Thank goodness it only lasted 48 hours since we had planned for some time to visit our friends Susan and Chris on Sat. They have a weekend home not far from here and come up every weekend from the New York city area with their 9-year-old daughter, Taylor. Susan used to work with Russ at the Danbury Hilton Hotel when we lived in CT, and they haven’t seen each other in about 20 years. Susan and I have remained friends over the years, and I last saw her about 7 years ago when I visited my mom. Chris, on the other hand, I hadn’t seen since their wedding in 1986, and Russ had only met him once before that, but they seemed to hit it off great. 
Because the electricity at the campground had been cutting in and out the previous couple of days due to power surges from the heat, we asked if we could bring the dogs with us. After arriving, saying our hellos, and tying up the dogs outside, we sat on the enclosed front porch enjoying the breeze and catching u
p. The house is more of what we would call a cottage but are called “camps” here and is directly across the street from the 9-hole Sacandaga Golf Course, built in 1898 and supposedly the oldest golf course in New York state. Only a few of these camps are winterized since it is a very seasonal area, but Chris and Su
san did a lot of renovation on their place to make it livable year round. It’s a very tight knit community, especially during the season with lots of parties, barbecues, and get togethers. There’s a lot of history in this area, and they took us for a walk around the neighborhood past the old train station (now a museum and offices), past some old homes (the one pictured here is about 100 years old!), and down to Lake Sacandaga, a beautiful 32 mile long lake.
p. The house is more of what we would call a cottage but are called “camps” here and is directly across the street from the 9-hole Sacandaga Golf Course, built in 1898 and supposedly the oldest golf course in New York state. Only a few of these camps are winterized since it is a very seasonal area, but Chris and Su
san did a lot of renovation on their place to make it livable year round. It’s a very tight knit community, especially during the season with lots of parties, barbecues, and get togethers. There’s a lot of history in this area, and they took us for a walk around the neighborhood past the old train station (now a museum and offices), past some old homes (the one pictured here is about 100 years old!), and down to Lake Sacandaga, a beautiful 32 mile long lake.
After our walk Susan served up a delicious salad for lunch, and after resting and chatting a bit longer, we all went for a ride on their pontoon boat. The dogs loved it! Taylor had gone off to a friend’s during our walk, but we caught up with her for few minutes out on the lake. She opted to stay with her friends while we continued our boat ride up the river.
We had a great time, and it always seems a shame that these visits are over too soon and are so far apart. On our way back to the campground, we passed this very interesting sight….a tree growing through the roof of a house! Supposedly it used to be a diner called The Tree Restaurant. 
On Mon. we visited with another long-time friend. Tom drove about 4 hours all the way from NH to see us! Tom also had worked with Russ (and Susan) at the hotel in CT, and we last saw him 6 years ago when my mom passed away. His wife couldn’t make the trip this time, but it was so good to catch up and see his smiling face. Before we knew it 4-1/2 hours had passed, and it was time for him to hit the road back home.On our travels we see some interesting things, and while tooling around one day we came across this “western scene” near the corner of a small town. There were no signs or anything explaining what or why it was there…just these “folks” out in the middle of the field.
It rained off and on while at Frosty Acres, and the ground was quite soggy at times. The forecast was for another 1”-2” Tues. night, so we decided to move the RV off the hill down to a pull-thru site on level ground. The back end of our rig had actually sunk into the ground about an inch up on the hill, and we were afraid we might get really stuck if we got the rain predicted.
And it did rain! But not before I returned from visiting the River Valley Chorus in Schenectady Tues. night(www.harmonize.com/
region16/rivervalleychorus/rivervalley.htm). They rehearse about ½ an hour from the campground and have 24 members, 18 of whom were in attendance plus a guest (besides me). What a great group of ladies! On the website you’ll notice a man listed as their director, but the website definitely needs updating. Kim Higdon stepped off the risers not quite a year ago to take over the directing reins from Joe, and what a delight she is! Her bubbly, enthusiastic, and energetic personality is absol
utely infectious. Just having returned from IES (International Education Symposium), she was full of musical knowledge and ideas to share with the chorus (as all directors are when they return!) She seems to have a great rapport with the chorus, and they seem to respond well to her positive encouragement. Under Kim’s direction, I see a fun and bright future for River Valley Chorus. I so enjoyed being able to stand on the
risers again, joining in the warm-ups, vocal exercises, and working on their two new songs (that's me 2nd from the right on the front row). At the end of the evening during their business announcements, team leader Leslie presented me with a copy of the chorus cookbook for use during our travels. “Cooking With Harmony: A Collection of Our Favorite Recipes” is a fundraiser for the chorus and chock full of great recipes as well as hints and tips, and I was very touched by Leslie’s gesture.
We arrived at the Cooperstown KOA Wed. morning in between rain showers (see pic from the road at left), so were able to get everything hooked up before it started pouring again. With Cooperstown being home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, all the roads at this KOA are appropriately named for ballplayers. Our rig is parked at the corner of Hank Aaron Way and Ted Williams Drive. The forecast is calling for rain all week, but hopefully it will let up before the induction ceremonies on Sun.
region16/rivervalleychorus/rivervalley.htm). They rehearse about ½ an hour from the campground and have 24 members, 18 of whom were in attendance plus a guest (besides me). What a great group of ladies! On the website you’ll notice a man listed as their director, but the website definitely needs updating. Kim Higdon stepped off the risers not quite a year ago to take over the directing reins from Joe, and what a delight she is! Her bubbly, enthusiastic, and energetic personality is absol
utely infectious. Just having returned from IES (International Education Symposium), she was full of musical knowledge and ideas to share with the chorus (as all directors are when they return!) She seems to have a great rapport with the chorus, and they seem to respond well to her positive encouragement. Under Kim’s direction, I see a fun and bright future for River Valley Chorus. I so enjoyed being able to stand on the
risers again, joining in the warm-ups, vocal exercises, and working on their two new songs (that's me 2nd from the right on the front row). At the end of the evening during their business announcements, team leader Leslie presented me with a copy of the chorus cookbook for use during our travels. “Cooking With Harmony: A Collection of Our Favorite Recipes” is a fundraiser for the chorus and chock full of great recipes as well as hints and tips, and I was very touched by Leslie’s gesture.
We arrived at the Cooperstown KOA Wed. morning in between rain showers (see pic from the road at left), so were able to get everything hooked up before it started pouring again. With Cooperstown being home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, all the roads at this KOA are appropriately named for ballplayers. Our rig is parked at the corner of Hank Aaron Way and Ted Williams Drive. The forecast is calling for rain all week, but hopefully it will let up before the induction ceremonies on Sun. 
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