Ti to T.I. or...

How much can we do in 48 hours? Sometimes spur of the moment trips can turn out better than plans made long in advance. This year we decided to "play it by ear" or at least wait for good weather to head to the Thousand Islands and St. Lawrence River. The Antique Boat Museum in Clayton had a week long 50th anniversary celebration, so we knew we would be able to see some activity while we were there. We ended up going in the middle of the week with no motel reservations, but found that our favorite motel (Otter Creek) not only had room for us, but also had space for our 17ft. skiff at the dock, and our boat trailer out front.

We knew it would take longer to get to Alexandria Bay, since we had to go over the mountains to get there. Amazingly, the roads were in the best shape of any we have been on in all of the Northeast, so it still only took a bit over 4 1/2 hours, and it was fun going through all the small towns. When we arrived, we were so excited to be back, we launched the Sea Fox and took a tour for the rest of the afternoon. In about an hour we managed to see two freighters and a tug with a barge! *Note to self: Once again, don't forget your camera! Oh well, we knew there would be more later, and sure enough, there was when we were kayaking.

 

That one was almost too close when we headed across the channel towards the lighthouse and then Boldt Castle.

 We paddled like crazy against the current to get to the other side and the lee of the power house.

Some of Boldt Castle is under construction at the moment.

During that kayak trip we also saw this family heading to shore from whatever island they live it.

What a way to travel!

Alex Bay remains the same from when I was there as a kid with my family. Walking the main street is a "blast from the past" with tourist shops galore. Some of the tour boats are stuck in time too (like the one on the right).

The next day was our one full day in the area and it was jammed packed with activity and fun...some of which was unexpected. So the posts don't become too long, I'll feature that day's adventures all on its own. Check back soon!

Lot Full

That's the sign that greeted any latecomers to the monthly Guptill's car show. There was lots of pent up demand and enthusiasm that night because the last two shows were rainy. Monday night could not have been nicer, but unfortunately a bit too hot for us to take the '39 Plymouth out in rush hour traffic. There were so many vehicles in the parking lot and field, that they had to open up some of the spectator parking for show cars as an overflow area. There was definitely a record setting attendance, with both cars and spectators. 

Here's a very small sampling of what we saw:

Fabulous flames and ghost skulls.

An early 50's Lead Sled ragtop complete with lake pipes.

The only rat rod that we saw there.

Here's a beautifully restored oddity...a 1950 Singer from England.

A French Citroen ambulance, complete with stretcher in the back.

This is an air cooled 1923 Franklin with spoke wheels.

Gotta love the fins on this 1958 DeSoto.

More exotic fins on this 1959 Chevy Impala bubble top.

A beautiful combination of a VW transporter and a three wheel Messerschmitt.

Messerschmitt made aircraft, hence the pilot's canopy.

This is an unrestored Auburn two door sedan with wood spoke wheels.

An air ride 1950 Nash Ambassador sitting on the ground. It had all Corvette running gear and engine.

"The Last Ride" This C-cab T-bucket was styled like a hearse.

This 1960 Cadillac Deville was one year different than the one my family went to California in when we we kids. My brother liked to sleep on the tray in the back window!  

This is the pneumatic system for the suspension on the Nash.

This old school T-bucket was powered by a Y-block Ford V-8.

Under the left taillight is how you fill this early 50's Caddy.

A 1939 art deco inspired Ford Coupe

My favorite of the show and pretty in blue and pink...everywhere. 

There was so much to see, it was hard to take it all in. Hopefully in September our '39 will be part of the show.

Sashaying Lake George

We took Dave's high school friend Joe and his family out in Sashay last weekend. It was a perfect day to meander around and take a swim off the Waltonian Islands near Hague.

Joe and Holly and their family are staying at a camp that we have been familiar with for many years. It has a gorgeous old boathouse that we have always admired.

 What a perfect opportunity to go inside of it when we picked up our guests. It was almost made for Sashay!

It was great sharing this beautiful day with reacquainted and new found friends!  

Stuck...

But not for long (I hope!). We are prisoners in the Ticonderoga house for a few hours while they pave our road. This project has needed to be done for many years, and when we woke to lots of street activity and big trucks lining up, we were ecstatic...except for not being able to go boating, of course.

I talked to one of the truck drivers waiting in line and he said that the blacktop has to come all the way from Hudson Falls and Chestertown, and they have to make multiple trips during the day. I believe he said the trucks each carry 13 tons of material.

The side of the new road has a swale so the rainwater is diverted to the storm sewers and not down into everyone's yards and driveways.This has been a constant problem in the area too.

We have been promised that we will be able to get out of our driveway this afternoon, which is good because we are headed home and then out to the monthly Guptill's car show. There should be a record amount of vehicles there because the past two shows had rain. I'll post photos of that, along with photos of a Sashay outing on Lake George, and our Thousand Island getaway, so stay tuned for more blog posts!

Bicycle-mania

Dave, John, and Walt went to a vintage bicycle show and swap meet this past weekend at Howe Caverns. They took several of our bikes to put in the show.

 There were hundreds of bicycles there...vintage, classics, antiques, barn fresh, original condition, and restored. Here are just a few photos of  what the guys saw:

 

 

 

To top off the day, a reporter from the Schoharie weekly newspaper interviewed Dave. He will be in the article about the event, which comes out in about a week! Unfortunately it's not available online, but I will try and get a copy and scan it in for all to see.