Fairs and Festivals

Summer is beginning to give way to cooler days and chilly evenings. Taking the road north from Millsburg leads to the classic Dutchess County Fair. This year our friends and neighbors F and C decided to take a ride up the NYS Thruway to enjoy the amazing selection of fair food.

This fair has more edible options than most. Collectively we ate Roasted Corn on the Cob, Polish Perogi, Philly Cheesesteak, Calzone, Hot Dogs, French Fries, Clam Rolls,Ice Cream, Fried Dough, and Lemon Aid.

We barley scratched the surface of possibilities like Bacon Corn Dogs, Sausage and Peppers, Blooming Onions, Gyros, Donuts, Fried Pickles, Burritos, BBQ Ribs, Fish and Chips, and Cotton Candy.



We prodded the cows, petted the goats, ruffled the chickens, encouraged the dock dogs and pondered the pigs.

The old fashioned 'hit or miss' engines were chugging and popping as they crushed rocks, sawed logs, shucked corn, ground oats and pumped water from the well.

By contrast we also went to the twenty-fifth annual Otisville Country Fair.

Growing larger each year this fair hosts rides for the kids, vendors selling a variety of  new and not so new items and of course more fair food.

As the early evening turned to darkness we unfurled the lawn chairs and set up to enjoy the fireworks.

A single rocket burst above our heads followed a few minutes later by a second one. Anticipation grew as folks filled the baseball field to see the show.

At around nine o'clock the local firemen hopped into the standby fire truck and took off to attend some emergency. We waited. We finally left having seen only the two single rockets. Better luck next year.

A Day Trip from Millsburg

August in Millsburg is feeling like early fall with cool days and chilly nights.

Perfect for getting out and seeing some local sights.

On the fourty-fourth anniversary of Woodstock the Mini rolled out to Bethel for visit the site of the 1969 concert.

The  old hippies are gathered around Hectors and will no doubt enjoy a few stories and some music over the weekend.

The Catskill Mountains near Treadwell, NY was the destination for an overnight stay with LKD's sister K.

K & D hosted, we hung out on the deck and took in the awesome view.   K & D have been building trails around the top of their mountain. We enjoyed a walk in the woods.

An afternoon in Oneonta checking out a couple of farm stands and wondering why there were so many vacant storefronts in an otherwise classic downtown.  There was a day when some of these buildings dispensed cheap beers to the college crowd. The drinking age was changed at some point in the eighties and Walmart opened a shop on the edge of town.





There is a nine hole course in Roscoe.

LKD was the lucky winner of a gift certificate for a free round so on the way back from our visit with K&D we played. There are some interesting holes that go up the side of the mountain and back down from elevated tees to the small greens down below.


Feeling hungry we had lunch at the Roscoe Diner before heading back to Millsburg.

Later this week we plan on visiting a couple of country fairs. The Dutchess County Fair and the Otisville Country Fair are both happening this week.

 

 

 

 

A day at the beach

The road trip to Tennessee and North Carolina included a relaxing day at the beach near Nags Head. It has been quite a few years since our last visit and we were not disappointed. The weather was perfect.

After a day enjoying the dunes and surf we ventured to Bodie Lighthouse. This is a national park area and the light house has just recently opened again after a four year restoration.

On the way out of town there was an unusual early sixties Corvair. Had to take a pic to share.





Apparently the weather back in Millsburg included some rainy days. The plants on the deck are enjoying the unusual cool August weather.

All in all, Tennessee is a nice place to visit and the North Carolina barrier islands could not be more relaxing and laid back. We look forward to another summer visit where we can spend a few days checking out more of the beaches and souvenir shops.

 

 

 

The Giant Millsburg Mushroom

In golf the rules permit vegetation that is dead and lying on the ground be removed.

Today while practicing chip shots in front of the Millsburg house a giant mushroom has stymied my next attempt to advance the ball.

This mound of fungus has sprouted and grown pretty large in just three or four days.

The mushroom has taken root in the middle of the lawn, in bright sunlight!


Check back again soon to see if the Giant Mushroom takes over Millsburg.

Oldest Town in the Forgotten State of Franklin

Eastbound and headed for the Smokey Mountains we left Nashville on a bright summer morning. Interstate Forty runs back up onto the Cumberland plateau.

Cookeville, home of the pink elephant has a small  district of shops. Antiques, coffee and ice cream shops exist in the original footprint of the town. The Tennessee Central Railroad ceased passenger operations through the town. The Cookeville train station is now a restored museum complete with one of the old locomotives and a couple of passenger cars.

Jonesborough, the Storytelling Capital is the oldest town in the state of Tennessee.  On this early summer evening preparations were underway for the weekly Music in the Square.

