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.

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.

A Little Bit of Brooklyn

Recently I had one of my childhood bff's swing by for a brief visit before Thanksgiving. He always seems to visit during the shoulder season when not a whole lot is going on and I can never figure out what to do with him, not that it really matters because no matter what, there is always laughter.

This time was no exception. After meeting for lunch in Lake Placid we headed back to my house and I showed him the two additions to our home in the last year, saloon doors and the Soda Stream. Many of my friends own a Soda Stream and share the love of the seltzer, but if like Phil you have been hiding under a rock, you must watch this:

He immediately wanted a demonstration and after his first few sips he suggested we make egg creams. I had never tasted an egg cream before and he informed me that it contains neither eggs or cream. All we needed was the Soda Stream to make our soda water, milk, and chocolate syrup to create the fizzy beverage.

Although the fountain drink is highly associated with Brooklyn, you can make it anywhere, even along the Au Sable. His father was from the Bronx and that never stopped him from treating his kids to an old fashioned egg cream.

Phil was in charge of mixing the drink for us and used the following recipe: equal parts milk and seltzer (about 1/2 cup each) and three big squeezes of chocolate syrup. He tested it out before serving it.

When I asked him what the verdict was, he said, "It's not the best thing in the world." Drew said, "sure, sure." After a couple more gulps it turned into, "yeah, good." Always an optimist and not wanting to hurt Sal the Soda Stream's feelings, I thought it was okay but it would probably have been better if we weren't using 1% milk and tap water. Or maybe, just maybe we needed to follow a previously tested recipe? Phil admitted that he remembers feeling obligated as a kid to liking egg creams because it was considered a treat.

Bad egg cream or good, it's always a treat to see my pal Phil.

Question Quest?

Have you been to Wilmington, New York before? Have you seen this sculpture along the Ausable river? Do you know where in Wilmington it is? Who is the artist?

I know where it is, do you? Which business with a "?" sign do you think can answer my question? If anyone will know it will be someone at Wilmington Visitor Information, don't you think that's a good place to start?

That's funny they are usually open Monday - Friday from 8 - 3:30 pm, I wonder why they would be closed on a Tuesday at 1:30 pm? Maybe I'll walk across the street, do you think the pizza man will know?

What did he say? Turns out Bob said, "I've lived here my whole life and I've never seen that, do you want to go for a walk and show me?" Who else would know? Do you think that T & T will know the answer?

Wait, what? Why is T & T closed on Tuesdays and Sundays? Okay, where is the next question mark? I thought I remembered seeing a ? sign at the Adirondack Holiday Lodge, did I imagine it there?

Here it goes, Have you seen this sculpture before? "No, where is it? Is that something to put the chairlift on?" Do you think the motel across the street will know?

They might know, but why is Mel's Diner closed and why is there a sign at the Green Mountain Lodge saying that they are closed for the winter season 2011/2012?

There is only one more ? sign left in all of Wilmington to ask, will the Little Supermarket have the answer to my question?

I showed a picture and asked Jami the pizza and deli goddess, do you know where this is? She asked me, "Is it at the beach or is it near the lift chair near the bridge?"

Wait, is that customer the manager of the Candy Man looking it up on her smart phone? Did she discover anything on google? No she didn't, but that makes me question why the Candy Man Store doesn't have a ? sign, why don't they? I wonder if the 90 year old that just came in to buy her 2% milk and newspaper that has had a home in Wilmington since 1945 will know? What was her response? "Oh my heaven! I have no idea, I've never seen it before, what is it?"

I think I got the Little Supermarket ladies on the case, will they be able to come up with the answer? Wait, what was my question again?

RIP Rosa

It has been an emotional week. My beloved car Rosa's little body couldn't take it any longer and was put out to pasture. On her final journey along the Ausable this morning, we shared one last song on the radio together, Bust A Move.



I don't think there could ever be a better farewell song for a car like Rosa. She moved all the way to her final resting place.

I leave you with the last picture from our final photo shoot today next to a phone booth in Keeseville.

R.I.P. Rosa, Honda Civic LX, 1997 - 2011

Magic

Let me tell you a little story about what happened to me at work today. I was helping a customer and before he left, he asked me what my favorite color was. I said red. He then made me a balloon animal. Super fast. Like, really really fast!

Apparently he is the world's fastest balloon artist. For real. He goes by, Thomas Blacke, Mysteriarch. Oh, and then he showed us his speedy rubik's cube skills. Impressive again. Not only did I get a balloon animal for my desk, but I also got to tie together the hands of the world's fastest magician and escape artist with a leather belt type thing and in less than a blink of an eye his hands were free.

