Finger Lakes Visit, Part 2

There were so many pictures, I had to break this into two posts……….

We traveled the last half hour of the ride to Pittsford and arrived around 4 pm.   First stop, Hobby House for a little perusing.   Then to the Air B & B to unload, unpack and head off to the hotel where our friends were taking classes.   They were having a Happy Hour after class which we were invited to join.  It was great to see, Vikki and Denise, Diane and Jennifer, and Dana of course, and to be greeted with a big hug from Jackie DuPlessis herself!  

Back to our house, we settled into pizza and wine around the round oak table and chatted the night away.    As for me and my silly expectations of stitching to be accomplished over the weekend, not much stitching was completed.  The girls did manage to do their homework for their Saturday morning class.

Saturday we walked over to the store to shop.  Regretfully, I shopped and purchased.  There were two wool pieces in Hobby House Woolworks that I liked.  There was one woman in the shop snipping her fingers to the bones to kit up the charts and supplies as fast as she could for others.   No sweat, I’ll be back in October and pick them up.  She was pleasantly relieved.   One - which I didn’t photograph, was a wool penny Christmas Tree and the second a winter table runner.   I ordered the blue one; Stacy the red one.  

So if it is not bad enough having a Cross Stitch Store and a Wool Store, David and Kathy are opening a Quilting Store sometime in the fall in the same shopping center.   Oh boy!   One stop craft shopping for me for sure!   

Following our unnecessary purchases, we were off to Fairport, NY where we had booked tour on the Erie Canal.   Another beyond adorable, quaint little town.   

See that red boat….you can rent them for the week. You get boating instructions (?!!) Sounds kind of sketchy to me.  (Not everyone realizes there are NO brakes on the water!)  The boats include sleeping for two, four or six, living area, kitchen and come with bicycles as well.   Sounds like fun to me!

Below, it is hard to see, but the bridge does not open like a typical drawbridge would.   Rather it slides about 8 feet upwards on the four corner posts to allow boats to pass under it.  It is called a vertical lift bridge.  

 

Leave it to Robin to have to picture the landscape.  

Skies were cloudy when we headed out on our canal tour.

Construction started on the canal in 1817 in Rome, NY.   The Canal opened in 1825.  In 1825, the Canal was 363 miles and cut the travel time of 2 weeks by stagecoach to five days from Albany to Buffalo.  

We were not quite as close to the bottom of the bridges as it appears but we were close enough to be told not to stand up or raise our hands to touch the bridges when we went under them.  The Captain warned us at each bridge and actually could be seen ducking down herself under a couple of them.

Several railroad bridges, still operating, cross the canal.

We traveled through Lock 32 on the canal.  

Doors closed, and water is added to raise us up to the top.

 

Once at the level of the other side, off we went. 

There were so many wonderful public spots along the shore to be able to sit and watch the boats go by.

And even more, private docks.   

And the houses to go with the docks were beyond beautiful.   To be able to live on the water, there were a number I could suffer through living in.

It is a marvel to me that the canal was constructed and then opened in 1825.  No modern machinery like today.

The old tow path is a walking trail the ENTIRE length of the Erie Canal.

Sunday night dinner and “speed dessert” at Label 7.  Again, walking distance from our house.   Speed Dessert, you asked.   Well we didn’t know what to call it.   There were six of us at the table and three signature desserts.   Crème brûlée, Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce and Bread Pudding made from donuts.    We ordered one of each and six spoons.   Take a bite and pass the dish to the right.   We all got several tastes of each one and really enjoyed it.

Beautiful bed of cone flowers outside the restaurant.

Walking the path under the bridge on the way back to the house.

Some did not get enough dessert so we walked past our house and down the street to the creamery.   The Pittsford Dairy Farm.    Look at how awesome the ceiling lights were and the stools to sit on were.  There was the cutest little old man, 93, who was working the store counter.   He said he had worked there since 1961 when he was dating his wife, the dairy farmer’s daughter.   Imagine the changes this man has seen!

Sunday morning saw us eating breakfast al fresco.   

Back to the store before we headed out on Sunday morning.   I  had this project kitted up and picked it up from the store on our way our of town on Sunday morning.   This is the first of four parts of the Mary  Allcorn Sampler.   Since the owner, Kathy, is charting these, it is a Hobby House Exclusive.  The second piece, expected in the fall, is smaller and will go on a wooden spool.  The third pieces will be a needlebook.  The final piece of the series will be the sampler itself.   Look at that fabric - 40 count!   I hope 40 ct is as easy as everyone says it is.

On our ride home, we stopped in Skaneateles, a town on one of the Finger Lakes of the same name.  I love the unusually nooks and crannies of a waterfront town.  It was a beautiful little town with a Main Street filled with shops as well as dozens of Victorian homes in full glory.

Ducking into an antique shop, I spied this as a souvenir of our trip.  A cool little find.  It appears to have served someone with many years of good service.

Lakeside in  Skaneateles. 

So that was my “speed weekend” in New York.   And trust me I know how fortunate my life is to have such experiences.   I thank the universe every day.   Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching!