SPENCERPORT NY TO HAMLIN STATE PARK ON LAKE ONTARIO…….A 20 MILE TRIP

HAMLIN BEACH STATE PARK LOOKING EAST ALONG THE SHORELINE
Maybe it was because we were leaving in the morning I don't know but by 8 o'clock Monday night we had 6 more adults & 7 children roll in to Kelly’s Mom’s place to say Hello & Goodbye.  Now I can sometimes do pretty good visiting with 2 people but any more than that & I become a shrinking wall flower pretty fast.  But I must say that I did very well for the past 5 days considering my usual demeanor when it comes to sitting around visiting.  I enjoyed our 5 days in Spencerport NY getting to know Kelly’s Mother Gene, sister Becky & husband Norm better.  That Norm’s quite a guy.  Felt comfortable enough with these folks to venture out of my shell a bit:))

I can only recall ever having to use A/C in an RV once or maybe twice in all our Snow Birding years.  Both times in March & I think it was when we were Ranch sitting near McNeal Arizona & hooked up to electricity.   Monday night was the first time ever using A/C with a generator.  Of course we had to drag out the instruction book on how to get the 2 units fired up.  A/C in our other rigs had on & off switches right on the units themselves but the Big EEE is different.  A/C is controlled from the wall thermostat.  Took us (ok Kelly) about 5 minutes with the book to get those 2 puppies pumping nice refreshing cold air.  I had taken a shower earlier but was still finding it hot.  By the way we are really enjoying the RV shower in this rig.  It's one of those spacious corner ones & I have never banged my elbows on anything even once yet.  And the way our floor plan is laid out one does not step out into a teeny tiny closet washroom space any more.  Lots of room to towel off, get dressed, stand on my head & wiggle my ears.  Just loving all this new space.

We were up & ready to go by 8:30.  Said our good-byes to everyone & had the big wheels rolling down Coleman Avenue by 9:45.  What a nice street this is with all it's big mature trees & 50's houses.  You fully expect to see 56 Fords & Chevy's in the driveways.  Our destination this morning was HAMLIN STATE PARK & the route we chose took us through downtown Spencerport & right past Abbotts.  No room to pull over for any of Abbotts delicious frozen Custard.

A BIG WAVE TO ABBOTTS AS WE ROLLED THROUGH DOWNTOWN SPENCERPORT NY THIS MORNING
Hamlin Beach State Park is north of Spencerport right on the shores of Lake Ontario.  Only about 20 miles so took us about half an hour to reach  the Park.  This is one mighty fine & well looked after State Park with endless acres of mowed grass, forested campgrounds & some of the nicest beach area I have ever seen.  Stopped at the campground office & got ourselves a first time ever 50 amp site.  Wanted to be sure we had A/C in case it turned out to be another humid day.   As it was we didn't need to use the A/C.  Oh & for the first time ever anywhere we were asked to produce Pheebe’s rabies certificate which luckily Kelly had on file.  No pull through sites at Hamlin & although we were able to get our 36' backed into a site it was tricky.  Fortunately there is hardly anyone here so I was able to drive into the site across the road & then back straight across to our site. 

Only complaint I have is that some or maybe more than some sites are not level & that is unfortunate because it would be a relatively easy job to get some gravel in & level up the sites.  Definitely an oversight by the Park.  We currently have both rear levelers just about maxed out & that is with wood blocks under them. 

I woke up this morning feeling under the weather & my day didn't get much better from there.  Spent some time sleeping this afternoon but did manage to summon up some energy & we did later manage to get out for a drive over to the beach area.  I just wasn't up to walking from our campsite to the beach.  There are 5 beach areas here & the shore line probably stretches a couple miles ranging from sand to rocky shores.  It is one of the nicest areas I have ever seen with mowed grass reaching right down to the sandy beach.  Large mature & shapely trees give the landscape a very neat & manicured look.  Stone buildings dot the hillside running along the beach.  Nice washrooms & indoor picnic areas. 

