Memorial Day in the Finger Lakes took on national significance when the little village of Waterloo, NY was recognized in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as the birthplace of Memorial Day. President Johnson signed a congressional proclamation which declared Waterloo, NY as the official birthplace of Memorial Day. The first Memorial Day celebration in Waterloo was on May 5, 1866 (click here). It was proposed by Henry C. Welles and General John B. Murray to honor both the living veterans and those who died in the Civil War. The village was decorated with flags at half mast and the…read more

Memorial Day weekend marks the start of the summer and the first major weekend when families begin to take their summer vacations. And with the coming of Memorial Day weekend beginning on Saturday the 25th of May, there is a frenzy of work going on to prepare the parks and marinas for this first summer weekend. The Canandaigua Lady has now been moved from City Pier in Canandaigua to behind Steamboat Landing where she will be picking up people for a beautiful boat ride on Canandaigua Lake. The Canandaigua Lady is special to us as she was a “must visit…read more

It was old engines day at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY this past weekend. But as I write this story and think about all of the engines that I saw, it was really a story of how the gasoline engine has forever changed our methods of transportation, our ways of farming, and our homes in which we live. But why did I come home with all of these pictures of tractors when there were old hit and miss engines to be seen and heard, old motorcycle engines, old engines which powered our washing machines, or pumped our…read more

Skaneateles was beautifully decorated for spring with numerous flowering Bradford Pear trees along Main Street and in front of the Sherwood Inn. It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and there were lots of visitors who were just walking about enjoying the sight of Skaneateles Lake at Clift Park. The local Corvette Club was showing off their cars on the west lawn of the Sherwood Inn, no doubt talking about their cars or their plans for future travels. Skaneateles Lake stood shinning in the warm spring sun. The waters of Skaneateles Lake are crystal clear and when you walk out to…read more

This popular 1968 song was sung by Tiny Tim (click here) but that’s the last thing that I want anyone of think about doing in my tulip bed! I’ve worked extra hard this year spraying my tulips with Deer-Off* as soon as any visible green appeared above the frozen ground and then repeated each week. Now that the daffodils have finished with their show for the year, it’s all about tulips! Our warm daily temperatures in the low seventies have all but destroyed the daffodils but these temperatures seem to perfectly suit the tulips. Last year was sort of a…read more

It’s time to start enjoying the outdoors in the Finger Lakes and all of the wineries that surround the shores of the Finger Lakes.  Susan, Jeanette’s daughter from Pennsylvania, and Tina, Susan’s neighbor, helped us celebrated Jeanette’s birthday this past weekend by stopping at a few of our favorite wineries along Seneca Lake. There are so many many new wineries that are now open as one travels along route 14 from Geneva, NY to Watkins Glenn, but we choose just a few of our favorite places. Our first stop was at the Belhurst Castle in Geneva, NY. Jeanette and I…read more