Monsoon Season... again...
Monsoon Season...
I know I have been slacking. Well just slacking on the blogs. In real life though I have been busting my ass as usual. I promise those old blogs soon enough. But I will set up something in this one that I hope to sum up the past few weeks. Ok, that last sentence made no sense to me. But then again, nothing has lately.
As we all know, New York has four seasons. I know I posted about this before but this year something has changed a little. We have Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter and Monsoon/Construction. This year has been extremely wet. There has been hardly any sunny days. Its just no feeling like Summer to me. Its been raining and more to the cooler end of the thing with the red bulb. It sucks. It seems like all the plans that are made have to have a backup plan for something indoors. And usually that is how it all ends up. Indoors. Quite frankly, Im tired of it. Its dreary and dismal. I want some sun. I dont want extreme heat though. Just sun. I seem to be lacking in that area though.
The fourth of July parade went off really nicely. It was alot of fun and there were so many carts this year. Over 30. It was a great turnout. We never know what the theme is until about 2 weeks prior. Then we sit and brainstorm for a week before we can get everything up and running at the last minute. We cant really put it together til that morning anyway. There is a contest every year for the Best Theme and the Best Decorated for the carts. Yep. Carts.
In the campground, just about everyone has a golf cart. For some, it is a means of transportation because of some reason or another. For others, its a form of letting your teens drive them through the woods like a maniac. But I degress. These carts come in all shapes and sizes. We used to have a regular cart with regular wheels and a big blue hat on the top. The reference to that one can be found in my earlier posts.
Our carts, yes that is with an s, are the off road type. Clay Cars they call them. The roads in the park are rough in most spots and potholed with deep puddles. These are the perfect carts for this. Great suspension and big knobby tires. We have a whilte one that now has that big blue hat on top and we also have a red one that has mag wheels. Looks like a HotWheels car. Both have a roof and windshield. Yes, these are golf carts.
The white one has a trailer hitch on it and we tow a trailer for the parade. Every year we do very well in this little contest. But each year, there is more and more competition. And tougher themes. But also this year, we decided to enter both carts into this little bit of insanity. The theme this year was What or Who is and American? This was a tough one. But we settled on a covered wagon/pioneer/explorer thing. We brainstormed for days on this one.
My mom dressed up as a pioneer lady and Cami was Laura Ingalls. Wait, thats not spelled right. Oh well. My head is pounding right now so Im not going to bother to look it up. Mousie wore a coonskin hat and did the Davie Crockett thing. Even one of the signs on the trailer was something about Davie Crockett and the Bowie dude. So all day I was making comments about David Bowie. Good thing there were people there that knew what I was talking about.
I did my cart all in a sort of immigrant thing with signs that said I AM AN AMERICAN, YOU ARE AN AMERICAN, that sort of thing. Of course I didnt have a whole lot of time to do this. I think if I had an hour more, I would have done a better job. We all got up at about 530 am and went down there to get this all ready before 10. This was quite a chore to turn a simple small utility trailer into a covered wagon. Complete with pots hanging off the back and a bench for a seat. Even reins and some wooden horse heads too. I think it turned out wonderful. My cart was completly covered in anything red, white and blue. Streamers, garland, banners, ribbons, you name it.
The parade was alot of fun and I came in second place for the Best Decorated. No trophy for me. The covered wagon came in first place so we do have the trophy for Best Theme. Whoohoo!! It was well worth it and a great time by everyone. The person who did take the Best Decorated realy deserved it. She did alot of work on hers, and also had better signs and banners. She did the melting pot theme I wanted to do but my time was spent on the other cart. Maybe next year.
Back to the whole monsoon thing. Its been raining again. A couple of weeks ago, we went out to Utica to visit my relatives. On the way there it rained and on the way back it rained. Well for that trip, it was pouring with thunder and lightning. That seems to be the normal thing. Alot of electrical storms. I really dont like them. And I really hate the flooding and all the really nasty stuff that comes with these storms. They have been exceptionally bad this year. Power out, flooding, hail, high winds. Im not impressed and it can be very depressing and mood setting.
Yesterday was a day of the norm. We went again to Utica to see my relatives but this time we made another stop. The last time the other stop was to the Polish market for some meats. This is a treat because I love this stuff. I also like watchign Cami wander around the shop trying to read all the things they have. They have everythign from cookies to breads to milk and chocolate candies. All in foreign languages. The meats are butchered and made right there by little old Polish ladies. The best kind of goodness comes from them.
Also last time, we went on a side track of the old neighborhood. Well the trip was to tell Cami the history of her ancestors and all the land before it became the neighborhood. At one time, the whole area was all farmland. Not surprised? Neither was I. Its true though. Everything out there has some reflection of my ancestors. The names of the roads, the hospital, the factories. They all carry the family name. But there was one thing that set it apart. There is a small cemetery that I knew nothing about. I thought that the people in reference to that cemetery were actually buried somewhere else. This was a treat for me because I love doing my family history. Now I will finally get to "meet" them. But that was not to be that day. He kept driving past because we had to meet the living relatives at a restaurant for lunch.
So yesterday was the trip I wanted. He promised me a trip into the cemetery. This excited me. I have a thing with the dead. Not a morbid thing. One of those "feeling" things. I wont go into it because I dont want anyone thinking Im some sort of nut. But I really wanted to go in there and feel some history. We got up early and he picked us up at about 9am. On the way out there, it was raining. Of course. Such is the norm. We got there and I immediatly sought out one stone in particular. My great great grandfather. I also carry part of his name. This is the man I wanted to see. I had no idea that he was there. I thought he was at a cemetery 4 hours away. There are other ones that are in that cemetery that I want to find. But that will be an all day trip. I would like to take that one soon. That one also has my great grandfather there. But this place was the one I really wanted to see.
It was the old family cemetery from back when it was all farmland there. There are some other families buried in there but somehow everyone is related and you can see the areas marked off with chains or group plots. Most of my family are all in the front and they are all seperated with massive monuments. Their smaller stones are around the big ones. These are very impressive monuments and well fitting and deserved. Fancy carvings and beautifully engraved. Not at all what I expected. I was impressed and thrilled to see this.
This cemetery is very old and some of the stones are clearly marked with dates that go back to the mid 1700s all the way into the very early 1900s. My great great grandfather died in 1910. He once served in the Civil War and I have letters that he wrote home about all the things that happened and he even met Abe. They are awesome to read, even though he didnt spell too well. He mentioned alot of the other relatives in them. Also there are letters from the mountain house where the others are buried. It told me alot of their lives and where they came from. Now I get to "meet" some of them. I had no idea they were here. Even the first ones to come to the area were buried in there. I took alot of pictures of the stones and the areas around them. It was so peaceful and beautiful in there.
We even had a small visitor. A cat appeared out of nowhere near one of my relatives stones. She wandered with us for a little while. When we left the area of that section, she disappeared. It was a little strange. I went outside to take pictures there and then went back in. I went back to that area and she appeared again. As soon as I walked out of that area, she vanished again. I will chalk it up to her being a part of them. It was conforting and soothing. I enjoyed it and I enjoyed her company. I took pictures of Cami petting her too.
We met up with the family for lunch. Then we went to the nursing home to see my aunt for a while. While we were there, it started to storm. So we left and raced the storm home. A two hour drive. Once we got home, the sky opened up and it was raining and the wind and the hail. Rusty asked me if I played golf with the hail. They were that big. It was like Lake Erie out in front of my house and most of the underpasses were flooded out. As usual. Im tire of all this @^#&$)%( rain!!
Next post.... The county fair!! See you then.
I know I have been slacking. Well just slacking on the blogs. In real life though I have been busting my ass as usual. I promise those old blogs soon enough. But I will set up something in this one that I hope to sum up the past few weeks. Ok, that last sentence made no sense to me. But then again, nothing has lately.
As we all know, New York has four seasons. I know I posted about this before but this year something has changed a little. We have Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter and Monsoon/Construction. This year has been extremely wet. There has been hardly any sunny days. Its just no feeling like Summer to me. Its been raining and more to the cooler end of the thing with the red bulb. It sucks. It seems like all the plans that are made have to have a backup plan for something indoors. And usually that is how it all ends up. Indoors. Quite frankly, Im tired of it. Its dreary and dismal. I want some sun. I dont want extreme heat though. Just sun. I seem to be lacking in that area though.
The fourth of July parade went off really nicely. It was alot of fun and there were so many carts this year. Over 30. It was a great turnout. We never know what the theme is until about 2 weeks prior. Then we sit and brainstorm for a week before we can get everything up and running at the last minute. We cant really put it together til that morning anyway. There is a contest every year for the Best Theme and the Best Decorated for the carts. Yep. Carts.
In the campground, just about everyone has a golf cart. For some, it is a means of transportation because of some reason or another. For others, its a form of letting your teens drive them through the woods like a maniac. But I degress. These carts come in all shapes and sizes. We used to have a regular cart with regular wheels and a big blue hat on the top. The reference to that one can be found in my earlier posts.
Our carts, yes that is with an s, are the off road type. Clay Cars they call them. The roads in the park are rough in most spots and potholed with deep puddles. These are the perfect carts for this. Great suspension and big knobby tires. We have a whilte one that now has that big blue hat on top and we also have a red one that has mag wheels. Looks like a HotWheels car. Both have a roof and windshield. Yes, these are golf carts.
The white one has a trailer hitch on it and we tow a trailer for the parade. Every year we do very well in this little contest. But each year, there is more and more competition. And tougher themes. But also this year, we decided to enter both carts into this little bit of insanity. The theme this year was What or Who is and American? This was a tough one. But we settled on a covered wagon/pioneer/explorer thing. We brainstormed for days on this one.
My mom dressed up as a pioneer lady and Cami was Laura Ingalls. Wait, thats not spelled right. Oh well. My head is pounding right now so Im not going to bother to look it up. Mousie wore a coonskin hat and did the Davie Crockett thing. Even one of the signs on the trailer was something about Davie Crockett and the Bowie dude. So all day I was making comments about David Bowie. Good thing there were people there that knew what I was talking about.
