New York Visit

The old bread truck hasn’t moved in over a week except to go empty the holding tanks one time.  It has been very comfortable having our own home along with us as we visit with family.  We have our own bed.  There is no need to rummage through a suitcase looking for a missing sock.  You can stay up as late as you like or get up early without keeping everyone else awake. 

Without boring you with all the details, we are having a splendid time visiting with everyone.  Our home base has been Darlie’s parents home.  Her sisters come by to visit almost daily.  We sit out on the porch where humming birds whiz around the feeder stopping for a quick drink of the sweet liquid it holds.  Robins bounce around the lawn searching for a juicy bug or an earthworm.  Doves coo from the blue spruce nearby where they have a nest of young.  Black eyed susan,  raspberry cone flowers and the sweet rose of sharon illuminate the grounds with a dazzling display of color.  Except for one very hot humid day, the weather has been pleasant. 

Debby, Mom and Etta

We stopped by the cottage at Keuka Lake to have dinner with my brother and his wife.  The old place looks much the same as it did years ago when we spent our summers there as kids.  The atmosphere around the lake has changed greatly over the years.  Most cottages were owned by local families who came up for the weekend or for a few weeks in the summer.  Today it is a major tourist attraction.  The little town of Hammondsport is alive with tourist.  Most of the little stores that once housed a drug store, clothing shop, book store and the like now are little restaurants or gift shops.  Like so many other little towns that have become tourist havens, Hammondsport has lost its character.  

The lake area has been noted for its vineyards and wineries for years.  All the large wineries are gone now.   Many vineyards remain, however.  Small wineries have sprung up to keep the wine tradition alive.  

We visited Bully Hill Winery which sits high on top of a hill across the lake from our cottage.  It was started by Walter Taylor the son of Fred and Harriet Taylor. 

I remember Walter as a young man who lived the life of a free spirit.  One weekend we arrived at the cottage to find it a total mess.  There were empty wine bottles, dirty dishes and the remains of food items everywhere.  On the table was a case of champagne with a note from Walter.  He apologized for the mess and hoped the champagne would pay for the inconvenience.   

Walter visited my Mom and Dad in Florida a few times over the years.  He became victim of a serious accident which left him paralyzed.  

Today Walter is gone but his legacy lives on at Bully Hill Winery.  It has become a beautiful tourist attraction with a restaurant, art gallery, winery tour, gift shop and visitor’s center where wine tastings are held daily.  Adjacent to the wine tasting area is the retail store where you can stock up on any of the many varieties of wines produced there.

We stopped at the restaurant for lunch.  We had a table outside overlooking the lake and our cottage below.  There was a line of people waiting to be seated.   The food was excellent and the view was better.

We spent one evening at Mike and Cindy’s home.  They are Darlie’s brother and sister in law.  Their two daughters came down to have dinner with us.  The ladies talked about whatever it is ladies talk about.  Mike and I talked about our trips to Haiti and the missionary work taking place there.   The following evening we were guests at Shirley and Clair’s home.  They are Darlie’s sister and brother in law.  Shirley made a huckleberry pie for us from the frozen huckleberries Tine gave us out in Oregon.  It was delicious beyond description.  We will have to find huckleberry pie filling now.  It is already one of my favorites.  

We will leave here on Sunday.  Our next stop will be in Havelock, NC to visit our son Tony at the Cherry Point air station.  From there we will head home.  We miss our dog and our friends.  We will miss living in the bread truck though.  We have all we need at an arms length.  We can do our housecleaning in minutes.  It moves when we get bored and want new scenery.  Getting back into a real house has its advantages also.  There will be a time of adjustment as there was when we started out on this trip.