In case you don’t believe that Syracuse, New York is devoid of snow, here’s a couple of pics I just took on Montgomery Street, outside of work (Onondaga Historical Association), a few minutes ago:

Unbelievable. It’s supposed to go up to 53 degrees F today. Enjoy your day!

(I didn’t take this photo, I would have centered it better, hee hee)

A couple of months later, I was told to get my hiney back there, because they tore out the middle section of the complex:

And on the northwest side, they found an interesting structure in the middle of another portion they tore down. Safes are inside of this little structure. The safe on the top floor will be opened and displayed.

I documented via photos and web (not done with the web yet) the Octagon Schoolhouse Cemetery, and filed for an historic marker, since this cemetery has NO marker or sign, at all.

I’ll find out next year if the marker is approved.

My apartment was full of ghoulish things for Halloween (not mine), but I do like the lights in the window.

I try to capture the full moon on December 10 over Irondequoit Bay.

There are some funky clouds in this one:

I try to go for a ride in the snow at the New York Museum of Transportation, but alas, no snow:

This was our engineer:

After the snowless trolley ride, I checked out the museum, and the buses outside. How about this old greyhound bus?

Next I learned that East Rochester used to be called Despatch, and yes, it was a big railroad town. I have rare film footage of a factory there that built railroad cars. Cool beans! This is the railroad side of Despatch Junction:

Here’s part of the old factory where they built the RR cars:

I think the side of this building says “Merchants Despatch”

And we had a great time at Aunt Avie’s and Uncle Jerry’s home for Thanksgiving this year. Here I am holding my cousin’s new baby girl. Don’t you love the way my cousin looks at his daughter?

And then there’s Christmas. I haven’t downloaded the photos yet, but the old apartment windows are highly decorated with icicle and other lights and dripping with fake snow, since there’s no real snow. Yet!

Three little ones in the middle:

And one older one to the right, in back of the Rose of Sharon:

And here are close-ups of the middle ones, left to right:

See the bend in the neck. . . he was ready to plop his head down:

Sleep good, baby.

The middle one is already sound asleep:

And the right one is close behind:

I can barely stand all of this deer cuteness. But these guys are why I can’t walk around my own backyard with bare feet.
 

We went into the museum, hoping the rain would stop.  It didn’t, but we saw some cool things in the museum.

I saw a copy of this amazing painting by Thomas Cole, of the Portage Falls and Hornby Lodge, 1841:

And a pencil sketch by Thomas Cole of Hornby Lodge, 1841:

I love Thomas Cole’s work, so I was happy!

Back outside, the mist was beautiful. Mind, we went from very hot temperatures over the weekend to in the 60′s F.

For this next photo, my camera was flashing it’s red box as if to say “what is it you want me to focus on here?”

I love this rock face:

We needed to go back to Inspiration Point to see the falls from up high. We had a heard a train horn, but I didn’t know we would see the train on the Portage Bridge – one very scary bridge for a railroad engineer! You can see a previous post here on a train crossing over the bridge.

Here’s a close-up from far away:

Not so close now:

We stopped at the Gardeau overlook and tried to find the old sycamore, and talked about Mary Jemison:

If I ever think I’m having a bad day, I’ll imagine being Mary Jemison, on the day she lost her entire family. Suddenly the day won’t be so brutal.

Even though it was raining, it was still relaxing and refreshing to be at Letchworth.

and milk delivery vehicles:

and of course, sleighs, for winter:

There was a corner in this building dedicated to Deacon Doubleday, a radio personality, from when I was really young and before (I remember my Mom listening to him while making our breakfast every morning):

The annual butter sculpture is never a disappointment:

A Strates Shows trailer at the midway:

A steam engine:

And a tractor somewhat like the first one my Dad had, I think:

Here’s my Dad and my younger brother on the tractor in 1967. I’m digging the glacier carved hills in the background. This was our view while I was growing up. I wish I still had this view!

Wait, here’s another photo I just found. I think it is the same tractor. This photo is from 1966. My Dad talking to his sister, with my Grandpa. I’m in the background running on the porch.

Back to the fair. I didn’t see anything more. Well, I did, but I didn’t take photos. Here’s a fuzzy end to the day:

I didn’t get to do half of what I wanted to do because there were just so many people there!  There is always next year.

View from Rudy’s looking towards the nuclear power plant at The Port of Oswego.

It was a beautiful evening, not humid, just right.

Soon I won’t be able to watch the sunset over the lake, but for now, I’ll take it.

Once at Fort Ontario, we had to walk down a set of old, unused railroad tracks to get to our final destination to watch the sun set.

The water was beautiful.

The sun on the rock and the water splashing on the rock was pleasant.

