AROW80 Memorial Weekend Blog

It's Memorial Day weekend, and I have taken it off!  I am out if town visiting my dad. It's been a weekend of reminiscing and relaxing. I got to stand on the shores of Lake Erie at Point Grommit (Officially Point Gratiot), see a white squirrel, and have a peanut butter banana milkshake and Sullivan's Charbroil.

I do some of my best thinking when standing on the beach. Point Grommit is one of those places where all you see is water when you look out at the lake. The sunshine glinting off the water with the breeze blowing steadily. It's a calm place. It's one I return to most times I return to Chautauqua County.

I wrote a scene about standing upon these shores. It just a great place to get inspired and also find beach glass, even though the beaches are still littered with dead fish, drift wood, and and winter trash. Despite the grubby attire, Grommit was a beautiful site.

David and I played upon the shores ans took pictures. It was grand fun. This is really what we do when not glued to our computers.

We have photos of White, Black, and Black and Red squirrels that will share next time.

Upon the less than happy news from Chautauqua County. This news has been going around the internet block, but I thought I would comment on it since I was going to be in Fredonia this weekend.

It's a harder trip to bear with the local factory that makes ketchup, salad dressing, and peanut butter; Carriage House (formerly Red Wing) having been bought out by ConAgra Foods. They are planning to shut the factory down sometime next year and the feel of my friends still in the area is anger, frustration, and sometimes defeat. I have friends that are planning on moving to Missouri after Carriage House closes. I can feel the change in Chautauqua County. While there is fights still going on the try to keep the factory open, there are those who are choosing to leave the area.

It's a rough world we live in. I can on;y wish my friends who choose to to leave the very best of luck and continue to make my life the best. It's a  personal choice and in a world full of crazy corporations and bad news, sometimes you gotta make the tough choices and make yourself happy.

Point Grommit Entrance

David on Monkey Bars

 Turtle at Sheridan Memorial Park

So, for me, I go to my happy places, Point Grommit, Russell Joy Park, and Sheridan Memorial Park. These are some of the happiest places of my youth. I have reclaimed my happy and currently watch Star Trek Into Darkness and blogging contently. It's true that I have not done any goals since Friday, but I still feel good.

I am starting fresh tomorrow, Dear Readers. I hope you all have an awesome Memorial Day, whether it is a picnic or just spending time with your family. What are your plans? I am returning to Corning and spending time with the kitties. I might grill up some burgers and maybe watch a bad movie or two.

Have a great Memorial Day, Dear Readers. I would love to share my scene that I wrote earlier in the week, inspired by Point Grommit, or at least part of it. Let me know what you think? Also,l go and visit the other ROW80-ers at the Blog Hop!!

I remember that afternoon, when the sky was a slate grey. There were clouds, looking like cotton balls coated in grey paint and nary a sight of blue. I was sad. It was colder, much colder than a May day should be. My canvas shoes sunk into the sand and I can smell seaweed and rotting fish.

One step.

One step.

One step.

The shale rocks abounded, and there in my hand, I cup a good sized rock. The edges feel sharp, but I am not really paying attention. I can feel the air wash over my arm as I fling the piece of shale into the lake.

One Skip.

Two Skip.

Plop!

"Damn, I was hoping for a three bagger," I said to the passing seagulls over head. Their calls echoed across the waves and the wind. I look down to find another piece of shale. There are pieces of green and blue beach glass sitting upon the sand like jewels. My hands scoop up a handful of wet sand as I pull out the finely worn glass pieces, and dust off the sand. It clings to my hand and I left patting my hands on my pants. I glance up at the sky and the lake. The breeze has picked up. I came here to think. It always was that way.

Another handful of sand and another green piece of beach glass, into my pocket. I lean over to grab a piece of shale, determined to skip this stone at least three times. My dad could skip three or four, sometimes even five. Pulling back I let go.

One Skip.

Two Skip.

Plop!

"Should have known," I said to the lake. I started walking along the shores of Lake Erie. Looking down there's piles of seaweed, driftwood, and occasional dead fish. Standard. I picked up a rock and lobbed it into the lake.

Plop!

I was thinking about her again. I looked down and found another piece of shale; it was in my hands and flying across the air.

One skip.

I saw her face, there next to me, also skipping stones with hair blowing around and laughing.

Two skip.

I loved her. Not just in that moment, but always. I turned to her and kissed her on the lips.

Three skips!

The kiss. The kiss that never happened. At least it never happened here, in this moment. I felt my lips, my tongue and the warmth flowing down throughout my body.

Plop!

The real world came back. I was cold and shivering and feeling very alone. I stared out into the expansive void of Lake Erie, steel blue and slate grey in the sky. This place was special. Not just because I came here with her, but because it was a beautiful place to lose you mind in the water and waves.

