Day 18: Required and Bonus

Summer cabin, Adirondack Mountains Lake

Built in 1923 for a General Electric Vice President and constructed primarily of logs made from native pine, the two-story building is large, compared to others nearby. Surrounded on three sides by pines and ashes, it served as the summer home for the family for 55 years until the last son died heirless.
Inside, the openness accommodates a kitchen, living space for a couch and two chairs, an end table and a coffee table. In the back sits a master bedroom, a queen-sized bed inside. On the second floor are two more bedrooms and one full bath.
The exterior is three-quarters surrounded by a porch, several chairs on the lakeside to view the dawn coming over the mountains and reflect off the lake.
The trees on the three sides served well to hide people, making it a perfect place for an ambush.
Because the family had not used the cabin in many years, the place began to rot. Holes appeared in the exterior and roof, allowing animals to use it quiet often. The porch boards rotted as well. No one can safely walk on them now.
Schenectady NY single-family house, three stories
Built in the mid-1950s, the original intent of the house was to be a single-family, living on the first two floors, with an in-law apartment on the top. Before the Vaughn family purchased it in 1974, the estate of the late owner converted it to a single-family entirely, removing the separation walls and door.
The location to the park made it a great place for someone that exercised or was athletic in nature. The relatively big back yard was ideal for a large family.

Albany Convention Center
Originally constructed to hold conventions and political gatherings, in June of 1982 the use by Albany High School for its senior prom necessitated several changes:
The senior class installed a dance floor and several tables while removing the arena and bleacher seating.
A full-service restaurant kitchen replaced the snack bar type originally built.
Crape paper streamers and a disco ball added to the atmosphere, along with softer lighting.
Albany NY single-family home, two stories
Constructed in the mid-1920s, this home was the first on the street, a small side road off the only route from Albany to the small community of Glenmont. As the years passed, more were built.
A small but warm living area welcomed friends and family. Down a small hall was the in-eat kitchen. Beyond that was a bedroom, bathroom, and pantry.
On the second floor are three more bedrooms, two bathrooms, one for the master.

Central Park, Schenectady NY
A wooded oasis in the middle of the city. Pines, red maples, sugar maples, birches, and ashes were planted and allowed to thrive. Three play areas for children were originally constructed, though one was torn down in 1980 and replaced with a covered picnic area.
A country-style swimming hole allows children and adults to cool off in the summer. It sits between two other water areas: A large pond with a fountain in the middle, stocked with fish - a natural pond, expanded to accommodate more fish and returning waterfowl.

Linton High School, Schenectady NY
In its 25th year of existence, the single level school has educated thousands of children, including a few professional athletes.
The classrooms could comfortably have between 20-30 students.

Professor’s office, Union College
Stereotypical small office, papers, books, and file folders in every available space. The desk is old, 1800s oak. The couch is new and leather. The chairs are 1960s plushy.
Bookshelves cover three of the four walls, each shelf crammed with books and papers the professor has collected in his 30+ years of teaching.

French-type pastry café/bakery
A recent addition to the downtown Schenectady businesses, the café serves up a variety of old World pastries, especially award-winning fruit filled croissants. It is home to eight, four-person tables, four, six-person tables and four booths that can hold six people. It is frequented by students from Union College, Schenectady County Community College, and the local high schools.

Farm, Schoharie County NY
The farmhouse is old, built in 1878, with six bedrooms. The barns are relatively new: The dairy barn finished in 1968, the hay barn in 1969, and the equipment barn the previous spring.
There are three large fields, one each for hay, corn and different vegetables, the later a new purchase, for the grandchildren.
Less than a quarter mile from the farmhouse is the Schoharie Creek, the main source for fish for the family. Half-mile in the opposite direction is a hillock and heavily wooded area, owned by the Vaughn-Pettijohn clan.
The opening to a cavern system was discover in 1799, but left unused until the 1920s.

Small Apartment, Colonie NY
Part of a three story, three units building, the living area had enough space for a television cabinet, two comfortable chairs, and a couch. The kitchen was small but very functional. The one bedroom had space for a Queen-sized bed, a dresser, and two nightstands. The one bedroom window led out to a fire escape that the occupants used to place a grill.

Coffee shop, Potsdam NY
A small café, the shop serves coffee, tea, and hot chocolate for the SUNY-Potsdam students and locals alike. The limited menu includes breakfast staples and sandwiches, though the students mostly come for the seating and bottomless cups of coffee.
There is a diner-style bar, several four and six person booths, and two large corner booths, constructed for students.

Bonus:
Same Setting/Different Viewpoints
Patisseries et Sourires (Pastries and Smiles)

Viewpoint #1
I sat in the back, at a table that sat four. I needed space; need to be relaxed, as I wrote. It wasn’t anything required for school, just notes for the next story. I finished my raspberry croissant and was waiting for the second to arrive. I looked around the pastry shop and smiled. The Sunday crowd was different from that on weekdays.

Gone were the college students, taking up all the large tables and booths, studying while eating the fattening yet so tasty French pastries. In their place were older couples, people my grandmother’s age, sitting sipping coffee and nibbling on shared cupcakes or croissants, there more for the only reason of being together than to eat and drink. They made me smile.

At the counter, a young mother was thanking the cashier; the toddler on her hand was eating a cookie. I surmised that the young woman had given the kid a “sample.” To the right, three co-eds were talking with a baker, presumably one of their boyfriends.
At one of the front tables, an off-duty police officer sat with his son, both of them working on a large mug of hot chocolate. I knew he was a cop, since he showed up in uniform to a few of our soccer matches. He saw me looking and raised his mug to me. I returned the sign of acknowledgement.

I didn’t want to return to my work. It was Sunday, a day of rest, but I needed to finish the notes so I could type them up and show them to my “editor,” my old journalism teacher, who would make suggestions.
“Here’s your croissant Chance,” Michelle said to me. She was a waitress here, a classmate of my older sister Ronnie. She worked here on the weekends, and from what I saw, made enough in tips to allow her to spend Monday through Friday studying.
“Thanks.” I took a bit of the goodness and smiled. She must have informed the kitchen that the pastry was for me: There was extra
filling.

Viewpoint #2
The couple walked into the patisserie and stopped dead in their tracks. It was their first time in the place, after hearing so many good things about it. On their right, behind the cashier, they saw a wall half filled with loaves of freshly baked breads and rolls. The front counter was a glass case, inside were delicate pastries.

Though they had a list of what the café prepared daily, they were still not ready for what to order. She had said something about the croissants, wanting to try the chocolate ones. He, on the other hand, wanted to get a dozen chocolate chip cookies.
“Look at this honey,” she said. She saw several cupcakes and pointed to four. “They have red velvet.”

“May I help you?” the counterperson asked. A college student, she worked at the store to earn some spending money.

“Yes,” he said. “I think we’re going to have a big order.” He chuckled when his wife moved down the counter and smiled like a little girl. She found her childhood favorite oatmeal and raisin cookies.

“I’m here to help.” The counterperson, Michelle her nametag read, had to move for a moment as a baker, an older gentleman, walked out holding a wicker basket filled with six loaves of iced raisin bread.

“We’ll take one of those,” the couple said simultaneously. Michelle smiled and grabbed a large carry bag: She knew they’d be ordering many goodies.