Canton, New York, The County Seat - Part 1

I was taking a driving tour of the area just west of my farm. I'd explored the town of Potsdam, about 14 miles from the farm and then decided to drive to Canton, about ten miles to the west of Potsdam. Canton, like Potsdam, is a university town. It's also the county seat. As I entered the town I discovered large, well kept old houses and tall trees:

And many churches, most of them old line denominations. They appeared to be prosperous. This was the Unitarian Universalist church, a real going concern which I've kind of kept an eye on by means of the internet. They recently hosted a Public Radio broadcast and seemed to be a booming congregation. I plan to attend there some day when I retire if the 25 mile drive isn't too much:

This was another example of an elaborate, impressive old church, though I didn't walk over to discover what denomination. It was across a green space which housed a large fountain just being shut down for the winter:

More churches and large houses lined the main road through town:

And more modern buildings also:

Most of the houses I saw were large and impressive, but I thought that might be because I'd so far not left the main highway. The town was certainly beautiful:

As I entered the old style downtown area, I thought it looked very much like nearby Potsdam, which of course would be expected:

Canton had a very old fashioned movie theater:

And rows of shops. As with Potsdam, I was happy to note that the mom and pop stores in the downtown area seemed to be thriving in spite of the burgeoning collections of big box stores on the edges of town:

A fine old home with a carriage house out back:

I turned off the main highway and found more very nice old homes. But I'll post more tomorrow:

The Miss Albany Diner - This Time It Was Open

It had only been a bit more than an hour since I'd first arrived at the historic Miss Albany Diner and found it not yet open. I'd taken a walking tour of downtown Albany which then became a driving tour. It all seemed to have taken a very long time but was really only about an hour. So here I was back at the diner just after 9:00. They were open and I wanted breakfast, so in I went:

I entered the diner and found myself transported back in time. Two attractive waitresses took care of 6 booths and 16 counter stools. A middle-aged guy named Bill did the cooking in the kitchen:

The diner was full of memorabilia from well known persons who'd eaten there, cookie tins shaped like 1950s Art Deco diners and children's artwork. Surprisingly, there weren't yet too many customers:

I turned off the flash on my camera so as not to cause a disturbance and sheepishly began snapping pictures:

I set the self-timer feature and tried to snap my own picture, but every attempt failed. So I simply held my tiny camera at arm's length and pushed the button:

I wasn't in the mood to make any difficult decisions, so I just ordered the "Mad Eggs" which I'd read on the internet were really good. I got two eggs, each on an English muffin and covered with curried Hollandaise sauce and snipped scallions with a side of home fries. It indeed was very good:

Bill, the cook, had initially lost my order and it took me longer than usual to get served. I kept snapping occasional photos while I ate and more customers kept coming in:

By the time I'd finished my breakfast, the diner was getting pretty full. Most of the customers, it seemed to me, were young families:

I'd intended to have my breakfast and then attend the Unitarian Universalist Church in Albany which began at 10:00. With all the snafus involved with getting breakfast, I never thought I'd make it. But I drove to the church and arrived just as the service began. The Unitarian church is a popular spot with quite a large and active membership. As for me, I'd grown up in fundamentalist churches but had come to despise their reactionary, hate filled rhetoric and politics. Yet I missed the fellowship and spirituality so I'm giving the Unitarian church a try. So far so good. It's a prospering entity, growing by leaps and bounds and keeps adding on to their building. Everything you see in this photo is part of the church facility, including the modern brick and glass structure on the left. They just keep adding to it as they grow. So I made it in time:

Concert Time And The Drive Home

Saturday afternoon arrived at last and it was time for our chorus to meet at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting Hall. We met at 2:15 to prepare for the concert at 5:00. The concert was a benefit performance for the Provincetown Soup Kitchen. When I got there, I saw other chorus members arriving:

The building is both a historical and an imposing structure. Its steeple is visible from all over Provincetown:

Inside, the chorus members were assembling. That's David in the pew dressed as "Frieda Munchon." We'd be doing a comedy duet together later in the program:

After assembling, the Director ran us through the full choral pieces and the pianist worked with the soloists and small ensembles:

And many of us gathered out front to sing and announce the upcoming concert to passersby:

This is the way of Provincetown. When you want to announce something, you stand alongside the street and really announce it:

Many of our members relaxed before the concert instead of singing out front:

The concert was a big success and received rave reviews. We raised over $600 for the Provincetown Soup Kitchen. My own comedy duet - well, you can judge for yourself:



And early Sunday morning I left for home. I avoided most of the holiday and weekend traffic by leaving so early. Besides, I'm accustomed to waking up early and driving home was a great way to occupy my time. I threaded my way back down through Cape Cod and across the Cape Cod Canal:

And stopped to get a photograph of these cranberry fields before I entered the main highway and started the high speed race back towards Albany. Thus ended my weekend in Provincetown and another choral performance. Provincetown is a place of many memories for me and one of the scenic and historic wonders of our nation:

Downtown Provincetown

It was Saturday midday in Provincetown and I had a concert in which to perform at 5:00 with a call time of 2:15. I'd been up since before daybreak and had kept myself busy since then. It was time for me to take another walk down Commercial Street, the main drag (no pun intended) of P-Town. Commercial Street runs right along the shoreline. One has only to walk between buildings to find the ocean shore:

Provincetown is, as it has been for many decades, an extravaganza of color and commotion. There wasn't much foot traffic on this chilly Saturday, but the evening crowds were sure to come out in force later in the day:

Most restaurants now have hawkers beckoning people in. Folks in costume wander the street pushing one business or another. It's a happening place:

I used to love shopping the little stores lining Commercial Street but now it's become mostly a choice between hugely overpriced "art" or cheap and tawdry souvenirs and tee-shirts. Still, I love to walk Commercial Street:

In recent years, dogs have become popular and are everywhere on Commercial Street. I could only hope that everyone cleaned up the poop left by their dogs. Of course, I'd love to have Seamus with me, or perhaps the two Papillon puppies. I met several folks walking Papillons:

And on one side of the street, every gap between buildings reveals the traditional seaside Provincetown:

The water was clear and the boats were sailing:

The Provincetown trolley was carrying tourists up Commercial Street:

Pedi-Cabs (rickshaws) also carried tourists up and down the street:

By this time the sun was beginning to warm things up, the shops were all open and tourists were arriving:

Commercial Street was coming alive. That white steeple in the background is that of the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House. That's where we'd be singing in just a few short hours. Notice that you can see just a bit of the tip of the Pilgrim Monument just behind the steeple. I'll post about the concert tomorrow: