Poplar Ridge, NY
June 2-10, 2018
Normally our trips to Poplar Ridge are uneventful, so I rarely mention our time on the road to and from, but this time the trip was eventful, and not in a good way. While still in Michigan, driving down I-69, a squirrel darted out into the freeway in front of our car. Dan tried to swerve onto the shoulder to avoid the squirrel, but at the same time the squirrel decided to head in the same direction of our car. Needless to say, things did not turn out well for the squirrel and Dan didn't feel too well about hitting and killing the squirrel. Unfortunately it's just a fact of life. Animals get killed by cars all the time, judging from all the dead animals we saw along the side of the freeway. The unfortunate consequence of people, animals, and cars trying to coexist. I'm just thankful it wasn't a deer we collided with.
Then, driving in Canada while driving by an on ramp we nearly got side swiped. Dan feels (and it's the law) that traffic coming onto the freeway should regulate its speed to merge safely. Freeway traffic has the right of way. Unfortunately, the car merging onto the freeway in this case did not do a good job of it because we were side-by-side when he ran out of ramp and had to get over. Luckily things worked out, but it was scary! One should not take it for granted that the vehicle merging will do so safely.
Saturday evening we stayed at the Best Western in Brantford, Ontario. Back in January when I tried to book a room for this Saturday and the next Saturday, it was nearly impossible to get a room. Out of 3 hotels in the city that I considered staying at, this hotel was the only one that had a room available. One room. On our way back the following Saturday, we stayed in London, Ontario because all the rooms at all the hotels in Brantford were booked. Later, after we got home, I found out that there was a big street hockey tournament in town this weekend and there was a 10th anniversary celebration for the local concert venue, with special concerts and fireworks the following weekend. Besides not having the anniversary celebration, recently, another hotel opened up in Brantford so I'm hoping it'll be easier to get a room there next year. While there is no problem getting a room at the Residence Inn in London, it's a considerably longer drive to get to or from the cottage and we like to split the drive up evenly. Brantford is almost in the middle.
On Sunday, coming to New York, shortly after arriving on I-90 we ran into heavy rain. We got past it when we stopped for lunch at the Pembroke Service Area, but it caught up with us and for a long stretch on I-90, we had to contend with heavy rain that obscured our vision. When we stopped in Union Springs to get supplies (food, firewood) it wasn't raining at all.
When we came to the cottage, Karen, Dan's father's cousin, was there. She had just finished cleaning up the cottage for our arrival. We visited a bit and then brought in our groceries and luggage. By then it started to rain. Luckily the big downpour waited until we were safely inside.
Normally our trips to Poplar Ridge are uneventful, so I rarely mention our time on the road to and from, but this time the trip was eventful, and not in a good way. While still in Michigan, driving down I-69, a squirrel darted out into the freeway in front of our car. Dan tried to swerve onto the shoulder to avoid the squirrel, but at the same time the squirrel decided to head in the same direction of our car. Needless to say, things did not turn out well for the squirrel and Dan didn't feel too well about hitting and killing the squirrel. Unfortunately it's just a fact of life. Animals get killed by cars all the time, judging from all the dead animals we saw along the side of the freeway. The unfortunate consequence of people, animals, and cars trying to coexist. I'm just thankful it wasn't a deer we collided with.
Then, driving in Canada while driving by an on ramp we nearly got side swiped. Dan feels (and it's the law) that traffic coming onto the freeway should regulate its speed to merge safely. Freeway traffic has the right of way. Unfortunately, the car merging onto the freeway in this case did not do a good job of it because we were side-by-side when he ran out of ramp and had to get over. Luckily things worked out, but it was scary! One should not take it for granted that the vehicle merging will do so safely.
Saturday evening we stayed at the Best Western in Brantford, Ontario. Back in January when I tried to book a room for this Saturday and the next Saturday, it was nearly impossible to get a room. Out of 3 hotels in the city that I considered staying at, this hotel was the only one that had a room available. One room. On our way back the following Saturday, we stayed in London, Ontario because all the rooms at all the hotels in Brantford were booked. Later, after we got home, I found out that there was a big street hockey tournament in town this weekend and there was a 10th anniversary celebration for the local concert venue, with special concerts and fireworks the following weekend. Besides not having the anniversary celebration, recently, another hotel opened up in Brantford so I'm hoping it'll be easier to get a room there next year. While there is no problem getting a room at the Residence Inn in London, it's a considerably longer drive to get to or from the cottage and we like to split the drive up evenly. Brantford is almost in the middle.
