Sunday in Letchworth State Park, NY

We were again picked up at 9am-ish by Andrea and Dale. Our generous friends want us to see the lovely parts of their home state, and we truly appreciate their time and effort. Both of them grew up not far from here, so it is good to hear stories of times gone by and their childhoods in these verdant parts.
We are docked in front of Robyn and Dave's home on the River at Point Breeze, and A and D live on the other side of the river, further up. It isn't very far between the two homes, especially when you take a dinghy ride! :) It is fortunate that two friends live so close and we can connect with both in the one place.

Robyn and Dave have been working and away for the weekend, so we have had little opportunity to catch up.

Our trip today took us through glorious pastureland filled with corn! well, it would have been glorious pastureland, but they put their cows in large shed, rather than let them feed on pasture.

We passed many Dairy Farms...it is a little challenging to take the appropriate photos while sitting in the back seat of a moving car, :)

These farms are not as we know them in NZ. Partly because of the incredibly harsh winters, these cows are kept indoors....mostly in pens....but the 'pasture' land is more profitable with corn planted in it! Big ethanol production in these parts (using the corn). For the uninitiated...15% of all fuel is ethanol. You can buy fuel without ethanol, which is what we buy for our dinghy outboard. The scientist onboard tells me that ethanol can react with rubber seals and also brings water into the carburetor, which can cause corrosion problems.

We did see lots of Sileage piles next to these feed barns, and most of them have silos for grain, also. It is hard to find grass-fed beef in supermarkets, and you pay a premium for the meat. Most of the beef is Grain-fed, and pink, vs grass-fed beef which is dark red! Buy the latter if you can!

 

One of the MANY picturesque Barns that we see everywhere....most of which are falling over, I might add.

 Pasture, Corn, Trees, Hills. So pretty and manicured looking.

this Hay looked pretty green, to us.

 There were many deer in the cornfields as well as these in  grass. Later in the day we saw deer crossing the road in front of us. On the way home from Niagara, in the dark, we had to be very aware that deer might cross the road in front of our vehicle. We saw so many on the side of the road, and fortunately, NOT in front of the car.

As we entered Letchworth State Park, we were struck by the variety of trees...but no more or less than we had seen everywhere in upstate NY....our imagination ran riot thinking what this would look like in the Fall (Autumn)...stunning!

 Can you imagine having this view and more importantly, this beautiful countryside, on your own property. More than that, you had a vision of what it could become and unselfishly designed the infrastructure for that purpose.

 The extent of the park is huge. The original bequest of 1,000 acres has been added to, and is now more than 1500 acres. It is a credit to the state that it is so well kept. All lawns mown, and everything clean and tidy. Bathrooms are well kept, without graffiti and clean! oh joy!
Letchworth was a man of vision. I like him!!:) He not only had a great work ethic, but also a generous nature. He knew that this property had to be shared. Thank You William Pryor Letchworth!

Yes, it DOES look stunning in the Fall. I had to take a photo of a photo!...bottom right, in the picture above.

 The river is not deep, for the most part (apart from the pools, of course) but it is very pretty.

The rock is Slate, and very crumbly. This part of the cliff looks 'stacked'...and I guess it is, really.

 There were many places to view the three different falls, and each involved driving along roads like this. Trees are so essential to our collective wellbeing, not just for the obvious scientific reasons, but also for the collective psychie.

Kayaking and rafting of the river are common. these folks chose the former, obviously.

I commented that there was so little undergrowth, between the trees...quite without thinking about the obvious....Deer! they eat it all.

One of the deeper parts of the river, coming under the bridge. You can see a red dot just above the middle of the photo...people on the bridge! See it? the straight line with the arch underneath.

The small Falls. The path walks us alongside. I am standing up in front of the Letchworth Homestead, Glen Iris.

The BIG Falls, of which you can only see a part of in this photo. The trestle is rail, and now built of Steel, but the original trestle was the tallest Wooden structure IN THE WORLD!

The slate is so obvious everywhere...sitting in leaves, as if to peel off, at any moment.

 Layers of the stuff...fascinating!

 Here is the rest of the Falls

I love this saying...."Life's Path is short - Let love be your Guide"..and what an appropriate setting to remember this person. A seat beside a path leading to a waterfall! Choice:)

It is a long way down there...looking down the middle falls.

With a Rainbow near the bottom...two actually! See the second one?

The layers of slate create this interesting effect in the middle falls, before the big drop-off.

 You can see the whole picture of the falls here with the layering.

 ...and finally. Such a pretty setting, and completely mesmerizing! I could have watched them forever.

 Clean and green water....just lovely:)

 

 The pathway leading us to a set of stairs that took us to the Glen Iris Homestead. We went into the little Museum there after our lunch at Glen Iris with Andrea and Dale. The meal was very good, but the waiter was a little too familiar with the guests and made a most inappropriate comment to me.

I love the colors on the outside of Glen Iris. It is a lovely home with superb Wooden paneling inside. it is also a guest house and we were not allowed to venture upstairs. That is only for the guests. Pity!

I hope you can read this....It says:
William Pryor Letchworth LLD.
Humanitarian - Conservationist

Donor of Glen Iris and his Estate comprising the original 1,000 acres of the Park, including Upper, Middle and Lower Falls so that this Gorge might remain a place of inspiration and beauty forever.

There was a 'wedding' tent on the far lawn, which was doing service as a SALE tent instead, this day. I think they were selling off unsold items from the Gift Shop, at 40 % off.!

