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Friday, May 31, 2013

Family BBQ

Doreen, Tony and Anthony hosted the BBQ on a beautiful, sunny day.  









Anthony is wearing the hat
Eric won at Bingo.










Deacon & Maddie
welcome guests.










Sharon & Tony












Doreen







Cassie & Anthony, 
life long friends














Eric's mom, Jerry
& Maria






The day was perfect!  We had too much food.  The afternoon went by way too fast.  Before I knew it, it was time to say our goodbyes.

Thank you Doreen, Tony and Anthony!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Our First Golf Outing with Used Clubs at Players Park in Clifton Park, New York







Eric purchased a Groupon for 
unlimited golfing at  Players Park
a par three course in Clifton Park.




 Let's try out our new, used sets of clubs...










Eric golfed on leagues for
several years.

He's good at this...










I golfed a few times,
thirty years ago.

I need LOTS of practice.



We golfed 18 holes... Eric's score for the front nine was 41.  The back nine score was 35.  I struggled mightily, with a score of 86 on the front nine and an 82 on the back nine.  

I'm glad we're doing this.  Like everything else in life, we improve with practice.  I need more practice than Eric.  He's doing this for fun.  

Our Groupon included two Perry's Ice Cream cones.  This tasty treat made the experience complete.

Afterward:  After visiting Players Park, I started reading golfing articles.  Now I know that every part of my body is supposed to be in a specific alignment to ensure contact with the ball.  There's lots to work on.  Eric, where's the closest driving range?

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Update: Building Our Set of Golf Clubs

In my April 1, 2013 post, I blogged purchasing woods for our golf club sets at a Goodwill in North Carolina.  Since then, Eric has been searching for irons, putters and golf bags at other Goodwills and Salvation Armies.

Eric completed purchases of clubs and was disappointed by the quality of the golf bags he found at Goodwills and Salvation Armies.  The bags Eric found used were worn, tired looking....

So, he went online and purchased two canvas golf bags.  The bags are lighter and smaller than conventional golf bags.  They do not have the metal stand that keeps the golf bag upright for club selection on the course.  That's OK.

The woods cost $3.00 each.  Eric bought two 5 and 9 irons at $2.00 each.  The putters also cost $2.00 each for a total of $14.00 spent on clubs.  The canvas golf bags cost $17.99 each.  Add 100 tees for $7.96 and 18 Wilson golf balls for $12.97.  Total cost for two basic sets of clubs with tees and golf balls is $70.91 plus tax.  I'll round up to $80.00 to include the tax.

Here's the results:  Our basic sets of clubs.  

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Dinner With Friends at Red Robin in Latham, New York







I'm meeting friends for
 dinner at Red Robin
in Latham, New York.








Arcade games make this 
restaurant kid friendly.









The restaurant is collecting books
for troops who are serving
& veterans who are in















The walls are filled with
pictures, street signs...












Red Robin has a full bar.











Here we are...
Me, Margaret, Kathy.
Lisa & Jeannette




We had a wonderful dinner together.  The restaurant was busy and noisy.  Still there were plenty of stories swapped and lots of laughter.

Red Robin is known for it's specialty hamburgers.  The menu has lots of appetizers.  Jeannette took a piece of cheesecake home.  Everyone else passed on dessert.

Monday, May 27, 2013

A Rainy Saturday... At Boulevard Bowl on Erie Boulevard in Schenectady






Between the showers...

Saturday afternoon
bowling with Eric & Adam
at Boulevard Bowl.










It had been years since
any of us bowled.

Eric has the best form.








Adam works hard
at his game.











I heave the ball down the 
lane & hope for the best.





We decided not to report our scores.... So I can maintain my dignity.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Rainy Days = Movie Days....

These rainy afternoons have left us in an afternoon funk... What to do?  Find a movie and head to a local theater.








Eric and I went to see
Star Trek: Into Darkness
at Regal Cinemas at
Crossgates Mall in Albany.

Very well done!




 We went to see The Great Gatsby at Zurich Cinemas

I read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald in high school and didn't care for it.  I didn't like the characters.  I didn't relate to the settings of East and West Egg.  I didn't care that Gatsby didn't get what he wanted... Daisy.  The tragedies that followed were scenes to trudge through and report on for a grade.

Not having positive memories of The Great Gatsby, I can't speak to the reviewers' complaints that the movie wasn't faithful enough to the book.  So, I have to re-read The Great Gatsby.  After I do that, I want to see the 1974 version to compare the cinematic interpretations of this book.

