Not far from the elegance of Skaneateles is an easy day trip to the Adirondack Park where many people go to meet the challenge of snow on higher mountains, a mountain to climb which counts as one of the 46 high peak, or a long canoe trip into a picturesque natural setting. I have never thought about visiting a very small town in the Adirondacks and finding an Opera House. However, my brother finds many interesting things to do and suggested that we attend the event.
We spent a weekend in the Adirondacks and topped it off with An Opera House in Edmonds with the talented Tom Rush who “helped shape the folk revivial in the 60’sand the renaissance of the “80-”s and “90’s. His music left his stamp on generations of artists.” The hall was packed with people enjoying the music on a rainy Adirondack evening.
The next event is June 21 with Peter Ostroushko and Danny Gotham. Visit their website here.
The Adirondacks
Marion Wiles Krauter and Annette Krauter Pickup
RealtyUSA
Contributed by Marion Wiles Krauter and Annette Krauter Pickup / PickupKrauterTeam
Property is always changing in Skaneateles. My partner and I just try to keep up. The beautiful views on West Lake Road are certainly an attraction for creating beautiful homes and businesses. One of the most beautiful just opened about 4.5 miles down the lake.
Our team, consisting of my partner Annette (who invited her husband and their two young sons) and myself, drove to the new winery on West Lake Road. It is named Anyela’s. It is beautiful. A beautiful building with indoor and outdoor seating, wine tasting, and wonderful host and hostess. The view alone is worth the visit but the wine was delicious. It is new experience on West Lake Road. Enjoy it! Here is their website link.
Marion Wiles Krauter and Annette Krauter Pickup
RealtyUSA
Today, next to the Sherwood, Governor Paterson announced that large non-local trucks would be required to stay on the roads built for them—-Route 81 and the Thruway. Will this help Skaneateles and the other beautiful towns of the Finger Lakes region? What do you think?
Perhaps 100 people attended. There were numerous remarks including those from Paterson, Schumer, Barclay, and DeFrancisco. The group that has long been advocating for action (Upstate New York Safety Coalition Task Force) was given well-deserved credit. According to the comments made at the announcement, the group got little response from Pataki and Spitzer, but got quick action from Paterson.
Marion Wiles Krauter and Annette Krauter Pickup
RealtyUSA
What I like most about central New York is the small towns. Each town has a special character but there is often a bond as the residents of the towns seek to build something special. The Masterworks Chorale is something special. It links Marcellus, Skaneateles, Elbridge, and probably other surrounding areas together. It is a talented group of people who have gotten together over the last 20 years or more and performed in Syracuse and Skaneateles at Christmas time. Their Spring fund raiser has lasted over twenty years. This has provided the dinner guests with a wonderful concert and the Chorale with enough funds to hire the Syracuse Orchestra to accompany them during their Christmas concert.
My connection to the Chorale started when my son married a girl whose mother sings in the Chorale and her father manages the sound. I attended the Spring concerts and met many familiar people, both those participating in the chorus and those supporting the event with their attendance. The singing voices were special and the spirit of the event was felt by all. When my husband and I enjoy the Sherwood during the winter months (using the coupons), we often see the singers enjoying a social dinner before their Tuesday night practice.
Marion Wiles Krauter and Annette Krauter Pickup
RealtyUSA
I have always been very interested in houses and how people live in each room. I am sure this was inspired by the many conversations I have overheard about rooms and furniture design and finishes. When I was in college, my family began to be interviewed about Gustav Stickley and his role in developing the Arts and Crafts design of furniture and homes. Gustav Stickley was the father of my grandmother and the grandfather of my father. I am one of many of his great grand children who lounged around at the camp on pieces of his furniture. We never anticipated the fame which was to come. To me, the couch was square and uncomfortable. However, I was wrong and his design is desired today.
When I was a teenager, the world was discovering how unique his design was. My father and many other relatives were being continually interviewed by those individuals trying to understand the man and his role in the development of the Arts and Crafts design. In the early 20th century, Stickley was searching for a new way to design homes free from the ornateness of the Victorian era. Simple and useful design, good craftsmanship, and aesthetic effect were key elements of his designs.
When you look at homes perhaps you might remember some of his thoughts about houses that can become your home.
