The Oswego Canal

The Erie Canal was an incredible feat of engineering, when it was built in the 1800's. Known as Clinton's Ditch, it connected the Hudson River and New York City, with Buffalo. It then emptied into the Great Lakes Region in the Midwest and especially, to the city of Chicago.

The one thing it did not do, is connect New York City with Canada. That is what the Oswego Canal did, when it was finally added to the system.

There were 3 versions of the canal, over the years...but this photo journey, documents the last, most recent one. The canal breaks off from the Erie Canal in the 3 rivers area, just north of Syracuse. This journey begins a little bit north of that location.

Click each link, to be taken to the appropriate post.

Canal Lock #1 Phoenix, NY

Canal Lock #2 Fulton, NY

Canal Lock #3 Fulton, NY

There is no Canal Lock #4. The engineers managed to get lock #3 to take the entire amount of the needed lift.

Canal Lock #5 Minetto, NY

Canal Lock #6 Oswego, NY

Canal Lock #7 Oswego, NY

Canal Lock #8 Oswego, NY

Enjoy a journey into NY State's rich past.

Look What My School Sent Me For My Birthday!

Of course any plea for money is falling on (currently broke), deaf ears...but I have got to give my Alumni Association credit for sending me a birthday card with ME on it!

They have no clue I am there on the upper right top (if you saw the original that was taken in August for Green and Gold Day, that is where I was for the photo).

I got a real kick out of seeing this, with the little cupcake on the bottom and everything.

So proud to have taken the time to pose for that photo and receive it back. :-)

Canal Lock #8 - Oswego, New York

It's the end of Water Wednesday again! My last post on the canal locks.

We have reached the end of our journey, Lake Ontario, via Oswego Canal Lock #8.

We have traveled 23.7 miles, from Three Rivers (right above Phoenix, NY), to the mouth of the Lake.

This Lock, with its 11 foot elevation change, makes the final transition to Lake Ontario.

The City of Oswego has the largest elevation change for the entire length of the Oswego Canal...45.6 feet of change. Before they canalized the river, there was a steep set of rapids that roared through the town. No wonder the salmon loved this area and still return each year.

This lock was unusual because it was originally a siphon lock, the only one on the Erie Canal System. It didn't work so well, so they changed it to valves and it now looks just like every other lock.

Most of the siphon differences are long gone, though I found photos on THIS page. Check it out, if you are interested.

Oh, note in the first photo, that they keep a tug boat there at the start of the canal, to help boats with navigation through the system.

In case you care, the clouds in the photo...are caused by Lake Effect. :-)

I hope you enjoyed the journey.

White Out!

This photo was not taken by me, it was taken by David Moody.

This is the first day of class for the Spring Semester, at Oswego. I think the college didn't tell the weatherman, because a major Lake Effect band of snow came in off Lake Ontario yesterday. Total white out conditions, for about 3 straight hours and an accumulation of 8 to 10 inches of snow, in that period of time. My art teacher reported that she spent the first 30 minutes of her commute home, trying to get off campus.

Maybe I should stop wishing I was back there...

Oh, class formally starts for me, today. Unless we get a snow day.

Wish me luck.

Canal Lock #7 - Oswego, New York

My Water Post For Today.

Canal Lock #7 is the hardest lock to see. I sort of knew it was somewhere in that area, but that was all.

After one of my trips to Syracuse, I made the detour to a parking lot near the lock and that is when my troubles began.

The lock has a body of water between it and the roadway, so it is not as easy to see as some of the others. On top of that, it has a closed bridge (the green structure in the first photo) that seems to want to warn people away from it.

As far as I could see, it was open to the public and I began to take a few photos.

Well, the lock keeper started coming over to me and so I took a detour away from that area of the lock. He then decided to go back to his lock house and I grabbed a few more photos, without him around.

This lock is the one that is right down the street from the Post Office, which you can see as the big square building on the left side of the river, just left of center, in the map photo. The Post Office is where I spent so much time mailing stuff to people. As a matter of fact, I took a photo of its waterfall, which you can see in THIS post, not knowing it was there...that is how hidden it is.

If you look at the Google Map of the area, you can see there are 3 places that the water goes to, a plant (I am sure it is another hydroelectric one), the center area with the waterfall and then all the way over on the right side, the lock and that little pond area.

