Costa Rican Sodas

February 13, 2018, 6:28 am

≫ Next: Mar. 7 – Seventh Anniversary

≪ Previous: Feb. 2 – Pura Vida

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“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” —James Michener

When you visit Costa Rica and want a taste of good local food, you have to eat at a soda. Sodas are what Costa Ricans call restaurants that are usually small, family owned places that serve typical Costa Rican food at a very good price. Every town has a soda; you can find them everywhere, even on roads that seem to be in the middle of nowhere. Most of them hang a Pepsi or Imperial sign outside and are called something like “Soda Tipica”. It's where the locals eat.

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Mar. 7 – Seventh Anniversary

March 7, 2018, 5:23 am

≫ Next: Texas Pearl Haul Out

≪ Previous: Costa Rican Sodas

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“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give; to roam the roads of lands remote; to travel is to live.” ―Hans Christian Andersen

Seven years ago today we pulled out of Port Lavaca on the adventure that has changed our life. We've definitely seen a lot, learned a lot, met a lot of wonderful people and enjoyed "almost" every minute of this great new life. In the past seven years we've traveled over 18,000 miles, visited over 300 towns, three countries, 22 states and providences, stayed at over 100 different marinas and anchored in 157 different anchorages and we look forward to all the years of new adventures to come. Here's the post I made to this blog on day one of our new life. (March 7, 2011) Here's a link to our travel map. 

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Texas Pearl Haul Out

March 25, 2018, 6:14 am

≫ Next: Oceanus Brass Bow-Shackle Pen: A Review

≪ Previous: Mar. 7 – Seventh Anniversary

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On August 25, 2017 Hurricane Harvey sat over Rockport, Texas for fourteen hours. Not only did it bring extremely high winds and A LOT of rain, it also produced over 60 tornadoes in the area that night. The damage to Rockport and Aransas County was catastrophic. In one night the beautiful little coastal town was turned into a war zone. We were truly lucky to find our boat still in her slip, with no major damage...but she didn't come through the storm untouched. It's been seven months since the storm roared ashore in south Texas and Texas Pearl is almost back to her beautiful self.

Here is the list of damage to Texas Pearl from Hurricane Harvey

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Oceanus Brass Bow-Shackle Pen: A Review

April 4, 2018, 6:51 pm

≫ Next: Northeast Classic Car Museum

≪ Previous: Texas Pearl Haul Out

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A benefit of writing a regular blog...besides being able to remember where we've been and what we've done, is getting free promotional things once in awhile. Some bloggers have been offered all kinds of things in exchange for their reviews of those products. This is the first time we've been offered anything. 
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Northeast Classic Car Museum

April 16, 2018, 6:00 am

≫ Next: Take a Tour of The Pearl

≪ Previous: Oceanus Brass Bow-Shackle Pen: A Review

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Last fall before we winterized The Pearl and came home for the winter, we spent one last fun filled day with cruising friends, Maryanne and George. We visited the Northeast Classic Car Museum in Norwich, NY and enjoyed a wonderful dinner together. Soon we'll be heading back to upstate New York for more incredible adventures. That is...if spring EVER arrives!

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Take a Tour of The Pearl

April 18, 2018, 5:55 am

≫ Next: Back to the Finger Lakes

≪ Previous: Northeast Classic Car Museum

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There seems to be a lot of people we know that don't realize what our boat looks like (almost everyone, except close friends and family, think we sail). When we tell them we're headed back to the boat for six months...they can't imagine how we can live on the boat. I guess people think it's a small daysailer. They ask questions like...where do you bath, do you have to eat all your meals out, where do you put all your stuff? They have no idea that it's equipped with all the comforts of home. Well, almost all the comforts of home, we do miss our comfortable chairs. The Pearl doesn't have the room Texas Pearl has, but we love sitting on the flybridge, relaxing and enjoying the view when ever we can. It's the place we like to start our day, as well as end it.