Just last year he escaped from a pair of handcuffs underwater in 8.34 seconds! I can't make this stuff up. How was your day at work?

Phone Booth Saga Continues...

I am very excited to share with all of you an article written by Seven Days in Vermont about my phone booth adventures. You can read the article by clicking on this link.

photo provided by the fabulous Lauren Ober, aka, LO. I should mention that unlike me, she was not wearing a fabulous J. LO inspired track suit when I met her for the interview.

Gnome Juice

This was the scene on my porch when I returned from work this evening.

After using my amazing detective skills, I discovered that a fellow book club member had been surveying the property across the way and had a little help from our garden gnomes and kindly rewarded them with some Gnome Juice.

Through the Ausable

When I saw the one lane road sign ahead, I was prepared to see some water on the road. I never imagined it meant I would be driving through the Ausable River as opposed to along the Ausable.

Yikes!

Wax On, Wax Off

WARNING: Potential to read "TMI" about the author

I'm a little lady and during the winter months I need extra help keeping warm. I usually stop using the razor some time in November. My friends like to monitor the growth on my "manly" legs and laugh. Maybe it's an urban myth or in this case some kind of North Country myth, but I like to believe I'm warmer because of it.

The change in temperature recently made me think it might be time to shed my werewolf style. Driving by "Town & Country," I saw it. Wax Room.

There it was, the quickest most efficient way of getting myself smooth again. Don't worry, I didn't go to the front office and ask about their new wax room because that's part of their ski and stay package. The only hot wax there is going to be dripped on skis, not body parts. There are spas in town for the kind of waxing that I need done.

I will spare you the details of how my legs got back to looking like they actually belong on a lady. As for my upper lip, that's another story. Kidding, totally kidding!

A Birthday and a Goose

Have you ever had something so bizarre happen to you and realize no one will believe you unless you have a picture of it? This actually happens to me on a regular basis, nonsense stories that no one believes. Thus, the reason why I cart a camera around in my purse.

A few years back, my friend and I were celebrating her birthday in Lake Placid. We had one of those nights that made our cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. We ended up winning a beer trophy in the toboggan race and then ran down Main Street showing off our grand prize and came across a couple walking down the sidewalk with a goose on a leash. The goose was wearing a bow tie and a dress! We needed a picture of this precious moment and convinced some strangers to take our picture, gave them my email address and begged for them to send it to me. We never got the picture and have been sad about it ever since.

Reminiscing in all of this, I called my friend.

E: Hello?

A: Hi! I hate to be a d-bag, but is your birthday tomorrow?

E: Why, yes it is.

A: What are you doing? Do you want to do something?

E: Sure. Remember that year we went tobogganing?

A: Yes, of course. And the goose. Too bad the chute is closed this year.

E: That sucks.

A: Yes, let's get together anyways. I'm sure we'll figure something out.

So, when I met up with her last night, I put together a little something for her in a frame.

I knew my Fine Arts degree would come in handy some day

We didn't get to go tobogganing and we didn't come across a goose with a dress and bowtie, but we did manage to have a good time and make it to the toboggan run.

da girlz

What happened next should not be documented on this blog. Happy Birthday you tall of drink of water!

Phone Booth Found!

Do you remember when I was upset about the Jay phone booth being taken away and how I tried to track it down? To refresh your memory you can read about it here.

Well, the other night we were driving along Rt. 9N and I spotted it! There standing in all its glory was the phone booth hiding behind someone's garage. It all happened so quickly, I didn't know if it was a mirage. I just knew I needed to go back during daylight to see if it was really there.

My husband wanted to go up the driveway to see it, but I thought that was a little intrusive and I didn't want to get in trouble for trespassing. I had to settle for staying 100 yards back.

I know what you're thinking, "Where is it? How did she see it?" Well, I see everything. Please don't think I'm a stalker or anything, but when your beloved phone booth has gone missing and it is whispering your name in the night, you most certainly are going to see it shining under the light of the garage up on the hill.

Standing on 9N, the phone booth seemed a little sad. This is where you tell me objects don't have feelings and that I was being unrealistic to say in a recent article in Adirondack Life, "I felt like I had a relationship with it."

I guess my expectations for the phone booth's new life was too high. I can only hope that the phone booth is treated with respect and the new person in its life, treats it well.

Bragging About Pacman and Inspiration

Back in the day I worked in Boston with a very creative gal. Sometimes on lunch breaks she'd drag me around the city to show me interesting architecture, obsolete T stops or parade me to Chinatown for awesome food. I always admired her excitement over the little things in life and was so glad she befriended me. She is a true original and her blog This Is Framingham was the inspiration behind starting my Along the Ausable blog.

