Sue and Steve go antiquing in New York! August 2007 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Sue and Steve go antiquing in New York! August 2007
Destination: The Brae Loch Inn, Cazenovia, NY
When: August 17th-20th, 2007
Who: Steve and Sue
Reason: Antique show and some much needed R & R!
Let me start with a little history here...
About 8 or 9 years ago, Steve and I attended a log home builders show in Utica, New York. It was fun, and cool, and they had a bunch of brochures for other area events. I picked up a brochure for the Madison-Bouckville Antiques Show, held every August in the town of Bouckville, NY, in Madison County. We weren't really "into" antiques, but this sounded like a fun adventure and a cool day trip.
I showed it to Steve. Now for those of you that know Steve (or have read any of my other trip reports lol) you know that he can be a little difficult to convince to try something. Of course, once he tries it, he loves it, it's just the initial getting him there the takes some doing. His first reaction was "Why would we want to go look at a bunch of old stuff for?" OK, dear, no problem. I signed up on the website for the mailings anyway.
Every year, we got a brochure and a post card, and every year, we never went. Finally, in 2000, I put my foot down. "Honey, I am going, and if you want to go, that's great, if not, STAY HOME!" He reluctantly went along.
We left early Saturday morning, drove up (it's about a 3 hour drive from us). Well, he took one look around and was hooked! We stayed all day and drove home that same night. A long day, but we came home with some really cool stuff for our home.
The next year, 2001, we drove up and back in our little Sentra because our SUV (a Blazer at the time) was in the shop. I wish I had my camera with me at that time, because one of the things we bought was a wagon wheel which we had to tie into the trunk!
In 2002, we got a late start and got lost, and didn't arrive till almost noon. It was then that we decided to think about staying for the weekend. On the drive up, we always passed a little country inn called the Brae Loch, so we inquired about staying there. We needed to book a year in advance due to the increasing popularity of the antique show, so in September 2002, we were booked for 2003. The rest, as they say, is history!
Now it has become a yearly tradition, and while we still go to the antique show, we enjoy the time away just as much!
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Steve had Friday, August 17th, off, since he had a dentist appointment. He headed off to the dentist, I got the house ready and took the dogs to "camp". We got back, packed, and we were on our way! The weather was beautiful, sunny, warm, but not too hot, and it was promising to be a beautiful weekend.
We headed up 380 to 81, and were soon crossing into New York State. NYS just gets prettier as you head north, and today was no exception. Our first stop was for lunch, at our traditional place:
I had the halibut, brown rice, and green beans (heart-healthy due to my recent diagnosis of high cholesterol), Steve had chicken and dumplings, mac and cheese and corn:
After lunch, we were ready to hit the road again:
Of course, we had the convertible, which meant no large purchases! We had bought a grandmother clock two years ago, and trust me, it's all on video of Steve and the guy we bought the clock from trying to make it fit in the convertible, while his wife and I sat there and laughed at the two of them!
The miles rolled away, and soon we saw the sign that said "Welcome to Cazenovia". Welcome to the Cazenovia Chamber of Commerce Web Site Cazenovia is a small, beautiful college town about 25 miles from Syracuse, NY, situated right on Cazenovia Lake. It is quiet and peaceful, what small town living is all about!
We rolled on into the Brae Loch Inn. The Brae Loch is a country inn which is strongly steeped in it's Scottish traditions, from dishes on the menu to the tartan plaids that hang all over. The current innkeepers, Jim and Valerie Barr, keep the tradition going, and Jim visits with guests dressed in his kilt!
How can I describe the Brae Loch Inn ? You know from the moment you pull up that you are somehwere special. You are made to feel welcome from the outdoor seating area, the friendly foyer, the warm colors and the Barr's dog, Barney:
A few pictures:
How can you not feel welcome when this is what you see upon entering:
We went into the small gift shop which also serves as the office, and checked in. We had reserved room number 15 (there are only 16 rooms at the inn) which was formerly known as "Mary, Queen of Scots". We had formerly stayed in the "Robert Byrnes" room, and in the "Queen Elizabeth" room. We were sad to learn that they had recently gotten away from the names and had gone to numbers. So, room number 15 it was.
After a few more minutes spent chatting and petting 14-year-old arthritic Barney, we headed up the spiral staircase to our room.
All the rooms are decorated in very traditional, old world style. It's not luxury, but it's comfortable and beautiful!
A few shots of the room:
The dresser:
The desk and chair:
Bathroom:
The chair:
Picture in the room:
Steve headed straight for the bed:
We decided to rest for awhile before we made a dinner decision that night, and soon we were snoozing.
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Well, Steve snoozed comfortably, but I dozed for about 10 minutes and then couldn't sleep! I was getting swollen glands, I didn't realize at the time that I was getting an infected tooth, but it was a little uncomfortable to lay flat. So I grabbed my camera and headed out to town. Steve mumbled something incoherent like "Yes Dear" and off I went!
I walked down Albany Ave (think "Main Street USA" ). This building is the Cazenovia Government Offices:
This is the Presbertyrian church:
Doesn't it look like something you'd see on a postcard?
Albany Street:
A flower and gift shop:
Some of the buildings and homes on Albany Street:
The public school:
The admissions office of Cazenovia College:
This was a law office:
I beleive this was part of the Oneida bank:
Window display:
All the homes are beautifully landscaped:
I returned to the Brae Loch after walking almost a mile! It was getting a little cooler, but still nice. I headed up to the room and did manage a few more Zzzzz's.
We woke up at about 7:00, ready for dinner. I changed and freshened up, and decided to look outside the window. Was that RAIN??? That was not in the forecast I had seen! Grrrrr. We were watching our chance of eating out on the lawn drift away with each drop. We headed down to the lobby, and out to the patio. No way were we eating outside tonight! We were in the middle of a thunderstorm. There was a gentleman sitting on the patio when we got out there, looking at his phone. He seemed perplexed, and said that his phone had just stopped working after the previous bolt of lightning. I said maybe a tower had gotten hit by lightning. Steve asked who his carrier was and he said "Cingular". That's who Steve's work cell is with, and he picked his up and said that his was still working fine. Just then a huge bolt of lightning came, and let me tell you, it lit up and divided the sky. It was followed by a loud crack of thunder. The man then said, gee I feel kind of funny. We both looked at him and told him to get inside immediately, before the a bolt of lightning found him. We ducked inside, I don't know how long it took him but we did see him later, so he was OK. But, geez, don't tempt fate! :
We took a seat in the dining room by the window, and watched the storm.
Rain, rain, and more rain:
Dinner was wonderful! I had wonton shrimp (like coconut shrimp with wontons), a lettuce wedge with tomato and blue cheese, and a chicken and pasta dish with olives, artichokes and feta cheese. I had a glass of Chardonnay. Steve had steamed clams, and prime rib. He had a Captain and Coke (or 2! )
My dinner:
Steve's dinner:
It was absolutely delicious!
After dinner, the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared, but there was a noticeable change in the temperature. I ran upstairs and grabbed my jacket, and we headed out for a walk around town. We walked up and down Albany Avenue, and then around the block. I took this picture of the sign at night:
The outside entertainment had been brought inside due to the weather, so we headed down to the "Wee Pub" for a nightcap. Steve ordered another round of steamed clams, I had a Corona and Steve had a Coors Light. We listened to the band for awhile. They were really good, sort of blues-y rock, and they were obviously having a great time playing together!
The band:
We stayed for about an hour, but then headed up to sleep. Tomorrow was a long day of antiquing, and we wanted to be well rested. I took a few Advil for my throat, and soon we were fast asleep!
Sounds like a great day, Sue, despite the Your photos of the town are absolutely gorgeous!! (And, I had to look twice at the school. It looks very similar architectually to the school I teach in! ) Can't wait to hear more
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OK, dear, no problem. I signed up on the website for the mailings anyway.
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due to my recent diagnosis of high cholesterol), Steve had chicken and dumplings, mac and cheese and corn:
More please 
PassPorter Guide Author
Grrrrr. We were watching our chance of eating out on the lawn drift away with each drop. We headed down to the lobby, and out to the patio. 
No way were we eating outside tonight! We were in the middle of a thunderstorm. There was a gentleman sitting on the patio when we got out there, looking at his phone. He seemed perplexed, and said that his phone had just stopped working after the previous bolt of lightning. I said maybe a tower had gotten hit by lightning. Steve asked who his carrier was and he said "Cingular". That's who Steve's work cell is with, and he picked his up and said that his was still working fine. Just then a huge bolt of lightning came, and let me tell you, it lit up and divided the sky. It was followed by a loud crack of thunder. The man then said, gee I feel kind of funny. 
:
Steve had steamed clams, and prime rib. He had a Captain and Coke (or 2! 
but you're right, that is just like a picture postcard! 
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