A Walk in the Park

Right next door to our marina is a park owned and maintained by the township. It's a very attractive park, with an area for campers on the right, a swimming area on the lake with lifeguards, and a small marina. We often walk through the park in the evening and stop to watch the "day-trippers" loading up their boats.




We thought these guys would be pros, (that's the seal of the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation on that SUV) but no, -note the angle on the bow of that boat. It's supposed to go ON that trailer!







And this was a new addition to the park this year. Plastic gourds on a stick. They tell me the purple martins like them, but if so, those birds have pretty tacky tastes in home ownership.

Road Trip

Occasionally we unplug the computers and head out onto the lake to swim and enjoy the cool breezes. We have been blessed with some absolutely fantastic hot weather - gotta love that global warming! Here we are heading North, and chasing some seagulls.

We headed across the lake, past the NY State Park known as Taughannock Park. This is a vey large park that encompasses the entire point of land you see here, as well as a very famous waterfall that creates a gorge with hiking trails about a mile from the shore. It was too hot to hike to the falls, so we'll get images of that another day.

We did swim to some falls, though. This pretty little gorge doesn't have a name, but given several eons, may grow up to be just as famous as Taughannock.

Hon, Where's the Calamine Lotion?

This is poison ivy. I knew that. No, I am not immune, as I used to claim. 'Nuff said.

Sterling Renaissance Festival

Sunday was a gorgeous day, warm with a light breeze, not too humid- perfect for a trip to Sterling Forest and a day at the Renaissance Festival.

























We came from all different directions, although
most of our group arrived in a more conventional
fashion.

Tom has the camera, Rob, Rich & Diane are here, now where are Susan and the boys? Cyndy says "Where shall we go first?"

Well, those two didn't get far.





The Queen! Tom, I think she's winking at you.










a forest of sticks....















The London Broil -visit them on the web. I wonder why they chose that name?
















Garrett's still on the loose - watch out for the pirates!
They love to make folks walk the plank.






Wings of all sorts!

Jousting and sword swallowing.

All in all, a very fun filled day!

Random Ramblings

This is the sail boat side of the marina, and Tom's favorite tree. This is also the view from our kitchen and bed side window. Compare this view of the tree with the one I posted early in the season. What a difference the right clothing can make! In this case, a nice forest green..

Oh, and please note the color of the sky- it's Carolina blue!







The picture below is what we call "the barge". Pretty obvious, huh? This thing has been floating off the east shore of the lake for many years, and serves as a navigational aid both day and night. There are lights on it every night, both inside and out, but nobody ever seems to be home. The other night we were sitting around the fire and speculating as to exactly how long it had been there, and we think about 25 years. There is an aura of mystery to this tethered giant- no one knows for certain why it out there, or what exactly goes on inside it. Supposedly it is used for sonar research, but we have other theories..... Could there be an Area 52? You decide.....














And this is seaweed - or maybe we should call it lake weed. Not the nicest stuff to swim through or to get your fishing line tangled in, but as you can see it provides quite good cover for the many fish that we can never seem to catch. And that's not a camera malfunction, this shot is taken through the very clear water.

This & That

OK- I know I'm a little bit behind, but we have been enjoying the sun, the rain, and more rain! Let me back up to the 4th of July. No pictures, because Tom hasn't mastered night shots with his great camera yet, but the fireworks started the Friday night before the 4th and continued through to Tuesday evening. Monday the 3rd was very crowded and busy here, and that night was wonderfully clear so that we could enjoy Ithaca's annual fireworks display as well as many others around the lake, and participate in our little neighborhood celebration.

On the actual 4th, it rained in the AM but cleared up enough so that we could enjoy the company of Susan, Rob, Ian, Rich, Diane, Garrett, & Chandler.

This past weekend, we indulged in our favorite pasttime of boating to the Ithaca Farmer's market.

On Saturday, we went in our good friends Brad & Ellen's boat, and on Sunday we went in ours. We love to tie up at the docks at the market and "look cool" relaxing on our boat! We usually end up giving tours to curious children and their parents.

We also indulged in some swimming, jumping from the boats in the middle of the lake.

Smile for the camera, Brad & Ellen!

One of Ithaca's many gorges!
Inlet lighthouse and fisherman