On Sunday, coming to New York, shortly after arriving on I-90 we ran into heavy rain. We got past it when we stopped for lunch at the Pembroke Service Area, but it caught up with us and for a long stretch on I-90, we had to contend with heavy rain that obscured our vision. When we stopped in Union Springs to get supplies (food, firewood) it wasn't raining at all.
When we came to the cottage, Karen, Dan's father's cousin, was there. She had just finished cleaning up the cottage for our arrival. We visited a bit and then brought in our groceries and luggage. By then it started to rain. Luckily the big downpour waited until we were safely inside.
Heavy rain and very windy conditions "welcomed" us the first night at the cabin. Dan made a fire in the fireplace after dinner then we talked and read before going to bed.
The next day it was still windy, but the temperature was in the low 60s when I got up. We managed to get in a morning's worth of shopping at Wegmans in Auburn and the Shur Fine in Union Springs (for firewood, the local paper, and olive oil, which we forgot to buy at Wegmans) before it started to rain, just as we were unloading the groceries.
The sun came out for a while when we were eating lunch on the porch. It warmed things up nicely for a time.so I decided to open up the porch doors to the living area to hopefully warm up the cabin some since it was quite cold in there. Unfortunately the sun didn't last long, but I stayed out on the porch to write and read a bit. We also ate dinner there.
While the sun was out, I decided to walk around the cabin a bit. The view we get from the screened in porch:
The next day it was still windy, but the temperature was in the low 60s when I got up. We managed to get in a morning's worth of shopping at Wegmans in Auburn and the Shur Fine in Union Springs (for firewood, the local paper, and olive oil, which we forgot to buy at Wegmans) before it started to rain, just as we were unloading the groceries.
The sun came out for a while when we were eating lunch on the porch. It warmed things up nicely for a time.so I decided to open up the porch doors to the living area to hopefully warm up the cabin some since it was quite cold in there. Unfortunately the sun didn't last long, but I stayed out on the porch to write and read a bit. We also ate dinner there.
While the sun was out, I decided to walk around the cabin a bit. The view we get from the screened in porch:
Something new. I think my feathered alarm clock (a warbler, I think) and its mate live in the bird house. The warbler hung out on the clothes line and in the nearby trees a lot. I saw a similar looking bird fly in and out of the house. Once it flew close to the warbler and the warbler didn't seem agitated, so I'm assuming the other bird was its mate.
The new compost bin donated by one of Dan's relatives.
After dinner, the sky started clouding up again and the wind picked up. Dan made a fire in the fireplace and we sat in front of the fire, read, and talked before going to bed.
Tuesday started out rainy and cold. My feathered alarm clock, though melodious, did not seem as enthusiastic as the morning before. In the morning Dan made a fire in the fireplace, but unlike the evening before, it wasn't doing a good job of taking the chill off. I was still a bit cold with three layers of clothes on (t-shirt, sweater, and fleece liner to my jacket) sitting by the fire. Once the flames died down, I added my jacket, gloves and a knit hat. That helped. We read for a bit, did a crossword puzzle, then Dan wanted to go to visit the cemetery where some of his relatives are buried. I was glad to get out of the cabin for a while and put the heat on in the car to warm up.
It was chilly and windy at the cemetery but eventually the sun broke out and the warmth felt nice. Dan found the graves of several relatives. Here are a few. Dan's great-grandfather and great-grandmother. Alfred and his sons built the Simkin Family cabin (well, most of it. The bathroom and entry hall were added much later).
Tuesday started out rainy and cold. My feathered alarm clock, though melodious, did not seem as enthusiastic as the morning before. In the morning Dan made a fire in the fireplace, but unlike the evening before, it wasn't doing a good job of taking the chill off. I was still a bit cold with three layers of clothes on (t-shirt, sweater, and fleece liner to my jacket) sitting by the fire. Once the flames died down, I added my jacket, gloves and a knit hat. That helped. We read for a bit, did a crossword puzzle, then Dan wanted to go to visit the cemetery where some of his relatives are buried. I was glad to get out of the cabin for a while and put the heat on in the car to warm up.
