Old Forge, Bald Mountain, Family Hike

 Finally got in some outside time now that we are done w/ cleaning out Woodsedge apartment. It was much harder than I expected, but the family did a great job toughing it out.

(3.58) Family Hike

This was a fun impromptu afternoon. Brian was in a mood until he got something to eat and a lot to drink. Brenda was a good sport the whole way. Annie and I had good workouts. One really amazing thing happened, Brennan spotted a porcupine halfway up a tree. I didn't even know they climbed trees! The lean-to was occupied when we got there so we couldn't hang out that much, but it was just a day hike anyway. A good experience for all. Allison was at dance camp so we'll have to go a different time with her.

2019 Memorial Day Weekend - Old Forge, NY

So Annie called me Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon and said, "We're not doing anything this weekend. Why don't we go to Old Forge?" Shocked as I was, I couldn't say "YES" quickly enough! Someone must have cancelled because we got the only available cabin. No cottages were open (kitchen & potty) so we were more rustic than Annie prefers, but it all worked out.

This is the first time we took Belle on an extended trip and we were pleasantly surprised with how well she did. It was awesome to have her along. It did prevent us from going on the lake cruise, but otherwise it was great. We did leave her alone briefly while we took the kids to Calypso Cove.

Friday morning it was a long drive as both the dog & the boys needed to pee a few times. We actually stopped by some cemetery on the outskirts of Rome to pee before getting onto 365 & going through Holland Patent which was surprisingly emotional for me, though I didn't show anything. Weird. Joining Rte 12 & going to Old Forge also brought about many memories - how many times did we make that trip as a family? Funny thing is I remember going up there, I remember the gliders and the park in the center of town, but I don't ever remember eating up there.

The town hasn't changed much. The general store - which we visited Sunday on the way out of town - is still one of the main attractions. Now that we had Belle, it was easy to notice just how many dogs there were in town and how they were in almost every store - both by the store owner & by patrons. It made the whole place feel more welcoming I think.

The Candy Store was a phenomenal hit (see pic of boys w/ candy cigarettes). Lots of old-time stuff from when Annie & I were kids. Right across from it was a working payphone which really threw the kids for a loop. Allison tried to use the coin release so she could get quarters to make a phone call. Brian had to ask what a dial-tone was - I had asked if the phone was working by inquiring about a dial tone. Allison wanted to use 50 cents to call someone local but we didn't know anyone local and she said, "Wait. We're here so we are local." It was a gas!

Our cabin was #6 in Chipmunk Grove and it was nicely situated midway between the bathroom & the lake. Beautiful view of the water in just a few steps and no need to go very far if a toiletry emergency arose. Friday night I made chicken speedie, rice, and there were some fresh cut veggies I had prepped at home. Saturday we ate at Keyes Pancake house which was nice but next time, eat out on the last day so you don't have to do dishes! No real lunch but campfire hot dogs & s'mores on Saturday night. Sunday morning I cooked eggs & bacon. It was a near perfect weekend. Lots of time with the kids playing cards & just hanging out. They did spend a couple hours at the fun park (Calypso Cove). Go-carts were a disappointment but they went on the zip-line multiple times - Annie even went!

a man, his family, an apple, the wild,
and his thoughts. does it get any better?

Weather was great - cloudy, slight breeze, but warm enough for just a sweatshirt or windbreaker. Bugs were non-existent until the day we left. Never had to use sunscreen. The one regret was not getting to hike in the woods, but no everyone had a 2nd pair of shoes and it was very wet up there. Annie doesn't think it would work as a yearly tradition because it would get boring, but I'll keep pushing the issue. I actually think it would be wild to see a movie in their old-time theater.

On the way home we took a really backwoods way to get through from Remsen to Westernville. It was very cool to see the old church, the town, and Woods Valley. It was nice that Catherine had been there recently and put a nice plant on the Nordman gravesite. Weird to think how in a few years, no one will visit that patch of land. None of the rest of us will be buried nearby as far as I know.

