“My granddaughter, you are my heart and soul, a piece of me that shines brighter every day.” – Unknown
After our lake vacation Hattie came to the boat for a visit. We had a great time together. She is so smart and entertaining. I truly love our one on one time with our grandchildren. We try to find special things to do when they are with us, but they seem the happiest when they just hang out on the boat. Playing and exploring. The weather was a bit warm, so we tried to do things in the morning or on the water. Spending time on our little boat was the best...she loves the water.
Each grandchild gets to pick the menu for the week and go shopping for all the things they love. Hattie and I had fun shopping...of course they love the extra little treats they get and I love spoiling them.
Hattie had a great time driving the runabout.
We spent the morning on the lake and even had a picnic on the boat.
Hattie definitely feels at home on the pier. She loves it here.
This isn't the best picture but Hattie was reading me a story. All our grands are good readers and seem to enjoy reading.
Hattie picked out a set of Hatchables for her little treat.
One morning before it got hot we went to the Children's Garden. Hattie still thinks it's fun, but the other kids have outgrown this place.
The second day we had a picnic at Taughannock State Park. It's a great place to hike or just look for treasures in the rocks along the lake.
Hattie checked out all the storage places on the boat. These are the compartments under the v-birth. If we're attacked by pirates...she knows where to hide.
The kids like to earn a little money when they are with us. Our last day together was spent at the house in Lewisburg so Hattie did a little house cleaning and gave Poppy a haircut.
We didn't find time for ice cream at the lake so we stopped at Sweet Frogs on our way back to her house. It's the kids favorite place for ice cream in Lewisburg.
It was such a nice day we stopped by Fishing Creek behind our son's house on the way back. It's a good place to cool off and pick up rocks to paint.
“As I grew older, I thought the best part of my life was over. Then I held my grandchildren for the first time and realized the best part of my life has just begun.” -Anonymous
Our first summer vacation was at a house on Cayuga Lake about 15 miles up the lake from the marina. We spent five days relaxing and enjoying our time together. We love making these memories with our grandchildren.
We didn't get to enjoy a lot of time on or in the lake, but we did fill our time with a lot of other activities. The weather was a bit cooler so we were able to hike on three days. We're lucky there are plenty of things to do in this area. Besides hiking we had a chance to pick berries and cherries. There is nothing better than fresh fruit right from the farm. We visited two farms to pick fruit, one to play with goats and buy cheese and an Amish farm store for a few groceries and plants. Life is good on the lake.
The house
The kitchen
The bedrooms
The yard
We always meet at the marina and have lunch on the boat and play a little before we head to our lake house.
Cora looks a lot like her Mom.
We decided to go to Stewart Park and play while we waited for our check in time. We were all having fun...until we weren't. Graham slipped on one of the fountains at the splash pad and split his chin.
A trip to the ER and all was well.
The view from our house was wonderful.
Our first hike for the week was a bit muddy but it was fun to get out and do a little exploring. We walked to Teeter Pond in the Finger Lakes National Forest.
We could hear frogs in the pond but we never found them.
On our way home we stopped by the Lively Run Dairy to feed the goats and pick up some cheese.
We always have fun at the houses we stay at. We cook, do crafts, play games, read books, put puzzles together, watch movies, enjoy campfires....
and act silly.
We did a few new crafts this year. We made things from air dry clay, made tile coasters and Bryt practiced her watercoloring. Of course coloring is always fun too.
Fun with Poppy.
Campfire fun. It was nice having the fire pit so close to the house.
This time of year is a great time in the Finger Lakes. There are tons of places to pick fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers. One morning we picked raspberries at the Indian Creek Farm.
Our second hike was the upper loop at Robert H. Treman State Park. It's a beautiful spot. Lucifer Falls is the main highlight of this hike.
On another day we picked cherries at Cheerful Cherry Farm. What a treat...so many cherries and they were delicious. We had great desserts made from cherries and raspberries.
We were given permission to try all the varieties the farm grows.
After picking cherries we had lunch at the Grist Iron Brewing Company. It was a beautiful day, perfect for sitting outside and taking in the view of Seneca Lake.
Our third hike of the week was to Excelsior Falls. The hike was a bit warm but our reward was cooling off in the creek when we reached the end. The best part of this hike...we had the place all to ourselves.
Graham even had fun sliding down the creek.
We've had a lot of rain and cooler weather this spring and summer so the lake is still very cold. Even with wetsuits on, the kids had a hard time being in the water.
The only chance we had to use the boat was Sunday after we checked out of the house. The morning was sunny, no wind and it was a lot of fun.
