Saturday in a Small Town

Towns don't get much smaller than Bleecker, population about 550.  Bleecker is so small that it doesn't have a downtown.  If you want to conduct town business, you hie yourself to the Sawdust Cafe.  R&R Firewood is across the street, but that's it.  I guess that's downtown Bleecker.

But we do go off the mountain to the city.  The city being Gloversville, population about 15,000.  Pam was going to a flea market/craft show to sell her sea glass jewelry and I tagged along, bringing my camera. The local Boys & Girls Club was having its annual car show too. Those of you who followed me here from our Drift Away blog know that I love taking photos, especially candid shots and still lifes.  So that's what I did.

This fella is 83 years old.  He lost his wife a few years ago.  He says he's ready to die now, very matter of factly..

The next batch of photos, including the one above, was taken from my folding chair in Pam's booth using my 300 mm zoom.  In the pic above, I just liked the light and shadows.

Here's a closeup.

A customer came by with these two adorable Chihuahuas.

Jim Taylor's Jag.

My old computer store, now owned by a church who is going to make it a soup kitchen and use it for services.

They've completely gutted it.

A Animal.  I'll bet it needs those wheelie bars.

The blower on A Animal.

I met and spoke with the new executive director of the Schenectady Boys & Girls Club, who have helped open and support the Gloversville club.  Gloversville definitely has the need but not the finances.  This club is in trouble.  After five years, it's not self supporting, and that's a bad thing.  And now I'm torn.  I'm retired, and kinda busy, but this club is Pam's and my baby.  Do we step in to help?  Not financially, since that ship has sailed (literally), but to fund raise?  I need to ponder this more.

Judi, Pam's mom, came by Pam's booth and invited us over for dinner.  It was great.  Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad.  Now I know where Pam gets her cooking skills from.  Earl was his usual fiesty self, but then Bill stopped by.  Earl and Bill remind me of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in Two Grumpy Old Men.

"Am I in your way, Earl?  Can you see the TV?" said Bill.

"Don't matter.  I can see right through you." replied Earl.

"Have you always been this grouchy?"

"I was born this way."

"You were born this old too, I'll bet."

And on and on it went.

I need to get busy over on our property, but there's a tractor show of some kind that I'd like to go to today.  The weather forecast is for scattered rain and thundershowers, so if  it rains, it's the tractor show.  If not, work on the property.  Or, I could make horseradish.  I started, but the blender died and I had to buy a replacement, a Black & Decker food processor.  Decisions, decisions.  Whatever we did will be in tomorrow's blog.

Oh, and no, I haven't heard from the fella who wants to buy Drift Away.  Not in a week.  But that's OK, sometimes these things take time.

And my foot continues to improve, although yesterday it started to swell up again and throb a bit.  I need to keep it elevated as much as I can, I guess.

Sassy and Puss-Puss, the cats Pam brought here from Connecticut to terrorize our cabin's mice, are still living/hiding in our upstairs bedroom.  Maybe today we'll try coaxing them out.  Cats are such pussies.

And so that's life in a small town.  Flea markets, car shows, Boys & Girls Clubs, and grumpy old men.  Can it get any better than this?  I don't think so.