It raises or lowers a total of 14.5 feet, so that is why the waterfall is a decent size.

The salmon fishing goes on there, too.

We are almost to the end. Lock 8 to go and we are in Lake Ontario.

I hope you enjoyed.

Going To Santa Barbara And Ventura

My Husband and I booked a quicky trip over to Santa Barbara and Ventura for today and Monday. I got us a room for only $65 (with breakfast included). This is a fraction of the cost of my room in Syracuse the day before I flew home. :-)

The hotel just happens to be our go to location, for anything on the coast, so we know it well.

We have plans to spend the day in Santa Barbara and then sleep in Ventura. I have a conference call with my teacher, just before check out. So when that is done, we will check out of the hotel and then walk around the Harbor area. Our plans include getting a bite of lunch, before heading home.

We should be back in Santa Clarita in the mid afternoon, before things get too crazy with rush hour traffic.

Hopefully, our plans will work out that way and we will have a nice getaway together.

I think we deserve it!

Happy Birthday To Me (2014 Edition)

It's here again, like death and taxes. My Birthday has arrived.

On last year's post, which you can read, HERE, I mentioned that I had school starting right after my birthday and that again is the case this year.

Except that instead of starting a process, I am about to begin my (hopefully) last course for my degree certificate. What a difference a year makes.

If you had told me last year that I would go and spend a semester at school, I truly think I would have told you that you were totally crazy. Yet here I am, on the other side of living the co-ed life, enjoying my family once again.

My brain has indeed proved to be able to learn new things, though my short term memory still is terrible. Damn age... :-)

In excellent news, this is the year I can access my pension, without penalty. Good to know, since it is still a bit iffy on the work and economy front. Nice to have back up, in that regard.

FYI: If the photo looks familiar, it is part of the bunch I took the day I went to Poucher/Campus Center, to find the brick wall, for a selfie photo op. I thought I would give you a side view and in color this time.

Another year older and happy to be here. Happy Birthday to me!

I Got A New Shirt

I had a gift card for Macy's, again this Holiday Season. What to do, what to do?

I decided to take a quick look at the women's section, for a new blouse. My Husband was with me and we both took a discount rack and started looking.

Amazingly, he came up with this one and at the same time, so did I. His rack was 75 percent off and mine was only 25 percent. So we went with his and ran the tag on the scanner. Unfortunately for me, it was the 25 percent off price...darn. By then, I figured it was karma and I tried it on.

It looked great and so I got it.

Sorry it's not the best shot, but it is all I have right now.

A Few Photos Of WCNY CentralCast

Back in October, I went to the WCNY Open House and documented some of what I saw in THIS post. I took many photos that day, mostly of the true nuts and bolts of the facility...CentralCast.

Since I have a bit of time, I thought I would show it off.

Robert Daino, who I interviewed a few weeks after this day, explained to me that CentralCast's current plans are to run the signal of every station in New York and New Jersey. That is phase 1. In the shot I have, only 2 stations are being transmitted out of CentralCast, besides WCNY. WSKG Binghamtom and WMHT Albany are totally hooked up. The rest of them are in varying stages of set up and will be coming online over the next few months...or something. That is why there are workstations that have no signal at all coming into them yet.

Each "pod" controls and monitors 5 channels at a time. I am unsure if a station does not have 5 streams, does the operator monitor different stations streams at his work "pod"? I guess someday I will have to go back to see.

This next photo is of the Traffic Department and their cubbies. I took the photo so I could show off the difference between what our area looks like in Burbank and how WCNY decided to set it up.

I am not sure what I would want. What I have, or this design.

Here is the architect of the entire project, Oswego Computer Science Graduate and General Manager of WCNY, Robert Daino.

This photo was taken at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. He decided to not cut a ribbon, but instead plugged in the new facility. I thought it was quite funny.

The man is quite a genius and I found him a fascinating interview subject.

I hope he ends up making a difference in the lives of the people of Syracuse, as he wants to. He has a real passion for it and I hope he succeeds.

Canal Lock #5 - Minetto, New York

It's Water Wednesday and back to my posts on the locks on the Oswego Canal.

