Keeping busy in July: Waterfalls, outdoors, rocks, and family/friends.

July 2020

Ithaca Falls, Ithaca NY

I did my 14 days (Well it was actually 13 days) of passive quarantine after returning from my mini vacation. I decided that I had been in said state (N. Carolina) 7 days prior to my return home in the first place and tagged on 6 more to be completed by July 3. There is also some weird loophole of if you are in the area less then 24 hours, you don't have to Quarantine. (Yeah, I call BS) at any rate, I stayed home and played low.

July 3d, My friend Carol came out to camp and we spent a day enjoying a tiny bit of the Adirondacks. We took a trip to Boonville, NY where we sought out Waterfalls. They were found at Pixley Falls.




We took the long trail and enjoyed some of the other features of the park.

It wasn't to long before we started to see waterways that would indicate potential waterfalls.

And soon......we were blessed with this beauty. 

The falls were much bigger then I had thought they would be, and there was a good depth of water at the base, were one might be able to swim. (Not me).

I found a painted kindness rock while I was there too. 

We enjoyed some time at the falls before we started up the embankment to the parking lot and on to our next adventure.

Despite the beauty I can't help but notice and this is a theme at many of the parks I have visited lately...THE GARBAGE and FILTH people leave at these places. I cannot believe how disgusting some humans are. Dirty diapers, cans, wrappers, boxes, clothing...its awful and It seems to be everywhere. I've even seen where garbage is left within steps of a garbage can.

PLEASE PEOPLE DON'T BE GROSS....CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES. LETS KEEP THESE PARKS CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL.

After visiting Tinker Falls, we headed into the Village of Boonville. I didn't take any pictures, but this was the cutelst little town nestled in the ADKS. Beautiful well maintained older homes merged seamlessly into the modern necessities. We also ran into this odd little place as we were heading back towards camp. I do not know anything except it is Unique.

Maybe the place is called Cobbled Stone Castle. 

I got out and looked around. It was different.

I signed my name in the visitors log, hid a kindness rock and we were soon back heading towards camp. 

Camp was full  of more small hikes, wine and girl
talk. I very much enjoyed spending an evening at camp with my friend Carol.

My hubby met us at camp the following day and Carol headed home. Saturday morning, I headed out to Forest Park early in the morning to give Riley some more walking and take in some of this parks beauty before it got to hot. 

On our walk, I found two beautifully painted rocks.

I believe that I have discussed these painted rocks before, but if I haven't, these pretty painted rocks are hidden all over the place and left as a friendly hello and act of kindness to those who find them. The premise is that you can keep the rock or re-hide to lift someone else's day. What I have started to do is create my own rocks to hide and I keep the ones that I find. I have been known to give my friends those rocks I find that have some meaning that I think they need to hear.  I love seeing  a picture of my rock that has been found posted to one of the three local Face Book sights; 315ROCKS, 315ROCKS! and CNYROCKS. 

Later on the 4th, my daughter arrived and we spent some time enjoying the evening's patriotic fun.

Becky made drinks in sand buckets.....

She also made strawberries soaked in some kind of alcohol and she had red white and blue jello shots.

There was karaoke, food and fun.

(Pictures taken from Face Book friend)

My daughter and I enjoyed some sparklers too.

The camp offered a band for entertainment later that evening.

We all had a great time. The following morning, my daughter and I had my 1st restaurant indoor experience since the pandemic started. Love Cracker Barrel.

I painted more rocks over the following week. I decided to do scene from my travels.  Please remember I am not an artist.

It's been hot too, so a lot of my free time has been in the pool....

Or pool side. They have finally hired someone for my position and I am seeing an end date to my employment at the end of July. Until then, working on the patio.

Another hike was taken, this time with my daughter. We went to Sterling Nature Center located on lake Ontario.

We took a few trails and found ourselves at the shoreline of the lake.

I loved the way nature had created this pretty piece of art work. (Above)

Rocks span the beach for miles....speaking of rocks, I hid some of my kindness rocks. (Part of my Beauty and The Beast Collection.) Riley loved the water.

Very pretty and nice and calm.

I added the picture below because.....I am convinced I have caught BIG FOOT staring at us just below the ridge of the path.  My daughter says it a rock. What do you think?

After we left Sterling, (Which is also where the Sterling Renaissance festival is held every summer, except this COVID summer.) we stopped in the area of Fulton, NY and took a stroll along the pier of Lake Neatahwanta, it apparently means  little lake, by the big lake. 

It was a very nice park right next to a restaurant, which in non-covid times is possibly very popular.

Little or not, it is pretty.

Later that week, I got up early to beat the heat and took Riley on an adventure to Charles Major Nature Trail in Skaneateles NY. 

I fell in love with this trail. Its only about 2.5 miles round trip, but it is a flat well maintained trail shaded by tall mature tree's and running next to a river. 

It really was a nice park.

 I love when a place has so many different elements to enjoy like this place has.

From abandoned buildings, old bridges, empty run down mills.... I simply enjoyed this hike so much.

There was also some fun hides and finds along the way. I hid a few of my recently painted kindness rocks, and found this cute little LOVE rock and a well loved be Kind hidden along the trail.

There was also some really cool art (?) along the trail.

We walked all the way to the end and headed back.

Riley was getting HOT even early in the day it has been insanely HUMID. We stopped for a quick dip in the river area.

Once we were back at the car, we had a nice cool drink and headed towards home. I stopped at the Erie Canal park feeling we hadn't gotten enough walking in. Well that ended quick....




We made it about 1/2 of a mile and we were both just dying from the heat and the Erie Canal walks generally do not provide any SHADE. So we headed back to the car. I stopped at some of the interesting sights along the way, like this little community library and the painted rock garden. I left one too.

This one was mine. 

Back at home, I have been busy keeping creative by painting rocks.  My daughter made one too.

(Elsa unibrow was fixed btw, she was not sent out into the world looking so MEAN.)

We have several Birthdays from April to July. So we had a big family Birthday Celebration at my parents home. Nick turned 27 this year, My Mom, Mark, My Dad and today July 12th was Alexis's 25th Birthday.

Mark and I got everyone Scratch OFF's. Alexis won $30- everyone else made a few bucks.

Enjoying the scratch offs.

My parents brought out some of the family's history with this old record player, and some of my Grandmothers snakes. Yes, snakes...My Grandmother was a college professor of Science and she had made these snakes herself for a display case at the school. Apparently my mother kept them. I also got some really cool artifacts from my Grandmothers travels. She was the ORIGINAL TRAVEL QUEEN. My Grandmother had traveled all over the world; one of the artifacts that I took home included per the paper work an actual relics (a little carved Egyptian person) from a real tomb.

The day was full of good food, memories and family. I am so very blessed.

Also we enjoyed Jeremy, Madison and Mason.

As I continue to search for some great places to walk/hike I found this really great park in Baldwinsville. Lyon's Community Park.

The park is set along the Seneca River and the views are simply beautiful.

I believe the walk was about 2 miles in total round trip and we (Riley and I) pretty much made our own continued trail as we went.

Easy walking, and nice views to take in along the way.

I even found some rocks....

and a stick....as well as some words to live by

More views along the water.

It was a very nice hike and I am sure we will visit this place again soon.

Riley and I also stopped in the Village of Baldwinsville and took a stroll along the river trail.

It is a very pretty walk. The last time I had been here was my very first time out after the pandemic started and I felt so strange stopping and going outside. Its a little less stressed now. 

I found another rock, this one was at the local Grocery Store. 

My own rock painting has continued and I just keep making more.....

I took many of my painted rocks to this location as this seems to be a HOT spot for rock hiding.



I found a ton of hidden rocks and hid several of my own as well.

Below is my Evil Queen Rock I painted.

This Butterfly garden is for the loss of loved ones. It is very peaceful and many benches and stones have been left to memorize lost loved ones.

Spending a moment watching the sun rise over Onondaga lake, while remembering those I have loved and lost.

Another hike took me to a place I have never been called Pratts Falls.


The park is located in Pompey NY and since I grew up close to here, I was surprised that I had never been to this place. I arrived so early that the gates were not even opened, so Riley and I walked from the main road.

It was a beautiful walk as we made our way to the featured attractions. The falls.

This was not what I had expected to see...but there was hope that there was more opportunity to actually see the falls so I kept along the river and looked to my left as I went. There must be a better view of these falls somewhere.

