Out and About with Tom and Huck - Rambling Around with the Irwins         by Alice Irwin

July 4th Journey Part 4 - Flying Machines, Fireworks, and Friends        Return to Tom & Huck Page

August 23rd, 2001 Edition of the Sun and Record

PA Gazetter Pages 35, 36;  NY Gazetter Pages 44,45

 It was time to think about returning home; we had such a good time last year with our neighborhood friends on the 4th that we wanted to be home for the “event”.  We bade farewell to Wellsboro and set out for Mansfield via Route 6.  Plans were to stop there and get some supplies for our July 4th celebration then get to Hammondsport expeditiously, via the “Zoom Roads”, Route 15 and 17. Yes, we usually don’t use the high-speed highways, but our day’s agenda justified it. 

 We found a fireworks company just outside of Mansfield, that was actually owned by a former Sodus resident!  It was just like a huge supermarket except the building was surrounded by 8’ barbed wire fencing and the biggest NO SMOKING signs I’ve ever seen.   People were pushing carts up and down the aisles, filled with an amazing array of devices for holiday sparkle and noise.  Many were professional-type displays; far too scary for “she who is afraid of everything”!  We selected a few that looked benign...showers of colored sparks and giant 3’ sparklers that would be fun for the kids.

 Route 54 took us north to Hammondsport to a destination that’s been in our plans for a long time: The Glenn Curtiss Museum.  To call Curtiss an extraordinary man is, at best, trite.  He was AMAZING!!  His motivation, innovative spirit and talent had a profound impact on history.    Born in the late 1800’s, his fascination with speed influenced his entire life.  He was deemed “The Fastest Man on Earth” in 1907 with his V-8 powered motorcycle, clocked at a speed of 136.36 mph! The museum exhibits the wonders that were Glenn Curtis.   There’s a display of his motorized bicycles and their evolution into motorcycles. 

 You’ll find his restored “flying machines” and scale replicas of his aeronautical achievements (my favorite being the P40 Warhawk, of Flying Tigers fame).  Curtiss was named “The Father of Naval Avaiation”; his Curtiss Hydroaeroplane, the A-1, was the first plane purchased by the US Navy in 1911.   He also invented the world’s first successful “Flying Boat”, which we’d call a sea-plane, and collaborated with the US Navy to build his NC Flying Boats.  The NC-4 was the first aircraft to make a successful trans-Atlantic crossing in 1919.     His JN4-D “Jenny” was used as a World War I trainer and airmail plane.  

 One of the exhibits that I really found fascinating was a display about women in avaiation. Most people envision women of the early 1900’s in long dresses and high top buttoned shoes.  Wrong.    There were countless women that dared to challenge the world and were important figures in aviation.   Curtiss trained the first American female pilot, Blanche Stuart, in 1910.

If you haven’t been to the Glenn Curtiss Museum, pack up your family and hit the road.  There are many exhibits specifically geared toward kids, with lots of interactive displays including computer flight simulation.  Most importantly, you’ll get a chance to share a part of history with your children that they won’t learn anywhere else.

 Lunchtime was at hand, and we went straight for an old favorite, The Village Tavern in Hammondsport.  It’s right across from the public square park, and they had a patio table available.  As we savored a deliciously-dry Finger Lakes Chardonnay and enjoyed the view of the town square, a tour bus came roaring and belching into “our space”.   It had the audacity to park right in front of the restaurant with quite a number of us dining on the patio.  Not that tour buses don’t have their places on this earth, but I took extreme umbrage to this smelly whale of a vehicle preparing to camp out next to my table.   After disgorging it’s innards the operator climbed out; we greeted him with “Hi!  Do you think you could possibly park the bus somewhere else while we’re trying to enjoy lunch?”  He jokingly replied “Sure, for 5 bucks!”  What a pleasant fellow!  He had to let his passengers off in a convenient location and at our request he very promptly took the bus and parked it in a more appropriate place in town. 

 Lunch was just as good as we had remembered; we sampled their Seafood Chowder and Baked Potato Soup.  Too good, too rich...dontcha just love vacations??!!   Ethan couldn’t wait to try the Wild Mushroom Stuffed Ravioli with a white wine cream sauce. I, of course, had to graze on some greens and their Chinese Chicken Salad was perfect, with crunchy bok choi and a sesame seed dressing.

 Route 54 took us north along the shore of Keuka Lake into a favorite town, Penn Yan.  To our horror, the Spring Wheat Natural Food Store was GONE.  Gone.  Our wonderful source of salt-free seasonings and herb blends, and Maytag Bleu and Stilton Cheese and THE sharpest cheddar and dried beans and lentils and soft winter wheat and..and..and... is gone. The proprietor decided that she wanted some time off from the business world and has embarked upon building her own boat.  We wish you calm seas and a warm breeze...we’ll miss you!!

 It’s always a treat to return home; we are blessed with some of the best folks in the world on Sodus Shores.   First order of business was to get the July 4th evening celebration planned.   Down-the-street friends Ed and Anne usually host a bonfire and  “sparkle and boom” celebration.   We were exuberantly greeted by their kids, Brenton, Brooke, and Alex and our neighbors Joe and Dianna’s grandkids Jeff and Gabby.  A stiff breeze out of the north threatened to squelch our plans, but just after dark the winds calmed and we had a ball with the kids and our neighborhood mini-fireworks show.    “There’s no place like home!”

 Hope you enjoyed our July 4^th Journey….next time:  Skaneateles!

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