Life in the Bristolwood

                                                   

Plastic….ewww….I love wood. Give me wood. Or ceramic.  Something from the earth, or ground. You know, *the real McCoy”!

When the term *plastic* came to mind,  I thought of how most everything has been converted from “real” to plastic. And, my poor brain went into freeze mode, unable to think of anything.

But! Then I realized that a certain “place” that is part of my home and where I spend hours of relaxation time is….well, PLASTIC!

Let me begin by saying that Wegman’s is one of the finest grocery stores you will find! They are a top shelf, forward-looking store that grew from a little produce-selling store in 1915 to a corporation with stores now located in several states. They are clean and in all honesty, I would prefer to buy produce from them than any other grocer. Oftentimes, when visiting the store, the produce workers are sorting through the offerings, removing any pieces that might look less than *perfect*!

Wegman’s has a car rally every Thursday evening in Canandaigua. I do think this is something that happens at all Wegman’s stores, but am not certain.

As Michelle and I were enjoying our Chinese in the restaurant (yes, Wegman’s also has a very nice area where you may eat their delicious fare!) we saw a man come in with his wife to eat. On the man’s chambray shirt was an embroidered logo, along with the words “48 Merc’.  I knew he must have had something to do with the rally, but Michelle insisted we had to go shopping before I could wander amongst the oldsters! Ah, how my trigger finger was itching!

We shopped rather casually, taking our time.  As we came up to the checkout, I grabbed my camera bag from under the groceries, anxious to get outside! I did pay attention and took my time, however.

 Michelle assured me she could load the groceries into the Explorer all by herself and told me to go over to take pictures! Which I did!

One of the outstanding cars at the rally was….(surprise, surprise) the ’48 Merc! This is a totally LOUSY rotten picture of the car, because the sun was setting right behind the car. Bummer…But, you can see that this car has been restored to mint condition, and I can certainly see why the owner takes pride in it!

Since I know precious little about cars and their workings, I will decline a lot of commentary! After all, these gems can speak a language all their own!

SInce the door was open on this particular model, Mom? Dad? is this similar to the ’57 Ford Fairlane (the black and white car) that we had when I was a little girl? The front seats fold forward…I do remember that….and they dip down in the center of the front seat….I remember one Halloween night when I leaned over that seat and threw up! Poor Dad!!!

All of the “oldies” were parked in their own lot. (the employee parking lot) There must have been well over 100 cars there.  As I was leaving the area, I noticed the sparkle and luster of these cars. As I walked back to the lot where the Explorer was parked, there was almost a disappointment as i climbed into my “modern chariot”!

Michelle and I went out grocery shopping late yesterday afternoon. It was a fine day…after a couple of gray days, the sky was an intense blue. It was the kind of day that causes my wanderlust heart to ache. When Mark suggested there was little in the house to eat,  instead of being insulted, I took those words to heart and was ready to go soon afterward!

I, of course could never venture forth on such a splendid day without the Nikon sitting on the console next to me.

 I wanted to photograph this before, but never got around to it.  Over the hill and around the “corner”, there is a road that looks down on the lake.  I love this little “peep hole” the utility company unwittingly cut out, allowing a peek at the lake! Otherwise, the only thing visible is the hill on the other side of the lake.

Soon after turning the corner onto the highway that leads to Canandaigua,  one sees vineyards.  There are acres and acres of vineyards spread out, but most of them are to the south of this one.  (we were heading northward)

Seeing the vineyards and observing the vines, I knew I needed to make a slight “pitstop”!

My friend, Cindy, the grape pie maker, told me the grapes are especially sweet this year.  Being a bit of a grape freak, I needed a *fix*! This little stand sells several varieties of grapes, seeded and seedless.  I tasted several, and decided on one called Fredonia. The city of Fredonia is located a few hours west of where we live. It was a stone’s throw from Fredonia to the apple orchard/grape vineyard near Lake Erie that we frequented when I was a child and young adult.  The grape I picked is dark purple, looking a great deal and tasting like a Concord, but matures earlier. Perfect for my grape addiction!

Michelle protested a bit as I hung the Nikon out my driver’s window to take a picture of the cute grape stand, but I totally ignored her!

Since the day was so spectacular, I *needed* to take the lake road to Canandaigua.  The lake  and the road next to it were so full of life.  People were busily enjoying the weather, knowing that within a short time,  things will no longer be like this! (the weatherman said there was a possibilty of a frost in the not-too-distant future)

As we entered the city,  instead of going down the road to the shopping area, my Explorer and I decided to take just a little detour and drive out onto the city pier.  Michelle rolled her eyes and donned her MP3 player’s earpieces into her ears…

These are the boathouses at the north end of the lake. The water was so still….

These sailboats were anchored parallel to the pier, just crying out to be photographed!

And this is looking east from the pier. (in the very center of the picture is the Canandaigua Lady)

At the north end of the lake is Kershaw Park. This park covers 9 acres and has excellent walking paths through it. The next four pictures are of the park.

After looking at these pictures, I realized that I had not taken a picture of the main building at the park where residents enter to go swimming.  It is the building on the left in the above picture.

These boaters couldn’t resist taking a little swim in the lake on such a day! If you enlarge this picture, you can see that there is a little color in the hill behind the lake.  The leaves are just beginning to show a little color now.

It seems like every time I am in Canandaigua, the “Lady” is out on the lake! However, this time, she was neatly tucked in her slip, probably making ready to head out for a dinner tour!

I think  know Michelle found my detours less enjoyable than I, but I was satisfied that I had some nice pictures!

As we turned into the Wegman’s parking lot, I noticed that the weekly meet of the old car collectors was on Thursday. Hmmm….another photo op! Of course, Michelle squawked that I could take pictures *after* we shopped….

As we entered into the store, I told Michelle I was feeling a bit hungry. Would she mind getting a dish of Chinese? Ha! She jumped at the chance. So, we wandered over to The Wokery and picked up some food.

Remember how when your kids were little, you would have to constantly remind them not to play with their food, and just eat it? Well, I discreetly pulled the Nikon out of its case, slipped on my short lens, and rapidly shot just this one picture of my food before Michelle looked at me through narrow slits and scowled!

Note to self: leave Michelle HOME next time!!!