Auburn - Fleming Trail

Photo - Thursday, November 20, 2008




Photo - Friday, October 03, 2008

The Auburn-Fleming Trail

Map

This afternoon I decided to use Rich & Sue Freeman's Take Your Bike! Family Rides in the Finger Lakes Region as a guide and walk the Auburn-Fleming Trail. Using an abandoned railroad bed, this trail runs from the east side of Dunning Avenue to Route 34. There are 5 geocaches ( GC8E8E - GCK7EG - GCK7EQ - GC15ERB - GC163GY ) to be found along this path.

Using the the coordinates below I drove to the parking area.

Location - N42° 54.824 - W76° 35.024

Parking - on the east side of Dunning Avenue, south of Clymer Street.

Note - clicking on photos enlarges them.

The trail sign is missing from the trailhead.



After a rough start over buried wooden railroad ties, I approached a bridge.



This metal grate bridge has been topped by a wooden bridge.



Before reaching the next bridge there was a marsh on my left.



Approaching the bridge.



After crossing this bridge I passed unmarked posted trails.



I then came upon a farm lane crossing.



A third bridge crossed over a creek.



A trail on the right heads toward a farm. This appears to part of a snowmobile trail system.



Five horses were grazing in a pasture to the east of the trail.



The trail ends at Route 34.



After pausing to take a photo of the Snow Panther sign, headed back to the car.



Revisited - Thursday, November 20, 2008

Today revisited the trail in search of a geocache - Tribute to Local Musicians! (GC1J9BJ)

During the morning hours two to three inches of snow fell, making the entrance to the trail quite wet.



Proceeding to the cache passed the meadow on my left.



Reached the cache site. This photo was taken from above the hidden cache ammo box.



Retracing my steps took this photo of the meadow which was now on my right.



Before recrossing the first bridge stopped to chat with the owner of the posted lands adjacent to the trail. He was clad in camo and orange carrying this shotgun. He informed me that the trail was safe to venture down since he and the other owners never shot in the near vicinity. The reason for his afternoon walk was to discourage poachers from using the area.

Had to navigate around the puddles on my way to the trail head.



Successful hunt. MaMa Bear, the cache owner, left CDs as a reward for discovery. Took a CD.

Mets vs. Marlins

View from our seats
Today (08.08.08) at 11 AM Ryan, Michael and I ventured forth via Onondaga Coach to Shea Stadium. Arrived at 4 PM. For some reason we made no bathroom stops. Guess this is why there is a rest room on the bus and bus drivers have ironcast bladders. Rained the entire trip down as if we expected the weather to different on this day of crazy eights. Miraculously the skies cleared and bright sunshine showered us as we were ushered to our seats in Mezzanine section 27 row box A by Joel L.

Once seated we immediately went into the concourse for food. Joan told us to take something to eat. Did we listen, of course not. Michael was a bit taken aback having to pay seven dollars for a Nathan’s hot dog, but his Coke came in a commemorative cup. Ryan purchased a classy souvenir to go with his free blanket compliments of MasterCard.

Just before the national anthem, Ralph Kiner peeled off the number marking how many games left in the old stadium.

David Wright hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Carlos Delgado homered in the late innings. Both times I neglected to photograph the apple coming out of the hat.

Oliver Perez pitched two-hit ball for seven innings. He left after 120 pitches to the cheers of an appreciative crowd.

Upon leaving and walking toward the bus it registered just how many people were at the game. It was not Falcon Park.

Before boarding the bus for our return, many of us pleaded with the driver to consider a half stop. He said he would. At 1 AM he did. MickeyD's.

Terry in an email offered a summation of our trip with this equation - bus seat (time siting down) + stadium seat (time sitting down) + bus seat (time sitting down) = butt-worry (sore).

A little after 4 AM drove into the driveway at Perrine. Before falling into bed, I think I saw Ryan, Michael and myself stepping off the bus in front of Citi Field.