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Back to the Finger Lakes

April 29, 2018, 10:18 am

≫ Next: May 2 – Splash Day

≪ Previous: Take a Tour of The Pearl

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Spring is just arriving in upstate New York and flowers are beginning to bloom. The trees are full of buds and will be turning green soon. I love spring, it’s my favorite time of year. I love watching everything come back to life after a cold grey winter and this this year I’m getting to enjoy it twice. I did a post about the Finger Lakes last year when we first arrived in Ithaca, but I thought I would remind everyone just where the Finger Lakes are and why we love it here.

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May 2 – Splash Day

May 4, 2018, 1:16 pm

≫ Next: May 5 – The Kentucky Derby

≪ Previous: Back to the Finger Lakes

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Beacon Bay Marina

The pearl got a much needed make over this spring. The last time she had new bottom paint or a good wax job on the hull was in November 2015 when we were in Indiantown, Florida. She was really in need of a face lift...and boy does she look great now.
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May 5 – The Kentucky Derby

May 10, 2018, 5:41 am

≫ Next: May 12-14 Mother’s Day Weekend

≪ Previous: May 2 – Splash Day

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We have cruising friends that own a horse farm (we call them ranches in Texas) in upstate New York...what a great place to be to enjoy the Kentucky Derby. We spent a wonderful day with them enjoying the races at Saratoga Springs last summer. Maybe one day we'll be watching one of their fouls run.
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May 12-14 Mother’s Day Weekend

May 15, 2018, 11:38 am

≫ Next: Wordless Wednesday

≪ Previous: May 5 – The Kentucky Derby

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When all the dust is settled and all the crowds are gone, the things that matter are faith, family and friends... –Barbara Bush

We spent a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend with our oldest son and his family. We definitely missed Eric and his family, but we got to spend some amazing time with them this past winter. Our summer home puts us close to one son and our winter home keeps us close to the other. It’s a pretty good situation.
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Wordless Wednesday

May 16, 2018, 5:10 am

≫ Next: May 16 – A Perfect Lunch

≪ Previous: May 12-14 Mother’s Day Weekend

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May 16 – A Perfect Lunch

May 17, 2018, 5:42 am

≫ Next: Taughnnock State Park

≪ Previous: Wordless Wednesday

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“The secret is not to run behind butterflies, but to take care of the garden so they come to you.” -Guru Sloth 

Wednesday was a pretty day and the sun was finally out, so we decided to drive up the lake for a picnic at Lucas Vineyards. Lucas Vineyards is Cayuga Lake’s oldest winery, they have been selling wine since 1980 and it's still a family run business including three generations. The vineyard sits on the western side of Cayuga Lake near Interlaken and offers a wonderful view of the lake from their deck and garden. It was a wonderful spot to relax enjoy a picnic lunch on such a beautiful day.

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Taughnnock State Park

May 18, 2018, 6:13 am

≫ Next: May 17 – Cascadilla Gorge Trail

≪ Previous: May 16 – A Perfect Lunch

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“I would rather own little and see the world than own the world and see little of it.” ― Alexander Sattler

Taughannock Falls State Park is a 750-acre park located on the western shore of Cayuga Lake. It was was created in 1925 and many improvements were made in the 1930s. The park's namesake waterfall is one of the outstanding natural attractions of the Northeast. Taughannock Falls plunges 215 feet past rocky cliffs that tower nearly 400 feet above the gorge. Gorge and rim trails offer spectacular views from above the falls and from below at the end of the gorge trail. Campsites and cabins overlook Cayuga Lake, with marina, boat launch and beach nearby. A multi-use trail for hiking and cross-country skiing, winds past sledding slopes and natural skating ponds. The park offers organized activities including tours through the gorge and summer concerts along the lakefront.
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May 17 – Cascadilla Gorge Trail

May 20, 2018, 11:28 am

≫ Next: May 18 – Hammondsports, NY

≪ Previous: Taughnnock State Park

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Allan H. Treman State Marine ParkUpstate New York...so many lakes, so many cute towns, so many wineries, so many waterfalls, so many trails and so many beautiful places to explore. A beautiful day means we go out and play, so today we rode our bikes up...

