Snell, Richards, Foster And Brooklyn Roads

This is Part 4 of my wintry driving tour. I'd come to the end of Town Line Road and had to travel several other rural roads to get back to the highway. My first stop was this old, abandoned barn:

And nearby, an abandoned home. It must have been empty for many years, judging by the vines which covered it:

Another old barn, way back behind some brush. It too probably hadn't been used in many years:

A beautiful, classic Amish Farm. It was pretty as a picture, so I turned it into a picture:

Snowy farm fields, bordered with woodlands:

A traditional Amish farm house with laundry, barn and windmill:

A beautiful old barn, outbuildings and silo:

Another old barn which I suspected was no longer used:

A lovely home in a lovely setting:

This intricate home and attached barn was located just as I entered the tiny hamlet of Lawrenceville:

Another home with a front porch, this one with a western look to it:

This large home was the last photo I took before I turned again onto the highway. I noticed that it was for sale, so I looked it up online when I got home. It was a three bedroom, one bath home with two garages for $74,900:

Town Line Road

This is Part 3 of my driving tour. I'd come to the end of Alburg Road and turned right onto Town Line Road, where I stopped to snap a picture of this sugar house and the small outbuilding behind it. Maple syrup is big business here in the north country:

I've passed this small house and barn before, and it always looks uninhabited. If so, it's a shame because it looks to be a well built home in a beautiful location. I also sometimes wonder if it might be an Amish school house:

This farm house had a lovely wrap-around porch and was nearly hidden behind the trees:

A very old house, abandoned long ago:

And one of the most beautiful barns I've seen:

As I passed by the elaborate barn, I noticed a small building which looked like it once was a farm stand but is now a shed for tools and kids' bicycles:

A herd of beef cows watched me go by:

Beautiful, well kept barns and red cattle:

A traditional red barn with a silo and hay bales:

They apparently used small hay bales as well as the big round bales, judging by the elevator into the hay loft:

I was stopped by these bossy turkeys in the road, but I didn't need to get pushy because I could see the road dead-ended just ahead. Instead, I turned left onto Snell Road - but I'll post those photos tomorrow:

Fine Old Homes In A North Country College Town - Part 2

I was taking a driving photo tour of some of the impressive old homes in Potsdam, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). This beauty had a matching carriage house out back:

I had to turn when I came to the lovely Grass River. Folks who live in Potsdam have access to the river all the time:

A very large old home behind big trees:

This big home had everything:

Another beauty. Have you noticed that most of these homes have fireplaces? They come with the territory:

Porches, front and back:

A large home with White Birches out front:

Green and white with porches, turrets and trees all around:

A lovely brick home with gingerbread trim:

This home was larger than it at first appeared:

Another fireplace, another carriage house, another porch (glassed in):

Comfortable chairs on the porch for summertime use:

I was on my way home and on the village outskirts when I snapped this final photo. It too was big and beautiful:

Fine Old Homes In A North Country College Town - Part 1

Potsdam, New York is a cultural and educational hub for the north country. It was first settled in 1803 and is now home to three universities - State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam, Clarkson University, and St. Lawrence University. The village also has many fine, old homes in excellent condition. I had gone to the emergency room for a TIA (turned out to not be too serious), and decided to take some photos of the nearby homes after I was released. That's part of the hospital in the background of this photo:

The houses in this part of Potsdam are lovely, and almost all have porches. This one also had a turret:

Now this home certainly has a fine porch to come home to:

As you can see, L-shaped porches are popular here:

And most of these old homes are huge:

A brick home with no porch, though it might have had one in the rear:

A lovely home behind big trees and a picket fence:

This porch had been screened in for bug-free comfort in the summertime. Notice the carriage house in the back, another common feature of many of these homes:

I didn't know what this style home wass called, but houses in this style always remind me of Winslow Homer's "American Gothic:" I looked it up and learned the house style is properly called "Carpenter Gothic:"

A green home with a gracefully curved wrap-around porch:

I thought that was a big cat on the porch, but it turned out to be a dead potted plant:

A smaller house with a porch and carriage house:

This elegant home was almost hidden behind large trees. I was just getting started on my photo tour, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Small Town Living In North Lawrence, NY - Part 3

I was nearing the end of my driving tour of tiny, scenic North Lawrence, New York (see also Parts 1 and 2, posted previously). This small home seemed typical of the hamlet:

An enclosed front porch and a carriage house:

Back on Route 11C, a big Protestant Church:


I turned onto Factory Street and drove past this home with a front porch:


And this home with a windmill and solar panels:

And another home for sale, though when I searched for the listing online, it was gone. Maybe it had been already sold:

A lovely colonial home:

And across the road from the last four houses was this huge yogurt factory. I still remember how shocked I was when I first saw it as it seemed so out of place in this tiny hamlet:

This is North Country Dairy, a larger yogurt manufacturer. It was closed when I first moved to the area, then taken over by a farm cooperative and now it's making and selling yogurt once again under a variety of labels:

I heard on the radio that North Country Dairy just signed a contract with a big, national yogurt label and that would bring more new jobs to this small town. The name of the yogurt brand, however, had not yet been published:

I headed back to the center of town and passed by the Grapevine restaurant. I've never been in it, but they often have banners out front which advertise catfish dinners:

And across the street, "The Jug," a tavern:

The North Lawrence Post Office:

And the North Lawrence Supermarket with the yogurt factory in the background. I have been in there and found nearly empty shelves:

And the last photo of my driving tour was the Pit Stop Restaurant. I have eaten there and fondly remember their maple cream pie, made with local maple syrup: