Finger Lakes Region

Here's some more from our Anniversary Weekend getaway to Mountain Horse Farm B&B and the Finger Lakes Region in New York.

On our way, we stopped at Letchworth State Park and hiked between the waterfalls, and it's easy to see why Letchworth is such a popular place.

While I was looking forward to night photography and practicing with other techniques, this is what Jenn was excited about in the mornings:

Usually, Jenn and I hike lots of miles on our marriage-builder get-aways, but this was a bit different. With an abundance of wineries around in addition hot weather, we took things a bit slower and visited 5 wineries:

• Ravines Wine Cellars
• McGregor
• Atwater Estate
• Dr. Frank
• Hunt Country

Each of them had their unique twists. We really liked the reds at Atwood, and McGregor had a cool setup for tasting, and Hunt Country was very cozy and friendly with very good varieties, including a sherry we enjoyed.

As the year nears an end, Jenn and I were reminiscing about all the cool and different places we've been this year: Zion, New River Gorge, Hilton Head Island, Hocking Hills, Finger Lakes... American is a pretty cool place.

Twelfth Anniversary

Jenn and I celebrated our twelfth anniversary. She's just plain awesome, and the years keep getting better. We went to see Wynton Marsalis and his band at Blossom the weekend of our anniversary, and the following weekend we visited the Finger Lakes Region of New York, staying at Mountain Horse Farm Bed and Breakfast, and it... was... fantastic. And the kids got some great time with Grandma Laura and some more great time at Lauren & Logan's birthday party while we were gone.

The Mountain Horse Farm was just incredible. We got to talk with the host and hostess for a while before we left, and they are really neat people who have put an amazing product together on the outskirts of Canandaigua Lake. They've got a bunch of beautiful land, a beautiful lodge, a beautiful carraige house, a beautiful barn, beautiful rooms, tasty food... everything we look for in a bed and breakfast. And what really drew us to this area at this time was it's proximity to city lights: really, really, really far away.

I don't have our wine trail photos ready to post at the moment, but what follows are the photos I took on the grounds. This was a perfect place for an interested amateur like me to visit, 'cause the subject material for practicing was varied and very pretty. The changes in light, the abundance of warm tones, the iconic look of the barn and carriage house against the hills and forest behind, the morning fog, and the Milky Way's imposing placement over the barn gave me lots of opportunity to practice with my camera. I dare say that this was the most educational camera time I've had short of my time with Seth Hamel in Springdale, UT.

New School!

August blew into September, and the kids started at their new school, Old Trail School. We're pleased in every way so far, and the kids are loving it.

It's still very much summer time in our garden, with high-yield tomatoes and Morning Glories that are taking over the garden fence. And check out what took up residence in our garden fence!