May 18 – Hammondsports, NY

May 22, 2018, 5:40 am

≫ Next: May 23-24 – West Branch Angler Resort

≪ Previous: May 17 – Cascadilla Gorge Trail

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“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”  – Eleanor Roosevelt

Since it was a nice day we decided to take a drive over to Keuka Lake and check out the little town of Hammondsport. This cute little village sits at the south end of Keuka (Q ka) Lake, which is two lakes west of Cayuga Lake. Keuka Lake is one of the few Y-shaped lakes in the world and considered by many to be the most scenic of the Finger Lakes...we definitely thought it was amazingly picturesque. Hammondsport was voted "Coolest Small Town in America" by readers of Budget Travel. It too is very picturesque with historic homes and buildings. The town square is filled with restaurants, boutiques, art gallerias and antique shops. There are several museums in the area and many wineries that have wonderful views of the lake.
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May 23-24 – West Branch Angler Resort

May 28, 2018, 9:05 am

≫ Next: May 25-26 – Cheshire, CT

≪ Previous: May 18 – Hammondsports, NY

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“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” —Beverly Sills

Stan loves to fish, so we decided to take a few days and stay at the West Branch Angler Resort, about 80 miles south of Ithaca. The lodge sits on the bank of the West Branch of the Delaware river, located on the New York Pennsylvania border. We had two beautiful days exploring the countryside...one on foot and the other drifting down the river. 

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May 25-26 – Cheshire, CT

May 29, 2018, 5:05 am

≫ Next: June 7 – Western Erie Canal Adventure

≪ Previous: May 23-24 – West Branch Angler Resort

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"...you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent." –Barbara Pierce Bush

We love our new home in Ithaca. We like being close to our family, we enjoy all the activities in the area, we really like the temperature here in the summer, no biting bugs and there are so many places to explore. Did I mention the grandkids live close...we really love that. The only down side is not running into old cruising friends on the water. The only way to see them now is to visit them by car, so this past weekend we drove up to Connecticut to visit the crew of Amici. We haven't seen them since last April.
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June 7 – Western Erie Canal Adventure

June 7, 2018, 4:25 am

≫ Next: June 8 – Clyde, NY

≪ Previous: May 25-26 – Cheshire, CT

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"Don’t wait for life to come to you, go out there and grab it with both hands and never let it go."

The Erie Canal is part of the New York State Canal System, a 500+mile network of inland waterways that also includes the Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals. Together, they connect the Hudson River with Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake and Lake Erie via the Niagara River, allowing boats to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes. The NYS Canal System is made up of 524 miles of navigation channels, four distinct canals, 57 locks, 17 lift bridges, 13 moveable dams, 41 power houses and 22 guard gates.
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June 8 – Clyde, NY

June 8, 2018, 4:27 am

≫ Next: June 8 – Lyons, NY

≪ Previous: June 7 – Western Erie Canal Adventure

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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” ―Marcel Proust

Today was the first time we’ve cruised since we arrived in Cayuga Lake over a year ago, and I finally got to add a new marker to our travel map and info to our travel log...it’s been awhile since I’ve done either one. It sure felt amazing to be back on the water and actually on the move.

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June 8 – Lyons, NY

June 9, 2018, 4:28 am

≫ Next: June 9 – Newark, NY

≪ Previous: June 8 – Clyde, NY

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Lyons Free Dock

“Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.” ― Asian Proverb

We had a slow relaxing morning, enjoying our coffee on the flybridge. We're into a slow pace now...stopping at each little town to explore. Our destination today was only nine miles west...the little town of Lyons.
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