Thursday, May 22, 2008

BACK IN NEW YORK FOR THE SUMMER!

Back To Nashville

Bill and Jane last posted as they arrived in Nashville, Tenn. for a short visit. They did a tour of the Belle Meade Plantation

which was the birth of thoroughbred breeding in this country. Almost all of the top race horses can trace their heritage back to Iroquois, the first American winner of the English Derby who was raised at Belle Meade. Due to the upsurge of religious zealotry which frowned on gambling on horse racing, the plantation declined and the center of thoroughbred racing moved to Kentucky. Bet you didn't know that!

Ron and Lill Bogner from Chicago surprised Bill and Jane as they stopped in Nashville for a visit. The four travelers took a ghost tour in the City of Nashville which was very interesting (and scary). Bill and Jane took Ron and Lill to Broadway for a quick tour of the honky tonk district.


The entertainment as always was outstanding. Several bean bag tournaments were staged at the campground as well as card and dice games. Soon it was time to head north.

Louisville, Kentucky - Columbus, Ohio - Strykersville, New York

The CAT engine in our Phaeton needed an oil change and service so an appointment was booked at a CAT dealer in Louisville. The two hour pit stop turned into a six hour marathon but finally our travelers were back on the road. They spent the night at Wally World in Columbus, Ohio and the next morning were northbound early. That afternoon they hit the New York State line and were greeted by - toll roads! Bill and Jane decided to visit Bill's parents in Strykersville for a couple of days and parked the motorhome at 4199 Lefort Road. Larry and Gertie were taken out to dinner at the Flip Side that night and the woes of the Yankees were discussed. The next day John and Carol Schiltz came over and old friendships were renewed. Bill and John changed the oil in the Onan generator and now the motorhome is all ready for a busy summer.

Brockport, New York - Ithaca, New York - Canandaigua, New York

Bill and Jane fired up the bus and drove to Brockport to see Jon and Brad who were finishing up the spring semester. They all shopped at Walmart and then had dinner in the motorhome in the parking lot. The next morning was breakfast at the Golden Eagle. Brad is playing spring soccer for Brockport and Jon is preparing for graduation on May 17. The next stop is Ithaca, NY and camping at Spruce Row Campground. Dave and Pam Hachey and Pete and Kathy Belyea made the trip there from Chittenango for the Wine and Herb Festival which celebrates the spring wine season around Cayuga Lake. Friday night was spent renewing old friendships, playing pitch, and putting a large dent in the wine reserves of Central New York. Saturday was the wine tour and it was really fun. The Finger Lakes produces some of the best reisling wines in the world and the scenery is nothing short of awesome. That night was topped off with dinner at a Thai Restaurant in Ithaca - a truly great meal to end a great day with great friends. Sunday Bill and Jane made the short trip to the KOA in Canandaigua which will be their home for most of the summer.

Camping World Goodwill Ambassadors


Bill and Jane will be working this summer part-time as Goodwill Ambassadors for Camping World. They will be serving two Camping World stores - in Churchville, NY (near Rochester) and in Bath, NY (near Pennsylvania). Their job is to visit campgrounds within a 50 mile radius of the stores, spread goodwill for Camping World, deliver store catalogs and flyers for CW and attend rallies and special events. The first time around our happy couple visited over 60 campgrounds, traveled in 16 counties and put over 1000 miles on their car. Fortunately, with a little route planning and better knowledge of the area, this amount of travel will be reduced next time around.

Jon Graduates From Brockport





On May 17 Jon graduated from SUNY Brockport with a bachelors degree in business administration. Dave & Pam Hachey attended along with Greg, Nick & Ellen, and Brad. It rained cats and dogs for the ceremony so all the blustery speeches were cut short - we wonder what Chuck Schumer had to say? Miraculously, the sun came out as the diplomas were being given out and most attendees dried out. After the ceremony a big dinner was had at The Distillery Restaurant in Rochester where Jon opened his gifts. That evening Bill took Jon, Brad and Greg back to the soccer house in Brockport for the official graduation party. Jon has already landed a full-time job at CXtec in Syracuse where he will be involved in sales. He will be living in an apartment in the Syracuse University area with Alex Hachey and two other SU students.


That's all for now - let's celebrate summer in Upstate New York!

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