Traveling On The Thruway

A lot of people have to travel this evening to get home from their extended Thanksgiving weekend. So I thought I would take this opportunity to remind everyone that their are travel cams at all the exits along the NYS Thruway. Whether you are coming from or going to the Catskills at this point, these can be helpful to assist in assessing the traffic situation before you leave. So bookmark this link and check it out before you travel. Although we are 30 minutes from the Kingston toll booths and things can change fast this could possibly give you some idea of what to expect. Check it out.

http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/index.html?layer=cameras

Getting Here From There

I use my smartphone for many things but just last weekend I realized that I would have to add "stand-up comedy" to the list of services it was capable of providing.

I had gone to a friend's birthday party down in Yonkers and although I was fairly sure I could navigate out of his neighborhood onto the Saw Mill Parkway, I thought I would use the GPS in my phone just to be sure. Since it is always dangerous to try to type and/or text while driving, I put the phone on my dashboard and used the voice recognition feature to enter my destination. I hit the button to speak and clearly stated, Phoenicia, NY.

A message came back to me "DID YOU MEAN SHIMMY SHACK, NY?" LOL!!! Is there really a "Shimmy Shack, NY"? If there is I think I might just have to move there. In my imagination living in any place named Shimmy Shack requires wearing a fringe dress everyday and playing a lot of stripper music. But I probably wouldn't get a lot done so maybe I should just go home to Phoenicia.

Anyway, I laughed for quite a while before I was able to pull myself together and hit the voice entry feature again. This time I enunciated very distinctly "PHOE-NI-CIA, NEW YORK". Another message came back saying "DID YOU MEAN SODDY S#%T, NY?" (since this is a family site I replaced some of the letters in the second word but I am sure you all know what I mean). Well, that was just too much for me! I had to pull over!! I laughed until I cried. And deep down I had to admit that "Soddy S#%t" might be somewhere close to Phoenicia.

Then I realized that the voice recognition software is an excellent way to entertain yourself but if I wanted to get home sometime that day I would have to figure out something it would understand. So I hit the button a third time and said Woodstock. I felt this was a bit of a cop out on my part but I made it back to my house just fine. But next time I need a laugh I am just going take out my cellphone and see how many other interesting ways this device can interpret Phoenicia. Hey, it's cheaper than a comedy club.

Ulster County Mobile DMV

Being originally from an urban area sometimes it is the simplest things about living in a small town that really make me happy. One of those things is the Ulster County mobile DMV. Every Friday the DMV bus is parked in back of town hall. The town residents can then go and take care of any business they have with the DMV in a clean, friendly and efficient atmosphere. For any of us that have waited hours on line down in the city only to get to a surly teller, this seems quite amazing!! So next time you need to go to the DMV know that once a week the bus is conveniently located behind Town Hall. The hours of operation are 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM with an hour out (meaning they are closed) for lunch between 1:00 pm and 2:00 PM.

Slow Down!!!

In the past couple of months the NY State Troopers have been very diligent about enforcing the speed limits on Rt. 28. I have seen many, many motorists pulled over on the shoulder. Please carefully watch your speed and stay within the posted limits. Otherwise, you may face hefty fines and points on your license. Drive safely!!!

Gow Job

The following is from WCA member Cardi O'Conner.

"Look sharp when you are tooling around Woodland Valley or Phoenicia: there is a sweet new “modified” in town. Specifically, it is a 1926 Model T roadster, also known as a “gow job”. Designed by Mike Ottavi, the roadster emulates the T-modifieds built before WWII to race on the Southern California Dry Lakes (as well as the So-Cal streets).

Mike’s modified was custom built by E.J. Kowalski of Reading, Pennsylvania. it has correct period styling and details---which basically means the original 1926 body was stripped way down. Fenders, running boards, splash apron and the rear passenger compartment were all removed. The rear of the frame was shortened and stepped, making a shorter wheel base and also lowering the car. The little roadster is simple, noisy and tough. It is also a rocket.

The origin of the name “gow job” is up for grabs, but some say early hot-rodders would shout to their rivals, “Fords are for gow, Chevys are for plow!”. Mike’s modified has a powerful V8 under the hood, so if you ask for a ride, please be aware: When Mike punches it, guaranteed your stomach will do flips. It’s as thrilling as an amusement park ride."

- Cardi



That's the brake light






















On Plank Road

- All photos taken by Cardi O'Conner