Fun with Another Mystery Bird

 This weekend, the major festival in our area, the Spiediefest, is taking place in a Binghamton park.  Thus begins an August full of music and other festivals.

The Spiediefest is a festival celebrating our regional food (spiedies), hot air balloons, and music.  But this year I just wanted to avoid crowds and the hot (for us), sticky weather. 

What's a spiedie, you ask?  Find out here.

We aren't going this year but here are some memories of past years.

Their beautiful balloons

 But our community garden is in that same park, and we are only limited to certain hours during the festival.  But we got this picture of a bee on one of our zinnias before the park closed for the festival.

As for us, we took a walk on the Vestal Rail Trail.

Not too far into the walk, I saw a female American goldfinch picking apart a thistle flower that had gone to seed.  I couldn't get close, and my iPhone 13 Mini doesn't have a great zoom.   It is an olive green small bird a little to the right of the pink flower towards the left center.  I loved seeing it shred the spent flower, releasing little white parachutes and, I'm guessing, eating the attached seeds.

A little further along two giant black birds exploded from a tree and flew away,  crying.  These were about American crow sized but their cries were not "caw" cries but guttural, deep in the throat cries.  We believe they were common ravens but Merlin (a bird app) says they are not common where we live in the Southern Tier of New York.  We'd better study up on differences between American crows and common ravens.  (No pictures).

Finally, for any of my readers who are experienced birders, we have a mystery bird who has shown up twice in our yard this week, on July 31 and again August 2.

This small orange dish is meant to put a half orange in but it had sunflower seeds in it July 30

The first time we saw it it was hanging upside down from the left curled metal stretching and pecking at the pictured seedcake while a male Northern cardinal fed from a dish nearby. When the cardinal left the mystery bird went to the dish. My spouse took two pictures through a window, which are not good and won't help anyone except you can see the striped head (sort of) in the first picture above.

Mystery bird again perched on that small orange dish

I wish we had our Wild Birds Unlimited store to run to and ask.

What was distinctive to us were the stripes on the head, which reminded me of the head of certain sparrows but this bird seemed larger than a sparrow and, with my limited knowledge of birds, sparrows wouldn't feed that way, anyway. (Kindly correct me if I'm wrong but we do see white throated sparrows and song sparrows at certain times of year and they always seem to feed from the ground.)

We've tried to identify from Merlin and a Sibley guide but are having little luck.  Any educated guesses out there?

Thank you in advance.

SpiedieFest Memories of 2018

It's Spiedie Fest time, celebrating hot air balloons, music, and our regional specialty, spiedies.  

What's a spiedie, you ask?  It's marinated meat (there are also vegetarian options), cooked on the grill, and there are endless variations.

For a while, our festival, which is held the first weekend in August in Otsiningo Park in Binghamton, New York, had gotten away from the original intent of the festival, which was to celebrate spiedies with a cooking contest.  The festival last year, due to the pandemic, was moved to October and downsized.  This year, it's back in full, with a bit more emphasis on the spiedie aspect.

We made the reluctant decision (because I was offered free tickets) not to attend this year.  The heat was the major factor.  The balloon launches, which normally add to the fun but, this year, are my major part of the enjoyment (as I wasn't keen on any of the musical acts).  The organizers allow you to get close up with the launches, launchers and launchees. 

So, instead, I am celebrating with some photos from 2018.

Let's not forget what started this off - the marinating sauce.  This company is local.

There's other food, too.

Sadly, this wine, infused with hemp and manufactured locally, was a victim of (as I've read) the federal regulations (although it is not infused with cannabis) that have never been updated despite a number of states (including New York, the festival location) having legalized recreational use of cannabis.  The company closed in February, 2020.

Oh yes, the balloon launches.  These balloonists, I believe, are still local.

Like I said, you can get quite close.

Inflation, the good kind.

Did I mention you can get close?

Up, up and away, 2018 style.

