Scattered Thoughts . . .

I already shared a video with many clips of this entertaining show in a previous blog entry but now I have some still photos to share.  Kelly Prescott and Doc Walker performed a short concert for us after the train pulled into the station. Once the train came to a stop, one of the boxcars opened into a stage. This Canadian Pacific Holiday Train travels from the east coast to the west coast doing shows at stops along the way. They raise money and collect non-perishable foods for the food shelf program which I feel is a very worthy cause. I'm really happy with the quality of these photos because the conditions were tough for shooting... it was very dark... it was cold... it was crowded and people were constantly bumping into each other... and, this is the first time I've tried shooting "concert photography" but I managed to pull it all together and get some great images!  And, I managed to get some great video too... you can view the video on  this blog entry.

Every Christmas season, the 'Saratoga and North Creek Railway' runs their "Polar Express" train excursion. Since we were in Saratoga Springs for the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train fundraiser and Christmas show, we got to see this great holiday "Polar Express" train up close as we watched it come and go. After seeing this train and experiencing Saratoga Springs, we decided that if we were going to take the grandkids on any Christmas train excursion, it would be this "Polar Express"! We're also thinking of also doing one of their other scenic tour excursions in warmer weather too but this blog entry is about "The Polar Express". The biggest difficulty in arranging for a trip on The Polar Express would be getting tickets before it is sold out. The class of tickets we want are already sold out for the season. So, this season is out of the question. We'll have to aim for next Christmas season. Next year we'll need to st

The Saratoga Spring train station.     As I've written in previous blog entries, we went to Saratoga Springs for Thanksgiving weekend to experience the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train fundraising show. The Holiday Train wasn't pulling into the Saratoga Springs train station until 7:20pm though... so we had a little extra time to check out the station in the daylight to do a quick 'site survey'.  I have to say that we both were impressed and even a bit envious of this train station. We found ourselves wishing we had train facilities like this in our own neighborhood! Although this station is relatively new, it retains some classic train station styling. Even though we were initially disappointed that this station is not located in the heart of downtown, it is very close and has quite an impressive roadway entry which we found rather nice.  There is quite a bit happening at this station... Amtrak comes and goes a few times throughout the day... the Saratoga an

Batcheller Mansion, built in 1873, Saratoga Springs As Sheila and I were walking around downtown Saratoga, for some reason, I had decided to take a short circuitous route around a back way to access Congress Park. I don't know why I chose this route. This is something I experience often... just a "gut feeling" I suppose... like someone nudging me to go a very specific direction.  So, we ventured around the back way off of Broadway. Within about half a block, a large Victorian home with a towering minaret began to come into view... I slowed my walk and quickly pulled my camera out from the protection of under my jacket... I keep my camera on an over-the-shoulder harness for quick access which also allows me to hide the dangling camera under my coat...  We continued walking closer to this strikingly beautiful structure as I fumbled with settings on my camera. As I was staring up at this towering home, I muttered, "For some reason, I know this building... i

The Inn at Saratoga After having friends at our home for Thanksgiving Day, we awoke the following morning, packed some clothes and some photography gear and headed for the Adirondack Mountains for the rest of the long weekend. We had booked a room at an old inn in Saratoga Springs. It turned out to be a very nice weekend in a very beautiful place! It was sort of like stepping back in time into a land of colorful spirits and Victorian architecture with character.  The inn was very nice and we would definitely stay here again. There is so much to do in the area that we could easily spend a number of weekends here throughout the year.  The bridge joining Vermont to the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Our original intention for heading to the Adirondacks was to see the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train as it passed through the Adirondack Mountains. This original plan had us driving all the way over there... seeing the train... then immediately heading back home. This ridicul