Santa's Workshop

For months, I had been looking forward to taking my two year old nephew and family to Santa's Workshop at the North Pole. I had not been there since I was a kid and thought it would be a little weird if I went by myself, so my nephew's summer visit would be the perfect excuse to go.

The last time I went to an amusement park, the rides made me sick. Santa's Workshop is the perfect fit for someone that is prone to motion sickness. My nephew, Paul, is a very smart two year old and can look at gravity defying rides and know that his lunch hot dog in his tummy might not stay there. He didn't want to have anything to do with the Peppermint Swing or the mini Ferris Wheel. Even on the Christmas Carousel he decided on the fixed sleigh rather than the reindeer that went up and down. He thought the stationary reindeer was more his speed.

He wasn't completely opposed to moving rides though, we were lucky enough to board the Candy Cane Express twice!

Honestly, I never understood why families got sucked into the "boring" train ride at parks. For boys obsessed with trains and parents needing some down time, the Candy Cane Express totally rocks! The conductor blows the whistle and rings the bell several times throughout the ride, you go over bridges and even through a tunnel.

Even though Paul wanted more train, we were able to check out the other activities at Santa's Workshop. We saw Santa's Reindeer resting inside their little barn, fed the calves some milk, kept the elves busy putting Paul's name on a hat, and even witnessed them making some toys.

Paul waved to Santa's helpers in the Santa Claus Parade, had lunch from Mother Hubbard's while watching Sam and Sandy's show, and witnessed the dramatic appearance of Santa during the Christmas Capers. Paul was very excited to see Santa and said, "Hi Santa" and waved at him and he even waved back!

Paul was all ready to see Santa and tell him he wanted cake for Christmas, but when he got in there, it was a different story.

As you can see, he was a little frightened by Santa and his Mom and Dad had to join him for the photo opportunity.

I recommend a visit to Santa's Workshop for anyone and if you don't have a kid of your own or a niece or nephew to take, maybe a friend will let you borrow theirs for the day!

Root Beer: Worms

When I saw this at Devin's the other day, I thought the placement of the Saranac Root Beer next to the worms made perfect sense to me.  

The analogy, Roots: Dirt would definitely be paired with the answer A) Root Beer: Worms.  

On second thought, this might be a clue to why I didn't do very well with multiple choice tests and why I have mentally blocked out my score on the GRE test.  

Greased Pole

Every year for the 4th of July, the Jay Volunteer Fire Department hosts their largest fundraiser for the year.  They start the day with a parade and then people move behind the fire house to enjoy activities and food until the fireworks at night. 

I love that I can buy fried bread dough less than a mile from my house, but my favorite thing about the 4th of July in Jay is the Greased Pole!  The Fire Department takes a twenty foot pole, greases it up with crisco or something, places money at the top, and then sticks it in the ground.  

How much money you ask?  Last year it was $100, this year with the economy like it is, I was told $80.  I could sit for hours watching people trying to climb up the pole for money. Unfortunately the weather was drizzly and not ideal to wait for someone to reach the top and claim their money.  

Here is a pictorial rundown of the kids attempt at getting the cash.  

The Beginning

 

 Adding the Next Stander 

 

Things are starting to look promising.  

He didn't have the calve muscles to remain standing, so he came down and a girl went up. 

I was happy to see a girl join in on the fun, but she didn't last either.  Just when no one was looking, the smallest one out of the group decided to go for it all by himself.  

He only made it about twelve feet up and I'm kind of glad because it is all fun and games until someone cracks their head open.  I guess to end this on a positive... at least he wasn't playing with fireworks.

Share the Road

'Tis the season for athletes in training which means it is also the time when locals start complaining about dodging athletes on the roads.  Triathletes ride their bikes on the Ironman course through the narrow stretch of road in Cascade Pass on Rt. 73 and Wilmington Notch on Rt. 86 and drivers try avoid them.   

As a driver, it can become problematic when cyclists don't stay single file along the white line. You don't want to slam on your brakes because that could cause an accident behind you and you don't want to swerve into oncoming traffic and kill yourself, but it would also really ruin your day if you hit a human being.  I have several friends that are bikers and would agree that it would ruin their day if they were hit or if they were the cause of an accident. 

As a runner, I have had several close calls myself.  I always run facing oncoming traffic and when I see a vehicle, I get over to the left as much as possible.  Unfortunately, when drivers pass another car, it puts them in the lane that I am running in and oddly enough, I was not born with eyes in the back of my head.  It is frightening when you have a car that comes up behind you and is only arms length away traveling at 60 mph. 

Please take caution when training as an athlete and also as a driver.  I did not want to create an accident by taking a picture to show an example of bad cyclist etiquette.  Instead, I will share with all of you a bumper sticker that sums it all up, Share the Road.  

p.s. On this Fourth of July holiday weekend, please do not drink and drive/bike/run.

Gargoyles Garden

I know many of you out there have been wondering what the Gargoyles have been up to.  So, this morning I checked them out and it appears as though they are busy protecting their gardens from deer and other pests.

Here is Lefty Gargoyle with a gardening hat pulled over his eyes while he takes a quick nap in the shade.

Righty Gargoyle was alert and ready to pounce on any intruder that might want to munch on their garden.  

Camper Cat

Living in Jay with two cats is usually wonderful, but when we have to drive them thirty minutes to the vet in Ray Brook, it simply sucks!  I would like to take them to the veterinarian we have in Jay, but I heard that she is not taking new animals. 

Mango is content to just sit on my lap the whole way, but Monty cries and shreds his nails when he is crated in the car.  This breaks my heart.  I was telling this story to a friend, when an elderly woman overheard me and told me her cat has no problem with long trips and pointed to her camper outside.

Brenda is 85 years old and lives in her camper year round with her cat Tucker .  She lives in Florida for the winter and then summers in the Adirondacks.  What a life!

When I am 85, I can only hope that I would be able to travel up and down the East Coast with a traveling companion as nice as Tucker.  

Red Barn Antiques

Today I stopped by Red Barn Antiques in Upper Jay and I must say if you are into antiques and artisans, you need to stop on by yourself.  You can't miss the sign posted right outside Paul's Bakery on 9N.  

Just park in front and walk on back to the big Red Barn where Julie is open Wednesday - Sunday, 10 - 5.  She used to be further up the road in the little green building, but has now expanded into the Red Barn and carries other antique dealers items, vintage books and also some items from local artisans.  

I am not going to show you all the cool things I saw today because I really want to go back for a few items and I don't want any of you to buy them before I do.  I will provide you with this interior picture and you will just have to check it out yourself.  

I found that things were reasonably priced.  We walked away with this vintage Cola Cooler that will be used for recyclables before taking them out to the garage and also this little old red lantern.  You can tell I like red.  

Okay, enough blogging for today, I'm off to clean up our new finds from Red Barn Antiques.  Yippee!