Stewball

Another day of rain. We picked Rick up and went to lunch at the Log Jam. Their salad bar is good and then we stopped to do some grocery shopping.

In the evening we drove to Saratoga and had a terrific dinner at the harness race track. They served a prime rib and seafood buffet. We had a nice table at the window and placed bets on a few races. Not one win!

Under the Boardwalk

Rick drove up today for a visit and arrived in time to accompany us on the wagon ride. Afterwards we went down to Lake George Village and had dinner outside on the deck of a place called The Boardwalk. We had a great view of the fireworks and they were exactly the same as last week which is quite good. It was fun to wind down and enjoy catching up on news.

Home on the Range

Wednesday started off as a perfect summer day and the thunderstorms didn't start until 3:00pm. In the morning I walked to the boat docks and paddled a kayak up to the bridge and back. So many colorful birds and leafy trees. Then I continued my walk around the perimeter of the campground. It feels good to get some exercise. I do lots of standing and sitting while working, but not much aerobic exercise other than pulling canoes in and out of the water.

The theme this week is Western and there's a huge banner proclaiming "Yeee Haw" at the front entrance. Tonight Jeff and I did the campfire sing-a-long in a dry rec room. It was a good group and we wore cowboy/girl hats and bandanas to set the mood.

Isn't it Romantic?

A beautiful sunny day and I drove the shuttle this morning making three trips to Great Escape - Six Flags Theme Park. A perfect day to enjoy the rides. In the afternoon I rented the pedal carts and supervised the adult swim time in our large swimming pool.

Jeff and I are off by six and decided to go out to dinner. We drove south a few exits on the Northway to South Glens Falls. We ate at Massie's, an authentic Italian eatery with great food. They start you off with delicious garlic toast and regular bread with butter and chicken liver pate. This comes with a crispy relish tray with really good olives. The first course was a small garden salad followed by a big bowl of delicious chicken vegetable soup. I had my soup wrapped to take home as I was already full by this time. My main course was stuffed eggplant parmesan with lots of ricotta cheese inside thin layers of eggplant covered with mozzarella and tomato sauce. This came with a side of spaghetti. Jeff opted for home made spaghetti with two large pork chops covered in tomato sauce. We'll definitely go back as this reminded me of Italian places in Chambersburg where my family ate when I was growing up.

On the ride home we stopped at Cooper's Cave on the Hudson River between the Village of South Glens Falls and the City of Glens Falls. This is the cave and waterfalls that inspired James Fenimore Cooper when writing The Last of the Mohicans. Cooper explored the "dark and silent caves" in 1825 while visitng the Adirondacks. Today there is a viewing platform with good signage explaining the area. Unfortunately this dammed section of the river is entirely surrounded by industrial plants using the water for power. It was really depressing to stand amidst the buildings and smokestacks and imagine how pristine it must have been.

Drill Ye Tarriers

Nothing new - just keeping up to date. Brian left Saturday morning and we worked all day and night. I drove the shuttle back and forth into town until 9:45 at night. Sunday worked at boats and did laundry in the morning. Today I worked at boats in the morning and rented pedal carts in the afternoon along with the water slide.

The weather has improved with warm, sunny days and only occasional storms.

Blog Revenge

So we had all our pictures in Picasa and Judy asked me if I wanted to use any of them for the blog. There was one I wanted to use, but she said she was using it. When I looked through the unused pictures there were none that I felt conveyed any messages I wanted to send. So here is my revenge, Judy. This picture never would have been posted if you had shared!

On to other things. It was terrific to see Brian, but I was sick the whole time. We are a family that shares, and Judy shared her cold with me. I hope I didn't share with Brian, but he was coughing when he left here.

I am OK now - just getting over a cold - but I was really sick a couple of days ago. I missed 2 days of work and was basically flat on my back. It is some kind of throat/upper respiratory bug that has swept through the staff here. I was hit harder than most. I am now 10 days into it. Others say it has about a 14-day cycle, and that jibes with my experience. Anyway I am back, more or less, to normal.

There's still more rain and cool weather. We have hit 80 only 4-5 days all season. When the sun comes out people run to take advantage. About 6 weeks ago our boss asked us if we would mind working yesterday. When we committed we could not have figured on Brian's being here, but it worked out OK.

Judy and I are usually off Friday and Saturday, so this was our first experience working a full Saturday. The weather was nice. The campground was about full, and it was a zoo! I worked all day (and half the night) in the Honey Bear store. We rented more pedal carts than you can imagine. The boats and the gem mine were busy. The tubing was nuts. We sent about 200 people floating down the river. The lines for the wagon ride at night just kept getting longer and longer. And people were having a great time. They didn't stop playing volleyball, shuffleboard, and horseshoes until it was too dark to see.

We are still really enjoying our experience here. The guests are great, and the jobs are (for the most part) interesting. As I have often said, "It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it."

We got exciting news Friday. The minimum wage rose to $7.25/hour. Now I can afford that new Ferrari I've been eying!

