Ugh, it's been WEEKS since we did anything! Work, work, work! My kids are working through the summer, plus there's the gardening and home improvements around here. Not to mention, I work a job at home.... busy! BUT we are hoping to get out this weekend. Both Mr. Mecomber and I have the day off, so we are trying to plan on something big.

I saw this video at YouTube... and it got my little mind whirling. Can you guess where this is?



It's a really good thing I've done my digital camcorders shopping and nabbed a good one! Because I think this is what I will be doing this weekend, if we can "wing it"! It's Fort Ticonderoga! If you are an "old" reader, you may remember that the last time we went here, the place was closed for the season. We did sneak in to see the grounds and to view Lake Champlain.... but our desire has been to return and see the buildings and celebrate independence there. I'm REALLY REALLY hoping this weekend is it! I'll keep you posted!

I remember the Dick Cavett Show-- well, I remember my mom watching it. I was too young to be a viewer (and understand what he was talking about!). I came across this really neat old video clip of the Dick Cavett Show. In it, Cavett honors Utica, NY, for the local television station (WUTR) adding his show to the TV schedule. This guy is really funny!! The show starts out a little slow, but then Cavett does a "tribute" to Utica, and it's pretty funny! 



Did you happen to notice the big stage walls, that spinned when Cavett came walking down the stairs? They looked like petal-shaped stainless steel backsplash panels, did you notice them? I'll bet that back then, that was super-advanced technology, eh? LOL!

This is what is so neat about the Internet-- things that were considered "lost" (like vintage shows or photos) are now available for all to see. SO COOL! I'm going to go see what else I can dig up....

Ithaca, NY, is well known for it's "progressive" ways. It's a beautiful city in a gorgeous area of New York State, but I don't share its progressive philosophies very much. However, I recently read about the city's "Ithaca Hours"-- their very own currency that the local busines! In a time of financial and economic stability, I think something like this may actually be a viable idea for the times ahead. Before indepence from Britain, the colonies all had their own currencies (and this actually caused a lot of friction between the colonies, especially the greedy Northeastern colonies, like New York). One of the first things the founding fathers did was establish a national currency, for all colonies to have in common. It was worked pretty well up until 1913 (Federal Reserve Act) to now. The federal government seems bent on killing our currency and our economy!

ANYWAY.. Ithaca has a rather cutsie currency system that promotes local small businesses amongst the business community, and keeps the dollars in the city. A great idea! This is from the website:

Are Ithaca HOURS real money?

Yes. At present, no monetary systems are backed by an actual commodity (such as gold), but instead notes are simply declared to be money by an authority ("fiat money"). In the case of U.S. currency that authority is the national government. In the case of Ithaca HOURS that authority is the board of the corporation.
As such, Ithaca HOURS are taxable, and it is illegal to counterfeit them.

The name HOUR is meant to remind you that, in addition to being a medium of exchange for commodities, currency represents someone's labor, the time taken to provide a skill or perform a service. Your time is worth something to someone else. When yo ugive someone an HOUR, you are telling them: "I did this much somewhere else. Please give me the equivalent here."

So, if you are a businessperson and want to buy shoes or groceries or a script for Fenphedra, the Ithaca Hours system encourages you to join the system and get it from another local business, rather than an outsider "Big Box" business. Brilliant!

The website is difficult to navigate. I finally found the FAQ page that gives more information on what Ithaca Hours are and what they do.

This post has absolutely nothing to do with travel... or anything, for that matter! lol! It's being filed under "Miscellaneous Blabber"!

Anyway, I'm not much for watching loads of videos online, but I saw this at Holy Cuteness. MAN, this dog has got it soooo good. Toooooo too cute!!!



I'm a real sucker for cute animal videos. Obviously, lol. The kids are I are totally hooked on I Can Haz Cheeseburger (LOL Cats). When we're tired of studying and need a break, it's a fun place for belly laughs. If you go there, though, be sure you have your browser's ad-block on, because the banner ads are disgusting. Too bad. But the photos and captions are HILARIOUS! I think I'm addicted! Is there a drug rehab for LOL Cats?? Here are some of my favorites.


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

See? What did I tell you! Aren't they hilarious! Bwahahahaha!

Interesting news. The New York Power Authority, with its usual dose of wacked-out, mafia-like, New York favoritism, has offered to give Yahoo, Inc. reduced power rates if it will build a data center in Western New York State.



This deal would bring a whopping 125 jobs to Upstate NY. Whooooppeee! That should offset the 25,000 jobs we've lost!

I scratch my head and marvel at our state. Why the heck won't they just lower rates, lower taxes, reduce regulation?! New York residents are taxed to the GILLS-- on everything from Cyber Monday Internet purchases (which is unconstitutional) to taxes upon taxes! It's insanity! It's so maddening!

FINALLY! The day I've been waiting for! Memorial Day is the traditional first day of summer. And it is also the day when New York's tourist season officially gets underway! Hurray! After a long, drab, travel-less winter and spring, New York is finally awakening. The parks, the beaches, the museums, the rv parks, the nature centers-- FINALLY! We are, obviously, thrilled.

I don't know why we must wait so long for places to finally open their doors. I've lamented in the past about how wonderful travel is in Upstate NY during the late autumn. And then to have to wait until practically June until places open... it's ridiculous, really.

If you're planning on any NY travel this season, I recommend checking out the I Love NY website. They've revamped it, and while I think they could improve the "Cities & Towns" search engine feature (it's very inadequate), the site looks very nice. I also see the ability to create one's own brochure for a personal NY travel guide. I tried it but had trouble downloading the odf file to my desktop. I have yet to determine if it is the pdf or my browser... it looks really good in theory, anyway.

So... see ya on the road! At LAST!