Friday

It's 23.9 degrees

While Ice Harvesting and Ice Skating may be "out," skiiers and snowmobilers are looking at the forecast and smiling!

• Today: Mostly cloudy with the chance of a flurry. High in the low 30s.
• Tonight: Increasing clouds. Snow showers developing toward daybreak. Low in the mid 20s.
• Saturday: Occasional snow, possibly mixed with rain. Chance of a thunderstorm. Minor accumulation possible. High: 36, Low: 24
• Sunday: Lake effect snow, heavy at times. Significant accumulation possible. Cold and windy. High: 25, Low: 7
• Monday: Lake effect snow, heavy at times. Significant accumulation possible. Cold. High: 23, Low: 3

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Don't forget the

PARADE OF LIGHTS BOTTLE DRIVE THIS MORNING!

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America's Greatest Heart Run & Walk - March 8

is just a month away.

Are there any local teams?

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If you wondered why you hadn't seen Travis Olivera, lately, it's because he's spending a semester studing at the American College of Dublin! His mother sent me this picture of him with the American Ambassador and President of the college at a recent reception. Travis is a Senior at Utica College where he is majoring in Journalism and was one of the editors of the Tangerine ( the college newspaper that is under the direction of our own Patty Louise.) Before beginning his studies in Dublin, he went to Rome, Milan and Florence for 8 days, thereby gaining 3 credits and, according to his mother, loving every minute of it, "especially the architecture and art work/sculptures."

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About the picture of the Osborn Homestead that was in yesterday's post: a blog-reader (whose name I won't use because I havn't asked permission!) wrote to say that,
" it was our first apartment when Ralph and I were married (8/59). We had a 2 bedroom apt. which we heated w/our kerosine cooking stove----our refrigerator stood on 4 legs and the freezer only had room for 2 ice cube trays- our rent was $35.00 a month. At that time it was owned by Chuck Woodhouse (father in-law to Mary Woodhouse) who also owned the liquor store! My lord - I must be old!!!"

(Writer's note: getting old is the best way to get good memories!)

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Speaking of historic structures and famous names, the Marshall Historical Society is doing an excellent job of saving and sharing history: web master Lawrence Gilley has just sent me a note saying that he's added a new page to the Society's website about the Gridley Homestead - also remembered as the MacAdam Stock Farm.

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Jeff Reynolds sent me these photographs, yesterday, thereby proving that gray days DO, indeed, make good pictures!


The "Glimmerglass" with Mt. Wellington - "the Sleeping Lion."

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I drove up towards Paris, yesterday morning. I'd hoped that the sun would come out and shine on the ice, but - even without the extra glitter, the views were especially nice.

On Sally Road.

Next to Rt. 12


Cornus stolonifera.

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Tomorrow is Geno's Birthday - #55!

I'll try and catch up with him and see if he'll Smile for the Camera.

No promises!

But - if it works or if anything else really noteworthy happens - I'll be back later on.

Otherwise,

Have a Good Weekend, Everyone!

23.9 degrees.

Thursday w/ add-on announcement

as of 9:30 ....

 MILLERS MILLS ICE HARVEST

has been

CANCELLED.

The ice is just not thick enough to hold the ice cutting equipment and crowds of people.

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Congratulations to

Colleen (McNamara) and Mike Greene

whose new little girl

Caitlin Margaret

was born yesterday morning.

She arrived weighing 7 lbs. & 13 3/4 oz. and was 20 3/4 " long

and is the grandaughter of Tom and Kate McNamara of Buell Avenue.

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It's Garbage Day!

32.9 degrees.

There's no precipitation right now, but there is a thin coating of ice shining on the front porch railings and the shrubbery.

• Thursday: Morning snow showers tapering off to scattered flurries. Light additional accumulation, except in the Adirondacks where several more inches are possible before Noon. Cloudy. High in the upper 20s.
• Thursday night: Decreasing clouds. Low near 20
• Friday: Mostly cloudy. High: 34, Low: 26
• Saturday: Snow developing. Chance of thunderstorms. High: 36, Low: 24

"Big Creek" is right up to its banks; there are ponds where they shouldn't be ...........


