I Love New York Travel

Once upon a time, there was a little village in Upstate New York. This village didn’t get as much snow as other Upstate New York communities usually did, as this village was at a lower altitude and surrounded by mountains and hills that protected it from getting clobbered every winter. Still, the village did get snow, enough to make the residents happy every year. They laughed, they played, they shoveled, they sledded, they threw snowballs, they contented themselves with indoor activities like reading and blogging and cd duplication services. Yes, winter was a happy time when life slowed down a little bit (and so did the traffic).

But one year, winter didn’t show up. Oh, the residents got ONE “snowstorm” that year. It looked like this:

But it was a pitiful excuse for a snowstorm. Gee, a whopping 3 inches. And two days later, a balmy rainstorm washed it all away.

Photo taken last year from the King’s Garden at Fort Ticonderoga. It’s a nice break from the dull, gray and brown, rainy January outside my window.

The weather dudes just informed us that Lake Ontario is experiencing warmer than average temperatures. Lake Ontario fuels most of the the heavy “lake effect” snow that clobbers Upstate New York every winter. When cold air from Canada hit the warm water of Ontario, a roiling stew of snow develops. Some communities close to the lake and others inland but sitting along the wind currents get hit with tons of snow. Some towns get upwards of 10 feet in one storm. That’s a good storm. I am used to this kind of weather, so anything less than a foot of snow in a day is not really a storm to me. I know, some of you folks would be so freaked out if 5 or 10 feet of snow dropped on you, that you’d have to enter a residential rehab treatment facility! But I love the snow, especially the storms. Everything shuts down, no busy traffic.. it’s so beautiful and peaceful.

But today we have gray and brown. Hardly any snow at all this year. Although, with Ontario so warm… any cold current could change things very quickly. And we still have 2.5 months of winter left…

Photo taken from the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. There was a trolley we could explore. It was stationary, but it made for a cool photo shot.

Sorry I haven’t updated in a while. I’ve been creating and submitting resumes and writing samples like a crazy person! It took me three to four days to get everything complete, whew. Finding more freelance jobs is just as much hard work as doing them! I’ve gotten a few assignments from some independent contractors, which is very nice. So far, I’ve done stuff on designer eyeglasses and Argan Shampoo, and hope more roll in.

I went over my debts today, listing everything in a cool new app that helps you pay off debt, using the snowball system. If everything remains status quo, I’ll be out of debt in about 2 years. That’s a long time to be paying for a kitchen and a car…. I’m praying I can get it paid off in one year or so, Lord willing!

Anyway, I am more hopeful than I was last month. God is my provider and He’ll help me. I need to tow the line and do everything I know to do. Onward!

Oh I wish my living room or dining room looked like that. Oh, the housewarming gift ideas I’d have!

That’s the Clinton Dining Room at the Fraunces Tavern. I like the architecture, the simple decor, the incredible elegance.

*sigh*

I wrote about our summer visit to the Fraunces Tavern at my travel blog. I finally got around to it, five months later!! I am so bad, I know.

Anyway, from time to time I like to find photos of old houses. They are just so lovely. I was recently perusing a real estate site where they listed dozens of houses from 1890 to 1980. My, what a difference, what a horrid difference. I don’t know exactly what makes newer houses so horribly ugly and old homes so exquisitely beautiful. I don’t care if the modern home has insulation and new argon gas-filled windows and a thermal door. They are UGLY. Why can’t they make energy-efficient, beautiful houses today?

I guess I made up my mind that I will probably never own a new home– not an ugly new home, anyway. I’d rather endure drafts and be surrounded by such beauty.

I took this photo in July when we visited the city. It’s Ground Zero which is rapidly become Ground One or Ground Two. LOTS of construction in the area. Boy, the place was buzzing. People and construction workers and heavy equipment were everywhere. Typical New York!

I really haven’t researched this at all. I have no idea when the project is slated for completion or even what it will entail when it’s done. What are they going to do with it? Make it into more office buildings? Housing for seniors? I wonder…..

I plan on going back down to the city a few times next year, Lord willing. I’ll post an updated photo and we’ll see how progress has been.