Fossil Hunting

There is a fossil dig site about an hour and a half away from our house. It is tucked back into a neighborhood and a little difficult to find, but a wonderful trip for young kids who like to play in the dirt and rocks (and what kid doesn't like to play in the dirt and rocks)?

We rented a bucket for $5 - the bucket contained two hammers, a chisel,and eye protection.

The kids were extremely excited to start digging in the rock piles. Nolan was so excited, he started trying to chip apart the flat dirt just behind the pavilion - he didn't quite understand that the fossils were in the rocks near the dry creek bed!

As soon as we got to the main area, Matt started hammering away. He was really in love with this place, and found a ton of fossils.

We stayed about 2 hours - we would have stayed longer, but it was over 90 degrees and the heat was miserable as it reflected off the rocks. The kids had an absolute blast, though, and we found a ton of fossilized shells and sea corals!

Fossilized coral

July Birthday

Dennis's birthday was on July 10. Nolan insisted that we put a candle for each year on the cake. You can count them if you want - let's just say that there was a LOT of heat generated from his birthday cake!

Enfuego!

Brown's Berry Patch 2012

Our last day in the Finger Lakes was fairly short, as we decided to head home. Instead of going straight down Seneca Lake, we headed West toward Buffalo. There is a great berry picking place with a playground in Waterport, NY. The farm playground at Brown's Berry Patch is fantastic - the only problem was that it was over 90 degrees and extremely humid!

The outdoor jumping pillow is everyone's favorite. It was so very hot that the boys ran around inside a mister tent to try to cool off. Nolan was quite wet after that experience!

We all went berry picking after playing in the barnyard playground, and the boys certainly loved picking blueberries and raspberries!

We stopped by the cherry orchards to pick cherries, and Nolan decided to take a break with Grandma. It was sweltering, but at least the cherry trees offered a little shade.

We headed out of the berry patch and Grandma and Grandpa picked up the tab for the fruit. Just a word to the wise - check the price per pound on the cherries before picking! There are no scales in the orchard, so you might walk out with, say, $44 in cherries. The blueberries and raspberries were much cheaper!

I ended up making some blueberry and raspberry jam from the berries we couldn't eat whole. We managed to eat our hefty amount of cherries, which were absolutely fabulous. We were all relieved to get to the car and turn on the air conditioning!

Watkin's Glen: 832 Steps

We visited Watkin's Glen on July 3. This state park is absolutely beautiful - the parking lot is surrounded by tall rocky outcroppings. Getting into the gorge involves walking up steps through a tunnel in the hillside, which my boys loved. As soon as you come out on other side of the tunnel, a waterfall greets you.

The hike is all uphill from the visitor's center. For the elderly or for those who would rather hike downhill, I highly suggest parking at the lower visitor center, then paying $3 per person to ride the shuttle to the top of the gorge. With this strategy, you simply hike downhill through the gorge and end up at your car.

On the other hand, hiking downhill doesn't give you quite the same perspective. When you hike uphill, you turn each corner and face the magnificent waterfalls cascading over the rocky precipices.

We managed to snag a nice family picture (thanks to my father-in-law) at one of the lower falls.

The beauty of the glen is stunning. Every other turn leads you through a cave, behind a waterfall, or over a stone bridge.

We were able to see an endangered species of dragonfly in the gorge. They are extremely friendly and this one flew to my forehead for a while, then hitched a ride on the back of another boy's shirt.

It was a beautiful day, but also a little on the warm side. Hiking up 832 steps can make everyone a little tired (I was panting behind the camera, so no image of me in my out-of-breath glory).

The gift shop at the top of the gorge was selling these t-shirts:

We didn't buy one, but we did go for the offer of ice cream when Grandma and Grandpa suggested it!

There is a fabulous playground at the top of the gorge, and the boys scrambled around on the rocks and slid down the slides while the adults rested in the shade. Apparently, there is an Olympic-sized swimming pool in this area, too, but we didn't see (or use) it.

After playing on the playground, we caught the shuttle back down to the visitor's center and headed over to Jerlando's Pizza for lunch. I had an excellent Bruschetta pizza, which tasted exceptionally good after the hike!

A Visit to Seneca Lake State Park

It was extremely hot while we were in Geneva, so we hopped in the car for a quick drive to Seneca Lake State Park. The park has a lot of docks, a gorgeous walking path, and a frisbee golf course. It also has this amazing sprayground:

The boys played on the splash pad for quite some time, and we sat under a shaded pavilion. I love these splash pads and wish we had one closer to home - there is no standing water so no chance of drowning, which makes them cheaper to run than a municipal pool. They serve the cooling-off purpose well, too, and are wonderful for the little guys.

We all had some ice cream and the boys ran over to the regular playground for some fun. The regular playground was really impressive - it had a lot of really cool features. There was a little car that moved along a track when kids turned a handle - and rocking balance beams, climbing structures, spinners, and more.

Matt is getting really strong on the playground and can cross the monkey bars and rings from one side to the other. He really liked the more challenging climbing features of the playground! Nolan had a blast on the spinners and the tire swing - this was a wonderful place to burn off some little boy energy!

Driving a Pontoon Boat on Seneca Lake

Dennis's parents visited last week, and we took a trip to Geneva, NY over the Fourth of July. We spent a few nights on Lake Seneca, and on Monday Grandpa Lefler rented a pontoon boat. It was an absolutely fantastic time - each boy was able to drive the boat, which they found exhilarating.

We rented from a place called Ray's Marina, and puttered around the upper part of Lake Seneca for a while. We stopped for lunch at a place called the Crow's Nest in Geneva.

It had a beautiful patio on the water, and we enjoyed our lunch immensely. We jumped back into the boat for more fun on the lake.

This time, we headed under the railroad bridge and up a canal. It was so serene on the canal, and we saw several great blue herons, ducks, and geese.

We went back out onto the lake and had a blast motoring down the coastline, looking at gorgeous houses. We turned around at Sampson State Park and Nolan decided he needed a quick dip in the lake.

He really loved swimming in the lake, and Dennis was a really great Dad and got into the water with him. Matt is nervous around water (especially cold water), so he stayed on the boat.

Time was running out, and we were all sun-and-water logged, so we headed back to Ray's Marina. The weather was perfect, the water was beautiful, and you couldn't have asked for a nicer day in the Finger Lakes!