Life in the Bristolwood

Today was a rather busy day.

Mark loves to just play the guitar, but sometimes gets discouraged playing all alone.  After all, it is more fun jammin’ with someone else. 

The last time the kids had their friends over,  one of the guys mentioned that Jeffrey played the guitar really well.  My ears perked up and I asked if he might want to come over and jam sometime.  Jeffrey, being a young man of action, called Mark and asked if he could come over!  Mark was so happy!

Jeffrey came  with his friend, Jacob, shortly after noon.  I asked Michelle if they were coming for lunch and she was somewhat vague, so I thought about something I could make quickly.  I decided to make up some Chinese.  It was quite a hit, and Mark and Jeffrey set up at about 2:00. (The photo above is so awful…I had the camera on the wrong setting….oops! )

They played on and on until almost 5:45!  Michelle and Ben had Bible study in Canandaigua at 6:30 this evening, so we had to fly out of the house shortly after Jeffrey and Jacob left. 

While the kids were at Bible study, I drove over to a craft store that opened this past summer.  I never seem to have time to look around stores, so I decided I would do so this evening.  As I looked at the time while leaving the store, I was shocked that I had been there nearly an hour and a half! I had to pick up the kids at 8:30, so I didn’t need to while away much more time!

It seems like the day passed by so rapidly, but it certainly was a very satisfying day, indeed!

Hmm…I removed the Panasonic camera card and inserted it into the card reader on my computer, and lookie what came up!

Well, okay, so I knew they were there, but….I didn’t take ‘em!

Ben started yelling this afternoon while Mark and I were busy.  He kept shouting there were deer in the yard! That isn’t *all* that unusual, except I haven’t seen much of them since hunting season.  Seems they soon figure out the danger of being tracked and avoid human contact as much as possible!

Ben got my little Panasonic camera and started photographing the deer so I could see them later!

Deer can be such a pain in the garden or even carrying the dreadful Lyme Disease but they are so beautiful.

Big kudos to Ben. He got some nice photos! His birthday is coming up in less than a month….perhaps we had better start looking for a camera for the lad!

Today was a strange day with what seemed like endless dry fluffy snowfall.  Even though the snow came in like gangbusters, it never really amounted to much and it felt weightless!

I needed to go to the grocery store early in the afternoon and Michelle accompanied me.  As we drove along the scenic lake road,  I spotted what seemed like zillions of ducks!  I told Michelle to hurry and take some photos before they all flew away.  After we stopped alongside the road, they got a bit nervous and some took off.

Michelle said there seemed to be lots and lots of drakes.

There is little open water on the northern end of the lake, so anywhere there is an opening, there seems to be an endless supply of ducks and geese!

We went grocery shopping, then we had to make a quick run to WalMart for something.  After there, I hopped over to Lowe’s for a minute.  I couldn’t help but snap a shot of color for those winter weary souls!

We had a “Buttery-Garlic” chicken  from WalMart for dinner ( it was a roasted one that everyone loved!), along with some coleslaw I whipped up when I got home.  I picked up some strawberries while shopping….they were from Florida.  Our neighbors are in Florida now, and when I last spoke to them, they had been out picking strawberries.  That sounded so good, and when I saw them, they were too much to resist.  I made shortcake, and when I realized I had no heavy cream to whip up,  I found a box of Dr Oetker’s French Vanilla Mousse.  After partaking of this dessert, everyone said it was delicious!  I would have never thought of anything like this if I hadn’t been out of heavy cream.

Tomorrow afternoon,  Mark will go to PT at the hospital for a inital evaluation.  He is looking forward to this and is hopeful the therapy will get him back into shape so he feels confidant walking again.

I probably shouldn’t admit this for the whole cyberworld to see, but hey, I consider myself an honest person.  My only regret is that I didn’t think to take a picture….

The contact lenses that I wear are to be changed out once a month.  I generally do this every 5th of the month,  because my lenses were purchased on the fifth of the month. (I bought a one year supply at that time.)

When January 5th rolled around, I did change the lenses out.  Only about two days later,  I lost the left lens. I looked everywhere for it to no avail.  Ah well…I got out a fresh lens and inserted it, thinking things like this happen from time to time.  Do remember that I am far-sighted, meaning my up-close vision is just rotten!  It is some work getting those lenses into my baby blues!

Yesterday,  I was watering my Christmas Cactus….the white one….when I noticed how many buds were on it.  I was thrilled, as the thing produced nary a flower for Christmas.  Disappointing, indeed.  But wait! As I looked down into the plant, there lie my missing lens, shriveled up like a dehyrated bit of fruit!

Okay…don’t laugh too robustly, lest a greater malady befalls YOU!

Well, it is nearly 11:45 pm and I only now realized I had not made an entry in the blog!  It is okay, the Sabres won another game tonight!  Yeah, I was busy watching the game on the tube. So, when I removed the card from the Nikon a bit ago, I realized I could use a little theme tonight!  And so it is “red”.

