Another Tourist Town

Tonight we spent an enjoyable evening with some old friends at Sodus Point, NY.  It is a small tourist town on Sodus Bay about 20 minutes from our campground.  It is home to several restaurants and bars which look out over the water and have rooftop tiki bars.  It is a hangout for bikers as well, as many as 50 can line the streets on a weekend night.  Tonight however was relatively quiet.

I seem to notice there is a nautical theme to the weather vanes in this area.  The last one I photographed was a sailboat and this one is a fish. Below is the small visitor center you pass as you enter the town.  The gardens are just beautiful.

 Here we are enjoying good food and cold beer with great friends.

This is Captain Jack for whom the restaurant/bar was named for.  A bit tacky if you ask me.

Outside the visitor center is this nice little patio, a nice spot to sit a spell and enjoy the sights.  Upon leaving the restaurant tonight we saw a young girl with this Albino snake wrapped around her neck.  She was nice enough to hold him so that I could get a picture.  Something I have never seen before.

Well, I went in to use the restroom and noticed this etched on the wall.  Now, you might ask why I took a picture of it.  Well, not sure who G-Dog is but Ray was called Ray Ray when he was young so I couldn't resist.  Maybe he knows something he's not telling me!

Father's Day at Fair Haven

After Fathers Day dinner at the campsite we decided to take a short drive to Fair Haven, NY. Fair Haven is a small, quaint village surrounding Little Sodus Bay, a two mile bay with break walls leading to Lake Ontario. Fair Haven is a summer resort area that features some of the best swimming, fishing and boating along with camping at Fair Haven State Park. It is home to many restaurants and bars which you can walk, ride or boat to. This is the view from Phillips Park on Main St. in the village. I love this house and the peacefulness this photo brings.

While Ray and Raymond decided to fish from the pier opposite this home, Lori, Greg and I decided to stroll through the village to see what was there.









Above is the Little Sodus Inn, a small restaurant and pub which sits on the banks of the bay. We will have to come back and enjoy a dinner or drink here while watching the sailboats on the bay.





Even though this village is only about 3 blocks long, they had a square in the middle with a nice park and gardens. There was also a memorial to the Korean, WWI and WWII veterans. In the front of the photo is a light, and I am sure it is nice to see it all lit up at night.



There was a gazebo in the square as well where I am sure they probably hold small town band concerts and other services. I couldn't help but to capture a picture of the weather vane with a sailboat on top, so appropriate for this area.








After leaving a small gift shop, I noticed this sign and had to chuckle.  Bet you can guess which way I will head the
next time I visit here.  That is, of course, after stopping for a cold one at the Irish Pub.






It has been said that the Fair Haven sunset is rivaled in beauty only by those in Japan. We will have to return some evening and see if that is true and steal a photo or two of it.

                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                        

Despite the hot and humid weather, we had a very enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend. Our park is so quiet during the week but Thursday night it began filling up for the long weekend and by Friday night it was full to capacity.  Each weekend we seem to meet another one of our neighbors and have made some great friends here.  It seems like all we did was cook, eat and drink with them this weekend. Of course, Ray was the official griller and margharita maker. 

Horseshoe tournaments are a big thing at this park.  Here is Ray playing a game just for fun. 

Not only have WE made new friends, but Mickey and Jerry have as well.  I think there is a dog at every site here.

This little Shitzu is Maggie.  She was rescued by our friends a year ago at which time she was so frightened of everything that they couldn't even pet her.  She has come along way but is happiest sitting under her owners lawn chair and remaining unnoticed.  Of course Mickey and Jerry like her because she keeps a low profile.

I tried to crop the neighbors legs and feet out of this picture but was having a problem with it.  Despite that, this little dog is Savannah.  She is another rescue dog, and believe it or not, another one that Mickey and Jerry are fond of.  I think that is because she just roams around by herself and minds her own business.  Unlike Maggie, she loves for you to give her attention and she loves to eat.

Last but not least is Bobby.  He is a cute little 8 year old rugrat.  This one is not a friend of Mickeys.  Not sure what it is since Bobby is a very quiet, but him and Mickey do not see eye-to-eye.

On Memorial Day the kids came out to visit and we took a ride to the lake to walk along the bluffs and take in the scenery.  There is something about being near the water that is just so relaxing.  And there were so many boats on the water since it was a nice sunny day.  We also took our granddog Annie for her first swim.  She would run in the lake and swim for a few minutes and then run out.  We think the water was probably a little too cold for her.

After the trip to the lake it was back to the campground for a cookout, followed by a 90 degree day campfire.

Annie loves to sit in a camp chair and watch the campfire but she was so tired from her swim that she fell asleep.

We listened to another camper play the bagpipes and remembered what this day was all about, remembering those in the military who serve or have served to fight for our freedom, and those who have sacrificed their lives so we can enjoy this wonderful life we have.  God Bless you all.

Chimney Bluffs State Park

 We set out one day to explore the area and ended up at Chimney Bluffs State Park, about 5 miles from our campground.  We could not believe that we had lived 45 minutes from here our whole lives and had never heard or seen it.  We took a hike on the trail leading to the top of the bluffs.  Unfortunately it had rained hard the day before and it was very muddy and slippery.  The trail was only 1 1/2 miles uphill but did not quite make it to the top.  We read later that you can park below the bluffs and walk under them along the lake.  I'm sure we will take another trip back there and maybe even pack a picnic.