It was chilly and windy at the cemetery but eventually the sun broke out and the warmth felt nice. Dan found the graves of several relatives. Here are a few. Dan's great-grandfather and great-grandmother. Alfred and his sons built the Simkin Family cabin (well, most of it. The bathroom and entry hall were added much later).
Dan's grandfather and grandmother. Interestingly, Dan's grandfather was born the same year as my father. And my father died the same year as Dan's grandmother.
Dan's great-great grandfather. An immigrant to this country.
It was quite sad walking through the cemetery and not just for the obvious reasons. Many of the headstones were in disrepair, including a couple of Dan's relatives'. One heartwarming scene: shortly after we arrived an elderly woman drove up. She put flowers on a couple of the graves. Perhaps her husband and another of her relatives?
Driving back, the car interior was nice and toasty from the sun. It was nice to warm up even if it didn't last long. Back inside the cabin it was back to wearing a knit hat and gloves while reading the newspaper, waiting to leave for dinner at Karen's house. She invited all the rest of the relatives that were in town. It was a nice visit, with conversation on a variety of topics, but mostly genealogy. Dan mentioned that he was interested in the family genealogy and by the end of the evening he had agreed to digitize a bunch of genealogy research his father's cousin David compiled over the years. David died recently and Karen inherited the papers but hadn't yet gotten around to looking at all of them, much less digitizing them. So, Dan's major project for the rest of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 is to digitize the research and send it to all the family members interested and then return the originals to Karen when we're in Poplar Ridge next year.
Wednesday started out cloudy and cold. The thermometer read 55 degrees when I woke up but the cabin felt much colder as it always does. Back to wearing 4 layers of clothes, gloves and a knit hat. Dan donned his usual jeans and a short-sleeve t-shirt. Although, this day, he also donned a sweatshirt later in the day. It was even a bit too chilly for him. In the morning, his genealogy search continued by calling the Scipio town clerk's office to see if he could get a copy of his great-grandfather's birth certificate. Turns out the phone number in the phone book led to the personal number of the former town clerk. That woman, however, was nice enough to give him the correct number. Unfortunately, they weren't open yet. Dan decided since we were going out later, that we'd just stop by the town hall so he could talk to the clerk in person.
After lunch, to get away from the frigid temperatures at the cabin we went into Auburn. Our first stop was the Cayuga Museum of History & Art. Once we got in (Dan tried the front door, but it was locked. Then he knocked on the service entrance in the back where a woman let us in. Turns out Dan (or I) should've tried the other front door. That one, apparently was open.) and paid the admission, we walked around to the various exhibits. The first was about WWI, specifically what it was like in 1918, 100 years ago. They also mentioned the influenza epidemic of 1918. I had no idea that most of the troop casualties were because of the flu and not because of combat. They also had on exhibit some uniforms of the time and they had popular music of the time playing in the background. Unfortunately, it's because of the music playing in the background that I found it difficult to concentrate while reading about the history and artifacts so I really don't remember much from that exhibit space except the music ("It's a Long Way to Tipperary" was one of the songs playing loudly), the uniforms and the flu.
In the next gallery, if you can call it that since the museum is in an old house, there was a 1918 Charlie Chaplin movie playing, "A Dog's Life". I'm a fan of early (silent) motion pictures and of Charlie Chaplin, so I spent most of my time watching this film (or, the tail end of it, since we started watching from the middle.) Case Research Lab, which is in a separate building next door was the birthplace of talking motion pictures. The lab is only open by request. We didn't go see that this time since we were on a tight schedule. We still wanted to stop at the Seymour Library and then stop at the Scipio town clerk's office before they closed at 5 pm. Maybe if we decide to visit the museum again on a future trip we'll go check it out.
Upstairs in the museum there were more exhibits. One was of an emerging artist. I'm not a fan of modern/abstract art, so I really didn't know what to make of the artist's various pieces. One had an abstract room with a chair (not abstract) hanging from what presumably was the ceiling. In the perverse part of my mind, and personifying the chair, the first thing I thought of when I saw it was that the chair was committing suicide because it couldn't stand being in such a jumbled up room. Perverse, I know...
The next exhibit room, beyond a couple of Finger Lakes painted maps, told the story of what life was like at the turn of the 20th Century for children, mentioning child labor and the laws that eventually came about to prevent it. It also had information about schooling, both the ABCs and religious education. Exhibited were a crib and an early version of a baby buggy. On the wall outside of the space was a sampler done by a 9-year-old of the time. As someone who does needlework from time to time, I was amazed that a 9-year-old could do such wonderful handiwork.
