Poplar Ridge, NY
June 4-12, 2016
Our vacation actually started out in London, Ontario. I get car sick if I spend several hours in a car, even if we stop every now and then at rest stops. So, when driving to or from New York, we always stop in Canada for the night rather than drive all the way through. Last time we made this trip, we lived in Wixom, Michigan. We wanted a half way stopping point, so we booked a room at the London Residence Inn. AAA set us up there for the night on our way back to Miichigan the first time we went to Poplar Ridge (the first time I found out about my carsickness problem). We liked the hotel, so we decided to book a room there this time around too. Although Lansing, Michigan seems farther away from Canada than does Wixom, it took us quite a bit less time to get to London than it did when we drove from Wixom. Might have something to do with it being a straight shot from Lansing to the Blue Water bridge. When we lived in Wixom, we had to take 3 freeways to get to Canada. Anyway, we got into London in the mid-afternoon. The hotel had changed quite a bit since we were there a decade ago. Open and airy lobby, comfy couches and interesting art in the hotel rooms.
Our vacation actually started out in London, Ontario. I get car sick if I spend several hours in a car, even if we stop every now and then at rest stops. So, when driving to or from New York, we always stop in Canada for the night rather than drive all the way through. Last time we made this trip, we lived in Wixom, Michigan. We wanted a half way stopping point, so we booked a room at the London Residence Inn. AAA set us up there for the night on our way back to Miichigan the first time we went to Poplar Ridge (the first time I found out about my carsickness problem). We liked the hotel, so we decided to book a room there this time around too. Although Lansing, Michigan seems farther away from Canada than does Wixom, it took us quite a bit less time to get to London than it did when we drove from Wixom. Might have something to do with it being a straight shot from Lansing to the Blue Water bridge. When we lived in Wixom, we had to take 3 freeways to get to Canada. Anyway, we got into London in the mid-afternoon. The hotel had changed quite a bit since we were there a decade ago. Open and airy lobby, comfy couches and interesting art in the hotel rooms.
I spent the afternoon on that couch that's behind Dan reading. So comfy to settle in with my feet up and relax.
I thought it kind of ironic that the artwork showed a train car. Dan works for a subsidiary of Union Pacific.
When dinner time rolled around, we ordered pizza from Bondi's. They're the only place in London that I could find that sells vegan pizza. And, I wasn't disappointed. Their pizza is to die for!! I wish the website AllergyEats covered Canada so I could review them. Other people with food allergies should know about this place. Heck, people without food allergies should know about this place! If you'd like to find out more, click here.
After eating, watching some TV, and reading, I got bored and decided to look out the window. I saw a group of bicyclists with colored lights on their bicycles riding through downtown. Soon after that, it was time to go to bed. Unfortunately, the music we had been hearing all afternoon and evening was still playing. I thought maybe there was a concert in the area or something. I was hoping the music would stop at a decent hour (it didn't, sigh...)
Next morning was Sunday. I brought my iPad along so I was able to watch the Mass on EWTN after eating breakfast (cereal and soy milk that I brought with me). Dan went downstairs to the free complimentary breakfast while I watched the Mass.
We arrived at Simkin Cottage in the late afternoon. Dan had a difficult time finding the spare key. I suggested we call his aunt and uncle to come with their spare key, but Dan said that he didn't have their phone number. Luckily, I came prepared for just such an occasion. Dan called, but in the time it took for his aunt and uncle to come Dan had found the key and we brought in our stuff from the car. So, his aunt and uncle decided to stay and visit for a while.
Before leaving, Dan invited them to come back for a BBQ on Wednesday. Later that evening, he called more relatives to invite them to the BBQ.
After a late dinner and a bit of relaxing, it was off to bed. Ah so peaceful falling asleep to the sound of waves lapping on the shore.
Waking up to the cacophony of birdsong at 5 am is not wonderful, however. Luckily the birds calmed down soon after that and I could get back to sleep for a couple more hours.
Unlike cold and rainy Sunday, Monday was sunny and fairly warm. After breakfast we went into Auburn to get groceries for the week and stuff for the BBQ. Unfortunately, I thought Dan knew where Wegmans was so I didn't bring the directions. Dan turned left when he should've turned right and we drove all the way to the edge of town with no luck. Then we drove towards downtown and sure enough, Wegmans was one block east of where we turned west.