Wave action from a boat passing by.  I took video of this so I can listen to it in the middle of winter.

The sun shining on the shore is beautiful.

People were out enjoying the evening.

Even though I don’t like the sun to go down, I love watching it, especially when it hits the horizon, then you really can tell how fast it is moving.

The dude sets real fast.

The last little bit of it.

The boats start heading in.

The lighthouse starts flashing, even though I didn’t capture it flashing here.

And we head home, too.

Here’s a bit of history:
When the Woodland Reservoir opened on South Geddes Street in 1894, the old Wilkinson Reservoir was no longer needed to supply Syracuse’s drinking needs. In 1898 the 71 acres around the Wilkinson Reservoir was bought by the city to form Onondaga Park. In 1903 more wooded land (the Olmstead Grove) was acquired and became a popular picnic area near the old reservoir that is still in use today. In 1911 Wilkinson Reservoir was renovated and renamed Hiawatha Lake. Today it is the central focus of Onondaga Park on the southwest side of Syracuse.

Last Friday night I had to take a photo at Onondaga Community College for OHA’s upcoming newsmagazine (which is going to be another great magazine) and at the intersection of something and Route 80, I turned my car south onto Route 80.  I drove through the beautiful hills of the southern part of Onondaga County (where I grew up, and those hills are in my very being) and eventually came to Otisco, and kept going until I saw Octagon Rd.  Immediately I saw a cemetery on the southwest corner of Route 80 and Octagon Rd.  This had to be it.  But why was it so far back away from the road? And was it Octagon Cemetery?  There is no sign.

Looking west.  Photo from the Archives of Onondaga Historical Association

View looking south towards cemetery from Octagon Road.

There was an Octagon Schoolhouse located on the same lot 4 north of the cemetery:

Deed from the Archives of Onondaga Historical Association

Octagon Schoolhouse, Photo from the Archives of Onondaga Historical Association

I took photos of the tombstones located on the east end close to the road, where there is a World War II veteran buried:

And then headed back towards the original cemetery. I started taking photos of all of the tombstones on the east side and completed four rows. I found Revolutionary War soldier Christopher Mott. Then I found Leavitt A. Billings and Anna his wife, and his Revolutionary War marker, the reason why I was there:

I skipped ahead some more and found Revolutionary War soldier Ebenezer French:

And Revolutionary War soldier Ira Pomeroy:

It was humid so I stopped photographing tombstones after finding not just one, but now four Revolutionary War soldiers and one WWII soldier. And what really irked me, besides the fact the cemetery is unmarked, is there are no American flags next to these soldiers.

Saturday I had to work in the Research Center for Sarah (who is on vacation) and one of our patrons came in (Lee) and mentioned she had to do some research on Otisco. I started asking questions about Otisco, their historian, etc. and after she answered my questions, I told her that I had investigated the Octagon Cemetery and there is no sign and no American flags next to the soldiers, etc. Interestingly enough, SHE had just been to the SAME cemetery and noted the same things, while she was looking for one of the Pomeroys. And her director, Nancy, had been to the cemetery previous to this. So, since there are Pomeroys buried in this cemetery, Lee suggested I write to Nancy about how to go about getting a roadside marker put up for this cemetery. Which I will do, but first I need to finish photographing the cemetery.

I dug into some files at OHA and found there are seven Revolutionary War soldiers, two War of 1812 soldiers, three Civil War soldiers, one WWII soldier, and Militia Colonel Stephen Pomeroy. Where are the rest of the markers?  And why no American flags?

Beauchamp in his “Revolutionary War Soldiers Resident or Dying in Onondaga County, NY,”  calls this cemetery Octagon Schoolhouse Cemetery.  On the deed above the association is called Otisco Southern Cemetery Association.

I have started adding my photos to the rootsweb website here, but I still have a way to go.  Next time it isn’t raining, I’ll be driving there again to take more photos and updating the website.

I wanted to climb into the lake like I did last year, even though the rocks are moss covered:

After dinner headed up to Fort Ontario and got in by saying one of my co-worker’s names, which helped on the wallet.  Sat up high on the wall for a good view, with tons of other people, and waited there, since there weren’t any tall ships to see in the harbor. Saw a helicopter:

and the barge with some of the fireworks move out to the break-wall:

And watched the fireball in the sky slowly set:

Almost:

And waiting for complete darkness:

Finally! Recorded the fireworks in small segments. Here’s one with hearts:

How can you refuse this precious face?

I couldn’t get a complete pic of all his spots, but trust me, they go down his chest and tummy and onto his legs.   Too cute!

And he’s not only cute, but he’s a guard dog, too! NOTE: He is only allowed up on the dashboard when the motor home is not moving! Actually, he’s not supposed to up there at all, but he does it when they’re not there.