Feels Like Fall (Why Ithaca is gorges and why local food is pretty great.)

It's funny how one season can blend into another and then take the stage front and center. That's how this season seems to go...one day summer temperatures and bright sun and the next, the colors of the trees on your property are already brilliant and falling at a rapid speed. I always want the autumnal colors to stay around but it seems that they are never around long enough. We took a trip north to see my daughter who is in college in Ithaca, NY. We were surprised to see that once over the Pocono Mountains the trees had already had their moment of glorious color and were getting ready for the winter. We were happy that there were still leaves to see but the colors had subdued somewhat and were ahead of their neighbors to the south by about a week or so.

There's something about fall's night sky that can make pink so brilliant.

This is just one of many water falls that you see driving along in Ithaca, NY.  There are gorges galore with the spectacular Lake Cayuga as the main feature which surrounds Ithaca.

Lake Cayuga in the background lends to the natural beauty of Cornell's campus.

It was a cloudy day walking around Cornell which accentuated the earthy tones and beautiful architecture around campus.

Sage Hall on Cornell's campus. Built in the late 1800s it was originally a dormitory for women. It is now used for the Johnson Graduate School of Management. 

On Sunday the sun peeked out as we explored the Plantations which includes the Cascadilla and Fall Creek Gorges bordering Cornell to the the north and south.

View from the lookout at the top of the hill. You could spend hours here and still not see all the varieties of shrubs and trees. The Plantations preserves 500 acres around campus and extends its preservation to more than 3 thousand acres around Lake Cayuga.

This shrub (not identified) had the most vivid purple berries I've ever seen.

These concrete sculptures were designed by undergraduate Cornell Architecture students in the 1960s. As large and heavy as they look they somehow blend in to the arboretum seamlessly or maybe vice versa.

A trip to Ithaca wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Farmers' Market www.ithacamarket.com on Steamboat Landing.

The market is such a treasure to the people around the area they must wait with anticipation every season to see the bounty that arrives.

The first thing we did upon arrival is get a cup of hot apple cider and a cider donut.  Perfection!

I've never seen so many varieties of local honey.

Apples in abundance...from Golden Russets to Pippins and Ruby Frost and more varieties than you can imagine!

This bin caught my eye because they really looked hearty. There were some new varieties to try one being Ruby Frost which the seedling was developed at Cornell.

Pumpkins were everywhere in the market.

Love the fact that they wore witches hats in the spirit of Halloween! This is one of the most popular stands for delicious macrobiotic food. www.macromamas.com

Trying to choose a place for lunch is not an easy task here,  but who can resist a wood fired pizza?

The pizza here is beyond delicious!

This Tibetan stand was popular among the Saturday market shoppers.

The delicious aroma coming from this Cambodian food stand almost tempted me to eat a second lunch. Next time.

The dock attached to the farmers' market is a great place to eat lunch and take in the beautiful views of Lake Cayuga. 

Gorgeous fall vegetables.

Root veggies looked so vibrant and fresh. Can't wait to try some new recipes with these. Stay tuned...

No farmers' market is compete without the splendor of local flowers. I had to resist buying because I was afraid they wouldn't survive our travel home the next day.

Our day ended walking around Ithaca and having a lovely meal at the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca. This is a picture of their latest collective cookbook which was on display around the restaurant. My very first cookbook when I was first married was Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. It was through countless recipes and trial and error that I learned about food combinations and how to add spice rather than too much salt to flavor food. I still use the same worn cookbook and it never fails to impress.

Penn State Arboretum and Community Garden

We took a road trip to see my father this past weekend and on our way back home we stopped to see our daughter at PSU. The weather was lovely so we spent most of our day walking around campus and visiting the beautiful H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens www.arboretum.psu.edu at the arboretum.

These tropical water lilies are part of the lotus pool in the Oasis Garden. 

Isn't this the most perfect flower? Each petal was so delicate and the color from yellow to cream was so beautiful.

The natural setting of the garden. The fall colors are starting to show.

Sunflowers

Sundial

Fall blooms

These look like hydrangea but not sure which variety.

Walking down to the Community Garden Sunday morning. Caroline spends time here with her group from Community Food Security Club.

Kale was plentiful throughout the garden, having its day in the sun.

