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Finger Lake Wineries (Part III)

By on September 14, 2017 in The Pearl
Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“Don’t postpone joy.” ―Edie Windsor

I had this post ready before we headed home for hurricane duty…so I guess I might as well share it now. Our adventures on The Pearl are over for this year, but we’ll be back to upstate New York next year to explore a little more. We’ll be home in Texas for the fall and winter…new adventures await us there.

The Finger Lakes region of New York is gorgeous…no matter where we go, it’s impossible to find a bad view. We’re having fun visiting different wineries, having a glass of wine and soaking in the scenery. It’s a great way to enjoy a beautiful afternoon, so here’s the third installment of Finger Lake Wineries. 

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Life Post Harvey

By on September 12, 2017 in The Pearl

“If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life.” ―Author Unknown

It’s been a long, stressful three weeks. We are back in Ithaca, NY for a short time as we get The Pearl ready winter storage. I thought I would share a few pictures from the past few weeks…some were posted on our Facebook page during the past few weeks and some are new. Just a little insight to our life after Hurricane Harvey.
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The Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

By on September 5, 2017 in The Pearl

Rockport Harbor

“Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.” —Charles R. Swindoll

It’s been a long week and our family was lucky, truly blessed that we all survived and so did our homes and boat, but the devastation that has taken place in our special little town of Rockport and to the rest of Texas is heart wrenching. The total loss of so many homes and businesses is unbelievable and almost unimaginable. One day everything is just as it’s always has been…and the next day the world as you knew it has been turned upside down. Our mind knows how all these places should look, but your eyes are now seeing something totally different. We are Rockport strong…Texas strong and these places will come back.

In September 2015 I did a blog post called Going for a Walk: Rockport Harbor it showed our wonderful little neighborhood around the marina…here’s a look at it today after Hurricane Harvey. I have included before and after pictures.

Aquarium at Rockport Harbor

Marley was moved to the Texas State Aquarium on Thursday before the storm. I hope he’s doing well in his new home.

This giant hermit crab was always my favorite…he survived and was released a few days after the storm.

Rockport Art Center

 The building was heavily damaged but the sculptures in the Sculpture Garden looked wonderful.

 This sculpture is named “Into the Wind”. She faces the bay…she faced the eye of the storm and remained strong. 

This crab stood at the entrance to Rockport Beach…hopefully it can be placed one day.

The Bay Education Center looks like it survived the storm…not sure of any damage inside.

The Texas Maritime Museum also looks like it fared well…just a little roof damage.

One of the things we really enjoy about keeping our boat in Rockport Harbor is being able to walk over to one of the bait shops for fresh shrimp…I know they’ll rebuild but we’ll miss them until they do. This is Flemings…our favorite place to get fresh shrimp. 

Thanks for reading our blog and spending part of your day with us. The Pearl is also on Facebook – stop by and say hi or follow us on Instragramor Google+.

Texas Pearl Survived

By on August 29, 2017 in The Pearl

Just a quick update until I have more time to do a complete post…we survived Hurricane Harvey with only minor damage. 

Waiting for Hurricane Harvey

By on August 25, 2017 in The Pearl

Rockport HarborWe drove back to Texas Wednesday night and Thursday so we could check on our house and the Texas Pearl, and be close for any clean up we might need to do. Our son prepared our properties better than we could have ourselves and we’re bles…

Excelsior Glen

By on August 22, 2017 in The Pearl
Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.” —Wayne Dyer

Last Saturday while we were in the Watkins Glen area we hiked to Excelsior Falls. It’s located just east of town off of Highway 414, easy to find but not visited by many. Most visitors in this area go the amazing Watkins Glen State Park, which is very impressive. We hiked that glen in 2014 and loved it, but we like finding little gems that other people over look. Somewhere we don’t have to fight a crowed or be rushed to move on. The trail begins right off the road with a small over grown path that over looks the creek about 30’ below. This trail disappears as it passes a boulder-choked chute where the river is only about a foot wide. This chute feeds a pretty good drop, but isn’t considered one of the waterfalls in this glen, although we thought the little canyon was very impressive. 

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Aug. 19 – Havana Glen

By on August 21, 2017 in The Pearl
Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot…” –Aldo Leopold 

Saturday we drove over to Seneca Lake to check out the Windmill Market. Friends have been telling us about it, so we thought we’d check it out. The Windmill Farm & Craft Market is one of the largest markets in upstate New York and is celebrating its 30th anniversary. There are over 175 venders selling just about everything you can think of…from fresh produce, baked goods, cheese, wine, jewelry, home décor, collectibles, handcrafted items, clothing and food booths serving all kinds of treats. It was a fun place to spend a morning.


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Aug. 17 – Ithaca, NY

By on August 20, 2017 in The Pearl
Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“Change is the process by which the future invades our lives.” —Alvin Toffler

Today we drove up the lake to Beacon Bay Marina in Cayuga to sign the contact for our winter storage. The marina is located at the top of the lake, by staying on the lake we won’t have to worry about the Erie Canal schedule or closures. At the moment we are planning to put the boat up the first week in October. 

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Aug. 16 – Lick Brook Falls

By on August 18, 2017 in The Pearl
Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.” —Natalie Babbitt.

Stan has been doing a little work on our teak this week. He’s been repairing a few worn spots, a few coats of Cetol and we’ll look like new. Each coat goes on quickly and it leaves us plenty of time to play. Today we decided to hike the Lick Brook Falls Trail. 

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Aug. 13 – Cayuga Lake, NY

By on August 16, 2017 in The Pearl

Crowbar Point – Anchorage

“Advise from a LAKE – Be Clear, Make Positive Ripples, Look Beneath the Surface, Stay Calm, Shore Up Friendships, Take Time to Reflex, Be Full of Life” – Ilan Shamir

We haven’t spent the night at anchor since May 9…that’s a long time, a very long time. There aren’t a lot of places shallow enough along the shore of Cayuga Lake to anchor and even fewer that offer protection from the wind, but we did find a spot close to Crowbar Point. We don’t usually like being out on the water on a Sunday, but the weather was perfect and we hated to pass up the chance to spend the night on the hook and Stan was itchin’ to fish for lake salmon. The lake was busy, but it was fun to watch all the sailboats and by the time we were ready to anchor most people were heading home.
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