I Love New York

I love traveling in the Fall, and this year I thought a trip to New York would be fun. However, I really don't care so much about the big city, but I have heard upper New York in the Fall is beautiful. My daughter , and her boyfriend, just moved to Syracuse, NY, so this would be perfect! And besides, this would be a belated birthday trip for me, and the hubs just needed some r and r.

The first two nights we stayed in the adorable town of Skaneateles. A lakeside village that sits on 16 miles of a beautiful lake. When you think of small town USA, and how you wished your little town looked, this place was the perfect example. Every one's porches were decked out in all of Autumns glory with pumpkins, mum's, and cornstalks. You can tell these people must love their cute little town. And, we found the best place to eat! Be sure and visit "Doug's Fish Fry". There is a line out the door, almost every day, but the wait is totally worth it!

The weather was 75-80 degrees while we were there, which makes for some great day trips. As we were driving around the lake, we noticed alot of cars at this place, so I wanted to see what all the excitement was all about. Ahhh.....Mackenzie-Childs, the designer! We were passing through Aurora NY, and I had no idea that her shop/house was just around the corner from us. What a great surprise! She has been featured several times in Country Living magazine, so I knew what all the hoopala was all about!

Of course, I must check this out for myself! Proceed with caution!...........

If you are on a budget, this is not the place for you, but the eye candy is amazing! I would have to say that the black and white checks were my favorite. Everything kind of reminds me of a tea party with Alice in Wonderland.

Everything was alot of color and patterns, which is a bit much for me. However, all the ladies in the shop were going ga-ga over it! All I could think of was all the starving children in the world, while all the rich ladies were ringing up their purchases. I mean everything I picked up, was at least $100. Ok, there was a small bowl, for only $90! I guess I am just so thrifty, that it is so hard to justify charging crazy prices. I wasn't going to buy anything, and I even walked out of the shop empty handed, but a greater force pulled me back in. I knew I would be mad at myself, if I at least didn't buy a little souvenir from this wonderful place. So I ended up buying a cute little compote bowl, and YES, I will be using it at my next party. I told my husband, that if I die first, please DO NOT let this little bowl end up in the garage sale!

Sorry for the side shot of the mannequin, but isn't this interesting? I think it was going for around $3,000, but it was one of a kind, and all hand-crafted. Wouldn't this be a good way to use up all our odds and ends that us junkers tend to accumulate?

Next up for a day trip, was a drive to Cooperstown, NY, which is the home of the baseball hall of fame. The drive was beautiful with all the fall colors! I just love the little white church down in the valley.

Sightseeing makes me thirsty, and New York has some great hand-crafted breweries! Ommegang brewery was just outside of Cooperstown, and their brews were excellent!

The famous DoubleDay field in Cooperstown......where dreams are played.

Another day trip of just driving around randomly, we stumbled on a harvest festival in Mexico, NY. Any time I see a line of cars now, I'm thinking there is something really great on the other side! I did not know it, but apples are a very big deal in New York. I was surprised to learn that NY is the number two apple producing state. I never pass up a photo op with my daughter in it, and then we quickly got in line for a carmel apple and apple fritter! Isn't it funny how you crave certain foods during certain times of the year?

In New York, they give you a bag, and you can go pick your own apples. I could not believe how many people were doing this, and very excited about it! I guess when you are surrounded by apple trees your whole life in Washington, you just take it for granted. I am lucky to live in the Pacific Northwest!

We saved our best day trip, with a drive to Niagara Falls. This place was on my bucket list, and I was not leaving NY without seeing it. Can I just say AMAZING!!!

Pictures do not do this place justice. The experience of being there, and seeing all that power was incredible.

To get a closer view, one must ride the "Maid of the Mist", to get the whole windy and wet experience. Of course we were upfront, and totally loving it!

Rain poncho's are provided with the admission on the boat ride, and you do need them! My daughter, Alicia, her boyfriend Chad, and the hubs are all giddy about just getting soaked. It's not everyday that we can get a shower by the great Niagara Falls! It helped that this was another 80 degree day in October too!

Up close and personal with the American Falls.

I could not snap enough pictures.......everything was soooo pretty! What a great vacation! Now back home to the real life. Everything is beautiful here too, with all of our fall colors. It's just that all that junk I left in my garage at home is still there. And with that, I must get going on it, as I have several shows planned in the near future.