Vermont - 2017

July 14, 2017 - Thursday

On the road to Vermont by 12:30 pm. Gas was $2.50 in Lake George, the most expensive yet. Drove through heavy rain in Vermont. We arrived at 4:40 pm. Karen had just arrived. Mike E. arrived by 6 pm. We had salmon for dinner on the deck. All the chairs and table were wet, but we had a nice dinner.

We played Parcheesi. Mike almost won. He wanted is to declare him the winner, but we vowed to continue the game over the weekend.

Cathy and Mike did not drive up, due to the rain. They will arrive tomorrow.

Mike and Karen have a new rescue dog, River, who is still getting used to meeting strangers.

July 15 - Friday

Mike E. left for work in the morning. Karen, Bobbi and Tim drove to the ferry and went over the lake to Essex. We investigated an art gallery and a refurbished inn. We ate lunch by the ferry. We all had lobster rolls. On the way back to the cottage, we stopped at the market in Shelburne to buy food for the Saturday.

Mike and Cathy arrived with two dogs. River did not like Mike Karen took River to Burlington. We walked with Mike and Cathy and the dogs. We ate and walked again. Karen returned about 7:30. Tim played chess with Mike and Karen. Karen and Tim played a few tunes before dinner. Mike E and Chloe did not arrive, since her bus was late.

July 16 - Saturday

Karen picked up Chloe from Burlington. Mike E was on dog duty in Burlington. Waited for Bill and Liz and Willie until noon, then we ate. Bill arrived at 2:30, Liz even later. No Willie. Played music with Bill and Karen. Rob arrived. Chloe and Rob went kayaking in the lake.

We drove to dinner at 6. Bill drove us. We met Mike E at the pub/restaurant. Rob hit a sewer drain and blew a tire. AAA broke the lug nit. Cathy missed dinner. Mike E returned to Burlington for dog duty. Rob played guitar.

July 17 - Sunday

Mike and Rob were going to take Bobbi and Tim to Shelburne Museum, but the tire was fixed early, so they picked up Cathy and headed home.

Karen, Bobbi and Tim went to Shelburne Museum. Chloe went with Mike E to a Jack and Jill party.


The museum was amazing and fun. An entire building contained miniatures of an entire circus parade.













 Buildings and boats were added to the grounds.


 One barn contained old carriages.






Some are was interspersed around the grounds.









We met Mike E and Chloe for pizza dinner at Folino's Wood Fired Pizza. Back at the cottage, we played music for 10 minutes, but it was quiet hour on the lake on Sunday night (a neighbor yelled).

July 18 - Monday

Mike E was up and out early, we caught a glimpse of him driving down the road. Karen and Chloe packed up. We all left at the same time. Took "Listening Woman" by Tony Hellerman from the house library.

We had reservations at the Franconia State Park. We had reservations at 5, but had to backtrack to a different park in order to dump. The girl at the information window knew nothing about dumping. She directed us to the public restrooms. A lifeguard had to teach her what to do. Back at our park, we camped in site 38.

Albany - 2017

July 11, 2017 - Monday

Too much noise from the highway in the morning. Drove to the airport to pick up Bobbi after her sojourn to LA.

Tim wanted to eat at the Pine Hills Restaurant, which was the favorite Sunday morning brunch location. Unfortunately, the restaurant is no longer open.

We drove through Tim's old neighborhood in Albany. Tim's windows were the ones next to the awning. The apartment faces Washington Park.


Colonie Center was the mall where Tim's mother would shop. She would drive over from Pittsfield to shop here. Now, the center is a collection of stores with direct access from the parking lot: Whole Foods, Movies, Sears and restaurants. Across the street is an iHop, where we ate pancakes. Bobbi insisted on pancakes after her red-eye flight.

We drove to Thompson Lake State Park. Tim used to ride his bike around here, but never knew that there was a lake above Thatcher Park. We followed one of Tim's old bike routes for most of the way to the park.

The lake is a mountain lake, fed by rain water.




July 12 - Tuesday

On the second day, we moved our camp site. A camper two sites over ran a generator off and on all day.

We drove to Thatcher Park late in the day and walked the Indian Ladder trail.

We were going to walk in the woods, until we saw the tick signs. We returned to the camp ground, instead, and walked along the lake shore. The lake is a high mountain lake.

Called Dick and Mary Jane Shave. We made plans to meet for dinner the next day. Fortunately, Dick's regular poker night had been cancelled. Tim remembers when Dick joined the poker game, many years ago.

July 13 - Wednseday

Hung out until 4, then headed to town for the post office and to do laundry. We shopped for groceries at the Price Chopper green version.

We arrived at Dick and Mary Jane's at 6 pm. Mary Jane gave us a tour of the vegetable garden and flower garden.

We ate delicious food at a Morracan restaurant. Dick knew the entrepreneurial owner. We visited with Dick and Mary Jane after dinner, back at their house. We were given the complete tour. It is a nice old farmhouse with some new additions.

We were back to the campground by 10 pm.
 

Pittsfield - 2017

July 10, 2017 - Sunday

On the way to Pittsfield, Tim stopped at Stockbridge Bowl for a view of Kripalu on the far shore.





Rain threatened. Drove around downtown, then parked by the old George's Superette: empty.





The old Fomsbee's is still there and functioning, but under a new name. I could see the counter where my Mom would take me once a week, as a treat, when I was in sixth grade.

The A&P where Dad was hit is gone. The package store by the Friendly's is gone. The Friendly's is gone.




Rode a bike up Northumberland and Polock. Took picture's of Tim Dennison's home and 25 Northumberland.










Fox's house is for sale.

South is Herberg.

The bowl has been filled in.

An addition was added by the tree we used to hand around.


The outside view of the art room.

Rode by Doug's and Jimmy's. Uncle John's old house is for sale. 






Rode by Egremont. The old front door is gone and there's an addition. The door for the thrid grade, great escape is still there.




Rode to Birch Grove Drive. Miss Gull and The Descz's houses are still there. You can't get to the farmer's hill at the end of the street. The turkey shoot and high tension wires are a development.

Parked by Kelly's Hot Dog (not there) on South Street. Rode by Memorial Park, PHS, the Commons (old PHS and BCC).



The popcorn wagon is no longer at the park, it is parked outside old England Brothers, which is now the Berkshire Bank.



Drove down North to Besse Clark (gone) and Wood Brothers (gone).

The Union Square Theater is still a theater, but not for movies.

The Capitol Theater, where Tim saw Star Wars, is now a senior center.

The Pittsfield Rye Bakery is now a Subway.

The hospital where Tim was born is now senior housing.







Apparently, 40 years is a long time.


On a reassuring note, Park Square is still round.





On the way out of town, Tim drove to Bosquet Ski Area. The old road to the ski area is now a dead end. The entrance is off of Dan Fox Drive, which is also a newer road.

Some new black diamond trails have been cut.

A water slide has been added where the old poma lift was.

The old t-bar is now a chair lift.



The Grand Slalom trail looks like a beginner's trail out west.

The first-aid shack was visited by us all, from time to time. Those nasty light poles get in the way sometimes.


The old lodge still looks old. I wonder it the men's room still has a trough.

One of the last views of Pittsfield was the old Big-N shopping plaza. I always looked forward to our trips to the Big-N. In later year, the center had some movie theaters.






After a full day in Pittsfield, Tim drove to Schodack Island State Park in New York. The park is under the NY Thruway Hudson River bridge.