Time's a-wasting

To paraphrase Bob Dylan - Time's a-wasting.

According to Mary Beth Breckenridge, the average American wastes 55 minutes a day looking for things. Almost 25 percent of adults report they've paid bills late because they lost the paperwork.

More than 90 percent of people say they have an overwhelming sense of "time poverty."

These statistics come from Nancy McGarity, an owner of Real Solutions for Living in Canal Fulton, Ohio, and a residential organizing specialist.

Organization takes practice, she says. It's a set of skills that can be learned, and setbacks and imperfection are all part of the process.

Here's a baker's dozen of clutter prevention tips from McGarity.

1 Have a home for every item.

2 Always return items to their homes.

3 Store items where they're needed most.

4 Keep frequently used items in very accessible spaces and seldom-used items in places that are harder to reach.

5 Consider your habits when deciding where something should belong. That will make it easier for you to maintain your system.

6 Label shelves, containers (especially opaque ones), drawers, etc. to make it easy for anyone — even a visitor — to find and put away items. 1

7 Choose containers that appeal to you, so you will be more apt to use them.

8 Think realistically about items you are keeping "just in case" or because "someday I might need it." That "someday" rarely comes. Remove all those items, and stop yourself from accumulating more.

9 Don't believe you haven't the time to get organized. The time involved in searching for lost things or redoing tasks is always greater and creates unnecessary stress.

10 Take a few seconds to hang up clothes or put them into the laundry basket at the end of the day. It will save time that would be spent later on scooping up the piles, sorting, ironing and relaundering.

11 Don't make a habit of picking up after older kids. That only encourages them to rely on you to do their dirty work.
12 Sort mail as soon as you walk in the door and pitch junk mail immediately.

13 Impulse buying thwarts organizing efforts. Remember that even if an item is on sale, you'll save even more money, time and space by not buying it.

"the agony of defeat"

On June 7, 2008 when Jim McKay words, "...thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat" rang out in his obituary, Hillary Clinton in the great hall of the National Building Museum ended her Presidential campaign.

Reading the New York times Op-Ed page online this morning, came across these following political explanations for this irony.

“If Barack Obama had been born 10 years earlier and had been a candidate for the Democratic nomination in 1992, neither I nor Bill Clinton would have defeated him.”
— BOB KERREY, a former Democratic senator from Nebraska and the president of New School University.

“While everyone loves to talk about the message, campaigns are equally about money and organization. Having raised more than $100 million in 2007, the Clinton campaign found itself without adequate money at the beginning of 2008, and without organizations in a lot of states as a result. Given her successes in high-turnout primary elections and defeats in low-turnout caucuses, that simple fact may just have had a lot more to do with who won than anyone imagines.

“And sometimes your opponent just runs a good campaign.”
— MARK J. PENN, an adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton since 1995 and a top adviser to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

“A collection of Hillary Clinton’s tactical campaign mistakes would be a thick book. But she lost the race because Mr. Obama summoned the support of one group (white, highly educated, reform-minded Democratic elites) that never much liked the Clintons — and of another group (African-Americans) that always did until now.”
— MARK HALPERIN, an editor at large at Time magazine, and JOHN F. HARRIS, the editor in chief of Politico. They are the co-authors of “The Way to Win.”

“The press presented Barack Obama with his two years in the Senate as an agent of change, not a novice. In contrast, ABC’s Charles Gibson asked Mrs. Clinton if she would “be in this position” if it weren’t for her husband.

“To this day, a businessman with no elected experience is considered qualified for high public office; a woman with the same background is called unprepared.”
— CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, the former Republican governor of New Jersey and the head of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2001 to 2003.

“Hillary Clinton’s campaign was done in by a sense of entitlement and hubris.”
— L. DOUGLAS WILDER, the mayor of Richmond, Va., and the former Democratic governor of Virginia.

