You know you are in central New York when you see the beautiful green mountains, pine trees, wood peckers and homemade dill pickles.
Jon and I have been enjoying the familiar sights and sounds of our home towns. It is wonderful to catch up with family and friends after being away for a year. Being vagabons gives us the opportunity to spend some quality time with our loved ones...you are practically living with them..oh wait we are living with them. Haha. We traveled to Croughan, NY close to the Adirondack Park Preserve to see my best friend and her mountain man husband. We then went to my sister and husbands house (which I grew up in) located in North Bay, NY. It's great because my parents are up from Mississippi. Now we are at Jon's brother and wife's house in Utica where we had lived for 35 years. Can't get enough of our sweet niece, Grace, and our Son Aaron.
After being in the big city it was nice to be in the country....I'm serious, my friend Brenda and Russell live on a dirt road in the side of a hill in Croughan, NY. They have wood peckers, humming birds, frogs and turtles in the pond and an occasional bear that visits. It's way up in the Adirondacks. Their house is powered by solar and wood energy. A perfect way to unwind. If you can't live on a boat, this is the next best thing.
At my sister, Lina and Tim's house in North Bay, we help prepare for our yearly family reunion /fishfry, sailed a little Snark in Oneida Lake(this area is so small we made front page news -pic below) and made dill pickles. You heard right..we made pickles. Jon washed the cucumbers, dad sliced them, mom and I and the six other people my sister roped into it, packed them and Lina added the brine and sealed them. These are pickles that one waits for all year. We've got ours stashed away already.
Lucky as we are, we were able to sail with some friends, Patty and Ron, on lake Ontario and catch up with many friends from that area. So much fun.
This is driving on NYS Thruway toward Adirondacks.
Humming birds...there were about eight
Friendly wood pecker
Lowville, NY
Our friends Brenda & Russel's. He built his house and the cabin we stayed in.
Just a little change from NYC.
Path to the cabin worn by their visitors
Simple beauty
Brenda tries to hold the wildlife..Jersy and Laramee.
My mom with rain boots from her grand daughter.
So pretty in central New York
Our cat Stella at new home..she loves it
Lots of deer
Beautiful sunsets in North Bay on Oneida Lake
Sailing Oneida Lake in a Snark (our very first boat)
Notice caption...you know what Jon was really saying.
Ha ha. A closer look.
My sweet little girlfriend, Adrianna.
Returning to Lake Ontario- Fair Haven, NY
Our friends, Patty and Ron, on Free Spirit
I keep trying to capture the beauty of central New York's hills and mountains.
Jon and his brother, Bob. Happy birthday!