For the rest of the day we hung out at the cabin. Dan started to get the grill ready for Wednesday. He also took a very cold dip in Cayuga Lake (tradition!)
After eating, watching some TV, and reading, I got bored and decided to look out the window. I saw a group of bicyclists with colored lights on their bicycles riding through downtown. Soon after that, it was time to go to bed. Unfortunately, the music we had been hearing all afternoon and evening was still playing. I thought maybe there was a concert in the area or something. I was hoping the music would stop at a decent hour (it didn't, sigh...)
Next morning was Sunday. I brought my iPad along so I was able to watch the Mass on EWTN after eating breakfast (cereal and soy milk that I brought with me). Dan went downstairs to the free complimentary breakfast while I watched the Mass.
We arrived at Simkin Cottage in the late afternoon. Dan had a difficult time finding the spare key. I suggested we call his aunt and uncle to come with their spare key, but Dan said that he didn't have their phone number. Luckily, I came prepared for just such an occasion. Dan called, but in the time it took for his aunt and uncle to come Dan had found the key and we brought in our stuff from the car. So, his aunt and uncle decided to stay and visit for a while.
Before leaving, Dan invited them to come back for a BBQ on Wednesday. Later that evening, he called more relatives to invite them to the BBQ.
After a late dinner and a bit of relaxing, it was off to bed. Ah so peaceful falling asleep to the sound of waves lapping on the shore.
Waking up to the cacophony of birdsong at 5 am is not wonderful, however. Luckily the birds calmed down soon after that and I could get back to sleep for a couple more hours.
Unlike cold and rainy Sunday, Monday was sunny and fairly warm. After breakfast we went into Auburn to get groceries for the week and stuff for the BBQ. Unfortunately, I thought Dan knew where Wegmans was so I didn't bring the directions. Dan turned left when he should've turned right and we drove all the way to the edge of town with no luck. Then we drove towards downtown and sure enough, Wegmans was one block east of where we turned west.
For the rest of the day we hung out at the cabin. Dan started to get the grill ready for Wednesday. He also took a very cold dip in Cayuga Lake (tradition!)
That afternoon I decided to take some pictures around the cabin. Here's a view from the screened in porch where we ate our meals when it was warm enough. Unfortunately, except for Monday, most of the time it wasn't warm enough.
Some irises on the lakeside of the cabin.
Some wildflowers on the property to the side of the cabin.
A better view looking toward the lake.
Simkin cottage.
A couple pictures I took while down by the lake when Dan was swimming.
After dinner we sat by the lake a bit in order to watch the sunset, but the sun sets farther up to the north so there wasn't much to see. Not to mention, there were some clouds obscuring it. But it was a nice evening nonetheless.
Back at the cottage, we were kind of bored with reading, so we decided to play a game of Trivial Pursuit. The game had to be suspended with no winner at 10 pm so we could go to bed. The game resumed the next morning, with Dan eventually winning.
Tuesday was a cool day with intermittent showers and sun and for most of the day lots of wind. The morning wasn't yet windy or raining so we ate our breakfast on the screened-in porch. The morning inside was quite cold for me. I wished I would've brought my winter gloves. My hands were freezing cold. Although I had on my winter socks and my shoes, my feet were ice cold too. I ended up putting on two pairs of socks and that seemed to help. I guess it's true. As long as your feet are warm, so are you. I'll need to get some warmer socks sometime before the next time we come here. I'll also have to remember to bring my winter gloves.
Dan scrubbed the grill in the morning, we worked on a crossword puzzle, and for the most of the rest of the day we each sat inside and read. I ended up finishing the book that I brought. Dan got through half of his. In the evening we finished the Joe Grey book we were reading together (I read aloud while Dan listens). Luckily I brought the next book in the series so we could continue if we felt like reading it for the rest of the week.
Wednesday was the big day: the day of the BBQ. People would be coming for dinner at 6 pm. Wednesday morning was COLD! The thermometer read 52 degrees, but it felt a lot colder. It was a windy day too with cloudy skies. The DJ on the radio said that the temps were 20 degrees below normal, with a predicted low on Thursday morning of 45 degrees! I was extremely cold. Shivering in fact. I had on several layers and thick socks and I was still shivering. Dan made a small fire, but unless one sat right up to it, one couldn't feel the warmth. It soon was just embers. After lunch I had Dan search for a blanket so I could try and stay warm while I sat and read. That helped, but my hands were ice cold..
