Saturday, September 25th defied weather predictions and ended up being a quintessential fall day. It was a perfect day for Cornell Homecoming (too bad Yale trounced the Big Red) and even better for enjoying the Festival at Bel Canto Farm in Trumansburg, NY. Fall colors have begun to pop up in Tompkins County and the drive out to Buck Hill Road was winding, pleasant and scenic. The festival was free and featured food, music, artisans and, the key drawing point for me: ALPACAS. Yep! fuzzy, quizzical, graceful and cute-as-heck alpacas.
We'd had the opportunity to see alpacas at the Farmer's Museum in Cooperstown last weekend but we decided that paying the $12 admission fee simply for the privilege of viewing these animals didn't seem to make sense in the current economy. So, I was psyched to see the announcement for this festival just a few days later.
There were an assortment of these wonderful creatures on site, at least 5 or 6 in black, chocolate brown and white from Bel Canto Farm and a lovely tan trio (including a 4 month old) from Cabin View Alpacas. The owners were friendly and informative and made sure to permit ample opportunities for petting these gentle camelids. There was a fantastic array of alpaca-related items on sale, including gloves, toys, hats, scarves and jackets made from alpaca wool that were on sale and we couldn't resist getting two tiny wool alpaca toys.
I suspect that one of my cats and my dog would love to have a herd of alpacas added to our family. Hmmnn - now that's an interesting possibility for retirement option. If I look into it, I'll let you know.
C. Cat @ 11:33pm on 11/26/10.
(Say, does anyone know how I can get the real Eastern Standard Time to appear on postings. I've started writing in the time on my clock because the site lists the time as much earlier. If you'd like to contact me, use this email address: CascadillaCat@gmail.com. Thanks!)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Budget Travel Readers Rock!
I'm ecstatic! I received my October 2010 issue of Budget Travel on Friday and was immediately drawn to the bottom right portion of the cover: "You Picked the Best...Wine Region." The envelope, please! According to Ryan Bradley, the author of the article that begins on page 25, "...Budget Travel readers picked <the Finger Lakes>...as the world's most beautiful wine region- beating out heavyweights like France's Loire Valley, Italy's Piedmont, and, yes, Napa." Who knew?!
Mr. Bradley then goes on to describe, as I'd hoped to do here some day, a road trip up to Dr. Konstantin Frank's winery and Heron Hill Winery, both located in ever-so-scenic Hammondsport, NY. I had something of an epiphany on this very same road trip within recent memory and repeated it this past summer. The drive to Dr. Frank's literally took my breath away that summer. When this happened, I thought, "I've had my breath taken away before but, but, but: that was in Italy!" To have this happen again so close to home - and to have this vista overlooking Keuka Lake make my beloved Ithaca pale in comparison - was nothing short of life-changing.
Plus, the wines are great at both wineries! So don't think twice: go to Heron Hill and Dr. Frank's. It's well worth the trip. To be sure, I will share some more phenomenal finds in Hammondsport. But before I sign off, let me put in a quick plug for Mark Klammer, a ceramicist - aka potter - who is a neighbor of Dr. Frank's (http://www.klammerpottery.com). Love the glaze colors, love the neat, crisp design, love the location. A true artist that - I believe - left Ithaca for Hammondsport - and having made the trip, I confess that someday, I may do the same. C. Cat, 9.21.10@10:21pm.
Mr. Bradley then goes on to describe, as I'd hoped to do here some day, a road trip up to Dr. Konstantin Frank's winery and Heron Hill Winery, both located in ever-so-scenic Hammondsport, NY. I had something of an epiphany on this very same road trip within recent memory and repeated it this past summer. The drive to Dr. Frank's literally took my breath away that summer. When this happened, I thought, "I've had my breath taken away before but, but, but: that was in Italy!" To have this happen again so close to home - and to have this vista overlooking Keuka Lake make my beloved Ithaca pale in comparison - was nothing short of life-changing.
