In celebration of Lynne’s Birthday, we took off on Saturday afternoon for a little wine tasting and dinner on the East side of Seneca Lake. We all thoroughly enjoyed our wine tasting at Damiani Wine Cellars.  I purchased the Pinos Gris and the Merlot.  With a breathtaking view of the lake, great wine and fabulous friends to taste with, life doesn’t get much richer.

We followed up our wine tasting with a celebratory dinner on the deck at Red Newt Bistro.  We started with an appetizer of the housemade ravioli filled with della cotta squash and fresh chevre served with pecan butter.  Then enjoyed the local organic spicy greens with Lively Run Cayuga Blue cheese, toasted almonds and an apple cider vinaigrette.  I savored the pan-seared, herb-crusted halibut served with a porcini mushroom risotto and completely agree that the Heart and Hands 2009 Pinor Noir makes a wonderful wine pairing.  Oh, and of course, the chocolate cheesecake was the perfect finish to a wonderful culinary experience.  Guess life could get richer.

The weather this time of the year is simply gorgeous.  The leaves are starting to change making it feel like Fall is just around the corner.  The Finger Lakes scenery is amazing. Throughout the day and as we made our way back to the 1795 Acorn Inn we all agreed… we live in a spectacular part of the county and we need to see more of it.

The power of Mother Nature

Pure Peace

Located about an hour’s scenic drive from the 1795 Acorn Inn, the Gorge is nothing short of amazing. On one of the hottest and most humid days of the year, the Gorge was surprisingly cool and comfortable. Actually it was probably one of the coolest places to be.

One should be in relatively good shape for this hike as there are over 800 steps. Towards the end of the first half of the hike, my legs would not lift my body up one more step.  I found myself needing to rest for a moment and then onward. The walk along the Gorge is wet, a little muddy and uneven, but not too difficult. The stairs are separated by short walks for much of the way.

We hiked up the Gorge and walked down above the Gorge. All in all, about a two-hour hike with stops for photos and a few rests.  You don’t have to hike the whole thing.  A shuttle bus is available to take you to the top.  You can either hike up the gorge and get a ride down or get a ride up and hike down.  I think I would do the former if I wasn’t going to hike both ways. Regardless of your choice, it’s advisable to wear comfortable shoes, bring plenty of water and a camera.

For more information about the Watkins Glen, visit the Area page of our web site…

Fall is coming...

Foals in the Finger Lakes

Playing around...

Beautiful creatures

Moments like this make shopping for the AAA Four Diamond rated 1795 Acorn Inn a joy.  Visit the Area page of our web site for more information about horseback riding in New York’s Finger Lakes.

What does the Innkeeper of the 1795 Acorn Inn do in that rare instance when there isn’t anyone checking into this romantic, AAA Four Diamond B & B on a warm, summer day? I go shopping. Not the kind of shopping I love to do, but it’s still shopping.

I don’t use a basket. Oh no that just wouldn’t do. I grab a flat bed and proceed to check things off the list one by one. Picking up heavy items first and placing them on the bottom. As the flat bed grows taller and taller, heavier and heavier, I have to lean to get the thing moving. Warning!  This flat bed has no brakes.  A horn on the handle would be nice.  People who have never used a flat bed like this don’t realize you have to make wide turns and that they are neither easy to get moving and conversely stop when they are loaded.

At some point, I think in the frozen food section where I am actually freezing, I debate whether I should pay for what I have, load it up in the car and come back inside to finish the list. But, determined as I am, I’m going to make it all fit. Strategically and delicately placing items on the flat bed, balancing the process so as to keep the 10-dozen eggs safe and secure. And then, finally reaching the check out line.  The cashier has to get a basket cause there is no way it’s all fitting back on the flat bed.  Okay that part is over and it’s really not that bad.

But now I am simultaneously pushing a cart and pulling a flat bed, and I have to stop and hand the person at the door the receipt.  Why?  So they can pretend to count all 58 items and make sure I didn’t get overcharged?  By the way, the total was $712.48.  Just in case you are wondering.

Now comes the time to load up the car.  Try getting all the heavy stuff off the bottom to put in the car first with all the lighter stuff on top.  It’s an art.  But, once everything is placed in the car and I’ve determined I can still see out the back, I head back toward the Inn where I am so looking forward to unloading.  17 trips from the car to the office just to get everything inside. And, another hour or so to get everything put away. Multiple trips to the basement freezer and finally I’m done.

The good and the bad news… I’ll do it all over again next month, if it lasts that long.

It’s been wonderful watching them grow.  And it’s been both frightening and comedic watching them learn to fly.

Here’s the last one of four red-breasted robins that left the nest. He/she didn’t want to go far and after making it to the tree, stayed long enough for me to get close and personal.

M-O-M I'm hungry

Conversations at the breakfast table were kept pretty clean, as clean as conversations can be centered around an Outhouse that is.  But after the first cup of coffee or shortly thereafter, we were all good friends and conversation was easy, even about an Outhouse.

What you are seeing here is the inside of the Outhouse, also known as the Privy, with the front part if it taken off.  I suppose on a warm, sunny Spring day like today, it might be kinda nice to take care of business outdoors.  But, mostly the Outhouse brought up thoughts of having to go out there in freezing temperatures surrounded by snow.   Imagine that.  Conversely, it may have been even worse on a hot day.  And what about having to go out there at night.  Who knew what was lurking around.  I think I would try to hold it.

I suppose it was pretty nice as far as Outhouses go.  It had an east-facing window.  It had a door.  And, it had three seats.  Though seemingly small, it was probably pretty palatial compared to single seaters.  No real toilet seats though.  Just holes.

We always tried to figure out why the Outhouse had three seats. Did people go in there together?  Did they know each other or even worse, were they strangers?  Did they perhaps bring reading material?  Was the first hole for Monday, the second for Tuesday and so on?  Despite the constant flow of new guests at the breakfast table, we usually had the same questions about Outhouse etiquette, but no answers.  It really didn’t matter though as there was always lots of laughs.

Unfortunately, it was clear time and Mother Nature had taken their toll.  The Outhouse had seen better days.  It started to lean and despite propping it up, it was calling out to be put to rest.  In so doing, we got a great vantage point into the interior and the seats.

Not only was it interesting to finally see the three seats, but they had lids and were of varying sizes.  As if for Papa, Mama and Baby Bear (Mama Bear hole above, Baby Bear hole seen here).  Maybe that was one of the answers we were searching for.  Maybe they actually had different hole sizes for varying-sized bottom.  Or, maybe it was family bonding time.

While I lived in cities most of my life, other than water rationing, I’ve always had indoor plumbing.  However, the holes in my Outhouse do remind me somewhat of the bathrooms in Hong Kong.  Although, those holes, while usually tiled, were ground level and we didn’t actually have the luxury of a seat.

I know this can be a difficult subject to read or talk about.  If it’s difficult for you or someone you know, may I suggest two wonderful books… Everybody Poops and The Gas We Pass.  This has been fun.

Spring is a fabulous time to visit upstate New York’s Finger Lakes.  In my opinion, it’s one of the best times.  Check out our Packages page for great values through the end of June.  It’s the best time to see our perennial gardens.  I can’t wait to see what pops up next.

At some point in this Inn’s history, there was no internal plumbing and guests had to use the Outhouse located just outside the Hotchkiss Room. Thankfully, that was not during my time and now all our rooms and suites have private baths.

The Outhouse looks pretty small, but I supposed it may have been quite large as it had three seats.  Though no one really ever went in the Outhouse, we kept it as a reminder of how things used to be.  It made us thankful for indoor plumbing.  And, it made for pretty interesting conversation at the breakfast table.

More to come…

Moonlight Cross-Country Skiing at Bristol Mountain

Roasting marshmallows... there were smores too

There is still plenty of skiing left especially after the eight or so inches of snow we had yesterday.  Do I see cross-country skiing in my future this afternoon?

Don’t forget about our Stay Two Nights Get One Night Free Package.  It makes for a relaxing winter getaway … and, you can get in plenty of cross-country skiing.