ticonderoga, new york

Lonergan's Antiques & Militaria, Ticonderoga, New York

Sarah, Barry, and Geneva headed home this morning. They will stay in Virginia tonight and be home tomorrow. For their final ride with us, they pedaled eighty miles on the Erie Canalway Trail yesterday. Sure am glad they came and rode with us for the week.

We did not ride today but we are in Ticonderoga, New York. We are four miles from Vermont but will have to pedal twenty-four miles to get across Lake Champlain. The ferry is not operating because it is without a captain at this time, so . . . Monday morning we will pedal south to go around the lake and head east. I'm not complaining since we are now approximately 235 miles away from the ocean.

In Ticonderoga, Margaret and I went looking for a New York license plate. They seem to be hard to find but I found out why. When a car is sold here in New York, the seller has to return the license plate to the state. I understand there may be a fine for doing otherwise. At a local antique shop I was told of a man who would most-likely have bunches of license plates. We departed the antique shop to check things out at Lonergan's Red Barn Antiques, An Adirondack Destination For Over 60 Years.

I met the owner, Craig Lonergan, in a red barn with aisles that were single-lane and, in some places, wide enough for anyone who would turn sideways and take a deep breath. When I asked Craig about license plates and told him what we were doing, we went to another cluttered space and he started digging through a small pile of New York license plates, found one, and handed it to me with a smile. When I asked him how much it was, he smiled and said, "For any man doing what you're doing, it's free." Thanks, Craig. A.K.A. Santa. (Craig also has been Santa in Ticonderoga for years.)

We met Phil and Gale at Burleigh's Luncheonette, a setback to my high school years, and ate an early supper. The food was super, the signs were great, and the service was fun. One of the signs stated, "This is not Burger King. You take it our way or you don't get it at all." (Boy, that's a fun reminder of the sign we always displayed in the dining halls at our church camps.)

Margaret and I came back to the Circle Court Motel and worked on the reorganization of our belongings and how they were packed in our Explorer. I think we've got more stuff than we started with, especially license plates. We now have twenty-four. My Wisconsin license plate is very beat up but unless I find another it will be displayed on my garage wall with dignity and pride. 

This was a great day off. 

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Any Takers? I can pick it up and bring it home with us.

These things are amazing! You put them into the door knob, turn, and the door opens. You can even carry them next to your phone and they still work! Incredible! Fun!