Another interesting this we discovered is a strange ice formation in a chunk of ice that had fallen off a roof. I've never seen ice form this way!
So what do you think happened there? Did the water suddenly freeze? Or ice suddenly thaw? It's weird, like reptile scales. Never seen anything like it. If you guys have a clue, let us know!
Picture taken after our first big lake effect blitz of the season, about a week ago. Over the weekend, we had RAIN. It melted a good deal of the 42" we'd managed to accumulate, ugh. Everything is soggy and ugly... NOT a great time to wear new Nike Dunks, believe me.
Ah, but another lake effect is brewing even as I speak.
Lake effect is what we Great Lakes states call those freaky bouts of intense precipitation that bubble over the lakes and move onto land, dumping vast amounts of either rain or snow on us. They always travel from west to east. Storms that come from the east westward are called Nor'easters. They are equivalent to the hurricanes that southerners experience.
photos courtesy of accuweather.com and earthsys.ag.ohio-state.edu
I used to live between Lake Ontario and Lake Oneida. MAN OH MAN did we get snow. Redfield to the north (Tug Hill plateau) routinely gets pummeled with snow-- 10 feet in a storm, sometimes. I don't think we ever got that much, maybe half of that. A LOT of snow there.
I like the snow. I'm looking forward to the muddy lawns being covered again with glistening crystals. Bring it on!
If you are a medical professional and are looking for something beyond the ugly green or blue scrubs, take a peek at BlueSkyScrubs.com. They have a really sweet selection of scrubs and uniforms, and even some very nice lab coats. I love the colorful ones with polka dots! As an "outsider," and not as one in the medical profession, nice uniforms make it seem like the nurse or technician LIKES their job. Check out the site. These also make nice gifts for the doc or nurse in the family. :D
Here's hoping my yews don't crack from the weight.
Icicles dangling from the eaves. There must be a large heat loss in this area of the house. We always get large icicles right here, every year. The cause must be something up on the second floor, because I gutted and insulated the first floor, and we still get icicles. Ugh.
Notice how gray the sky is, even though the sun was shining.
It looks to be a quiet week, now. I think we beat the snow totals for the month already. :)
I'm hoping we get another nice batch before Christmas. I don't like brown, soggy snow, as it looks ugly.
Here's a link to Upstate New York Snowmobile clubs. Many have websites, or at least a contact number you can call. The list also includes clubs in Canada and Pennsylvania. Snowmobile clubs are great ways to meet new folks, get access to great trails and special discounts.
Some websites that offer maps and other information are:
Adirondack Trail Maps, a new website that looks very promising. The latest post was about the Old Forge Snodeo (rats, we missed it). The site is building more resources- it's one to watch.
This website has a nice laminated map of current snowmobile trails this year. The map is a little pricey-- $20 -- but it's a great resource. A map also makes a great Christmas gift for the snowmobile nut in the family.
Here's a great site to get holiday and some of the best dad bday gifts. Many are travel-related- I love the car charger/coffee warmer gadget! They also have nice leather and cashmere gloves, and a very classy pocket compass. Good gifts.
Of course, there's the DEC's snowmobile page with lots of links to peruse, including a list of forest preserve lands for snowmobiling, and some very good tips on snowmobile safety. REMEMBER to never drink and drive!!! Every year, we have numerous snowmobile fatalities because folks are driving impaired or carelessly. Stay safe.
I created a small work station in my bedroom. It's not the most beautiful of spaces-- no Egyptian cotton Duvet cover on the bed, no nearby mahogany business desk (how I wish!). I just have my laptop on a small cart by the side of the bed. There, I can put up my foot (to relieve the sciatica) and be in a quiet place to write. The cat often joins me, nestling under the covers and snoring in her quiet kitty way. It's peaceful (when the dogs aren't yapping). And some days I even do get articles written!
We're about 1/3 of the way through winter.... I'm not yet ready to emerge from my wintry cocoon. I want it to snow more, I want it to be quiet and cozy for a little while before spring pops up and outdoor activities beckon me. I want to relish the quiet before the frantic gardening and renovating season begins again. Here's hoping for some lake effect soon!
Jim Muller of WinterCampers.com sent me a video, "WinterCampers Celebrate Winter Camping." It's a collection of their 35 camping trip photos ever since the group began in January 1997, set to a rousing rendition of jazz music.
Boy, they look like they have had SUCH fun!!!!
Congratulations, WinterCamping Dudes!
Check out their website for more stories, photos, and some very good camping articles (such as, how to build a fire in the winter). They just may come in handy someday.
Also, please do not drink and drive. Every year, especially in the Old Forge area, we hear news stories of snowmobilers who are killed. It is devastating to read about all the young people's lives wasted. It is a tragedy that can be completely averted. Yeah, I'm preaching but it's important to know this stuff. PLEASE do not drink alcohol and then drive the snowmobile.
So I'm into cars right now. We looked at a '07 Chevy Malibu, but I read that they have power steering problems. I know that every car has SOMETHING, some kind of problem... but I don't want to deal with steering problems.
Hey you car guys-- got any suggestions?? I've heard good things about the Hyundai Sonata... and the Toyota Prius.... but I don't know what else. I'm willing to go with a compact SUV if I have to. But I have four tall teens who need their leg room. So as much as I would love to get a zippy compact car again, I don't think they would tolerate it.
Here's what I'm looking for:
1. Roomy interior
2. Pretty good gas mileage (I only got 19mpg with the minivan on good days, so anything better than that is good!)
3. I don't care about resale value
4. I don't care about amenities like fins or radios or a valet that pops out of the glove box and serves me coffee (that's what I have kids for, lol)
5. No older than 2006.
Got any ideas, recommendations, cars to avoid? I'm all ears!!!! Thanks!
One of my ancestors helped form Howland's Island and the beginnings of the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, way back in the mid 1800s. I have been past the place many times, but have never visited.
The Montezuma Winery is so named because it is right in the same area (Seneca Falls area). The owner, George Martin, used to be a beekeeper of all things, but diversified into wine-making. The wines are unique because they are fruit wines, taking advantage of the abundance of delicious fruits that grow in New York State. I love the Cranberry Bog. I have not tried the others yet. I hope to do so when we visit the winery.
I'm pretty excited! I'm starting off 2011 with a TRIP! Woo hoom what could be next, custom laptops?! On the road again, at last! Stay tuned.
Wouldn't it be great to just WATCH a simple game without the media and sports bookies pressuring us to elevate these players to the level of Zeus and Hera? It's JUST a GAME.
Anyway, rant over. Now back to our regular programming.
NYC Mate This is a great app, perfect for the city traveler. It's a map of the subway routes for Manhattan. It's the same map that you see posted in the subway train stations. I love this app!
Farmshed This is a great app, whether you travel or not. It's a database of farms, farmer's markets, wineries, orchards, buying clubs, u-pick farms, restaurants, and loads more for Upstate New York. WOW.
Trails This is distributed by Demand Studios. It's a beautiful app and PERFECT for the hiker and nature lover. The app will locate trails near you, or you can search all trails in New York State or other regions. You can also rate the trails, get instant local weather, a description of trails, the length and number and average duration of walking the trails, and more. Cheap Gas This app isn't exactly unique to New York; you an use it anywhere. It's a simple app that detects your location and spits out the gas prices where you are. You click the station on the list to get a map of the location. WOW, gas is pricey in New York State!
Yelp OK, everybody probably has Yelp. But I mention them because this is a cool app. I haven't had a lot of travel time to use it, but it's very handy when yu are out of town and want to find a local restaurant or something.
Goby This is a new one that I just downloaded. Goby is an app that finds things to do where you are. First, Goby detects your location. Then you plug what you are interested in (for example, what to do today). The selections are pretty narrow-- you really have to have a good idea of what you want to do (say, historical museums), and Goby will display results of historical museums in your location.
Of course, some apps may be free, some may charge. All the ones that I mention here are free. A few have advertisements and such. I don't care if they do, I can ignore the AT&T ads and diet pills that work ads easily enough, especially if the app is fabulous. :D
However, the apps lists are, for me, a little difficult to locate sometimes. I wish there was one place that listed them all, by categories. The iTunes site doesn't seem to list them all (not that I can find), and the Apps app in the iPhone seems limited. SO it's very hit and miss.
Please leave a comment if you have a terrific gem of an app that you want to share. I am always looking for more!
I'm so happy that the inn is helping to sponsor my stay. I'll be giving them a review on my websites. I hope they get some great visibility from it. You know, I should start printing my own GOPromos promotional items or promotional pens or something. I've considered making a car door magnet, to advertise my travel blog a bit. While I certainly prefer going "incognito" when I travel, sometimes it is very helpful to let the tourist establishment know that I will be blogging about them. Some places are very nice when I inform them of our visit and hand over my business card. They make offer a free hot dog, or a promotional pencil or what have you. Others look at me as if to say, "What's a 'blog'?"
Oh well. I'm finding that more and more businesses are going on Twitter, which is very helpful because I am able to make contacts. I'm really looking forward to my stay in Geneva.