David Cathers and Alexander Vertikoff wrote about his influence in their book named “The Stickley Style, Arts and Crafts Homes in the Craftsman Tradition. Gus Stickley is quoted as writing in 1909 “We have, from the first, planned houses that are based on the big fundamental principles of honesty, simplicity, and usefulness–the kind of houses that children will rejoice all their lives to remember as homes.” These homes had big windows with window seats or ledges for plants, rich colors, and strong structural features. The dining room had large doorways connected to the living room or kitchen, built in cabinets with leaded glass windows, and a fireplace on one wall. Kitchens had large built-in cupboards and updated equipment. He was quoted by Cathers as saying that “the very first requisites of a kitchen should be that it be large enough for comfort, well-ventilated and full of sunshine, and that the equipment….should be ample, of good quality and, above all, intelligently selected. We all know the pleasure of working with good tools in congenial surroundings.” It should be “as carefully finished as the rest of the house, and in its way….one of the most beautiful of the rooms.”
According to Cathers, Stickley believed the living room was “a place where work is to be done…the haven of rest…the place where children grow and thrive.” It was to be large, relaxing, and informal. The windows were to frame views from the garden, the beams and posts were visible. However the most important feature was the fieldstone or tile fireplace set in a inglenook. The fireplace gave a sense of intimacy while heating the whole room. It is in the simple but elegant room that Stickley believed we should “be at our best.”
Marion Wiles Krauter and Annette Krauter Pickup
RealtyUSA
My father is 91 years old. In Skaneateles his family bought the Pump house and Tucker hardware store. After law school my father worked in Tucker hardware, which was owned by his father. In Syracuse, his father, the Judge Ben Wiles, also owned Tecumseh golf course. After graduating from Harvard Law school, my father worked at Tucker hardware store while my mother courted him (so the story is told). However, it was not long before he and his friends figured out that they should join the navy and control how they participated in World War II. Therefore, the law practice was postponed and Tucker hardware was sold.
Tucker Hardware was the tallest building on Genesee Street. Which building is that?
PickupKrauterTeam.com RealtyUSA
Well, I have been writing about activities during the “Shoulder Seasons”. We wanted to enjoy lacrosse and visiting maple syrup farms but Central New York rain and cold dampened the events and encouraged the grandparents and grand babies to stay home and read. However, one activity for a grandmother remained. A tea party with Fortnightly! I collected the extra table settings from my relatives, arranged some flowers, made some decaf tea and coffee, bought a cake from The Patisserie, and hosted a tea. However, this was not an ordinary tea. I consider this monthly tea as a way of memorializing and continuing a woman’s study group which helped many woman enjoy the winter months and the “Shoulder Seasons” of Auburn, Skaneateles, and Central New York. It provided a topic on which to focus their readings and also provided companions with whom the topic could be discussed. The meetings begin in the Fall and the last meeting is held in the Spring so members can anticipate and enjoy Central New York’s beautiful summers (see pictures of summer below).
The club originated on January 28th, 1884 when thirteen ladies met at the home of Mrs. James P. Knapp for the purpose of organizing a literary club for “mutual improvement by a systematic course of reading or study of some subject in History, Literature, Art or any topic which the club shall select.” Mrs. Knapp was elected president. She served 13 years until Mrs. W.H. Seward Jr. (wife of William Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln), became president. The presidency now rotates yearly but the traditions established at that time continue to bond the members together.In the beginning the ladies met at least once every 2 weeks, thus the name Fortnightly. The number of members was limited because a “large circle was not desirable.” Membership was limited to 24 and often more than one paper was given, which was to be 45 minutes long. No refreshments were served. I suppose they were just feeding their minds! Over time the number of meetings was reduced to 12 and the membership was increased to 35 (but was then reduced back to 25). In 1907 a tea party became an integral part of the program. Today a member hosts a tea party once every 2 years. At the tea party each member not hosting a tea party that year delivers a paper on the selected topic of the year. There is only one paper given per meeting.
Although Fortnightly has made changes over the years, it continues on as a study group that gives its members something to read and study about over the “Shoulder Seasons” and winter. It provides discussions on various topics and a pleasant afternoon. The Internet has been added to the library as a great source of information and the members of Fortnightly continue to pursue their topics of interest. Last year, the topic was the great romances of history and this year it is China.
PickupKrauterTeam.com RealtyUSA
I think this is the “Shoulder season” time of year. Not spring, not summer, but not winter. The best things for me to do at this time of year are to observe the sap running through tubing and/or to attend a lacrosse game. Of course hiking the trails around Skaneateles and the Finger Lakes is fun. Planning when to launch a boat is always inspiring. The scene is a picture taken during the “Shoulder season” of the Union Springs boat launch associated with the village park on Cayuga lake.
I had hoped to make the Cedarvale Maple Syrup Open House with my grandchildren. However, it was impossible to get everyone moving. There were too many small children and adults enjoying everyone’s company plus it was snowy and cold.
Nevertheless I was informed by my father (who is 91) that the event was a success and it was the best season ever. He went because he lives near his son who owns and operates the Cedarvale Maple Syrup Co. The owner is my brother, Karl Wiles, who often makes the news during syrup time, which is part of the “shoulder season”.