Here is the tiny town of Minetto, about 5 miles upriver from the town of Oswego. I visited it three times, while I was there and the last time, I took a drive across the bridge that I showed you in THIS post.

The bridge gave me the elevation I needed, to show you Lock #5.

It (as usual) has a waterfall and a hydroelectric dam on the side. The lock is on the left bank of the river, instead of the right side. I have no idea why, except maybe they needed to have it on the side with the town?

Google Maps gives you the overhead view and you can see the horseshoe falls across the river and the lock next to the building.

Down at the bottom of the photo, you can see the bridge that crosses the river. I personally would live in that town, just for the views of the bridge.

You can revisit an updated post of Canal Lock #6 HERE.

Next week, the ever mysterious Canal Lock #7. It hides in plain site, in Oswego, New York.

Reelin' In The Years - A Steely Danfest At Le Bar Bat (2001)

The 13th Anniversary for this event is coming up on March 19th.

2001 was the year that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (the induction ceremony was at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC). In the spirit of celebration, we fans decided to have a Dan Fest.

We came from miles around and congregated at a club called Le Bar Bat. The biggest Steely Dan fan, was the booker for the club and one of the people he got, was Elliot Randell (who plays that cool lead guitar on Reelin' In The Years. Another big name he booked that same night, was bassist, Chuck Rainey. You can hear Chuck on most of the Royal Scam album and (of course) their masterpiece, Aja. One of the things they did that night was play Reelin', so that Elliott could do his famous guitar solo. They brought up Dan fan, Amelia Ray, to sing and she did quite a nice job with the song. Chuck...was Chuck. Laying down that always perfect bass line.

I truly enjoyed that evening and the second night, when The Steely Damned (a band from San Diego) played for over 4 hours, into the wee hours of the morning. My Husband and I got to see how to deal with The City that never sleeps...we were going home on the train, just as the first commuters were making they way into New York, to begin their work day. It was an unforgettable Dan Fest and THIS video, which recently surfaced on Youtube, brought it all back.

Check it out and Enjoy.

Canal Lock #2 - Fulton, New York

My Water Post For Today.

In my travels down the Oswego River, I got to Fulton, New York. I knew there is a lock in this town, but I was unaware of the fact that there are actually 2 of them. This is Canal Lock #2, which is located at the first of two bridges which cross over the river. Being there is a bridge for Route 3 that causes much traffic, I totally missed the fact that the canal lock is at this location.

The Canal Lock is at the beginning of the downtown waterfront area and shares its location with some businesses along the river. Another reason I missed it. I had to park in a private company's parking lot, to gain access to the lock.

Being I had to shoot through a fence, these are not exactly the most photogenic shots of the lock, but there it is.

I liked the fact that there was a bird in the first photo and I liked whatever type of bushes are there along the lock, in photo number 2.

There is the obligatory waterfall, over at the top left of the first photo, though you may need to click on the link to see it better.

There is also a hydroelectric plant there, on the center island. A green swing bridge, which you can see in the 2nd photo, crosses the lock, to allow access to the plant.

In this Google Map photo, you can see the green swing bridge, in the open position. There is a boat approaching, to lock through the canal, so it has been moved out of the way.

The waterfall and power plant, are much easier to see in this overhead view.

My next post will be Canal Lock #5 (there is no Canal Lock #4), since I had already highlighted Canal Lock #3 HERE.

I hope you enjoy.

Los Angeles Union Station Trackside

Under historic Union Station, lies the Red Line Subway.

It was opened in 1992, so it has been part of the transportation center that is Los Angeles Union Station, for over 20 years. This first image is the Art Deco designed portal, between Union Station itself and the underground subway.

I personally like the look a lot.

When you turn the corner, you can then see a really wonderful mural. It not only depicts some of the angels in the city, it labels them in different languages. My personal favorite, is Gabriel, though normally I would lean toward Mikhail the Archangel. :-)

You are then descending the first of two escalators, down to the mezzanine level.

When you finish walking to the second escalator, it brings you down to the main platform.

There you are, trackside.

If it looks familiar to you, it is probably because it has to be the most photographed section of the Los Angeles Subway System.

It is one of the starker platforms in the system, probably because of the fact that so much artwork went into the upper areas of the station. It has two access portals, not one, like most other stations. So that probably played into it, too.

