At the foot of Canandaigua Lake near Naples, NY rests the little hamlet of Woodville. It’s a place that I often come to purge my mind of all unwanted thoughts and to just enjoy the beauty that nature has provided for us Finger Lakes dwellers. Forget about North Korea, hurricanes Harvey in Texas, hurricane Irma bearing down on Florida, or even the last words that you had with your wife for not shutting off the coffee maker in the morning.
I come to Woodville for a change of scenery. There is nothing in Woodville that I can’t live without and yet Woodville offers me everything that I need! Woodville is now a historical site (click here) where steamboats Ontario I and II were built in 1845 and 1867. The “hay day” of Woodville was during the steamboat era; 1827 – 1935. Woodville was used as a landing site for the steamboats and the forests around Woodville supplied the fuel for the steamboats.
Today Woodville is home to a NY State Fishing access, a few cottages, and a storage site for Jeremy Fields’ construction equipment. In late summer, it is also home to some beautiful lily pads and their flowers. At the boat launch site, a young man was checking boats for invasive species that attach themselves to your boat and if not cleaned off or disinfected, can be transported to other lakes. I had to check for myself: the lily is not one of New York’s invasive species. (click here), although there are 22 different species listed.
A small fishing boat pulled up to the launch. There was an old man and his grandson coming in from enjoying time on the lake. I couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous and I have often wondered why my father never took the time to take me fishing when I was growing up. Now I have grandchildren of my own and I have the time. But they are too busy with their i Phones or their friends to even think about “getting away from it all”.