We are always looking for new areas to explore. Several boating friends have highly recommend a cruise to Fiordland. Our Waggoner cruising guide states: “ The Fiordland Conservancy was established in 1987, and is some of the most striking country on the coast. The mountains are sheer and beautiful and the wildlife is abundant, but anchorages are […]
August Updates
“I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.” -Albert Einstein
August has flown by and the fall weather has already arrived. We’ve had a pretty mild summer temperature wise. Unfortunately those temperatures were kept in check by all the scattered rain showers we’ve had. It seems like we get a little sun and a little rain everyday.
August Updates
“I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.” -Albert EinsteinAugust has flown by and the fall weather has already arrived. We’ve had a pretty mild summer temperature wise. Unfortunately those temperatures…
Aug. 31 – Exploring Six Mile Creek
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out” —Dr. Seuss
We took advantage of a beautiful day to explore an area of Ithaca we haven’t been to since 2017. We parked at Mulholland Wildflower Preserve and hiked up to what is called the second dam on Six Mile Creek. The water was very muddy and moving quickly from all the rain we’ve had. Once at the bottom of the dam we backtracked to a trail that took us to the top of the dam and the reservoir. At the top of the dam we found a great spot along the cliff to enjoy our picnic.
The bottom of the dam.
Part of the trail to the top of the dam.
The view of the top of the dam.
Our lunch spot.
Our lunch…homemade chicken salad, cheese, crackers, wine and cake.
The muddy reservoir above the second dam. This is where we saw kids swimming the first time we were here. One of our views during lunch.
Some of the interesting things we saw along the trail.
After lunch we made our way back to our car to leave our picnic basket and then explored the creek north of Giles St. We’ve been in the area for years and didn’t realize this beautiful waterfall existed just a mile from downtown.
Wells Falls, also known as the Businessman’s Lunch Falls, is 65 feet tall and drops in a series of four drops. Of these, the largest is a 30-foot man-made dam. It’s located directly adjacent to an abandoned power plant. The Van Nattas Pumping Station was built in 1893 on the site of an old flour mill. It provided water for the city both for drinking and for fire stations. Over the years, the site grew as new pumps were added so it could create electricity. Since the 1940s, the station has sat abandoned next to Wells Falls creating one of the most unique waterfalls in New York.
The top of Wells Falls.
Hiking down the hill to the bottom of the falls.
Looking over the cliff to the road that leads to the falls.
Looking back at the cliff where I took the photo above. We took this road back to Gile St. It was a bit easier than the route we took coming down.
The bottom of Wells Falls.
Aug. 31 – Exploring Six Mile Creek
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out” —Dr. Seuss
We took advantage of a beautiful day to explore an area of Ithaca we haven’t been to since 2017. We parked at Mulholland Wildflower Preserve and hiked up to what is called the second dam on Six Mile Creek. The water was very muddy and moving quickly from all the rain we’ve had. Once at the bottom of the dam we backtracked to a trail that took us to the top of the dam and the reservoir. At the top of the dam we found a great spot along the cliff to enjoy our picnic.
The bottom of the dam.
Part of the trail to the top of the dam.
The view of the top of the dam.
Our lunch spot.
Our lunch…homemade chicken salad, cheese, crackers, wine and cake.
The muddy reservoir above the second dam. This is where we saw kids swimming the first time we were here. One of our views during lunch.
Some of the interesting things we saw along the trail.
After lunch we made our way back to our car to leave our picnic basket and then explored the creek north of Giles St. We’ve been in the area for years and didn’t realize this beautiful waterfall existed just a mile from downtown.
Wells Falls, also known as the Businessman’s Lunch Falls, is 65 feet tall and drops in a series of four drops. Of these, the largest is a 30-foot man-made dam. It’s located directly adjacent to an abandoned power plant. The Van Nattas Pumping Station was built in 1893 on the site of an old flour mill. It provided water for the city both for drinking and for fire stations. Over the years, the site grew as new pumps were added so it could create electricity. Since the 1940s, the station has sat abandoned next to Wells Falls creating one of the most unique waterfalls in New York.
