Canton Countryside

I had to drive to Ogdensburg, New York to have my braces adjusted. It's an hour and a half each way, but my appointment went so well that I left in a good mood and decided to do a bit of touring on a few country roads on my way home. I think they were all within the township of Canton:

This was beautiful farm country and these colorful cattle looked happy and healthy:

The farm houses looked old but prosperous:

The farms and barns were scenic, good enough for a calendar or postcard:

A curious doe stopped to watch me, and I watched her right back:

There were hay fields all along the road and looked about ready to cut:

This lovely old barn was in excellent shape:

Most of the barns seemed to be well cared for and in active service:

This old barn had be re-purposed as a garage:

As I approached the end of one road, I saw this abandoned, low-rise barn, perhaps a former chicken coop, off in the woods:

I also stopped at the Grass (also often spelled Grasse) River fishing access site:

And the Grass River was every bit as scenic as I'd hoped:

I followed a dirt road along the river's edge for more beautiful views:

But of course I had to get home, so I put my camera away and got back on the main road. I had to make one more stop, though, at this giant, painted rock at the edge of a farm field. At least six feet high, it had been decorated to amuse passersby, probably by State University (SUNY) students. The entrance to the campus was directly across the road:

Celebrating Christmas In The Ideal Small Town - Part 1

I was already in the village of Canton and admiring its small town charm when I decided to take a driving tour of the Christmas decorations there. Canton is perhaps the nicest, cleanest, most liveable small town I've ever seen, a wonderful place to live with several large universities. Most of the homes were, by my standards, decidedly upscale and I concluded that the wages (largely government and university employers) were higher than the surrounding area and the property prices were comparatively low. Like I said, a nice place to live:

I began driving up and down residential streets, looking for Christmas decorations to photograph:

To my surprise, there were few decorations, perhaps only one out of every thirty homes - and most of those were dignified, simple and understated:

The homes were lovely and the decorations, not the gaudy type I was used to, were lovely as well:

The day was foggy and the fog was freezing to many surfaces. It was sometimes difficult to get usable photos, but I managed:

An Adirondack moose with red bow:

A walkway lined with red and green lights:

A sled, a red door, a wreath and a snowman:

Red Christmas bows and a small Santa:

I was impressed by how well kept all the homes were. If there are any slums in Canton, I didn't find them:

I stopped and parked when I came to the footbridge crossing the Grasse River. It leads to the State University campus on the other side, though I didn't walk it this time:

This florist shop in a house in a residential neighborhood was doing a booming business, perhaps drawn in by the Santa who stood at the curb and waved at everyone passing by. He was on the porch when I got there, but you can still see him. There were more places to see on this driving tour, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Canton, New York, The County Seat - Part 2

I was on a driving tour of Canton, New York, just west of my farm. I'd been told of a store which specialized in the handiwork of northern New York artisans and planned to stop there. It was located right on the highway, though I parked around the corner next to a Chinese restaurant:

I had hoped to find lots of things for sale which might make unique and interesting Christmas gifts, though I suspected they'd be pricey. What I did find was what appeared to be a museum specializing in the works of upstate artists. While it was impressive, I saw nothing for sale:

These all appeared to be permanent exhibits, not items for sale:

So I just toured the exhibits and enjoyed it for what it was:

TAUNY, I leaned, stands for Traditional Arts In Upstate New York. Their website is here:

They had some very fine and impressive things. I found it odd to look out their front window and discover a McDonald's.  Alas, they're everywhere! Before I left the TAUNY Center, I asked the woman at the front desk about items for sale. She told me that they'd just undergone an extensive restoration and had just begun bringing in items for sale. My timing was not good. I thanked her and went back out to my car to continue my tour of Canton:

I took a turn onto a side street and discovered this walkway across a beautiful, large river. I also learned that there's a branch of the State University Of New York in Canton as there is in Potsdam. Of course you know that I parked my car and walked across the bridge:

The river, I learned later, was the Grasse River, and it was a beauty:

It led to a wooded area where I saw a few people strolling on that fine November day. I've since discovered that the land on the west side of the river was the SUNY Canton campus:

From the bridge I looked toward downtown Canton, only a few blocks away:

At the other end of the bridge was a blacktopped path through fine old trees. This was University property and was lighted and well kept:

But it was time for me to continue my tour of Canton, so I walked back across the Grasse River to my parked car. I'll post more tomorrow: