In reading through literature regarding this “chain”,  it is stated that the dam at Old Forge holds back 6.8 billion gallons of water.  Wow. That sounds like an incredible amount, doesn’t it?

I am going to just show some random photos taken along the way.  We were the first people to enter the boat, as Mark needed to get on board first with the wheelchair.  He asked if we could sit at the front of the boat, ouside…egads!!!  Not only was there a chill in the air, but it was a damp, drizzly day as well!  We were drenched within the first few minutes and, well, we still enjoyed the tour, although the sun decided to poke through as we were finishing our tour!

Haha! These are not what you expected, right?  Well, yes, there were gorgeous homes situated along the water the entire trip.  There were also islands scattered throughout…some were New York State campgrounds, accessible only by water. It was very beautiful overall, but I just don’t want to show all the fancy homes.

I love the Adirondacks.  The scent of pines and the views seen there will linger on for a very long time….

Ben decided to go above on the upper deck.  He called down to us from above…..one of my very favorite photos!

On the way back from 4th Lake,  I stayed on the upper deck, hoping for some good photos.  I was so surprised to see a bird that looked ducklike, but larger.  I had no idea what I was looking at until the man next to me told me it was a Loon!

I am so disappointed by the lighting. As I said, the day was so miserable….if only a streak of  sun would have illuminated my subject!

Speaking of ducks….Mark was worried they were going to be run over by the boat!  Those silly birds would wait until the last moment to scramble out of the way!  I have no idea what type of ducks we saw, but they certainly aren’t any I’ve seen in our neck of the woods.

Well, once again, the lighting was terrible, but you get the idea!  Of course, the next day was cool, but bright and sunny! 

Ah well, we had an awesome time riding on the tour boat and we got to see so many things we would never have seen otherwise!  Mark loves water and boats, so this was a real treat for him.

Of course we had to take a look inside!  The first photo is of the “ceiling” structure, looking up!

There are signs located all throughout the park.  Many explain how Native Americans used  various elements found in nature.   I am posting a few of the signs I thought were interesting.

Following are some random photos taken while on our walk.  What an awesome place Ganondagan is…it is as though with just a little imagination, one can be whisked back to another place, another time.  

As though to lend just a bit of an air of authenticity, a Great Blue Heron flew overhead!  There was also a hawk hovering nearby,  but I didn’t get a good photo.

Ganondagan…a really interesting and very wonderful place to visit!

Mark had discovered long ago that the GPS he uses in the truck is very good for finding parks and places to visit.  After dropping the kids off at the mall, he asked if I might like to visit a small park located a short distance from the mall.  The name of the park is rather curious….Power Mill Park.  Hmmm…..

Monroe County,  like New York State (well, perhaps until current governor, anyway!)  has generously offered a story board at the park which gives a nice little history lesson!  If you chose to enlarge the above photo, you can read a bit for yourself, or I will give the condensed version!

Powder Mill Park did not start out as a park, but as a powder mill for making blasting powder, used primarily in the coal mining business.  It was begun by a man who previously worked at a manufacturing plant in Connecticut.  He chose the location because it was isolated from civilization (assuring less of a threat in the event of an explosion!) and because water was running through the site, which would be harnessed to turn the grindstones used in milling blasting powder. (The three main ingredients used are salt peter [potassium nitrate],  charcoal, and sulphur.)

One of the main objectives for the inception of this company was to produce the powder more safely, reducing the risk of explosions.  Making this powder was an extremely dangerous business.  The story board provides some interesting little tidbits regarding how employees worked to reduce risks.

Very little remains of the business….after the founder’s death,  two of his sons continued the trade for a while, then moved and began a new venture in Pennsylvania, closer to the coal mining business.

A mossy green water wheel remains, surrounded by ugly chainlink fencing.  It seems such a contrast…the wheel methodically….poetically turning,  surrounded by a fence to keep onlookers away.  The fence must stand close to six feet tall…I had to stretch to prop my camera on top of it and hope for a good shot or two!

As I stood taking photos, I noticed I had company.  A small black damselfly sat watching me!

I wandered around just a bit.  I was so attracted to that old water wheel.  There is just something about water and movement that can entice anyone!  Although the day was rather hot,  the water gently splashing over this wheel gave a sense of refreshment…albeit only visually!

I did spot a tall piece of rusted machinery near the wheel and when I showed Mark the photo I took,  he said it looks like a press.

There is a huge sand hill behind the press and water wheel.  In looking at the map of the original company (around 1852) the hill was there.  It seems amazing to think it never was dozed over for one reason or another!

Powder Mill Park consists of 380 acres.  The county acquired the property in 1926 and razed the various buildings that were vacated and run down.  The park offers lodges and picnic areas,  a very tiny downhill ski hill, and fishing in designated areas.

And, speaking of fish!

There are many, many trout swimming about in two ponds that grace the park because….

Powder Mill Park also hosts a small fish hatchery!

Here are some photos of the various fish I saw.

There wasn’t an over abundance of people at the park.  There were a lot of happy little children, though,  pitching pellets of food into the concrete pools holding the fish.  A very serene and lovely sight!  Then, along came a young man who works at the park.  What followed was incredible! Those peaceful fish became maniacs as the fellow launched big cups full of food into their domain!

As I walked around taking photos,  I came across a young little girl who was just tickled pink by the (hype)activity of the fish.  I smiled and told her they were like “fish fireworks”, to which she squealed “Yes!” in delight!

Mark parked the truck in a nearby parking lot and as I headed that way,  I turned back to take one last photo of this pretty little park.

Here you can see a pavillion that rivals any craftsman’s work located just a short distance from the fish hatchery pools.  This park is small but we drove around after leaving this area; the houses surrounding the park are absolutely gorgeous!  This is definitely a very upscale area!

As we left the park,  traffic was momentarily (well, longer than a moment….one inflamed driver began honking his horn!!!!) by some Canadian “visitors”.

A most entertaining way to spend an hour or two!  But we were not finished!  There is more to come….

Michelle and Ben were invited by their friend, Casey, so they were excited to attend.  We picked up their friend, Jacob, on the way.  When we arrived, the festivities were under way and everyone was enjoying themselves.  Mark and I sat in the shade of a beautiful Ash tree and a stiff breeze was welcome through the open windows of the truck. We sat for quite a while,  then I got out and asked Michelle how long the kids planned to stay.  She said they wanted to linger for an hour or so, so Mark and I decided to go for a ride.  The thermometer in the truck was reading 95 degrees, which translates to 35 degrees, Celsius.  Add humidity to this temperature, and one can see it was uncomfortable!

As Mark and I were leaving the party, so were a couple of customers.  The hardware store is located in a an area with a large Mennonite population and many of the families use horse and buggy to get around.  I managed to get a couple of “parting shots”….

Mark and I went on up to Canandaigua and almost as soon as we arrived,  Michelle called to say that she wasn’t feeling well…at all!  Mark and I hurried back to pick the kids up and Michelle was clearly overheated.  We had packed our inflatable kayaks in the back of the truck, thinking we could paddle a bit on the way home,  but we took Michelle home.

As soon as Michelle was home, she plopped on her bed and rested with a fan directed on her.  After a short time, she said she was feeling better.  She asked if we would get her a sub for dinner, so we (very relieved she was hungry) headed down to Naples to get her one.   Ben and I thought maybe we could paddle a little in the kayaks, but when we passed through Woodville, there was no Eagle in sight.   I had wanted to go out because I had seen the bird sitting in “its” tree earlier in the day.

We picked up a sub for Michelle, then made our way back toward home.  We decided to take another look in Woodville and to my surprise, there was an Eagle in the tree!  Ben and I went out for a very short paddle to visit the Eagle.

I took (over 100) photos of the bird and then we paddled back to shore.  Even with the breeze on the lake, it was just too warm with our life vests on!  You will notice in the photos that the Eagle has its wings spread a bit and its beak open….this is indicative of the heat, also.  The bird was actually panting!  They spread their wings to cool off a bit, too.

Funny….even after seeing the Eagles up fairly close….I’d say within about twenty-five feet,  it is still so exciting to be able to see these birds!  I still feel so excited, I need to settle down a bit to photograph them.  Last year, I was able to capture an adult as well as a younger bird as they sat together.  I wish I could get a shot of several of them together, but it seems they almost take turns sitting there!  Don’t worry,  I’m not greedy…I am just so happy to get these photos! And also happy for inflatable kayaks…

One of the most amazing sights along the roads is that of Osprey nests perched on top of utility poles….so very close to the road! I have been so fascinated by Eagles, but the Osprey is an incredible bird that is also very impressive to observe.

I took many photos of the birds, and a couple different nests.  If you click on these photos to see them a bit better, they are kind of fun to see….

