Waterfalls and Weddings

This summer has been crazy with the last child graduating, leaving for college, the gardens, the garden parties, the canning and preserving, and my new job.  Hence my absence from my blog and my life-giving artwork.
Today I thought I'd take a few minutes to get back into the habit of posting by sharing a remarkable weekend my husband and I spent in and around Ithaca, New York for our niece's wedding.  If you've never been to upstate New York, and the Ithaca area in general, you are missing some fine scenery and waterfalls everywhere!

Mike and I stayed in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast called the Rogues Harbor Inn in Lansing, New York.  A beautiful old brick mansion that has turned the lower level into a fine dining experience, which includes at least one locally grown food in every dish.  We tried the Squash blossoms stuffed with local duck sausage and feta cheese...marvelous! I was really impressed with the local fare supporting local farms and how "Green" this B&B was.  They believe in reducing, reusing, and recycling.  They definitely walked the talk!  Impressive.

This photo and the previous one show how the third floor ballroom has been turned into a charming breakfast room.  Can "charming" be used in a space so large?

Ursula, one of our breakfast attendants.

The history was exciting as well.  This very Inn was part of the Underground railroad that helped slaves escape the south and get to Canada.


Since we had half of Saturday to ourselves before the wedding, we headed off for some waterfall sightseeing....and the Farmer's Market.

This is where we bought our lunch.  I'm not sure Mike had ever eaten vegetarian before, but we bought the Sampler's Platter, which included a bit of each item on display.  We took it back to the B&B and had a delicious, locally grown meal with flavors and textures that were so unique!

Then it was time for some hiking to the Taghannock Falls.  The day offered perfect temperatures and weather for our excursion.  When we hiked to the lookout, we ran into some amazing views that weren't even the right falls! Still they were breathtaking.

These are the Taghannock Falls.  They are actually taller than the Niagara Falls.  We hiked a couple of miles to the overlook.  We were planning to hike down into the gorge, but we had to get back and get ready for the wedding.  The girls and I will have to put this on our "Must do" Road Trip list! :)