On the way down the trail

Lake Ontario viewed from the picnic area

Stopped to visit this winery.  Cute place, not so good wine

At Peace Exploring Nature

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

This week I found such peace in this beautiful place we call home.  It started when I saw these Killdeer in the site behind ours.  As you can see from the picture above, the female is watching over her eggs.  Killdeer nest in gravel and their eggs blend in and look like stones.  When I went to check on her she was quite annoyed and starting yelling at me and spreading her wings.  The workers in the park are aware she is there and we all check on her every day.  It takes 24-28 days for the eggs to hatch, and when they do the babies come out running.  I only hope that I will be able to catch a picture of them before they leave.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Our daughter and son-in-law came to visit on Saturday and we had a wonderful time.  Although the weather was cool we managed to have a cookout and campfire and just enjoy each other's company.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Our son came out to the campground on Wednesday.  He loved the location since it is close to Lake Ontario and great fishing spots.  We took him a mile up the road to marvel at these majestic waterfalls.  There is also a large pond across the street that was sparkling with the sun hitting it.                                          

 Knowing how he loves to fish, we took him to Port Bay, about 7 miles from our park.  This is the view from our chairs on the bank of the bay as we were watching him fish.  Unfortunately, the fish weren't biting but I am glad he has a sport that is so relaxing. He is so much like his father and I in the fact that he loves nature and loves to be outside.

 This is the part of nature I could probably do without.  This guy was waiting on the fishing dock when we arrived.

  Since the fish weren't biting at the bay, we drove to the end of the Port Bay to Lake Ontario.  Thought Raymond's luck might be better there.  While him and his dad were searching for fish, I went exploring on my own.  Climbing on all the large boulders along the shoreline, I came across this piece of driftwood.  It reminded me so much of a duck I knew it was a keeper along with the rock with the foot imprint. After Raymond left it started to rain, again, but nature showed its true colors again when the sun came back out with a beautiful rainbow outside our window.  Wish I had captured a picture of it, but I know there will be many more rainbows in our lives!

Our Summer Home

 Well, after a long trip home we have finally made it.  We are at a new destination, not the one we planned on workcamping at since it was a very rundown campground and could not accomodate our trailer.  We happened to stumble upon this campground which we had never seen and they had a seasonal site available.  It is Cherry Grove Campground in Wolcott, NY.  Aside from the one we stayed in last fall, it is probably the nicest in the area with full-hookups.  We were greeted by the manager who let us choose from 3 seasonal sites.  This is the one we chose and we are very happy with it except for the fact that it poured last night so it is rather muddy.  It is a very wide and deep site and we were able to pull through into it.  There are also several nice pull thru transient sites as well.  There are very few people here at the moment but those we have met are very friendly.  We are 7 miles from Lake Ontario and great fishing (our son loves that), and only 45 minutes from the kids.  It is 45 minutes to some great wineries, outlet malls and Syracuse, NY.  And there is also a nice farm market across the street.  We are really looking forward to spending time with family and meeting new people at the park.  I think we are really going to enjoy it here.

Kentucky - Friends, Food and Foals

We had a wonderful two days in Shepardsville, Kentucky.  We arrived at Grandma's RV Park and found our friends, Bruce and Patsy parked in the site behind us.  It was so nice to see familiar faces and friends.  Our friends, Dale and Donna Short live here and came and picked the four of us up for dinner.  We dined on great food at Cattlemans and then went back to their house and enjoyed good wine and delicious Derby Pie.  Their southern hospitality was so appreciated, they made us feel so at home.  

The following day we all went out to breakfast to Cracker Barrel and then went to Churchill Downs.  The museum had so many exhibits about the Kentucky Derby, from hats worn to the race, outfits worn by the jockeys, race horse simulators etc.  They also showed a movie covering the entire day of the Derby.  

Before going on the historical tour, us girls stopped in the gift shop.  While we didn't purchase anything, we had so much fun trying on all the Derby hats they had for sale.  We all found one we liked but they cost anywhere from $40 - $140.  And Ray had fun taking pictures of us in them.

We then went on a tour outside of the stable area and track.  The tour guide was very informative and has attended the Kentucky Derby since he was 6 years old.  The track is very close to Louisville Airport and we learned that on Derby Day they actually reroute all planes away from the track.  In Kentucky they have no professional sports so the Kentucky Derby is their sport.  From what we were told, when the horses enter the track, the University of Louisville band plays and the crowd sings "My Old Kentucky Home" and there is not a dry eye at the track.  

After we left the track, we went to an eclectic restaurant for lunch called Lynn's Paradise Cafe.  Again, great food, great friends and great conversation.

Grandma must have been down for a long nap.  Never saw her the whole time.

An awesome track

There was a sign "no climbing".  Of course, Ray couldn't resist!

Bellying up to the bar in the bourbon room at the track

Pretty in  Pink. Yeah, right!

Only $140.00 at that!

Matches the cowgirl shirt perfectly

The winner's circle is under the tower.

We are so glad we decided to make this our stop on the way home.  We would hate to have missed out on seeing Churchill Downs but more importantly, we would have hated to miss out spending time with good friends!