The other New York



Gorgeous view of the Adirondack Mountains in fall colors.

For the past four years my extended family has whittled away an autumn week in New York State’s Adirondack Mountains.   Chris and I have heard all about their fishing and hiking exploits and were glad to be back in the States and able to join them this year.  I’m thrilled to show off such a beautiful part of our country to my UK friends reading this, who think only of the metropolis 275 miles south of here when they hear ‘New York’. 

The drive was stunning!

Fall is arguably the prettiest time of year in the Adirondacks when the leaves turn colors as trees prepare for the hard winter.  I don’t remember ever seeing the reds and oranges more vivid than they were this year, although we were told there’s still a week or two before the peak color.    There really aren’t too many trees in England, as most of the woods are long gone, the land being farmed for generations. 

This year we lodged in a couple cabins on Blue Mountain Lake, one of more than 3,000 lakes in the 6 million acre Adirondack Park.   (For our fellow British triathlon folks, the Lake Placid Ironman is held in the park, and after seeing those inclines I have zero interest in ever attempting that race!) Thought it meant we had packed the wrong clothes, we were happy to have warmer than average temperatures (what we call an Indian summer).  Chris and I used to pride ourselves with our amazing packing skills that, like many other skills including productivity and efficiency, completely vanished upon the birth of our baby boy.  We literally packed two huge suitcases for our trip including most of Braxton’s wardrobe but somehow didn’t pack formula.  Of all things to forget, why was it food?!  Remember, we’re in the mountains.  I’m still breastfeeding, but the thought of not having formula to supplement him overnight motivated Calvin and me to drive forty minutes to the closest store.   Thanks, Uncle Cal, and glad your ridiculous luck let you avoid that speeding ticket!  The best part of our adventure was arriving back to a cabin-full of family and grandma’s pierogi and Polish sausage on the table. 

Aunt Mary Ellen was zooming around on her crutches all week, having broken her ankle a month prior.  I’m so glad she and Uncle John decided to come despite the added work involved.  Sarah rode with the two of them and the only absentee was Katherine.   We missed you sorely, Binna!  The newest addition to the group was of course Braxton, the first of the fourth generation, and he absolutely stole the show.  He’s such a lucky boy to be loved so much by so many people.  It was the first time Braxton had met Sarah, AME, and Uncle John and little man instantly warmed to them.  His little toes didn’t touch the floor all week unless we enforced tummy-time.  He’s managing to scoot forward a couple inches at a time but he hasn’t quite grasped crawling yet.  Braxton did find his ‘outside voice’ and spent quite a bit of time squealing at the top of his lungs and then smiling when anyone looked at him.  Uh-oh. 

Braxton loved AME and her boot!

Dziadzia with his great grandbaby!

Playing on the floor.

The dziecis (minus Katherine) hiked up to Castle Rock and despite the cloudy skies that first morning were wowed by the view.  So impressed, we hiked the same trail the next morning to try to get a group photo with the colorful foliage background.  We arrived to the trail head before Chris asked where the camera was.  By the time we realized it was at home he had already said ‘go on, I’ll catch up’ and jumped back in the car.  Cal, Sarah, and I started hiking.  Not twenty minutes later, a hard-breathing monster come roaring past: Chris with camera in hand.  He had sped home & back and then sprinted up the mountain to catch up.  We ended up with some great photos. 

Grandkids on Castle Rock, with Katherine there in spirit.

Sarah signing us in to the trail log.

We could (barely!) see our cabin on the far side of the lake.

Sarah and Chris on the trail.

 

Time in the mountains wouldn’t be complete without a campfire.  Dziadzia split most of the wood and there weren’t any close-calls this year as Sarah stayed well out of the way of flying axe heads.  Pyro Calvin was in charge of fire-building.  Uncle John threw in some really cool copper-treated pine cones that turned the fire green and blue.  I did the marshmallow roasting for AME’s six types of gourmet s’mores (my favorite being a banana slice + dark chocolate caramel Girrhadelli square + roasted marshmallow).  We told stories and drank the Polish beer Grandma & Dziadz brought from Rochester. 

He's so stinking cute!

Cal making the fire.

 

So pretty!

The next morning we decided to walk off the s’mores and drove to the Buttermilk Falls trailhead.  Mom was thrilled to be using her walking sticks for the first time.  We didn’t realize how short the walk was, and Calvin literally walked the tenth of a mile to the falls, then turned to tell mom who lagged a few yards behind that they had arrived, only to hear mom say “go on without me!” as she fussed with her walking sticks.  “Ma, that’s it.  Ma.  Ma!  (shakes head) Ma, we’re here. “  Hahahaha!  

Ma, we're here already!

Buttermilk Falls

 

Most of us spent some time on the lake.  Benson did a lot of fixing fishing lines and casting in to the (empty?) lake.  Dziadzia tried to get Benson some time IN the lake, but he managed to keep his balance at the last second.  Tiny Sarah got her exercise rowing 6’4” Dziadzia and 6’2” Calvin around the lake in ‘the outfit’ that had Chris laughing.   She trolled them around the lake for a long time without any luck.  Chris, mom, and Cal went out later and Cal caught two tiny fish, two more than anyone else did.  They did come back with a story about mom’s ninja skills as she spat a wasp off her lip and then stomped it with her boot!  I did some fishing from the water’s edge and managed to catch the pine tree next to me… three times. The third was an impressive cast that literally propelled half of my rod into the water and the bobber and worm 20 feet into the tree.  I gave up and walked in to the house to find my 86 year old grandma wiping laugh-tears from her eyes, having watched it all happen.  Embarrassing. 

Relaxing ont the water.

Fixing reels

Dunno why he didn't love being in the boat.  HAHA!

 

We had a good bit of lazy time and didn’t move fast except when one of the resident mice made an appearance.  Sarah threw a fit that one had not only found her trail mix but had awoken her at 5:00 in the morning eating it!  There was some football watched, but mostly we sat around and chatted.  There were the obligatory family squabbles, of course, but more laughs than anything else. Chris very carefully said he saw where some of my stubbornness came from!  Haha!  We’re already looking forward to next year!



Group photo!