getaway...

The Fourth of July weekend found us just west of the Finger Lakes region of New York State, a bittersweet time filled with family, bountiful food & beautiful countryside.

Western New York State is filled with lush, gently rolling hills, & long, limpid lakes. I went to college not far from here, & my husband spent his teenage years in this part of the world, a place that resonates deeply with him, where his mother's family settled when they first came to the U.S.

We met up with his sister, her partner & a cousin, & attended a memorial service for another cousin, an older gentleman who was their last blood relative in the area. Saturday was spent cleaning out his home, tracing the history of objects that went back a few generations.My husband & his family remember playing in the yard as children, & the many old photos we unearthed brought back memories & stories.

the old farmhouse, & magnificent old maple tree

A stop at the local Historical Society also turned up some family photos, as well as compelling artifacts from the area in general.

This time also marked 15 years of coupledom for us. While in some ways time has flown & it feels like just yesterday when we met & recognized each other, in other ways it is as though we have always been together. In celebration we stayed in a lovely old Victorian B&B & had dinner in a restaurant that was once a grand old library, both in the city my husband spent his high school years playing music & being a teen.

We would love to get back to this region sometime in the near future, to explore the hills & drink some of the delicious rieslings the area is known for, & hopefully next summer for a Singer family reunion.