That's a quick look at Union. Probably the subway station I have spent the most time waiting for a train in. I love it!

Northridge Memories - 20 Years Later

This was originally written in 2008. I blame any info that seems dated, on that fact. :-)

The Northridge Earthquake occurred 20 years ago, yesterday at 4:30AM. Earthquakes seem to cluster around this time of the day and I can't tell you how many times, over my 33 year marriage, I have found the bed shaking and Hubby and I woken up by one of them. That particular night we were woken up at around 2:30AM by our then 3 year old son, who came running into our bedroom screaming about 3 snakes. He scared our cat (who was sleeping at the foot of the bed as usual) and of course, us. He had never done anything like this prior to that evening, but we rolled with it and put him between us and the three of us (and cat) went back to sleep.

2 hours later, we wake up to the house violently shaking in a North/South movement. Logical, since Northridge is to the south of us. It felt like we were riding a bucking bronco (not that I know this first hand, but I am sure that's what it probably feels like). We rode it out, looking at each other and our son between us and I remember us commenting to each other, "Who got to this child?". Someone, something, whatever...he was warned. We both thanked whatever it was and dealt with our new life, living and walking on land that was suddenly alive.

It was the worst for the first week and unsettling as all get out, feeling shakes, shimmers and all sorts of things almost too small to feel, but there anyway. As we took stock of our situation, we found out that my area of the world was almost totally cut off from the rest of Los Angeles, by the failure of 2 freeway overpasses. Due to that fact, my Husband spent one afternoon driving my car through the collapsed interchange area and eventually getting my car to Glendale Station. I had been toying with the idea of taking the train in to work. I would leave my car there with just a club on the steering wheel and then drive the last few miles, to work in Hollywood. In one of those serendipity things, Metrolink gave us a free week, during the Christmas Holiday and I had tried this very thing and was going to put it into operation, sometime in January. Well, the earthquake DEFINITELY put it into operation. My car never returned home after that day, living in Glendale for it's final 6 years. It stayed there and was even given to someone else, from there. I always kidded that I lived in Santa Clarita...but my car lived in Glendale. :-)

Metrolink, to get people out of our valley that first week, put 11 cars on each train (the normal amount of cars on a train were 3) and may I state for the record, that those cars were PACKED! Standing room only on 11 cars. Scared commuters, going through the San Fernando Tunnel each day and then right into the middle of the shattered Interchange. It was not for the faint of heart, but it got us to work, when there was no other way. They opened the Interchange by the weekend, but it was 6 months before the overpasses were fixed, so life didn't get better for us, until then.

I have never been through something like that and it still affects me, all these years later. Just the other day, when we bought the new piece of furniture to put our TV on, I fought for something shorter, while Hubby wanted something taller. I was thinking Earthquake, he was thinking ease of viewing. He won, but I still wish it was lower. lol

Things have been amazingly quiet these past 2 decades and I hope it continues.

Jared Leto Wins A Golden Globe For Dallas Buyer's Club

Yesterday, the Academy Award nominees were announced. Fresh on the heels of Jared Leto winning a Golden Globe for best supporting actor in The Dallas Buyer's Club, he picked up another nomination, this time via the Academy Awards.

We went to see the movie just a few weeks ago and it is still very fresh in my mind. He did a masterful job of playing a transvestite who is dying of AIDS back in the 80's. The final scene of him in the hospital, is enough to make you cry. :-(

Jared did an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, regarding how he dealt with playing a role, so unlike what he is in real life.

I highly recommend taking the time to listen to it, because it is also, very powerful. You can access it HERE.

I am so in awe of the man's abilities...truly.

At Boot

My Other Son #1 is married to a woman who just decided to join the Marines. She left for Boot Camp in South Carolina, during early December.

I have been sending her letters, but the other day on Facebook, photos turned up.

Somehow, her mother got photos of her daughter. I have never seen such a thing. Especially due to the fact that many of my son's friends have gone through this ahead of her.

Is it because she is a girl and they give them a bit more leeway, then they do the guys? I don't honestly know.

What I do know is that it made me very happy to see her and to see she is holding up, under their "training".

Good Luck MMM.