But then we had a really cool stop at the Lake Delta Dam. I jogged across the bridge with the kids while looking straight down which still gives me butterflies in my stomach. The kids finally understood what I've been talking about all this time. We didn't get to spend more than 10 minutes there so we couldn't go to the glory hole or anything on the other side, but it was a really cool sight with the water coming over and showing them the river & the old loch. We also stopped by the Elmer Hill Road "house" and Brennan and I climbed a tree briefly. The lady in the old Huntley house had red hair just like Linda! She just looked at us with curiosity and we left after another 10 minutes - I showed kids the cove but didn't make it to the edge by the lake. Next time.

Wrapped the weekend with family Memorial Day on our porch with Evan, nana, & dudey. We picked up Evan on the way home Sunday - van was very cramped! Brought him to Ithaca on Monday night so it was a short stay. At the cabin I slept on the floor on a backpacking pad (NEMO) which was fine - Brennan w/ Annie in double bed, and the others got their own bunk. No way we could have included anyone else, though.

Car Camping / Labor Day Weekend

Annie, Evan, Brian, Brennan, and I stayed overnight at Watkins Glen State Park site # 184. Tough time staking down the tent corners since the ground was so hard-packed. There were a couple other sites we saw where it was more open field - which also got more direct sunlight and would have been hotter!

We set up camp, went to hike the Gorge for a while and visited Glen Dairy Bar for ice cream. We tried to swim at the pool but it was temporarily closed. We considered the beach on the lake, but when we got there it said "No Lifeguard = No Swimming" so Annie put the kibosh on that. By the time we got back up the hill the pool was open and we enjoyed that for about an hour. There were a lot of people but the pool was so big you didn't really notice and the boys loved the diving board. Wish Allison had joined us!

After that back to camp to hang the wet stuff, start a fire, roast hot dogs, make S'mores, and then sleep. All 5 of us fit in the big red tent and for the first time in my life, I slept without a rain-fly. It was still warm when we went to sleep but no one needed anything more than blankets during the night. I didn't sleep great and Evan had inverted so his feet were in my face all night, but not sleeping was to be expected.

We didn't do breakfast in the morning as we were in a rush to get Evan home but first Brennan desperately wanted to go fishing. So we went to the pier near the fancy hotel and fished for a couple hours. It was very annoying to me how the reels weren't working right and kept getting tangled. Seemed like there was always at least one that needed to be fixed. But at least everyone got a chance.

Then took Evan to Alpine Junction around noon, then home. I dropped off the boys & Mommy, went to in-laws to get the dog, then back home to clean up. At 2pm we left to pick up in-laws and all drove to Fr Browns family lakehouse on Keuka Lake. Brennan & Brian fished almost the whole time since they didn't know the other kids. Annie and I hung w/ Fr Jones a bit. We left around 5 I think, just as Nana got sick in a bag in the car. Drove everyone home and started to relax for about 10 minutes before Annie made me take Brennan fishing again.

I took him down behind Wegmans and the light rain really added to the allure. I never thought I liked fishing but it was fun. We waded into the river to get our lines closer to the deep spots. I caught the little Bass in the picture, but it was Brennan's first time touching a real fish and holding it up like that. The colors on the photo are awesome! I could probably even be talked into going with him again sometime.

State Fair / Labor Day Weekend

Went to NYS Fair on Friday as Allison, Annie, and Samantha were helping volunteer at the NYS Parks as Girl Scouts. Picked up Evan on the way. The boys hung out in the car for a while and relaxed. Then we brought some food to the girls and waited for their shift to end at 2:30pm.  They seemed to have fun and the birdhouses were not the little toy kind - they were pretty big.

We didn't do any rides, just walked around a bit, saw the butter sculpture and got some milk, saw the cows, had a cool time at NYS stuff - FEMA, aquarium, hunting, bug control. We tried to connect with Dave & Heather but with Oliver, they just wanted to do different stuff and it was tough to get together. The kids bugged about doing rides but we decided not to do that to save some bucks.

