BBQ just over the border...

 

My cousins from New Hampshire were driving to Canton, NY to attend their daughter's graduation from  St. Lawrence University. They asked if we wanted to come down for a bbq and a visit. We jumped at the chance! (It's only about 1.5 hrs south of here.)

We picked up some beer, once we crossed the border. I loved the label of this IPA craft beer, and it tasted pretty good too.
 

 Ellen and Bill are on the right. Ellen's mum Renee, beside her is my mother's first cousin.

 After the bbq, we walked around the grounds of the university. Lovely place. And very empty since all the kids except for the graduates were there.

 Richard had a wee stroll on one of the open spaces.

This brand new residence was built with funds from Kirk Douglas who is a graduate of SLU.

Back at the grocery store, I just had to take a pic of one of the signs. Kinda funny.

We saw this lovely old sign, formerly neon, at a deserted motel just outside of Massena. Love old signs!
All in all, a fun and crazy afternoon. Going to another country for a barbecue! Love it.

Strange bedfellows?

Saw this in Alexandria, Ontario the other day and just loved the juxtaposition.

The Old Neighbourhood

Last weekend I was back in the old neighbourhood I lived in for 13 years, the Annex in Toronto. I always loved the name and look of this old diner and it was still there. I have never gone in but maybe one day...

Sign of the Times

Guess what I'm doing today? Happy Victoria Day everyone. Summer's here at last!!

Folk Art Signage

Sometimes the best thing about stopping at a chip stand is the signage. Check out this vintage folk art seen at Seguin's Patate in Cornwall, Ontario.

Nancy's Truck Stop

I noticed an abandoned Truck Stop just east of Hawkesbury.

I just love the hand-cut, wooden type face. 

And look at the ghost wall behind the wooden font. 

Just love the letter "r." Always so hard to do. This one definitely has charm.

And the "o" looks a little like an egg. Stop! I'm having too much fun with this.

General Store in Rooseveltown, NY

Last week I made a quick visit to the U.S. to Rooseveltown, NY, just over the border from Cornwall.


I've seen this old general store a few times and always wanted to go in.


The signs are so fabulous.


Nice coke clock.


It's a real general store on the inside selling canned goods and chips...


...and some work clothes and boots too.


The lady who owned it said that the store had been there for 70 years. I'm pretty sure this gum is younger than that but I'm not sure about the rack it's in. Love this place!

Chip Stand Art

I love stopping at chip stands that dot the countryside. Not only are their fries usually fantastic, so is their folk art. Here's a fun thing seen at Jean Burger in Wakefield, Québec.


Closer to home there's the famous Gaetan's chip stand in Alexandria, Ontario.


Don't you love Monsieur French Fry with his bouffant made of ketchup, salt and vinegar in hand.


Looks like I can't wait to get my arms around him, eh?

To see more adventures at Gaetan's, click here.

Moose Creek

I just love this sign that welcomes you to Moose Creek, a small town not far from me. Every other little town around here has turned to a professional sign maker -- and now all the signs look exactly the same. Except for this one. I hope they don't change it.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

How long are you allowed to sit in it, do you suppose?


This just struck me as funny. The ultimate in fusion food?


This seemed odd too although I'm sure it's not what they meant.

Signs of the Times

It's too bad people feel they have to keep updating things and making them look "better." This sign for the Glen Motel in Alexandria came down a few years back. I drove past it everyday for years and always got a kick out of it.


Another sign on its way out in Alexandria is this "Coke" sign advertising the Meloche and Sabourin meat/grocery store and abbatoir. The store has been closed for years.


I love this sign which I shot a few years ago in Morrisburg, Ontario, about an hour west of here.


Another sign close to the Iroquois Motel is one for the Lamp Lighter Motel.


This little grocery store located just down the road from me in Greenfield closed a few years ago. The owner had a penchant for cats and they used to climb all over the place so I visited often.


I love the old fashioned typography on this sign, taken in Toronto last year.


This sign is preserved, thankfully and kept inside at Sheppard's Motors in Alexandria.

Ghost Walls

Ever noticed faded signs on old buildings? Here's one I saw in Vankleek Hill, Ontario for some sort of "Castoria." Lovely typography but I bet the product tasted pretty awful.
Footnote: My friend Olive emailed me and pointed out that "Castoria" was a brand of medicine (and not castor oil as I thought) so I did some research. On the site Forgotten New York I read the folowing: Charles H. Fletcher began selling his Castoria, a mild stomach remedy for children, in 1871. The medicine was heavily promoted on ads and billboards in the late 1800s and early part of the 20th Century, and evidently the paint used for the ads was of a very high grade, because several ads survive to this day all over town.
To see more walls with Castoria ads click on Forgotten New York.
Thanks Olive!

Spring has Sprung

A sure sign of spring. The Dairy Queen is open!

Great Neon Sign

Don't you just love this sign? I saw it in Eastern Oregon last week. Richard and I finished our ice cream cones on the huge lawn of the Wallowa Lake Lodge which borders on the lake. Beautiful place.

I Love Neon

I've always loved neon signs and have taken photographs of them for sometime. Now that I have a digital camera, I seem to have a growing collection of them in my "Neon" file. I thought I'd share one of my favourites, taken in Maine.