Canal Lock #1 - Phoenix, New York

Yes, I am bringing back (for the moment) Water Wednesday!

I think I might have mentioned that I took little detours during my 4 months living in Upstate New York, to visit each one of the 7 locks on the Oswego Canal.

So far, I showed off Lock #6 just outside city limits in Oswego (more than once) and Lock #3 in Fulton. I had every intention to highlight each one of them...but I ran out of time.

These 5 posts will take up the remainder of the month of January.

The Oswego Canal is a later addition, to the infamous Erie Canal and as such, it has a lot of history attached to it. Especially right here in Phoenix, NY, which is right by the 3 rivers area, just north of Syracuse.

What makes this lock so unusual, is the fact that there is an Historic Trunnion Bridge (draw bridge) there. Built in 1912, it links the town of Phoenix with the park in the middle of the river and lock. It survived the tragic fire in 1916, that saw 80 businesses and homes along the canal, burned down.

Now days, the bridge is no longer used, since access is via the main bridge over the entire complex. If you look further down the lock, you see another (yellow) bridge that is still occasionally used.

The day I visited this lock, was probably the coldest it got, when I was there. Brrrr...

I think that made me make this a quick look, rather then a walk around the entire park and canal complex.

To see what I am talking about, here is a screen capture of the area.

I hope you enjoyed the post...and the water, of course.

The Race

If you remember, I had a Finch last semester who had to be programmed to dance to a song.

I never mentioned the song, minus the title...until today. It is The Race, by 30 Seconds To Mars.

I happened to want to hear the song and went looking in Youtube. I was just expecting to see it as the lyric song, but there was a pretty darn good cell phone or digital camera capture from a November 12, 2013 Amsterdam Concert on Youtube. I watched it multiple times and you can see that Jared Leto may have been doing similar things, just like I programmed my Finch to do.

Go forward, turn right, go forward, turn left, go forward, turn right...well, you get the idea. :-)

Check it out HERE and please don't ask me what the baseball bat means...I just don't want to know.

Oh, and of course, enjoy.

Salmon Fishing

My Water Post For Today.

This was taken in November of Last year, on the Oswego River.

The fishermen come out in droves and just stand in the river by the waterfall, trying to catch salmon. I find it amazing that they stand in water that is so cold for long periods of time, just for a fish...but it is not my thing, anyway.

It looks like they divert some of the water, away from the fishermen...but I don't quite understand the whole process. It is a pretty location though.

Enjoy.

Some Of The Things I Miss In Oswego

I belong to an alumni group on Facebook and they talk about their college years in Oswego. I obviously have a leg up on all of them, because I was just there last semester. Well, the conversation in a thread moved into Wade's territory and one of the moderators decided to make it have it's own thread. So I joined the conversation and it made me realize how much I miss Wade's. More then the eggs and the bacon, I miss those wonderful yummy home fries. Thinly sliced and crunchy at the same time. Indescribably delicious and note, I am not a home fried potato fan. I also miss their cinnamon bread, cooked right on the grill and then buttered up. Yum, Yum!

The other thing I miss a lot, is the lovely Gothic Church in town. St. Mary's had such an old feel to it. More like the Church my family went to for my growing up years on Long Island. The kneelers in the Church were so incredibly heavy and took up most of the leg room and trust me, I don't miss that part. Otherwise, it was a very spiritual place and I miss visiting it.

I still have not gotten to our Church yet and that bothers me.

There was way too much going on during Christmas, to get over there, but I hope to rectify that situation soon...maybe today.

Oh and a final thing I miss...the snow. (I can't believe I am saying that), but I do. It's just a fact. :-)

Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand

The one thing I have managed to do, during winter break, is read a book or two.

I finished the book that I started on the train trip over to Oswego, on the flight back to Los Angeles. Probably the longest I have ever taken to read a book. Almost 5 months. Seriously, when I say I had no time to myself during the semester, I was not joking.

My boss gave me a Christmas gift in 2012 and I finally got to read it. It is a book about Barbra Streisand's first 4 years of trying to make it in show biz. Going from a high school kid in Brooklyn, to her starring in "Funny Girl" on Broadway. It was just a short 4 years of her life.

I would not say I am a big fan of hers, but as I read the book, the music from Funny Girl kept running through my head. Especially "Don't Rain On My Parade" and "People". I remember seeing the movie at (I think) The Syosset Theater on Jericho Turnpike (Long Island). A very nice theater that I saw "Gone with the Wind" and "The Sound of Music" at.

The book draws you into her life. I found that Barbra's feelings of abandonment, in regard to her Mother, are totally wrong. Her Mother, Diana, would schlep all the way to Manhattan, to bring her daughter soup! What mother who does not care about their child, would do that, for years!

Other than that, I found the book interesting. I came away with less respect for Barbra, then I had going in. I will leave it to the readers in the future, to form their own opinions, in regard to that.

Do I recommend reading it, definitely yes.

A piece of the song, "Don't Rain On My Parade"

I'm gonna live and live now
Get what I want, I know how
One roll for the whole she-bang
One throw, that bell will go clang
Eye on the target and wham
One shot, one gun shot, and bam
Hey, Mister Arnstein, here I am

I'll march my band out, I will beat my drum
And if I'm fanned out, your turn at bat, sir
At least I didn't fake it, hat, sir
Guess I didn't make it
Get ready for me, love 'cause I'm a comer
I simply gotta march, my heart's a drummer
No,nobody, no, nobody, is ever gonna rain on my parade

Hitler And Oswego Parking

First off, before we get onto the subject of this post, a very Happy 66th Birthday to Donald Fagen!

If I have not previously mentioned the horror story of commuter parking on the Oswego Campus, then you are in for a treat.

One of the main gripes I had about living "Off Campus" is that you are treated the worst of anyone. At least the students in the dorms, could take the shuttle bus to get to classes, if needed. We "Off Campus" students had to park at the absolute furthest lot from the classrooms. Seriously, it was something like a half mile to classes. I hated it.

Anyway, there is a Hitler video going around Youtube about Hitler and Oswego parking. Many schools did the same basic thing with this video from an old movie, but of course, I love ours the best. The story begins with Hitler just wanting use the lot right there by the Campus Center in the midst of all the activities and his subordinates had to explain that he can't park there. I get a real kick out of the whole thing. Feel free to watch the video HERE.

The two women who mention the parking at "The Village", is a funny moment, too. :-)

Enjoy.

3 Views Of Life At SUNY Oswego

Here are a few photos I found on my cell phone camera, which kind of give a hint as to my school life.

This first one, is actually the last one I took. You might remember my last sunset on Lake Ontario. This was taken at the same time as that photo, which you can see, HERE. We three were walking to the car right after our last class was finished. We were totally happy folk who couldn't wait until we were home and done with the semester. I had noticed that the sun was setting and took out my cell phone and captured this photo, too.

Jamie and Azania are two friends, from several of my classes.

I will have another class with both of them at the end of the month, which makes me very glad because I miss them.

Here is another photo of Jamie, that was taken at the end of November.

It was taken on the day we shot Brunch of the Living Dead in the cemetery.

My fellow zombie, all made up. Note how different the feel of the photo is, compared to how everything looked in the final Black and White Movie.

I love the semi-smile on his face, in spite of the zombie persona he was rocking.

This final photo is of Brian and it was taken, I think, for our last class (but I could be wrong).

It is not a costume, but a tee shirt with Santa's outfit on it.

I got a kick out of it and had to take a photo of him wearing it. Note those shorts!!!!!

The kids that grow up in this environment don't care what time of year it is, shorts come out the moment the weather gets a bit above freezing.

This was taken while waiting outside our Technology and Culture class, which was held in room 104 in Mahar Hall (if you care).

All in all, I had some really good times and I wish I had taken more photos of my fellow students...but for now, these will have to do.

Fried Won Tons

On New Year's, I decided to make Fried Won Tons. My Husband and I sort of remembered how and so we bought ingredients that we thought went in the won ton. It ended up that we had better memories then we expected...well, minus the sweet and sour sauce to dip them in, which we totally forgot.

The recipe comes from Kikkoman, via Allrecipes. Click the name of the recipe below, to get to their page directly, or you can view it right here on my blog.

Crispy Fried Won Tons

3/4 pound ground pork
8 canned water chestnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 tablespoon Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1 (16 ounce) package wonton skins
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Tomato ketchup and hot mustard or Kikkoman Sweet & Sour Sauce

Combine pork, water chestnuts, green onions, soy sauce, cornstarch, salt and ginger in medium bowl; mix well.

Place 1/2 teaspoonful pork mixture in center of each wonton skin. Fold wonton skin over filling to form a triangle. Turn top of triangle down to meet fold. Turn over; moisten 1 corner with water.

Overlap opposite corner over moistened corner; press together firmly.

Heat oil in wok or large saucepan over medium-high heat to 375 degrees F. Deep-fry wontons, a few at a time, 2 to 3 minutes, or until brown and crispy.

Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with ketchup and mustard or sweet & sour sauce, as desired.

The Life Of Geese - In Oswego

This was my life over the past 4 1/2 months. Dodging geese and their droppings.

I have dealt with geese, as I walked around Bridgeport here in Santa Clarita, but I have never, in my life, seen so many geese "just hanging around" as I did on the Oswego Campus.

I talked to a friend who went to school with me and he does not remember geese and I don't remember geese, so I think something must have happened, to make them decide the Oswego Campus is a perfect place to nosh and poop.

It got so bad, dealing with their poop, that the campus bought a sweeper that they drive around the campus, cleaning up the incredible mess.

I remember one day, giving the driver the "Thumbs Up" as he drove by me, cleaning as he went.

I found them fascinating to watch, eating the grass, all day long and then moving on to another location, to eat more. They did not poop in the grass, they used the walkways exclusively. Smart geese.

My favorite geese memory was the start of a run for some charity. The gun goes off, the runners begin running up the hill and the geese that had been close by eating, began to follow the runners. I wished I had a camera, because it was a priceless moment!

The cold and snow did not bother them, at least when I was there. That amazed me the most, since I thought that they flew down south (to places like Bridgeport) for the winter. I guess I was wrong, because there were geese, right up until I left...Brrrr...

Waves On The Breakwater

My Water Post For Today.

I found this photo on my cell phone and decided to show it off.

It was taken the last week I was in Oswego, and the sun being out makes you think it must have still been summer. Well, it was not, as the wild windy weather proves.

The waves were crashing over the breakwater where the lighthouse lives and I tried to get that in the shot.

I think I managed to pull it off.

Bet it looks nothing like this, now. Brrrr...

Clarisse And Makenna: Two Cats, Two Coasts

Two cats, who live on two coasts.

The first photo is of my sister's cat, Clarisse.

It was taken during the Thanksgiving Weekend trip I made down to Long Island, New York.

I always try to get a photo of her, when I visit.

It's not my best shot of her, but it was the best one of this trip.

She rarely looks at me...and when she does, it is usually her scowling at me.

Being she is not looking at me, she is actually not scowling. Woot!

This second photo is a shot of my cat, Makenna.

Obviously, she lives with me, over on the West Coast of the United States.

Since I have been home, she has been more needy then usual and so she hovers a bit.

I got an angel from my friend, Gina in Belgium and she had to check out the angel and then she followed me to the card.

This is her, checking out the card. I loved her look and grabbed my cell phone, to get the photo.

Obviously, her daddy is in the shot, too, ignoring the entire thing. :-)

I hope you enjoyed two cats on two coasts.

SUNY Oswego, Back In 1964

These two photos are of the SUNY Oswego Campus taken in 1964.

A student named Jim Nichols took flying lessons out of Fulton (Fulton has an airport?), when he was a freshman. He posted these photos and I was amazed to see how the campus looked in those days. This was before they built "New Campus", also known as "West Campus" today.

In this first photo, you see Sheldon Hall, just as it has always been on the far bottom right. At the far left (connected) are the two buildings that are now part of Campus Center, Poucher and Swetman. You may remember I went looking in Poucher Hall, for the brick background that I needed for a photo recently. Also, the Lakeside Dorms are there at the top, of the picture, sitting on the Lake and the President's Home, Shady Shore is there at the top right, with no Niagara Mohawk smoke stacks.

This second photo shows the two tall dorms in Center Campus, Hart and Funnell. They had been just built and there is absolutely nothing after them.

Note that the road that now days makes a sharp left turn into the residential area adjacent to the campus, used to go directly through the campus and connect to the road that runs out to the stands.

