Rain and Sun and Fun

Another weekend comes to a close.  Luckily, this coming week is a short week, and then another long weekend!

On Friday, just as it was time to leave work, we had a major rainstorm, so I decided to wait it out a few minutes, knowing it would probably pass quickly.  It sure made the flowers happy.

The river was a little higher than normal on Saturday, and it was perfect for paddling.

 

 

 

 

 

For a special treat today, I met up with Irene from Hilaches.  She’s been visiting family near here for nearly a month, and we finally got a chance to meet up. 

She even brought me some fun western-themed fabrics!  After lunch, we made a trip to a local quilt shop, where Irene managed to refrain from buying too much, because she’s flying home in just a couple of days.  She may have bought a surprise for Ida though!

As the weekend comes to a close, so does the month.  My OPAM’s for the month include a mug rug that I can’t yet show, and a pincushion.  June was more about WIP’s and vacation. 

I stole this picture from Di’s blog, because I forgot to take one myself.

 

 

 

 

 

So now it’s on to July!  Happy Canada day to all my Canadian friends, and stay cool to my USA friends!

Kindness matters……Sunny

One Flower Wednesday

I’m trying to get back in the swing of things following vacation.  The lighter pink fabric in my flowers is from a fat quarter that I purchased last week while shopping with Di.

If you’d like to see more flowers, visit our hostess Karen, who keeps us motivated to keep our garden growing.

On Sunday, I had great intentions of getting some sewing done, but that didn’t happen.  I spent most of my afternoon looking through books for inspiration, and sorting through my scraps. 

This is the pile I pulled out, and tonight I had fun ironing everything!  Hopefully I’ll start cutting tomorrow night.

I also started working on a secret project tonight.  It’s a small project, so I should have results in the near future.

We have several rainy day in the forecast, so I hope to spend some quality time in the sewing room.  And….I might be meeting a fellow blogger this weekend!

Be kind to a fellow blogger……Sunny

Ahhhhh…….

That is the sound of me relaxing in my own chair in my own house, in front of my own television.  We left our hotel this morning, and headed for Ithaca, NY.  We saw a covered bridge,

visited a Farmer’s Market,

found out where the kayaks hang out,

and saw another beautiful waterfall.

And then a funny thing happened.  We were looking at a map deciding where to go next, and I got the urge to come home.  So we did.  A day early.  We’re exhausted, and I need a day of rest before I go back to work on Monday.  I’ll tackle Mt. Laundry tomorrow.  And maybe reacquaint myself with my sewing machine.  thanks for following along on our journey.  If you ever get a chance to visit the Finger Lakes Region you should definitely go!

Be kind to yourself……Sunny

Kayaking and Kindness

After kayaking on Keuka the other day, and seeing the conditions on Seneca and Cayuga, we decided to take the advice of the experts, and stick to kayaking on the smaller lakes.  DH wanted to paddle down a small creek through the center of Corning, but that didn’t appeal to me.  So off we went to Waneta and Lamoka Lakes.  The boat launch is located on a channel between the two lakes, and there’s actually a ramp on either side of the road.  We pulled into one lot, and realized that we couldn’t park there, so we crossed the road and started to unload.  A gentleman who had just pulled his boat out, parked and walked across to talk to us.  He noticed our out-of-state plates, and just wanted to know if we had any questions.  How kind was that?

He described each lake, and thought that we might enjoy Lamoka the most, so we followed his advice, and were very happy paddlers.  The channel was beautiful, peaceful, and calm.  Several small boats were coming in as we were going out, and everyone was very friendly.

The lake is surrounded by cottages, and I think many of them were rentals.  There’s a small island, which I had read was a good place for a picnic lunch.  We paddled for a couple of hours, and while we were loading up, a young couple pulled into the parking lot with their boat.  They came over to talk to us, and explained that it was their first time at this lake, and asked us for advice!  We were happy to be able to share what we had learned earlier, and told them of our pleasant experience.

A beautiful summer day, made even nicer by the kindness of strangers.

Be kind to a stranger today…..Sunny

Racing through Watkins Glen

My plan for tonight’s post was to have a picture of Miss Gracie, and see who could identify her.  However, she is not a very sociable cat, and I only caught a quick glimpse of her.  So I decided I would post a picture of Di, but that idea was quickly vetoed.  We both hate having our photos taken, so although we did get a couple of shots of us together, we made a pact that we wouldn’t post them.  I don’t think she’ll mind if I post this one though – LOL!

I love this quilt, and I want to make one just like it!

Di has the cutest apartment, and about a gazillion quilts.  We spent some time touring her apartment, and then it was time to head out and tour the town.  We visited the little country shop that she often visits, had a light lunch, and then spent some quality time in the quilt shop, O’Susannah’s.  Before we left Di’s, she gifted me with this beautiful tote bag, and I was happy to fill it up with patterns and fabric.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could have easily spent a thousand dollars in this shop.  They had beautiful samples on the walls, and I bought four patterns!

 

And then there were the fabrics.  I had my hands on a couple more small FQ bundles, but I put them back.  Sorry about the photos, but they were taken in a dimly lit hotel room.  Di also gave me a cross stitched piece that she had done, and a tiny little crochet piece to use as a rug with a little doll. 

While we were paying for our loot, DH called to say he was back at Di’s place waiting for me.  While we were seeing the important sights around town, DH had gone to Watkins Glen State Park, and had hiked up and down a zillion steps photographing 19 waterfalls in the gorge.  While I felt terrible about missing out on this trip, I knew I couldn’t handle all the stairs with my bad knee.  His plan was to take a shuttle to the top, and walk down, but upon arrival, he found that the shuttle wasn’t running today.  So he hiked it anyway!  I’m so proud of him.  I’ll share some of his pictures later. 

After we met back up, he stopped for a hot dog and we relaxed in Lafayette Park for a few minutes.  There are a lot of nice parks in WG!

We spent some time in the sunshine on the waterfront.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now since I got to go to the quilt store, I felt I should be nice and let DH go to Watkins Glen International Speedway.  We knew we really wouldn’t see much, but he wanted to at least be able to say that he had been there.

Much to our surprise, admission to the grandstand was free, and the Porsche Club had rented the track for the day, so we got to see them racing around!  It was pretty cool.

 

 

 

 

Then we went looking for one more waterfall for the day, in nearby Montour Falls.  It’s right in town, at the end of Main Street.  The sun was directly overhead, so we didn’t get the best pictures, but it was still beautiful.

We ended up back in Watkins Glen for a lovely seafood dinner, while overlooking the lake.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Di for your kindness today!    Sunny

Vacation from vacation

A typical week for me involves five days of sitting behind a computer, one day of playing/kayaking/touring, etc., and one day of mostly sewing.  It’s really hard to switch to playing every day!  So today, we vacationed from vacationing.  Almost.  We drove up to Seneca Falls, stopping at a couple of places along the way.  I needed a picture of one of the wine wine barrels along the road.  These things are HUGE!

This is probably at least eight feet across.  There are grape vines behind it, and Seneca Lake in the background. 

 

 

Do you recognize this bridge?

Seneca Falls is believed to be the inspiration for Bedford Falls in “It’s A Wonderful Life” That would make this the bridge that Clarence jumped off in order to save George Bailey’s life.  The sandwiches in the deli are named after the characters in the movie.  The large old hotel has been renamed the Hotel Clarence.

Seneca Falls has an excellent Visitor Center and museum, and lovely old buildings and churches.  We purchased a few things at the Farmer’s Market, too!

After lunch and walking around the town, we went to Cayuga Lake State Park to while away the rest of the afternoon.  We sat and relaxed, watched the fishermen, and wondered why more people don’t make use of the lakes.  We’re surrounded by huge beautiful lakes, and we’ve seen very few people enjoying them.  Maybe because it’s midweek?

Can’t wait until tomorrow when I get to meet Miss Gracie and her Staff!!

Be kind to everyone you encounter…..Sunny