We will begin with Ben’s guitar.  What is *worse* than an electric guitar in the house?  You guessed it! TWO electric guitars!  Last summer, Mark and Ben went into the Guitar Center to “check things out”.  After what seemed like an endless wait for the two,  they came out carrying a gig bag.  When interrogated about what exactly was in the bag, I found out when we got home that Ben and Mark found the deal of the century on a used guitar for Ben!  Funny thing….I had never really looked it over before today, though.

When I was in high school, I went on a rampage sewing. I could be found sitting behind the sewing machine most all the time.  I loved creating new clothes! I loved cutting the fabric and sewing it together. I loved sewing in zippers and I especially loved digging through my mother’s huge button collection.  I remember holding buttons in my hands and formulating my next project around a certain button or buttons that caught my attention.

As I sat on the couch in the living room this afternoon,  my eyes fell on Ben’s guitar.  I picked it up and began looking at it.  Oh wow!!! It has these fabulous knobs on it that are smooth-as-glass…they are clear on top with numbers for dialing in underneath.  Ah, if only these were buttons instead of knobs…..

I was almost convinced I needed to learn to play the guitar as I rubbed my fingers over and over the smooth little knobs…tactile heaven!

As an aside, I did play with the guitar for a bit.  I figured out how to play “Taps”, totally impressing Mark. 

On to another “red” subject! How about my sweet little raspberry-colored Purple Finch.  I caught him a couple of days ago, looking as though he was playing “peek-a-boo” with the camera!

And one last photo.  And it has nothing to do with red.  It was a gloomy day all day today.  Just before it would be time for sunset, the sun came streaming in through the windows! Hmmm….well, better late than not at all, right?

• Good to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is also -40 degrees Centigrade!
• Look just like “packs” but weigh MUCH less!
• Made in Canada, so they MUST be warm and cozy, eh?
• Neither of my kids could put their feet into these…they are too SMALL! They are all MINE!

Yesterday’s journey took Mark and I along New York State Routes 5 & 20.  On any given summer day, one need only stand along this route a few minutes before seeing countless recreational vehicles traveling past. Although Route 5 and Route 20 separate here and there, they also run together in many places.  And, they are very, very scenic routes, indeed!

We traveled eastward, through Canandaigua,  Geneva, Waterloo, and on to a small town called Seneca Falls.  Since we kept on traveling east, we didn’t stop to take any photos, but on our return trip towards home, Mark did pull off for a few minutes.

We circled around the back of the town and crossed over a bridge.  From the bridge, we could see the backs of the beautiful little shops and businesses along Main Street.

We went back down Main Street and took a turn that leads down to the waterway below.  This waterway is called the Seneca-Cayuga Waterway, connecting two large Finger Lakes, Cayuga and Seneca, together.  It also connects to the Erie Canal.

Across the water stands the Seneca Knitting Mills building which was built in 1844.  It stands as a reminder of the American Industrial Revolution. 

A tiny park overlooks the water as well, called People’s Park.  The trees and gazebo were still decked in their Christmas holiday decor and just added an air of festivity to this beautiful little area!

Unfortunately, Mark and I were in a bit of a hurry to get back home, and I didn’t take any photos of the shops on Main Street.  What a disappointment, but my back was getting stiff!

I also forgot to say that as we had moved east out of the town,  Mark and I were awestruck at the mansions. One after another after another.  These homes were mainly very large brick homes that stand as a tribute to a very wealthy community!  Many of them are still in beautiful shape, but some have become run down.  All of this caused me to do some research on Seneca Falls.

I was not surprised to find out that Seneca Falls was once the “pump capital of North and South America”.  They have been known for Gould Pumps forever! Goulds makes pumps for everything from home well pumps to commercial pumps.

Seneca Falls is also known as the home of the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.  This was the first women’s rights convention held in the US and some major benefits for women were birthed here.  The fact is, Seneca Falls is quite an historical little community, indeed!

One of the facts I had somehow missed along the way, however, is that the movie It’s a Wonderful Life seems to have some close ties to Seneca Falls!  (how could I have missed this?)  It is a well published fact that Frank Cappa, who directed the movie, passed through Seneca Falls on a trip to visit his brother.  For a short read on this, click here.  My blog friend,  Jackie in Glasgow , recently saw a Christmas time showing of this movie, and I was thrilled to find this information about a little town only a short drive from us, to tell her!

As we traveled along the route, there were more and more surprises awaiting us.  I am making all sorts of notes on things to do, and places to visit.  This is such an amazing ride! We eventually ended up in the town of Auburn, which is also full of rich American history.  How I wish I could have seen some of these areas as a youngster to make New York history much more “alive”! 

I will show one more photo….