That's Amore (S'more)

Friday night dinner at The Boathouse. I've been wanting to eat here for a while, but the food and service were disappointing. The structure is over 130 years old and was the original boathouse at the estate of Adolph Ochs, the founder of the NY Times. The view of Lake George was spectacular and lots of the diners came by boat to the restaurant. I am wearing a scarf from Cambodia that Brian gave me as a gift.

After we ate we stopped by the bonfire and s'mores at the campground. Jeff and Brian met with one of our mascots - Toasty, and I enjoyed a s'more.

Yellow Submarine

Friday morning Brian joined me on a kayak trip. We paddled up the river and some of my favorite ducks swam along with us. I showed Brian the cove with the lily pads and then we enjoyed floating downstream and back to the launch area.

After a quick shower we grabbed Jeff and drove to WalMart as both guys needed some toiletries and other things. We had lunch at Five Guys which is a burger and fries place that Brian likes and they don't have in Japan.

Back to the campground where we relaxed all afternoon.

My Guy

Brian arrived on Tuesday and we are so excited to see him. It's been over a year and I really missed him. After some time getting used to the campground and swatting at the annoying mosquitoes we settled in. On Wednesday we are off most of the day, but Jeff has caught my cold and is suffering and sleeping. B and I spent some time spending money at the outlet stores where Brian was able to buy shoes and some clothing. I was flying solo for the nighttime sing-a-long and luckily Brian came and helped me. We had fun singing B-I-N-G-O and other songs with the kids. Brian is using Jeff's bicycle and after some curious routing has found his way around the site.

On Thursday I had a full schedule and Jeff had recovered enough to drive the tractor for the wagon ride. This week is a fiesta theme and Jeff and another employee, Chuck, are wearing large sombreros to get in the mood. Brian joined me in the "escort" golf cart. We follow the wagon around and make sure no one jumps on or off at inappropriate times. The kids all vie to ride on the cart and many more follow on their bicycles. Brian was lucky enough to ride in the front seat with me and we had a good time. Just pretend you don't see the huge inflated lizard on the roof.

A Bicycle Built For Two

Sunday morning and that's my laundry morning. I'm still sick with a terrible head cold with sniffles and sore throat. My shift starts at 1 pm renting boats and as I start towards my bicycle I see that my reptile friend is back on the wood pile. I just can't make myself walk past him to get my bike and finally I asked my next door neighbors to come stand guard. They are a sweet couple and not afraid of snakes so they walked right up to him and chased him away. I asked them to put the newspapers in the fire ring and swore them to secrecy. I prefer to embarass myself by telling the story. Anyway I got some better photos of this garter snake.

Later down at boats I saw the dog, Juliet, ride by with her Dad on a bicycle. I had to take another picture of her in a doggie, chest carrier. She was wearing a cute dress with a lace collar. Too much!

SSSSSSSSSSS

Actually woke up to a sunny day and it remained beautiful all day. Jeff and I both have colds and spent the day relaxing. Tonight I decided to make a fire after dinner. I put some kindling in the fire pit and then selected a log from the pile. When I lifted it up there was a snake coiled up asleep. It stayed there a while and then disappeared. Icky - I hate snakes.

A Horse With No Name

 

 

 

 

This black horse and his team won the competition. He was an outstanding horse and he knew it. It started raining again and we tried to stay dry. Lots of fun. We had dinner at a Red Lobster and then a quiet evening.

Old MacDonald Had A Farm

 

 

 

 

Friday afternoon and we set off for the Saratoga County Fair. It's about a half hour ride and way out in the boondocks. All the parking lots were full so we paid $5.00 to park on some guy's lawn. As we walked in we saw lots of 4H exhibits and I went into the archery range and did pretty well shooting all my arrows into the target. We enjoyed seeing lots of animals and then watched some horse competitions. They had teams of four and then three pulling wagons. It wasn't a race, judging was on presentation.

Just like Romeo and Juliet

This canine guest is Juliet and yes, she is wearing a bathing suit and has a pink mani/pedicure. Dogs are very popular here and many campers have several dogs with them. Juliet is one of the few who I've seen wear clothing more than a bandana. I saw her one day in a pink skirt with pink sneakers on her hind feet. Her "Mom" was pushing a doggie stroller in case she got tired of walking. Juliet's Dad told me that he purchased a four drawer dresser at Ikea to hold her wardrobe. Can you believe it?

Happy Birthday Honey Bear

It's Friday and the sun is shining this morning. I take the opportunity to take out a kayak and paddle up the river. Some cute ducks are sunning themselves. I also had a great blue heron fly directly over my head. It is so serene and beautiful out there alone on the river. I went up past the bridge and paddled around a cove that was full of lily pads with bright yellow flowers.

After I returned Jeff and I went to Honey Bear's birthday party. Each week we have a theme and this week our mascot Honey Bear is celebrating her birthday. For the employees there was a terrific luncheon with pizza and birthday cake. We had drawings for prizes, although Jeff and I didn't win we enjoyed the party.

