Past times and Pastime

We kept very busy here in the Little Falls area. First on our list of must see places was The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. We rented a car and took a very scenic drive through the lovely farmlands which are cradled in the rolling foothills of the surrounding mountains...to the lovely little village of Cooperstown. It was induction weekend, so the whole town was buzzing...kids of all ages, wearing t-shirts of every major league team, crowded the streets of the charming main street-This was a dream come true for me...seeing the shrine to this sport's greatest players...many of whom I grew up worshipping because of the love of the game instilled in me by my father. "My" Yankees dominated the the tributes and their fans outnumbered the rest...We got to see Yogi Berra who was in town for the celebration, signing autographs...I was a kid again and it was great! On our way back to Ithaka we took a "deek" and found Hyde Hall...If you're interested more about this place can be found online at: http://www.hydehall.org/ The towns in this area are quaint and the lake is pristine.

On Friday and Saturday we visited some of the legendary places where great events and quiet heroes shaped the course of American History. Nearly 300 battles were fought during the Revolution to secure America's independence...almost 100 of them on New York soil. We went to Fort Stanwix, the site of the Battle of Oriskany, The Herkimer Home and the Erie Canal Village.

It was England's mission to separate New England from the southern colonies by capturing the strategic Mohawk and Hudson waterways...The siege at Fort Stanwix and the battle of Oriskany directly contributed to the great victory at Saratoga...and now we can say that we were here.

Visiting these places...actually seeing where these events took place...seeing where the Oneida Carrying Place was before the Erie canal connected the Mohawk River and Lake Oneida...understanding that this was the frontier at one time...the bravery of the Patriots and their families...many were German and Dutch immigrants...becoming more aware of the important role the Indians played in winning these decisive battles...re-learning the place in history filled by the French...the Loyalists...getting that feeling under your skin of what it must have been like to fight for what they believed in...This area is a rich cup running over with history...a valley of hallowed places...from Gehrig to Herkimer...great men are revered here and we are blessed to learn of their lives.