Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): May 2023

“Be thankful for nights that turned into mornings. Friends that turned into family and dreams that turned into realities.” -Author Unknown

May has mainly been about reconnecting with our Pennsylvania family, but we have managed to squeeze in a few other activities. We drove up to the boat in Cayuga on April 30...in the rain. We unload the car and got things stored, even though it rained all day. On May 1 we launched the boat and began our summer season although spring temperatures have been hard to come by this year. It's a good thing we have warm clothes, because it's been a cool month.

We had a great time in Pennsylvania...painting, playing and attending a street fair.

Let the work begin...we kept the shrink wrap on the boat as we unloaded the car and got everything settled into the boat.

Monday May 1st was still cool, but the sun started to make an appearance.

In she goes for our seventh season on Cayuga Lake.

Arriving at our marina in Ithaca.

Very empty the first few weeks, but by the end of May the marina had come alive.

After getting settled in at the marina we spent a week with our grands while their parents attended a conference in Wisconsin.

The kids belong to a running club, so on Sunday we had the chance to see them compete. Half a mile for Graham, a quarter mile for Cora and 100 yard dash for Hattie.

On the way home from nanny duty we treated ourselves to a nice lunch at the Ithaca Beer Company. We love coming here on beautiful days to enjoy a pizza and a little beer.

We have cruising friends that have a horse farm in Oneonta. They breed thoroughbred horses and one of their babies was running at the Finger Lake Racetrack. We've joined them before and had a great time...this time was just as fun. On our way to the track we saw several Amish men working in the field.

Good friends enjoying a beautiful day.

Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack

This is their baby Support the Cat. They only breed them and then sell the horses for others to train and race. Unfortunately he didn't win this time, but he made a good showing.

Maryann reconnecting with her baby.

Getting our little boat ready for the season. This year our two boats are side by side.

Towards the end of the month we went back to Pennsylvania to watch Cora in her dance recital. It was a great day for a picnic and enjoying the family.

Everyone had fun and enjoyed the food.

“Family is a life jacket in the stormy sea of life.” –J.K. Rowling

Our first summer getaway was at a wonderful house on Seneca Lake. We've all been looking forward to this house since we booked it last year. It was a little piece of heaven right on the water. It was such a wonderful place we hardly went anywhere else. We spent lots of time sitting on the deck, looking for treasures along our beach, painting rocks, playing games and exploring the creek that ran beside the house. Unfortunately it was a little too cool to swim in the frigid lake water...although Graham did brave one jump off the diving board. He always gets in no matter how cold it is.

The house

The living area.

The kitchen

The bedrooms

The game room.

Evening views from our deck.

Our own little creek, there were even a few waterfalls.

Kayaking on the lake was fun too.

On our first full day we took the boat up to Mile Wine Cellars for a picnic lunch. The ride there was a bit chilly, but it was a beautiful day to be out in the sun.

The boathouse at the winery.

We definitely couldn't beat the view we had with lunch.

Our little boat docked at the winery. Seneca Lake is beautiful. The water is much clearer than the water in Cayuga Lake.

The ride home was much more enjoyable. Everyone enjoyed themselves.

Playing games on the deck was a lot of fun too.

A little fun in the lake.

On our second day we went to the FLX Wienery for lunch. Great specialty burgers and hot dogs.

No summer day is complete without ice cream, so we stopped at Shtayburne Farm on our way home. Fresh ice cream made on the farm.

Going out for lunch was fun but staying at the house was relaxing.

Summer nights are for bonfires and s'mores.

Our third day we took a hike to Templar Falls. It was a short hike and the kids enjoyed playing in the water.

We treated ourselves to lunch at Horsehead Brewing. The restaurant overlooks the lake in Watkins Glen. We sat outside enjoying the view, the food and a little music.

Chequaga Falls in Montour Falls.

The kids love ice cream and we like finding all the great places to eat it. Glen Dairy Bar was a great treat...the cones were huge and the ice cream wonderful. Ice cream always brings smiles to everyone's faces.