Saturday, August 13, 2011

My MiniVacation

Hi Friends!

Last week my friend Trisha and I took a mini-vacation. We drove 8 hours west--and I do love to drive WEST!--to Scio, NY to visit Trisha's old friends the Browns. Scio is a small town in Western NY, which we affectionately call Boringsville. It's not that boring, though.

A few of the Browns




The Browns have a big family and we visited with them all and cooed over the newest baby. Then they took us to Letchworth State Park, which has the Genesee River Gorge, aka the Grand Canyon of the East.



It is SO pretty--and I do love a good waterfall!--There were three beautiful falls through a deep rock canyon. The top falls has an old railroad trestle over the top. My pictures are not great, but you get the idea.

Oops, was I supposed to wear Pink?
We picnicked on stone tables in an oak grove near the lower falls. The woods were so pretty there. Trisha remarked that the tables looked like sacrificial altars. They were pretty cool sitting atop stacked slabs.

Trisha-left, Andrew-right
The next day we followed the Browns to Bully Hill Winery overlooking Keuka Lake. The view was fantastic and it was a gorgeous day. We toured the winery with a cute young guide, who was very adept at walking backward and telling the story of Bully Hill.


They used to be Taylor Wineries, till they sold to Coca Cola. Then when a family member wanted to go back into the wine making business he found out that Coke owned the exclusive rights to his name! He had to come up with a different name. The man was quite an artist, so he designed his labels with a goat on them. He said, "they got my name, but they didn't get my goat." There's a lot more to that story, but you get the general idea.

Patio overlooking Keuka Lake
After the tour and lunch on the patio and the gift shop, I tasted a couple of sweet wines. (I used to love dry white wine, but it doesn't agree with me any more, so I had the idea that sipping a little sweet wine before bed would be beneficial.) I ended up buying a few bottles.

Rolling hills of New York
Trisha and I then wound our way north to Route 20 and headed to the Finger Lakes region. We stayed in Skaneateles. A pretty very upscale town on the north end of Skaneateles Lake. The next day we did a little shopping, (I'll tell you the earring story later!) drove around the lake, stopping at antique shops and scenic spots, then meandered our way home. New York has amazing hills, farms, lakes, countryside!


In Imagine, my fave gift shop overlooking the lake
I do love to take a drive whenever I can. Dad used to take us for rides when he wasn't working at one of his many jobs. We drove all over New England, mostly Vermont. Trisha and I are naturals at it. We try to quote the end of The Blues Brothers about road trips, though we never really remember the words.  We also burst into song whenever appropriate-something will prompt us and we burst... She remembers the words and I remember the tune. We're a good team. Our Moms did the same thing. Our songs are a little more modern, but it's the same!


Maybe I'll try some of that wine tonight, before I bundle up and go sit under the stars looking for the meteor shower, though the moon might be too bright to see any meteors!

Have a Lovely week, dear friends!
Hugs, 
Sherry

Monday, August 1, 2011

A Nice Way to Spend Sunday Afternoon...

After a rather lazy week, I was glad to have a plan for this evening. The weather was ideal--breezy, dry, sunny with occasional puffy clouds.


 In honor of their birthdays, Trisha, Tamara and I packed our chairs, snacks, drinks and cameras off to an outdoor concert at the Three Sisters Sanctuary in Goshen, Mass. (http://threesisterssanctuary.com/)

Tamara & Trisha


Built by Rich Richardson to honor his three daughters, it is a wonderland of stone, sculpture, flowers, water, glass, sprites and mermaids.





Everywhere you turn there is something else to see, outdoor "rooms", sculpture, standing stones, flowers everywhere (repeating myself!)



A big feature is the dragon fireplace. I've never seen it burning, but smoke would come out of it's mouth. Its spines are glass, it's wings are airy metal sculpture. Its tail is wrapped around a hearth set in glass, stone and metal with all sorts of curious objects in every nook and cranny.





The band was Jim K and Co, a bluesy, rock-and-rolly, jazzy blend of really good music by three real professionals.




We ate our snacks, strolled around the grounds and took pictures. People danced, drank, laughed, wandered around. Lots of cameras were in evidence.

 

 

What a great place for a party! We hope to come back for the Full Moon Concert and stay till midnight!


Well, Trisha and I are off to western New York state this week for a visit. Hope to see the Grand Canyon of the East in Pennsylvania and something of the Finger Lakes on the way home.


I hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll catch up with you soon...Happy August!

Hugs, Y'all!
Sherry