Things like these pretty outdoor bowls.

After lunch we went to the Museum....

The original stone building is 'solid' to say the least. It is common in this area to see buildings made of local stone, like this. Waz is waiting in the shade for me to finish taking photos. Patient man!:)

Inside were many artifacts from the area, including information on local Indian tribes, some of their beadwork and clothing et al, items of note from the family home etc and this Mastadon skull...

Fascinating!!!
Also featured was this oblong piano which used to grace the parlor at Glen Iris. The inpaid wood had been lovely, but was very faded...also handpainting....

We left the State Park around 2.30pm and made our way home. Waz napped (catching flies!) in the back seat with me, and I tried to, but got a crick in my neck! sheesh..hard to keep the peepers open! When everything is new, and your brain is wizzing at a million miles an hour taking it all in, it tends to get a bit tired!!..sign of old age???lol.


I don't know the name of this flower, but I was rather taken with it's long fingers.

 I had another go at photographing the Dairy Farm, on the way home...was I successful?

A and D had wanted us to see the Cider Mill....here she is, but not open right now. They had been there when it was open and sampled the fresh Apple Cider.

Just another old home in disrepair. Really, this makes me weep Such a waste, to see them all going to ruin.

The barns aren't in much better shape, as you can see. Pretty picture, nonetheless!

This building is a local government office in the town of Albion, just a few miles from Point Breeze. Nice!

We got home in time for a cup of coffee and a nap..yes, more nap!
I cooked some pork which had been in the fridge rather long, and it was dry and horrid, but Waz ate it with gusto...he loves pork! I had made one of my sugarless mousses for dessert, so we had that with strawberries from the Amish, and whipped cream, for dessert! yum! at least the dessert tasted good!


The next day, Monday, was a day at home. The boat needs lots of work, both inside and out. We have not had the opportunity to give her a really good clean, for some time, so that was a priority. I took to the dinghy with the Simple Green and she came up like new:) The hull also got a good wash and then the fenders...all 8 of them got scrubbed to within an inch of their lives to get the Lock grime off them. They look lovely now:) High pressure hoses can do wonders, along with plain dish soap and water.

We finished some of the chores in time to go with Robyn and Dave, over to A and D's for dinner. They kindly bar-b-q'd for us, and we enjoyed a fabulous meal prepared by Andrea. Simple, but delicious!

Lots of laughs with good friends and we left there around 10.15pm. All of us were tired...too much going on, I think.

Today, Tuesday, we went into Albion to do some essential food shopping. Dave kindly lent us his sporty mini..photos to come tomorrow! and we filled the trunk with groceries...except that when I had finished unpacking them all, there wasn't much food in the fridge. I had forgotten most of the veg, but had bought more fruit than I had planned, going into Canada! sheesh. Looks like we will take another trip tomorrow.

We had gone out for breakfast to the local Diner, this morning, which came recommended, and were VERY surprised to have one of the best meals so far. I had the eggs benedict (surprise!) without the muffin, and Waz had banana pancakes with syrup...and raved about them,. He wants to go back tomorrow!!! I will ask for Crab Cakes bene, tomorrow, if that is what we do.:) Ive been told you have to ask for them as they aren't officially on the menu!! I will!!!

It rained today...well, not exactly rained, but POURED DOWN. It was heavy enough that we collected at least a gallon of water in the tarpaulin, upstairs. I had left the plants outside in the rain, so I had to tip it down the plug hole, unfortunately. It was wet right up to the back door, so there was wind involved too.

After the torrential downpour, the sky cleared and we had a lovely sunset, in a clear blue, cloudless sky, as if nothing had happened.

But I get ahead of myself...

We had gone around the road to the Kiwi boat owners house, on the way to the supermarket, and left them our boat card, as they were at work. We didn't hear from them, and with our days here getting fewer, we decided to go around, after dinner, to say hello.

We were greeted by Karin and immediately invited to join them and their house guests for a slow boat up the river. They have a 35ft Carver, Motor Yacht (the maori name on the back), and we all piled onto the fly deck for a slow motor up the river a ways. Their guests were all Kiwis too:) Cant get away from us!!!!
It was fun chatting to them all and we were made very welcome. We finished the cruise by going out onto the Lake (Ontario) briefly, but it was a wee bit choppy and things started to fly around...namely the wine glasses, so we turned and went back into the Oak Creek and back to their dock. A nice interlude, but cold! After the storm took all the humidity away, the cold set in.

We have seen many faces of Lake Ontario in the almost week we have been here. We are hoping to have no problems on our 4-6 hr journey across her to Trenton, on Friday.

We said our goodbyes to Karin and Rod, and came home. We have enjoyed the Mini...thanks Dave and Robyn:)

I don't know what kind of cook I am turning into, but I seem to be always hungry, even after dessert. I had a banana for a second dessert, when we got home....My metabolic rate has certainly revved up with the no-sugar/carbless way of eating, that we do. Lucky I have some clothes to grow down into!

I still didn't get to vacuum, today, but have put it on the agenda for tomorrow. We even had the aircon in the boat, today, which is unusual for us. The humidity is not much fun, especially when it is raining and we have to shut the boat up.

Well, Im done here and it is time for bed...again. It comes around with regular monotony!

Ciao for tonight. More cleaning tomorrow...gotta get that hull clean and the inside of the boat too!