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Waiting for Hurricane Harvey

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

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

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

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

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

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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Finger Lakes Wineries and Breweries (Part II)

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“Take your pleasure seriously.” —Charles Eames
Three Brothers Wineries has 3 wineries (Stony Lonesome Wine Cellars, Passion Feet Wine Barn & Bagg Dare Wine Co.) and a microbrewery (War Horse Brewing Co.) all on site. Each with a uniquely themed tasting room. They have an expansive selection of hand-crafted wine, microbrews, hard cider and sodas…so there’s something for everyone who visits.
War Horse Brewing Company brews hard cider, custom ales, lagers, seasonal beers and house-made sodas. The decor of this tasting room honors those who’ve served and fought for our freedom. We felt like we were on the set of MASH.

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Aug. 12 – Great Gully Falls, Union Springs, NY

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“And then I learned adventures are the best way to learn.” —Unknown

Stan needed, wait, make that wanted, some different fishing supplies so we took a road trip up the lake to Bass Pro Shop outside of Auburn. We could have taken a shorter, more direct route, but what the fun in that? We drove up the west side of the lake so we could have lunch at O’Malley’s. 
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Aug. 9 – Saratoga Springs, NY

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.” —Henry Van Dyke

Our friends in Oneonta called us Sunday to tell us they were going to the races in Saratoga Springs on Wednesday…they wanted to know if we’d like to join them. Of course we wanted to! We’re always up for a new adventure. We drove over to Oneonta on Tuesday and enjoyed an evening in Cooperstown. We wandered around town, look at a few of the famous baseball places, did a tasting at Cooperstown Distillery and had a wonderful dinner at the Hawkeye Bar & Grill in the Otesaga Hotel. On Wednesday we spent a great day at the races in Saratoga Springs. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.
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Lower Falls at Treman State Park

“It’s the simple things in life that bring us the most pleasure—warm sand, wispy clouds, and the sound of waves and seagulls.” —Author Unknown

One of the best places to swim around Ithaca is in Robert H. Treman State Park. Although when we first saw it in April it was hard to believe this was a favorite summer time hangout. The falls were pretty but the water and surround grounds left a lot to be desired. We visited again about a month after we arrived in Ithaca…and it still didn’t look like one of the best swimming holes in America to me!

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