Autumn in New York ~ by Jennifer Daniels

Today is a beautiful Fall day, a time of the year here in the

Adirondack Mountains where things change. I love the changing colors of the leaves. This year it started off looking like we had a lot of reds but now most of the foliage is orange. I love the cooler nights and the warmer days, but as October is passing us by, we are needing a sweatshirt most days. I also love the smell of the air, it's so crisp and fresh, odd considering the leaves are now falling to the ground. Fall makes me so excited because I know my favorite holiday is just around the corner. (Sorry, but I love Christmas!)

The other day my son had a doctor’s appointment and on the way

home we decided to stop and take some pictures. This road we

travel often so we knew it was the perfect place. There is even a cute little babbling brook. It was so pretty to see the colorful leaves slowly falling around and floating downstream. The water sounded so peaceful as it lazily took the leaves on the water current, depositing them elsewhere.

When you take the time to stop and enjoy the moment, you really find so much in what you see. My son found a little rock wall right next to the brook up on the bank. Of course, his mind went straight to how cool that would have been to have had a fort there when he was younger. And as he's talking, I was thinking you would never  have played near this water… Nevertheless, we had a nice car ride home enjoying nature.

Today, I was outside with my pup, Kera, and it’s another gorgeous

day out there... Sunny and warmish--around sixty degrees, perfect for a long sleeve shirt. Peaceful. I live on a dirt road so I have very little traffic. As we walked around the yard, I couldn’t believe how many trees were leaf-bare in just one week. Yet everything is so colorful with all the leaves laying peacefully on the ground.

Many people go for drives up to Whiteface Mountain, in Wilmington, NY. It’s one of the highest peaks of the Adirondack Mountains and the summit has a 360-degree view of the Adirondacks. It’s a gorgeous site to behold. In the winter months that is where most people go to ski, but the drive alone is amazing.

So, with that, I leave you with the peace of Fall and wish you all a very beautiful and very spooky Halloween.

Summertime Fun ~ by Jennifer Daniels

When you live in Upstate NY you don’t have to go far to see some awesome sights and have some fun. I went on an overnight visit to Albany, NY this month for my great nephew's First Birthday party. On my way, I took a few pictures. I would have taken more, but I got caught up in my crocheting.

These pictures were taken between High Falls Gorge in Wilmington, NY and Albany. If you're into Hiking, whitewater rafting, or sightseeing, this is one of the extraordinary places you can come and visit to take in the sites. The mountain views are incredible to see, everything looks so green and fresh. But, if you want to see an even better sight, come during the fall when the leaves are changing into incredible reds, oranges, and yellows. The smell of the air is so crisp during the fall season.

My next day trip was an Uncle Sam’s Boat Dinner Cruise in Alexandria Bay, NY. It was such a nice day to go, the weather was beautiful for an evening ride. My husband and I wanted a date night so we chose this to do. And we made the perfect choice. There are a variety of choices you can make when you go on these cruises. They even have a cruise that will bring you to see Singer Castle or Bolt Castle. The photos are of Bolt Castle during the daylight and one at dark. It’s an amazing site to see and the castle is fun to tour. On the Fourth of July they always have fireworks. Everyone goes and parks their individual boats out in the shallows to watch the show. We once stayed the night on our boat to watch the display and the next morning we enjoyed our coffee with the incredible sight of the castle and the clock tower.

But we also got to see a ship and enjoy the gorgeous views of the St. Lawrence River.

Now I bring you back to Star Lake, NY... where I spent most of my summer days as a kid growing up. This was an evening raft ride my family went on and we saw some of our local wildlife. The Crane, or Mud Hen as many others call it, was sunning itself and enjoying the peace and quiet until I had to go snapping pictures of it. I tried to get a good picture of it in flight. Then we came upon a Loon. I love to listen to them. Their calls always sound so calming in the early mornings, and in the evening after the lake has quieted down after a busy day.

I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. It always seems to fly by so fast, one minute you're swimming, and overnight the weather changes and now it’s time for my son to go back to school. I’m not ready and neither is he… Until next time. I hope you all enjoy and have a safe Labor Day!