Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl)

May 12 - Celebrating the Sun

"We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls." ― Winston Churchill

The sun was out today, so we just had to go out and celebrate. We did this by having a wonderful lunch at The Ginny Lee Cafe at Wagner's Vineyard. This has been a favorite of yours for years. We had the best table on the deck overlooking Seneca Lake. The weather was still a bit cool, but it felt amazing sitting in the sun soaking in the warmth of the day and the views of the lake.

After lunch we drove down the lake to Montour Falls to check out a few more waterfalls. The south end of Seneca Lake is full of waterfalls. The best place to go is Watkins Glen State Park...we were there about nine years ago and will go again soon, but today we were on the hunt for some waterfalls we haven't seen before. Our first stop was at Aunt Sarah's Falls waterfall just north of Montour Falls. It's right along the road and requires no hiking, it was nice, but not the best of the day. That honor goes to our next stop...Shequaga Falls, which is also known as Montour Falls. What a wonderful spot, set in a park in the middle of town.

Aunt Sarah's Falls

Shequaga Falls (pronounced She-qua-ga) is a 165-foot tall waterfall located right in the heart of Montour Falls. It can be seen as you drive down Main Street as it towers over this otherwise flat community.

A relaxing spot to take in the view of the falls.

The backyard of this home looks over the falls...what an incredible place to have a fire pit and chairs.

Our last waterfall was Deckertown Falls, which required a little bit of hiking. The falls were easy to find and it was nice to get a little bit of exercise. The visible portion of the falls drop 70 feet in three distinct steps that are easily seen from a small path that leads from the parking area up Catlin Mill Creek.

Just a few of the beautiful flowers we have seen lately.

May 10 - Taughannock Falls

Rain, rain, go away, Come again another day, The crew of The Pearl wants to play.

We've had a lot of rain in the past week, every day we've had rain. The benefit of lots of rain in the Finger Lakes...it makes the waterfalls amazing. Today the sun came out a little and we drove up to Taughannock Falls to check the sight. We've seen these falls almost dry through the summer, but today we were treated to a wonderful show of power.

Taughannock Falls

The Upper Falls...a picture taken today, one during the summer and another picture taken during the winter. The falls are always changing.

Looking west from the upper falls...one picture from today and another from a few summers ago.

The lowers falls...rushing into Cayuga Lake.

A short video of the upper falls.

May 3 - Home for the Summer

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“May your joys be as deep as the oceans, your troubles as light as its foam. And may you find, sweet peace of mind, wherever you may roam.” –Unknown

This will be our fifth season in Ithaca...it's really becoming our second home and we love it here. We are beginning our 11th season on The Pearl and we have this migration thing down to a science. Each spring we pack up our car, close up our house and boat in Texas and head north. This year we didn't have to close up the house...we sold that in January. Although we know exactly what needs to be done, it can be a lot of work, especially unpacking when we get back to The Pearl.

Our last look at Texas Pearl as we left Rockport.

It's a bit cold here in the Finger Lakes...winter doesn't seem to want to go away...but this picture was taken months ago. No snow at the moment, but for us Texans it sure doesn't feel like spring.

Our car was pretty full on our way up to the lake, luckily we keep some of it in our son's basement. Transitioning from one life to another takes a little work.

First job is to take the shrink wrap off...

then we have to unload and haul all the stuff up the ladder and on to the boat. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to complete our work and have the boat ready to live in again.