf's Birthday
is on Saturday, when Dr. Chabot's office is closed - so, why not stop in today and tell her that you remembered!

Thursday

It was a late night!!

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It's Garbage Day!

47 degrees and drippy - again!

WKTV predicts that: "gusty northwest winds will allow for lake effect rain showers to develop south and east of Lake Ontario. That means that while it won't be raining the entire time, there will be occasional raindrops to dodge out there. Highs will be in the 50s. Thursday night will see things get interesting. Winds are going to shift into the west and traverse the length of Lake Ontario. A heavy band of lake effect rain, embedded thunder and possible graupel (small ice pellets) will be likely tomorrow night north of Utica, primarily in Northern Herkimer, Northern Oneida and Lewis Counties. The lake band may dip southward toward Friday morning, bringing more of Oneida County into the showers."

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Yesterday was either bright and sunny or dark and rainy and, sometimes, it rained while the sun shone!


During one of the bright spells, I caught this view westward from South Brothertown Road.


Closer to Sanger Hill Road, a hundred or more Canada Geese browsed in a corn field.

Later, the sun lit this tree on Fuess-Cleary Road.
(I know - I showed you this tree just a few days ago, but now it's better than ever!)

In the village, more Autumn decorations: this doorway is on White Street .......


Here's one on East Bacon Street ..........


..... and another on Madison Street, too.

Major changes are taking place - I'm not sure exactly what they are, but I bet that the end result will be "Victorian!"

One of Waterville's best examples of late-19th century architecture - formerly known as "The Buell Block" - is getting some scraping and painting by it's owner, Mr. Tom Eisenhut.

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I had a note from Gil Condon - he'd been searching the web for a picture of the sort of Coke machine that was in "Pughie's".
Unfortunately ------ I couldn't open the JPEG file that he inserted in his letter.. BUT ... I, too, remember lifting the top lid of a Coke machine, finding the opening where only one bottle could be removed, and then snapping off the lid with the bottle opener! I can still feel the cold, wet glass bottle and taste the not-quite-icy but Oh, So Delicious Million Dollar Taste of that five cent treat!

Is this close, Gil?

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Hey, look! Dave Desany just sent this picture and note:

"I am sure Arnold’s (at least that is what it was called when I was growing up – no disrespect to the other owners!) had a few different machines over the years. I do remember the glass bottles and needing to use the opener on the side of the machine to get the cap off (no twist offs back then!! – listen to me, I am 40 not 80!).
During my tenure visiting the popular soda, candy and video game emporium – the machine was a stand up version with a glass door you opened and pulled the bottle out horizontally. Something similar to the attached photo. I thought your readers might get a kick out of seeing another type of machine!"

Thanks, Dave!!

And who remembers the "game" of looking at the bottom of the bottles (after the soda had been drunk) to see what state the bottle had come from and who had the one from farthest away?

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There are more and more really neat programs taking place at the Waterville Public Library and NOW you can sign up for automatic Email notification for either Childrens Programs or Adult Programs. All you have to do it write to with the subject heading "Children's Programs List" or "Library Programs List" for the adult programs and ask to be put on one or both lists!

( Write to - ABriggs@midyork.org - Do it now!)

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FOR the RECORD

Have a great day, everyone!

Wednesday

It's Recyclables Day!

52.7 degrees;
soggy, but no precipitation right now.

From WKTV: "On Wednesday, with an upper level storm near by, we're going to have numerous showers develop across the region. There could be a little sunshine and we've optimistically placed highs around 60 degrees...but without the sun, we will not get out of the upper 50s. With the showers tomorrow, it's possible we could again see a few rumbles of thunder.
Thursday and Friday will both see the core of this upper level storm over us. Widespread showers are likely, though we do not feel either day will be a complete washout. In fact, Thursday may feature a little sunshine."

THANK YOU

Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Ford

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Traffic was slow at the bottom of the Buell Avenue Hill on Route 315, yesterday, while the Village DPW worked to trace the source of and repair a water-line leak. It's possible that that they'll be back at work this morning, so be ready to slow down or STOP!

Near Hubbard's Corners on Route 12.

There's heavy traffic on Daytonville Road. This is why!



But also on Route 12: smiles!


If commuters decide to take the Deansboro/Clinton route, they'll see a new flagpole next to the Cleary driveway.