Recently, we have reconnected and she still amazes me. She has become quite the baker and has been sending me tasty treats in the mail. Wanting to do something for her, I thought I'd knit. She's a lover of all things retro and has a long lasting love of pac man. So, I went ahead and pieced together a few patterns I found online at ravelry, graphed it out and started knitting a headband she could wear while training for the Boston marathon.

Since my last knitter's night was cancelled due to the snow storm, I wasn't able to "brag" about my latest project. Every time we meet, the ladies come in and "show off" their completed projects. Finally, I had something to show off and the snow stopped me. So, here I am bragging all over the world wide web over the pac man headband I sent to my friend.

pac man side

ghost side

I've had word that pacman and the ghosties traveled safely from the post office along the Ausable all the way to Framingham and a certain role model of mine was nicely surprised.

Covered Bridge Mystery

I notice things that most people never see and I guess I ponder things that others would never waste their time thinking about.

Like today for instance, I took great pleasure in being the first one to cross the Covered Bridge. When my footprints sank into last night's snowfall at the bridge's entrance, I wondered how long it had been since someone else had walked across it. Then, just a few strides in, I noticed something so peculiar. There on the ground of the Covered Bridge was a small pile of pencil shavings resting atop fresh snowflakes.

Weird, huh? I glanced around looking for other clues to provide me with some background information on the remains of this No. 2 pencil. There was nothing other than an old cigarette butt further down.

I don't know why, but I've always thought that at some point in my life I might be needed in a crime scene investigation and the FBI might ask me everything I know and can remember. I am observant and think that I'd make a good lady detective.

Not that I would ever, ever want this to happen, but if some child was abducted and they found her backpack with a pencil sharpener inside and evidence that it had been used just hours ago, my observations would be useful.

I'm just saying, sometimes it's good to question things.

Missing Phone Booth Adventure

I received an email this morning, "Where is the Jay phone booth? Gone!"

I thought for sure this was some kind of practical joke since I was just preaching about my love of the phone booth the night before. I immediately hopped in my car with my pajamas still on and drove to find the truth.

It was true. The phone booth was missing.

I drove home immediately, gobbled up some peanut butter toast as fast as I could because I feared if I didn't find out the phone booth's fate, it would be too late. I was worried it would end up crushed at some scrap metal factory.

The Town of Jay informed me that it was the property of Frontier and they were the ones that removed it. Next, I knocked on the work building's door for Frontier in Ausable Forks and a nice employee told me his coworker took it home with him. He was reluctant to give out his information to a crazy woman demanding to know where the phone booth went, probably because he thought I might consider stealing it. I gave him my contact information and went along my way in hopes of some day being able to say good bye to the charming structure and take a picture of it at its new home.

This is a bittersweet ending to my morning's missing phone booth adventure. I am sad that this historical artifact is now missing for the public to see at our Village Green, but am happy that it is still intact and will be taken care of by a fellow phone booth fan.

A Letter to My Beloved Car Rosa

Dear Rosa,

Congratulations on hitting the 110,000 mileage mark today. I'm guessing that after driving that far and closing in on 14 years old, you wanted to take a little break for yourself when deciding not to put the driver side window back up after using the ATM drive-thru.

I need to apologize for having my doubts about you and accidentally calling you a "Piece of S..." to my parents on the phone. I hope you can understand my level of frustration because it was cold and rainy out. Rather than having an all out fight with you, I removed myself from the situation and got a few groceries.

I took a deep breath before seeing you and it helped. I turned on your heat and pointed it toward the window. Slowly you poked your window head back up and with my assistance, I brought you to the top again.

I know you've felt sick plenty of other times before and I've helped you get over those illnesses. Christmas night 2008 was not one of the best when you decided to let the brakes go in Santa Clara and made Drew drive home 45 miles brakeless through the Adirondacks in the dark. The mechanic doctor helped you the very next day. You have proven to me that you're exhausted with the several complete exhaust systems I've bought for you. That summer that you had a leak in the gas tank, your fumes actually made me sick, but I still didn't give up on you.

What I'm trying to say little Rosa, is that I love you even after 14 years. I'll keep loving you and giving you the benefit of the doubt, but I need you to keep loving me too. I know that you look at that two door garage every night wishing that some day you'll make it inside. Believe me I want to be able to give that to you before the day comes when you no longer have that as an option. Maybe tomorrow morning when you see Drew, you could give him a little wink of the headlight and win him over so he'll clear out one side of the garage for your red hot body this winter.

Love always,

Your faithful driver

Antique-Aholics Anonymous

Hi my name is Big Al and I'm an Antique-Aholic.

