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Published: August 7th 2015
A thorn (in the side) between 2 roses
We were happy to provide Julie a ride in the RV from OH to western NY to see her sister. She got a chance to ride in the co-pilot seat, never having ridden in an RV. Trish particularly enjoyed spending more time with her and chatting.The "big" reunion events were over and Trish and I took Julie back to her hotel. But she had suggested we come and swim in the hotel pool to relax. Seemed like a great idea so we had packed our suits and were ready to go. But first, we took her to a local cemetery so she could visit her parents’ grave site. We went along to pay our respects. After she had spent some time, Julie told us several stories of how her father selected the site, and how the skies had paused the rain long enough for a burial ceremony. We then drove to the hotel, changed to our suits and spent time swimming, exercising, and relaxing, both in the pool and hot tub. Delightful as it was, we only stayed a short time as we still wanted to make one last visit to John's parents and so headed out and arrived in time for dinner. Mom had made Sloppy Joes and they were really great, bringing back memories of both our childhoods. After telling all about the events of the previous two and a half days, we hugged goodbye and went back to the RV to pack up
Audubon Society in Jamestown, NY
We visited to get information on preserving Monarch butterflies and enjoyed our brief visit to the displays and seeing the wonderful GREEN building. for travel the next day.
Monday morning we finished packing, and I went and picked up Julie at the hotel. We were taking her to western NY so she could meet her brother-in-law and then back to the Rochester to spend some time with her sister. Julie had never ridden in an RV before, so got the co-pilot’s seat up front to see the USA. It was a smooth trip along the Interstate to Erie and then on to Jamestown, NY and finding the campground. Once in, Julie walked our cat on his leash while we set up the RV and by the time we were done, her brother-in–law had arrived. We had a short chat, showed him our home on wheels and then said good-bye to Julie.
But just before leaving, Julie had a great idea. She and Trish sat quietly up front and Julie performed Reiki on Trish’s bad knee. It had been operated on over 15 months earlier for a torn meniscus and never properly healed, so she was always in pain. In a matter of minutes, Julie had concentrated her healing powers on the knee and Trish was seeing colors
Trish doing her Lucy routine
There was no script and no way to "record" other than camera. But Trish took a shot at looking the part. and then auras. Julie felt a burst of heat and after a bit more concentration, finished. Trish said her knee had never felt so good and now, over 2 weeks later, the pain is still gone. After her healing, Julie left and we settled in to relax.
We called Tim and Hiroko Walters, friends from our first visit to Japan in 1990, and then went over to their house for dinner. Daughter Mika was taking an advanced class at Chautauqua and had just gotten home. Kenji, also scheduled for the class, was unable to attend as he was home recovering from pneumonia. But he was slowly getting his energy back. We had fun with all of them and then Tim and I went into town to pick up some fish from a local seafood restaurant. We enjoyed the food and fellowship with the family, and finally headed back to the RV for some rest.
Next day, Trish and I went to the local Audubon Park and did a short tour of the exhibits. We were particularly interested in getting information on helping save Monarch butterflies. One of the staff, an authority on the issue,
Mural in downtown Jamestown
This is one of eight murals all over the town. I can only imagine the craziness when they have the festival and all the "wanna be" red haired Lucys show up. came and talked with us and recommended a book and then showed us they had milkweed seeds in packets for sale. We bought 5 packets, in the hopes of planting milkweed around the edges of our property and encouraging butterflies to propagate. We were very impressed with the facilities, including the solar panels, green roof, and wonderful gardens. It seems to be very family friendly and, in fact, Tim and Hiroko are family members and they and the kids often visit and take part in the various activities.
We left the Audubon center and headed in to downtown Jamestown to see the Lucille Ball Museum. Lucy was born and raised here and there are a pair of museums dedicated to her life and career. In addition, there are large outside murals painted on buildings around town depicting some of the classic moments of her TV show. We toured both parts of the museum and resisted the baubles in the gifts shops. In the career portion, we learned more about Lucy’s early jobs, including modeling, discovered that William Frawley and Vivian Vance were NOT the first choices for Fred and Ethel (but who can imagine anyone different?), and
Hiroko and kids making fruit bowl
Always artful, Hiroko cared the watermelon into a shark and then filled the cavity with melon balls. were amazed to learn that Ricky came from a prominent Cuban family that was very wealthy but gave it all up when Batista came to power. (For those not big history buffs, Batista was the leader of Cuba (dictator) who was overthrown by Castro, to the delight of the American government, until Fidel embraced Communism.) They showed clips of the various shows through out the museum and you could sit and watch as long as you wanted. There was even an opportunity for the public to recreate one of the famous sketches.
In the section on Lucy’s life, we saw pictures of her early homes, learned how she spent a great deal of time with her grandparents, and saw many of the outfits she made famous, from the polka dot dress of Lucy to outfits from Mame and outfits worn on her later variety show. All of these also had clips of her in these outfits and shows. In all, it was a good summary of Lucille Ball and there was ample opportunity to purchase videos, books and other items, if one wanted, to view other Lucy segments.
We headed back to the campground
Michelle and Neil
We had seen them a year ago in Alabama, but it as good to see them again and watch Michelle have fun with Hiroko, Tim and the kids. (She's basically a kid herself!) and a late lunch, followed by a brief swim in the not so warm pool. Guess we’ve been away from the North too long….it wasn’t a pleasant swim but more “bracing”.
Next day we were having a big party at the Walters as Michelle and her husband Neil were coming down from Toronto for the evening. Michelle was a friend we met in Japan in 1990. She was there to teach English in a more rural school district. We met her at a social function we had volunteered to attend as American Ambassadors from the military base. But here’s where it gets fun; Hiroko had recently returned from a year in the US where she did most of her Senior year in high school and was back home in Japan. Hiroko was assigned as Michelle’s interpreter and guide for 3 months to help Michelle get adjusted. Tim? We knew Tim from the Japanese American Society on base and he was like an adopted older son, who used to take our kids out in the country to swim, hike and have fun. We trusted him with the kids completely. SO…Michelle and Hiroko knew each other from 1990, but
The Walters
Tim, Hiroko, Kenji, and Mika inside the RV posing. hadn’t seen each other since then; Tim and Michelle knew each other from 1990 from coming to our house for holidays, dinners, etc, but hadn’t seen each other since then. Poor Neil, Michelle’s husband, was probably overwhelmed by it all. Fortunately, we had met him a year ago when they visited us in Alabama, so he had someone he could talk with.
It was a wild and crazy time! Stories were shared, lots of food was consumed, memories were renewed and laughed about. For Trish and me, it was like watching your kids all get together again at the holidays. Then add in Mika and Kenji, who are fabulous kids, and it was a grand time. Hiroko and Tim outdid themselves with yakitori, rice balls, hot dogs, hamburgers, fresh veggies on the grill, and lots of good fruit salad in a watermelon carved to look like a shark.
All too soon Michelle and Neil had to leave (they were off to a NASCAR race) and we also headed back to our campground. But Tim, Hiroko, Mika, and Kenji were coming the next night to the campsite for a cookout and we would have one
Our old house in Adams, NY
We lived here from 1983-1999 (with time out to go to Japan from 1990-96). We sold it when we moved to DC and our neighbor, Will Rusho, bought it later when the couple defaulted. He is restoring it to it's former grandeur. more get together with them.
The last day in camp was cool in the morning, at least by ‘Bama standards for July. I turned on the furnace and … nothing. Hmm, we’d had problems earlier and I thought it might me dirty. But this was getting serious. We were headed up to Watertown, NY, where it can be REALLY chilly. So I checked in the camp office and they had a mechanic on call who would come. We left a message and sure enough, about 5pm a gentleman showed up and identified himself as the mechanic; he looked at the furnace, tried cleaning a part, then said it was bad but he thought he had one at home. He would get it and come back. An hour or so later, in the middle of dinner with the Walters, he showed up with the part, installed it, tested it and it worked. Only $40 for his labor….but $175 for a simple circuit board. Yikes!! But we now have heat.
We had fun with Tim and Hiroko, Mika and Kenji. They are great parents and the kids are super. We laughed, talked, shared stories, laughed more
From the front porch in Adams
We had the longest sidewalk in town, over 100 feet, because the road "used to" pass on the back side of the house. Lot's of snow shoveling involved. The bushes on both sides are peonies--absolutely beautiful in the spring. and then regretfully, they had to leave and we left the next morning. Our next stop was Fort Drum, NY and visits to a number of friends from our time there.
We had reservations at the campground at Fort Drum and BOY, what a change. In the late 80’s, the campground was four spots in dirt in a grove of shrubs with only minimal electricity. Today, they have over 16 large sites with level concrete pads, full hookups, picnic tables and fire ring. There is a bath house with showers and a laundry room. Really classy and with lots of room to expand. They did not have WiFi in the campground, but I could go to the library and plug in and get online. In addition, they have a huge number of large cabins for a get-away weekend or for incoming families awaiting housing. The base is so big that even though I vaguely recall it, it was good to have a map to get around.