Tomato plants were also popular throughout the garden. 

Remembering Cloe

This was our beloved dog, Cloe. The things we learned from her we will remember forever; unconditional love, patience, humor, and comfort. We are the luckiest family to have had her in our lives for so many wonderful years.

Summer listening, Joni Mitchell

 

This is a summer bouquet from our garden.

There's something about the end of summer that reminds me of the Circle Game by Joni Mitchell. Lately, my daughter and I have been listening to her music and we always feel empowered by her writing and lifted by her keen sense of intuition. With the soon to be departure of my youngest off to college and my other daughter for her final college year, I can't seem to listen to Circle Game without fighting back tears. This end of summer has marked a new cycle in our seasons around here...rather than crunch time to get the first issue of the high school paper out, more than a few trips to Staples for school supplies, and talking about SAT tests, we are ordering engineering textbooks on the internet and shopping for dorm accessories. We are excited yet a bit sad by this new season of change, but like the song we continue in the circle game.

 I spent way too much time trying to get a good picture of this butterfly, but just as I was about to give up it rested on this Rhododendron leaf.

Summer Farm Foods

On our way home from the beach the other day, we stopped at a farmer's market and picked up zucchini, tomatoes, and peaches that were all locally grown. There is a growing movement all over the U.S. to look to the local garden for answers to our health, food security issues, and simply better eating. The farm to table concept is an important one not only for the farmers but for the environment, saving fossil fuels, and getting the freshest food available. From our farm fresh veggies and tomatoes we made zucchini casserole, fresh garden salad with peaches, and tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil with garlic toasts. And, we have plenty more for tomato sandwiches and fruit smoothies.

Cape May (Part Two)

We rode our bikes to Beach Plum Farm less than 2 miles outside of town. The farm grows over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables and can be enjoyed at any of the Cape Resort restaurants throughout Cape May. 

We loved this truck full of freshly picked tomatoes!

The Chickens at the Coop

The beehives

We were a little late for asparagus season but can only imagine how delicious it was farm to table.

Berkshire pigs turning up the mud on a hot day.

After our trip to the farm we decided to head into town for a fruit smoothie.

Bliss is one of our favorite spots for coffee, ice cream and of course fruit smoothies.

Need I say more?

While we were walking to dinner we saw plenty of beautiful flower boxes and baskets, but these were a favorite.

Dinner outside at the Blue Pig www.congresshall.com/content/bluepigtavern is always a treat. Their farm to table menu ( Beach Plum Farm) is impressive. This tomato salad with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella was really tasty.  

The view of the harbor from the dock at the Lobster House. We stopped here for dinner and to watch the sunset. Best fresh seafood in town.

West End Garage www.thewestendgarage.com/  is home to antique vendors and other cool treasures.  My daughter found a really nice straw basket from Ghana.

We decided to go to the Point in Cape May on our last day. These pretty mares were snacking on beach grass before heading out for a ride on the beach. People were gathering around to chat with the owners and to snap a picture or two.

The local general  store looked so inviting from the outside...we wished we had more time to stop for lunch. Next visit!

Leaving Cape May wasn't too hard to do because it was raining and overcast, and as you can see the rain followed us home. Always happy to be home.

Beach Time Cape May (Part One)

It's been a while since my last post, mainly because the summer has a tendency to fly by while there is little time for reflection and writing even with the longer days. Recently, part of our family took a brief  trip to Cape May, NJ. Our family has grown up going there and we love the laid back vibe, the beaches, and the Victorian architecture. This shark head on the side of a bait and tackle shop, is one of the first things you notice after coming over the bridge into Cape May. Maybe not the most welcoming but we always knew it meant that we were officially on beach time!

One of the most unique things about Cape May are the stunning Victorian houses throughout the town. From B&Bs to family owned homes there are some terrific architectural treasures.

When was the last time you saw a gas light? They are all throughout the town and look really pretty at night.

The Mainstay is one of our favorite properties. The afternoon tea is really nice.

Porches are everywhere in Cape May. This house has a top and bottom porch that wraps around....great ocean breeze too.

When we arrived it was cloudy with a little rain but we still went to the beach! This is the view from our porch. Turned out to be a sunny afternoon.