Next, in the hallway was a woven blanket and a wood and upholstered couch made by inmates at Auburn Prison. That led to the next exhibit space about the prison, complete with a prison cell in the middle of the room. Apparently whoever ran the prison from the beginning instituted innovative (but, not necessarily humane) incarceration techniques that other prison systems wanted to emulate. One of the things that made Auburn Prison unique was that they taught the inmates a trade---weaving---so they could earn their keep. Another part of the exhibit told about the electric chair that was previously used. Interestingly one man presided over 54 of the 55 executions. The one execution that he didn't preside over, he refused to because he thought the man was innocent of the crime.
Next it was on to the library. Although the library is not too far from the museum, it took us quite a while to get there because we could not find a place to park. The library has no parking lot, only 4 on-street parking spaces in front, which were taken. The two large parking lots near Memorial Park next door are for government employees with permits only. Eventually we found an on-street parking spot across the street from the library, but because there are no lights at the crosswalk, and you're on the main road through town, you take your life into your hands crossing the street. I can't imagine how elderly residents or the disabled visit the library. Maybe the locals know something we don't about the parking situation?
We spent about an hour at the library. Dan wanted to check his email in case someone from work emailed. He also browsed their magazine collection. I checked my email and Facebook and checked the weather forecast, keeping my fingers crossed that the previous forecast of sunny and 70s for the remainder of our days at the cabin was still true. And, it was!
On our way back, Dan stopped at the Scipio town clerk's office to see if they had his great-grandfather's birth certificate. The clerk said he would look and call him back. At the time he called back, he said he didn't have that, but had the birth certificates of his grandfather (deceased) and other relatives (all living) and made copies for Dan to pick up the next time the office would be open---Saturday at 9am. We were leaving Saturday morning, so Dan had to get there right at 9, if we wanted to leave the cabin on time. For his great-grandfather's birth certificate, Dan would have to contact the State of New York offices that handled such things.
Since it was still COLD in the cabin, Dan made a fire and roasted marshmallows for dessert. Later that evening when we were settled in and reading, Dan's cousin Bess phoned to say she was back in town and would like to stop by for a visit. After visiting for a while, we resumed reading, then a bit of conversation, before going to bed.
Despite the forecast calling for all-day sun on Thursday, it was cloudy in the morning and frigid in the cabin. Back to 4 layers of clothes, 2 pairs of socks, gloves, and a knit hat. In the morning, Dan scrubbed the shower floor because we both wanted to take a shower that day. Dan took his in the morning while the cabin was still cold. I took mine in the afternoon when the cabin had warmed up and the temperature outside was in the low 70s. In between, we stopped at Karen's house, then picked up Dan's Aunt Jane and Uncle Paul for a tour of houses all around the area that in some way or another someone related to Dan, his ancestors, had lived in. Dan decided to record the narration (by Jane and Paul) as we drove by each property. Karen and her partner Gus also provided insight into some of the properties we saw along the way. One property of note: the Jethro Wood house (signaled by an historical marker: Jethro Wood invented the cast iron plow) at one time was the home of Dan's great-grandmother.
On this grand tour we also drove by an enormous milking facility (not any of the 3 we visited a couple of years ago). Quite impressive, but also quite sad to think about our food coming from big factory farms such as this one. Although I'm sure there are factory farms even bigger than this. Sad also to see the calves kept in pens across the road from the milking cows. Calves should be kept with their mothers! Ok, I know that's not how things are done, but still it's sad to see them separated.
After our tour we stopped by Dan's Aunt Linda and Uncle Jim's farm to see her garden. Or I should say gardens. She's in her 70s and still goes out to tend to them when the weather cooperates. I don't know where she gets the energy. I'm much younger than she and in better physical condition and have far less garden than she does and I feel overwhelmed sometimes and want to just let the grass grow in and forget gardening altogether. But, then again, she's retired and has more time and interest than I do to tend such large areas of flowers, bushes, and some vegetables. Currently she's thinking of re-claiming a now-neglected area for more garden! Meanwhile Dan's Uncle Jim still tends to his cows on the back acreage of their property. His cows are for meat, however, not milk.
Thursday night was warmer than it had been all week. After a late dinner, Dan and I went down to the lake to watch the sunset.
