I left a couple of loose ends in my last post. I will try to tidy up with a few more details this time around, and have a video of our East Coast trip. Have at it!

First, going through a couple of old journals, I found the Datsun truck was a 1971 model. If you view the video later in this post you will see it as it was in 1976.

Second, I went through my converted Super-8 files and found the east coast trip footage. I did a new re-mix, adding more subtitles and editing out some of the poorer sections. Run time is 4:19 with the Bromley Alpine Slide coming on at about 3:30.

A couple other notes are in order. Some of the video “jitters” are from the conversion process, as the old film occasionally jumped a bit when feeding through the conversion projector. Also, there is something a bit surreal about watching a large vessel floating across the plains of upstate New York, hence the footage of the Old Welland Canal. The water wheel and covered bridge were on the grounds of Old Sturbridge Village.

At the end of my last post I mentioned hose cart races. Man-pulled hose carts were common fire-fighting systems used in many early towns before the advent of steam, and later, gas-powered fire trucks. Men would pull a hose cart to a fire, unroll the hose, attach it to a hydrant, add a nozzle, and spray the fire in an attempt to put it out.

Idaho Springs, west of Denver, hosted an annual Fire-Fighter’s Day which featured hose cart races. We drove into the mountains one August to watch the festivities. Several teams competed in this timed event; it was an enjoyable outing, visiting this Colorado town. Run time is 0:34.

I have other videos, mostly of interest to family and friends. Some of the events captured include a day at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, riding the Cripple Creek and Victor Railroad, Pam and her mother feeding chipmunks on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, a trip to Yellowstone, and other events dating to our “before children” days in Colorado. I will include a few of these clips in future posts.

In family news, daughter Felicity and partner Peter are in the process of buying a fixer-upper home in central New York. Located between Rochester and Watkins Glen (Finger Lakes area of upstate New York), the 1,600 square foot home, on about 2 acres of land with a small stream on one border, appears to be in a good location. I have seen the listing photos and the place needs a lot of work (bathroom not functional at this point) but the price is reasonable at around $83K. Property includes an old (small) barn and shed, both in need of repair, but are something to get started.

My hope is that Felicity and Peter are up to the difficult and several-year project of turning the home into a comfortable, attractive, and energy efficient abode. Chances are pretty high that I will be helping them move and possibly adding some labor to help get the place into functioning order. Here is an aerial view of the property from the listing:

9544 State Route 414, Lodi, NY 14860

Felicity and Peter have long talked about living in New York and having a place where they can develop their homesteading skills and crafts. I hope they can make their dream a reality.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

I wonder if I’d have been susceptible to “old house renovation disease” if I hadn’t spent my adolescence in a < 900 square foot, ugly, rectangular builder box house, squished into tiny rooms with five other family members. Of course tall ceilings, spacious rooms and big porches would seem to be an amazing step up in the housing world after that experience. And, although her childhood was not spent in such confined spaces as mine was, I think Felicity is also susceptible to “old house renovation disease.” (Toby seems to be immune — maybe it’s passed along genetically on the female line.)

Felicity can look forward to: the cat playing with a bat on the floor at 2:00 a.m., a mouse springing out of the silverware drawer, the ladder [she’s standing on] plunging through rotten floor boards while she’s hanging those attractive holiday items on the porch. And so much more. There will be tons and tons of cleaning and painting, and visits to the lumber and hardware stores. Cold drafty winters and hot humid summers – indoors as well as out. Enjoy!

Happy Trails.