With apologies to all my friends and family that are no doubt feeling neglected and ignored lately. I’ve been increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress I continue to make on everything. Having the older girls gone at school during the day has switched the motivation button in me to the “on” position, and though I am still frustrated in my attempts by a very mobile Oona, I am determined to get some stuff done by the end of the year, dammit. And to give you an idea what I am up against, I have started a small list of my projects.

First is this small corner of my knitting backup:

Each of these lovely yarn bundles represents days, if not weeks, of knitting to do. And remember, this is but a small slice of what’s in my yarn cabinet.

Then there’s quilt #1 for the play room.

You see that? I am hand quilting it. That small area inside the hoop took all week. And I have at least 3 more quilts to do after this one (I stopped using the machine because I like the control I get with doing it by hand better).

I still have to refinish Emily’s dresser and paint her room, I am way behind with the paintings I have outlined, and don’t even ask where I am with scrapbooking and picture archiving. Oona’s baby book? Yeah right. Yard work? So not been seen to in weeks. It’s all avalanching on me. Weekends are the worst because the older girls are home and I am still on baby duty without a break.

So all of you not hearing from me? Don’t take it personal. I’m just trying to gain back some modest amount of control over my life.

The good news around these parts is that my hotel was indeed purchased and my grandmother has even met with the new owners. Apparently it is a lawyer from Long Island and his family who bought it sight unseen hoping to use it as a vacation home. (!!!!!) But, now that they have seen it and realize it’s a commercial property they have begun to get work done on it and have plans to get it open for the spring season. It’s so exciting! I couldn’t be happier that the Genesee Falls Inn is getting a second chance at life, though I must admit it is still weird to see it owned by someone else – it’ll be hard to see it looking different than what I grew up with. And speaking of, I scanned some pictures to share. Some of them are old and were taken with a crappy camera, so bear with me!

The Genesee Falls Inn – Portageville, NY

Front view, in winter. The hotel was closed in the winter, but the bar was open all year.

Portageville from above. Yup. That’s pretty much the whole town. Notice the Genesee River behind the hotel? We spent a lot of time out there, catching crayfish and walking down to the falls in the park.

My grandparents, out front, circa 1980 something.

My brother and I playing on the stairs

Room 4, which was usually where I stayed, since it had no bathroom of its own and wasn’t as desirable for renting to guests (the place was built in 1870, so…….)

Room 3 was my favorite room. I thought it was very pretty and feminine. It was also one of the few rooms that didn’t require a walk down the creepy hallway where most of the other rooms were. My grandfather always said it was nonsense, but I swear that place is haunted.

Room 5, another great room with a beautiful brass bed. My grandparents did a great job keeping up with the Victorian look and feel of the hotel.

Wish I had a better picture of the formal dining room- it has red and gold velvet wallpaper and the same mosaic tile floor that is in the lobby. This was taken after it had been “abandoned” by the man who bought it from my grandparents. My aunt had her wedding reception here.

Me washing dishes, about age 14.

This was from the last Thanksgiving that was held at the hotel. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been there for it – I think it also may have been the ONLY Thanksgiving I was there. Both my aunt Patty and my grandfather have since passed away.

Looking toward the front door, the last time I was there. It had been emptied of all its belongings (I always thought the antique furniture and other trappings belonged to the hotel, and should never have been taken out). It was a depressing site, to be sure. Hopefully the new owners will breathe new life into it.

View from Inspiration Point, Letchworth State Park, “right around the corner” from the hotel. We spent a whole lot of time in the park. You can barely make out the train bridge in the background. It’s about 200 or so feet up off the river over the gorge. We took walks over it quite often. My grandparents most evenings would cross the river behind the hotel, take the path through the woods that led to this bridge, cross the trestle and walk back to the hotel through the park. Then they’d return for the dinner rush.

Hope you enjoyed these. I have been thinking about my grandfather a lot lately and how much I miss him. I also need to call my grandmother more often. And I have also just decided I am making buffalo wings for dinner, because seeing the pictured brings back all the memories and smells of the place, like the aroma of wings cooking in the kitchen. And peeps, let me tell you. My grandmother had the authentic Buffalo Wing recipe. (Well, the hotel is not far from Buffalo, so of course!) Yummy!