The Barn Collective and Pancakes Too

It was time to change the clocks back an hour. To celebrate this momentous occasion I stayed overnight with my sister Priscilla. We rose before the crack of dawn and set off in the dark for Cartwright's Maple Tree Inn in Angelica, NY. There was already a line to get inside but it wasn't extraordinarily long. We enjoyed a fabulous breakfast of eggs, buckwheat pancakes with real maple syrup, and coffee (which we sweetened with maple syrup too). 

It is quite literally impossible for either my sister or me to leave the Angelica area without driving through town, around Park Circle, and past the house where Great grandma Shafer lived with Uncle Leo. 

Angelica and the surrounding towns, once dotted with small, working farms like those of my great grandparents and great uncles, the area is now home to a rather robust community of Amish families. We passed several buggies with families on their way to Meeting. We waved at each other as we drove past. I saw them smile and I was smiling too.

I left my camera back at Priscilla's house (thought of it on our way through the darkness) so I took a few pictures with my phone instead. It's a handy backup when I don't have the real thing along.

I'm joining you today, Tom.

Bits and Pieces

 * We had some unseasonably warm weather last week, but by the weekend the temperatures had dropped back down to normal. I could be disappointed, but I know the fruit farmers are relieved and so I am too. Saturday was cool but sunny. I went for a long walk along the Cayuga Seneca Canal with my sister Priscilla and her brother and sister in law. Then Priscilla and I went to Sauder's, ate a late lunch, and bought some treats.

* I stopped at the lake Sunday afternoon and found an icy wind blowing, but the lake ice had melted. Cold wave battered Only the shore and pier were still dressed in ice and snow.

* I changed my clock early Saturday evening and woke late for church. On Sunday night I set my alarm to rise early this morning, and then woke up with barely enough time to squeeze in a shower. (But I did anyway.) I was so tired at work that I went to sleep on my break, and didn't hear my alarm then either. Thankfully I was not late getting back in.

* Summer is on the way and I am making vacation plans. (I'm kind of excited.) I've never planned a real vacation before, especially not a solo vacation. This one will take me back to a piece of my childhood. It's a rare and beautiful opportunity that I don't want to miss.

He Hears

Late in the afternoon, when my sister and I had rested up from our walk in the woods, had eaten our lunches, and lounged around checking Facebook and looking at my pictures, we took a ride to Scoops, got a couple of ice cream cones, and walked across the street to Canandaigua Lake. We sat on boulders under the shade of a tree on the lake shore, and when a nearby couple got off their bench to go, we assumed their seat.

Once our ice creams had been consumed, we walked along the path through the park. There were lots of people out enjoying the day; picnickers, boaters, folks in the water, and others like us, just strolling.

Priscilla's early morning walks often take her to Kershaw Park. She told me how she often sees friends and acquaintances, but on Saturday the grounds were full of strangers. As we walked we made conversation. At one point the subject of church came up and I mentioned Calvary Chapel of Webster, the church I went to with my family before I moved out of the house, the one with the Ladies' Prayer group I loved so much, and then the conversation went another direction.

We had passed the fenced-in park beach, the restrooms and bathhouse, and were almost to the edge of the park when I heard a voice call out, "Martha!" I turned to look and noticed a smiling, familiar looking blond woman, but she didn't appear to be looking for my attention. And then, there she was! The woman who had called my name, was hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, but coming toward me. It was Margie, the wife of Calvary Chapel Webster's pastor, Ray. She gave me a hug and asked how I was doing. Always loving, never unkind. And there was God, smiling down on both of us, even if I was the only one who knew. He was listening.

He's still listening, and He hears every word.

Into the Woods

Weekends without plans are counterproductive. Yesterday I connected with my sister Priscilla, who had mentioned needing a walk in the woods, and we made a plan to go hiking. She planned the destination and I drove the getaway car.

Although we met early, we didn't go far from home. In the town of Victor, NY, a short drive from Priscilla's house, is a place called Ganondagan State Historic Site. The Iroquois people once lived here, before the white man came. Ganondagan is their way of preserving a bit of their history. It is a beautiful place full of learning.

We took our shoes off to sit and listen, eyes closed, bare feet against the forest floor. Did you know it's hard to sit still? Priscilla, never being one to traipse about barefoot, put her shoes and socks back on before continuing down the trail. I, on the other hand, soaked in the different sensations of the changing path beneath my soles.

At the end of the "Earth is Our Mother Trail" (or the blue trail), we found Great Brook, a shallow creek with steps of waterfalls. If you think I kept my bare feet out of the water, you would be wrong. The woods and water take me back to being ten. I'm not as sure footed as I was as a child, but I don't like to hold that inner child deep inside if I can let her out to play.

It was a very nice morning. We both enjoyed ourselves very much.

Unalarmed

I managed to get up on time this morning. It was still dark, my alarm went off, and I was not late. On my way to work my mind went back to the fiasco that was Sunday morning...

I had no plans for Saturday so when my sister Priscilla called and asked what I was doing, I answered her, "Nothing." She inquired as to whether we might do nothing together, and it sounded like a fabulous idea to me. After a little back and forth conversation, we agreed that I would take a ride out to her house and I set off that direction.

We did quite a bit of "nothing" while trying to decide what kind of "something" to do. We had a bit of lunch together, and then took a walk to Main Street and went in a couple of shops. First we wandered through True Lily which was absolutely fabulous! An entire shop full of whimsical do-dads and artistry! We looked and talked, and talked and looked. I found all kinds of wonderful things, but only came home with one gift for a small boy who will be five in just a couple of weeks. Before heading back to Priscilla's house, we crossed Main Street and went into a second shop where enjoyed looking, but didn't buy anything. Back at the house we decided to watch a movie, ate a little dinner, and then I headed home. It had been a very nice visit.

The house was empty when I arrived home in Webster, and quiet and still when I climbed the stairs and crawled into bed. It was late when I heard my people come home, and I drifted off to sleep only to awake in a panic next morning when I discovered I would be late for work for the second time in less than a week! Except that I wasn't.

I don't go out to Priscilla's house often, but when I do go, it is typically a Sunday afternoon. We usually visit for a while and have some dinner before I go home. When I returned home Saturday night, my mind imagined it was Sunday night instead of Saturday, leaving me in a state of panic and confusion when morning arrived. Ha ha! And here I thought I was losing my marbles...

A New Day

This morning a bright new day dawned. I got up at my usual time, drove toward work, and then took a small detour when I was just about there. I didn't have to be to work until nine o'clock this morning. My sister Priscilla had a meeting at her school at nine o'clock too. Since we had the chance, we jumped at it, and met up for an early breakfast at The Log Cabin.

The parking lot, which is full of classic cars on their web site, was pretty much empty, but the door was unlocked so we ventured inside. For half an hour or so we had the entire dining room to ourselves and I found it very nice to have a morning meal with the sister I don't often catch up with. I ordered an omelette with broccoli and cheddar cheese, and home fries. (Notice the photo is old and was not taken at the Log Cabin. It was taken somewhere in the Adirondack Mountains several years ago when this sister and I went off on an adventure.) I saved half of my omelette and half of my potatoes for lunch.

Work was busy and I got out at closing time. This was planned and will be the same tomorrow, only I won't be going out to breakfast. After work I went to my sister Rachel's house. I worked on a jigsaw puzzle with her mother in law, and Rachel fed me a hotdog, some potato salad, and "trucker sized" chunks of watermelon. It was a good day and I am tired. Now that my room is cooling down, perhaps I can go to sleep.

Ah, Success!

I did it. I climbed the trail to the top of Mount Jo. I stood at the summit and gazed at even greater mountains. It was pretty awesome... (This will be a long post but it'll be done and I can move on to other things tomorrow.)

We started out Sunday afternoon by dropping kids off at Beaver Camp in Lowville, NY and then headed north, deeper into  the Adirondack Mountains. We stopped along the way to take a few pictures...

 (Stillwater Road) We drove for about 20 miles on two dirt roads in the backwoods. That makes for one dusty car!

 Shoes on a wire over Big Moose Rd. in Eagle Bay, NY

Our first and only bear sighting. I thought I was watching a big black dog cross the road. Why "bear" never entered my mind until Priscilla said, "Look! A bear!!!" I can not tell you. The best photo of him remains in my mind where he still looks like a big black dog sauntering across the highway.

The "Super Moon" over Long Lake on Sunday evening.

We stayed in Tupper Lake the first night. The room was clean, comfortable, and very musty smelling. The owner was nice and friendly, but we decided to pay for the single night, take our things along with us, and give ourselves the option to stay somewhere else the following evening.

We did a little bit of driving in circles, not unusual when you're unfamiliar with a particular area, had a good breakfast, and headed for Mount Jo which is a little beyond Lake Placid.

 Breakfast.

 Just starting out on our mountain hike.

 On the trail. We took the longer, easier way rather than going straight up. It was a good idea. 

 Froggy friend

 Stopping midway to rest and eat a snack.

 Continuing on. That is the trail, not a creek bed.

 The reward, a majestic view from the top of Mount Jo.

 More snacks. Priscilla is excited. :0)

A fellow hiker took our picture for us, and Priscilla took theirs. I'm pretty sure that farthest peak in the corner behind me is Mount Marcy.

After our hike we headed down to Lake Placid for some walking and browsing in the shops.

 Ski jumps from the 1980 Olympics.

 The view from a balcony where we stopped for some iced coffee. This is Mirror Lake. If I hadn't been so tired from our hike, I might have thought it a grand idea to rent a boat of some kind.

 Fancy hotel next door to the coffee shop. Can't even imagine what it must cost to stay there, but I loved all the activity going on.

Upon hearing we didn't have a room for the night, a woman from one of the Lake Placid shops recommended we look into a travel lodge down the road. (this is her store) Monday evening we checked into a beautiful room with a king sized bed and went to bed before the sun set.

The next morning we ate breakfast at the Country Bear Diner (no credit cards accepted) in Wilmington, NY and headed for Whiteface Mountain.

We needed to kill some time and get the coffee out of our systems so, on the recommendation of a staff member, we climbed the trail to Stag Brook Falls. 

 Beautiful! 

 At the waterfall.

Me and Priscilla

(This is my longest post ever. Are you still there?)

 We took the gondola ride up Whiteface Mountain rather than hiking, but when we got to the top we found we were not on Whiteface like we'd thought. We were instead welcomed to the summit of "Little Whiteface Mountain." The view was astounding in spite of our mistake. That is Lake Placid in the background.

 While on the summit, Priscilla's cell phone rang (We were off the grid for most of the trip.) and she found our old friend Allan on the other end of the line. He will be visiting from Minnesota this coming weekend, in town for his 50th high school reunion. 

 Priscilla on Little Whiteface.

 Whiteface Mountain. Our destination for the next trip.

 Sign at the summit.

On our way home we stopped for ice cream in Long Lake, NY and then later for coffee in a little town called Inlet. There was a nice little bookstore there that sold coffee and I bought a book of Adirondack stories called "Leaky Boots". It was a nice end to a fun, first annual sister trip. Well, I think think it should be an annual thing anyway.