In this photo, the chick is seen to the left side of the nest.

The adult Osprey was sitting not too far from the nest.  As I was standing perhaps a bit too close, the adult called out to me.  Seriously,  I would never want to fight against those enormous talons on birds of prey, the Osprey included.  Here is a photo I was thrilled to have captured

It is  strange to be able to get close enough with the telephoto lens to capture some fairly good facial expressions on these birds.  You might have noticed that the landing adult did not have any food gripped in its talons….only a branch! The nest of this family looks very much on the sparse side!  Looks like the family jumped the gun,  laying eggs and hatching them before the nest was built!

This last photo is of a nest that is very close to where we camped.

I didn’t get many photos on this trip, but I will post some again.

Right now,  I think we are all very tired!!

Of course! It is the beautiful male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, reminding me that the window feeder needs more seeds! Yes, this little fellow is very demanding and he knows how to grab my attention.  More than once, I have heard him tapping on the window, only to discover that the feeder is empty! Smart little fellow, he is!

Please excuse the messy windows….birds have a tendency to wipe their beaks on the windows!  Don’t you just love the bright red “bib” this grosbeak sports?  It is so colorful.

And, sspeaking of colorful!  I bought some plants down at the market in Naples.  They are called Gazania and I don’t remember seeing these flowers before.  They are so colorful and cheery. The only downside is that they refuse to open in dreary overcast conditions! We had some sun today, so I scurried out with the camera to catch them open.

As I washed the dishes at the sink this morning,  I noticed the weir on the pool looked a little “funny” so I went outside to inspect it.  It turned out to be more of an optical illusion than a problem,  so I headed back to the house.  As I was walking in, a most beautiful butterfly speciman came near me, as though teasing me to catch it!

I  made haste to the house to grab my little Panasonic camera.  This butterfly was so pretty and I didn’t want to miss it! My Nikon camera bag was upstairs and I had no idea how long my winged friend would linger so the Panasonic sitting on the table was a better bet…As soon as I returned outside, the butterfly was sitting on a leaf on the lilac bush.  I spoke to it, imploring it to come closer so I could photoraph it.  I had no idea the little darling would be one of the most awesome models I have ever photographed! As though on command, the butterfly took flight, landing first on the rail of the swimming pool,  then resting on the cover of the hot tub.

I looked for information on identifying butterflies and am fairly confident this is a White Admiral.  The only problem I have with that is that all the images I have found show the five upper spots on the lower wing as orange instead of blue.

Since I have entitled this entry “wings”,  I must show you the nest I found this afternoon as I was entering the Canandaigua Wegmans store.

Lucky little sparrows hatched out in the “A” of the Market Cafe at Wegmans!  Those little birdies will probably never lack for tasty bits of food to fill their bellies!  It you click to enlarge this photo, you can see a sparrow sitting on the bottom of the “R” next to the A!  You can also see how big this nest is!

Mark called in the prescription to the local pharmacy and I headed out the door to pick it up.  I so dislike taking medications and here I am on round four of antibiotics.

On the way back home,  I stopped in Woodville. I was hoping to see some baby geese or ducks; I felt the need to see something that would make me smile.  Well, the sad fact was, there was nothing to be found.  That was okay, though, as I decided it was nice just standing lakeside and looking around a little.  I walked around with the camera just breathing in the fresh air.

The surroundings  resonated peacefulness and quiet and I was more than happy to bathe myself in that little luxury for as long as I could.  The warmth of the sun was all the more inviting, considering the stiff cool breeze sweeping unchallenged,  down the lake. The charm of simple fkowers offering their tiny faces as photographic opportunities made me smile…

Ah, the wonderment of it all. I could have lingered here with the water, the breeze, the sunshine, and the sheer beauty for hours.  Duty called from home, but I chose to ignore it.  After all, dirty dishes and floors requiring the vacuum cleaner  can wait.  Nature cannot.  Often will not!

I panned the area one more time.  Wait a minute! What is that?

I sighted a bird sitting on a log in the water.  Why, just yesterday I posted a photo on my blog of a duck resting on that same log.  This bird, today, seemed to have a glowing orange-colored breast.  I am so short, I was barely able to see the bird….the cattails are as tall or taller than I and the wind was blowing them so abruptly, I was unable to see the bird very well.

Since my Explorer was parked parallel to the lake,  I decided to hop up on the running board to get a better look at the bird.  I zoomed the little Panasonic for all it was worth and in the end,  I got a bit of a surprise!