I've never been in a hot air balloon. Riding in one is not cheap, although that wouldn't keep me away if I was truly motivated.

Some of the launches are cancelled due to weather (too much wind, threat of thunderstorms).  Safety first, always! This year, I believe all the launches went up as scheduled, which is rare, but our drought may have had something to do with that. Of course, there are interesting moments. I understand that one of the balloons this year landed on top of a movie theater close to Otsiningo Park.

Next year?  Let's make it a definite maybe.  And hope the weather is a touch cooler.

The Missing Festival

I took a walk in the park today with my husband.  Ordinary, right?

This is what I should have seen.  Crowds. 

Hot air balloons.

Food trucks.

Celebrations of spiedies, the food of our area of upstate New York.

This is what I saw instead.

This is on a path that would have been blocked off this weekend, normally.

Walkers, joggers, bicyclists were enjoying the park.   People sat at picnic tables (our state allows gatherings of up to 50 people with proper precautions.)

How many of us miss the annual Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally?  Many of us, perhaps. But people all over the world have already lost and missed so much, it's a small thing.

It was a sunny, warm day.  It would have been so nice.

The organizers still hope to hold the festival in October.  Normally, attendance for the three days would be around 60,000 to 100,000.  This year, they will need to hold it to 5,000.(I'm not sure if that's a day or for the total).  It definitely won't be the same.

It's strange, perhaps, but I don't care.

I'm content just to be here.

Balloon Watch #SkywatchFriday

Pictures taken Sunday morning at the Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally at Otsiningo Park, Binghamton, New York.

Wouldn't you like to ride in one of these balloons? So far I haven't summoned the courage.  But I love watching the launches.

Watch them get ready and launch.

Watch them float upward.

Watch them disappear into clouds.

Watch them line up in the sky.

Watch them in shadow.

And if you are wondering what a spiedie is, it has nothing to do with balloons.  Rather it is marinated meat grilled and served on bread. 

They are the specialty food of our area - you will find them in few other places (except, perhaps, parts of North Carolina, where many Binghamton area people have settled.)

Here are some recipes.  

After you make some, why not join Yogi and the other bloggers who watch the sky at #SkywatchFriday?

Guarding the Balloons #ThursdayTreeLove

So calm.  So peaceful.

This past Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a popular annual festival called the Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally was held in Otsiningo Park in Binghamton, New York.

Upwards of 60,000 people attended the festival this year - some years it's been 100,000 and if the weather on Saturday cooperated, we may have come close to that number.  But you would never know the size of crowds from this peaceful picture of hot air balloons soaring over a cluster of trees in this beautiful park.

I imagine the trees guard the hot air balloons, even as they provide welcome shade for many.

Join Parul at Happiness and Food and other bloggers each second and fourth Thursday for #ThursdayTreeLove.

(More Spiedie Fest pictures tomorrow).

Up Up and Away But We Can't Escape

Still another active shooter situation, this time in El Paso, Texas.  The heartbreak of our country continued.

One wishes you could just go up, up in a way in a beautiful balloon, and escape this national nightmare.  Of course, it's not possible.

In Binghamton, New York, it is time for the 35th Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally.

For today, I am bringing back my guest photographer to show you a series of balloon pictures taken a few miles from Binghamton the other day, before the rally began, near a village called Port Crane.

She has a much better camera than I do (mine is an iPhone and it has its limitations) and was even able to get this close up.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get some balloon launch pictures later today or tomorrow.

But for now, still another community goes into mourning.

And, in one more slightly unbelievable twist, when I went on NBC news online to get the latest report on El Paso, I was presented with a video that started with a commercial for Cologuard (a home noninvasive test for colon cancer.) 

I'll agree with one thing.  Gun violence is a cancer that we can't seem to find the treatment for.

Balloon Festival #SkywatchFriday

After a month of high humidity and above normal rain, interspersed with some sunny days a cold front has come through to give us some relief.  But there is rain in the forecast again for next week.

Still, life goes on.

