07/12/05: The catskills up to Saratoga Springs
We had a liesurely start to the day up at cousin Roxy's farmhouse. She had to go into town (NYC), but we hung around with Lou till after noon.
Wonderful, steep, narrow stairway. This house has charm.
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Big kitchen/dining area full of our junk.
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I wonder what the architect (more likely remodeller) was thinking by putting the tub in the middle of this room, which itself is the only accessway from the livingroom to the studio.
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Lou and I talked music, philosophy, and current events while Karen packed up. I am still suffering from my cold, and have little stamina. Sitting around and schmoozing is what I was up for.
Lou is a symphony Double-Bassist. He shows off his "free" piano, that cost about a Prius to restore. We crawled all over this instrument, like two gearheads on a '67 Chevy.
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If I'd been born in a barn, this one would be a nice one to have picked. Loui is considering turning the second floor into a music studio.
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We headed out, and stopped shortly at one tourist spot for a picnic: Frederic Church's home, "Olana". I marvelled at the architectural details, but we didn't take the tour.
Adirondack Artist Frederic Church build this ornate mansion, Olana. To us, it was a nice place to stop for lunch.
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After that, we drove north until I was quite tired (and yet it was still early. I suggested stopping at Saratoga Springs. I knew the name from grocery store water bottles.
Saratoga Springs, source of bottled water for generations. It's a soda-powered cartesian well system much like Soda Springs in Idaho, but better tasting.
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Karen fills our water jugs in Saratoga Springs
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On arrival, we parked in a motel lot, and walked around town, catching the Visitor's Center just before it closed, and then the Chamber of Commerce Kiosk just before it closed. The woman at the kiosk called one motel to haggle for a good rate. We walked over there, and Karen both didn't like the room, and pissed off the manager somehow. We eventually stayed at the motel at which we'd parked. At least they had WiFi, still a rare commodity in lower priced motels out east.
On our way to a sushi reataurant, Karen saw another motel with its own spring, and was annoyed at having checked in to our earlier pick all evening. But the wasabi was good for what ails me.
Also, the big horse race wasn't for 2 more weeks, so all the facilities are geared up, and the town is relatively empty.
For an impulsive stop, it was a good stay.