 
  
KELLY POINTS TO A JUTTING BLUFF ABOUT A MILE AWAY KNOWN AS THE DEVIL’S NOSE…A MARINERS LANDMARK WITH TREACHEROUS SHOALS & LEGENDS OF SHIPWRECKS, CAVES & PROHIBITION SMUGGLER’S PASSAGES
A lot of work has gone into Hamlin State Park over the years & it has a history.  The park has been here since 1928 & was designated a State Park in 1938.  Much of the work was done by the Civilian Conservation Corp.  In 1944 barbed wire & guard towers were added & the Park became home to German prisoner's of war & about 450 prisoners were once held here.  After the war this area kept was returned to nature but in 2008 volunteers began clearing the old campsite turning it into a historical site & history trail.  Today Hamlin State Park is host to many busy events during the summer season such as Park Day, Summer Rise Celebration, Free Fishing Day,  Day Camps, Salute to America Day & live Band Concerts plus a Triathlon & Marathon Day.

I IMAGINE THIS BEACH WILL SOON BE PACKED WITH SUMMER SWIMMERS & PICNICKERS

 
Hamlin has 6 looped campgrounds.  We are in the section C loop which is heavily forested & are in a nice setting of trees.  No water at the site but water taps along the road near by.  Double dump station & we dumped our tanks upon entering the park simply because we were 'full up'.  About a 7 minute walk to the beach.  Our 50 amp site is $28 a night.  Again we are fortunate to be here during the week & before the summer season is in full swing.  Judging by the size of the huge parking lots in the beach areas I'm guess this is one very busy place in the summer.  Only about 25 miles west of Rochester NY.

NICE OLD STONE BUILDING HOUSING PICNIC TABLES FOR FAMILY GATHERINGS
  
No idea how long we will stay here.  May head out in the morning or we may stay another day.  I'll see how I feel when I get up.  Predictions are for a humid Wednesday.  Checking the weather for Bayfield late this afternoon we saw that area of southwestern Ontario was under a tornado watch.  We thought if something happened to our place at least we've got the Jeep & the rig with us.  Not a preferred way to become full timers but the thought did cross my mind.......

ALONG THE ROCKY SHORELINE JUST A QUARTER MILE EAST OF THE DEVIL’S NOSE
  
  
IN THE TOP RIGHT OF THIS PIC CAN BE SEEN 2 TREES JUTTING OUT INTO THE WATER ON THE HORIZON & THAT’S WHERE WE WERE WHEN I TOOK THE PHOTO AT THE TOP OF THIS POST
GROANER'S CORNER:((  In the ascertainment of an excogitation of linguistic proclivity, one might ascribe to the mentation that a phratry exists in which some encyclopedists designedly cultivate a nonplussed ambience hypothecated to befuddle the vox populi.  TRANSLATION: Judging from the words some people use, you'd think they purposely write to confuse the rest of us.

A CORRECTION

In Sunday’s post I referred to Abbott’s as selling frozen Yogurt.  I was wrong about that.  It is frozen Custard they sell.  Trimmed some trees & shrubs this morning & that was about it for our day.  With heavy humidity upon us we just kinda sat real still all day & tried not to move around too much.  A whole lot a visiting stuff after supper.  For me any number over 2 constitutes a whole lot…………….

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Bob was in his usual place in the morning sitting at the table, reading the paper after breakfast. He came across an article about a beautiful actress about to marry a football player who was known primarily for his lack of common knowledge and his fairly low IQ.  He turned to his wife Marlene with a look of question on his face. "I'll never understand why the biggest jerks get the most attractive wives."  Marlene replies, "Why thank you, dear!"

A FATHER DAY’S VISIT TO THE CEMETERY & HELPING MY B-I-L WITH PICASA 3.9

BY GOLLY THERE’S THOSE CLICKABLE RED SHOES AGAIN:))

Couldn’t seem to get myself interested in a walk this morning so Pheebs & Kelly went without me.  With a rare hankering for pancakes I headed the other way to McDonalds.  I’m sure Kelly’s morning decision was much healthier than mine.