Having driven over from Nashville the timing was perfect to take a stroll down a wooded path that lead from the hotel to the town square. Twenty five miles from the Interstate highway this little town is not yet 'built out' and flanked by every big box retailer known to man. There seems to be a practical amount of new commercial development on the edges of town.

The downtown streets are un-molested and appear to have been frozen in time.

There is nothing in the downtown area that doesn't seem to belong there. The town square was closed off to cars. The main street in front of the Cumberland County Courthouse was radiating with folks riding folding chairs of every description.

After the first couple of songs the four piece ensemble reluctantly paused. Event coordinator 'Jim' took the stage and welcomed the crowd. Kids were gyrating with the municipal hula-hoops. Ice cream cones and hot dogs were being hoovered as 'Jim' cordially invited the crowd to enjoy the show. Support the musicians, and have a great evening.

'Jim' reminded the enthusiastic crowd that the band will play until nine o'clock. When the music is over he told everyone that "You don't have to go home after the music, but you can't stay here!" 
Sure enough, the sidewalks were empty by nine-fifteen and the street was asleep.

In the bright sunshine of the morning the town square transformed into a farmer's market. This walk about led us to the only venue to purchase a frosty beverage. There is a tucked away craft brew house just a mile of so out of town.




















As we prepared to leave the mountains in our rear view mirror a voice from the King of the Wild Frontier was heard in the hollows and hills just south of Jonesborough. Sure enough the Davie Crockett birthplace is sitting next to a creek, now a state park.

The drive to Nags Head is a scenic adventure on good state highways over the Smokey Mountains and out across the low land of eastern North Carolina. The drive took most of the day and we arrived in time to check out the beach and have early bird special at a local bay front restaurant.

 

 

Nashville to Nags Head

After a full day drive to Troutville we had time to catch the last tour of the day at Grand Cavern. Owned by the town, the caverns are surrounded by a parkland. This park hosts a labor day blue grass festival each summer. For twenty bucks plus admission to the music event, one can pitch a tent and stay in the park for the duration.

While in the park LKD enjoyed a dinosaur ride as we waited for the cave tour to begin.

On day two of our road trip we rolled across the Cumberland plateau west to Nashville. On the way we stopped in Crossville. A small town nested among the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. After a stop to witness Foam Hendge  and a drive around the downtown area we were soon back on the highway.



We checked into our Nashville hotel and then spent the evening checking out the downtown sights.



The Hard Rock Café is one of only a couple of 'big box' establishments. On Second Avenue there are several independent venues that run the range of a few patrons to those with floor full of line dancing country kickers.







The next morning we returned to the 'District'. LKD enjoyed the Country Music Hall of Fame museum. This tour was followed by a stroll on Broadway and some lunch at Jack's BBQ on Broadway.

Jack's BBQ is the 'real deal' and the line stretched out the door and onto the street. One hundred percent worth the twenty minute wait. Once we had our plates there was plenty of tables, paper towels and a variety of BBQ sauces.

Jack's seems to have a line no matter the time of day. We happen to hit a day where a Shaklee convention was just getting underway at the convention center.

Sort of an interesting contrast to be eating piles of pig parts surrounded by Shaklee conventioneers with their service pins and award ribbons displayed like peacock feathers around their name badges.

 
 

Nashville is worth a visit. The Broadway street scene in more genuine, less commercial than Memphis on Beale street. Several notches lower on the "party in the street " meter than Bourbon Street.

The street attracts families in the afternoon and early evening hours as the honky-tonks emit ballads about pick up trucks, pontoon boats, beer, broken hearts and dusty trails.




From Nashville east towards Nags Head. Check back soon for an update from the land of sand and sun.

From Millsburg to Nashville

Posting notes from the road, using the iPad is entirely possible. There was intent to update the blog during the last week but there are many distractions along the way. Last week LKD and I headed out for Nashville TN. We drove to Troutville, VA on the first day and made it to Nashville on day two.



On the way we stopped for some roadside attractions at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. In a little town called Crossville we visited Foamhenge. .

Crossville is also on the path of the 400 mile long garage sale. Folks had set up trailers, tents, tables all along the highway and were busy selling an amazing assortment of 'stuff'. Apparently this world's longest garage sale lasts for a week and traverses several states.

We arrived in Nashville and spend the evening checking out the various honky-tonks on Broadway. More about the sights and scenes from Nashville on another post.

Back in Millsburg the rain was relentless all last night and into the early morning hours. When the morning light reveled that there was water, water everywhere! Here are some pics of the rising waters outside the front door of the house in Millsburg.