I could see them peeking through the trees. 

and after some climbing and trail walking we finally found them!

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

After enjoying the falls for a bit, Riley and I continued along the trail. I am not sure how many miles the trail was (about 2). We hiked along enjoying the woods and the serenity of a park pretty much empty. 

I certainly enjoyed this calm relaxing (hike).

I think Riley did too.

On the return ride I drove past some of my younger stomping grounds. When I was a teen we would all go to Jamesville Dam and (Skinny dip) swim. I tried to see if I could stop and look around but there are signs all along the road that say NO STOPPING. There is also NO Access to the Dam. When I was a kid, people would fall and hurt themselves, once one of my friends fell crossing the dam, lucky she didn't fall to far, but it certainly could hurt someone. I guess they finally got smart and closed it off.  ( I took the picture below off the internet.) 

We would cross the dam and swim in the lake area. As you can see the dam area was a quick slide DOWN and although you cannot see it, the down was rocks, trees and rubble....not a lake to fall into.  There was also another local area that we would go to and swim. I believe we called it Deyglow Falls after the kid who had died there. (I could not find anything to support a death of this name or a name of these particular falls.)The falls was difficult to get to even when I was a kid. We had to sneak in and climb a big fence usually at night, although I had been there during the day.  (Apparently I was a trouble maker). The same river used to run by one of the area restaurants, that has since closed down and is non-accessible. I am certainly not adventurous enough to shimmy over any fences or tread on private property any more, but I would love to see the place and remember. I do recall that we used to think of the area as a natural amusement park.

 Anyway.....I digress, the memory came up, because I had planned on taking a hike over at the Jamesville Park on the other side of the lake while I was there. However, the road was closed and the detour looked to take me several miles out of my way, so Riley and I hiked at Clark Reservation instead.



Riley and I have been here several times before. I always love this place. Our hike did not last to terribly long however. (I had just completed 2+ miles at Pratts Falls afterall) My plan was to hike the bolder like cliffs. Our last hike here had been the forest area and I was looking for something a little different.

The cliff trail looks easy enough...(Not shown because I got off that trail) .BUT there are large bolder like rocks that you need to climb up over and gaps between these rocks that welcome a broken ankle should you fall into it. The trail is definitely NOT an easy hike, even Riley stopped and looked at me as we were hiking with a look of ...."are you sure about this?"  Well his look was right....I got myself up over the first big bolder took three steps and my feet fell out from underneath me and I SLAMMED hard on the rock on my right knee. I was really lucky that I didn't do any damage. I walked it off, but with the  fall my glasses shattered and I laid on the trail stunned for a few minutes. WOW! I really have to be more careful.  I am really not as young as I think I am.

Off this crazy cliff trail and onto some grassy wooded trails.

I ended up rolling both my ankles walking on the forest trail and decided...okay, I'm done with this park and we headed home.

Interestingly enough my friend Tammy called me a little after I got home and asked about taking a hike. I ended up going out to Beaver Lake with her for a hike that day. I hiked over 7 miles when it was all said and done. (I know that's not to impressive, but it is for me.)

I love Beaver Lake and have been coming here for years. The only thing that sucks is (now you have to pay)  you cannot bring the pup. So I don't go as much as I used to. BUT the trails are amazing. They are well groomed and always provide the best sights. Tammy and I decided to take the Long Loop trail which is 3 or so miles. It did not disappoint. 

You start out amongst these tall trees that tower over you as you walk. The trail then opens up to a boardwalk along the marsh with a view of the lake.

These flowers (fruit) I am not sure what this is, reminded me of a Dr. Suess book.

The trail leads along this bog area full of pretty green algae. (If algae can even be pretty.)

But look really really close in this algae......

We found about 12 frogs hiding in this section of the bog along the trail. At first glance, we only heard them. You can see some heads just above the water and one on a log below.

We continued on and enjoyed both the company and the lovely views. 

After three more miles on my already long hiking day I was ready to be over it.....I smelled some flowers and found some LOVE on my way off the trail....

We had some fun at camp one weekend. My daughter and I spent a long enjoyable Saturday with our new camp friends, Jay and Bailey . We all painted rocks and enjoyed a relaxing evening. 

