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| The rows of grape vines just under the hedge and Canandaigua Lake in the background.... |
Hills rolling down toward the lake with rows and rows of grape vineyards accented by the pungent smell of concord grapes on the vine. Take in the view as you drive down to the end of Canandaigua Lake. The Finger Lakes area is known worldwide for it's perfect grape growing conditions,
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| You can't really see it here, but there was a slight breeze and the leaves were slowly fluttering through the air from the top of the trees to the ground. |
It is only 45 minutes from us and we know it well but we wanted to just get away for the weekend while our son was at a retreat. We found a wonderful guest house to stay in called The Seasons of Life Guesthouse. The weather was promising to be gorgeous and we were hoping to catch some colorful falling leaves and then whatever else came our way.
Our first night was dinner at a tiny little Southwestern diner and then to the guesthouse. This is what we were greeted with at bedtime.....cozy!
On the way into town at dusk my vintage junkie inner sensor spotted a cute little house with a side porch brimming with vintage, shabby, farmhouse things. Turns out it is called Vintage and More. Guess what we did first thing Saturday?
I bought one of those enamelware pots because it was just too good not to. It is already listed in my shop.
We ventured on to try and see the falls at Grimes Glen located at the end of a side street off Main Street. It was a perfect warm, sunny day. We never did get to see the falls. I found out later that the only way to get to them is to walk the creek. The paths on both sides end abruptly, even if you dare to cross the fallen tree from one side to the other. I only had my flip flops on and I am still recovering from hip surgery so it wasn't going to happen! It was worth it for as far as we got because it was like walking in a wonderland of Fall.
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| That is hubby hugging a tree.... |
We saw this cool, gnarly, old tree on the creek's edge and the largest maple leaf I have ever seen!
Across the street from the vintage shop was a large park with a cemetery in it. I have seen it a hundred times but never ventured near. This time we actually went inside the iron gates and read some of the stones, which were faded and blackened with age. Most were from the mid to late 1800's. It was beautiful with it's stone walls but a little unsettling being in there and I felt weird walking on the graves!
There was another gated area within the cemetery with an ornate gate. We figured it was for the wealthy of the time. We did not go inside. The fencing was beautiful and was all done in iron scrollwork and grapes.
We drove around the area because it was a gorgeous day, stopped for Pumpkin Cinnamon custard and a visit to Joseph's Wayside Market, one of the best in the area.
It wasn't until Sunday on our way home that we stopped at a roadside stand to get concord grapes to make grape pies with. There were plenty of places to buy ready made pies, the most popular being Monica's Pies, but can I be honest here? They pack them all in cardboard boxes and they sit there stacked up all day until someone buys them. Anyone that bakes knows that cardboard and baked goods do not mix and can make your hard work taste like cardboard....and that is all I'll say about the ready made pies to buy in Naples. Below is the pie I made from freshly picked concord grapes. I used a streusel topping and it is SOOOO good.
I will share that recipe and what I did with my goodies from Joseph's in my next post.
Can you wait till then to sink into this yummy looking pie?
AnnMarie :)
I am linking up to these great blog parties!
