Rochester Harbor and Carousel Festival

I have always had a passion for ships, ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be a pirate and sail on a schooner.  The fascination with schooners continues to this day and I had heard on the radio that at noon two tall ships would be sailing into the Port of Rochester for Harbor and Carousel Festival.  So I thought to myself, why not head down and check them out!

The two ships were the Lynx and the Pride of Baltimore II.  They are both recreations of 1812-era topsail schooners and they tower majestically in the water.  During the War of 1812 president James Madion (my favorite founding father) issued Letters of Marquee and Reprisal allowing private ship owners to arm their ships as privateers and essentially act as legal pirates.  The ships were allowed to prey on Britain's merchant and war ships in an attempt to disrupt Britain's ability to wage war on the United States.  These Letters were an attempt to underscore the size of the United State's small navy (at the time the US Navy had only 8 frigates and 14 sloops and brigs, whereas the British Navy had over 600 battle cruisers, with 85 operating in American waters), and proved to be a pivotal part in the War of 1812.

Schooners are sailing vessels with a fore and aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear.  In the 1790's Maryland was the nations leader in shipbuilding, and provided many of the ships that continually harassed the British in the War of 1812.  The Baltimore Schooners were fast ships that were able to outrun and out maneuver the large and heavily armed ships of the British Navy. 1,554 vessels were claimed captured by all American naval and privateering vessels in the War of 1812, and 1,300 of which were captured by privateers.

Being the ship geek that I am, I headed down to Charlotte Beach to see them come into port.  The weather was beautiful, sunny with few clouds, and the lake was calm and quiet, with gentile rolling waves.  I arrived around 11:15 and decided to take a nice walk down the pier and find a nice place to get a few pictures.

Close to noon the ships began coming in towering beautifully above the water.  The ship Lynx sailed in first, and the Pride of Baltimore II followed it.  I was snapping tons of pictures and admiring the beauty of the ships when I heard an ear splitting bang, and turned to see the Pride of Baltimore II firing its cannons.  It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen, as the smoke soon engulfed the ship.  As they headed into port both ships opened fire announcing their arrival in a loud and smokey display.

I spent probably an hour watching them sail and dock, and was simply astounded by their beauty.  The were wonderful tributes to the schooners of the past, and made me think of other maritime journeys undertaken throughout the years of our history.  Christopher Columbus sailed to America for the first time in ships that were less than half the size of the ones that sailed in today.  I can only imagine the men on those ships as they sailed into uncharted waters, not knowing if they would ever come home and what they must have been thinking. 

There is something wonderful about open water and ships like these that captivates my soul.  They are beautiful majestic crafts that offer a glimpse into both maritime history and our national history.  Seeing them in person really makes you appreciate their history and encourages you to learn more about them. 

After finally getting my fill of the ships, I was a little hungry and had been craving sushi for the past week or so, and luckily enough for me, right in the port was California Rollin II!  So I stopped in to get a Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll, and it was amazing!  I have only just recently become a fan of sushi, but I sure do love it now!  As the name implies, it was crunchy, spicy, and delish! 

Tis all for now!  Hope you all have a great day and enjoyed the pictures!  If you get a chance this weekend, head over to Charlotte Beach and go to the Rochester Harbor and Carousel Festival!  You certainly wont be disappointed.  Friday you can go on board the Pride of Baltimore II for an evening sail from 5-7 p.m. or sail on it from 8-10 p.m. as part of the boat parade.  Saturday and Sunday you can go sail from 3-5 p.m. as part of a "Ship Battle Sail," no idea what that it, but I'm willing to bet they'll shoot a bunch of cannons, and give you a really good time.  Here is a link to get tickets if you are interested!  If you go, let me know how it is and be sure to take lots of cool pictures!

Tuesday Night Bonfire

Tuesday night Betsy's friend Ben Siskar was home from his deployment in Korea for a few days to attend his cousin's wedding, and made time to stop over for the night.  Ben is one of Betsy's oldest and best friends and every time we get the chance to see him, we know it will be a fun evening.  

Also coming over was our friend Ben Cortese, who is currently studying for his PhD in mathematics at Syracuse University, Phil Kasperowitz, and Pam Eichas. Phil, Siskar, and Cortese arrived around 8 and we began setting up the fire, gathering wood, and getting the chairs set up.  Once it was all set up we discovered that our house had no Solo Cups, or pong balls!  What house with a 21 year old and a 23 year old does not have those?  I am willing to bet that we are in the minority.

So we undertook a trip to Tops Friendly Markets to get some much needed drinking equipment. Getting home we set up the pong table and began to play.  Now, I'm no pro at pong, but having just graduated last year, I am pretty decent at pong, as is everyone else at the fire.  However there was a slight cross breeze that we had to contend with, making pong much more difficult to say the least.  Not to mention the darkness had us holding our cellphones up to the cups so we could see where to shoot.  We played a bunch, and each game we all looked like amateurs trying to deal with the wind and darkness.