You know, many bed & breakfasts are not much more expensive than the hotel chains. And with the growing problems of bed bugs and other sordid hotel problems, it's much cleaner to stay at a B&B, and many B&B's are more conscious of taking care of the local community, like using green cleaning supplies and promoting local businesses. The B&Bs are also friendlier-- the hosts are very hospitable and really go out of their way to make you feel welcome. You can also discover some local history and local attractions off the beaten path (which is my kind of travel).
I just can't wait to go! I'll have plenty of photos for you. :D
Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girl's Music Lab is a local non-profit music & mentoring center. The camp offers girls ages 8 to 18 the opportunity to learn to play keyboard, drums, and electric guitar! It's a 14-week course, and it starts January 31st. The good news is that this is something any girl can do-- tuition is determined on a "need-based" scale. So it's very affordable. The music classes are suited for all levels of music achievement: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. So even if your young lady is already cooking up riffs on the axe, she can learn new skills and develop her talents.
This is a TERRIFIC opportunity for girls. I wish they had such a camp in my area!
You can learn more at the Willie Mae Music Lab website. The camp will be held at the Co-op School, Clinton Hill, in Brooklyn. The website has the schedule, times, location directions, and registration information. Or you can call 347-599-0716 for more details and to sign up for the camp.
New York State Ski Conditions I don't ski, so I haven't used this app. But this looks like a beautiful app. The maps alone are lovely. With this app, you can instantly check the weather and trail conditions of your favorite ski mountain. A great app for those who like to "ski on the run" so to speak. ;)
NYCWay This app is huge, a virtual encyclopedia of everything New York City. Besides the usual directories for restaurants, theatres, hotels, webcams, and transit, NYCWay also features available restrooms, banks, pharmacies, airports, Broadway shows, karaoke shows, parking, and LOADS more. If you're visiting The Big Apple, definitely grab this app. If you live there, get the app-- you may discovers some fascinating new places!
New Yawk Tawk: The Unofficial New York Dictionary This is a cute app, but let me make one thing VERY CLEAR: There's a whole lotta New Yorkers living UPSTATE, north of the city, too! And we don't talk like this! SO if you get this app to learn New York-ese or are trying to translate the lingo, just remember that it's a New York CITY app. :D
Webcams! There are a number of webcams available for the smartphones. Albany has their 2008 version of Northway traffic cams for I-87, and an updated 2009 version, too. My511NY also has traffic cams- more on that next. Panoramic Images 360 has some nice pictures.
My511NY This is an app from the NYS Department of Transportation. It offers updates of traffic and commute information via your phone (or computer). You have to sign up at the MY511NY website in order to use the app. You have to sign up for the service, and give out your name, email, and cell phone number. I don't like that, why can't they just offer the traffic information for a route you select? But the app is not available until you sign up. It's a very useful app especially for cities, but the gathering of personal information puts a damper on the fun. Also, I snickered a little that NYS would come up with a cell phone app when they are such sticklers about using your phone while you drive. Ha!
I'll keep my eyes peeled for more good apps. If you know of any, please leave a comment!
Octopus Hotel hosts TripAdvisor reviews, too. They recommend that, after staying at your hotel, you add to the reviews so the good hotels stand out (and the bad ones are avoided). All very consumer-friendly, I like it.
So if you are planning on taking a REAL break this spring break (or any time), take a peek at what Octopus Travel has to offer. I'm very impressed!
Note: Please be aware that while I am compensated for reviewing this website, all opinions are completely mine and are truthful to the best of my ability. Thanks for reading!
Doesn't he look so cute with his bright orange hoodie? :D :D I love that thing. It practically glows in the dark!
It's a lot of snow, to be sure, especially a lot of snow that has fallen in such scanty increments. Lots of people here are eager for spring, but I'm not. Spring to me means mud and flooding. My property sits at the bottom of two perpendicular hills. While the flooding isn't as severe as the summer of 2006 and 2007, I think I have a phobia now. :(
ANYWAY. I'm looking forward to summer-- bone dry yards! Sunshine! Sitting under the ceiling fans and working on the laptop! And here's hoping the humidity is low this year. :D
1. Choose a private holiday accommodation. Skip the expensive and isolated hotels, and opt for a nice bed & breakfast or a luxurious holiday rental unit instead. Many rental homes are very affordable, clean, and are private. These are private properties that are available for travelers-- and they usually have better and more amenities (and are cleaner). SO instead of forking out the big bucks for the expensive chain hotel room, take a peek at rentals in Beverly Hills for a more enjoyable stay.
2. Research using the Internet. Many cities offer free online guides, travel packages, and other resources on the Internet. You can contact a travel agency for information, or go to your local library and take a peek at some of the travel almanacs on the shelves. Reputable websites, such as Travel & Leisure, have some great articles on destinations, including this slick page about Los Angeles travel.
