There’s a stiff breeze blowing today in Canandaigua, NY but at 50 degrees, no one is out pleasure boating on the lake. The dark clouds drift along, allowing the sun to occasionally break through. It’s that time of the year when everyone is scrambling to get ready for the winter. The pleasure boating folks are waiting in line to have their boat pulled from the water, winterized, and then either stored indoors or shrink wrapped for outdoor storage.
Saturday, I took my motorcycle to the dealer to be NY State inspected. My inspection sticker expires in November and the ride this time of year was not too pleasing, if even for only a few miles. I filled the gas tank, added a fuel stabilizer, and washed up the machine. For me the riding season is over. In a few days, I will swap the motorcycle’s place in the garage for the snow blower.
I drove around Canandaigua Lake in the car. The Bristol hills on route 21 still show some decent color. But a lot of the trees have already left their leaves on the floor of the forest – a sure sign that Mother Natures is preparing for the winter.
Canandaigua Lake at Woodsville was bathed in the late Sunday afternoon sun. Only a few fishermen were hardy enough to do a little late fall fishing. I drove on to Naples and checked out the view of Italy Hill from the Hazlitt’s Red Cat Wine Cellars.
The leaves on the grapes vines are gone and the vines are already taking their long winter’s nap. The drive around Canandaigua Lake was a bitter sweet one as I would have much preferred to have been riding my motorcycle rather than taking the car, but I have to accept that everything is happening according to Mother’s Nature’s plan.