Driving back, the car interior was nice and toasty from the sun. It was nice to warm up even if it didn't last long. Back inside the cabin it was back to wearing a knit hat and gloves while reading the newspaper, waiting to leave for dinner at Karen's house. She invited all the rest of the relatives that were in town. It was a nice visit, with conversation on a variety of topics, but mostly genealogy. Dan mentioned that he was interested in the family genealogy and by the end of the evening he had agreed to digitize a bunch of genealogy research his father's cousin David compiled over the years. David died recently and Karen inherited the papers but hadn't yet gotten around to looking at all of them, much less digitizing them. So, Dan's major project for the rest of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 is to digitize the research and send it to all the family members interested and then return the originals to Karen when we're in Poplar Ridge next year.
Wednesday started out cloudy and cold. The thermometer read 55 degrees when I woke up but the cabin felt much colder as it always does. Back to wearing 4 layers of clothes, gloves and a knit hat. Dan donned his usual jeans and a short-sleeve t-shirt. Although, this day, he also donned a sweatshirt later in the day. It was even a bit too chilly for him. In the morning, his genealogy search continued by calling the Scipio town clerk's office to see if he could get a copy of his great-grandfather's birth certificate. Turns out the phone number in the phone book led to the personal number of the former town clerk. That woman, however, was nice enough to give him the correct number. Unfortunately, they weren't open yet. Dan decided since we were going out later, that we'd just stop by the town hall so he could talk to the clerk in person.
After lunch, to get away from the frigid temperatures at the cabin we went into Auburn. Our first stop was the Cayuga Museum of History & Art. Once we got in (Dan tried the front door, but it was locked. Then he knocked on the service entrance in the back where a woman let us in. Turns out Dan (or I) should've tried the other front door. That one, apparently was open.) and paid the admission, we walked around to the various exhibits. The first was about WWI, specifically what it was like in 1918, 100 years ago. They also mentioned the influenza epidemic of 1918. I had no idea that most of the troop casualties were because of the flu and not because of combat. They also had on exhibit some uniforms of the time and they had popular music of the time playing in the background. Unfortunately, it's because of the music playing in the background that I found it difficult to concentrate while reading about the history and artifacts so I really don't remember much from that exhibit space except the music ("It's a Long Way to Tipperary" was one of the songs playing loudly), the uniforms and the flu.
In the next gallery, if you can call it that since the museum is in an old house, there was a 1918 Charlie Chaplin movie playing, "A Dog's Life". I'm a fan of early (silent) motion pictures and of Charlie Chaplin, so I spent most of my time watching this film (or, the tail end of it, since we started watching from the middle.) Case Research Lab, which is in a separate building next door was the birthplace of talking motion pictures. The lab is only open by request. We didn't go see that this time since we were on a tight schedule. We still wanted to stop at the Seymour Library and then stop at the Scipio town clerk's office before they closed at 5 pm. Maybe if we decide to visit the museum again on a future trip we'll go check it out.
Upstairs in the museum there were more exhibits. One was of an emerging artist. I'm not a fan of modern/abstract art, so I really didn't know what to make of the artist's various pieces. One had an abstract room with a chair (not abstract) hanging from what presumably was the ceiling. In the perverse part of my mind, and personifying the chair, the first thing I thought of when I saw it was that the chair was committing suicide because it couldn't stand being in such a jumbled up room. Perverse, I know...
The next exhibit room, beyond a couple of Finger Lakes painted maps, told the story of what life was like at the turn of the 20th Century for children, mentioning child labor and the laws that eventually came about to prevent it. It also had information about schooling, both the ABCs and religious education. Exhibited were a crib and an early version of a baby buggy. On the wall outside of the space was a sampler done by a 9-year-old of the time. As someone who does needlework from time to time, I was amazed that a 9-year-old could do such wonderful handiwork.
Next, in the hallway was a woven blanket and a wood and upholstered couch made by inmates at Auburn Prison. That led to the next exhibit space about the prison, complete with a prison cell in the middle of the room. Apparently whoever ran the prison from the beginning instituted innovative (but, not necessarily humane) incarceration techniques that other prison systems wanted to emulate. One of the things that made Auburn Prison unique was that they taught the inmates a trade---weaving---so they could earn their keep. Another part of the exhibit told about the electric chair that was previously used. Interestingly one man presided over 54 of the 55 executions. The one execution that he didn't preside over, he refused to because he thought the man was innocent of the crime.