The design on the barn at Keyes Brook Farm on Route 12B is by Clinton sculptor Peter Michel.

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This was in yesterday's mail!

"I havta toss in my 2 cents on Pughies vs Dunns. Arnold built the most modern new gas station in town, they used modern concrete ( not cinder ) blocks, which us kids never had seen before; he had two large white roll-around units, one to collect the oil during oil changes and the other for greasing the joints, new technogolgy in Waterville .

Pughie also had a new-fangled coke machine where you just inserted a nickel, pulled the lever, and the machine would rotate the "coke" to the position under the lift-up little door and you retriveD a cold coke from the ice water below. solid glass bottles, opener required.
....Dunns had an open cooler where you lifted the cover and selected a variety of drinks, including large bottles of Royal Crown -- ummm good -- and other drinks from Franklin Springs bottling co. etc. ...I forget, but good. Dunns also carried a big variety of candy, like Mary Janes ( Huh ? ) , which was a big drawer for kids.

I forget what I had for breakfast! gil condon (Thanks, Gil!)

The Waterville Times, April 24, 1946

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Doris Stephan wrote: "The Waterville Book Group is reading The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller. Call the library at 841 4651 to reserve a copy and meet with the group at the library on Wed. Oct 22 at 1:30 pm for discussion and refreshments."

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Also this from Connie Bocko in re: the Mary Cleary Walk/Run ----
"Actually Ashley (Burback) was a winner, but not the winner. She won for her age group. The overall male winner was Mark Daley with a time of 17:44, the fastest female was Sharleen Farmer. The fastest Waterville residents were Ike and Jed Lamont at 4th and 5th place. Zach Abbe also placed in the top 10. Your readers can find all the results HERE."

(Thanks, Connie!)

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Highschool Foodball Standings from WKTV: Click HERE and scroll down - Waterville is in Class D East.

Also in the news:

STAR rebate checks will be mailed to residents of the Waterville Central School District during the week of October 6. Click the STAR link, above, and follow the "locality" prompt to find the amount you may expect to receive.

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Daylight Savings Time will not end until November 2nd.

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Here in the village, smiling fence-sitters at the Dorrs', on Madison Street.

Work continues at the ornate and once-elegant "Illahee."

Jack's Pumpkin Patch!

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Woodbine climbs the black locust trees at the "Boston Bank" lot, on Sally Road.

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Baseball's winding down for the season. The Redsox game against the Angels doesn't start 'til 10:00 PM, so the blog will no doubt be late, tomorrow morning!

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Have a Great Day, Everyone!

Tuesday

(Click image for historical information.)

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It's 49.8 and gray,
but there's no precipitation right now.

WKTV predicts that: "we'll start off mostly cloudy, with the potential for the overcast to persist east of Utica. Everyone should get into at least some sunshine through the morning and afternoon. Unfortunately, that will quickly be replaced with new clouds ahead of our next weather system: A cold front that will push toward the region (Tuesday) night. Showers and a few thunderstorms are possible late (Tuesday) afternoon, but especially (Tuesday) evening. There won't be a dramatic change behind this front, but gradually Wednesday and Thursday, we'll see changes.

It's rained for days! The Grant Hill pond hasn't had this much water in it since Springtime!

The DPW's Wayne Stanbro had the sweeper out, making use of the damp conditions that keep the dust down.


More Fall colors - these on Babbott Avenue South.

On Brothertown Road, just N. of Route 20.

Mrs. Zambri's home will look different without the big maple.

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No: I don't know who the winners of the several Cruise-in competitions were ---
except (thanks to Judy Kartman) that Ashley Burback was the winner of the Mary Cleary Memorial Run/Walk.



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And - thanks to Edie Eastman - the field behind her house is planted with Winter Wheat!


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And - speaking of wheat and rye - can anyone tell me the most-preferred brand of whiskey for making excellent "Manhattans?"

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I've just received a nice long letter from Gil Condon who chimes in with memories of Coke and Candy at Pugh's and Dunn's gas sations! I'll print that tomorrow!!!

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Several of us who follow Mark Masca's blog were really wondering what had happened to him: he hadn't been heard from since Hurrican Ike! But he's back!! Just being busy!

FOR THE RECORD

From the O-D: "Defeat of Financial Bailout...."

If you wondered: Waterville is in the
24th Congressional District.

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Have a Great Day, Everyone!