Well, ugh, I've had sort of an unexpectedly rough week here in NYC, so I'm going to take another dip back into my lovely weekend in the Finger Lakes region a couple of weeks ago.
Louise and I had originally talked about getting out for a good paddle after Women Swimmin' wrapped up, but with the high winds, the paddlers (both Kayak Safety Team and the escort boats) all got a bit more of a workout than we usually do. By the time things were winding down at the afterparty at the Ithaca Yacht Club, we were pretty wiped out, and there were solid whitecaps out on the lake so it was going to be energetic paddling conditions. I was still game if Louise was, but when I told her I think I'd phrased my willingness in a less than enthusiastic manner - something like "If you still wanted to paddle I guess I could". She didn't hesitate to say "Nope, but thanks for being willing" and then I said "You know what else sounds good? A nap..." and she said "That sounds perfect". So we went back to her place and did just that and it was just the thing.
Before we went to sleep, though, she'd mentioned something about peach picking. I think I slept for about an hour, then woke up, but not hearing any activity from the sun porch where Louise was (I thought) sleeping, I went back to bed and crashed for what ended up being a couple more hours.
When I woke up again that much late, I thought I'd probably messed up the peach picking expedition, but it turned out that we still had JUST enough time, so off we dashed to the Finger Lakes Cider House.
Louise and I had originally talked about getting out for a good paddle after Women Swimmin' wrapped up, but with the high winds, the paddlers (both Kayak Safety Team and the escort boats) all got a bit more of a workout than we usually do. By the time things were winding down at the afterparty at the Ithaca Yacht Club, we were pretty wiped out, and there were solid whitecaps out on the lake so it was going to be energetic paddling conditions. I was still game if Louise was, but when I told her I think I'd phrased my willingness in a less than enthusiastic manner - something like "If you still wanted to paddle I guess I could". She didn't hesitate to say "Nope, but thanks for being willing" and then I said "You know what else sounds good? A nap..." and she said "That sounds perfect". So we went back to her place and did just that and it was just the thing.
Before we went to sleep, though, she'd mentioned something about peach picking. I think I slept for about an hour, then woke up, but not hearing any activity from the sun porch where Louise was (I thought) sleeping, I went back to bed and crashed for what ended up being a couple more hours.
When I woke up again that much late, I thought I'd probably messed up the peach picking expedition, but it turned out that we still had JUST enough time, so off we dashed to the Finger Lakes Cider House.
This isn't the u-pick type operation I was envisioning when Louise first suggested picking peaches, they have a restaurant and tasting room where where you can try their cider with a nice bite to eat, with most food offerings either grown on the property or sourced from nearby farms.
And the peaches were LOVELY. This is a variety called "Vivid" - I wonder why? Louise has a friend who works there who'd let us know that these were ready and heavenly. We each picked a full bag; they were a little bit hard coming off of the trees but a nibble of a windfall promised that they were going to be amazing after a couple of days to ripen. And oh, were they ever. Ate 'em like candy until they were getting so ripe that I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish them, at which point I took them to Sebago to share after the August Full Moon Paddle. People's faces as they bit into the slices for the first taste were just priceless!
We went back into the shop to have our peaches weighed and get a bite to eat and a sip of cider - or so we'd thought. But oh, the horror - their lunch service had ended at 4 and the shop was closing at 6. And it was 5:55!
Well, this turns out to be an excellent way to get yours truly to run quick and buy everything in your shop. Cider, ginger beer, apple liqueur, jam, a "honey flight", cheese, I basically grabbed stuff until I couldn't hold any more. And it was all delicious!
We packed up the goodies and headed back towards Louise's place, where she had plans for a most delicious salad with chicken and beets and cranberries (oh my), but then she mentioned something about a nearby place called Brews and Brats. Nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, just brews and brats, popular with local folks. I thought that sounded fantastic so off we went.
This was something local, I wish I could remember because it was very nice.
This was something local, I wish I could remember because it was very nice.
Their lot was literally carved out of a cornfield, as you can see. And oh, the brats, and oh, the baked beans (appropriately called OMG Baked Beans) and oh, the German potato salad. And with 2 sides I had enough left after getting completely stuffed for a great little breakfast the next morning.
After dinner, we adjourned to Taughannock Falls State Park for one of the wonderful entries in their summer concert series, the popular local band Maddy Walsh and the Blind Spots.
Another nice evening by Cayuga Lake with some good music and...
oh my...
Oh, the floof. Hello there. Hey Louise - can you remind me, are we here to hear music, or pet dogs?
Oh, definitely here to pet dogs. No question!
A few of my Finger Lakes goodies, everything was delicious
And I got utterly silly with the Honey Flight earlier this week. Buckwheat, with its distinctly stronger flavor, remains my favorite Mainland honey. Would still trade it for Hawaiian kiawe honey, which tastes like small-kid-time memories, but in the absence of that, I do love the buckwheat!
4 comments:
Sounds like a great time.
Oh,my word, this sounds like heaven! And now I’m craving a brat. And honey. The power of words! (And pictures!)
I bet the peaches were wonderful. I spent a weekend in the Finger Lakes one summer and loved it. I wish I could have stayed all summer.
Sorry Diane! :D That was a fine brat, too.
The peaches were great, the weekend was great, and the music was actually pretty good even though I gave it short shrift. You have to admit those King Charles spaniels were too cute for words, though!
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