BEEN DOING A LOT OF THIS THE PAST FEW DAYS

Kelly’s Mom & sister Becky whupped up a big lunch for everybody with mashed potatoes & a rack of ribs.  Holy Smokes we are sure eating a lot here. 

I WONDER WHAT WE DID ON SUNDAY MORNINGS YEARS AGO WITHOUT COMPUTERS

 

I ENJOYED HELPING BROTHER-IN-LAW NORM LEARN A BIT ABOUT PICASA TODAY

Spent some time on the computers both this morning & afternoon.  Kelly brought her Mother’s laptop up to date with a series of updates, trouble shooting & general housecleaning as well as Norm’s computer later.  I downloaded PICASA 3.9 on Brother-In-Law Norm’s laptop & helped him familiarize himself with it.  I think he is really going to enjoy working away at all his old & new pictures with this free photo editing program.  It’s the same program many of we Bloggers use out here.

BACK SEAT CRUISING IN THE TOYOTA RAV 4 THIS AFTERNOON

Being it was Father’s Day we all loaded ourselves in Kelly’s Mom’s Rav 4 & headed ourselves a short distance to the nearby cemetery.  Kelly’s sister Becky driving with her Mom in the front seat.  Kelly, Norm & I in the back seat.  Pheebs stayed in the rig.  We visited Kelly’s Dad’s final resting place.  A very peaceful setting with large mature trees.  It’s an old cemetery with Civil War dead laid to rest there as well.

A NEW POT OF FRESH FLOWERS REPLACES THE OLD

 

SISTER’S REMEMBERING THEIR DAD ON FATHER’S DAY

Probably the best frozen yogurt on the Planet can be found at a place called ABBOTT'S & they just happen to have a location right here in Spencerport NY.  It was Abbotts we headed for after the cemetery.    We all loaded ourselves up on super yummy yogurt cones with thick creamy milkshakes to boot.  Sure is good we have ourselves a bigger rig with more space.  We’re sure going to need it.  Well at least I am.  I’m afraid my weight is at an all time high & I hear we are headed for a big pancake breakfast in the morning with real maple syrup.  Oh Dear Oh Dear………………..

 

NORM, WHO HAS SOME VISION PROBLEMS CAREFULLY CHECKS OUT THE YUMMY YOGURT MENU & THERE’S MY BUTTER PECAN CONE WHICH I HAVE ALREADY EATEN A THIRD OF

 

GROANER’S CORNER:((   A gentleman entered a busy florist shop that displayed a large sign that read, "Say It With Flowers."  "Wrap up one rose," he told the florist.  "Only one?" the florist asked.  "Just one," the customer replied. "I'm a man of few words."

WALKING KELLY’S OLD SCHOOL ROUTE-ZEP-AND A RESTAURANT I CAN’T REMEMBER THE NAME OF

Kelly's a newspaper buff but we haven't had a newspaper delivered for many years.  Here at her Mother's house a morning paper is dropped in the driveway every morning & Kelly is right out there to quickly snag that paper & bring it inside for a peruse.  The newspaper even takes precedence over her computer.  Fancy that.

KELLY’S OLD SCHOOLYARD WHERE THEY TOBOGGANED DOWN THIS HILL AS KIDS
Nary a cloud in the sky as I watched this morning's sunrise lightly tickle the tops of tall Maple trees across the street.  A mighty fine looking Saturday morning on a quiet little street in Spencerport New York.  However, the clear sky soon gave way to heavy cloud & we never got out of the 50’s today.  A brisk wind made it feel even colder.

I THINK THIS MUST BE THE STREET ‘LEAVE IT TO BEAVER’ LIVED ON BECAUSE IT JUST HAS THAT HOMEY FEEL TO IT

Kelly’s Mom & Dad’s property backs onto Spencerport’s elementary school property where Kelly attended school & where her Mom was the school secretary for 21 years.  This mornings walk took us on the short walking route Kelly took to & from that school many years ago.