The first full day, we headed to Adams to check out memories and stopped at the Adams pastry shop. They had re-opened under new ownership, but the donuts
Rick White, WWII POW
Pa'dner is 93 years young and still full of life. We were so glad to get to see him again while visiting Adams. were still awesome: soft, fresh, tasty, and not too sweet. Of COURSE we had to have some. When Josh was in elementary school, he used to get nervous in the AM and couldn't eat breakfast without getting sick. So Trish would give him a quarter so he could at least stop and get a donut on the way to school. (Maybe he was just more clever than we realized!) They also had cookies, breads, pies and would custom make a cake. We noted the downtown still had some businesses open, including Grams (formerly Frans) the local diner where Trish had worked for a year or so. We stopped at our old house and say Daryl and Will Rusho, our neighbors and sat and caught up on news. It was good to see them and see that they are still healthy and doing well. Across the street we caught a glimpse of “Pa’dner”, Rick White. Rick was originally from West Virginia and he and Trish always used to discuss “maters” and how best to eat them. Rick is a TRUE HERO…he was shot down over Germany in WWII and spent the war in a concentration camp. But…his brother was also in
Adams pastery shop
Still as good as we remember. I had a "stick" with white butter cream filling, light cinnamon sprinkle, and drizzle of chocolate. I also had once of Josh's favorites--glazed donut with crushed peanut topping. the Army in the Philippines, and survived the Bataan Death March and the war. Imagine—two brothers both POWS in WWII and both survived! It was an honor to see him again and thank him for his friendship and service. On the way out of town we stopped at Behlings Farm stand for really fresh fruits and vegetables.
Sunday afternoon we drove out to see Jeff and Gerri Sammons at their farm. Jeff was the Public Affairs Officer in Iwakuni in 2000 and Gerri worked in personnel. They had their daughter Peyton while there, born on July 4. We had visited them 5 years ago when they had the property and the barn up but were awaiting the building of the house. So it was great to see all the improvements to the property, the new house, and both kids, Peyton and Hunter. Jeff and I are often at odds when it comes to political discussion, but his point of view is always backed by facts, history, and data points. Jeff did advise me on some other issues of farming (haying) and guns, and we avoided anything too controversial. Son Hunter graduated this year and will be following
Adams JRECKS sub shop
Yep, still as good!! Trish and I split a "regular" with mayo and shakers, soda and really fresh fries done in really fresh oil. But the bread!! THAT'S what makes the JRECK sub so wonderful. his Dad into the Marines in October. We shared pictures, stories, and then all went to dinner in Clayton followed by ice cream at a local stand where Peyton’s boyfriend, who worked the counter, treated us all to the ice cream. (Smart girl—finding a boy with looks, brains, charm…and food.)
Monday we met a friend from work days for lunch on base. Danielle had retired a year ago and was learning the joys of NOT going to work. We shared stories of people we knew and I learned most are retired and/or dead. Wow. The post has had a lot of change and it was hard to understand all that had transpired. But then, that is the nature of life…change is inevitable.
That evening we met another friend for dinner at the Fairground Inn. Jenny is another College of Wooster grad and we heard of her new job, her son’s escapades in college (really!? He was only 4 when we moved…in 1999.) Jenny showed us pictures of her home and the changes she has been making. It was good to reconnect to old friends.
Tuesday we drove up to Redwood to
Carved bear at Ft Drum campground
The bear motif is everywhere on post and this is one of several in the campground. Butterfield Lake to see Margie Hillback, who lived across the lake from our cottage. Margie had her whole family up, with 7 (or 8? or 9?) grandkids. Shanna, Josh’s age, had her 3 and Geoff’s wife had their 1 plus Elliot’s kids were there and we think some friends. Suffice to say, there were a lot of little kids playing in the water so Trish and I joined Margie on the shore to help keep watch. Margie’s husband, Sandy, and the sons were off playing golf, so we missed them. We learned the news of the lake and the families and then, realizing the total chaos was only heightened by our presence, we took our leave and left. We wanted to stop at the local store (Knoors) to get some post cards and tee shirts, but alas, change again. The store had been sold and was now a bar. No cards, shirts, hats or any souvenir of any sort could be found.
All in all visiting with friends, driving around and seeing the old haunts, shopping in semi-familiar stores and discovering how some places never seem to grow old while others disappear made for a happy/sad experience.
Strong winds in the North Country
Our RV with a young tree next to it. Yes, the wind IS this strong at times. There are places where the pine trees have NO branches on the western side because the winds are too strong to allow them to grow. But on Wednesday morning, we were leaving to start the third phase of our trip north. This would take us to the northernmost end of US Route 11.
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Deborah
non-member comment
Hoping Trish's knee is still feeling good. Wishing you both all the best and many future travels.......hopefully at least one more trip out here! ;)