Farley's take two....

Well, hello there, happy place.

 We spent a quick 4 days soaking up cool, breezy sunshine and time with family and Farley's friends, and really enjoyed our time at a quieter Point.  We are thinking that next year we may do our "long stay" in August rather than around the 4th.  The lake was clear and warm, the weeds were down, and with fewer cars and people around, everything felt bigger.  And, whatever allergen has been bothering Nat's eyes during swimming and boating seemed to be gone from the water at this time of the summer-- bonus!

We brought along my mom and her dog, Pip, to enjoy the Point with us.  Our tiny cottage expanded to hold 5 people and 2 dogs with only a modicum of difficulty.  After our first, rainy day (spent at the outlet malls because none of us packed enough cool-weather clothing!) we all settled in to read and sit and boat and fish and play as hard as possible for our last "lake days" of 2017.
Some highlights...

A visit with Ashley:

We timed our trip well, as Nat's cousin Ashley was visiting from Denver, with her two sweet girls and her new baby boy, Boden.  This kid charmed the pants off of everyone.

I love this picture of Clair, working her magic with Ella and Riley, teaching them about the little Painted Turtle we found.

 The "little girl contingent" was up by one for the day...

 ...and family dinner was even more festive than normal, with our long-distance guests making an ordinary Sunday an occasion.

The Gymnastics Show:

Ivy immediately fell back into her routine of being a free-range kid, gone for hours at a time.  During some of those hours, she and Izzy and Reese planned, rehearsed and performed an elaborate gymnastic performance.

 It was pretty cute.  Pictures don't really do it justice.  They were so very serious and proud.

These sweet teenage girls, who are wonderful friends to our little ones, came to the show, brought popcorn, and stayed for the whole thing, cheering heartily,  What grand role models of kindness.  How lucky our girls are.


Boating, Fishing and Changeable Skies:

We had some crazy, unpredictable weather during our stay.  One of the wonderful things about the lake is the way you can see all of the sky, and watch the weather roll in.  And roll it did, with the constant breeze/ gale-force wind that was a constant each day.  You never knew, moment-to-moment, whether it might rain or which cove would be calm, and there was a good 10 degree temperature difference between the windy and non-windy side of the point.

We persisted, though!  And got ourselves plenty of  water time...

And fishing!  Uncle Randy has been fishing a lot this summer and was gracious enough to take our boy along for a very successful afternoon of catching...The boys could also be found fishing off the dock and trying to net the perch and sunfish that hang out there...

Cousins, Cottage time and cuddles...

Many games were played, many beads were used, many hugs were given. Time with family= always worth the drive.

 About to release "Rosie," our turtle friend rescued from a tangle of seaweed...

 Lovely dinner at Claire's house.  I cannot handle how big this crew is getting.

 We had entirely too much fun with croquet.

Hanna came along for a visit to Mackenzie-Childs, where we watched the background video for the first time ever, watched an artist at work, and gained a new appreciation for the high price of this pottery.

Peace and Beauty to hold on to through the year...

Heading home into our fall season of transition and craziness, these are some of the moments I will hold in my heart...

See you next year, Cayuga Lake.