The top of Wells Falls.
Hiking down the hill to the bottom of the falls.
Looking over the cliff to the road that leads to the falls.
Looking back at the cliff where I took the photo above. We took this road back to Gile St. It was a bit easier than the route we took coming down.
The bottom of Wells Falls.
Prince Rupert to Khutze Inlet
Canadian Customs now require boaters to physically come to a customs dock to clear into the country. Before Covid with our NEXUS clearance, we could just check in by phone. Once we tie up at Cow Bay Marina in Prince Rupert, we call customs and are on hold for almost an hour!! I guess Customs is struggling just like all […]
REMEMBER LAHAINA
August 27, 2023
The Villages, Florida
Few events could prompt me out of retirement. The cataclysmic fires on Maui that destoyed Lahaina on August 8 are certainly one of them.
DOMINO spent five months in the summer of 1998 cruising Hawaii, including several weeks anchored in Mala, between Lahaina and Kanaapali. The brush fires we experienced then, after hurricane Lane, were just a harbinger of this year’s apocalyptic devastation. Thousands of islanders have lost their homes, businesses, and loved ones. How does one rise again after such a tragedy? How could we help?
Raising funds for the community, of course, is a start. JP and I have selected the Maui Strong Fund. They distribute 100% of their funds, no administrative fee. Check out their page for details.
Many of you know I am a quilter. While in Hawaii, I learned the ancient art of Hawaiian Quilting. In fact, my first Hawaiian quilt was for Janet and Moe, who sheltered our grandchildren while we rode Hurricane Lane at sea. We heard from Janet yesteday. While she is safe, all her friends in western Maui have been impacted, lives destroyed, and she welcomed our fundraising efforts.
 |
| Learning from the Poakalani group in Honolulu The pink “Ulu” piece lives in Janet’s house in Maui |
Here it is: every Monday, I hold and auction on my
Facebook page, “La Bohème Quilt & Stitch”
 |
| “Remember Lahaina” – August 28 auction – 60×63″ Kaleidoscope pieced in New Zealand Fabrics from American Samoa and Tahiti |
Tomorrow, Monday August 28, will be our 3rd Mahalo Monday auction. You can bid from 9AM to 7PM EST. The winning bidder donates directly to the Maui Strong Fund page (I don’t handle money!) and upon copy of the receipt, I deliver the item. Shipping is extra. Simple enough.
Here are a few pix of past and upcoming auctions.
 |
| September 4th auction (in the works) Hula Girls 51×51″ Fabric from Honolulu |
Please, bid generously, help Lahaina and Mala rise from their ashes.
 |
| September 11th auction (in the works) Tall Ships Parade Fabric from Honolulu |
Mahalo
dominomarie
 |
| The Island Cocktail collection continues New models released every Monday |
 |
| August 21 past auction “Flight of Butterflies” pillow |
 |
| August 14 (past auction) The Mamo Bird 22×22 pillowcase |
REMEMBER LAHAINA
August 27, 2023
The Villages, Florida
Few events could prompt me out of retirement. The cataclysmic fires on Maui that destoyed Lahaina on August 8 are certainly one of them.
DOMINO spent five months in the summer of 1998 cruising Hawaii, including several weeks anchored in Mala, between Lahaina and Kanaapali. The brush fires we experienced then, after hurricane Lane, were just a harbinger of this year’s apocalyptic devastation. Thousands of islanders have lost their homes, businesses, and loved ones. How does one rise again after such a tragedy? How could we help?
Raising funds for the community, of course, is a start. JP and I have selected the Maui Strong Fund. They distribute 100% of their funds, no administrative fee. Check out their page for details.