“...run a traditional campaign that addressed the perceived challenges facing women (a strategy that worked in her successful Senate campaigns)...But her choice put her at odds with liberals in the primary electorate who wanted new and different, not tried and true. For this reason, it was fatal.”
— JANE SWIFT, a former Republican governor of Massachusetts and an education adviser to John McCain’s presidential campaign.

“Barack Obama’s candidacy was the Clintons’ worst nightmare. They had dreamed of the day when an African-American could be elected president. But they never anticipated it would happen on their watch and were utterly confounded.”
— CARL BERNSTEIN, the author of “A Woman in Charge.”

“This year, millions of Democrats swooned for Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton couldn’t do much about it. Suddenly, college students were registering to vote, and elderly widows were sending money.”
— MICHAEL KINSLEY, a columnist for Time magazine.

How Is This A Good Thing?

In his his book,“Raising the Grade: How High School Reform Can Save Our Youth and Our Nation,” Bob Wise, a former governor of West Virginia, laments that “international comparisons rank the United States a stunningly unimpressive eighteenth for high school graduation rates, a lackluster ranking of fifteenth for high school reading assessments among 15-year-olds in developed countries, and an embarrassing 25th for high school math.”

How is this a good thing?

Statistics tell us that a third of the students enrolled in school drop out. Half of those who remain go on to graduate without the skills for college or a decent job.

How is this a good thing?

Those involved in the presidential campaign have yet to make improving secondary education one of their major issues.

How is this a good thing?

Invitation

Invitation

Oh do you have time
     to linger
       for just a little while
         out of your busy

and very important day
     for the goldfinches
       that have gathered
         in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,
     to see who can sing
       the highest note,
         or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,
     or the most tender?
       Their strong, blunt beaks
         drink the air

as they strive
     melodiously
       not for your sake
         and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning
     but for sheer delight and gratitude—
       believe us, they say,
         it is a serious thing

just to be alive
     on this fresh morning
       in this broken world.
         I beg of you,

do not walk by
     without pausing
       to attend to this
         rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.
     It could mean everything.
       It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
         You must change your life.

~ Mary Oliver

Reprinted without permission - Beacon Press, 2008

April Fools!

Hillary's April Fools

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton walked somberly into a press conference toady and stood before microphones. Reporters tensed, sensing something big might be afoot.

"This has been a very hard fought race," she said. "We clearly need to do something so that our party and our people can make the right decision. So, I have a proposal."

The tension grew. Reporters shifted in their seats. Was she dropping out of the race? Offering to join rival Barack Obama as his running mate?

April Fools!

"Today, I am challenging Senator Obama to a bowl-off," Clinton said, provoking relieved laughs from the assembled scribes.

Clinton carried on, making reference to Obama's disastrous outing at a Pennsylvania bowling alley Saturday.

"A bowling night. Right here in Pennsylvania. The winner take all," she went on. "I'll even spot him two frames."

"It is time for his campaign to get out of the gutter and allow all the pins to be counted. I'm prepared to play this game all the way to the tenth frame. When this game is over, the American people will know that when that phone rings at 3 a.m., they'll have a president ready to bowl on day one."

"Let's strike a deal and go bowling for delegates. We don't have a moment to spare, because it's already April Fool's Day. Happy April Fool's Day."

By Beth Fouhy - Associated Press Writer

Easter - never again in your lifetime

Megan with You-Know-Who

Easter is early this year. Easter is always the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that the Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is rare.

Here's the interesting part:

This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

It's a fact: The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Why, you ask?

Here's the condensed version. The Roman Empire's First Council of Nicaea convened in the year 325. The counsel decided three things:
1. They decided the rules that would determine the date of Easter.
2. Easter would always fall on Sunday throughout the world.
3. The date Easter would fall on could be determined indefinitely into the future.

So how is Easter day determined? Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (March 20). Just a tad confusing but as a result, Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25 and the actual date that Easter falls on this year is the earliest you and I will ever see, in our lifetime.

Clayton Boyer from New Orleans did the research. Columnists Gordie Allen and Ramona Salmon featured this information.

