Maple, wine, music, conditions and a new Eagle in Town! For the off season there is still a lot going on!

This weekend is the last weekend of maple weekend - there is a big pancake breakfast at the Maple Museum in Croghan Sat and Sun then lots of open houses - weather looks good so get outside and have some fun!   http://www.mapleweekend.com/  Read a great sign yesterday - said if your dog is fat you are not getting enough exercise! :)

Also this weekend is a concert at the Lewis County Historical Society - not sure if any tickets are left - you'd have to call - here is announcement from Lewis County Chamber - Lewis County Historical Society Concert! Buskin and Batteau

Buskin and Batteau will appear Saturday, March 27. The Washington Post calls their performance, “an irresistible amalgam of melodic, sensual pop, folkie grit and killer wit.” Tickets are $18 advance/$20 door. Buskin and Batteau began in earnest when folk legend Tom Rush, in a truly titanic misjudgment, invited David Buskin and Robin Batteau to be his backup band – with David on piano, guitar and vocals, Robin on vocals, violin, guitar and mandolin, and the Mighty Mighty Marshal Rosenberg on percussion. Chaos reigned. Hotel rules were tightened across America. And then suddenly, without warning B & B went out on their own. Call the Lewis County Historical Society at 376-8957 for more info.


Our local winery (I love that we can now boast about having a winery it is a new gem in the area!) is reopening for their upcoming season - http://www.tughillvineyards.com/index.shtml  for schedules - if you haven't been there yet make sure you plan a stop while you are in the area - it is an absolutely spectacular building with a great view of the area.  We attended a fund raiser last fall for the Lewis County Hospital Foundation there and got to say it was one of the nicest events we have been to!  They have Sunday brunches  and looks like their Wine Down After Hours evenings will now feature acoustic music - think I might have to go myself one night!

Took a hike last weekend up to Shallow Pond - still needed snowshoes on the jeep road but snow has been melting down and the reservoir is coming up!  You can track the reservoirs progress by visiting
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv?04256500 
courtesy of Hudson River Black River Reg District - also check out their snow survey - seems we only had about half the amount of snow this March that we did last March.  It's been an interesting winter - not a lot of snow but somehow what we got stuck around.  I love spring hikes - the sound of the water rushing through the woods, little streams appearing and disappearing, little ferns appearing out from the snow...........how some of these plants emerge green as if the winter doesn't effect them is fascinating to me............

You may have seen some of the articles about Eagle sitings in NY the past couple of months - a few down in Oneida County - of course we have them here but don't see them all the time - it is a special treat to witness - we did see one at the end of a snowshoe outing in Feb - being chased by a hawk - interesting - guess the Eagle snatched something that hawk wanted ..........but at any rate there is a new awesome Eagle wood carving in Old Forge (actually Thendara) when you are driving through town make sure you look for it! 

On a side note we had a new experience yesterday in Watertown - a good friend took us to the Krysal Restaurant - right on the square in the center of town - it's been there since 1917 - old booths - wood paneled walls - tin ceiling - good food - the only "stand up" bar in Watertown - pretty neat place - worth a visit if you're up there for lunch or supper - prices were good too!  Kind of a walk back in time.