Next it was on to the library. Although the library is not too far from the museum, it took us quite a while to get there because we could not find a place to park. The library has no parking lot, only 4 on-street parking spaces in front, which were taken. The two large parking lots near Memorial Park next door are for government employees with permits only. Eventually we found an on-street parking spot across the street from the library, but because there are no lights at the crosswalk, and you're on the main road through town, you take your life into your hands crossing the street. I can't imagine how elderly residents or the disabled visit the library. Maybe the locals know something we don't about the parking situation?
We spent about an hour at the library. Dan wanted to check his email in case someone from work emailed. He also browsed their magazine collection. I checked my email and Facebook and checked the weather forecast, keeping my fingers crossed that the previous forecast of sunny and 70s for the remainder of our days at the cabin was still true. And, it was!
On our way back, Dan stopped at the Scipio town clerk's office to see if they had his great-grandfather's birth certificate. The clerk said he would look and call him back. At the time he called back, he said he didn't have that, but had the birth certificates of his grandfather (deceased) and other relatives (all living) and made copies for Dan to pick up the next time the office would be open---Saturday at 9am. We were leaving Saturday morning, so Dan had to get there right at 9, if we wanted to leave the cabin on time. For his great-grandfather's birth certificate, Dan would have to contact the State of New York offices that handled such things.
Since it was still COLD in the cabin, Dan made a fire and roasted marshmallows for dessert. Later that evening when we were settled in and reading, Dan's cousin Bess phoned to say she was back in town and would like to stop by for a visit. After visiting for a while, we resumed reading, then a bit of conversation, before going to bed.
Despite the forecast calling for all-day sun on Thursday, it was cloudy in the morning and frigid in the cabin. Back to 4 layers of clothes, 2 pairs of socks, gloves, and a knit hat. In the morning, Dan scrubbed the shower floor because we both wanted to take a shower that day. Dan took his in the morning while the cabin was still cold. I took mine in the afternoon when the cabin had warmed up and the temperature outside was in the low 70s. In between, we stopped at Karen's house, then picked up Dan's Aunt Jane and Uncle Paul for a tour of houses all around the area that in some way or another someone related to Dan, his ancestors, had lived in. Dan decided to record the narration (by Jane and Paul) as we drove by each property. Karen and her partner Gus also provided insight into some of the properties we saw along the way. One property of note: the Jethro Wood house (signaled by an historical marker: Jethro Wood invented the cast iron plow) at one time was the home of Dan's great-grandmother.
On this grand tour we also drove by an enormous milking facility (not any of the 3 we visited a couple of years ago). Quite impressive, but also quite sad to think about our food coming from big factory farms such as this one. Although I'm sure there are factory farms even bigger than this. Sad also to see the calves kept in pens across the road from the milking cows. Calves should be kept with their mothers! Ok, I know that's not how things are done, but still it's sad to see them separated.
After our tour we stopped by Dan's Aunt Linda and Uncle Jim's farm to see her garden. Or I should say gardens. She's in her 70s and still goes out to tend to them when the weather cooperates. I don't know where she gets the energy. I'm much younger than she and in better physical condition and have far less garden than she does and I feel overwhelmed sometimes and want to just let the grass grow in and forget gardening altogether. But, then again, she's retired and has more time and interest than I do to tend such large areas of flowers, bushes, and some vegetables. Currently she's thinking of re-claiming a now-neglected area for more garden! Meanwhile Dan's Uncle Jim still tends to his cows on the back acreage of their property. His cows are for meat, however, not milk.
Thursday night was warmer than it had been all week. After a late dinner, Dan and I went down to the lake to watch the sunset.
While the sunset was pleasantly calming, getting to the lake, however, was nerve wracking. Dan slipped on some loose gravel on the top step leading down to the shore from the road and nearly fell down the stairs and I needed Dan's help to get to the first step. Because I'm short, I couldn't just step from the road, over a pile of loose gravel, to the first step, especially with nothing to hang onto that's stable. I've never had this problem before (and Dan has never slipped before). Dan wondered if the road commission made the road higher than it was before and pushed the loose gravel closer to (and on) the steps. In retrospect, when we first drove past that road, Dan commented that it looked like they had paved it since last year. Perhaps in the paving, the road was now higher, and the loose gravel that was once spread out along the road had now been piled up along its edges making it more difficult (at least for me) to reach the steps.