Bobby on St. Patrick's Weekend

Senator Robert F. Kennedy declared his candidacy for president on March 16, 1968.

"I want the Democratic Party and the United States of America to stand for hope instead of despair, for the reconciliation of men instead of the growing risk of world war," he said.

Kennedy also stated, "I do not run for the Presidency merely to oppose any man, but to propose new policies. I run because I am convinced that this country is on a perilous course and because I have such strong feelings about what must be done, and I feel that I'm obliged to do all I can."

Universal Health Care

"Prescription medications have been discovered in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans. Or, as President Bush calls that, the Republican health care plan." ~ Jay Leno

Client No. 9

Lyndon Johnson once observed that the two things that make politicians more stupid than anything else are sex and envy.

Maybe Joy Behar, one of the female hosts on “The View”, got it right when she said, "Viagra is destroying our government."

Sometimers

"I have Sometimers---sometimes I remember and sometimes I don't."

~ Spike Lee

Cumulative Writing Folder

Cumulative Writing Folder

To become a better writer, you must often and review your past compositions to see how you can improve. This writing folder will help you do this—it will be a record of what you have written. The folder will also help your readers see your work over time. The written work that goes into this folder should be your best effort.

The focus correction system used in this folder might be something new to you. Don't worry; the system should help you improve your writing more quickly by focusing your attention on one, two, or three areas in any one composition. For example, in some compositions your reader will tell you to focus on your word choice and organization, while in others the focus might be on sentence variety and the use of details.

Your reader will tell what what the focus correction areas are before the final draft of your composition. Remember to follow the recommendations for composition form listed below. Some day, you'll pull out this folder and reread what you have written this year. It will be very interesting reading.

Reader Comment Key

Any time the reader stars a comment or abbreviation in the margin, it is a signal that it is a positive comment. Look for the starred comments. They will help you find your strengths.

* opening - good beginning for your composition

* closing - good ending for your composition

* W.C. - excellent word choice

* d. - excellent use of detail to support your idea

Sp. - the word with a check over it has been misspelled

awk. - this section does not sound right

cap. - there is a capitalization error in this line

frag. - this is a sentence fragment (an incomplete sentence)

run-on - there are two sentences punctuated as one

¶ - begin a new paragraph on this line

< - you left out something

? - I don't understand this

---

Composition Form

FIRST DRAFT

Do not be concerned with how the first draft looks — it's a working copy! It doesn't go in the folder.

• Write in pencil.

• Skip a line between each line you write. You can use this space for editing.

• Leave at least one inch margins on both sides of the paper.

When you have finished your first draft, read it out loud in a soft voice. Ask yourself these three questions:

1. Did I follow the assignment?

2. Does the composition sound right? Is it easy to read?

3. Have I carefully checked for problems in the focus correction areas?

When you can say yes to the above questions, have someone read your composition to you out loud. Go over questions 1, 2, and 3 together.

FINAL DRAFT (to go in your folder)

Be concerned about how your final draft looks. It represents your best work!

• Write in pen.

• Do not use paper ripped from a spiral-bound notebook.

• Write your name on the top line, right hand side; the date on the second line, right hand side.

• Keep the focus correction area(s) in mind.

• Write a title for your composition on the fifth line from the top. Capitalize all important words in your title and all other words longer than five letters.

• Leave at least one inch margins on both sides of the paper.

• Have a reader read it out loud to you, check the focus correction areas, and sign it at the end.

---

Ideas for this Cumulative Writing Folder were developed in conjunction with by John Collins.

Clinton Camp Conundrum

Will the generational gap formed by Obama's use of elegant language be too wide for Hillary to close?

Pop Culture Vernacular

Can a streetwise vocabulary draw out a demographic usually not seen near a voting booth?

Classic Speaking Gifts

Can call and response evoke a Yes in the Democratic primary?

Charm & A Smile

Can a glib golden boy be elected President of the United States?

