Orchard Street Revived

Photo taken by Kelly Voll

From left, Assemblyman Gary Finch, New York State Assembly, Peggy Ogden, interim executive director of the Allyn Foundation, Cynthia Aikman, Cayuga County Legislature, Ben Lockwood, director of development for Housing Visions, Arlene Ryan, Orchard Street resident and member of the Orchard Street Area Association, Daniel Buyer, assistant commissioner for regional affairs for NYS Homes & Community Renewal, and Auburn Mayor Michael Quill participate in a groundbreaking ceremony at 1 Orchard St., Auburn NY (9.12.13)

Auburn's Orchard Street is turning 16 dilapidated houses into visually pleasing, affordable rental units.

Housing Visions purchases and develops homes, either by demolishing them and rebuilding or rehabilitating old homes in neighborhoods that may be declining due to crime, deterioration of the buildings and other factors.

These homes in the area are going through rehabilitation:

These lots in the area are ready for development:

These homes are already being used by families:

This unit is ready for occupancy:

An Orchard Street mainstay:

Orchard Street residents should be proud.

Fleming-Aurburn Trail & Cayuga College Trail

 The Auburn-Fleming Trail

Map

This afternoon decided to revisit the Fleming-Auburn Trail, which is part of the Cayuga County Trail system. Since this summer has been extremely dry was interested to observe its effects on the trail. Parked at the south entrance. After arousing the dogs in the house adjacent to the trail walked to the North entrance. On the return took photographs.

 

Field to the East of the trail just before the first bridge.

Looking East from the 1st Bridge

Looking South

Looking West from the 2nd Bridge

Dry Creek Bed

New (?) Culvert By-pass to Farm Field

Farm Field to the West of Fleming-Auburn Trail

Looking West from the 3rd Bridge

Farm Field to the East of Fleming-Auburn Trail

During the walk a female jogger passed me heading north. While birds were scarce, did observe a Blue Jay, two Turkey Vultures (soaring in the thermals), two Chickadees, and 2 Goldfinches. Flora along the entire trail was dry and stressed.

After completing my walk decided to swing by the Cayuga College Trail. Glad I did. Near the Lily Pond Walt Aikman was holding a class. Visiting briefly with Walt he answered a question that I have had for sometime. Walt identified the young tree at the head of the trail entrance as a Black Oak.

Birds were scarce here too. A Crow and a Turkey Vulture were flying overhead and five Mallards were in the second pond.

Previous visits to these trails:

Auburn - Fleming Trail 

Auburn-Fleming Trail Revisited 

Auburn - Fleming Trail 

Auburn-Fleming Trail - Bird Tour 

Auburn-Fleming Trail - 1st Visit of 2011

Cayuga Community College Trail 

Cayuga Community College Trail 

Cayuga Community College Trail

Cayuga Community College Trail 

Birding - Cayuga College Trail 8/8/11

Birding - Cayuga College Trail 

Cayuga College Trail

Week Thirty-Seven - 15 to Go

This legal thriller is an easy read. The plot will engage the reader early on because it is extremely topical.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2012

Week Thirty-Six - 16 to Go

Good beach read. While the dialogue at times is lame, Sherlock and Savich as always rescue the storyline.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2012

CABARET

This evening Joan and I attended the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse’s current production of the smash 60’s musical Cabaret. This two-and-a-half hour production by John Kander (music), Fred Ebb (lyrics), and Joe Masteroff (book) is based on a play by John Van Druten (“I Am a Camera”) and a novel by Christopher Isherwood (“Goodbye to Berlin”), and is semi-autobiographical in its relationship to Isherwood’s time in Berlin during the 1930’s.

The characters are set in a certain period and place in history, the rise of the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. Making use of the whole stage with its various vertical levels along with projections of archival film helped to place you in the time period.

The performances of Josh Walden, as the creepy emcee, of Paige Faure, as the leggy club headliner Sally Bowes, and of Mick Bleyer, as the the naive writer Clifford Bradshaw, are riveting. And Fraulein Schneider (Sandra Karas), the rooming house owner and Herr Schultz (Joel Briel), a Jewish tenant and fruit store owner, were superb.

Paige Faure (Sally Bowles) with dancers from the Kit Kat Klub

While not your grandmother's musical theater, this solid musical property will have its effect on you.

After sitting through this MGR presentation one can understand why it was a Tony Award-winning musical (1966) and why it won an Academy Award winner for Liza Minnelli (1972).

Other shows of this season:
Kiss Me Kate
9 to 5
My Fair Lady
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Nunsense

Week Thirty-Five - 17 to Go

Bennett is not Alex Cross. But the Bennett franchise is entertaining. As all Patterson co-authoring this work can be read in a day. Some readers may be disappointed at the end.

Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks in 2012

Cayuga College Trail

Mallards in Second Pond

This afternoon ventured off to the Cayuga College Trail. The lily pond has been refilled but there was meager activity around it except for three bees landing on the lily pads.

In the red bench area of the first pond there was a family of four, dad, mom, and two boys, watching a deer that was in the woods.

There was dragonfly activity around the perimeter of the first pond.

Widow Skimmer Dragonfly

Eastern Pondhawks

As I approached the second pond I noted two turkey vultures soaring in the thermals. Then to my surprise I spied a Great Blue Heron across the pond up in a tree.

Believe this may be Horatio who has flown over from Hoopes Park. Due to the heat Horatiio was aerating himself while on his perch.

Got to love bird that pose for you and do not fly away.

Before leaving looked into the third pond there I flushed a Green Heron. On the way back to the car, saw two chickadees and two Mourning Doves. A walk around the Cayuga College rarely disappoints.