Just a little bit longer...

 Moments from our last two days at the lake.  We did it up right.

Best way to wake up.

 More boat rides!

 Swimming in the deep ends in some crazy waves!

 The view from Sunday dinner.

 These three.

 Telescope: great idea, poor execution.  This photo looks idyllic but we never did manage to get the moon in the viewfinder and got a lot of bug bites while we tried...

 Final morning:  Breakfast by boat at the Aurora Inn.  Not sure why we weren't doing this EVERY day...

 Swimming and kayaking...

Our crew plus Cleveland Heights friends who were vacationing nearby.

 Playing with puppies...

 MORE boat rides...

 Even getting gas is pretty here.

 Hello lake.

 All good things must come to an end.  Packing and chatting and this dog who wanted to be sure we didn't leave her.

 Goodbye pretty little cottage.

 Love the way this place looks without all our stuff cluttering it up!

 The lion chair keeps getting smaller...

 Best group of kids going.  We were so glad to spend out last morning with all of them.

 We love you, Farley's!  See you soon.

Waterfalls and baby lambs

 Time flies and suddenly we'd arrived at our last weekend at the Point.  Time for another adventure!  We borrowed a couple extra kids and headed down the lake to Taughannock Falls.
Frisbee, picnic lunch and exploring by the creek to start the day...

 Then up the gorge we went. It was a hot day so we decided to walk in the stream.

 Perfect and idyllic there, splashing along the (very slippery) bedrock, sliding with the current and dipping into pools...

 Not pictured:  Reese falling and hurting her wrist and Jack scraping the heck out of his torso while "slip and sliding" down the rocks.... Also not pictured: My brisk walk to the van and back to bring princess Ivy her swimsuit and goggles...
But! We persevered!  Onward in the face of adversity and injury!

Little Drew's reaction was priceless when we rounded the bend to this view, cliffs arching up to forever: (mid-sentence full stop) "Oh.  Wow!"

On the way back up the lake we detoured to Lively Run Dairy, a small goat farm and cheesemaker.

 Cute little operation. We opted out of the cheese tasting as the vast majority of our contingent was either a. not at all interested in cheese or b. actually averse to goat cheese.

But we opted right in to time in the barns, where we socialized with some 3 month old goats... and then we were treated to the babies!

We got to see a 3 hour old kid, still wet with amniotic fluid.  And we got to hold this guy, 6 days old and nothing but legs and softness.  He kept trying to suckle our fingers and was incredibly sweet.

 He made us all so happy.

 Even Winter!  She was ready to play.

 Home to the cottage, where the lake waited for us.  The lake, and melty beads.

 And!  A surprise ride to the "deep end" in Barb's boat.

 Flying over the waves and jumping into the cool deep...

 A summer day well spent.

Lake Life-- Lucky Ducks

 Sometimes when I am getting into the 1959 Morehouse wooden boat to head off to dinner on a perfect summer afternoon, I look back towards the docks and cottages and boats and friends at Farley's Point and I am just floored at how lucky we are.  This little place is such a gift to our family. Two weeks of ease and relaxation, of living simply and eating well, surrounded by family and our wonderful Lake friends... I know Jack and Ivy are growing up taking all this for granted.  But I know I never will!  Grateful for every moment...

Grateful for a lovely dinner at the Wheelhouse to celebrate loads of good news-- Lauren's Masters program and Johns Hopkins, Matt's acceptance into grad school as well, and Lulu's successful surgery with clear margins!  It was hot as blazes but we drank cold beer and enjoyed the patio anyways.

Grateful for  sunsets over glassy lakes. Can't get enough of them.

 Grateful for beautiful gardens.  Here's Winter in her namesake "Winter Garden," part of the utterly charming Cornell Plantations.

 I could have wandered the herb garden for hours.

 The kids not so much.

 But they were troupers and even trekked over to Bebe Lake...

 ...and Ithaca Falls...

 This is the face of a girl who was NOT happy to have slipped into the creek up to her knee.  Muddy shirts do not please Ivy.

 But trampolines do!  The kids bounced for about an hour at Laurie's house while the grownups caught up in the air conditioned kitchen.  Grateful for old friends and bouncy fun...

 Grateful for date nights!  Nat and I went to see a show at the Merry Go Round theater, which is actual inside the housing for an old carousel.

 Emerson Park was utterly charming and felt like a step back in time.

 The show was cute and very well staged, even if not our favorite musical of all time.

 And Nat got to reminisce out on the old playground, even if the Rocket Slide isn't there any more.

 Pretty little Owasco Lake.

 Grateful for connections and horses!  Claire hooked us up with a tour of Ledyard Farms, home of Ledyard Morgans horses and about the loveliest farm I've ever had the pleasure to wander.

 Gorgeous horses abounded.

 I love watching my animal - loving boy commune and light up around horses.  He insists he does not want to ride, but also said he could see himself working at a place like this.  Me too.

 Of course Ivy was in her element! Her Lake-bestie AND horses??  Best morning ever.

 Loving my new phone camera. My photos have never been this good.

 We all loved Bowser the cat.

 Heaven on earth on a cool cloudy morning.  Look at all those tall kids.

 We got to spend lots of time over the whole trip with Reese and Drew, our Lake neighbors, and they are such terrific kids.  They're lucky enough to spend most of the summer at the point with their grandma, and we're lucky enough to borrow them from time to time.  Ivy and Reese, born 6 days apart, are at the age where "best friend" happens fast and hard, and they were absolutely inseparable for two weeks.  Jack gets along surprisingly well with little Drew, 6 years old and fearless and sweet.  It never hurts to be hero-worshipped.

 And Winter has her own Lake Bestie, Rae, who is just her age too!

 Grateful for scenic views and local brews and time with my honey.  It's easier and easier to leave our kids in the care of the Point at large and run off for cocktail hour or shopping or whatever we need.  We were happy to be able to visit and support the Aurora Brewing Company, which has one of the best views going.

 Grateful for Lulu's porch.  Site of so many delicious meals and so much socializing in the wicker chairs...  Lulu treated us to pulled pork and fresh picked raspberries, and Ivy set the table...

 Grateful for the Park and the next generation.  Any time of day at Farley's you can look over at the park and see a scene something like this.  Kids of all ages, playing and hanging out together.  "Mom, I'm going to the park!" yelled to the accompaniment of  a closing screen door...  This summer there was plenty of swinging and a lot of secret fort-building, as well as a fair amount of Instagram.  The babies are growing up for sure.

Grateful for sunset boat rides, even when the lake is a little rough.

Grateful for every moment here in our happy place.