Sometime soon we will travel to Boston to enjoy the “Shoulder S
eason”. We will attend a lacrosse game at Gillette Stadium. However, the trouble with the “Shoulder Season” is that you can’t count on weather. Combine that problem with 2 very young children and any attendance at a lacrosse game might not happen.
PickupKrauterTeam.com RealtyUSA
The snow is here for a brief time but so is the Maple Syrup. During the warm days and the cold nights the sap flows quickly through tubing which is strung from maple tree to maple tree. This means that those farming the syrup are up late into the night boiling sap and turning the sap into syrup.
Today and tomorrow we will be taking ourselves and our children/grandchildren to Cedarvale Maple Syrup farm on Pleasant Valley Road. Just take 175 past Skanellus, go about 6 miles and take a right onto Pleasant Valley Road ( across from the gas station/convenience store). To add interest to your trip, look for the “disappearing lake” on your right. After you pass the lake (It looks like a very shallow lake and looks a little like a deep swamp but it disappears and returns and is a mystery to those who study it.) Enjoy the views of the valley for about 5 miles, pass Kasson Road hill on your left, go around a bend and you arrive at Cedarvale Maple Syrup. The direction link is below.
http://www.com-site.com/cedarvale/directions.html
Marion Wiles Krauter and Annette Krauter Pickup
PickupKrauterTeam.com RealtyUSA
Spring brings Geese and Home Shows to Central New York
THE HOME SHOW EXPERIENCE
The Home Show of Central New York was just wonderful. There was so much information in one place to help the homeowner. I went with my team. Officially Pickup is my daughter but unofficially we travel a lot with Josh and Ethan (ages 4 and 5). Luckily GV (their grandfather) came along to handle the extra crew. We focused on play yards, windows, and how to restore kitchen cabinets. We signed up Eagle Windows (BR Johnson and Company) and Comfort windows to come and give us an estimate. We also signed up N-Hance, a company that can clean and restore your cabinets. They all provided great service. They made appointments at the fair and arrived at our door at the exact time that they promised.
MEMORIES CONNECTING ME TO SKANEATELES LAKE
I have said yes to any sailing invitation on Skaneateles Lake since I could walk. Of course I sailed way before life jackets and sailing lessons and large boats. I sailed from the Pump House with my father, but not because of any great talent or interest. I liked my father and the ride,skan and he liked the extra weight which was easily moved from one side of the boat to the other to help balance things out. It was all very exciting sitting in the bottom of the boat and then suddenly being quickly uplifted to the other side before my side sank. This boat was a Mower, the sailing boat before the Lightning. From a passenger’s point of view this was a comfortable boat. The lines of the boat were round and rarely jabbed you. The bow and deck were long enough to lie on as a child or adult.
At the time there were limited motor boats. Therefore, the Mower had to be our fun and fun it was! The neighbors hooked a trapeze on their Mower and offered the passenger an exciting hike out over the lake. The friendly large bow and deck of the Mower allowed this to be quite easy. I doubt the speed was record breaking but the fun was as much as we could think up at the time.
The Mower also had its romance as the teenage years came around. My cousin took a Mower to Mid-Lakes Golf course and spent a summer restoring it while he courted his wife-to-be. I was invited to sail to Borodino in the middle of the night. Then the passage of time took the Mower to my younger brother. He put it in a barn for awhile. He then traded it to my husband for his Honda motorcycle. When we lived in Ithaca the Mower was put into Cayuga Lake where it held its youngest passenger…..a 2 week old baby (who is now my partner). This was not too exciting for the captain so the Mower was put in a barn as a boat to be again restored.
It remained in a barn for 10 years or so. My family returned to the Skaneateles area and wanted to be on the lake once again. Therefore, my husband put it into the water at Skaneateles Country Club so we could have a sailing membership. Every year it promptly sank for a week while it was swelling up. The children had to help my husband bail it on Father’s day. We raced it a few times and then just kept it for lounging in the middle of the lake. The children learned to sail but never loved the preparation for sailing. The soft lines and great bow and wide decks were always pleasant for passengers but not so great for racing. I guess that (and the high cost to make the original design) is why there are hundreds of Lightnings coming to the Country Club and the Mower now sits in someone’s barn waiting for yet another restoration and a loving passenger. I am not sure any time will come that will put the Mower at the top of someone’s memory but it remains as one of my cherished memories. Who am I? I am just a happy passenger……. never a bailer, never a designer, never a captain, just a willing passenger who will pull the jib sheet when directed.
The Mower The Lightning Regatta about 10 years ago
