Welcome August

So long July. We hardly knew ye.

Our day in pictures . . .

Son #1 with Billy  Idol-styled hair courtesy of high speed tubing on choppy waters earlier this afternoon. We called it quits not after Son #1 was thrown from the tube but approximately 10 minute later when both kids flew roughly six feet in the air, landed with a thud but somehow, miraculously, remained in the inner tube. 

Son #2 gazing at the lake and wondering how, against all odds, did his two loose teeth remain in his jaw after taking a beating while tubing. Behind the lens, me (tooth fairy on standby), wondering how, against all odds, did we all forget to make them put on their life vests after stopping at the Pier House for lunch.

The well-decorated shed behind the cottage bearing my bro-in-law's name and, I'm guessing, remnants of a few of the herd he so mercilessly turned into venison chili. (Yum! Sorry Tim.)

A tribute to a (clearly much loved) dog, Pa Pa's Boy, who died almost 100 years ago, marking the entrance to the driveway to the cottage. Most weekends he's donning Mardi Gras beads or a sombrero or basically anything festive. Today, he was naked. For whatever the reason, I love him.

Wait!

I want my weekend back!

Photo Per Day #29: Geneva, NY

Today, I drove to a client in Northern PA and back but rather than heading down the less scenic 390, the hubby talked me into taking Route 14 which is also, unbeknown to me, faster. Duh. So I headed to Geneva and instead of going to my brother-in-law's cottage, I drove along the other side of the lake and saw those familiar sights from a new angle. The road-side of the inns directly across the lake from the cottage: Geneva on the Lake and Belhurst Castle. I now want to stay at both and wave to my sis from my upscale vantage point. So beautiful!

Anyhoo, instead of taking pictures of the cute little town of Watkins Glen or of the gazillion vineyards dotting the landscape (or even of the one, lone boater), I fell in love with the town (city?) of Geneva for the first time ever. Crime-riddled, decay-filled Geneva, NY with its boarded up storefronts is chock full of gorgeous architecture. Mansions dotting the lakefront. The lake itself. The whole package. I now personally want to restore the area to its former glory. A Geneva revival sans gunfights, welfare and crack whores. Could happen, right?

And I want to live here: smack dab in the middle of town with Christmas decorations on the lampposts and views of the lake from my backyard.

Extra Photo Per Day: Sunset

Okay, so I missed two days of my self-imposed photographic compilation; however, I'm closing the gap with an extra photo today. This shot was taken by my brother-in-law, Jim, at his cottage last Friday night. I've never seen the lake that calm before.