Last weekend, our area celebrated the 34th Spiedie Fest, a balloon and food rally whose proceeds benefit charity. The festival  celebrates a local food called the spiedie.

There's music,too.

And, of course, where there are hot air balloons, there's also the sky.  The day before, it had rained so much that the first day of the festival was actually cancelled, the first time that's every happened.

But Saturday, the skies cleared out for a day.  And, last Saturday night, the balloons finally launched.

Up, up and away.

This balloon is in shadow, but, after all, I was watching the sky.

Here's that balloon in the sky.

What's wonderful about this rally is that it is small, and you can get so close to the balloons as they are being inflated and prepared for flight that you can almost touch them.

And then, after the balloons are up, there's still more to see.

And more, as we approach sunset.

Then, a final cloud farewell.

Have you ever been in a hot air balloon?


Join Yogi and the other bloggers who watch the sky each Friday at #SkywatchFriday.

So What is a Spiedie, Anyway? #FlavoursomeTuesday

Every part of the world has its own food specialty.  In the Binghamton, New York area, it is something called a "spiedie", a food perfect for #FlavoursomeTuesday.

A spiedie is a marinated meat - the traditional lamb, or other choices such as chicken, pork, venison - called "spiedino" in Italy - marinated in oil, herbs and vinegar - grilled and then served on Italian bread. 

This is the food that launched a three day festival in Binghamton, New York this past weekend.   And I'm a little amazed to realize that until this year I had never seen any of the cooking contest.

But first, a confession - As delicious as they are, I rarely eat them. I have a problem with swallowing (I've had to have my esophagus stretched once already) where I can't eat certain dry foods. Served in bread, I find them hard to swallow.  So if I eat them, I skip the bread.

But many people love them.  Here's a brief history.

Back in 1983, a cooking contest for spiedies was first held - it quickly evolved into the three day festival we celebrate the first weekend of every August, complete with music, balloon launches, and more.

In 2013, the Spiediefest Facebook page published the winning recipes from that year's competition. A few of them are below:  Enjoy!

Ray Parkes, pork division winner (he also won this year, and here he is being interviewed).

3 pounds pork sirloin, cubed
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup olive oil
¾ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Add ingredients to cubed meat and mix thoroughly. Marinate for at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
Cook over white coals til done. Serve on Italian bread. Take cook out for a drink.

I am not sure who she is but I loved her competition booth!

Don Wright, poultry division winner
6 pounds chicken
Fresh lemons
Red wine vinegar
1 cup corn oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
Parsley
Basil
Oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Combine ingredients and marinate for 2-3 days, mixing occasionally


Teresa Lockwood and Kathy Lockwood, lamb division winner
5-7 pounds lamb
6-7 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons oregano, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Equal amounts olive oil and red wine
Mix all spices into meat until evenly distributed. Add wine and oil mix. Marinate 48-72 hours, adding oil and wine as needed to keep meat moist.
Cook, being careful not to overcook - meat should be pink in the middle.

WBNG (a local TV Station), celebrity division winner (the women in the middle)
 All Purpose Spiedie Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
¼ cup vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon oregano, hand-crushed
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon horseradish
¼ to ½ cup lime juice or lemon juice (optional; add during the final hour of marinating)
Place everything except juice in a blender or jar with tight-fitting lid and mix until completely blended. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag, add meat and place bag in the refrigerator. Turn bag several times while marinating. Times: 2-4 hours for beef, 1-2 hours for chicken or pork, ½ hour for shrimp. For use as a basting sauce, mop onto meat or kebobs during grilling or roasting.

Joining up with #FlavoursomeTuesdays (hosted by Bellybytes and Metanoia) 

Up, Up, Up and Away with #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and I welcome you to #MusicMovesMe.  Today is a "freebie" so we post whatever we wish.

Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? Every other week we have a theme, and on alternate weeks, we can blog about any music we wish.  We are headed by our head Engineer XmasDolly.  Her co-conductors are:  ♥Callie of JAmerican Spice♥, (who right now is only able to post occasionally - please keep her in your thoughts) and ♥Stacy of Stacy Uncorked♥   Also, co-conducting  is  ♥Cathy from Curious as a Cathy♥   And, (last but not least), there's little ol' me.

This weekend, the Binghamton, New York area held its annual Spiediefest and Balloon Rally.  As part of this, once the sun came out, we had music, both rock (from the 1970's) and country.

Friday, the Spiediefest was cancelled due to weather, but the scheduled group (KC and the Sunshine Band) were moved indoors, and (I understand) really rocked the house.  Unfortunately, we were not able to attend.  Sunday, the group was Cheap Trick.  We were intending to go, but again, fate intervened, and we ended up leaving before concert time.

So - ta da, guess what groups I'll be featuring today?

KC and the Sunshine Band - it was hard for me to find a video of the song I wanted that had good sound quality.  I hope this live "Shake Your Booty" from 1976 does the trick.  The band is still fronted by Harry "KC" Casey, who has aged just a bit, if you look at the more recent videos.

And there is "Keep It Coming, Love".

Switching to Cheap Trick - from 1979, my favorite of theirs - Dream Police.

 A live performance of  I Want You to Want Me, date not given.

For more on spiedies, please visit my blog tomorrow.  Suffice it to say they are the proud regional food of our area of New York State.

And for balloons - you are in luck.  Yes, there are songs about hot air balloons and songs that mention them in the lyrics.

Of course, there is "Up, Up and Away" by the 5th Dimension, from 1967.  Our Spiediefest balloons don't get this high in the air, though.

One I had forgotten about, but remembered, was North Sea Oil, by Jethro Tull, dating from 1979. This briefly mentions hot air balloons.  We had the album (when albums were vinyl) and spouse played it a lot.

Finally, my own video from Saturday, which is a bit blurry and I apologize.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to bring you any of the live music - maybe next year things will work out better.  I shouldn't complain about the heat compared to some other parts of the nation, but I take a medicine that can cause some sun sensitivity (and can also mess with my potassium levels) and I do have to be a bit cautious.

Thank you for boogieing with me - and please visit some of the other Music Moves Me participants to see what floats their boat - or launches their balloon.

The Spiediefest - Their Beautiful Balloons

Have you ever been up close to a hot air balloon launch?

I've never ridden in one but, the first weekend in August, Binghamton, New York hosts a Spiediefest, including live music, rides, and (weather depending) hot air balloon launches.

Because this balloon rally is relatively small (this year about 25 balloons participated) you can literally get close up, almost close enough to touch.

A basket, on its side.

A peek, inside the basket.  And no, they aren't that big.  The passengers are really crammed in.

Upright.

Balloon stretched out.

Inflation begins.

Here is a video of the last part of the inflation.

Ready for launch.

Here are some of the other balloons.  In this one, you can see the glow of the fire as the balloon gets ready to launch.

And one final picture.

I'll share more with you another time.

Would you like to ride in one of these beautiful balloons?  At this festival, it will set you back $200 per person.  Maybe one day.....

The Spiediefest - A Teaser

Today I'm posting a little teaser.  An appetizer, if you will.

If you read my Friday post, you know that Binghamton, New York is having a festival called the "Spiediefest" this weekend.

Today, I spent some of the day there.

I parked in a neighborhood I lived in over 30 years ago and walked in with my spouse, crossing the Chenango River.

When you enter the park and go through the security check, at first, you think "where is everyone?  It's so peaceful."

In fact, we've been having rain.  So much that the first day of the festival was cancelled (yesterday).  That's a first for the festival, as far as I know.

But don't be fooled by the peace.  Soon enough you are in the middle of things.

And you see a truck.  And more trucks, with different logos, but like this truck.

You are in for a treat.  Here's your teaser. Come back to my blog tomorrow (hopefully), Tuesday, and Friday, and find out just what these people are up to.