Eric and I saw Iron Man 3 at Bow-Tie Cinemas
in downtown Schenectady.

I am an unabashed Iron Man fan and was very pleased with the third installment in the series.  Robert  Downey, Jr., if you keep making Iron Man films, I'll pay good money to see them.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Rainy Days... What To Do?

It's been very rainy here in the Rotterdam area.   So we've been working around the motorhome, finding more things to give away.  There's so much that we aren't using and haven't used since we moved into this motorhome in April 2012.  Let's take a look....








Eric uses this bag when he
does some culling.






This collapsible table is
handy, but unused.








The Propane Tee
was a great idea, but
Eric created another
configuration.





We have another way
to read the propane level.








The walkie talkies once
used, are no longer needed.











We have other adjustable
flashlights....










The spare, unused
headlight.






12 volt adapters are handy,
but aren't being used.





What's to become of these things?  We are saving them for door prizes for upcoming rallies. We will put a couple of small things into a colorful bag to donate.  It looks like Eric is the only one looking for things to give away.  Not true!  I put some clothing and unused household items in a bag for delivery to Goodwill.  

Friday, May 24, 2013

Three Scenes From The Place Beyond the Pines in Schenectady and Scotia, New York

The Place Beyond the Pines with Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper was filmed in and around Schenectady in 2011.  While watching the trailer, three of the film's locations were easy to identify, as they are major landmarks in this area.






Gosling's character decides
to rob two banks in the
Schenectady area:

Trustco Bank at the corners
State Street & Brandywine
 Avenue in Schenectady.






on Mohawk Avenue in



I nervously took pictures of the banks, because of an earlier experience with Eric.  In the early 1980s, he was out of work with a broken leg.  One day, I left Eric and his Canon SLR camera in the parking lot of the former Mohawk Mall while I went inside to pick up new glasses at Empire Vision.  (While laid up, he took pictures of everything...) When I returned to the car, Eric told me that a guard from Fleet Bank in the mall came out to the car and told him to stop taking pictures of the bank.  

Fleet Bank was in the backdrop of the pictures Eric took... of women wearing shorts or nice looking skirts.  While laid up, Eric created an album of local leg art.  That day in the parking lot, he was adding a chapter to his epic work.  This particular trip to Mohawk Mall became a memorable experience, for both of us...  And it's the reason why I was nervous while taking pictures of banks.










After robbing Trustco Bank,
police chase Gosling's character
through Vale Cemetery.








The chase winds through
the cemetery.








Gosling dumps his motorcycle
& limps off into the woods.





The April 12, 2013 Times Union article on the set locations of The Place Beyond the Pines lists these three and other set locations.  This was an interesting day for me.  It was exciting to walk around and take pictures where an independent film crew worked.  And, is was fun to reminisce about Eric's experience with the bank guard at Mohawk Mall, all those years ago.  

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Sutton's Marketplace Antiques Shop in Queensbury, New York




Just a few steps away from
Antiques Shop.

  Let's go explore...






The cart of pansies
is very welcoming.






A small display of antique
weapons....






Kitchen items....








There's so much to 
look at here!

The Victrola is in
great condition.











The boat motor is
from the 1920s.






I like this shop a lot.  The antique and period items are carefully grouped together.  The store doesn't feel crowded or have that "way too much stuff" look.  Time and attention has been given to display their wares.

Lunch with Fred and Phyllis at Sutton's Country Cafe in Queensbury, New York













Sutton's Country Cafe  in
Queensbury is a favorite
lunch spot for Fred & Phyllis.





Rachael Ray worked here early in her career as a chef.








Oh, the variety of foods,
candies and gifts....








Fred went to the Bakery to
have four Apple Dumplings
set aside for us.









Eric & I had the Asparagus Soup
in a Bread Bowl with a salad.
This is a great lunch!



Thanks Fred and Phyllis for taking us to Sutton's.  We have to put this restaurant on our Must Visit List.

Eric and I ate our Apple Dumplings after dinner and decided they were a-mazing!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Visiting Fred and Phyllis at Their Home on Galway Lake in New York

Fred and Phyllis are fellow Escapees.  They bought this camp in 1969 and have enjoyed working on the property and enlarging the house.  Galway Lake is quiet and peaceful, a wonderful place to spend summers.










Eric & Fred yuck it up
in the motorhome port.











The frogs are enjoying 
the warm morning.








Eric & Fred on the porch
of the Tea House.






Comfortable living lakeside

Phyllis and I were taking pictures..... We had a great time talking about life on the lake.  Fred and Phyllis raised their family here and enjoy hosting family, friends and making memories.