... the Sangerfield River is coming awfully close to Loomis Road,
and "Lake Sangerfield" is back again!


The "pea soup" fog was thick, all day yesterday, and residents told stories of Tuesday night travels at a snail's pace, head and shoulders hanging out of car doors and windows, searching for the edge of the pavement - or, "Are we a corn field, again?"

The "snow dump" on Firemen's Field has been melting, fast, and is the same color as the rest of the remaining snow. It's time for a fresh topping!


This remote-controlled, solar-powered sign has been placed just south of Sangerfield next to the northbound lane of Route 12 should there be another occasion to warn motorists that Route 12 is closed between Waterville and New Hartford. (There's probably a matching sign somewhere in New Hartford, but I havn't seen it.)


Fairly early yesterday morning on Route 315. It appeared that
someone's day had started out badly, but it sure made ME smile!

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A few weeks ago there was a query about the logging that's taking place 'way out behind the Library: I saw Mr. Allen and asked if this meant "something big," and he assured me that it was just ordinary logging and that as long as he was around "Mayer's Woods" was safe from a similar fate!

But major logging is also in progress next to Loomis Road ...........

....... east of Osborn Avenue, out next to Fuess Cleary Road and at several other locations.
Perhaps this accounts for the greater-than-usual number of skunks and other woods creatures that have been seen (or smelled) recently.

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"X marks the spot" - that's where the bronze plaque of the Historic Triangle District is located.

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John Peck, who now lives in Florida, sent a note yesterday in re: the Historic District. He said that he remembered that "in grade school about 1963 (give or take a year or two) going on a field trip to an old house on Main Street where the shopping center is now. Don't remember the name of the house and there may have been 2 but they were very big with fireplaces in almost every room."

Thanks for that, John! At first I thought of the "Foodking" parkinglot, but now realize that you must have been to see the Osborn Mayer house that was built by Amos Osborn in 1811. It had been quite a showplace, but by the time that John and his classmates saw it, it had become a rather shabby apartment house and it was demolished right about then to make room for a grocery store.


The late Hilda Barton tried to save the building - she at least got one of the many mantlepieces and it happens to have been stored in the barn here in the Hollow for many years!

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Have a good day, everyone!

Wednesday w/sunny add-ons!

Mark Came Through!!!

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)"

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And then he sent these, saying

"And - just for the record -- I AM only ten minutes away from this! Sorry!!!!

Click for best effect!

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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!

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ASH WEDNESDAY

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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..........................

THE WATERVILLE TRIANGLE HISTORIC DISTRICT

(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!!!

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Have a bright day!

***

Tuesday

You were right: you DID hear thunder!

37.4 degrees

BIG TRASH DAY!

• Tuesday: Rain likely, with a chance of a morning thunderstorm. There will be some rain-free periods in the afternoon. High in the mid 40s late, but mid to upper 30s north and east.
• Tuesday Night: A few showers. Low in the low 40s.
• Wednesday: Rain, mixing with and changing to snow during the late afternoon. Chance of a thunderstorm. Light snow accumulation possible. High: 41, but falling, Low: 23

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Yesterday was such a gray day that my search for something bright to take a picture of led me to Municipal Hall. There's a new face there, you know .............

Assistant to the Clerk-Treasurer,
Valerie Rycraft.

Val's brother, Joe DeVecchio, follows the blog: Hi, Joe!


I found another splash of color on the WCS website:

and this.

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Gail Prentice wrote with this add-on to yesterday's blurb about Grace Episcopal Church's Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper: not only does the menu feature pancakes and sausage w/ applesauce and beverages and dessert, but ALSO

"the VERY BEST scrambled eggs you will ever taste!"

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Sometimes it's easier to spot birds against a gray sky:

I've been seeing a lot of Red Tailed Hawks
lately, swooping low over fields looking for mice.

There were a lot of goldfinches at my feeders, yesterday. A surprise attack by a very fast hawk - either a Cooper's or a Sharp-shinned - resulted in one less.

