From debris to delicacies: Saturday in Grand Island

My Saturday was a combination of the ugly and the beautiful, things rejected and things cherished, brokenness and wholeness. It was a contrast between things that had been used up and discarded and things that brought joy to humans.

At about nine o’clock on Saturday morning, I joined a group to clean up along Spicer Creek, near Burger King, in Grand Island, New York. The area was a terrible mess, with discarded truck tires, enormous pieces of cardboard, rejected roofing times, and much more. No one discarded piles of money, however.

Apparently, this large tire has lost its value so it sits, abandoned amidst the weeds.

Spicer Creek.

This is in the Burger King parking lot. Notice all of the purple loosestrife, which, here, is an invasive species. It is a native of Europe and Asia, and it was originally introduced to North America as a decorative and as a medicinal plant. Unfortunately, it took over. It is found in ditches and wetlands in great abundance. It crowds out the native vegetation. It looks pretty but it needs to be removed to protect the native vegetation. In this spot, it was virtually impossible to pull out the roots, so it will most likely come back fairly soon.

Large truck tire on the move, with some assistance.

This truck tire, along with the other discarded tires, is placed on a pickup truck for removal and disposal.

Paul shows off a huge piece of cardboard that was found amidst the brush and weeds.

Terry uses a rake to gather the refuse.

Paul looks through the vegetation for errant litter.

Underneath the bridge. The litter pickup took approximately an hour. Afterward, we were invited into Burger King for a free meal.

Later in the afternoon, I went with my friend Amy to the Taste of Grand Island. It was held in the Town Commons, next to Town Hall. A portion of Whitehaven Road was closed. The portion of the road that was closed was in the process of being rehabilitated so the surface was very rough. A few weeks ago, when I had a driving lesson on Grand Island, I had the chance to practice driving on bumpy roads in the process of being repaired. It was definitely an adventurous experience. But… driving lessons are finished. I have officially graduated from driving school!!

Here I am at the Taste of Grand Island, ready to celebrate food and the start of autumn. The debris part of the day was finished, and it was time to enjoy the delicacies. Restaurants in Grand Island set up booths, where they sold tastes of their luscious food.

There are ponies for the kids to ride. This is a fun activity for them. Last year, there was a bounce house, but a kid got injured so no bounce house this year.

The Grand Island Historical Society had an exhibit, with documents, maps, and photographs from Grand Island’s past. From left, Jeri Benzing, Sharon Nichols, and Maggie Gushue.

The mural at Grand Island plaza is based on smaller paintings, such as this one. This smaller painting was donated to the Grand Island Historical Society. The series of paintings at the plaza tell the story of the island’s history.

I’m not sure who this is. To me, it looks like a one-eyed bowling pin with feet, that, magically, has not fallen into a gutter (my bowling balls all having homing devices that lead them to the gutter).

The Mary Kay ladies, who gave Amy and me lipstick samples so we could compete in the selfies contest.

Don’t you just love my new car???

Butterfly jewelry.

Relay for Life stuff. Crush cancer!!!

This very lovely Papillon comes from Furever Friends, an organization that rescues puppy mill dogs. The owners of puppy mills are more interested in making money by selling purebred puppies than they are in taking good care of their dogs. The dogs live in horrific conditions and are mated until they are worn out. If they are lucky, they will go to a “retirement home.” If they are not lucky, they are killed. Dogs deserve much better than this abuse. If you should decide to add a dog to your family, please go to a shelter and choose a dog. Adopt, don’t shop!

Here is another view of the fashionably attired dog, who puts a lovely and lovable face on Furever friends.

Bear loves Buffalo.

This is actually a photograph of people arranged in the shape of a huge bison.

This is Keith Tripi of the Grand Island Farm Cooperative with his rock dove. The rock dove is very soft to touch and is very friendly.

A new friend for the rock dove.

Grand Island, in the 19th century, was covered with white oaks. Unfortunately, most of them were removed via clear cutting and were turned into mastheads for ships. Here is one white oak that was planted nineteen years ago.