“Vicinity to the sea is desirable, because it is easier to do nothing by the sea than anywhere else.” —E.F. Benson
Our weather in south Texas has been dreary and cold lately, but today we were given the gift of a beautiful day. I guess we appreciate them more when they are harder to come by. We spent the day with our friends John and Janice at their beach house at Indianola. Their house sits on the point, the inlet of Powderhorn Lake on one side and Matagorda Bay on the other. It’s a spectacular place to watch dolphins play, try your luck at fishing, birdwatch or just relax. It was a wonderful day…with a breathtaking sunset to finish it off.
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A Day by the Sea
Dec. 2 – Beautiful Weekend
“May the waves kiss your feet, the sand be your seat and your friends outnumber the stars.” —Author Unknown
The first weekend in December was amazing here in Rockport…lots of sunshine, light winds and amazing temperatures. We enjoyed lots of community activities, visiting with friends at the winery, playing with our little girls and walking on the beach…I wish the weather every day could be this nice. People were out everywhere enjoying this beautiful weekend and the birds seemed to enjoy it just as much. Here are a few pictures of the entertaining pelicans I saw on my beach walk.
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Nov. 20-22 Winter Visitors
“One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” —Henry David Thoreau
We had friends from upstate New York come down to Rockport for a visit. Our weather wasn’t great but it was quite an improvement over what they left behind. Having company is always fun and it gave us a chance to play tourist for a little while…rediscovering things in our own back yard.
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Clearing Customs with CBP ROAM App
“Go, fly, roam, travel, voyage, explore, journey, discover, adventure.”
I didn’t take the time to report on the process of our check in when we returned to the U.S. after our visit to the Thousand Islands and Canada. Years ago while we were in Florida we went through the process and interview to acquire our Small Vessel Reporting System numbers. For years this was the quickest process for return to the U.S. from a foreign port, but the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has made it even easier now with their new CBP ROAM (Reporting Offsite Arrival-Mobile) app. As soon as we anchored in U.S. waters and had data on our phones, I reported our return through the app…no need to go ashore and no inspection. If you’re docking at a marina, you can either use the app on your phone or check in via one of the CBP computers located at the marina. I believe most phones have been removed and there are now signs telling boaters to use the ROAM app.
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Summer’s Over
“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” –William Cullent Bryant
Our last three days on Cayuga Lake were beautiful…the last warm days of Indian Summer. On Tuesday (10/9) Stan had a perfect day to move The Pearl up the lake to her winter home and he enjoyed the time on the water. While he moved the boat, I moved our car, stopping at two of my favorite parks along the lake and doing a little shopping in Aurora. Our relaxing day turn to a busy evening as we started winterizing the boat and packing the car.
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Oct 5 – Boundary Breaks Vineyard
Wine is sunlight held together by water. — Galileo Galilei
Friday was beautiful day so we took advantage of having one last picnic on the lawn of a winery. We chose Boundary Breaks Vineyard on Seneca Lake. They have a gorgeous place over looking the lake. The wine was wonderful, the scenery amazing, the food was enjoyable, but company was the best part of the day.
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Change of Seasons
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
Fall brings all kinds of changes…the weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing color, the days are getting shorter and it’s almost time for us to put The Pearl away for the winter. We feel like we have the best of two worlds, a beautiful place to escape the hot Texas summers and another to escape the long cold winters of upstate New York. The bonus is we have family in each place that we can play with and share our life with. I thought I’d share a few pictures of our marinas…we like them both.
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Finger Lake Wineries & Breweries (Part IV)
“Have you considered that if you don’t make waves, nobody including yourself will know that you are alive?” —Theodore Isaac Rubin
When I started this post I thought we hadn’t made it to many new wineries/breweries this season. As soon as I started looking through our photos I could see we had actually made it to quite a few. Maybe not as many as last summer, but still quite a few. We don’t do tasting anymore, we enjoy buying a bottle of their driest white wine, relaxing on the winery’s deck and enjoying their view with a picnic or small snack. I think the heat this summer slowed our visits down, but we still have a couple of weeks left to squeeze in a few more.
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Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival
“I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin, and crisp sunburnt leaves.” -Ann Drake
Fall has officially arrived in Ithaca…the leaves are beginning to change color, the temperatures are falling, boats are beginning to leave the marina and fall festivals are everywhere. The little roadside vegetables stands that were full of fresh corn this summer are now full of pumpkins and gourds.
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Sept. 24 – Letchworth State Park
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru
We finally had a chance to drive over to Letchworth State Park, it’s known as the “Grand Canyon of East”. The park runs 17 miles along the Genesee River and is one of the most scenically magnificent areas in the eastern U.S. The river roars through the gorge over three major waterfalls between cliffs as high as 600′ and is surrounded by lush forests. The Genesse River is one of only 33 north-flowing rivers in the world, others that we have been on are the Oswego River, the St. John’s River in Florida and the Richelieu River in Quebec.
