The 2014 Gingerbread House Contest!

I drove to Canton to see the entrants in TAUNY's Gingerbread House contest. TAUNY, you may remember, is Traditional Arts In Upstate New York and specializes in the artwork of local craftspeople and Native Americans. The gingerbread contest was open to all ages (though judged by category) and the theme was "sites from TAUNY's Register of Very Special Places, or in other words, local landmarks.

The first gingerbread house was of Donelly's Soft Ice Cream, a tiny shop north of Saranac Lake, toward Lake Clear, and a beloved local stop in the high peaks region. There have even been weddings there, as this gingerbread bride and groom illustrate:

The Boldt Castle Power House is located on Heart Island in the St. Lawrence River. Construction began in 1900 but ceased in 1904 with the death of Mrs. Boldt. Restoration began in 1977 and today it is a landmark and museum:

Yes! Another gingerbread Donnelly's Soft Ice Cream. Donnelly's has only one flavor per day and is always served twisted with vanilla. In this case, the creator imagined it open in the wintertime to serve snowmen:

This was simply entitled "Grandma's House." It didn't win any award, probably because it didn't comply with the theme, though the judges had some complimentary things to say about it:

Santa's Workshop, a theme park in North Pole, New York near the Whiteface Memorial Highway and in the heart of the high peaks region:

The Wanakena footbridge was built in 1902 by the Rich Lumber Company to convey employees from the town across the Oswegatchie River to work at the mill. Alas, it was destroyed by river ice jams in January of 2014, and efforts are being made to raise money to rebuild it:

The Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which operates as a tourist attraction between Utica and Lake Placid:

The big pine. This was new to me, and I had to read the explanation. The Big Pine is a tree near Wanakena which was never harvested by Rich Lumber Company. It takes six people, holding hands, to surround the tree trunk:

Chapin's Country Store in Rensselaer Falls. This too was new to me, but the sign said that it had been operated for many years and is a beloved local landmark. The gingerbread maker stated that it was not on TAUNY's list of special places, but it should be. Apparently the judge(s) agreed, becaue it received a blue ribbon:

The Redford Carousel. This carousel was enclosed on three sides by walls of pure candy and frosting. The carousel itself was on a turntable which allowed it to actually turn:

This elaborate structure was made by children, ages 9 and 11. They called it "The Kid's Gingerbread Dream." Also not on the list of official landmarks, it still won a red ribbon:

Yes, a second entry for Santa's Workshop in North Pole, New York, this one with no roof so you could see the rooms inside:

I zeroed in on this room, which featured a table, laden with goodies:

And just in case you haven't yet understood how much the people here love Donnelly's Soft Ice Cream in Saranac Lake, our final contestant is yet another tribute to Donnelly's. This one also received a blue ribbon and, as you can see, was intricately detailed:

The Adirondack Carousel

As you read in yesterday's post, I'd parked behind the Adirondack Rail Station in Saranac Lake in order to find a shaded, secluded place where I could leave the dogs in the car. Then I walked a short distance to the newly opened Adirondack Carousel, anxious to see its hand carved animals:

The children (or adults) ride Adirondack animals and there are local wildflowers and Adirondack scenes painted overhead. The animals include Blue Heron, Large Mouthed Bass, Brook Trout, Beaver, White-Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Bobcat, Bald Eagle, Red Fox, Snowshoe Hare, Hermit Thrush, Draft Horse, Loon, Moose, Otter, Porcupine, Red Squirrel, Raccoon, Salamander, Skunk, Turtle, Toad - and my very favorite, the Black Fly:

You can read all about it at their website:

All the riders were clustered in one section of the carousel and they sure were having a good time:

Ah, there's a brave little girl riding the infamous Black Fly:

The Bass and the Loon also had riders:

But the carousel's speed kept increasing and I could tell that my photos would be blurry:

So I set my camera to video:

Keene Valley Cemetery And The Adirondack Railroad

The dogs and I were on our way up to the farm for a weekend visit and had just had an extended, fun and interesting rest stop at Frontier Town. We traveled up the Northway to Exit 30 and continued on our way via Route 73 through the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks. The day was so clear and lovely that I pulled up into the Keene Cemetery for a nice view of the surrounding mountains:

I stood beside the car snapping pictures in every direction, and wherever I looked I saw more mountains:

This was a peaceful and lovely scene, a nice way to begin our journey through the Adirondacks:

Because they'd just had a long run at Frontier Town, I kept the dogs in the car. They got to view the sights through the windows:

I snapped one last photo and then pulled out down the long access road and back onto Route 73 to continue our journey:

I'd already decided that I wanted to visit the newly opened Adirondack Carousel in the town of Saranac Lake, but didn't know where I could safely park to keep the dogs cool and unperturbed by passersby. I pulled up to the Adirondack Railway Station adjacent to the Carousel. And to my surprise, they were boarding a train which had stopped out behind the station:

I drove around the station, across the tracks and up to the rear of the building to watch the boarding process:

Still looking for a safe and cool place to park, I pulled down the dirt lane behind the station. It offered no traffic at all and a superb view of the Adirondack Railroad:

I could see people boarding the train and milling around inside as they made themselves comfortable. I've since checked their website and discovered that this would have been the 12:30 departure to Lake Placid, costing $10.00:

Do you see that small, dirt lane beside the tracks? That's where I had my car. I pulled ahead and parked beneath those trees. I left the dogs in the car and walked to the Adirondack Carousel. But I'll post about that tomorrow: