New York

I will leave the City for another day as even though it is a part of this State,  

NYC deserves and will get a day of its own

So where to begin with a State that has been an important part of our life

My first remembrance of New York is in Callicoon at St. Joseph's Seminary

where I attended for a short while

I could not sing right for them, my voice was too loud, and

I did not fit in and there were no girls, still I did go to the Seminary

I could not sing right for them, my voice was too loud, and

I did not fit in and there were no girls, still I did go to the Seminary

I suppose we should now start with Utica where my wife and I spent a difficult year as a

Director's of Religious Education and Youth Ministry at Sacred Heart

We worked for a raciest priest and still managed to touch youths that had nowhere else to go

We took kids to the Opera, to Jesus Christ Superstar, and the largest group ever to a Diocesan

Youth Convention which we were soundly criticized for

It seems the Youth Convention sponsors were not prepared for so many youth

The one good thing about this year were the

incredibly nice Sister's that ran the school at the Parish

We subbed for the school and were always treated with respect and kindness

It is worth noting that when our contract was abruptly not renewed,

the Sisters chose to leave in protest

I also put in a full year as a substitute teacher and

taught a lot of inner city kids and disabled classes for the Public Schools

Once I was in a class where the teacher never spoke to the kids,

boy did I change that, and, they responded in kind!

Utica is a city that was a big part of upper New York but by the time

we were there it was a has been city We were in Utica well after its glory days;

it had fallen on very hard times and has yet to recover

Utica was crowded and narrow in scope and thinking and its school system was hurting

Once I subbed for a young woman who had become an alcoholic

while trying to teach in an impossible situation

I did what I could do to help her and maybe she is ok now

We ended up being homeless for what seemed an eternity when

we left Utica living out of our car and a tent

There was a great "white cheese" pizza place across the Erie Canal and Mohawk River

There was a beauty about the land of upper New York that is fairly unmatched

From Utica we have driven many times up through Russia, Lyons Falls and to Watertown

Hadley Falls New York is a very beautiful place.

 Buttermilk Falls in upper New York is yet another pretty spot where we would escape to

In the winter it has frozen snowy icy but very drivable roads and we often did

We had then and have now this urge to see and experience as much as we can

In the fall it is a glorious image of red, yellow and orange

Apples are everywhere and are the best I have ever tasted

Driving from Utica to Albany you must stop at the Jesuit Shrine near Canajoharie

We have attended Liturgy there and it is a most special place of spirituality

We also have visited the Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine near Fonda

We have driven through Mohawk, and Ilion and I subbed at Waterville

a pretty little town with nice people

We have driven Highway 20 often both ways and of course we have been to Cooperstown

The Baseball hall of Fame town is wonderful and almost as wonderful as the Hall of Fame

but not quite

Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra and so many others

Once my son in law bought me a signed bat there by Lou Boudreau a great shortstop who

also was a manager player for the Cleveland Indians

I went to Lake George for a week with the youth group and had a wonderful time

A young man who had been married and some think was still married but

Had just been ordained was with us

He was an idiot then and I bet is still one now and

Is a good example of the Priesthood in New York

We have driven every inch of this state and as a whole it offers much diversity

It is rolling green lake infested slightly mountainous and delightful to see

We love Niagara Falls both sides and it is a beautiful inspiring place

We love Niagara Falls both sides and it is a beautiful inspiring place

We have taken the Maid of the Mists many times including

Once with most of our grandchildren

Niagara Falls is a place of many good memories

The people are mostly narrow and single minded and do not like outsiders

There is a wonderful glass museum near Corning

Our middle daughter soloed in an airplane in Utica and met her husband there

We used to enjoy going to Vernon Downs for Harness Races and always won something

Driving the back road to Syracuse was always fun and the Syracuse Zoo is very nice

West Point is a must visit in upper New York, you can almost see the City from there

We have been canoeing on a lake in upper New York

The interstate to Montreal up through Lake Placid and the Olympic village is a pretty drive

Long drives to see the State and to escape from the work area are a big part of our memories,

These drives in all directions are the only thing that kept us going and for the most part upper New York is beautiful