I saw a Kestral - a small falcon - sitting on a roadside fencepost a few days ago.

I can never get a camera ready in time to take a picture: credit for these goes to photographers connected with Cornell.

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If you're a Bird-watcher, you might like participating - either by yourself or with friends - in the

Great Backyard Bird Count
Feb. 15 - 18.

(Check it out!)

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Have a good day, everyone!

Monday

What an Upset!!!

The underdog Giants won the Super Bowl 17 - 14

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It's Garbage Day.

30.4 degrees; no precipitation right now.

• Monday: Mostly cloudy with light snow, sleet, or freezing rain. High: 35
• Monday night: Rain showers with some pockets of freezing rain possible. Low: 32
• Tuesday: Cloudy with rain. Mild. High: 46, Low: 42

I don't think that the wash will dry, today!

It was very dark and gray yesterday, but mild, and there were quite a few ice fishermen out on Oneida Lake.

The roller coaster at Sylvan Beach.

Dave Desany, who lives in Florida but who grew up here in Waterville, in "Whiskey Hollow," wrote to say that he'd sorted out the flaw in my link to the NPR story about Cpl Sigsbee and his friends: here's a corrected LINK. He said, " I have never been so proud to be from Waterville, as I have been reading about John Sigsbee and Waterville’s support of him and his family."
Dave and his wife, Sharon, had just returned from a trip to this part of the country: his mother (Jean's) mother had passed away a week ago at a fine 101 years of age. (If you'd like to send a card, just send me an E-mail or phone and I'll give you the address.)

Dave added, "I can tell you, I do not miss the NY weather (nothing like a little freezing rain on a drive from Binghamton to Albany, to remind you that the threat of a hurricane once in a while in Florida, might not be that bad). The NY driving skills are just like riding a bike, you never forget!" (Thanks for all of that, Dave!)

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Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday

and Grace Episcopal Church will hold its

ANNUAL PANCAKE SUPPER

Proceeds benefit the
Waterville Area Ambulance Corps

from 5:00 - 7:00

$4 per person or $10 for a family.

The menu includes pancakes, sausage, applesauce, beverages AND gingerbread for dessert!

Perhaps next year?

A Race!

The "Unofficial Olney Page"

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Kathy Paré, Rebecca Maggio, Jan Pulvermacher-Ryan, Barb Atkyns & Tina Ondrako

This past weekend, the officers of the Auxiliary attended the Mid-Winter Conference for the Department of New York. Over 500 members from around the state were in attendance. National President, Jan Pulvermacher-Ryan was a special guest. Becky Maggio wrote: "We met many inspiring women with fresh ideas to promote the many programs of the Auxiliary. We will be sharing these ideas with our members and try to implement them. Our Department of New York President, Carol Johnson, has set a goal to provide funds for a Snoezelen Room for each of the five New York State Veterans' Homes. This therapy room is designed to calm, relax or stimulate a person with brain injury, dementia, behavioral and mood disturbances caused by physical conditions. The goal is to serve veterans with fewer drug solutions."

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PLAN AHEAD!

Tomorrow is Big Trash Day

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Saturday the 9th is someone's 55th!

****

Parade of Lights

BOTTLE DRIVE

9 - 12:00

Drop off at the Fire House.

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Sunday the 10th:
Snow sculptures at MPS
for grades UPK-5, 2-5pm; Snow Permitting;

ICE HARVEST at Millers Mills, Ice Permitting!

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February 11 8:30 am rainbow assembly at MPS Dance Dance Revolution UPK-5
February 12 5:30-7:30 pm Family Read-In Night MPS Grade UPK-5
February 13 5:30-7:30 pm International Food Night MPS Grades UPK-5
February 14 5:30-8:00 pm Get UP and Get MOVIN night @ MPS Grades UPK-5

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SATURDAY THE 16th

The Annual John Albert Memorial
Antique and Vintage Snowmobile Classic

8 A.M. - 4 P.M.

in Oriskany Falls.

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Now go and Have a Great Day!