After a while of playing pong, we went to go sit by the fire, playing some guitar, listening to some tunes and having a great time.  The fire was warm, and burned well into the night.  After a while it started to rain and thunder so we headed onto the porch to finish the remaining beers and watch the lightning.  We were all up talking and laughing when we looked at the time and saw it was 3 a.m.  It was definitely past our bedtimes so we all went into bed for the night.

Waking up was a bitch. I had not had a hangover like that probably since college, and I certainly do not miss those.  Thankfully, I know just the hangover cure; head down into town for some North Chili Family Restaurant.   It is a cute little diner in "downtown" North Chili that serves a delish breakfast.  I got two over easy eggs, two pancakes, a huge piece of ham, and some hash browns.  It was as good as it could get.  After breakfast I said good bye to Ben and Ben, and headed to Jitters Cafe to meet Betsy for lunch and a milkshake.  I was stuffed from breakfast and elected to just get a strawberry and cream milkshake, Betsy got a buffalo chicken wrap which looked phenomenal and a mint chocolate milkshake.  Simply delish! It was a great way to welcome summer, and there are few things better than good friend, cheap beer, and a camp fire.

The Haring's Visit Otisco Lake

For Father's Day, Betsy's family invited us up to their lake house on Otisco Lake for a fun day of boating, tubing, water skiing, and grilling.  My mom was up early baking some delish toffee-coconut-oatmeal cookies as we were all getting ready.  There are few things better in life than waking up to a house smelling of freshly baked cookies.

We took two cars up to the lake, my dad and myself took the van and were groovin' to The Band, Trombone Shorty, and Paul Simon, while the girls (Julie, Betsy, and Mom) rocked out to Taylor Swift, and other country singers in the other car.  Dad and I sped up past them a couple of times rockin' and dancing, and just generally being embarrassing, and we certainly got a couple laughs from them!

Once we arrived at the lake house we were greeted by all the Coles and their sweet young puppy Bella.  Mrs. Cole had prepared a wonderful sandwich bar for all of us and Mr. Cole played bartender making sure everyone had the beer of their choice.  Eddie had just returned earlier in the week from China and was full of stories that we loved hearing!  He had gotten Betsy (as well as all the other Cole girls) a beautiful necklace from China, and gave it to her, and she loved it!

After showing my parents around the house we headed out to do some tubing on the boat.  First up was my Dad, Mr. Cole, and me.  Theresa was driving and for a few minutes gave us a really nice ride with some gentle turns, my dad was having a blast with one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen on his face.  However the gentle ride soon ended as Theresa sped up the boat and began a very sharp turn that sent the tube careening in the opposite direction throwing all three of us into the water.

Next up was Betsy, Julie, Theresa, and Mom.  Mr. Cole proudly put on the captains hat I had gotten him in Fort Myers as he took control of the boat.  They all got on the tube and began a nice ride with some good turns and lots of joyous screaming.  My mom was having the time of her life out there and she looked both ecstatic and terrified at the same time.  They were on for around ten minutes, with Theresa giving the directions on how best to distribute the weight as they took each turn.  However the last turn was a doosie, and they crested over the wake of the boat the tube flipped sending them all off into the warm water.

After a great boat ride we went back for some snacks and visiting.  Mary's boyfriends parents Barb and Bob stopped by and we were all hanging out laughing about this and that, having a couple of beers, and having a great time.  Soon Barb reveals that she had brought her legendary chocolate pudding shots, and for those not aware of how delish they are, I will post the recipe for them and you can try them out for yourself.

We soon wanted to get back in the boat and do some water-skiing, something we have just begun doing earlier this year.  Theresa started us off by doing all sorts of cool turns, and one handed tricks.  Julie however was the funnest one to watch as she miraculously was able to save herself from fall after fall.  Her and the wake of the boat staged an epic battle, but attempt after attempt she finally conquered the wake and even tried a few tricks!

Once we were all tired from water-skiing I showed my parents and Julie the length of the lake on the boat as we went down from one end to the other, looking at some of the beautiful house nestled on the shoreline.  Otisco Lake is a beautiful lake with some beautiful houses located on it.  It is slightly more than six miles long, one mile across, and 62 feet deep.  It truly is perfect as it is quiet, slim boat traffic, and is never too choppy to boat on!  The water was close to 80, and we spent a vast majority of the day in the water and on the boat.

Finally we all gathered for dinner, which was grilled to perfection on the Cole's new gas grill by Cody's dad Bob.  We had Chicken and Steak Speedies, a wonderful salad, and macaroni salad.  Dessert consisted of my moms cookies, and Mrs. Cole's brownies, which all were delish!  Following dinner we sat down to a nice camp fire and chatted for nearly an hour.

Around 8:15 we had decided to call it a day and began to head back to Rochester.  Betsy was luck enough to call "Shotty not driving" early in the day, so I drove home while she slept from driveway to driveway.  It was a wonderful day with wonderful family and friends, and I am so grateful to the Cole's for opening their home to my family and being so welcoming and all around wonderful.  We all had a blast!

Oh and last good news for the day, we came home to find out that my cousin Jamie is now engaged!  I am so happy for him!  Growing up I always looked up to him, and I am so happy that he has found the woman of his dreams.  According to my parents who have met her she is wonderful and funny, and I couldn't be happier for him!

Marge's, Trombone Shorty, and a Late Night Stop to Jays Diner

Last night was an adventure to say the least.  In the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle there is a column dedicated to beer, and the latest article recommended a bar in Irondequoit named Marge's.  "One of our most desired establishments to frequent lies on the shore of Lake Ontario in Irondequoit. Marge's Lakeside Inn in Sea Breeze, 4909 Culver Road, Irondequoit, is a bar that just screams summer. Bring your flip-flops and enjoy a beverage right on the beach. It has been designated as a Jimmy Buffett Headquarters for Rochester, so grab a laid-back attitude and enjoy this gem."

After months and months of freezing cold and snow, a Jimmy Buffett style beach joint is just what the doctor ordered.  Marge's is right on Lake Ontario, and has a wonderful beach to drink and party on.  We had some tall Landsharks with lime while listening to the Touch Monkeys cover everything from David Bowie to John Mayer.  Marge's is quite different than most bars in Rochester and brings a welcome breath of summertime to its patrons.  Over heard one guy at the bar, " I have a drinking problem.  I have two hands and only one mouth!"

After a couple beers we left Marge's and headed downtown to the Rochester Jazz Festival to check out Trombone Shorty, and rockin' trombone and trumpet player.  We took a slight detour through the ghetto trying to find the concert, but we eventually found the festival and a great parking spot.  The walk from our parking spot to the concert was around ten minutes, so we all loaded up with some walkin' beers and began our journey.

We reached the stage around 9 p.m. and Trombone Shorty came on shortly after we arrived.  My dad has been very excited for this show for quite a while, and though the rest of us had ever heard of Trombone Shorty, we were eager to hear some rockin' brass.  And he delivered.  Big time.  This guy and his band rocked so hard nobody wanted it to end.  Song after song they belted out funky rock and roll jams that had everybody dancin'.  It was an unbelievable concert and I cannot wait to hopefully see this dude again.

And what night of drinking and fun would be complete without a stop at a diner for some delish chow?  After a failed attempt to convince Dad to drive to Buffalo for Mighty Taco, we settled on Jay's Diner in Henrietta.  The food was great, as is any late night chow after a night of drinking.  I had ordered a garbage plate, complete with 2 burgers, mac salad, home fries, hot sauce, onions, and lots of ketchup.  Hit the spot.  Though currently I am regretting it, wishing I had just went with some eggs and bacon. Either way, it was another great evening with a lot of good memories.  Who knows what tonight will bring, but I'm sure it will be a blast!

Sticky Lips and Party in the Park

A couple of days ago I called the Brother Wease show on 95.1 the Fox and won a $25 gift certificate to Sticky Lips on Culver Road and figured Betsy and I could go there for some delish chow before heading to the Party in the Park located on the corner of Court and Exchange Street in the City of Rochester.  Los Lonely Boys were playing, and they are a rockin' band in concert with some awesome guitar solo's and groovin' songs.

Sticky Lips is a tasty BBQ and Blues joint that has a great menu of anything Cajun or BBQ.  We had a couple good laughs as we were catching up over some ribs, BBQ chicken, and beef briscut.  Not to mention my personal favorite, collard greens. Absolutely delish! 

Following dinner we headed down to the Party in the Park, and after securing a great spot to see the show we started people watching which was an absolute blast.  While people watching we discovered we were standing next to a dude who looked just like Kevin Durand (Little John from Robin Hood, the new Russell Crowe one) with none other than a Sticky Lips tattoo.  Now I'm all for cool tattoos, but no matter how delish a joint is, I'm not getting its logo tattooed on my leg.  Thankfully I was able to snap a quick picture of it without him noticing.

After waiting a bit, with some more people waching, Los Lonely Boys came on the stage and proceeded to rock the socks off everybody in the place.  They played a couple songs off their new album "Rockpango," notably 16 Monkeys and American Idle, both of which had some serious jams and a had everybody groovin'.  The highlight of the night was near the end of the how when the lead singer gets on the mic and yells "Thank you Rochester, Massachusetts!"  and as the concert ends he screams "We love you Massachusetts!"  Needless to say, we got quite the laugh from his mistake. 

All in all it was a great night, we had a lot of fun on a beautiful summer night.  Thankfully the forecasted rain and thundershowers held off and and we were lucky enough for a great Rochester summer night!  Hoping it stays nice tonight as we are heading to the Rochester Jazz Fest to go see the funky Trombone Shorty!  Looking forward to it!