Plop!

Memories of Fredonia, NY

Fredonia is a little village not far from Lake Erie. I grew up here. It's a small town, but after I grew up and graduated college I find that I miss some of the finer points of this my hometown. The little village at the farthest point from New York City.



Fredonia is a small town, but not so sheltered. There is SUNY Fredonia that draws a lot folks from all over the state and even overseas. Growing up on the shores on Lake Erie, Dunkirk and Fredonia were my playgrounds. And that how much of my childhood is remembered: playing on the various playgrounds in Fredonia and neighbouring Dunkirk, Sheridan, and Silver Creek and swimming at Wright Park or Point Gratiot (re-named Point Grommit in college).

It's a very peaceful place. The swimming is more difficult, because of the rocky shore, when you first get into the water, but later turns to sand. I favourite past time was to scour the shores of the Point for shells and beach glass. There is a lighthouse (blog on lighthouses) and walking trails to enjoy. I still make time to visit the Point when I am in town. Here's a link to the Roger Tory Peterson Institute article on Point Gratiot.

In the center of town there is the town hall, which boast the "Fredonia Opera House". I had wished this had been renovated sooner. I was in college by the time they opened it up. I have been inside, even got to see the "Dady Brothers" perform there. They feature movies, concerts, and now play and such. I must needs attend a perform the next time I am in Fredonia. The building that houses the Opera House, also houses the Fredonia Police Department, and Village Hall (and offices).

Nearby are the Barker Commons, the twin parks, where the village Christmas Tree dwells in the Gazebo. Here, there are festivals both craft and musical: The Farm Festival (in August) and Red, White, and Blues Festival (in September) It makes me happy to see Fredonia using it's potential.

Other places that I experienced include the Fredonia Grange. here they would put on square dances, which my friend Leah took me to a couple of time during our high school years. I have a love of super fun things and I miss square dancing, a lot. Even if you have never square danced, you can't help but have fun doing it. Half the fun is just doing it. I would usually laugh as I tried to follow the caller and keep up with the dance, often stumbling along the way.




There is the Barker Library. My favourite place to be on a Saturday morning. I would go there and listen to record and tape (although they had more records back when I was a kid). In the summer the library hosted "Bookopoly", a book version of Monopoly where you would have to take out a book and read it on the topic that you landed on. The following week you reported on the book and were rewarded with "Book Bucks", with which you could save up to buy to prizes. I remember reading a lot of books during those summer. The one I sort of remember reading, is a book called "Big Red" about an Irish Setter (I think); I also read the Misty of Chincoteague books.

The Barker Library also had a museum that had been renovated and re-opened to the public. That was part of Darwin Barker's house  and featured aspects of his life and life in Fredonia in the 1800's. This is where I wanted to become a librarian. Heck, I even helped sort books in the children's room, because I was such a frequent visitor, that the librarians got to know me. If I ever choose to go back to school, I would like to go back for library sciences.

There was also the White Inn and the Original Fredonia Fire House, which had the best restaurant, "The Hook and Ladder Deli" (named after the former firehouse). They made the best "Sun Tea", which would sit out in jars on the edge of the restaurant brewing. The White Inn still since food, but the Hook and Ladder Deli has closed up shop (I believe there is a Mongolian BBQ restaurant there now).

Post Hook and Ladder - You can see the wall. That was where the sun tea jars sat.

I could go on and on with neat memories, but I will leave off here, Dear Readers. Do you have fond memories from your hometown? What are they? Leave me a comment below. Oh, and if you are familiar with Fredonia ans Dunkirk and have pictures you would like to share, let me know. I'd love to see them. My email is draconicwitch@gmail.com. Have a great week, Dear Readers!

What will you do with your life...?

On the drive to Darien Lake yesterday-on a much needed day off-I had some random thoughts running through my head. It's kinda of like highway hypnosis, but you are still aware of the road. I was thinking about my life and where I came from, who I am now and where I am going. It's a lot to think about, but when you are driving for a long distance it's easier to focus your mind on other things (yet still seeing the road).

I came up with a few realizations.I don't know how this happened, but suddenly I was like HEY, do you realize?.....and Hoo Boy! Did I realize! The first and the biggest realization was I have only just begun to live. When I started doing theatre (in the smallest sense of the word) with the Market Street Irregulars in 2006, I started to become the Cindy that you know now (if you actually know me). You see, while on the drive I was thinking about the different times in my life: Childhood, High School, College, Post-College/Car Accident, Dallas, Post-Dallas, Theatre Life. The time that I really focused on were the Post-College/Car Accident, Dallas, and Post-Dallas.