HERE are some of the great rocks the girls made.

I even found one while I was dropping my son off. I spotted it in a flower pot from my car. Yes across the street.

Virtual National Parks;

Since my trip to Shendoah National Park, I have been on a mission to seek out more National Parks and came across a website offering 2020 virtual National Park visits. I toured around a few of them. I'd love to get some of the virtual stamped passport cancellations for my book, but I lack a printer. When I tried to save them, they came out a funny color. Here are some for fun.

One day, my friend Tammy and I took a road trip to Ithaca NY. 

We started the adventure at Stewart Park. 

The lake was very pretty and we took a nice hike along the trail. But first we enjoyed the swinging benches.

Along the hike we saw some wonderful and interesting things. Like this Budah and this heart/string. I placed one of my rocks to hide here. 

THe views out on the lake were lovely. 

Some more interesting stuff. This I cant Breathe stencil was all along the dock. 

After a visit to the park, we headed to Ithaca Falls. I really did not know where we were going, we simply knew the area would offer some beautiful waterfalls. This 1st one did NOT disappoint. Simply stunning. 

THis Hole in the wall was pretty neat. I wonder if this was once the entrance to the falls. 

I bet this would be a wonderful place to dip a toe in and get refreshed. 

It certainly was a popular spot for a random Monday. Although the falls were easy to get to. A short walk took us right up to one of the most spectacular waterfalls I have seen in some time. It was so beautiful.

After getting our fill of this beauty we headed back to the car for our next adventure. I was aware there were more falls, we just had to find them. 

We took a short drive to the Cascadilla Gorge,  which promised to provide us with multiple falls and lovely trails. This too was not to disappoint.  

The trail; which links Cornell College to several of the residences is not for the faint of heart as much of it is up steep stairs or down steep steeps. Either way, Tammy and I had to push ourselves up this trail to the top. Despite the climb and our aching knees on the descend. The beauty was immediate. 

Each step promised more LOVELINESS!

Each cascading water fall continued to be more beautiful. 

Simply amazing.

WE hiked all the way to the top, then turned around. I am thinking we should have climbed up to the very tippy top, but we were both ready for some water and rest. 

After our walk back to the car, we tried another park, which looked lovely as well, but the parking lot was full. We also tried Buttermilk falls, but this park you can see one of the falls from the enterance and there was only a trickle of water flowing, so we skipped the state park fee and searched for an alternative. We ended up going to a book sale instead. All books were 10 CENTS!!! I got $5.00 dollars worth.  It was a wonderful day spent with Tammy. 

My daughter gets a new car-Another day this month was spent car searching with my daughter. Her car failed inspection, she was with out a registration and getting it fixed seemed more expensive then actually finding a reliable new (to her) one. She fell in love with a 2016 Chevy Malibu. here we are at the home of the HUGE!

One July weekend was a time for celebration. My friend David turned 50 this year and we all got together to celebrate. It was a surprise and he had no idea.

The celebration was at Pat and Anne's house. They have a lovely home. They even have a squirrel that will let you feed him. 

I got a picture of the guys (minus my husband who did not want to be included)

and us girls....minus Maddy (Carmen and Mindy's daughter whom also refused to be pictured)

One with the Birthday Boy.....

I love these guys and I am so blessed to have them in my life. I have know the guys since I was a little little kid like 4-5 years old. The ladies minus Carol are all spouses that have become friends as a result. Although Mindy was introduced to Carmen by me. HAPPY50TH David. 

I spent some of July completing another diamond art piece. This one I plan to frame and give to my mother. I love it, has to be my favorite so far. 

I also painted more rocks. 
Carol came over and in between swimming we painted. 

I got up early one morning and walked Riley at Onondaga Lake Park. I hid many rocks before we left. 

The last few weeks have been INSANELY HOT so I spent many days in the pool. In between I took my rock painting supplies to these cute little bird houses I have had for over a few years now. I think they turned out lovely.  Next week is a new month. 

Mark and I have discussed a few fall trips as our Mexican Cruise has officially been Canceled.  I guess I am not surprised. We are thinking a trip to Las Vegas and Death Valley and or the Grand Canyon. I am trying to convince my friends to do a girls weekend at camp and a road trip to anywhere soon. Until then...TTFN