Farmhouse

People are talking and they're talking about the Farmhouse Restaurant and Crowing Cock Saloon.

The Farmhouse is located behind Saranac Sourdough where Caribbean Cowboy used to be.  Don't worry fellow Cowboy lovers, you can still eat Rob and Vicky's food down the street at the Cowboy.  I'm not talking about that right now, however I find that the food at the Farmhouse has me drooling for other reasons.  They source as much food as possible from local farmers and businesses and the menu lists all that info.

We both ordered different flavored home-made sodas, maple and rhubarb.  They were both tasty, but I'd have to say that the maple was better because it was a unique flavor and not too sweet.  I should mention that the menu didn't tell us about the tree where the sap came from to make the maple syrup that flavored our soda, but we didn't want to be obnoxious and ask.  I couldn't help thinking about the hilarious Portlandia skit about this.

Next we had crab stuffed deviled eggs.  We don't know what chicken the eggs came from and we can only suspect that the crab did not come locally. It didn't matter to me, I love deviled eggs of all kinds, traditional with the yolk, mayo and a little bit of mustard or hummus filled, I'm not picky.  Yes, I am that person at a potluck that takes two halves.  I can't help it, I love them!  These were lovely to look at and tasted that way too.

Next time I want to try the Clover Mead Fromage Fort, garlic and wine infused cheese with crostini.  I know there is enough on the tapas menu that I could have made a meal out of it, but we ended up ordering individual entrees instead.  For dinner, Drew ordered the non-local Caribbean Seafood Salad.  Greens, sea scallops, shrimp, salmon, fresh fruit mojo, cruda, rice and a champagne dressing.

Maybe the greens were local from Fledging Crow?  He thought it was good and managed to clean his plate.  I had the Classic Farmhouse Meatloaf Sandwich made with Atlas Beef and Harmony Pork.  

I thought the portion size was generous, it hung over the bread.  

Just in case I didn't have enough to eat, the sandwich came with fries.  

I really liked my dinner and I would definitely like to go back and try out some other items on the menu.  Locally grown or not, the food is good and the prices are friendly for locals too.

Will Brake for Beaver

I have a confession to make.  On June 8, a chipmunk hit my car.  Then, on July 4, a crow hit me.  I have been known to brake for birds and usually hit my horn to warn them that I'm coming and they always fly away.  This one did not and it made an awful noise under my car that I am having a hard time forgetting.

The other night as I was traveling on 9N from Upper Jay to Jay, my friends and I witnessed a large branch being dragged across the road and was sucked into the guard rail.  Even though we could not see the animal, I knew I needed to slow down.  When we finally saw that it was a big, brown waddling animal, I turned the car around.

We got out of the vehicle and watched the beaver slip into the water with the branch.

From the edge of the guard rail, we looked down into the river and became mesmerized by this creature  circling the water and acting like a log floating in the Ausable.

Do you see the beaver just above the rock?  

Just before dark, he swam over to his branch and grabbed a bunch of leaves and then pulled himself up onto a rock to eat his dinner.  In the half hour that we watched, we named him Benny the Beaver.  

I am so glad that I pressed down on my brakes for this beaver because if I can't shake the sound of the crow hitting my car, I can imagine that the 2nd grade girl that was riding with me would have been scarred for life if we had hit Benny.

Looking Up

I don't have a weathervane nor do I have any idea what direction the wind is coming from as I write this.  However, if I wet my finger and hold it up into the air, it seems like the wind is coming from the fan on the east side of the bedroom.  What does this have to do with anything?  Nothing, except I've been taking note of the weathervanes along the Ausable.

Last month, my book group met at the Jay Village Green and as the ladies were talking about the book I did not finish, I found myself looking up at the gazebo and the weathervane on top.

 A Blue Jay seems fitting for the town of Jay.

It made me recall seeing a weathervane at Whiteface when I was skiing down Boreen last winter.  Mental note: If you are not looking for weathervanes you might ski faster.  I drove to Whiteface to see if I remembered correctly and as it turns out, not only do they have one, but there are three!

 Skier

Snowcat

Snowmaker

If you start looking up more, you will find them, but they're not all unique.  Mostly you'll see roosters.  Apparently, a weathervane is also referred to as a weathercock. Thus, the cockerel design.  Other common designs are feathers, arrows and horses.  

A mountaineer and luge weathervane are definitely unique.  If my memory serves me correctly, you can see them at the Mountaineer and at USA Luge.  

Another unusual design that I remember a friend mentioning awhile back was that of some elf shoes perched above the Comfort Inn next to Howard Johnson's in Lake Placid.

If you look closely, you can see that the shoes used to belong to someone standing on a feather that should have been running to safety at the first sign of heavy winds from the North.  What that figure was, I have no idea because it must have shattered when it was struck by lightning.  

Recap

No, I have not moved away from the Ausable.  I am still here and I thank you anonymous readers for leaving me comments letting me know you miss my posts.  If you all must know the details, I shall provide you with a quick recap into my last few months, but I don't know if it's too fascinating.  I'll let you decide.

1. My job changed and I find that I no longer have time at work to ponder my blog and read gossip magazines.  I now make decisions and utilize my brain daily.  I should mention that this does not mean I take myself too seriously.