Thursday night I didn't get much sleep due to Dan's snoring. While I welcome the warm weather, it seems as though it aggravates his allergies, which in turn makes his snoring worse. I didn't fall asleep until 3 am Friday. Then my feathered alarm clock woke me up at 6 am. Then it was three hours of on and off sleep until 9 am when I finally got up. Shortly after that, Gus arrived with a trailer full of dirt to fill in a hole near the cabin that was left when he had previously taken out a stump. Dan helped Gus fill in the hole and then went over to Opendore where Gus, Karen, Bess and a bunch of other volunteers were getting it ready for an open house Friday night and Saturday. I stayed back at the cabin to do some packing and reading.
Opendore is the name of a house/estate located near downtown Poplar Ridge. The house itself used to belong to the Howland family before it fell into disrepair. The Howland Stone Store Museum bought it with the intention of fixing it up to house some of the artifacts that are now taking up too much space in the museum.
After having lunch on the porch, I decided to read a bit then scrub the bathroom sink in preparation for our leaving tomorrow. Dan read some then went upstairs and took a nap (I could hear him snoring as I read out on the screened-in porch). After his nap, he decided, as per tradition, to take a swim in the lake.
Thursday night I didn't get much sleep due to Dan's snoring. While I welcome the warm weather, it seems as though it aggravates his allergies, which in turn makes his snoring worse. I didn't fall asleep until 3 am Friday. Then my feathered alarm clock woke me up at 6 am. Then it was three hours of on and off sleep until 9 am when I finally got up. Shortly after that, Gus arrived with a trailer full of dirt to fill in a hole near the cabin that was left when he had previously taken out a stump. Dan helped Gus fill in the hole and then went over to Opendore where Gus, Karen, Bess and a bunch of other volunteers were getting it ready for an open house Friday night and Saturday. I stayed back at the cabin to do some packing and reading.
Opendore is the name of a house/estate located near downtown Poplar Ridge. The house itself used to belong to the Howland family before it fell into disrepair. The Howland Stone Store Museum bought it with the intention of fixing it up to house some of the artifacts that are now taking up too much space in the museum.
After having lunch on the porch, I decided to read a bit then scrub the bathroom sink in preparation for our leaving tomorrow. Dan read some then went upstairs and took a nap (I could hear him snoring as I read out on the screened-in porch). After his nap, he decided, as per tradition, to take a swim in the lake.
Afterwards we went back to the cabin for some R & R. For me that meant writing, reading and doing puzzles before dinner. While Dan was making dinner his uncle Paul called wanting to come over for a visit that evening. When Paul and Dan's aunt Jane came over for the visit, Jane brought a piece of paper with some genealogy information on it for Dan. Since the evening was fairly warm, we sat out on the screened-in porch. Later that evening, there was a knock on the door. Karen was there. She was on an after-dinner walk and decided to stop by to bid us farewell and wish us safe travels. Paul and Jane stayed until sunset, then it was time for us to get ready for bed since we intended to get up early the next morning. I wasn't yet sleepy, so I stayed up a bit later and read (a pre-bedtime habit of mine) before going to bed.
Saturday morning was cool and cloudy. Dan and I both got up at 7 am. Except for eating breakfast, doing the dishes, making my lunch, getting ready for the day and finishing packing I didn't have much to do. Dan had all that (except making his lunch, which he did the night before) and he had to take the garbage and recycling to the dump/recycling facility, clean out the fireplace, clean the toilet, and drive out to the Scipio town clerk's office to pick up his family's birth certificates for his genealogy files. All was going fairly smoothly until I decided to make one final stop at the bathroom before we got on the road. The toilet wouldn't flush. Dan determined that the water pump did not turn on. Isn't that supposed to turn on automatically? I'm not sure what happened between the time of the diagnosis of the problem and when the pump actually kicked on, but I was glad that it finally did go on. By the time we got on the road it was 11:30 am, much later than we intended.
After lunch we stopped in Rochester to briefly visit with Dan's uncle Donald and his aunt Nance. This day their daughter Sonja and her two daughters came over. The last time I saw them must've been about 12 years ago when the daughters were quite small. Now they're in high school. Although it was nice seeing them again, I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances. Sonja comes over to her parents' house often to take care of her mother. Her daughters help out. All I can say is starość nie radość!