Baby Love

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A quiet week at camp with lots more rain. I enjoy working at boats and the baby geese and ducks are almost full grown now.

Come Sing With Us

We finally got a chance to have our Wednesday night campfire outside. It was a beautiful evening for a campfire.

We had some special guests tonight. There is a group of 40-some teenagers from two camps (1-boy's and 1-girl's) that are camping here this week. While here they are taking advantage of some of the activities available in this area.

Tonight most of them came to our campfire. I thought they were pretty well behaved. Judy was not quite so sure. I figure that anytime 40-some-odd 14-16 year-olds sit around without tearing the place apart (or having sex in the middle of the crowd) they are doing pretty well. About a dozen other guests joined us as well.

The camp counsellors did a great job keeping them under control. They also led us all in a couple of songs that the campers knew, and a great time was had by all.

There were enough people that we were able to do some songs in parts. The top picture shows me working with the groups for a rousing version of George Washington Bridge.

In addition to the singing Judy read a scary story, and I told a long shaggy-dog story. It is one of our favorite activities of the week.

Rolling on a River

Finally some sunshine and JoAnn and Harlan joined us for the breakfast buffet at the campground grill. This is the best deal around - for $1.99 you can eat all you want of eggs, sausage, potatoes, breads, coffee and juice. A very popular place! Afterwards we walked around the grounds and rode up the river on electric boats. These two seaters have a 4 horsepower electric motor and you glide slowly enjoying the scenery.

Later we relaxed in our screened porch and talked away the afternoon. Jo and Harlan decided to return to their hotel for a nap and that was the last we saw of them. Suddenly the skies opened and it rained heavily for hours. None of us wanted to venture out so Jeff and I stayed put for the evening. It finally stopped only to have another storm around midnight. The thunder and lightning was so scary that Ziggy got into bed between us and didn't move until we woke in the morning.

We Are Family

We have company! Our cousins JoAnn and Harlan drove up to spend the weekend with us and here we are posing at Lake George. We had dinner together at a favorite restaurant and then took a stroll around Lake George Village. We'll spend tomorrow together and hope for some sunshine.

She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain

Last night was our turn on the wagon shuttle and we went around the campground four times. Jeff drove the first two and I did the second set. I got to do the Twist and sing along to Satisfaction and I Wanna Hold Your Hand. It's a tough job, but someone lucky gets to do it. The 1949 Ford tractor is easy with your left foot on the clutch and the right for braking. Once it's in gear you just steer and dance. When you're not driving you are the escort and follow behind in a golf cart with a slew of bicycles following.

It was sunny yesterday and I had bounce time in the morning and the water slide in the afternoon. As I've said before, these plastic wonders are like magnets. The kids love to jump and tire themselves out. The water slide is ice cold water from a hose, but that doesn't stop the little ones from discovering new ways of propelling themselves down the slippery slopes.

And the Beat Goes On

Last night it was Thursday - our night to drive the tractor. Part of our shtick here is that we play loud music and we all act silly. We wave at the guests as we drive by and (some of us) sing along. We normally play oldies, but during the theme weekends (Mardi Gras, Luau, Celebrate America, etc.) we play appropriate music. This week the theme is Winter Wonderland, and I am sure the wagon will be rocking with Jingle Bells and more.

As drivers it is our job to keep the action going, so here I am clapping along with the music and getting the guests in the mood. Yes, I was driving with no hands. We also sometimes stand up and dance. It may not always be a pretty sight - but we do have pretty sites here. :)

Once again - it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

Stormy

Woke up to a beautiful day and decided to take out a kayak. I really enjoy the scenery of the river and the solitude. I was only out a few minutes when it began to drizzle and I hid out under some trees along the riverbank and hoped that a snake wouldn't crawl out of the bushes and into my kayak. Soon it stopped raining and I started out again only to encounter another storm as I neared the bridge. Again I stayed under some trees, but soon I was soaked and decided to head back. Good thing since it began to thunder and lightning and I would have been terrified on the river. I was drenched by the time I got back to the boat launch and then had to ride my bike back to the campsite.

I was dripping wet and got into a hot shower still wearing my clothes. Later I watched TV and had tomato soup. Tonight was our campfire program which we moved inside to our rec hall. Again the kids and adults loved the kazoos and marched around the room to Jingle Bells since our theme this week is Winter Wonderland.

We are safe and warm now and watching reruns of House.

I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy

Today was special and a good time was had by all. We have about 2000 people staying in the campground and most of them were out and about today. The weather was pretty good and we had a BBQ and games all afternoon. The top photo shows the kids picking prizes after the sack races. Then we had a water balloon toss, an egg on a spoon race and a balloon relay where the contestants raced down the field, sat on their balloon to break it, and raced back. The finale was an old fashioned tug of war and the kids and adults really got into it.

Later Jeff and I drove up to see our friends Ruth and Tom and enjoyed sitting on their dock and watching Brant Lake. They lost their dog Molly earlier this week and we missed seeing her after she and Ziggy had so much fun together a few weeks ago.