I did my cart all in a sort of immigrant thing with signs that said I AM AN AMERICAN, YOU ARE AN AMERICAN, that sort of thing. Of course I didnt have a whole lot of time to do this. I think if I had an hour more, I would have done a better job. We all got up at about 530 am and went down there to get this all ready before 10. This was quite a chore to turn a simple small utility trailer into a covered wagon. Complete with pots hanging off the back and a bench for a seat. Even reins and some wooden horse heads too. I think it turned out wonderful. My cart was completly covered in anything red, white and blue. Streamers, garland, banners, ribbons, you name it.
The parade was alot of fun and I came in second place for the Best Decorated. No trophy for me. The covered wagon came in first place so we do have the trophy for Best Theme. Whoohoo!! It was well worth it and a great time by everyone. The person who did take the Best Decorated realy deserved it. She did alot of work on hers, and also had better signs and banners. She did the melting pot theme I wanted to do but my time was spent on the other cart. Maybe next year.
Back to the whole monsoon thing. Its been raining again. A couple of weeks ago, we went out to Utica to visit my relatives. On the way there it rained and on the way back it rained. Well for that trip, it was pouring with thunder and lightning. That seems to be the normal thing. Alot of electrical storms. I really dont like them. And I really hate the flooding and all the really nasty stuff that comes with these storms. They have been exceptionally bad this year. Power out, flooding, hail, high winds. Im not impressed and it can be very depressing and mood setting.
Yesterday was a day of the norm. We went again to Utica to see my relatives but this time we made another stop. The last time the other stop was to the Polish market for some meats. This is a treat because I love this stuff. I also like watchign Cami wander around the shop trying to read all the things they have. They have everythign from cookies to breads to milk and chocolate candies. All in foreign languages. The meats are butchered and made right there by little old Polish ladies. The best kind of goodness comes from them.
Also last time, we went on a side track of the old neighborhood. Well the trip was to tell Cami the history of her ancestors and all the land before it became the neighborhood. At one time, the whole area was all farmland. Not surprised? Neither was I. Its true though. Everything out there has some reflection of my ancestors. The names of the roads, the hospital, the factories. They all carry the family name. But there was one thing that set it apart. There is a small cemetery that I knew nothing about. I thought that the people in reference to that cemetery were actually buried somewhere else. This was a treat for me because I love doing my family history. Now I will finally get to "meet" them. But that was not to be that day. He kept driving past because we had to meet the living relatives at a restaurant for lunch.
So yesterday was the trip I wanted. He promised me a trip into the cemetery. This excited me. I have a thing with the dead. Not a morbid thing. One of those "feeling" things. I wont go into it because I dont want anyone thinking Im some sort of nut. But I really wanted to go in there and feel some history. We got up early and he picked us up at about 9am. On the way out there, it was raining. Of course. Such is the norm. We got there and I immediatly sought out one stone in particular. My great great grandfather. I also carry part of his name. This is the man I wanted to see. I had no idea that he was there. I thought he was at a cemetery 4 hours away. There are other ones that are in that cemetery that I want to find. But that will be an all day trip. I would like to take that one soon. That one also has my great grandfather there. But this place was the one I really wanted to see.
It was the old family cemetery from back when it was all farmland there. There are some other families buried in there but somehow everyone is related and you can see the areas marked off with chains or group plots. Most of my family are all in the front and they are all seperated with massive monuments. Their smaller stones are around the big ones. These are very impressive monuments and well fitting and deserved. Fancy carvings and beautifully engraved. Not at all what I expected. I was impressed and thrilled to see this.
This cemetery is very old and some of the stones are clearly marked with dates that go back to the mid 1700s all the way into the very early 1900s. My great great grandfather died in 1910. He once served in the Civil War and I have letters that he wrote home about all the things that happened and he even met Abe. They are awesome to read, even though he didnt spell too well. He mentioned alot of the other relatives in them. Also there are letters from the mountain house where the others are buried. It told me alot of their lives and where they came from. Now I get to "meet" some of them. I had no idea they were here. Even the first ones to come to the area were buried in there. I took alot of pictures of the stones and the areas around them. It was so peaceful and beautiful in there.
We even had a small visitor. A cat appeared out of nowhere near one of my relatives stones. She wandered with us for a little while. When we left the area of that section, she disappeared. It was a little strange. I went outside to take pictures there and then went back in. I went back to that area and she appeared again. As soon as I walked out of that area, she vanished again. I will chalk it up to her being a part of them. It was conforting and soothing. I enjoyed it and I enjoyed her company. I took pictures of Cami petting her too.
We met up with the family for lunch. Then we went to the nursing home to see my aunt for a while. While we were there, it started to storm. So we left and raced the storm home. A two hour drive. Once we got home, the sky opened up and it was raining and the wind and the hail. Rusty asked me if I played golf with the hail. They were that big. It was like Lake Erie out in front of my house and most of the underpasses were flooded out. As usual. Im tire of all this @^#&$)%( rain!!
Next post.... The county fair!! See you then.
posted by BC at
8:43 PM
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