3. Pre-plan your itinerary, but leave time and money for impulsive moments. I find I waste less time and money when I have a scheduled, pre-set travel plan, but I know that I am rather impulsive when it comes to new places. So I try to insert a couple of hours for what I call "travel exploration." This may be visiting a museum that I had not previously known about, or strolling through a bazaar, or even stopping to see kids competing on roller blades at some LA skating park. :)
4. Mingle with the locals. I love to do this. I like to really get a feel for the surroundings. You can skip the national-chain restaurants and select a local restaurant, or visit a park, or just take a walk. I think one of the best parts of travel is learning more about the area one travels! I don't like to be isolated in the Big Travel Chain Stores bubble. Live a little. ;)
Hopefully, these tips help you make the most out of any vacation! Save the money, go local, and enjoy the ride. :)
"Mess" bags is my little private term for messenger bags. I LOVE THEM! I have a couple of them, different sizes and uses for all my travel stuff. I have a "handheld" kind of mess bag, for my hefty DSLR camera and lens and accessories. I have a neoprene one for my 7" netbook. I have a few 17" messenger bags (well, I gave them to my daughters when they got their laptops), and I got a very nice Mobile Edge 15" for my laptop and for general puttering around. The Mobile Edge is my favorite messenger bag right now. :D It even has reflective strips on the side- how cool is that?!
OK OK I know messenger bags are supposed to be for toting laptops and netbooks. And I do, but rarely. I used them like a mini-backpack. I dislike backpacks because they put such strain on the shoulders and back-- messenger bags can be slung on the shoulder, and I like that. They are too large for a purse, though-- so I only use my mess bags when I travel and for carting my Bible and other stuff to church. It's very handy.
Do you have a favorite travel accessory, something you just couldn't be without?
Compass Free Surprisingly, there are not a whole lot of compass apps on iTunes. Maybe calibration is too difficult? Compass Free is the best I've found, as it doesn't use digital technology to determine north, it uses the sun. Basically, Compass Free is, I think, a sundial compass-- you position the iPhone horizontal to the sun, and position your finger on the image of the compass. The shadow cast by the sun gives you your position.
WildLab Bird This is one of my favorite apps. It's the largest free version of a field guide to birds available on iTunes, currently. You search by bioregion: coastal, woodland, wetland or grassland. Then you search by type of bird (thrush-like, swallow-like, etc). THEN you search by type of bird. I wish it was possible to search the entire index, but oh well. Every listing has a beautiful picture, information about the bird, and in most cases, an audio clip of the bird call (recorded by Cornell University). There's even a section on the app where you can notate your own sightings of the birds, take photos, and more. I love the app!
SAS Survival Guide This app is based on the survival book by John "Lofty" Wiseman. There's a free version and an app that costs $6.99. I have the free version. It's very limited-- you can see in the photo that the full version has a lot of resources; the free app contains only "Essentials." Still, the free version is not bad at all, as it contains a few chapters on how to find water, planning for the unexpected, what's in a standard survival tin, forecasting weather, signaling, and several case studies stories. Probably the only thing missing is how to eat leather boots and dealing with breakdown service! I think it's a very informative app.
WikiHow Emergency Survival Kit I think this is a "must have" for every traveler. It's free. The app lists everything you need to help yourself or other in an emergency or hazardous situation, from the Heimlich maneuver for babies to animal attacks to self defense and vehicle emergencies. It even has a tutorial on how to control a spooked camel! Has instructions and photos. HIGHLY recommended. Especially if you plan on riding a camel.
EveryTrail The free version is extremely limited. The pro version costs $3.99. I am checking out the free version, but so far, I LOVE it and will probably buy the pro version. This kind of app is so perfect for a travel blogger. The EveryTrail video explains how this amazing app works. I'm very impressed! Here's the main EveryTrail website.
Critter Trax This app costs $1.99. If it was free, I'd probably get it, but I'm not interested enough in tracking critters to buy it. However, you may like it if you like critters. It's got pretty good ratings at the site, and looks like it's very well organized with good images. If you have it, leave me a comment about how it performs.
Audobon Nature apps iTunes has a ton of Audubon nature apps. The two that appealed to me are the Audubon Trees- A Field Guide to North American Trees for $9.99, and Audubon Guides - A Field Guide to Birds, Mammals, Wildflowers, and Trees $29.99. $30 for an app is rather steep, but I'll bet it's gorgeous and very resourceful. When I travel, I like to know about the trees and plants of the region. I probably wouldn't spend $10 or $30 on an app (I'd get a book, instead), but these may be useful to you.
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