THAT’S KELLY & PHEEBS DOWN THERE ON THEIR WAY TO SCHOOL THIS MORNING

Not often I am ever in a Big Box Store like Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, or Costco, etc.  Only ever been in a Costco once & it was probably about 6 years ago.  Had a few things to pick up so Kelly & I headed off to a big Lowes west of Spencerport first thing this morning.  I'm always like a tourist walking around in these big places with all their interesting scenery.  I stand gawking up at this & stand stooped over staring down at that.  The shelves are like towering mountains with narrow canyon walkways running in straight lines between them.  I see so many interesting shapes & colors on the these mountainsides with scenery changing every few steps.  I suppose if I hiked these narrow cement canyon pathways frequently I would in time become somewhat oblivious of the many wonders to see.  I enjoy being an in-frequent visitor here in the land of many products.  Keeps me wide eyed & attentive when I do come to visit & for me that is an enjoyable experience.

KELLY’S SCHOOL

   

At risk of sounding like an old broken record again I must say how much we are enjoying all our new space in the rig.  We just kinda look at each other across the room & smile:))  I've already gone on about how smooth the rig drives so I won't repeat myself about that again.  But speaking of the rig.........we came across some ZEP products at Lowes this morning & I remember a reader suggesting that for restoring the shine & sheen to the white portion of our rig which is in various stages of oxidation & looks splotchy & spotty.  I remembered the stages one has to go through with the Zep method & of course figured maybe I didn't want to get into that much work.  But I have been doing some thinking on that.  The previous owner put a lot of time & effort into keeping this coach in top-top shape so I can at least do the same with the exterior finish.   The exercise would be good for me & besides it’s been a long time since one of my arms have fallen off from so much much scrubbing & polishing.  It also makes sense to me that all previous waxes & cleaners have to first be removed before starting with the final shiny & protective coatings.  Did a lot of reading on the internet this morning & read a couple forums where many fellow RV'ers have used this method.  Did not come across a single negative remark about the products or final results.  Products are much cheaper here in the States & it might be well for us to pick up the materials we need while here.  I will sleep on it overnight & make a decision on the whole cleaning & restoration process tomorrow.  In fact I'm getting tired already just thinking about it........................

Finished up our day by going out for supper at a German type restaurant/brewery that I can't remember the name of.  Kelly’s Mom, sisters Cathy & Becky along with husband Norm as well as brother Peter & wife Leslie.  Popular place with lots of people.  Lots of people means lots of people noise but the food was good.  Service was slow but I guess that had to do with lots of people making lots of noise.  Well I hope that’s what the excuse was……..

  

NORM & BECKY ALONG WITH KELLY CHECKING THE MENU

THESE FOLKS REALLY KNOW HOW TO DIG IN…NO PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES FOR THIS GANG

More visiting after supper & a few good-byes to a few folks we probably won’t see again for awhile.  Kelly’s sister Cathy, brother Peter & wife Leslie.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Q. Who is more satisfied, a man with a million dollars, or a man with six children?
A. The man with six children. The man with a million dollars always wants more.

---

A husband and wife are getting ready for bed. The wife is standing in front of a full length mirror taking a hard look at herself.  "You know, dear," she says, "I look in the mirror and I see an old woman. My face is all wrinkled, every thing else is either sagging or bloated. I've got fat legs, and my arms are all flabby."  She turns to her husband and says, "Tell me something positive to make me feel better about myself."  He studies hard for a moment thinking about it and then says in a soft, thoughtful voice, "Well, there's nothing wrong with your eyesight."
Services for the husband will be held Saturday morning at 10:30 AM at Morris Memorial Chapel. Female friends of the family are invited.