After I graduated in 2001, I moved to Corning, NY, after a quick trip to see my parents I ended up in a the hospital for a week and spent 3 month of recovery time following my car accident on Interstate-86, just outside Falconer, NY. I had fractured my ankle in 2 places and cracked/fractured the tail of one of my vertebrae. The irony here was I had just had  physical and a gotten a clean bill of health from the doctor. The me from college was a naive, not super world savvy, but ready and itching to leaving her small home town for something bigger. I was headed to Corning, NY, 3 hours away from the hometown I grew up in, Fredonia. I was ready to live and grow up. After the accident, I spent 3 months recuperating. Those 3 months were pretty horrible. I couldn't go anyway and I felt very alone, after all I had just moved to Corning to be with David my then boyfriend. I had very few friends, those I had were mostly through David and no social life. After college, this was really rough on my mental state. I feel that late May 2001 (after graduation) to April 2002 was my lost weekend, something akin to a dream or being encased in a cocoon.

When I moved to Dallas the playing field changed, and thus I changed. No longer was a shy and quiet. I had to work and work hard. I did. I proved that I could sustain myself for 2 1/2 years, but I was not really happy (didn't realize it at the time though). I thought I had it all. I did not! It was no mistake to move. It was a life lesson, that came with many a price, but I now would not change those lessons. After thinking about it yesterday I realized that while in Dallas, I lived without purpose, almost self-serving. My best friend in Dallas Joey, he said is best about Dallas-a city of mostly transplants from other areas-that Dallas has it's own lifestyle and attitude, dubbed "Dalitude" (by who, not sure). It's a selfish, pompous way of seeing the world. I wish I could say that I was stronger, to resist tit, but no, in some ways I fell to the mercy of the Dalitude. My time is Dallas was brief, but I doubt I left any mark on that city. I barely wrote and aside from my job as a Barista at Crossroads Market (it does not exist anymore) I did very little with my life. Not quite a lost weekend per se, but more like I was back in college and not taking life seriously.

Upon my arrival back in Corning, I had to get a life, get a job. From October 2004 until June 2006 I was temping and eking out a mere living. We lived with David 's parents until Spring of 2005 when we found an apartment and started to be adults again. The jobs I worked at that time were lousy and I was miserable for many of the same reasons that people are today: shitty pay, terrible hours, horrible boss or co-workers. It wasn't like I wasn't trying, but I guess I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, so a seetled. I worked as a receptionist at a Vet Clinic, a Cashier at a Grocery Store, a Lab Tech in a Factory, and finally landed a temporary Admin Clerk position at Schweizer Aircraft in June 2006 that turned into a permanent position. I lasted there until August of 2011 when I was laid off. Also, during that time David had started doing theatre again with ELT (Elmire Little Theatre) and met some people in a little organization called MSI (Market Street Irregulars) who did Dinner Theatre on Market Street at the restaurant on Market Street: Sorge's and Fat Cats. It was with them that I auditioned for my first ever show, at David's urging. He had already worked with them on "The Last Dance of Dr. Disco". "Audition for Murder" was my first show, I had three lines as the Stage Manager (the beginning of it all...).

This, I feel was the beginning of the REAL me. See, I think at that time I needed something and I think  told myself to get out, find friends, and make a life in Corning. I wasn't going anywhere. Corning was my home now. I couldn't just stay in a cocoon, like I did the last time I lived in here, nor could I run around without a care in the world as I did in Dallas. I had to earn my wings. Although the realization of what I wanted to do with my life had yet to surface. Almost like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon.

They say that to succeed at something/anything you must put in 10,000 hours to reaped any success. Now on the week of my birth (this Friday I turn 34), I have only just started clocking hours for my new plan, to be a writer. I have made a few accomplishments so far, but I still have a LONG ways to go. I am not giving up hope though. I have some great friends from High School, College, Dallas, and long distance friends that  have helped to give me support on this trek. My local friends has been wonderful, mostly theatre nerds, Whovians, and book worms. They are the best kind! But also the long distance friends are just as important, those are some of my strongest supporters as well.  I also have an awesome Mentor that reminds me that it is totally worth it to go for it. I may have only started living in 2006, but in that time much has happened and  surprised me and continuous to surprise me. "This looks familiar, vaguely familiar... There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met. Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place? You can just visit, but I plan to stay."  I do plan to stay and now I have purpose.

I am still clocking hours for my writing. Everyday I try to write something, anything. It might not always happen, but I keep at it. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I write. Other times, it's crap, but as least I wrote something. Right?

You bet!

"If you want something, nobody can stop you. If you don't want something, nobody can help you." ~James Owen