Arts and Entertainment

There are about 200 cobblestones houses near the shores of Lake Ontario. In fact, historians estimate between 75 and 90 percent of all the American cobblestone buildings are located within 100 miles of the Cobblestone Museum in Albion. The lake provided the stones. They were there for the taking. Masons who no longer had work once the Erie Canal was finished provided the expertise.

The James A. Garfield National Historic Site is located in Mentor, Ohio, just a short detour off Interstate 90 east of Cleveland. Recently John and I visited and learned many interesting facts about a president who only served 200 days. The last 80 days of Garfield’s presidency was spent trying to recover from an assassination attempt. On the morning of July 2, 1881, as Garfield walked through the railroad station with his two sons on the way to New Jersey for a short vacation, a disgruntled job seeker, Charles Guiteau, shot him.

I think everyone has at least one thing that is a must-do during the summer. For me it is spending time on the Erie Canal away from the hustle and bustle of the everyday world. This year I took the MidLakes Navigation’s Emita II from Dutchman’s Landing to Cross Lake. The name Dutchman’s Landing intrigues me. Captain Dan Wiles explained that before MidLakes Navigation bought the land there was a bar there of the same name.

Before the Europeans arrived in what is now called New York State, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy ruled the area. They formed a confederacy comprised of the Mohawks, Onondagas, Oneidas, Cayugas, Senecas and Tuscaroras. By the way, Haudenosaunee is the correct way to refer to the Iroquois. The word Iroquois is an English corruption of a French corruption of an Algonquian word that was used as an insult.

In 2008, John and I were on a tour in the Philippines. One of our stops was on the island of Cebu where we stayed overnight at Plantation Bay Resort & Spa. I was impressed with their pools – eight of them, four of which are saltwater lagoons and four are freshwater pools – covering a total of six acres. I never forgot the pools, so in March 2015 when we returned to the Philippines we booked a stay at Plantation Bay Resort. Riding the vintage horse and carriage around the property I spotted the chef cooking a whole pig near one of the pools.

The Hill Cumorah Pageant is an amazing spectacular performed every summer on the hillside near Palmyra. It is an incredible light and sound show with special effects and hundreds of performers from all over the world. The pageant is based on the Bible and Book of Mormon. There is seating for 8,000 but some bring blankets and/or folding chairs. One does not have to be a Mormon to enjoy the show even if some of the scenes may seem a bit mystifying.

Even the most dedicated and compulsive travels often miss places close to home. John and I have driven through Fulton for years and many times I often comment “I would like to see the Pratt House.” Finally, after all these years, I visited the John Wells Pratt House and I wasn’t disappointed. There are many interesting features and things to see. It is open Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. John Wells Pratt’s family was one of the earliest settlers in Fulton.