Teddy like rock ‘n’ roll, is here to stay

As he crisscrosses the Super Tuesday primary states in an Obama financed Lear jet, Sen. Ted Kennedy opens his stump speech with this surefire applause line: One year from now, George W. Bush will be out of the White House.

The Constitution dictates Kennedy's statement is true.

First Laddie

Oh, you'll take the high road, and I'll take the low road.

Buzzword

"Change" is the undisputed stump word for the turbulent presidential campaign. From where does this word get its spellbinding power.

As Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said about pornography: "I know it when I see it." This year's primary candidates seem to have a clear view of it. Hillary Clinton speaks of her years of experience "making" it. Mitt Romney wants to bring it "to Washington." Barack Obama promises you "can believe in" it. John Edwards proposes "we need" it. Fred Thompson says it "has been a part of every election since the dawn of elections."

In 1976, Jimmy Carter offered himself as "a leader" for change. In 1984, Walter Mondale held that "America needed" it. But Ronald Reagan avoided mentioning it as did Bill Clinton in 1996. President Bush too turned away from it in 2004.

Voting for change. Will it work its magic in 2008?

Looking for the traditional Democrat

In one especially elegant phrase, Barack Obama in his New Hampshire farewell outlined the importance of staying positive and dignified during the presidential campaign, and beyond: "We can disagree without being disagreeable."

On January 11th, 1964, Lyndon Baines Johnson used this same quote at a reception for members of the Democratic National Committee.

Hillary’s Political Midnight

In Henniker on the day before the New Hampshire primary, Bill Clinton said, "I can’t make her younger, taller or change her gender."

There may be no need. Because as pundit, David Brooks, points out waitress moms will stick with Hillary through thick and thin.

At her victory party, Hillary triumphantly proclaimed, "I found my own voice."

Heads up America. Change is on the way.

Let It Snow!

SnowCrystals.com!

Hope you're enjoying the holiday week. In case you haven’t recieved any snowflakes, here's a site containing some amazing photomicrographs of snowflakes and snow crystals.

Say It Ain't So, Roger!

He was a Chicago White Sox. He was illiterate. He was charismatic. He was a .356 batter. He was "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.

He was once asked, "It isn't true, is it, Joe?" He responded, "Yes, boys, I'm afraid it is."

He was a New York Yankee. He was a college graduate. He was charismatic. He was a seven-time Cy Young winner. He is Roger "The Rocket" Clemens.

He was mentioned 82 times in the Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball. He declined to meet with Mitchell to discuss the charges.

It may be a long winter this year. See you in the Legends Field bleachers at 1:15 p.m. on February 29th.

Goin' Home: A Tribute To Fats Domino

To some, the simple, sincere and unassuming sound of Fats Domino would seem an unlikely catalyst for one of the most star-studded tribute productions of recent times. But the appeal of Domino s music and its signature sway of swamp rhythm remains strong a half century after the release of his original recordings.

Goin' Home, which also functions as a benefit for his New Orleans neighborhood, provides 30 tracks of Domino's music, offering an expansive and intriguing overview of the possibilities it contains, with performances by everyone from a couple of Beatles to Willie Nelson. The album features a wide variety of adventurous collaborations and personalized interpretations. While the big-name guest stars do their pan. the New Orleans natives shine brightest in the selling.

With Buddy Guy joining in on guitar, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band backs young soul singer Joss Stone on "Every Night About This Time," while Lenny Kravitz fronts an embellished version of the Rebirth Brass Band, including saxophone legend Maceo Parker, on "Whole Lotta Loving." In similar fashion, Robbie Robertson gets the benefit of playing in front of Galactic and Robert Plant gets support from the all-star Cajun group Lil' Band o' Gold.

One of the most memorable collaborations comes on the title track, where B.B. King joins Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, reinforced with a horn section featuring Donald Harrison Jr. and special guest Herbert Hardesty. the tenor saxophonist heard on the original recordings. Harrison reappears on the most experimental track, Oki Dara's radical reconfiguration of '"When I See You."

Several of the musical patriarchs of the New Orleans scene, such as Dr. John and Art Neville, lead their own groups, while Mardi Gras Indian icon Big Chief Monk Boudreaux teams up with Galactic for one of the album's most authentic tracks, "So Long." International citizen Taj Mahal fronts the all-star assemblage of the New Orleans Social Club on a great take on "My Girl Josephine,'" while Marcia Ball and her band back soul queen Irma Thomas on "I Just Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind."

Some of the tracks, like Randy Newman's "Blue Monday," Norah Jones doing "My Blue Heaven," Bruce Homsby's rendition of "Don't Blame It On Me" and Lucinda Williams’ tasty "Honey Chile" are superb displays of artistic simplicity. But most of the tunes are more elaborate productions, juxtaposing artists and styles while remaining true to Domino and his music.

Notes by Michael Point - Downbeat December 2007

Love for teaching developed early - in the first grade

Each Friday, The Citizen features someone in education from the Finger Lakes community. The week of December 21, The Citizen spotlighted Sarah Cameron of Herman Avenue Elementary School.

Q. What is most rewarding part of being a educator? Why?

A, I feel there are many aspects that can be rewarding. If I had to choose one, I would have to say when everything just seems to fall into place both academically and emotionally. When this happens that child is so proud of themselves and their accomplishments.

Q. What is the most challenging aspect of the job?

A. There just isn't enough time in one day to accomplish all we need to as teachers. When many children come to school with so many outside problems it is hard to really get through
all of the academics because their basic needs have to be met first.

Q. Kids say the darnedest things. What is the funniest question a student has ever asked you?

A. Really when working with the little ones they are always saying the darnedest things. I have to say the funniest things these children say are about things that happen at home and how they interpret it to us at school is so off the mark. It comes out so funny by the time they reach school.

Q. School year: Too short, too long or just right? Why?

A. Just right! What some people don't understand is that each time we have a break it is well needed. Not just by the teachers, but most importantly the children. For those that think
we have too much time off, I would love for them to come and do our job for one day. Then, I'll ask them again if they think we have too much time off.

Q. If you weren't teaching, what would you probably be doing?

A. If I weren't teaching, I probably would have become a nurse. My mother is a nurse and her profession had always fascinated me. I love watching any medical shows on television.

Q. Fill in the blank. The best teacher I ever had was ___ because __.

A. Mrs. Messina. She was my first grade teacher at Herman Avenue. She was stern and demanded respect, but on the other hand was very nurturing and caring. I can still remember what room I was in and just how the room was set up. Thank you Mrs. Messina for inspiring me to be the teacher I am today!

Auburn's “Singing Barber”

Auburn's “singing barber,” Philip J. Simone, 92, died peacefully at the Homestead Nursing Home in Penn Yan on Tuesday, December 18, 2007.

The lifelong Auburn resident and active communicant of St. Francis of Assisi Church was well known for singing in his barbershops. Simone had a song in his heart for all 50 of the years he groomed customers in his Genesee Street barbershop on East Hill.

He began barbering 80 years ago when, in the Depression as a 12-year-old, he began to work at Joe Caio's barbershop on the corner of Barber and Washington streets. Three years later, he started his own shop.

“He always wanted to be downtown,” said his son, Philip.

In fact, all three of Simone's barbershops were located on or near Genesee Street. In addition to the East Hill location, he had an earlier barbershop on Market Street and another where the park across from Wegmans is now located.

Simone's likeness, however, is permanently preserved downtown in a mural next to the Colonial Laundromat on Genesee Street. A barber pole painted on the right of the mural calls attention to a figure inside of the barbershop cutting hair - Simone.

He greatly admired singer Perry Como, who started out singing in his own barbershop in Utica. Simone had followed the singer's career after Como sang at the Pavilion in Emerson Park in the 1940s.

In 1983, Simone received an autographed photo from the singer inscribed, “To my friend Phil Simone, from one barber to another. Salute, Perry Como.”

The photo surprised Simone, who hadn't requested it. He suspected that his friend, Frank Nastri Sr., who played golf at the same Florida course as Como, suggested the gift.

Earlier, Simone performed with many “big bands” that played in Auburn and at Owasco Lake during the 1940s.

He met his wife, Antoinette Daloia, at the Pavilion listening to the big bands of Tommy Dorsey and Bunny Berrigan.

“He once had an audition scheduled with Ted Mack,” Philip recalled, “but he didn't go on the audition. He never said why. It was bittersweet, extremely personal.

“He just loved singing. Sometimes to us kids it was an annoyance.”

His repertoire came straight from vaudeville. Such oldies as “When You're Smiling,” “You're Nobody 'Till Somebody Loves You,” “When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New,” and “Alexander's Ragtime Band” peppered his performances.

He never wanted to be paid.

Because Simone's birthday fell on St. Patrick's Day, he “adopted” the Irish. He liked the color green and would often go to events at the Ancient Order of Hibernians and sing. It didn't matter what the occasion was.

He also loved law and politics, so he attended political events and hung around with lawyers and politicians, according to his son.

He had his picture taken with John F. Kennedy and even received an invitation to Kennedy's inauguration. Even though he had to be sensitive to the political leanings of his clientele, he kept that picture above the mirrors in his shop.

Baseball was another of Simone's interests. Besides local baseball, he and his wife always went to Yankees games in New York.

When Simone closed up shop in 1986, he donated the contents, his barber chairs and display shelves, to Auburn prison.

“When he walked away, he walked away from it entirely,” Philip said.

Philip remembered family gatherings. He would play the accordion, his father would sing, and his mother would get up and dance with his dad.

For those that knew him, Philip said, he was always there.

“He sang songs no matter where he was. They asked him to sing.”

Even after Simone developed Alzheimer's and he was living at North Brook Heights Residential Care Home, someone playing a guitar in the lobby called him up to sing.

“I don't think he knows the words,” his son said, but when Simone got up to sing, he didn't miss a beat.

Simone lived at Boyle Center until last November when his condition deteriorated and he was transferred to Homestead in Penn Yan.

His wife also was moved from Auburn to Syracuse with a similar affliction.

“We have fond memories,” he son said. “He lived a wonderful life.”


Article used the notes of Kathleen Barran.

Course On Fire

This photo of the Highland Golf Club fire took Honorable Mention in JorjDotOrg PhotoHunt - Emergency Services- 2007-12-18.

Searchin'

Well now if I have to swim a river, you know I will
And if I have to climb a mountain you know I will
And if she's hiding up on a blueberry hill
I'm gonna find her, child, you know I will
Cause I've been searching, oh yeah, searching
My goodness, searching every which a-way, yeah-yeah
But I'm like the Northwest Mountie
You know I'll bring her in some day, gonna find her
Well Sherlock Holmes, Sam Spade got nothing, child, on me
Sergeant Friday, Charlie Chan, and Boston Blackie
No matter where she's hiding, she's gonna hear me
Cause I'm gonna walk right down that street
Like Bulldog Drummond because I've been searching
Oh Lord, searching, mmm child
Searching every which a-way, yeah-yeah
You know I'll bring her in some day, gonna find her

Lyrics - Leiber & Stoller
Performers - The Coasters (1957)

Snow Shoveling

In 2006, more than 31,000 people in the United States were treated for injuries suffered while shoveling snow, reports the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons offers these shoveling safety tips:

- warm up your muscles

- pace yourself

- use a shovel that is comfortable for your height and weight

- push the snow, don't lift it

- don't throw it over your shoulder or to the side.

Megan Jane

Megan Jane Laderer

Born: 11:57 AM December 13th

3 lbs. 14 oz.