We also went to the new Expo center which was nice & cool thanks to the skating rink. It was a lot of walking and not doing much but at least we got in & parked for free. We had planned to go home, but after talking to L & C we stayed overnight at their house - we had packed bags just in case. And that was a blast of course. The kids got to run around & play outside with Logan & the girls got to do girly talk with Alexandra & Christine.

On Saturday we took it pretty slow and didn't leave their house until lunch time. Then we went to this nice ice cream place and all got ice cream. Then we went to the chocolate store, and then walked over to the pizza place / huge indoor soccer field place. We got to play soccer, throw the frisbee, eat pizza, and got MORE ice cream (for free this time). Then we finally left - I think around 3pm.

To the chagrin of the kids we then stopped at Skaneateles Lake for a few minutes (nice pics), then went to Swabby's where Annie and I went on our first "date". We got drinks, chicken, fries, and t-shirts. It was pretty cool to see after all these years.

Lastly we stopped at CHEESE on 414 and took some group pictures before finally getting Samantha home at 7:30pm. Might go car-camping tomorrow. I was thinking backpacking, but at least it's outside!

Roseland Water Park

Couldn't go visit Mary because the weather delayed her plane. Instead of sitting around the house, we took the kids to Roseland. $100 for all six of us for 4.5 hours! We stayed right up until closing, one of the last families to leave. Stopped at Perri's pizza on the way home for dinner - so-so, but not great. Annie only did one ride after Brian begged her repeatedly. The wave pool was great and we got to ride all the different water slide multiple times. It was fantastic.

Family Ski Event

Thanks to cub scouts, took everyone skiing at Swain on Jan 22. It was 39 degrees but there's was enough snow to get in some lessons. I couldn't ski due to my knee, but it was great seeing them all get out there and go. Alli was a natural and Annie got up the big hill a couple times too. Brian was determined after seeing Allison advance and he eventually did the big hill twice. Brennan was disappointed but had fun as well. Admission was complaining during the ride up that she wasn't going to do it, but with less than half the lesson, she was going by herself up the lift. It was a good day.

Disney day three

Didn't sleep great due to kids needing help and a very late swim at 10:30. Nice sunny weather so far. Signed up for Jedi training, had breakfast at a cafe, and then watched the first order March! Potty break and then toy story.
That was a fun game! Rush through wake Disney museum, then star tours simulator ride, then literally run to the Jedi academy check in. But as usual we were early. So a pity break, may and I held slots at the Jedi show and around noon, dark clouds started rolling in. Sweet!
Kids show for postponed so we went to the star wars theatre, then muppets 3D. Then a nice Italian lunch, and the Indians Jones stunt show. After some stress around doing tower of terror or Jedi training, and a potty break, we are doing Jedi. Tower is next.

Disney day two

Animal kingdom. The threat of rain was ever present but it was just a couple spots and the cloud cover was perfect thanks to hurricane Hermine. Everest was so good we did it three times! The Kali rapids was short and not that exciting though it's good if you want to get wet. We cancelled our breakfast, did the safari which was cool, and lunch at the Tusker buffet was fantastic. We switched up or dinner because when we arrived it looked very fancy and they were a double charge restaurant. We had pizza instead and they messed up or order but we got an extra water and iced tea out of it 😀

Disney day one

EPCOT is the experimental prototype community of tomorrow. The day started with a Norwegian breakfast, and the first ride we did was frozen. I absolutely loved it. Everyone else did too. Not very exciting, but the great atmosphere and great. We got to do space mission twice, we did spaceship earth, we did Nemo and friends which was not that exciting, and we ended the day with the test track which was great. The Japanese lunch wasn't great - Tappan Edo - because it was so loud. The Italian food was good, but there server has no clue about the dining plan and screwed up or order twice so it took two hours for us to finish and get it out there. The different countries were cool but we didn't get to do many of them; the Canada ride was closed.