Oct. 7 - Exploring Along Lake Erie

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." — F. Scott Fitzgerald

The weather later in the week looks a little iffy, so we took advantage of the little sunshine we had today to get out and explore. We drove up the lake and over to Lake Erie. The foliage is amazing, but hard to photograph while driving in a car. But take my word for it...it was spectacular.

Our first stop was at the Barcelona Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1829 and was the first natural gas lighthouse in the country. It remained in service until 1859. It's now a New York State Park. It's no longer used for navigational purposes, but is still lit and visible through an agreement with the Town of Westfield.

Our next stop was at Barcelona Harbor Beach. I'm sure it's a great place to play in the summer, but today it was windy and cool...actually cold for us. It would be a nice place to watch the sun go down.

Looking south at the same beach...so many great rocks for painting.

Our second beach along the lake was just a bit south of the first one. It's called Ripley Beach and we had to climb down stairs to get to it. The lake was a little churned up by the wind and we didn't have a lot of beach to walk on.

It was a very interesting place.

Our last stop was actually on Lake Erie just over the Pennsylvania line. It was called Fishermans Beach. It was in a nice park and we had to hike from the parking lot. It was an easy walk along 20 Mile Creek.

The creek ends at the lake. We saw quite a few people fishing...no one seemed to be catching. We finished our day by having lunch and doing a little shopping in Bemus Point along Chautauqua Lake.

Oct. 6-13 Lakewood, NY

“An ocean which thinks there is nothing to learn from a lake is not a wise ocean!” -Mehmet Murat idlan

The weather last week was amazing and we knew it wouldn't last, so we decided to move the boat to our winter marina. It's so much nicer to winterize and unload the boat when the weather is pretty. Since we had planned on moving off the boat a week later, we needed to find somewhere to hang out until we move into the house we have rented in Lewisburg, PA for a month.

We looked at the map to see if we could find a new place to explore and we decided on Chautauqua Lake. It's a beautiful little lake in the southwestern part of the state. This time of year the fall foliage is almost at its peak and there are new places to hike and new things to learn. We found a pretty old farm house to rent. It's so comfortable we may never want to leave. 

The Gifford Homestead was built in 1870. The present owners renovated the house in 2021 and it is beautiful.

This lake is where the Chautauqua Assembly started in the late 19th century. It was started by the Methodist Church as a summer teaching camp for Sunday-school teachers. It expanded and brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, showmen, preachers, and specialists of the day. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The institution has operated each summer since then, gradually expanding its season length and program offerings in the arts, education, religion and music.

Our first look at the lake was at Lucille Ball Memorial Park near Jamestown. This is where Lucy spent a lot of time as a child.

Fall Foliage

"The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go." -Unknown

This is a repost of one I shared several years ago, but the trees are changing and we are transitioning away from our summer home to our winter home and thought I would share the info again...and the beautiful photos.

The fall colors are taking over in upstate New York and Pennsylvania. It truly is a beautiful time of year. Our trees in Texas change color, but we don't get the colors you find further north. Do you know why? Here is an explanation...Although temperature and rainfall influence the colors, the onset of longer nights is the most important factor in leaf color change. The daylight hours in the south stay more consistent so we have less color.

So why do leaves change color? Changes in leaves' plants have three primary pigments that are important for the color changes we see during autumn: chlorophyll, carotenoids and anthocyanins.

Chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their green color, is necessary for photosynthesizing light and creating sugars that feed the plant. Carotenoids assist in photosynthesis and are responsible for the oranges and yellows color. Anthocyanins, acts as a protective “sunscreen” for leaves; they produce the red colors we see in leaves. Anthocyanins are produced only during the fall when chlorophyll levels start to drop.

During the growing season, chlorophyll takes center stage as it's repeatedly produced and broken down again, making the leaves appear green. As the days become shorter, there is less available sunlight for photosynthesis. This slows chlorophyll production until none remains. The carotenoids and the anthocyanins are then left allowing the leaves to bare their brilliant colors.

Temperature and moisture are the main drivers of the amount and brilliance of the colors. Warm, sunny days with cool (but not freezing) nights allow for lots of sugars to be produced during the day, which are then trapped in the leaves as the cool nights close the leaves’ veins. This extra sugar leads to the production of more anthocyanins, boosting the reds, crimsons and purples in the leaves.

In most parts of the temperate world, 15% of tree species will turn yellow and only 10% will turn red. In certain regions, however, like New England, 30% of the woody species will turn yellow and an incredible 70% will turn red. You’ll find some of the most brilliant color changes in trees such as maple, dogwood, sumac, oak, poplars, birch and elm.

My friend Julia took this picture of the marina right after we left...thanks for the wonderful picture.

These pictures were taken by a local photographer in upstate New York. His name is John Kucko. Just out his Facebook page.

Fall isn't all about the foliage...there are plenty of pumpkins, Indian corn, mums and gourds too.