Yes! Not only was Mama Duck resting on that log, but to her left was her brood! I never even saw the babies until I uploaded the photos and began looking them over!

I imagine those little ducklings were there with their mama in yesterday’s photo….I just missed seeing them.  But any good mama always knows where her children are, after all!

Mark and I had initially planned to walk and roll around the park, but I was so tired that I just enjoyed sitting still!  At about 9:30, the kids came to the truck and Mark went with them to the area where the laser light show is held each night.  I chose to stay in the truck as I just don’t want any more bouts with mosquitoes!  I have had my fill!

The show began and even though the parking lot is located on the opposite side of the park,  I could hear strains of music from the show.   As the first fireworks went off, I nearly jumped out of my skin, not realizing what it was. After that, I was fine, but Angus was *not*!  The poor little fellow didn’t understand and he grew rather frightened.  I should have thought to turn the radio on to drown the noise, but poor little Angus did his best to tunnel below the seats, trying to hide from the loud explosions. Murphy, on the other hand, was snuggled up against me, sound asleep and oblivious to the whole event.

The colorful lights on the right side of these photos are on a large tower where crazed people actually pay money to be dropped down on huge bungee cords to bounce up and down…I was disappointed by my photos of the fireworks, but I was using the small p&s Panasonic.  With a near-hysterical terrier in the seat with me,  I found myself a bit debilitated!

When the show ended, Mark and the kids reappeared  and we were off toward home.  As we drove home, there was no threat of rain, but when we returned home at about 1 am,  the heavens let loose! The rain came down so heavily! I finally fell asleep to the sound of rain pelting the roof of the house.

This morning,  the skies were overcast and dreary, but there was no rain.  Finally, at about 10 am,  Mark and I headed up to the park so I could walk.  As we drove up the road, the rain began to fall.  It varied in amounts and velocity as we drove,  but when we reached the park, there was only a mist.  We were surprised, however, by a parking lot full of vehicles.  Mark finally found a spot to park and encouraged me to go ahead….he was staying in the truck as it would be difficult for him to roll through puddles and the rims of the wheelchair become slippery when wet.

I hopped out of the truck and began to walk.  As I worked my way around the track, I saw a small sign for a soccer tournament.  The field was divided into two separate playing areas and there were many, many players out on the field.  I continued my walk, feeling sorry for the participants, as there were very few spectators.  As I completed about 3/4 of the first lap, the mist suddenly became rain…and quite heavy at that!  Not only was the rain making its entrance, but I was confronted with winds that nearly blew the headset I was using on my I-pod off my head!

I rushed back to the truck, where I sat and waited until the rain slowed back up to a heavy mist once again.  I was determined,  figuring if those soccer players were that dedicated, so I could be in getting in two miles! (which I did!)

Later this afternoon,  I drove down to Naples to pick up a few groceries for dinner.  As I drove through Woodville,  I just had to stop to see what is new at the lake.  Oh my! The goose families I had previously seen were no where to be seen. Their babies have grown so much, large “teens” with the soft yellow fluff now replaced with gray coloring.  I did see a new goose family and a couple of Mallard hens with their ducklings in tow.

I just love the wild irises growing along the lake.  They are so lush and thick this year.

I have no idea how old these tiny ducklings are, but they are about 1/3 the size of the goslings! They were so little, they looked like little polka-dots in the water! What was funny, though, was as I observed them,  I saw them scoot about in the water as though they were jet-propelled!  They would take a peck at one another, then shoot rapidly across the water! They were just so adorable.

There were two hens with their broods following closely behind.  Another interesting observation was that while the geese did lead their brood into the water, they stayed close to the shore,  as though waiting for any danger or threat to leave.  The ducks immediately hopped into the water and swam away from the shore.  It is also noteworthy that the goose males assist with the rearing of their offspring while the Mallard drakes are nowhere to be found.

Now, since I had the telephoto lens mounted on the Nikon, I decided to take a shot ( yes, haha!) at capturing a Mallard hen who was sleeping or maybe resting atop a log floating on the surface of the water.

I was pleased with that last photo as the duck was out quite far and the photo has a still life feel to it! If you enlarge these photos, you can see “the mist” was still continuing at this point!  The good..or bad…news is, just before the sun submerged over the hills,  bright blue skies once again showed up! Yes, the weatherman has said the chilly damp weather of today is now behind us!