This road no longer exists and as a matter of fact, the elevation change is mighty in that area of campus.

If you would like to compare these photos to the current map of campus, you can check out the interactive one, HERE.

I think it is a very cool time capsule of my school, before I knew it.

Gram Gram

She was my Magic "Son's" Grandmother. I showed her off in THIS post from back in 2009.

Last night, as we were watching the credits to a movie, I got the message. His Grandmother had passed away.

About a week or so ago, he had taken many photos of her, so maybe this was no real surprise. I guess I will find out more, when we talk.

My family is so sad to hear this news and on a personal level, we will miss seeing her gardening at her house down the street.

No matter what, there is nothing like a grandparent and I am sure he will miss her.

I know how upset I was when I lost mine.

A Celebration of Diversity In L.A. Subway Stations

An article appeared in a Metro press release during Christmas Week. You can read about it from Curbed LA HERE. It was telling their readers that, in the future, all stations in the Metro System will be uniform in design. The photo up above, is one example of "The Look".

They are doing this, to save money on maintenance costs for the entire system, but as a reader who has documented the many looks of the subway, over the years...I find it a bit disturbing and yes, very sad.

In honor of the many stations I have passed through over the years and documented in this blog, I give you a place to check out most of the current Red Line Stations.

Viva Diversity!

Los Angeles Union Station Outside and track side

Civic Center Station

Pershing Square Station

Westlake/MacArthur Park Station (Coming Soon)

Wilshire/Vermont Station track side and the Toys on the Escalator

Vermont/Beverly Station

Vermont/Santa Monica Station (Coming Soon)

Vermont/Sunset Station

Hollywood/Western Station

Hollywood/Vine Station

Hollywood/Highland Station

Universal City Station

North Hollywood Station

Upstairs at North Hollywood Station

Quiche With Bacon, Onion, Mushroom & American Cheese

Happy New Year!

We had an extra crust hanging out in the freezer, when I got home. Rather then making a pie, I decided to make a quiche, to use it up.

I thought it would fill the days between Christmas and New Year's, with a something a little bit different.

The recipe I found, was on the Internet. It ended up being by The Pioneer Woman, whose blog I read.

I liked the fact that it had lots of onions and mushrooms in it, in addition to the bacon and cheese.

This first photo is before cooking it.

It came out great, as if you had any doubt. The recipe seems to be for a deeper dish crust, then I had, so I cut down on the eggs and the other ingredients a bit (I put in 5 eggs, but could have probably gone with 6). I did not use artichoke hearts, since I had just used my package for Christmas Eve Dinner. Mushrooms I cut down to less than one box, because my Husband isn't a big fan. I also used 1 cup of half and half, instead of cream. It fit into a standard 8 inch pie crust, just fine. You understand, what's goin' on here? Hopefully you do, so here is her original recipe.

Quiche

3/4 pounds Thick Cut, Bacon (Your choice of flavor)
1 stick Butter
1 whole Large (or 2 Medium) Onions, Very Thinly Sliced
2 boxes (5 Oz. Each) White Mushrooms, Washed And Sliced
1 can (14 oz) or package of Quartered Artichoke Hearts (no need to defrost them first, if frozen)
1 whole Pie Crust
7 whole Eggs
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream (or half and half)
2 cups Grated Swiss Cheese (or any cheese you would like)
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Fresh Parsley, Fresh Chives (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Crumble and set aside. Pour out excess grease but don’t clean the pan.

Melt butter in the same skillet. Add onions and cook for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and artichokes and cook for a few more minutes. Salt mixture to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 20 minutes.

Roll out pie crust and press into deep dish tart pan. (May also use 2 standard pie crusts for this recipe.) In a large bowl, beat eggs with cream. Add grated cheese, salt and pepper, and set aside. (Add cayenne pepper if you’d like a little kick.)

With a slotted spoon, add mushroom mixture into egg/cream mixture. Stir together. Add bacon and stir. Add parsley or chives, if desired.

Pour into pie crust and press to submerge ingredients. Cover loosely with foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Bake for slightly longer if quiche is overly jiggly.

Remove from oven and allow to set for ten minutes before serving. Remove quiche from pan and slice into wedges.