The Finger Lake Region of Upstate New York is right at the cross-roads of bird migrations from the north to the south as well as the annual migrations of folks who live around the Finger Lakes or the Canadians who don’t enjoy the colder months of the years. We have already had our first killing frosts in the Finger Lakes but temperatures remain on the warm side. This week we will be having “Indian Summer” as our day time temperatures will be climbing back into the seventies.
We drove to Skaneateles to meet our Canadian friends from Ottawa for lunch at the Sherwood Inn. They will be soon leaving for Florida but their trip this year is delayed until after Thanksgiving due to a family wedding. The large migrations of geese and ducks have not occurred since our weather has remained warmer than usual. On our way to Skaneateles, we couldn’t help but notice that the soybeans are just now being harvested and then the corn will be shelled in the fields after the farmers have changed heads on their grain harvesters. All of this farming activity is like mana from the heavens to the migrating birds as they will have free lunch and dinner until the heavy snows of winter come and cover up the fields with ice and snow.
The activity on the Finger Lakes is rapidly dying down as now it is time to take out the docks along the lakes before the water freezes and to store the boats for the winter. Those folks who are fortunate enough to own a summer cottage along one of the Finger Lakes have to “winterize” their summer homes. After we had our lunch at the Sherwood, we stopped at Wolffy’s Grill and Marina (click here) near Seneca Falls for a little libation and some late afternoon sun.
I suppose that this will be the last time this year that we can use the deck at Wolffy’s. We discussed our travel plans to Florida and the chances of meeting up with our friends again in the warm Florida sunshine. You know, as much as we love living in the Finger Lakes, a short winter vacation to Florida sure helps to break up the long Finger Lakes winter.