WE SURE HAVE US A LOT OF VISITING GOING ON…………AND AN APOLOGY

I’M GUESSING KELLY’S DAD PLANTED THE ROSE BUSH I FOUND THIS BLOOMING ROSE ON EARLIER TODAY

I was reminded of long ago tenting days when I awoke to the sound of a light rain on the rig's roof.  It was our usual 5:30 a.m. getting up time & a time which never seems to change much over the years no matter where we are.

BEHIND THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE PROPERTY WHERE KELLY PLAYED AS A CHILD

 
IN HIS LATTER YEARS KELLY’S DAD WOULD WALK DOWN TO THIS AREA FROM THE HOUSE & SIT IN THIS CHAIR UNTIL HE HAD ENOUGH STRENGTH TO WALK BACK TO THE HOUSE AGAIN

It was a good opportunity this morning to check out the reception of our newly installed JACK ANTENNAE & sure enough we right away picked us up 21 channels with 18 of them being nice & clear.  And that was without doing a search by swiveling the antennae around.   Just have to figure out how to get the TV sound playing through our surround sound speakers now.  Trying to figure out new electronic systems can be a real hit & miss tolerance tester.  Although we never did figure it out I'm happy to report all our windows are sliding much more freely now that we are using them frequently.  A little silicone spray helped as well.

TRYING TO GET TV SOUND THROUGH OUR SURROUND SOUND SPEAKERS…MAYBE IT’S JUST NOT WIRED FOR THAT
A reminder once again to Facebook folks.  Because I have been 'hacked' twice on accepting Friend Requests over the years I stopped confirming friend requests a long time ago.  If you have sent me a Friend Request & I have not responded to it do not feel rejected or that I am arrogant or aloof.  I just do not want to go through the lengthy procedure of getting myself 'un-hacked' all over again.  I'm not a big Facebook fan to begin with & only use it to drop my daily post in at the end of each day.  I really don't spend any time in Facebook reading things, playing any games or accepting seemingly endless game requests.  I'm just not a gamer & have zero interest in that sort of thing.

PHEEBS CHASED SOMETHING LIKITY-SPLIT RIGHT THROUGH THE CREEK THIS MORNING BUT GETTING BACK ACROSS THE CREEK WAS A DIFFERENT STORY AS SHE TIMIDLY TRIED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET BACK ACROSS WITHOUT GETTING HER PAWS WET

Out of a sheer necessity to have something to do today I washed & partially waxed the Jeep.  Got about half the rig washed as well.  It was humid so I ended up about as wet as the vehicles.  Luckily for the second day in a row we had another weather front move through dropping the temperatures & blowing out the humidity.
 

Kelly's Brother Peter & wife Leslie came over late this afternoon bringing with them marinated filet mignon steaks for the BBQ along with fresh strawberry-rhubarb pie.  Peter did an excellent job on the steaks & we all did an excellent job on the pie & ice cream later.  We sure got us a lot of visiting going on…………………

I THINK THAT IS MY REQUESTED ‘WELL DONE’ STEAK AT THE BOTTOM LEFT:))

 
I do want to offer an apology to my fellow Blogger's for a careless unthinking remark I made in a post a few days ago about  a certain type of blogging style.  It's not for me to say how anyone writes their posts.   My fingers on the keyboard sometimes move much faster than the brain in my head.   However, I do have a personality that does care what it says & how & why it says it.  If I make a mistake it is important to me that I recognize & admit that mistake & try to make amends.   I have always been very fortunate on my blog to have mature readers & despite my obvious & careless slip-ups from time to time 99% of folks have understood my faux pas over the years & have not reacted with immature personal attacks & petty school yard Bullying.  And I thank you all for that.

GROANER'S CORNER:((    When Dad's satellite dish conked out, I found him on the phone with the help desk. The television set was pulled away from the wall, and he was staring at the mass of tangled wires that were spilling out the back of it. He looked absolutely overwhelmed.
"Tell you what I'm going to do," he said to the technician.  "I'm going to hang up now, go to college for a couple of years, and then call you back."