A few fall images from around these parts!
Gaura ‘Belleza Dark Pink’
Oakleaf hydrangea ‘Snow Queen’
Fall decorations
Random road scene
‘Red Fire’ lettuce
Artichoke blossom and sweet potato vine
Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister’
Japanese maple ‘Viridis’ and ‘Hameln’ grass
Wonder of wonders, one of my sisters and her husband and Cooper were taking a week off! They spent the time unplugged and relaxing not too far away from us at Skaneateles Lake. Needless to say, my adventure buddy sister and I decided it would be good to go visit. So off we went!
First stop was at Turek Farms in King Ferry NY overlooking Cayuga Lake where we picked up our annual boxes of winter squash.
The day was gorgeous and the trip from there to the cottage on Skaneateles Lake over the back roads was so pretty. The hills reminded us of home in the Southern Tier.
On the Road to Skaneateles Lake (click on any picture to bring up the viewer, then play the slideshow or click the arrows on the side to navigate to each picture):
Going down the lane to the cottage seemed like entering another world, one that commanded, “Relax! You are at the lake!”
More pictures from Skaneateles Lake (click on any picture to bring up the viewer, then play the slideshow or click the arrows on the side to navigate to each picture):
We finally headed back, refreshed with the beauty of the fall at the lake and filled with family love!
What an absolutely gorgeous fall day Cathy and I had to take a little trip to Harriet Hollister Spencer Memorial State Recreation Area high in the western hills between Honeoye Lake and Canadice Lake! The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, the leaves were at peak color – and the company was incomparable. We needed to get out and get some fresh air and a nice hike was on the docket.
Well known in winter for its cross country ski trails, the land for HHS or Harriet Hollister for short, was given to New York State by the estate of Harriet Hollister Spencer (1887-1962), a woman from Rochester who was an expert on roses and a civic leader. More can be found about her here. The location of HHS ensures that it usually has more snow than surrounding areas. The trails, ranging in difficulty from novice to expert, are well-maintained and groomed by the Rochester Cross Country Ski Foundation.
Many of these same trails are used by hikers and even some bikers in the spring, summer and fall months. There are also picnic tables and a pavilion. A nice map of the park is located here. The main road through HHS is called Overlook Road and is closed to car traffic in the winter. What a gorgeous view we had!
Feeling adventurous on such a nice day, we took some of the side trails. Pictures of some of the flora we saw are linked below. We also inadvertently ventured off-road thinking we were still on one of the park trails. Nope! and it was quite a hike back to the car. We are not really certain how that happened as we thought we were following a trail. Needless to say, we rewarded ourselves for all the effort and stopped for a lovely Sunday brunch at The Holloway House in East Bloomfield.
Honeoye Lake trail pictures (click on any picture to bring up the viewer, then play the slideshow or click the arrows on the side to navigate to each picture):
We had a lovely trip to Pittsburgh last week and it was great to see Kelsey after her summer in Europe. Her boyfriend from Germany was also visiting. In addition to the usual haunts, we took a sidetrip to The National Aviary there. It was a free day and the line to get in was long in the cold breeze, but so many birds!!! Cute little ones, and big ones like the eagles. All colors and sizes. I took lots of pictures and included them in the slideshow.
On one of the days we had an interesting lunch (and tea, of course) at Dobra Tea Room in Squirrel Hill. The tea, of which there were so many choices that it was hard to choose, were served in their traditional vessels from around the world. Hot tea, cold tea, loose leaf tea, and light vegetarian fare all served in a Bohemian-style tearoom.
And naturally, we spent a lot of time playing with the puppies. Walks around the neighborhood and down into Frick Park are always a must when we go to Pittsburgh. Sky is the blue merle and Huxley is the red merle that you will see in the slideshow. Both of them are mini-Australian Shepherds and both are deaf. Such good dogs, sweet and fun to play with. Cooper is the big Golden Retriever. Also a sweetie, he is my sister’s baby. They all love going to Frick Park to play at the Hot Dog Dam.
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