Rainy Day Outing

It was Tuesday afternoon, and pouring rain.  We should have been packing to return home the next day, but we still wanted some photos.  Danny had shown us some wonderful places on Sunday, but the battery of our camera died shortly after we left the house.  So off we went, hoping in spite of the rain to get a few good pictures.

Our first stop was the Amish store.  We'd been there earlier and seen their huge bins of apples and retuned to get some to make applesauce for dinner.  See, it really was rainy!

We then headed up a dirt road, past our friends' house, and on toward Centerville.

Tom tells me that when he lived on the farm in 9th grade most of the roads were dirt.  On a typical day, three or four cars would pass their home.  Some days, the mailman was the only one to pass!  Not so now.  Most of the roads are paved and the number of cars (and joggers) that pass the house daily has grown considerably.

We were intent on finding the windmills that Danny had taken us to see on Sunday.  The hills of Allegany County provide a great source of wind to be harnessed, and 67 turbines are in operation there.  On Sunday these elegant white giants stood out majestically against the blue sky; on Tuesday, they all but disappeared in the rain.

An Amish neighbor also had a windmill, but it was a traditional design, commonly used for over a century as a means of drawing water from the ground to feed the livestock, irrigate the farms, and supply drinking water.  (It's the kind of windmill that Tom always wanted to convert to an electricity-producing one, like the turbines in the photo above, for home use.)

Time to head home, make that applesauce, pack, and see Jim and Laura before falling into bed.  What a great day it turned out to be, rain and all!

Woman at the Well Monologue

Parting Shot

Here's one last shot of Western New York in all its splendor as we head to Buffalo to board the plane for home.  Hope you have enjoyed the trip as much as Tom and I have.  See you back in Stanwood!

Hands-on Science

Want to know which way the wind is blowing?  Employ the scientific method and do a little observation.  Here are three possible options to consider:

1.  Go outside with a plastic bag.  Hold the bag out and turn slowly in a circle until the bag begins to fill with air.  Whatever direction you're facing, that's which way the wind is blowing.



2.  Check out your neighbor's clothesline.



3.  Stand in your yard and look up at the weather vane.  Perhaps more accurate, but not nearly as fun.

Fire Fighters Fry Fish for Friends and Funds

The Wiscoy-Rossburg Fire Company in Western New York is a volunteer fire department which has come up with a successful fundraiser  -- a monthly fish fry!  The first Friday of the month, October through April, plus a couple of extra Fridays in the spring, finds the fire station lined with tables piled with food.  About 750 people turn out for each fish fry.  Last Friday Tom and I went along with his brother Dan (Dr DK) to the Wiscoy Fish Fry.



Donna, a dental patient of Dr DK, was our server.  Not only did she serve us with a smile, she answered all my questions ("What kind of fish is this?" "How many people do you serve at a fish fry?" "How often do you do this?").  She also tried to convince Dan that he needs a puppy.  The puggles she breeds (cross between a pug and a beagle) would make a great office dog for his dental practice, she told him.  I agree!  (If you don't know puggles, look them up.  They're sooo cute!)

Back to the fish fry.  This all-you-can-eat event costs about $10 per person and includes deep fried haddock, fries, slaw, cottage cheese, condiments, and pieces of cake.  You can eat in or take out.  It's the hottest spot in town.




















After the fish fry, we drove half a mile down the road to the Wiscoy Falls.  If you're a fisherman, maybe you've heard of the Wiscoy River.  Imagine having this in your back yard!   No bells and whistles, just another one of the beautiful spots in Western New York.

The Artist and the Dentist

Tom was surprised to find this poster, saved for fifty years, among the treasures in the attic.  He made it for a school-wide poster contest when he attended North Queen Anne Elementary School in Seattle.  It may not have won the contest, but who knows what kind of impact it had on his older brother, Danny, who grew up to be a dentist. He works here in NY.  He calls himself "Dr Decay" (his initials are, after all, D.K.).

Some Great Old Finds

Old Radios.  Pooh is wearing vintage headphones.

Old trunk and suitcase

Tom's dad's childhood art books

Sleigh bells and a cow bell

Tom's mom's skates, mentioned in blog about journaling