Little by little we got ready for the BBQ: picked up around the place, Dan made hamburger patties, iced tea and lemonade. Each invited family member was bringing a dish to pass. The cabin was still cold, but a log that took a long time to catch on fire finally did. Dan was hesitant to put more logs on the fire (he wasn't sure if the logs outside were dry enough to burn). He said that he should've told people to bring jackets or winter coats. I laughed and told him that they would just say "make a fire in the fireplace." Finally, he went out and got a couple pieces of wood from the wood pile and hesitatingly put them one by one on the fire. It looked like it was burning so I encouraged him to get more. But he hesitated again.
The first guests came a bit early. In my experience, that's quite unusual for someone in my husband's family, at least with the ones in Michigan. But, then again, they had the farthest to come so it's natural that they would be early. By this time there was a small fire in the fireplace, but that was soon to change. While Dan was working to get the grill started, Phil, Dan's father's cousin, got more wood from the woodpile. Soon there was a roaring fire in the fireplace with lots of warmth. When Dan came back in, I told him (pointing to the fire): "That's how it's done!" Phil continued to bring in more wood for the fire so it would last the whole time everyone was there, and replenished the storage bin inside so we'd have more for a fire Thursday morning.
The gathering lasted several hours. I got to meet some relatives that I've never met before. Although these relatives keep in touch with each other, I got the impression that they rarely get together all at once, so I'm glad Dan suggested this mini family reunion of sorts. It was also a good idea because this way we could visit all the relatives and not spend our entire vacation doing it.
Thursday morning was cold! The temperature read 54 degrees when I came downstairs but it felt a lot colder in the cabin. By the time I got dressed, Dan had a warm fire going in the fireplace. Much better than Wednesday morning's anemic one.
Before breakfast I called the vet to check up on Calliope. All was fine there. She got through her teeth cleaning procedure OK, so I felt much better knowing all was well.
Then, before we could get breakfast, Karen, another of Dan's father's cousins (Phil's sister) called to say she'd be by to drop off some gloves for me to borrow. She had to go next door to Camp Gregory to clean because someone had rented the place for Friday, so she figured she'd stop by and drop the gloves off.
The rest of the morning we spent reading. Then after lunch Dan's uncle Paul picked us up for a driving tour of Wells College and then to see the milking operations of three of the dairy farms in the area. They don't hold formal tours. Uncle Paul just knows people who work at two of them and the owners of the third. It was interesting to see the differences in the operations. Although the milking itself is automated at all of them, one had robotic milking machines, completely automated, no hands-on human interaction. The robot senses when the cow is in the milking pen, has laser guidance so that it can find the teats, attaches on to them and automatically milks. It has a display that tracks how much is milked from each cow and each teat.
The other two operations are more hands on. At the first farm we went to there was one woman who took care of two of the three shifts of daily milking. She would clean then attach the milkers. The milkers would automatically come off when the milking was done. Then the cows knew to leave the area through a doorway to make room for the next group of cows to be milked. One cow, however, stayed behind. She was pretty curious about us being there. Or maybe just curious about me. She came right up to me, behind me. I turned around and said hello, then went back to listening to Uncle Paul talk to the woman that works there (though I couldn't understand much of it, since they were talking in Spanish). At one point I heard a snuffling sound and my hair moved. I looked back at the cow and said "are you still here?" That cow really liked me for some reason, but she backed away when the woman yelled "vaca!" at her, but she stayed in the room. She didn't go through the doorway like the others did. Afterward, I thought that if my aunt Stella were there she would've enjoyed it because she told me once that she liked cows.
The largest operation of all three still had workers (several at once) cleaning, then attaching the automatic milkers. Those cows kind of just stood around after until a worker herded them back to wherever they were supposed to be. One cow, while waiting, was quite interested in a piece of farm equipment. Another was interested in us and came over to the fence to watch us (they were on a high, fenced platform).
After the tour, it was back to the cottage for a few games of Uno and some reading before dinner.
Friday, our last full day at the cottage, started out cold, but Dan made a roaring fire in the fireplace before breakfast. After breakfast we each decided to take a shower (another reason for the roaring fire).
Tuesday was a cool day with intermittent showers and sun and for most of the day lots of wind. The morning wasn't yet windy or raining so we ate our breakfast on the screened-in porch. The morning inside was quite cold for me. I wished I would've brought my winter gloves. My hands were freezing cold. Although I had on my winter socks and my shoes, my feet were ice cold too. I ended up putting on two pairs of socks and that seemed to help. I guess it's true. As long as your feet are warm, so are you. I'll need to get some warmer socks sometime before the next time we come here. I'll also have to remember to bring my winter gloves.
Dan scrubbed the grill in the morning, we worked on a crossword puzzle, and for the most of the rest of the day we each sat inside and read. I ended up finishing the book that I brought. Dan got through half of his. In the evening we finished the Joe Grey book we were reading together (I read aloud while Dan listens). Luckily I brought the next book in the series so we could continue if we felt like reading it for the rest of the week.
Wednesday was the big day: the day of the BBQ. People would be coming for dinner at 6 pm. Wednesday morning was COLD! The thermometer read 52 degrees, but it felt a lot colder. It was a windy day too with cloudy skies. The DJ on the radio said that the temps were 20 degrees below normal, with a predicted low on Thursday morning of 45 degrees! I was extremely cold. Shivering in fact. I had on several layers and thick socks and I was still shivering. Dan made a small fire, but unless one sat right up to it, one couldn't feel the warmth. It soon was just embers. After lunch I had Dan search for a blanket so I could try and stay warm while I sat and read. That helped, but my hands were ice cold..
Little by little we got ready for the BBQ: picked up around the place, Dan made hamburger patties, iced tea and lemonade. Each invited family member was bringing a dish to pass. The cabin was still cold, but a log that took a long time to catch on fire finally did. Dan was hesitant to put more logs on the fire (he wasn't sure if the logs outside were dry enough to burn). He said that he should've told people to bring jackets or winter coats. I laughed and told him that they would just say "make a fire in the fireplace." Finally, he went out and got a couple pieces of wood from the wood pile and hesitatingly put them one by one on the fire. It looked like it was burning so I encouraged him to get more. But he hesitated again.
The first guests came a bit early. In my experience, that's quite unusual for someone in my husband's family, at least with the ones in Michigan. But, then again, they had the farthest to come so it's natural that they would be early. By this time there was a small fire in the fireplace, but that was soon to change. While Dan was working to get the grill started, Phil, Dan's father's cousin, got more wood from the woodpile. Soon there was a roaring fire in the fireplace with lots of warmth. When Dan came back in, I told him (pointing to the fire): "That's how it's done!" Phil continued to bring in more wood for the fire so it would last the whole time everyone was there, and replenished the storage bin inside so we'd have more for a fire Thursday morning.
The gathering lasted several hours. I got to meet some relatives that I've never met before. Although these relatives keep in touch with each other, I got the impression that they rarely get together all at once, so I'm glad Dan suggested this mini family reunion of sorts. It was also a good idea because this way we could visit all the relatives and not spend our entire vacation doing it.
Thursday morning was cold! The temperature read 54 degrees when I came downstairs but it felt a lot colder in the cabin. By the time I got dressed, Dan had a warm fire going in the fireplace. Much better than Wednesday morning's anemic one.
Before breakfast I called the vet to check up on Calliope. All was fine there. She got through her teeth cleaning procedure OK, so I felt much better knowing all was well.
Then, before we could get breakfast, Karen, another of Dan's father's cousins (Phil's sister) called to say she'd be by to drop off some gloves for me to borrow. She had to go next door to Camp Gregory to clean because someone had rented the place for Friday, so she figured she'd stop by and drop the gloves off.
The rest of the morning we spent reading. Then after lunch Dan's uncle Paul picked us up for a driving tour of Wells College and then to see the milking operations of three of the dairy farms in the area. They don't hold formal tours. Uncle Paul just knows people who work at two of them and the owners of the third. It was interesting to see the differences in the operations. Although the milking itself is automated at all of them, one had robotic milking machines, completely automated, no hands-on human interaction. The robot senses when the cow is in the milking pen, has laser guidance so that it can find the teats, attaches on to them and automatically milks. It has a display that tracks how much is milked from each cow and each teat.
