There’s no doubt about it. The people who inhabit the Finger Lakes region of New York are summer people. While we certainly enjoy spring, fall, and winter here in the Finger Lakes, our real anticipation and joy is for the summer months which offer a time to kick back and slow down a little to enjoy the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. The welcoming mat has been going out all around the Finger Lakes: Skaneateles just opened their docks for the people who live around the lake to come and park their boats while they shop or have lunch; Canandaigua is opening the Roseland Waterpark (click here) on June 22 for the children since school is now out; and most boats have been serviced and placed back into the water for summer fun.
The village of Hammondsport, NY has a new welcome mat: a beautiful sign which welcomes you to the village of Hammondsport as you make the turn into the village from route 54. Featured on the sign is a cluster of grapes which is only one of the signature items that I have come to associate with Hammondsport, NY.
The tourists are back and the streets are filled with cars. The shops are open and the people were enjoying their lunches outside on the sidewalks. Jeanette and I drove just a little way along route 54A to Snug Harbor Restaurant. They are open for lunch and dinner and feature a new summer menu. We just enjoyed the peace and quiet of eating on their lovely porch with just enough boat traffic on Keuka Lake to keep us entertained.
We do miss the Keuka Maid. I’ve concluded that she belongs back in the little village of Hammondsport, NY. I checked out the dock where she was cut apart with the torch last winter. Now there is just a warning sign to “Keep Out” and some plastic fence which rings the dock area that serves as a roost for the local sea gulls. Why isn’t someone taking up a collection for the restoration of the Keuka Maid?