Like so many other addictions, mine started in College. I would sneak out of my dorm room early on Saturday mornings and head to auctions. At one point, I convinced a professor to provide me with money for my habit and found myself buying one too many dinnerware sets for an upcoming play.

More than ten years later, I'm noticing that I still have an addiction.I frequently find myself having conversations that center around my problem and I brag about what I find and how little it cost me. Bragging is not a behavioral quality to be proud about.

$1 wicker chair!

I regularly am in search of "good stuff" upon awakening and it has interfered with my work schedule. Having to work on the weekend gets in the way of 9 am yard sales. No early birds? Whatever, that phrase doesn't exist in my world of antique dependence.

Flower Frogs and Flower Pins

I have had periods of time when I can't remember what I did. Recently, I blacked out at an auction and lost out on a ladies rocker that I sat hours waiting for. I became obsessed with finding another one and couldn't think about anything else until I finally found one for a steal at a flea market one month later.

I sometimes have family members or close friends go with me so I can experience a rush when they score.

Yes, I did get excited over my husband ending his week long search for a punch clock.

Recently, I went so far as to fulfill another addicts wish and sent a package all the way to Atlanta, Georgia!

Experts say you should try to give something up and not experience physical or emotional distress for 6 weeks. I can't even imagine the shakes that might happen if I were to try.

Labor Day is only a month away and my opportunities will soon be limited to Etsy and Ebay and this brings a great amount of anxiety to me. Can I stay off the wagon a little bit longer? Speaking of wagons, check out what I did with the Radio Flyer I got for free at the Town Dump.

The weekend is right around the corner and I have to be honest, I'm really jonesing for my next fix. It helps that I don't have any cash in my wallet right now, but the yard sale sign on our corner is taunting me.

Morning Running

Early morning runs are the best. I've been missing out on them due to a few minor medical issues this Spring, but man oh man, I love them and they're back! I also love the comfort of my bed, but once I put on my running shoes and walk out the door, I slip into the stillness of the Au Sable River Valley.

I pass a couple pick up trucks on the road and raise my hand to wave. Slowly these vehicles remind me that I'm not the only one moving around. I say good morning to the cows in the pasture and they blink back.

When a couple sleepy miles have been completed, I start running a little faster and singing a little louder. I must be quite the site at 6 am belting out "Empire State of Mind" with one hand in the air, "Everybody say yeah, Come on, Come, YEAH!"

Thoughts run through my head and a quote I recently saw was stuck in my head this morning and feel that it describes me pretty dang well. "People who say that I'm not nice, don't know me. People who say that I am nice, know me. The people that say I am crazy, are my best friends."

I'd love a morning running partner, but of course you'd have to be okay with getting to know the craziness that goes along with me.

Allergy to City Living

I think I am allergic to cities. The second I crossed the Mid-Hudson Bridge and headed for Poughkeepsie, my body started freaking out.

My pulse quickened, my body temperature rose, and I started to break out into hives. I was experiencing sensory overload after being along the Au Sable for so long.

After picking up my registration materials for the conference I was attending, I immediately searched out a quiet spot. I wandered down the road in the opposite direction and found myself in Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's rose garden.

It was in the middle of these historical gardens, my breathing became steady again. Then, after seeing my old running buddy, M.M., I smiled. The sight of a high school friend combined with lovely gardens was the perfect prescription for a country gal like me standing on the outskirts of a city.

I have discovered I can handle visiting cities, but living in them just isn't for me. Sorry Charles and Thames, I won't be moving back to your river banks anytime soon. I prefer living on my quiet little lane along the Au Sable.

Turkey Vulture Entertainment

A few weeks ago, we had an impromptu dinner with a couple friends. It was that night when we were in the kitchen that we noticed the large birds circling over our house and landing in the trees across the street. It was quite the show with the birds flying in one by one to roost for the night. It was definitely kind of spooky, but so cool! Without binoculars it was hard for us to figure out exactly what kind of bird it was, but occasionally they would fly towards us and we could see a flash of red. They had to be turkey vultures!

Every night since, the vultures gracefully fly in and settle in the trees for the night. I've read that they generally eat dead animal carcasses and serve an important role in the ecosystem because by eliminating the carrion, they prevent infection and disease. That's all fine and dandy, but it makes me wonder if the trees directly across from our house have an abundance of dead animal flesh on the pine needles below, definitely not a happy thought. Of course, my imagination always gets the best of me and the vultures probably just think the pine trees provide a nice place to sleep for the night after they are done foraging.

Last night, Drew finally dug out the binoculars and our friend Lori came over just in time for the aviary show.

If you are interested in watching our nightly turkey vulture entertainment with us, stop by between 6 and 7 pm. Oh, and beer and wine is always welcome.