17" long

Mamie's Soapstone

Today bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs in our houses are heated the same as all the other rooms in the house. If we want heat in a bedroom, we turn a knob on the wall and — heat; or we turn on our electric blankets.

Great Grandma was not as fortunate. The upstairs rooms in Great Grandma's house were not heated. Great Grandma had on her kitchen stove what were called soapstones (pictured here). They were real stones that would be heated by a wood fire in the stove. Before going to bed these stones would be placed in the bed and the heat from the stones would make the bed nice and cozy when you jumped in.

These stones were also used in the sleighs when going out in me cold of winter. They were put in a cloth bag and placed on the footboards, where they would keep your feet warm.

Store Front

This photo of Smiley's Florist took third place in JorjDotOrg PhotoHunt - Store Front - 2007-12-11.

Change Your Latitude

These words are the wisdom of Charles Swindoll:

Attitude is more important than past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

Charlie's Bathing Suit

ca. 1890-1920

Summer in Lowville in the 1890s through the 1920s was characterized by young boys sporting a worsted California one-piece style suit

They had a cotton ball in each ear to help keep the water out, and they enjoyed the cool water on a hot day.

Many municipal laws stipulated that from in the morning to 8 in the evening, no one was allowed to swim in city waters unless wearing "sufficient garment from neck to knee."

Made of compactly twisted woolen yarn (worsted), the one-piece "California" style suits such as the one shown here tended to be quite heavy. They weighed about nine pounds when wet and had a tendency to fall down. As a result, when two-piece suits were introduced, they became popular. They permitted more freedom to move and had less danger of accidental exposure.

The heavyweight worsted men's bathing suit, whether, owned by an average citizen or by an icon of the 1920s, was worn in creeks, at swimming events and at the local swimming hole.

As can be seen in the photo above, the California one-piece style was most popular between 1918 and 1924. Navy blue was a favored color, with three white stripes above the bottom hem, and it opened by button on one shoulder. Men's bathing suits have come a long way since the 1920s, and one can only wonder, what would they think if they could see us today?

A Little Information About Stillwater

The drive up the Number Four Road to Stillwater is one of my favorites and the Stillwater area itself is intriguing. Like many others, I enjoy its beauty, but have very little knowledge of the area. I happened upon some information about Stillwater that I thought I'd share with you. At the present time the primary purpose of the reservoir is flood control for the Black River Valley. However, this wasn't always the case. In 1878 it was originally flooded to allow logs to be floated down to the Beaver River to facilitate the logging industry. At 100% capacity, the Stillwater reservoir holds 3.63 billion cubic feet of water in its 6,700 lake acres. It has 128 acres of shoreline. The current dam was built in 1922 and since that time the reservoir has been managed by the Hudson River-Black River Regulating Authority.

The area has an abundance of wildlife such as the bald eagle, bear, beaver and otter. Stillwater has one of the largest loon populations in the state and the water holds an abundance of small mouth bass, splake, lake trout and yellow perch. I'm sure fishermen are well aware of what a splake is, but for those who are unfamiliar with this species it is a man-created hybrid between two native trout resulting from the fertilization of lake trout eggs with brook trout sperm. The hybrid combines many of the qualities of its parents — including the brook trout's fast growth and the lake trout's large size. During the winter season there are guided six- and eight-hour snowmobile tours.

Observations by Ramona Salmon

Mentz Church

Historic Mentz Church, dating back to 1825 with its clean white gabled facade set in the green outskirts between Montezuma and Auburn, in many ways echoes the frontier times when it was first built, a time when quilts and the art of quilting were at their peak.

Giant Hogweed

Giant hogweed has been seen in Cayuga County for several years. It is most often found in ditches or similar damp spots as it needs moisture. Giant hogweed can be cut with care, but one should wear long pants and long sleeves and gloves for the job, and if the plant appears to have gone to seed, covering it with a plastic bag before cutting and disposing of it.

Joan had an encounter with this vicious weed during the summer. Her experience was not pleasant.