Fall Updates

“As leaves cover the forest floor in a carpet of vibrant rusts, orange and gold, Autumn proves that sometimes death, too, can be a beautiful thing.” – Nikita Gill

Our fall has been busy and it's hard to believe how fast this year has flown by. There are so many things to keep us busy in this area and we love it. Pennsylvania and New York seem to love fall and there are fall pumpkin stands and festivals everywhere. Here's a look at some of the things that kept us busy this fall. 

I decided to break this blog post into categories instead of by date. Our biggest activity in the fall is saying goodbye to The Pearl and getting her ready for the winter. So here are pictures of our last days in Ithaca. They were filled with great sunsets and beautiful temperatures.

We never get tired of watching these balloons

or the full moon.

Our favorite place to eat or just have dessert is The Boatyard Grill.

The gulls are moving in and are happy the boats are leaving.

Stan leaving Ithaca...the end of another great year on the lake.

Our last view from The Pearl...one in the evening the other our last morning on the boat.

Goodbye...we'll see you in the spring.

We've stayed busy all year with family activities and they are the ones we enjoy the most. Going places with the kids and having them come play at the house makes life awesome.

What would fall be without football games?

Campfires and s'mores are even better in the fall.

The kids came over one weekend to enjoy the Woolly Worm Winter Weather Prognostication and Fall Festival. We had fun taking part in family activities, looking through craft booths, listening to music and having lunch in the park.

One afternoon we rode our bikes to Mifflinburg to enjoy their October Fest.

Our yard is beginning to look like fall.

We're enjoying all the fall squashes...this is butternut squash soup with fresh basil, parmesan cheese and pumpkin seeds on top.

Stan made these poblano rellenos and they were delicious. 

We usually eat at the Boathouse Grill on our last night at the marina, but they were closed so we celebrated the end of the season by going to Elizabeth's in Lewisburg. It's a beautiful little restaurant but not as good as the Boatyard.

I had the bistro carbonara pasta and Stan had the fall tasting menu which included chick pea salad, lemon baked trout and cheese cake. We shared the salad and dessert.

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part XIII)

“Pour kindness like rum, forgive like waves, and let your heart be the island that welcomes everyone home.” –Jimmy Buffett 

We didn't make it to any new wineries in 2024, but we've done a little more exploring this year. It's hard to get to new places when you enjoy the favorites so much. The title of this blog is a bit misleading since several of the new places we visited were in Pennsylvania.

Keuka Spring Vineyards sits on the east side of Keuka Lake just outside of Penn Yan. It has beautiful views of the lake and was established in 1985.

The house we rented on Keuka Lake is just down the hill from Keuka Spring Vineyard.

Ryan William Vineyard sits in the heart of the Finger Lakes, on the southeast side of Seneca Lake. Only 100% estate grown fruit is used in their winemaking. The tasting barn was originally built between 1865-1870. 

We visited this vineyard on our way to our family vacation in August. We heard that their restaurant was listed as one of the top best winery restaurants and just had to give it a try. We were not disappointed. We shared the Thai Chick Pea Salad made of local seasonal greens, carrot slaw, sweet Thai chili, cilantro, toasted almonds. We will definitely return for another wonderful lunch next year.

Fero Vineyard & Winery is only a few miles from our home in Lewisburg. We visited when boating friends from Ithaca came through town. The winery uses old-world varieties of grapes from the heart of Europe that thrive in Central Pennsylvania. 

Purple Cow Winery is located in Bloomsburg. Brytanie, the kids and I spent Mother's Day afternoon here since Kyle and Stan were working. The grounds were beautiful and we had a fun day, but we didn't try any of their wines. They all seemed a little too sweet for our tastes.

We did enjoy the music and the lobster food truck.

Sellin' Grove Brewing Company is located in Selinsgrove, a small town downriver from Lewisburg. The brewery is located in a historic building that was completed in 1816 by Pennsylvania’s third and only three term governor, Simon Snyder. The building remains remarkably intact and is on the National Historic Register. The brewing Company is housed on the ground floor in the governor’s original kitchen, complete with a walk-in fireplace.  

You can read about other wineries we've visited in the Finger Lake area at the following links.

Finger Lakes Wineries (Part XII)

Finger Lakes Wineries (Part XI)

Finger Lakes Breweries and Cideries (Part X)

Finger Lakes Breweries (Part IX)

Finger Lakes Wineries (Part VIII)

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part VII)

Finger Lakes Wineries (VI)
Finger Lakes Wineries (Part V)

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part IV)

Finger Lakes Wineries (Part III)

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part II)

Finger Lakes Wineries & Breweries (Part I)

Our Home Town

"Home isn't where you're from, it's where your soul finally breathes." -Unknown 

Not everyone has the chance to hand pick their home town. We lived most of our lives in the town we were raised in and it was a nice place while we were raising our children, but families move away and other places become more desirable. We actually picked two amazing little towns that we absolutely love. The town that we spend most of our time in now is called Lewisburg. It's a historic community located on the banks of the scenic Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. It's only a short drive through the beautiful rolling hills to where our son and his family live. 

The population is just over 5,000, but it seems larger because other small villages are close by and it's a college town. Anything we need is close by and easy to get to...no traffic. Cute little shops, nice restaurants, great fresh food markets and plenty of medical facilities. We're also in Amish country and the community has a very laid back feel.

The city was founded in 1785 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It's known as "Pennsylvania Town" among historians due to its distinct city layout developed in colonial Pennsylvania.

This is my favorite little shop downtown. It's called Brushstrokes and is filled with art supplies and unique gifts.

Historic downtown Lewisburg.

Piers Art Park - They have turned the old coal trestles from a former coal yard into a unique park. The area used to house a coal yard, an office, sheds and a scale house. You have to stand in a certain place to get the full effect of the artwork.

Next to the park is this little covered bridge.

Our favorite grocery store in town is Davy's. The freshest fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses you could anywhere at great prices. The best thing about this market...it's only two blocks down the street.

The other place we like to shop is the farmers market that is open every Wednesday. This market is only a few blocks from our house also. We just love it here.