Vacation

The Waiting Room

Linda is out of school, so last week she and I were able to get away for a few days. On Monday we drove out to Seneca Falls, NY - in the rain. Then, on Tuesday we started out early on a casual drive around Seneca Lake, stopping at various wineries along the way. At some of them we just shopped, while at others we tasted. Actually, I think we test the wines at six of the wineries, and we came home with nine bottles to add to our collection.

The first stop was at Fox Run Winery just south of Geneva (although their mailing address is actually Penn Yan). According to the tour book we were following, they offered the best tour. Actually, I think it was the only tour that we encountered, and it was excellent. We were in a small group - one other family, so there was a lot of opportunity to ask questions. I was able to stay behind at the winery after the group left to walk back down to the tasting room and was able to capture a couple of pictures.

The weather was warm and hazy most of the day, but by mid-afternoon the rain had started again. But the next morning was bright and clear as we drove along Rt 20 to Canandaiga. Linda had suggested stopping at Sonnenberg Mansion to tour the gardens. It turns out that the gardens weren't all that exciting, but the overall experience was very nice. Again, I was able to get at least one nice picture.

Wednesday afternoon was spent at the George Eastman House in Rochester. We were last there about 20 years ago - our Western NY camping expedition with the boys. The place has expanded dramatically, but the house remains as elegant as ever, and the museum is nice. There were two shows - one of American portraiture, the other entitled "Picturing Eden". Frankly, the second show didn't excite me very much, but the portraits were quite nice. Once again, it rained in the afternoon and evening.

When we got up Thursday morning, the plan was to drive back home with a stop in Utica. Unfortunately, we were greeted by the news that because of the flooding in the Fort Plain-Canajoharie area, the Thruway was closed between Syracuse and Schenectady. So when we got to Syracuse, we had to divert down through Cazanovia to pick up Rt. 20, and approached Utica from the south. Our first stop there was the train station. WNYT did one of their "one tank trip" segments on Utica and suggested seeing the train station, and it was well worth the visit. This picture was made there. Later, we went to the Munson Williams Procter Art Institute - this was our first visit there and while it was nice, it is not in the same class as the Clark in Williamstown.

Fortunately, by mid-afternoon the Thuway had reopened and we were able to get home with no further problem. But there was another thunderstorm that evening, because a tree fell into the distribution line, we had a 14-hour outage that lasted until the following morning. All in all, however, the week was fun and relaxing.

The Saturday before we left for the Finger Lakes, Dave and Pam had invited the neighbors up to their camp on the Hudson outside Hadley. Unfortunately, not everyone could be there - just the Coolman's and Barbers. But it was an absolutely delightful day. And tonight, Ralph and Steve stopped by for a chat as they were walking Gracie and Angle. We are very lucky to have found such a nice neighborhood.

Our next "event" is dinner on the 15 with the Weiss's and Aery's. Then, I go to Peters Valley for a few days on Pt/Pd printing with Tillman, and the day after I return, Linda and I go to New York with the librarians.

Guess what - it's raining again! At least we don't have to water the lawn.