A Step Back in Time

I mentioned that we were on the 15th floor of the DoubleTree, but what I did not tell you is that we had a huge suite. Score one more for travel points! Between the living area and the large bedroom, we had four huge windows overlooking the Falls. From the "bedroom" window, the rising sun and mist from the Horseshoe Falls made for a lovely sight.

Using our trusty iPad, after packing up, Bruce wanted to see what Niagara Falls, New York looked like, so we made our way there.

 Not many folks out which was fine by us! After crossing the bridge, there was a roundabout in the   road which was a tad confusing, but it totally worked in our favor because we took the exit to Niagara Falls State Park, and there was barely a soul in sight. Oh my goodness, it was just lovely. Because we had a full day ahead of us, we drove through the park until we came upon a free 20 minute parking space. What we found across for that lot was just thrilling to me.

Crossing over the stone bridge shown on the right, the trail wound down to the raging Niagara River before the Falls.

 It was wild and crazy, not to mention loud! And empty, which made it all the better. Through the trees you could view the drop of the Horseshoe Falls.

I totally could have stayed here longer, but time to get back on the road again.

My sister Maureen remembers so much about when we were young, whereas I remember nothing. Perhaps it was because the Price family seemed to be on the move quite a lot when I was a wee thing? She'd given me both addresses of where we lived in Buffalo, and our next mission was to see those homes for ourselves. Because there are a few photos of the house at 35 Danbury Lane, I at least knew what it looked like. A Tudor style. Because there are six of us, the photos were divied up amongst us, I thought I had a version of this with both Carol and myself, but alas I do not. Here I am in April, 1958 in front of Danbury Lane.

The house turned out to be just lovely. And no, I did not knock on the door this time!

This is the home we moved from to Orlando and I must say it certainly is much nicer than the one I grew up in here! Prior to this home, we apparently lived in another home at 38 Hodge Ave. We did not have to travel far to find that one, as it was off the main road, 3 1/2 miles in the other direction. That part of town looks like this.

You would think it was a small town from the above photo, however, turns out Buffalo is the second largest city in the state of New York! The house on Hodge was a little trickier to spot because, not only did I have no recollection of it, but the bushes hid the numbers.

This home was closer to both the street, and the neighbors, actually just down the street from a large hospital where I'm imagining is the place Nancy was born. Our sister Lisa is the only one of us who was born in Orlando and knows her roots!

Following the trip back in time, we made our way to an historic Frank Lloyd Wright home in a BEAUTIFUL part of Buffalo.

The neighborhood was filled with gorgeous big homes, and I can't help but think how much the Martin House would have stood out amongst the crowd when it was built. Still does for that matter. The story of this home is crazy interesting if you are a fan of FLW so should you want to know more here is a link.  We did not have time to tour the house, only the breezeway and a carriage house. Bruce is inspecting the woodwork,

This view is of the main house (15,000 sq. feet), and the atrium, or that's what I'm calling it, from the outside. I want you to notice the open windows please.

I found the system he used for opening the windows fascinating!

Every window was attached to that bar--let the cranking begin!! As well, the roof panels opened in a similar manner. I could write much more about this fantastic stop, however, we'd never end up in Seneca Falls if I did.

Between all three houses we drove through a bunch of Buffalo, and even more so as we made our way back to U.S. Rte. 20, and I was amazed at how lovely it is. The City Hall is killer!

I was stunned at the size of Forest Lawn Cemetery...it went on and on for blocks! Especially since we drove by so many on this trip that were tiny, some on bare land, some set amongst trees. Naturally I had to know more, and maybe you are interested as well....269 acres!!

Stopping at a small sub shop before leaving Buffalo, we talked to a few folks about the recovery of their city. After losing so many jobs, followed by a big population loss, it is, apparently, still a work in progress.

On the road again, we drove through many lovely towns, eventually veering off to an alternate route as our destination was Letchwork State Park in Wyoming County, NY. Passing through Aurora, NY, I noticed a sign along the road. Hmmm....let's turn around honey. We'd just passed the Roycroft Campus, a place right up our alley. Or so we thought. Indeed, it was.

Suffice it to say, we could have spent many more hours roaming around in Aurora. That's the thing about our trip, it was leisurely, but only so much because of our hotel reservations and the fewer hours of daylight.

We kept moving, again, seeing beautiful changing trees, and big wind farms. Who knew?

More on that tomorrow, because Wyoming County is not the only place in NY with wind farms!

Eventually we made it to Letchworth State Park, simply gorgeous, with three major waterfalls that are breathtaking. Called the Grand Canyon of the East, it was a shame it was getting late because there is a lot we did not see. Remember how I mentioned all the connections in my last post? Turns out Bruce's great friend, Steve Stratton, grew up not far from here. When B told him we were headed that way he told him the story of how when he was in high school they would go to Letchworth for "senior skip day." It is such a small world out there, don't you think?

The sun was once again in the wrong place for a good photo of the Upper Falls, but here are the Middle Falls...oh my!

By now Bruce was getting edgy, worrying about the hurricane. Then too, a sub contractor called him about not getting paid by the general contractor...yeesh! On our way out of the park, we did pull into the lot where you could walk to this spot. I believe they called it the Serenity spot. Not a bad view, right?

Upper, Middle, and Lower all in one!

Lots of hills, small towns, and winding roads, as the sun was close to setting, we grew closer to our destination for the night. I decided to call the hotel to ask about places to eat dinner. Well, she said, there are only fast food places around us, I suggest you stop at Connie's Diner before you get to town. Okay, we can do that. We got there just in time as it is a busy place, filled with locals, and friendly service. Seating was at a premium.

Most days we stopped well short of darkness, but this day was different. Fortunately, the diner was not so far from Seneca Falls, a place chosen solely for distance from Buffalo. With not so many choices, I booked a Microtel Hotel, and let's just say, that won't be happening again. One thing that blew our mind is when we pulled up, what should we see but a white tablecloth restaurant sharing their parking lot!!! When Bruce brought it up, the girl at the front desk, said she forgot about that one. Duh! Turns out young people have pretty poor memories too!

As a reminder to some folks that think we are still traveling, this all happened October 5. Blogging during a trip never happens which is why I am posting frequently this week so I can return this blog to the here and now! Of course, nothing exciting is happening this week, so it's all good.

Nostalgic as ever,

Gail