Plus, the wines are great at both wineries! So don't think twice: go to Heron Hill and Dr. Frank's. It's well worth the trip. To be sure, I will share some more phenomenal finds in Hammondsport. But before I sign off, let me put in a quick plug for Mark Klammer, a ceramicist - aka potter - who is a neighbor of Dr. Frank's (http://www.klammerpottery.com). Love the glaze colors, love the neat, crisp design, love the location. A true artist that - I believe - left Ithaca for Hammondsport - and having made the trip, I confess that someday, I may do the same. C. Cat, 9.21.10@10:21pm.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Debut of the Cascadilla Cat
Let me be clear: I am unabashedly in love with the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. I grew up in a city that bordered the Finger Lakes. I went to a summer camp on Canandaigua Lake as a kid and I had the wonderful fortune of working there as a young adult. While I was immersed in that experience (basically getting paid for having fun and living in a beautiful natural area), I mused about my future and I remember hoping that someday I'd be lucky enough to work and live in the Finger Lakes Region. I took it one step further and thought that if I was REALLY lucky, I actually might get to live ON one of the Finger Lakes.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself attending graduate school in Ithaca, NY. Like so many others who have landed in this funky, quirky college town in order to attend Cornell University, I never ventured far after I graduated. It took me a while but at some point it dawned on me, "I live and work in Ithaca. In the Finger Lakes Region. I DID IT."
Well, OK, so I still don't live ON the lake. Cayuga Lake. But, having acquired a kayak about one year ago, I can now walk one half block from my house to one of the many creeks that run through this little city, put in my boat, and I'm off. It's only a few minutes' paddle to the Farmer's Market. A bit farther and I'm paddling along in the Inlet and heading towards the Marina. A bit farther than that and I'm passing the lighthouse, and there you go: I'm ON the lake. That's a long way of saying that I've come to think of my house as having lakefront access. How cool is that?! And that's close enough for me, for now!
Why a Cascadilla Cat blog? I simply want to engage with people about the Finger Lakes Region (FLR). I'm not sure where this will go but for now, I suspect that I'll share observations and information about festivals, restaurants, galleries, wineries, artists, musicians, shops, happenings, hikes, paddles, local denizens, and other cool stuff. I'm drawn to the water, the land, the wildlife, and the people and, following a "staycation" in the FLR in late July, I was inspired to write about this exceptional place on the earth. Perhaps you'll become intrigued and decide to take a road trip to our region and visit one of our myriad state parks, stay in a gem of a village perched on the edge of one of our lakes or just enjoy some of the exceptional wining and dining to be had throughout the area. I sure hope so! Enjoy! C. Cat 9.16.10
Fast forward a few years and I found myself attending graduate school in Ithaca, NY. Like so many others who have landed in this funky, quirky college town in order to attend Cornell University, I never ventured far after I graduated. It took me a while but at some point it dawned on me, "I live and work in Ithaca. In the Finger Lakes Region. I DID IT."
Well, OK, so I still don't live ON the lake. Cayuga Lake. But, having acquired a kayak about one year ago, I can now walk one half block from my house to one of the many creeks that run through this little city, put in my boat, and I'm off. It's only a few minutes' paddle to the Farmer's Market. A bit farther and I'm paddling along in the Inlet and heading towards the Marina. A bit farther than that and I'm passing the lighthouse, and there you go: I'm ON the lake. That's a long way of saying that I've come to think of my house as having lakefront access. How cool is that?! And that's close enough for me, for now!
Why a Cascadilla Cat blog? I simply want to engage with people about the Finger Lakes Region (FLR). I'm not sure where this will go but for now, I suspect that I'll share observations and information about festivals, restaurants, galleries, wineries, artists, musicians, shops, happenings, hikes, paddles, local denizens, and other cool stuff. I'm drawn to the water, the land, the wildlife, and the people and, following a "staycation" in the FLR in late July, I was inspired to write about this exceptional place on the earth. Perhaps you'll become intrigued and decide to take a road trip to our region and visit one of our myriad state parks, stay in a gem of a village perched on the edge of one of our lakes or just enjoy some of the exceptional wining and dining to be had throughout the area. I sure hope so! Enjoy! C. Cat 9.16.10
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