Fun and Games Dept

Saugerties, N.Y.

Originally uploaded by macwarriorny.

Today I began my three-day road trip by heading down through the Hudson Valley. A famous person once said that with the interstate system you could travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific and not see a thing in between.

I find that to be very true.

So I took back roads where I could today, with my first stop being in the charming village of Saugerties, N.Y.

Earl and I have passed through Saugerties a couple of times. It’s about 50 or so miles south of Albany along US 9W, on the western bank of the Hudson River. It gets it’s own Thruway exit.

Saugerties is a cool little village in that they have never succumbed to the “urban renewal” plans, often seen in Upstate N.Y. Instead of abandoning their little downtown area and favoring big box stores out by the freeway, Saugerties is home to a charming village area with coffee shops, locally owned restaurants and eateries, artsy type places and antique shops. Lots of antique shops.

I had lunch at a locally owned lunch counter called “Dallas Hot Weiners.” It’s a very busy place, even after 1:00 p.m. The lunch counter overlooks the grills and fryers, there’s a few booths scattered about. I had the “Dallas Cheeseburger Special with fries”, which meant my cheeseburger came with lettuce and tomato on the side and had a dollop of their special sauce which looked a little bit like Cincinnati chili but tasted much better.

The whole meal, including a can of pop, came to $5.60.

Sitting at this lunch counter and walking around this little retail district reminded me of what my hometown used to be like, before everyone decided the plaza out by the interstate would be a better location. Saugerties sets a fine example of what an Upstate New York village can be like, all it takes is a little bit of TLC. I look forward to going back soon, and bringing Earl along with me the next time.

So my weekend roadtrip is not that far off and I still haven’t decided where I’m going to drive. I think I’m just going to search for sun. This weekend is suppose to be rather rainy up in these parts and I’m not really in the mood to watch it rain while Earl is hanging out in Tampa with his brother, so I think I’m going to find myself some sun. So I’m going to pack some clothes, grab the weather radio and drive in the direction of blue sky, with the intent on being back home Sunday evening so I can ready myself for work and be ready to tackle next week’s on-call head on without stress.

I think it’s going to be interesting and I’m looking forward to the adventure.

I will have my digital camera and PowerBook in tow, so I’ll be posting photos and blogging from the road. I think that’s my favorite aspect of blogging, letting others know that there’s a big, wide, wonderful world out there for everyone to enjoy.

Earl is heading to Tampa this weekend to catch the Eagles game. I was originally suppose to be on-call this weekend, but I swapped with a co-worker to be a nice guy, so I won’t be going to Tampa with Earl.

What to do.

I see a road trip in my future this weekend. A really long road trip so that I can enjoy the Acura before buttoning it up for the winter. I’ve narrowed down my choices to Indiana, Massachusetts or Tennessee. Maybe Maine.

Such decisions to make.

The sign on the Thruway proclaimed “Exit 48, Route 98, Batavia, 1 mile”. Having already driven 2 1/2 hours, sat in a traffic jam and seen two accidents along “New York’s Main Street”, we were still headed west toward Buffalo. Notorious for their cold and snow, the Buffalo area had already had a major snowstorm within the past 48 hours, where over two feet of snow had fallen.

And it was a wet, heavy snow.

Even though we’d only gotten as far as Batavia, with almost 40 miles to go until we reached the Buffalo area, there was evidence of a winter wonderland all around us. The colors of the fall foliage was punctuated with a background of white. And it was beautiful.

As we made our way into the city, everywhere you looked was snow. Snow, snow, snow. And lots and lots of downed trees and tree limbs. And dark traffic signals. It seems kind of extraneous to be DJing at a bar in downtown Bufffalo tonight, when large sections of the area still are without power. But, as they say, the show must go on, and tonight I’ll be doing my thing and trying to keep the party goers pumped for a fun evening.

Let’s hope the power stays on.

Earl and I spent the evening walking the streets of Center City Philadelphia tonight. We stopped at a neighborhood bar, the Westbury, for a beer and some eye candy. We walked the quiet side streets, admiring the residences that sit in the middle of the city yet in a quaint, quiet setting. We admired the art deco styling of Suburban Station and the rebuilding of the City Hall. In fact, a very nice gentleman offered to take our picture in front of City Hall and if I had remembered the cable to connect the camera to my computer you’d be able to see it right now. Instead, the captured moment will have to wait until Sunday night.

Tonight I feel like I actually experienced Philadelphia. In the past, I’ve felt like I only saw it, tonight I felt it. And the feeling was good.

I finally went ahead, did the deed and made a commitment to our merry little household.

I ordered a dumpster to be delivered on Thursday so that we can clean out the basement and garage. We live on the edge in these parts.

I find it amazing that we’ve lived in the house for only three years or so and that we’ve accumulated so much junk in the basement. As I’m reminded from time to time, it’s my fault. I’m a packrat and will save things for either sentimental value or perceived functionality.

I think I have every card Earl has ever given me. I have every birthday card I’ve received in the past 15 or so years. I keep smashed Christmas ornaments because they were once so pretty.

I’m whacked.

So this weekend we’re cleaning out and making way in the cellar for something a little more useful – a green screen for videotaping purposes. I’ll soon be soaring through the skies above any random city on “B” roll.

Such fun.

Posing at Hillside.

Originally uploaded by bluemarvel.

Earl and I spent the weekend at Hillside Campground in the mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania. It was a very relaxing weekend, giving us the chance to catch up on some sleep and hang out with old friends.

Hillside is situated on the side of a very steep mountain (surprise, surprise). Back in the day, we would stay about 3/4 of the way up at a friend’s permanent site. The past year or so, we’ve stayed 1/2 way. This trip was our first experience at the bottom of the hill along the babbling brook.

I burped, frogs jumped. It was kind of cool.

The rain tried to dampen our spirits Saturday afternoon with an impressive thunderstorm, but it didn’t slow anyone down. The rumbling of thunder through the mountains just added to the excitement and by bonfire time, the sky was clear and the party was on.

A good way to spend the weekend.

As I mentioned in my previous post, today I took some comp time from work and did some “roadgeeking” in the Rochester area of the state. I took over 100 photos for archival purposes for my web site. Let’s hear it for digital photography!

Earl was kind enough to make me lunch before leaving for his business trip, so I had my lunch pail packed and ready to go this morning when I awoke. I found myself in Spencerport at lunch time. Spencerport is situated along the famous Erie Canal, hence the “port” in it’s name. I never knew this but some of the bridges over the canal in this area are lift bridges. Instead of a traditional draw bridge, the whole bridge goes up and down in tandem. While I didn’t get a chance to see the one on Main Street in Spencerport in action, I did read about it while enjoying lunch at one of the Canalway Trail picnic areas. I posed for a picture next to the information board for posterity. Let’s hear it for digital photography with built-in timer!

The lunch was delicious too.

Can You Find Me?

Originally uploaded by bluemarvel.

Earl and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Great New York State Fair. The word “Great” is actually in the name of the country’s oldest and I believe largest state fair. It’s an Empire State thing.

Surprisingly, the crowds seemed a little light this year. We didn’t have any issues navigating around the fairgrounds, despite the numerous baby buggies that have bucket seats, power windows, rack and pinion steering and oddly, no children to be found in the seats. But nevertheless, we walked through all the barns where we named all the chickens for their hairdos, chatted with some goats and smiled back at some llamas.

We also trekked through the various displays in the Center of Progress building. One booth there is the “handwriting analysis computer”. It’s been at the fair longer than I have and they haven’t really updated the display much. It’s groovy to see the 1970s style computers doing their work to tell you about yourself after taking a look at your signature.

I did go for my obligatory spin on the Tip Top amusement. Earl stayed on land and took some pictures of the event.

It was a good day at the fair. It’s sort of sad to see it’s arrival, because usually it indicates that the end of summer is here.

Earl and I went to see the movie “Invincible” tonight. This is the film starring Mark Wahlberg as Vince Papale, the South Philly native that joined the Eagles in the mid 1970s at age 30.

It’s the best movie we’ve seen this year, despite all attempts from those surrounding us in the theatre to make it a horrific experience.

Note to cinema owners: if you want to get the American public back in the theatres you have two options, build or retrofit your theatres to reject all mobile phone and wifi signals, or shove said cell phones up offender’s asses. I’m just sayin’.

First of all, I have to remind everyone that I am married to a die-hard Eagles fan. My boy from Philadelphia will always be an Eagles fan regardless of where we live. Philadelphia is in his blood, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Said Eagles fan turned me into first a football fan and then an Eagles fan. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was in the stands this season, painted up in Eagles colors and half naked on television showing off my assets in the spirit of the game. Again, I’m just sayin’.

Football fan or not, this is a great movie. We found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Go see it.