It's times like these that I am glad I live in Florida- ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim Stowell" <tstowell@chattanooga.net> To: <NYMADISO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 10:56 PM Subject: [NYMADISO] update 11/20/05 - part 2 > Since my last report of 10/22/05: > > When I was in New York last month I had intended on visiting family > and paying a courtesy call or two. > > Mother Nature had other plans. We awoke on Tuesday morning in Hazelton, Pa., > after an all night rain to sleet mixed with rain. As we drove north to > Scranton > it turned completely to snow just north of there. Coming down from the > mountains of Pa., to Binghamton back to rain / snow mix. > > We stopped for lunch just off I-81 on Route 12 in Binghamton and watched > giant snowflakes fall. Back on the road as the road became covered as we > moved north on N. Y. 12. Just north of Chenango Forks the road had only one > track each way visible and it was snowing hard. > > The journey from Oxford to Norwich seemed to take a long time as we trudged > along. It was snowing so heavy I never saw the commercial district south > of town, only the McDonald's across the street from Mt. Hope cemetery came > into view. > > Our turn was the first light past McDonald's which took us out to the > east perimeter road of Norwich, past a car dealership on the right, which > only had white cars for sale! Memories came to me of visiting an old > Burlingame cemetery behind the dealership 4 years ago in March, 2001, in > the snow, but in what was then deep snow, but not falling snow. > > At the corner we turned south, with 5-6 inches of snow on the ground, > paused on the side while a fire truck came grinding by and then back east > on some road, with a store on the corner. This road continued at a fairly > steep climb, but we turned left at the next road just past the allegedly > haunted house of the area. > > The story goes that from time to time one may see a person who looks like > an old sea captain walking beside the road. Allegedly no picture on the > walls of the house will hang straight. > > Anyway, after making the turn, I'm surprised to see folks following me, > for I thought, don't follow me, I hardly know where I'm going! Around > the curve into this little hollow we go, followed by a climb up a hill > where I just take the middle of the road and keep slowly trudging upward. > > Top the hill, come down, pass a rather large lake on the left (White's pond?), > then take a left at a farm - after which all landmarks disappear. I was to > take the 2nd right after this turn to reach my cousin's house but shortly > after > turning, I had no idea where I was in relationship to anything else. > > Onward we go and I finally see a house and think of stopping. Thinking of > stopping and actually stopping in such are two vastly different things, > especially from one who rarely sees snow and even more rarely drives on such. > > Slide, slide we go. Heart in throat, but it only takes a little slide to do > that. Gingerly we back out of stuck position and continue creeping what is > now > down hill until we come to a road that dead ins into ours from the right. > I ask my wife which road that was, 1st or 2nd and neither of us can say. Still > snowing quite hard, I stop to see if I can call my cousin. Alas no signal. > > Back in the car downhill we go again, but the twist this time is a down hill > left curve, in which we slide again, same scenario. Out again we go down > a couple hundred yards to see what I really didn't want to see - a down hill > u-turn in the road, but creeping slowly we slide and make it through the turn. > > Down, down, down we go and then, oops, I know we've gone too far when I see > the blacktop of Route 8. Looking to the left I see Holmesville and a lighted > sign. I tell my wife, that I see a business ahead, that we'll just pull in > there to find out where we are in relationship to my cousin's place and/or > call > him. Coming abreast the sign, it is not a business but a church sign. > However, > just a bit further on a lady is standing on her doorstep talking with a > heating > man in her yard. I stop dead in the road and state that I'm lost. > Turned out she knows my cousin's wife and called her up. My cousin arrives > shortly and we take another route to his house, not nearly as steep although > he himself gets stuck at one point on the journey to their log house. > > We get there finally and are informed that they lost power about an hour > before. > The news from the power company is that most of the county is without > power, for > with most of the leaves still on the trees, many branches are breaking, trees > uprooting onto power lines and that power won't be restored until 8 AM next > day. > > Thankfully my cousin's home has a wood stove and sleeping in the loft of the > house we are cozy until about 4 AM when it was time to stoke the fire once > more. > The previous evening was spent talking of family and friends, of times > past, all > to candle and lamp light. > > By morning most of the snow had stopped and we have about 7 inches to greet > us. > We got power back a little after 7 AM, arose, showered and got breakfast > and were > deciding what to do when the power went again. > > We were to stay another day but since my wife had to be in Toronto on > Thursday, > we didn't want to take a chance on getting stuck. > > Another cousin's husband had planned to see us Tuesday evening for supper > but when > the weather went bad on us we decided to have lunch on Wednesday together. My > cousin had wanted to go to Fred's (a rather well known place south of Norwich) > but upon calling them, found out they had no power. > > Since my cousin's daughter worked at a place in Sherburne, we decided to go > there > for lunch. We took the east bypass of Norwich until that came out on Route > 12, > above the pharmacy. Traveling as we did north on 12, brought back many > memories. > Memories of actual events I'd experienced, places and times my father or > grandfather > had spoken of and of such I'd read, compiled and placed on line these past > 9 years. > > After lunch we went our separate ways, my cousin and his wife and the other > cousin's > husband to Norwich and my wife and I to the Cat's Meow in Sherburne. Four > years ago > on my visit to the area, I'd taken her a gift from there and knew it was a > place she'd > like to shop. For me, the fun thing was to run into a gentleman that > actually knew > some of my family and some of my family long departed. > > It turned out this gentleman's family had the farm in Upperville between > Smyrna and > Otselic just past Mr. Twist's store and a neighbor to my Dad's sister and > her husband. > He also knew my grandfather's brother who lived between Upperville and > Otselic - so > that too was a neat connection to find out about and speak of. > > While my visit there was short, much shorter than I wished it could be, I > was still > contented to be able to do so and started thinking about when I can visit > again. I > guess next time I'll shoot for warmer weather, when the chance of bad > weather should > be greatly diminished. > > Lastly, my wish to each of you is that you have a great Thanksgiving > holiday, shared > with friends and family, a day of remembering good times, looking also > toward the > future and what wonders it may hold. > > Tim Stowell > > > ==== NYMADISO Mailing List ==== > To post to this list - send email from the address you subsribed to the list with to this address - NYMadiso-L@rootsweb.com > >

I too am glad I live in sunny Florida, but the trip down Memory Lane was delightful Tim. I grew up in upstate New York, Syracuse area, but your e-mail brought back many memories. Thanks. Let us all count our blessings this Thanksgiving. Dorothy