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
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