The other two operations are more hands on. At the first farm we went to there was one woman who took care of two of the three shifts of daily milking. She would clean then attach the milkers. The milkers would automatically come off when the milking was done. Then the cows knew to leave the area through a doorway to make room for the next group of cows to be milked. One cow, however, stayed behind. She was pretty curious about us being there. Or maybe just curious about me. She came right up to me, behind me. I turned around and said hello, then went back to listening to Uncle Paul talk to the woman that works there (though I couldn't understand much of it, since they were talking in Spanish). At one point I heard a snuffling sound and my hair moved. I looked back at the cow and said "are you still here?" That cow really liked me for some reason, but she backed away when the woman yelled "vaca!" at her, but she stayed in the room. She didn't go through the doorway like the others did. Afterward, I thought that if my aunt Stella were there she would've enjoyed it because she told me once that she liked cows.
The largest operation of all three still had workers (several at once) cleaning, then attaching the automatic milkers. Those cows kind of just stood around after until a worker herded them back to wherever they were supposed to be. One cow, while waiting, was quite interested in a piece of farm equipment. Another was interested in us and came over to the fence to watch us (they were on a high, fenced platform).
After the tour, it was back to the cottage for a few games of Uno and some reading before dinner.
Friday, our last full day at the cottage, started out cold, but Dan made a roaring fire in the fireplace before breakfast. After breakfast we each decided to take a shower (another reason for the roaring fire).
Before lunch, Dan decided to take a picture of me at the cabin, sitting in front of the fireplace, a place I spent much of our vacation.
After lunch it was Dan's job to get things ready for us to leave. Dan says the goal/rule is to leave the cabin in better shape than we found it, so he scrubbed the shower and the toilet, vacuumed up the mess left around the fireplace and the plan was to take most of the trash to the dump. What little we have in the morning we may leave or some we'll take with us. Since it has been my responsibility to take care of the dishes, I was to get the kitchen in order before we left. I also decided to scrub the bathroom sink.
But, that afternoon, there was a change of plans. After Dan cleaned, he suggested we do some hiking on the nearby Long Point State Park Trails.
But, that afternoon, there was a change of plans. After Dan cleaned, he suggested we do some hiking on the nearby Long Point State Park Trails.
We saw several of these flowering trees along the way.
We turned left to shorten our hike. It was quite a difficult hike for me, some of it uphill, having to dodge large roots in the trail. The sun was hot and I didn't bring a hat or a bottle of water...
The trail circles this meadow. Then the trail goes next to this ravine. Can't tell in this picture, but there's a very steep drop here.
After our hike, we went to sit at a picnic table in the park for a while.
Saturday it was the usual last minute packing and cleaning up. Dan took the garbage to the dump and then we packed up
the car and headed for his Uncle Donald and Aunt Nance's house in Rochester, New York. There was a lot to catch up on, since Dan rarely sees his aunt and uncle, but after a light lunch and a couple of hours of visiting, we had to leave. We still had a very long drive ahead of us before we arrived at our hotel in London, Ontario.
We didn't get in until around 7:30 pm (despite leaving the cabin before 11 am). We still needed to eat dinner, so Dan phoned in an order of vegan pizza at Bondi's and picked it up. Then it was a delicious dinner in front of the TV followed by a chapter of Cat to the Dogs, the next book in the Joe Grey mystery series. Then it was off to bed "serenaded" by some music somewhere outside (I thnk).We never did find out where the music was coming from, despite asking at the front desk the next morning. Eventually we did get to sleep, resting up for our shorter, though still tiring, drive home on Sunday.
Created by Joyce P. Simkin
August 2, 2016
the car and headed for his Uncle Donald and Aunt Nance's house in Rochester, New York. There was a lot to catch up on, since Dan rarely sees his aunt and uncle, but after a light lunch and a couple of hours of visiting, we had to leave. We still had a very long drive ahead of us before we arrived at our hotel in London, Ontario.
We didn't get in until around 7:30 pm (despite leaving the cabin before 11 am). We still needed to eat dinner, so Dan phoned in an order of vegan pizza at Bondi's and picked it up. Then it was a delicious dinner in front of the TV followed by a chapter of Cat to the Dogs, the next book in the Joe Grey mystery series. Then it was off to bed "serenaded" by some music somewhere outside (I thnk).We never did find out where the music was coming from, despite asking at the front desk the next morning. Eventually we did get to sleep, resting up for our shorter, though still tiring, drive home on Sunday.
Created by Joyce P. Simkin
August 2, 2016