Valois Point Yacht Club opens, can summer be far behind?

VALOIS, Hector Township, New York, USA - The answer to that headline is yes, it can be far behind, as June sometimes can be a frosty time here at Latitude 42.

But at least for this past Saturday, and parts of today (Monday) it seems like there will be a summer, the lake water will recede far enough to launch all my various vessels and we will be able to swim off the end of the VPYC dock and float around in inner tubes.

That last one might be a little while coming. The lake temperature has barely crested 50 degrees, I'm told.

Erik and Tina Hazlitt cruise into the VPYC

The reopening of the VPYC became official Saturday at about 7 p.m. with the arrival - by boat - of Eric and Tina Hazlitt in their Feathercraft aluminum skiff. The boat is a sistership to the Feathercraft I had when I was 10-years-old.

Their vessel is a little more upscale than the boat I piloted: they have a steering wheel and remote controls.

But still, it was amazing to see a circa 1957 aluminum boat still out there on the waterways. Maybe I should be looking for one of those instead of a Glaspar G-3 to add to our powerboat fleet.

Last week, Admiral Fox and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary with a trip to nearby Canandaigua, where she played her fiddle with a group of musicians. We stayed at the Miami Motel. The only thing particularly Miami about it was the name, and perhaps the in-room jacuzzi tub in the corner.

Captain and Admiral at Two Goats Brewery

We did have dinner in town at a waterfront pub before the music started. I had a 22-ounce Brooklyn ale - a damn fine beer, with, of course, an equally fine name.

The Miami Motel trip was actually the day before our anniversary. The day of, we made our way to Two Goats Brewery in Hector (a few miles south of the Valois Point Yacht Club) where Cousin Brett Beardslee was playing.

After two tall glasses of Blue Point, I was about ready to do some singing myself. Probably just as good my ukulele was home safe in its case. Otherwise, there might have been a reprise of Rodney Carrington's 'Dancing With A Man,' a standard played by The Four Headlamps when we can get the band together. (LINK: The Four Headlamps sing "Dancin With a Man'

Rasta Ranch on NY State Highway 414

Brett's tunes at Two Goats were much easier to listen to.

Late this afternoon, Brett will be playing again, this time at Rasta Ranch Vineyards and Winery, perched partway between the VPYC and Two Goats Brewery.

(Is there a theme going on here?)

Brett and his wife Jesse decided that Monday nights needed some livening up in this slice of upstate New York, and so they talked Jesse's parents into opening the winery from 5-8 p.m. for music and wine.

Adm. Fox and are will likely head up there and check things out.

Here's a short promo video I posted on Facebook today, to shake out some of the locals to come hear Brett tonight.

Music, fog, and unusual visitors all arrive in Arroyo Seco

ARROYO SECO, Jalisco, Mexico - When Sanders and Pat Lamont arrived a few days ago, one of our biggest concerns was that the heat might be a shock to their Northern California constitutions. Their life in Camp Connell since November has been largely in cold, often snowy conditions with skiing as a major form of exercise. Evenings have often been spent huddled around their woodstove keeping warm.

We didn't really need to worry. Since they arrived, we have had nights down below 60 degrees and came within an inch of lighting a campfire last night.

A campfire, no kidding.

And then this morning, in the hours preceding our second animal clinic in a week with Rocio (the vet from La Manzanilla), the hills were shrouded with fog and everything was soaked with dew.


Fog over Arroyo Seco hills

The clinic was a success again, with Rocio treating four dogs, including the rapidly improving Capitan. Several young neighbor girls, including Brianda from across the street, came to observe Rocio at work. And Brianda jumped in to help with the last dog, handing Rocio the various instruments, hypodermics, and medicines as needed. The girls also went along when Rocio hopped on the quad to make two house calls away from the Pink Flamingo.

They seemed a little in awe of this professional woman who has her own successful medical practice in La Manzanilla (and Arroyo Seco, obviously). She received a gift of two baby ducks from Brianda as she left.


Anna holds a neighbor's rabbit at one vet stop



A puppy's first time on real grass

The Lamont's - as the Admiral and I had hoped - helped spark us to play some music, an activity we never seem to have time for after days of projects. After realizing that all three restaurants in Arroyo Seco were closed last night, we opted for reheated leftovers and getting out the musical instruments.

Sanders and the Admiral played a half-dozen instrumental tunes while Pat and I - and neighbor Juliett - provided enthusiastic drumming, and the occasional dance step.

Perhaps tonight I might drag out my ukulele and see if the group can stand a reprise of The Letter by The Boxtops and maybe even a chorus or two of Rodney Carrington's Dancing With A Man. That's a tough song to translate, but perhaps best left untranslated, now that I think about it.


