Photo Hunters: Fast

Oh no! Were we driving too fast?!

No. The officer said our van’s muffler was “too noisy.” :-p Disturbing the peace.

Ummmmm… but officer, we’re in the Adirondacks, near a state park? Who’s complaining, the squirrels??

I think the police force just wasn’t making enough money that month, and sent patrols out to fill some quotas. :-p

This next photo shows something fast. This is Richie Evans’ race car. He was from Rome, NY, and we visited the Rome Sports Hall of Fame there. He was a local champ at the Utica-Rome Speedway, and climbed the ladder to win the NASCAR National Modified Championships nine times. Sadly, he died in a crash in 1985, racing at the Martinsville Speedway.

And this baby is FAST. It’s my “hot rod,” as I call it. Read more

Woodstock 99, Rome, NY: So Glad It’s Over

The local media is excitedly hailing the “anniversary” of the world’s worst outdoor concert event second-largest concert event, Woodstock. It was held here in Rome, NY, this week, ten years ago. You can read WKTV’s take on it, or WSYR’s take on it. Best of all, you can read Cato of Utica‘s take on it. I found his article especially good.

The further away this Upstate NY scourge gets from us, the better. What a disgraceful, ugly spot on the historical annals of an other wise noble city, Rome, NY. Once known as the area (in nearby Oriskany) of the fiercest battle for liberty during the Revolutionary War, it’s known today as the site of the lascivious psychedelic drug orgy for the nation. OK, I’ll be fair– there was music there, too. Woodstock– the foci of all that’s wrong with the Baby Boomers and the Gen Y generation.

Litter photo courtesy of osufan77 at Photobucket.

P.S. Aren’t these people the same that are always pushing everyone to “be green”?!

Photo Hunters: Protect(ion)

Well this in an interesting theme for Photo Hunters today! Here’s what I tried:

The first thing I think of is protection from possible danger. Like a hungry tiger!

We saw this tiger at the Utica Zoo a few months ago; we were protected from the tigers (and the tigers from the city surrounding) by a 30-foot-high metal cage. Maybe it was the cool weather, but I’ve never seen the tigers so active as they were on our visit. They were pacing around, running, and chasing each other. It’s amazing how graceful and how heavy they are.

A fence also provided protection from this Whooping Swan, who wanted to bite our fingers off. I got a little too close with my camera, and it bit and chomped on my jacket sleeve! Oh, he may LOOK cute– don’t let that fool you. He’s a MONSTER!

Read more

Not a Good Morning in Rome, NY

Have you been watching ABC’s “Good Morning, America” show? I don’t watch television, so I am a little out of the loop. Apparently the media morning show has been having a “Whistle-Stop Tour” across the country, and they came to New York State. They took some time in Rome (only 30 minutes from where I live) to be greeted by posh politicians; but then they dug a little deeper into Rome’s population and saw deplorable conditions. Welcome to Upstate New York, ABC. Home of the over-taxed, over-regulated, Appalachian hillbillies. All we have left is our land, and even that is going to be taken from us soon.

ABC’s story started out as a flag-flying, anthem-singing train stop, but quickly developed into a down-and-out Kleenex-wringer when they started talking to Rome residents. There are two Romes here– one the politicians want you all to see, and the other that the people live in.

You can watch the “Good Morning, America” segment here. You can also read the news story about this at our local news outlet online here. Read the comments– read what the people are saying, they are amazing. One guy took the words right out of my mouth:

Sad part of all of this is, it’s not just Rome it is the whole area. Open your eyes and drive around the area it is depressed runned down and basically every third house is for sale. Utica has literally become a dumping ground for refugees since 1990′s. Herkimer County lost all their manufacturing as well as Oneida County over regulative state government with all the overburdening laws and taxes has chased many away. There isn’t too much that is positive. You can’t blame Good Morning America for the troubles we face. If it is any consolation we can slightly point our finger of blame at NAFTA and Government regulations, and high taxes.

What is amazing now is the whole country is starting feel just like we all have been through for the past 25 years.

The mayor of Rome was upset when he saw the ABC segment, and Douglas Bartell, the president of Rome’s Chamber of Commerce, wrote an open letter to ABC here. The funny thing is that I think ABC got it right. I’m no lover of the major media, and ABC sure does milk events, but Rome IS in deplorable conditions. All of Upstate New York is. Sorry, but that’s the truth! We are the most taxed people in the country and we have some of the lowest wages in the country. All our manufacturing jobs have left the state, and property taxes rise more and more every year. All you have to do is go to Yahoo’s Real Cities and look up an Upstate New York town. You’ll see that the average yearly income for central New Yorkers is right around $35,000, and the average cost of living per year here is around $45,000, and growing. That means that in order to live in New York State, New Yorkers, on the average, incure a yearly debt of $10,000. That’s ridiculous!

I’m sorry Rome got bad press. I love Rome, it’s one of our favorite cities to visit because it has such great historic sites. But New York State leaders really need to get out of their cushy offices and pretty mansions and see how the rest of the people are living. It’s not a pretty site.

Next Page »