Several days ago, Michelle invited her friend, Jacob, over.  I told her to ask if he might be interested in going out on the lake in one of our inflatable kayaks.  He brought along his swim trunks and we went out for a nice little evening “cruise”.  I was disappointed that the eagle was not in “it’s” tree, but Jacob seemed to enjoy the experience anyway….

As always, I am enjoying the bird activity at my window feeder!  I remember talking to the town clerk one day and she said she doesn’t feed the birds as they have plenty of seeds on bushes and such.  I was so surprised, as I feed the birds year round.  I enjoy watching them so much.  Even Mark and the kids have called out from time to time. I captured a photo of a female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak.

You might remember seeing photos of the males here. They are mostly black with some white on their chest, along with a scarlet “bib” around the neck. The females are just brown speckles and stripes…not nearly as attractive as their mates.  These birds are pretty large compared to the tiny finches, chickadees, and titmice that also frequent the feeder.

And speaking of feeders!!!! I have two hummingbird feeders.  One above the window at the back of the house where I can watch as I wash dishes. The other is on the front porch. As I have been sitting here on the swing these past two hours, I have witnessed the hummers feeding at my huge pink and white Fuchsia.  I have also witnessed a hummer “war” as two males gave chase….they flew so close to my face, I could have easily swatted them…were I fast enough!  I took a photo yesterday with the Panny camera and was surprised it turned out at all. It was taken through both a screen and the window! I kind of like the look of the screen in the photo….

And speaking of Fuchsias! I have a huge pink and white one hanging on the porch.  I bought it early this year, as I usually wait until all that are left are the scrawny no-one-else-will-buy-them pots.  However, as Mark and I were looking around at The Home Depot the other day,  I saw a pink and purple hanging basket and decided I would buy it. It is scrawny, but it will fill in. Anyway, the flowers are so vibrant and colorful!

The pink color on the fuchsia reminds me of the Peonies I have planted in the front yard.  I have been talking about transplanting them to the west side of the house for years, btu have not done so, as we have talked about resurfacing our wooden basement. (yeah, we do a lot of “talking” around here!) Ah well, the Peonies are so pretty and nice this year.  My paternal grandmother passed away 37 years ago, but her Peonies live on far, far away from her Pennsylvania gardens, here in the Bristolwood.

The other day, we went up to Rochester for pool parts and to run some other errands.  Our leaky pump motor was repaired.  Mark and Michelle took everything apart and noted the three parts that needed to be replaced.  When we got to the store, they had the parts sealed in a ziplock bag. Mark is always big on taking in the old parts just to be sure the new ones are the same. 

Thankfully, the pool store had all the parts required and they were exactly the same as the ones on our pump.  Mark asked the parts guy questions and then the guy put the whole assembly together! Hurrah! Mark couldn’t believe it!  It was a blessing, as there are some parts that are so critical, they cannot be touched.  There is a ceramic gasket, that if bits of dust or dirt get on it, it will fail.  Even though Mark could have done this job, the guy had the pump reassembled in about five minutes!  And it is working wonderfully well!

As we were returning home, we stopped in a parking lot in Vistor, next to a set of railroad tracks.  I spotted this little manual switch, loving the bright colors on the flags!

There is one more thing I *must* mention!  While running about in Rochester, we stopped at a Sam’s Club. Since it was warm outside, I stayed in the truck with the Scotties while Mark, Ben, and Michelle went into the store.  Mark and Ben came out later and told me where to meet Michelle. Mark left her with the cart so I could look around some before paying.

Michelle met me near the bakery.

“Dad said we are supposed to buy something sweet that you like.  Shall we buy some chocolate chip cookies?”

“Michelle, you know I am not fond of chocolate.”

“Yeah, I know.”

We searched through the delectable goodies and my eyes fell upon something that really caught my attention! Michelle looked at the package of Lemon Bites and suggested we “look some more”.

Well, we could not seem to come to an agreement on what to buy, so I told Michelle we should just skip the sweets. We don’t really need them, after all! We left the area, and as I placed the items on the belt,  I was surprised to see Michelle had picked up a package of the Lemon Bites.

As soon as we got into the truck, I opened the yellow goodies and took a bite. Oh MY! I nearly swooned as the sweet, lemony flavor dispersed throughout my taste buds! The kids each took one and the “ooooh’s” were soon filling the truck.  Even Mark had a bite of Ben’s tiny cake and he was impressed!

So, if you have a Sam’s Club membership, pick these goodies up! You shan’t be disappointed!