Juliette and Pat handle percussion duties

Ironically, perhaps, we have barely made it to the beach, other than a quick foray two days ago to Tenacatita for lunch and to check out the new electrical connection at our Tenacatita beach lot. With the cooler weather, it hasn't seemed quite right to break out the boogie boards and snorkel gear, though both are standing at ready. I'm also not sure how warm the ocean water is at this moment.

But Sanders and Pat have been getting some serious quad time in, zooming around the village and last night to Playa Chica to check out the sunset. The sunset was shrouded in marine-layer clouds, though even at that, the colors were dramatic.


Heading for the beach to see the sunset


Sanders, Pat and the Admiral on the quad

But of all the adventures and strange sights of the past few days, this morning's visitors to the village were a first in a winter and spring of firsts.

The front gate was wide open - an invititation for villagers to come in and bring their various animals for our vet friend Rocio to examine and treat. And while there wasn't exactly a steady stream of people, quite a few folks did stick their heads in, in some cases just to check out the place and get a quick look at the now very-green grass in the center of the property.

But one group late in the morning looked a little odd - dressed waaaaay too well for people interested in getting dragging in their pooch for a vaccination or a flea treatment. The men were dressed in pressed white shirts. The women wore longish skirts. And they were all carrying a lot of pamphlets in their hands.

No way...

Yes way...

They were part of a truckload of about 15 Jehovah's Witnesses who had descended on the village making the rounds to give out The Watchtower.

Larry, an amigo from La Manzanilla who had accompanied Rocio to Arroyo Seco (and who is a big booster of Cisco Amigo's) quickly told the Witnesses that the clinic was very busy at that moment and we really did not have time to placticar (to chat...).

And that, in fact, was quite true.


Witnesses canvass Arroyo Seco

Rodney Carrington should sing some of these songs

POPLAR RIDGE WINERY, Valois, NY, USA - A week ago - before I succumbed to the stings of some nasty-ass, white-faced hornets (see yesterday's posting) - The Admiral and I spent a couple of great hours at Poplar Ridge Winery, drinking Cayuga White wine, visiting with neighbors and listening to cousin Brett Beardslee play tunes.

It was our third time at the winery to hear Brett play and the third Sunday that I imbibed a enough Cayuga White before we barreled home for the evening that I dutifully handed over the car keys to the Admiral.

Brett is an excellent musician, writing much of his own music, and playing an eclectic selection of songs on a variety of guitars, sometimes adding some harmonica work with it.

And late in such performances, he almost always drags out some songs that have lyrics that are, well, shall we say a little risque?

Risque? Well, maybe more like bawdy. Maybe more like: Did he really sing that?

Rodney Carrington - you should buy some of this guy's songs.

I made a DVD of an hour's worth of Brett's performance, but cut it down - a lot - to a short bit for this blog.

Yes, one snip falls into the risque and/or bawdy category.

The feeding of the crocodiles in La Manzanilla

LA MANZANILLA, Jalisco, Mexico - We spent a quiet Sunday, recovering from the rigors of our performance the night before at Palapa Joe's as The Four Headlamps singing the Rodney Carrington hit, "I Think I'm Dancin' With A Man."

But late in the day, after stopping to see our Canadian friends Lynn and Doug (Eh?) down on the beach, we came home via the edge of a swamp that is home to some very large crocodiles.

The swamp abuts the end of town and local kids (and tourists, OK...) take great pleasure in throwing food into the swamp for the crocs to grab.

Being married to a Florida girl (Sanibel Island) who grew up around alligators, I know that feeding these animals is a reallllly bad idea. After awhile, they equate people with food. And if you run out of fish to throw to them? Well... watch the video and think about meeting one of these guys if you fall out of your kayak in the swamp.

Or in the ocean, where they sometimes go, if they get bored in the confines of the swamp

But we witnessed kids pitching of fish to the crocs today anyway.

Scary animals. Or are they reptiles?

The Four Headlamps debut in La Manzanilla

LA MANZANILLA, Jalisco, Mexico - When I turned 55, I set three goals that I wanted to achieve before I pull up - or actually have pulled up over me - a dirt blanket, as my amigo Michael Scott of Chico State says.

In no particular order, the three things were: Become fluent in a foreign language, learn to play a musical instument, and finish one of the novels I have started.

Last night, playing the ukulele in front of a bar full of people with my amigos in The Four Headlamps, I'm there with the musical-instrument goal.

The Four Headlamps

I have a looooong way to go before I will consider that I am any good on the uke, but playing in public was a big deal because it's one thing to sit at home and test your musical abilities, another to test your tonsils in public.

We chose a funny song, "I Think I'm Dancin' With A Man," which went over pretty well, even with my delivery being a little soft.

And the other goals? Well, my Spanish is improving poco a poco and it's possible I'll start hacking away on one of the books again soon.

Or maybe a start a new tome, about a retired college professor who loves Cuba Libres and hangs out on the beach.