After our visit it was on to the Residence Inn in downtown London, Ontario for the night. After arriving and settling in a bit Dan called Bondi's Pizza. My mouth had been watering for days thinking about their pizza (with vegan cheese of course). The pizza did not disappoint. Yum! However, as Dan said, had he not gotten lost on his way back (bad Mapquest directions) the pizza would've been hot and probably tasted even better. Maybe so, but I enjoyed it anyway.
When checking in the front desk clerk gave us a complimentary room upgrade to a King suite. I will have to say that it was a very nice room and, as it turned out having the living area and the bedroom in separate rooms was advantageous. I could stay up and read a while after Dan went to bed. Later I ended up on the couch thanks to Dan's snoring (which I could not hear from the living area, thankfully). Despite the couch being surprisingly comfortable, I did not get much sleep that night. Insomnia (which I suffer from from time to time even when I'm home) kept me up. As long as Dan got a good night's sleep that's all that mattered since he was doing all of the driving.
Sunday morning was cloudy and cool. Breakfast, making lunch, shower, watching the Mass, and packing were some of the activities that morning. And, wouldn't you know it, toilet troubles. This time a call down to maintenance and a bit of elbow grease and the problem was fixed within short order. About an hour later we left, bound for home. Except for a few sprinkles of rain and some odd questions from a border patrol agent, the ride home went smoothly. Back home it was time to unpack, do laundry, take a shower, nap (well, Dan napped), make dinner, finish a first draft of this travelogue and go to bed. Monday morning it was off to the vet to pick up our cat Calliope and then go back to work.
Saturday morning was cool and cloudy. Dan and I both got up at 7 am. Except for eating breakfast, doing the dishes, making my lunch, getting ready for the day and finishing packing I didn't have much to do. Dan had all that (except making his lunch, which he did the night before) and he had to take the garbage and recycling to the dump/recycling facility, clean out the fireplace, clean the toilet, and drive out to the Scipio town clerk's office to pick up his family's birth certificates for his genealogy files. All was going fairly smoothly until I decided to make one final stop at the bathroom before we got on the road. The toilet wouldn't flush. Dan determined that the water pump did not turn on. Isn't that supposed to turn on automatically? I'm not sure what happened between the time of the diagnosis of the problem and when the pump actually kicked on, but I was glad that it finally did go on. By the time we got on the road it was 11:30 am, much later than we intended.
After lunch we stopped in Rochester to briefly visit with Dan's uncle Donald and his aunt Nance. This day their daughter Sonja and her two daughters came over. The last time I saw them must've been about 12 years ago when the daughters were quite small. Now they're in high school. Although it was nice seeing them again, I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances. Sonja comes over to her parents' house often to take care of her mother. Her daughters help out. All I can say is starość nie radość!
After our visit it was on to the Residence Inn in downtown London, Ontario for the night. After arriving and settling in a bit Dan called Bondi's Pizza. My mouth had been watering for days thinking about their pizza (with vegan cheese of course). The pizza did not disappoint. Yum! However, as Dan said, had he not gotten lost on his way back (bad Mapquest directions) the pizza would've been hot and probably tasted even better. Maybe so, but I enjoyed it anyway.
When checking in the front desk clerk gave us a complimentary room upgrade to a King suite. I will have to say that it was a very nice room and, as it turned out having the living area and the bedroom in separate rooms was advantageous. I could stay up and read a while after Dan went to bed. Later I ended up on the couch thanks to Dan's snoring (which I could not hear from the living area, thankfully). Despite the couch being surprisingly comfortable, I did not get much sleep that night. Insomnia (which I suffer from from time to time even when I'm home) kept me up. As long as Dan got a good night's sleep that's all that mattered since he was doing all of the driving.
Sunday morning was cloudy and cool. Breakfast, making lunch, shower, watching the Mass, and packing were some of the activities that morning. And, wouldn't you know it, toilet troubles. This time a call down to maintenance and a bit of elbow grease and the problem was fixed within short order. About an hour later we left, bound for home. Except for a few sprinkles of rain and some odd questions from a border patrol agent, the ride home went smoothly. Back home it was time to unpack, do laundry, take a shower, nap (well, Dan napped), make dinner, finish a first draft of this travelogue and go to bed. Monday morning it was off to the vet to pick up our cat Calliope and then go back to work.