(With apologies in advance to vegetarians!)
So today we said goodbye to our new friends at The Springwater Bed and Breakfast (highly recommended – great job handling GF diets!) I got a quick 5 miles in early which was longer than I planned but I wanted to see the horses training – track season opens Friday. Then a final wonderful breakfast before heading west. We originally planned to stop at the Saratoga Auto Museum but since the main exhibit was on the history of NASCAR and they were in full swing preparing for an event starring Bobby Allison, Frank decided it wasn’t a good use of our time.
So we were westward bound to Skaneateles, NY at the tip of one of the smaller Finger Lakes. Along the way we got to see law enforcement at its finest: a minivan sped past us and the truck in front of us crossing over the double yellow line and barely missing on coming traffic to squeeze back in on our side of the road. To bad he didn’t notice the Ford Taurus behind him with the little blue lights on the dash! It didn’t take long for the unmarked car to catch him and pull him over and when we passed, the cop, in shirt and tie, was balling out the driver like there was no tomorrow. There is no way I would ever want to be on the receiving end of such a tirade from an armed man!
The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful and we got to Skaneateles in time for a late lunch at the Blue Water Grill: Frank had the lobster and clam roll (not NE authentic BTW – on brioche!?!), Gillian the pulled pork sandwich and I enjoyed the grilled chicken, pear and Gorgonzola salad with Craisins and candied pecans! Then off to explore our new home base starting with a lovely little artisan shop where I found the cutest moose earrings (I know…) and a gorgeous silver earring and pendant set crafted by a local jewelry artist that Frank decided I must have! (Don’t you hate when people *insist* on buying you gifts? :-))
We wandered a bit more before finding the B&B where we found the key left out for Fan Cannon (?) and checked out the suite with the jacuzzi tub! We then realized that there was a winery not 8 miles away and it didn’t close for an hour! So we were off to Anyela’s Vinyards for a tasting – only $2, what a bargain! There were several wines we liked, especially the dry Reisling and a red blend called Sync that Frank really enjoyed. We managed to escape with only two bottles and then went off to find somewhere for dinner. Skaneateles is not quite the same size or character as Saratoga so the dining options are more limited. We decided instead to head to Auburn which seemed like a good sized town that might have more options. The idea was that we would park in the downtown area and wander around to see what the various eateries had to offer.
And that idea was quickly dismissed! I’m sure Auburn, NY has much to commend it but if there were lovely pedestrian precincts, we did not find them! We found a correctional facility and many run down houses with rather large, tatooed inhabitants who didn’t seem to have much to occupy their time. (I can’t decide if it would be in worse taste to make a joke about Detroit or banjo music, but you get the picture.)
Needless to say, we did not dine in Auburn this evening! Instead, we headed back east and found the fabulous farm restaurant Elderberry Pond Country Foods where everything was organic, locally sourced and fabulous! From the potato, sausage and greens soup to the local lamb and steak that Frank and Gillian enjoyed to the NY Cabernet Franc, everything was wonderful! I nearly ordered the lamb as well but… there was pan-seared duck on the menu…. while I knew it was petty and pointless to consider the pizza thief of last night, I would be lying if I said it didn’t influence my choice. It was delicious! Add the flourless chocolate cake and you had a dinner that I couldn’t run off in a week!
Then it was back to Skaneateles to wander around the large lakefront houses and try to get a feel for the place. We did pass a house with a decorated and lit tree on the porch and we tried very hard to pretend it wasn’t a seriously out of season Christmas tree. There was one house with a yard so large that Gillian felt compelled to run in circles and do cartwheels on the grass. That’s when I realized that I had failed as a mother: my daughter can’t do cartwheels! I totally schooled her. Something to work on in the future perhaps.
Now we are relaxing with some wine in rocking chairs on the porch planning the events for tomorrow while Gillian soaks in the jacuzzi tub. The pedometer says we managed 10,818 steps or 4.66 miles. Most interesting food for today: lemon mousse parfait layered with fresh blueberries. Not unusual perhaps but unexpectedly delicious!
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