As we drove through a region called the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge  we spotted some huge nests sitting on top of power line towers.

I am not familiar enough to ascertain whether this is an Eagle or Osprey nest,  but there are four more along the road!  I was so excited to see this.  In reading information about the wildlife refuge,  I added this to the list of places I need to go!

Wow! It seems like New York State is growing larger and larger as I find more things to see and do!

Oh, if you might have been wondering….Our kids went on a Winter Retreat with one of their church groups.  I cannot even begin to imagine how cold it must have been for them and the *best* part is,  they had no indoor bathrooms! hehehe My kids found out all about the ole outhouse!  We had dropped them off at 4:30 on Friday and picked them up shortly after 1 pm today.  They looked fine, but Michelle wanted a hot shower and her BED!  I would think they must have had a ball!

Since the installation of the new ramp on the back of the house,  Mark has been enjoying the freedom of getting out of the house.  I cannot blame him as I get stir crazy….hey, someone else must have, too…how else would the term “cabin-fever” have originated?

Today’s wanderings had us take a jaunt down Routes 5 & 20.  This passes through Canandaigua, so of course we had to check out what was happening on the lake!  Mark and I had stopped at Wendy’s to grab a bite to eat and the most logical place to enjoy our food was at lake’s edge!

We parked  and as we sat there,  far off in the distance, we sighted sailboats skimming across the lake with breakneck speed!  The movement was so rapid, they almost appeared “ghostly”….their white sails the only telltale sign of their presence! Back and forth, back and forth…..Oh, the lake is now frozen down quite a long distance from the north shore.

As we ate, I sought out more movement, when Mark noticed some people putting together one of these “salboats” right near us. 

One of the fellows hopped on board, and within seconds, he was off in the distance!

It was all I could do to hold the camera still! I leaned against a lamp post, thinking it would help stabilize me and the camera, but as I leaned against it,  I could feel it vibrating as the wind pounded against it…no help there!

We traveled on, but I will post that entry later.  We got home this evening in time to watch a Buffalo Sabres game, which they won!  Ah, yes, another terrific day!

Let me preface this by saying that I rarely take more than a few minutes to decide whether or not  I like something.  I tend to be impulsive, but once I decide on something,  I stick with it, even if I am limping in so doing!

Well, not so, Mark!  Mark wasn’t satisfied with the little guitar I got him back in November, so he returned it. That was fine by me, though, as the guitar I bought was only to be a “place holder”.  I was pretty sure Mark would chose something else, as a musical instrument is really a very personal decision.  He then had three guitars sent here before finally deciding upon this…

This is a tiny little electric guitar with no head!  But that is okay, because all the “tuning stuff” (for the benefit of those like me who have no idea what that little head thing is called) is  located at the base of the guitar.  The best part of all is that because Mark took his time with the decision, the little guitar price fell to about half the original price!

 Mark loves this little black beauty and plays it most every day.  The fact is, Ben loves it so much, he plays it all the time, too! (much to Mark’s chagrin…)

As a bonus, the little guitar came with some goodies like headphones (yipppeeee!!!!)  and this cute little custom made bag!

The bottom line is that because Mark was much more patient than I ever am, he found himself a sweet deal on just what he wanted!  And that makes *me* a happy camper!

Why, you ask?

Well, #1.  The weather. It is soooo cold, even I am beginning to feel it!  But, I still maintain I can handle this blast of Arctic air better than the heat of summer!

#2.  Yesterday, Mark and I took my Explorer in once again for some mechanical work.  The ABS light kept on and the anti-lock brakes just were not working at all! Not a good thing for driving in ice and snow.  So, I didn’t! (drive, that is!)  I have been driving the pickup everywhere, until yesterday when I drove it to the garage! The damages were less than $300.  AND, the brakes are working much better and the anti-locks were fabulous when I slammed them on in a slippery parking lot. Hurrah!!!

#3.  This one was a major shocker! The contractor called yesterday, telling Mark he wanted to stop by today with an estimate for a permanent ramp.  He went over the design details, presented Mark with all sorts of paperwork, then  gave us the estimate.  It was about $4500.  THUNK!  Yeah, that seems a tad *high* to me, too! Mark figured it to be a mere $70 a square foot! Hello?  The temporary ramp the kids and Mark built was a total of $160.   Mark is now thinking perhaps his family can indeed pull of a new ramp!

#4. When we went out this afternoon, I had to fill the empty gas tank on the pickup. Brrr! Mark stopped at the Hess station at the north end of the lake….the one where one gets pelted by strong wind while waiting for the tank to fill.  Then, to add a bit of insult to injury, when I picked up the Explorer, it also needed a fill up. Joy of joys.  Did I mention it is COLD out?

#5. I am afraid of the rotten tomatoes that shall be thrown, as I have no photos for today!  Yes, I was so preoccupied with life, I didn’t take any photos!