J.P.

So Earl and I are back from camp and getting ready for our week. Since we are camping two weeks in a row, we secured the same site and was able to leave the camper for the week. It made the journey home much easier. Next week, not so much.

We stopped in Binghamton at Applebee’s for some lunch. We were seated, noted that the busboy was very attractive (and surprisingly, in a wheelchair, you don’t see many busboys in Applebee’s in a wheelchair) and gazed over the menu. Ten minutes later, we walked out as no one bothered to help us. We had no server stop by, there was nothing for the attractive busboy to clean up and we were parched, so we just walked out.

We drove up Front Street one block to Quizno’s. The place was relatively quiet, I noted a gay couple with a young daughter and another man and woman sitting near the door. I ordered and looked around. It was then that I realised that one of the guys with the daughter looked familiar.

I went to college with him over 20 years ago. He had a very musical name (and it’s wicked easy to remember), was a fantastic trombone player and was coaxed out of the closet at the end of our second semester together by yours truly. We never did anything though. He just needed guidance.

We shook hands, couldn’t believe we were seeing each other and made a little small talk. We’ll probably see each other again when we’re 60.

The meal at Quizno’s was prompt and delicious, by the way.

It is Saturday morning here at Hillside Campgrounds. We kicked off another camping season with our arrival yesterday afternoon. We are focusing on relaxation this weekend.

The camper decided that it needed a little TLC. When I hooked up the water and turned it on, the hose from the water supply to the sink broke, which in turn spewed water all over the camper. I needed to mop anyway. Earl ran to the nearby town of New Milford and picked up a bunch of parts to make the repair. They didn’t have the exact pipe that we needed but he was able to MacGuyver something close. Everything was fine 90 minutes later. I guess I need to do a better job of winterising in the future.

It’s a relatively quiet weekend here. There are a number of sites available but then again it’s still early in the season. I think the weather forecast scared a few away; it’s been raining steadily this morning. The sound of the rain on the camper makes for great sleeping. The forecasters are promising thunderstorms this afternoon. I always love a good thunderstorm, especially in the middle of the dense woods.

Last night we hung at the campfire with our friends Sean and Jeffrey, Don and George (all from Albany) and Brad, Brian and Robert from New Jersey. It was good to see all the guys; it has been too long since we had last seen them. Today we are all going to Brian’s 40th birthday party at their site. It will be a good time.

Here’s a little video I made.

Earl and I are on our way to Hillside Campgrounds for the weekend. I’m looking forward to the downtime as I have had a busy yet very enjoyable couple of days. I plan to do some blogging from camp tomorrow in between naps and meals. It should make for an interesting read.

The new cleaning crew arrived right on time this morning. After a second walk through of the house, with three members they still thought it was going to take almost the entire day to give the house a thorough cleaning. I can only do so much between classes and assorted activities. Truth be known, I guess I haven’t done that much in the way of cleaning as of late.

Since I’m not starting work until next week (I don’t know where yet) and I have no scheduled classes today, I wasn’t about to sit around and watch the cleaning crew do their thing and feel guilty in the process for not joining in, so I sold off some prized valuables to put some gas in the car and hit the road.

I’m currently sitting in the Panera in the scenic city of Canandaigua. This appears to be a brand new location. There are no crayon marks on the wall from wild children. The furniture looks new. The carpet is fresh. (I smelled it to make sure, just kidding).

The women sitting next to me are lively. I believe they are in theatre. They are talking about theatre classes and stage performances. I hear those theatre types can be lively. They’re talking about their husbands (though one hasn’t specifically mentioned the gender of her partner) and getting them to do stuff for them. The conversation hovers around performing, photography, videography and husbands. They’re both very animated. They’re getting a little feisty too. I hear those theatre types can be feisty. I find them enjoyable.

I decided to do a little exploring around Rochester on this road trip. We were just here last Saturday and here I am again. I kind of forget about Rochester as a destination of sorts. Passing through on the Thruway you can see it but you don’t feel the city at all. The Thruway sort of bypasses it. So I made the detour and drove around the apparent artsy- and gayborhoods. The parts I have seen thus far are very clean and have a ‘chic’ feel to them.

A very hot man has joined the ladies at their table. He is lively too. I’m betting a theatre type as well. He is very animated. I hear those theatre types can be animated.

Ah ha! As I continue to eavesdrop I confirm that one of the ladies is a lesbian! Should I start singing “We Are Family” or wait until the regional meeting? Her name is Eleanor.

Back to Rochester. Each of the “Thruway Corridor” cities have a distinct personality, at least as I see it. Working right to left I’ve never been a big fan of Albany. It’s functional and I suppose very governmental, but it’s always seemed like a mish-mash of cities thrown together. I guess that’s why they call it the Capital District. I’d live there if I had to (which is always a possibility given the location of Earl’s second office and the fact that I’ll most likely be working for a state agency someday), but if we had to move to the Capital District I’d be picky about where we settled down.

Utica lost whatever little personality it had years ago. I’m surprised the lights are still on.

Syracuse seems to be full of hearty stock. Since Syracuse receives the most annual snowfall of almost any city in the world I guess that makes sense. Syracuse is very proud of the Orange and it’s very apparent. The color orange is everywhere. I equate Syracuse with sports and family, probably because I’m from that area originally.

Rochester is all about the technology. The smart people live in Rochester. Driving about the streets Rochester is a pretty cool city. As I mentioned before, I’m not overly familiar with it but it seems clean and more progressive than the other cities along the corridor. I’m looking forward to bringing Earl back here for more exploration. Oddly, I’m finding exploring alone a little boring. That’s not like me.

Buffalo is very blue collar to me (and that is not a bad thing at all). It’s where the workin’ man lives. They’re proud of their sports teams as well. Buffalo Bills stuff is everywhere. Like their counterparts in Syracuse, they seem pretty hearty. I guess it’s the snow. There’s signs of progress as well. I think they’re doing their best to cope with the economy.

All in all, it’s a gorgeous day for a beautiful drive. I should probably stop chattering on the internet and get out and enjoy some sun.

Flickr Link.

Earl’s Jeep Wrangler has been part of the family for four years. Every year we take advantage of the nice weather and take the sides and back off and put the top down. It’s a glorious way to bask in the sunshine. Today we decided to take it a step further and take the doors off as well.

We decided to go for a ride but stay rather close to home in the process, so we opted to drive through the various gorges and through the hills nearby. There is a particular road that winds through rural farmland and open fields; a similar road exists where I used to live in the western part of the state and that road is called the “Open Meadows Road”. This is the “Cedarville-Jordanville Road” but I like to think of it as an eastern version of the Open Meadows Road. It’s a beautiful drive, especially when you’re basking in the sun, the temperatures are mild and there’s no doors on the Jeep.

From there we headed into the Ilion Gorge, one of several gorges in the area. I think our gorges are related to the Finger Lakes but the Universe just didn’t put as much water into them. The windy roads and the isolated homes dotting the gorge are nice; I have to admit I like the feeling of solitude.

After our ride we ended up at the Park-Side Drive In in St. Johnsville, one of the many villages along the historic Erie Canal. The food was your standard local restaurant fare and quite good.

It has been an absolutely gorgeous day.

A little video from today’s adventure.