Many of you know I am a quilter. While in Hawaii, I learned the ancient art of Hawaiian Quilting. In fact, my first Hawaiian quilt was for Janet and Moe, who sheltered our grandchildren while we rode Hurricane Lane at sea. We heard from Janet yesteday. While she is safe, all her friends in western Maui have been impacted, lives destroyed, and she welcomed our fundraising efforts.
|
| Learning from the Poakalani group in Honolulu The pink “Ulu” piece lives in Janet’s house in Maui |
Here it is: every Monday, I hold and auction on my
Facebook page, “La Bohème Quilt & Stitch”
|
| “Remember Lahaina” – August 28 auction – 60×63″ Kaleidoscope pieced in New Zealand Fabrics from American Samoa and Tahiti |
Tomorrow, Monday August 28, will be our 3rd Mahalo Monday auction. You can bid from 9AM to 7PM EST. The winning bidder donates directly to the Maui Strong Fund page (I don’t handle money!) and upon copy of the receipt, I deliver the item. Shipping is extra. Simple enough.
Here are a few pix of past and upcoming auctions.
|
| September 4th auction (in the works) Hula Girls 51×51″ Fabric from Honolulu |
Please, bid generously, help Lahaina and Mala rise from their ashes.
|
| September 11th auction (in the works) Tall Ships Parade Fabric from Honolulu |
Mahalo
dominomarie
|
| The Island Cocktail collection continues New models released every Monday |
|
| August 21 past auction “Flight of Butterflies” pillow |
|
| August 14 (past auction) The Mamo Bird 22×22 pillowcase |
Aug. 17-20 Cayuga Lake Vacation
“The Lake….where families go to make memories.” -Author Unknown
We spent this year’s last family lake vacation at a nice house just south of Seneca Falls on Cayuga Lake. The weather was beautiful, but a bit too windy to spend time on the boat riding on the raft…no problem we found other things to do. We spent our first full day taking the boat through part of the Cayuga–Seneca Canal. This part of the New York canal system connects the Erie Canal to Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake. It was built in 1818. Since we were already in Cayuga Lake we took everyone through C2 and C3 that leads to the town of Seneca Falls. These locks are a set of locks called a staircase or flight. We were lifted up a total of 49′ from the Seneca River to Van Cleef Lake. Check out this old blog post to see how a lock works. We wandered around town a little and then had lunch before we headed back to the house.
The house
This house had a great movie and game room above the garage. The perfect place for a family movie night.
The kids get to the marina around lunch each time we rent a house. So we have a little time to fill before we can check in. This time we had lunch on the boat then rode bikes along the trails by the marina and played in the park.
After playing we stopped at the Sheldrake Point Winery to enjoy a little wine and a beautiful day.
We spent a lot of time at the house just hanging out together, relaxing, playing games, eating and celebrating Hattie’s 4th birthday.
The view from the front porch was nice in the evening and in the morning.
On our way to Seneca Falls.
These boards are at each lock to inform boaters of their elevation and how far it is to the next lock.
Heading into lock C2. It lifted us up 24.5′.
Once inside we put a line around a cable so we could stay close to the side of the lock.
Once inside and ready the Lock Master closes the door and the water begins to fill the lock.
Going up!
Once we were through the two locks we were in Van Cleef Lake and right in the heart of Seneca Falls.
Everyone had a great time on the way home.
Graham was the captain most of the way back.
Our second full day was beautiful…but very windy. Kyle and Graham explored in the kayaks before we tried to have fun on the runabout. It was just too rough, so we played at home.
The waterfront was pretty and we had plenty of room to play, but it wasn’t very nice for swimming. Luckily the weather was cool and we really didn’t want to swim.
Our traditional last night fire and s’mores. It’s our way of saying goodbye to summer.
Aug. 17-20 Cayuga Lake Vacation
“The Lake….where families go to make memories.” -Author Unknown
We spent this year’s last family lake vacation at a nice house just south of Seneca Falls on Cayuga Lake. The weather was beautiful, but a bit too windy to spend time on the boat riding on the raft…no problem we found other things to do. We spent our first full day taking the boat through part of the Cayuga–Seneca Canal. This part of the New York canal system connects the Erie Canal to Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake. It was built in 1818. Since we were already in Cayuga Lake we took everyone through C2 and C3 that leads to the town of Seneca Falls. These locks are a set of locks called a staircase or flight. We were lifted up a total of 49′ from the Seneca River to Van Cleef Lake. Check out this old blog post to see how a lock works. We wandered around town a little and then had lunch before we headed back to the house.