2.  We have followed the great American trend and have been testing out my green thumb on a vegetable garden. Peas are good.

3.  Our guest room is still not done, however I have painted the ceiling.  Blue Mood.

4.  I got a smart phone and became slightly obsessed with Words With Friends (I started cheating), Free Scramble (I shouldn't play when I'm tired) and last but not least, Draw Something.  My addiction is fading.

5.  Our television was shipped off to China to get fixed and I was without cable for over a month! Just this morning I discovered that Ann Curry no longer co-anchors the Today Show.  Have no fear, I am not completely out of the popular culture loop, I can tell you play-by-play what's been happening on the Bachelorette this season.

6.  One of our cats started hating the other cat and we now have a screened door installed in the hallway to separate them until we can figure out what's wrong with her.  I am a fan of Dr. Sue at Elm Brook Veterinary and have faith that things will get better for all of us soon.

7.  My husband continues to surprise me with his entrepreneurial skills and has converted his side of the garage into a sewing workshop, now known as headquarters for Reprise Mountain Gear and Repair.

8.  My hair has started to go grey and I enjoy picking them out and examining them closely.

I can't promise anything, but blog posts might just become a little more frequent again.  So,  you tell me, which of the above shall I expand upon?

Pothole Research

I was starting to think that I didn't have much time for blogging anymore, but then I found myself on the side of the road having my husband videotape vehicles going over potholes. I guess this is a sure sign that I have plenty of time to do meaningless things and yes, I still get excited over the mundane.

For those of you that have driven Rt. 86 between Lake Placid and Jay, you may have noticed a massive bump every winter at the entrance of Whiteface and you might have become relaxed about traffic rules. Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. Every local knows to cross the double line to save the bottom of your car, out-of-towners... not so much.

Avoiding potholes has become part of my daily commute and laughing at fellow travelers makes the drive to work more entertaining. I could probably navigate the potholes with my eyes closed. I don't even need a sign to warn me. However, I should mention that the bump warning signs have forced a chuckle or two out of me when I noticed they have been affected also.

It makes me wonder if someone hit a bump so hard, that they caught air and hit the sign. There are definitely dangerous potholes out there and they should be taken seriously. Plenty of people have lost hubcaps because of the frost heaves.

If this hubcap looks familiar, you can find it on the bridge at the end of River Road. This stretch of the road is really rough and preference for driving over it is different for everyone. In my scientific research of this area, I have noticed that there is a tendency for drivers to veer right more so than going to the left.

I prefer driving to the right and avoiding oncoming traffic, but that's just me. I haven't heard if there will be any construction or maintenance done to Rt. 86 this summer, but if there is not, that can only mean next winter's frost heaves will create bigger and better potholes.

Vietnam's Turn At The Table

I have some sad news to report. Mexico City is no longer available at Hunan Oshaka/Kento Japanese Steakhouse.

Have no fear, it is being replaced by Saigon Pasteur Vietnamese Cuisine and you will still be able to try another culture's food.

There you have it folks, say hello to Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese cuisine and good bye to authentic Mexican food. Tear.

Bike Along the Ausable

I know it's been awhile, but I have a gem of a story to tell you.

A few years back, okay a decade back, I was a lonely graduate student living along the banks of the Thames River. I needed my own set of wheels to get to and fro and stumbled upon the most amazing bike that I ever laid eyes on. The vintage Raleigh came equipped with a basket on the back for my groceries and a headlight that would shine up the streets as I pedaled home after an evening of drinking at the pub. I loved this bike and called it Rusty Raleigh. He cost me 35 pounds and was my constant companion. We would bike along the river, go for picnics together at Hampton Court Palace and of course, have photo shoots.

To say I was attached, is an understatement. When it was time to return to the United States, I feared Rusty's future. I found out how expensive it was to ship him and as a poor student, I didn't have that kind of money. I found him a good home with another graduate student that was selected through an interview process. I'm kidding. Well, kind of.

Once I returned home, I bought myself a mountain bike. It just wasn't the same. My family and friends knew how much I missed Rusty and were on the look out for a replacement, not that he could ever be replaced, but perhaps we would find a similar bike. Alas, my sister and I were at an antique fair and Rusty's doppelganger was spotted. She saw the look of joy in my eyes and she bought it for me right on the spot.

We loaded it into my car and it came home to the Adirondacks. This "new-old" bike was fun to ride, but needed some work. Rusty Junior waited patiently while I trained for marathons and grew tired of it. Finally, last fall I brought my bike to LeepOff Cycles in Keene Valley. The owner, Mark is a great mechanic and specializes in fixing up old bikes. He researched and ordered tires that would give me a smooth ride, replaced the cracked cables and gave it a tune-up. By the time I got the bike back, the temperatures weren't ideal for a cruise and it would wait for me through the winter.

With unseasonably high temps this weekend, my friend Ann planned on going for a bike ride. I thought the sunny day was as good as any to take Rusty Junior for a spin, complete with a photo shoot with his new friend.

Maybe it was the spring air or it was the friend by my side, but I found myself truly enjoying the ride. Something tells me I'm going to love riding this bike along the Ausable.