Honeymoon At Last

When we finally got married last November, after 22 years of vascillating, we requested no presents.  We said that if anyone felt the urge to give, then please give to Heifer International.  Most folk did donate and generously at that.  However Jim's choir ignored our request and gave us a gift certificate to The Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles.

We debated going in December but our lives were just too busy and we know that Skaneateles has some fierce windy snow storms that we did not want to drive through.  The envelope was put on our fridge with a strong magnet.  A few weeks ago Jim mentioned that we had better use the GC before it expired.  After so many months I didn't even see the envelope any more. 

I was hesitant to go.  Jim says I'm such a homebody and only leave the house at the drop of a knitting needle.  I love where we live -- the views, the comfort, the animals, the ease of the house and all we have made it in to.

So we went online and chose rooms, 1st choice, 2nd, 3rd - all with lake views and whirlpool. Then we called for reservations and found out only our 3rd choice was available for last weekend.  Good enough.  Wai Lin, Jim's apprentice, agreed to house/animal sit.  That made leaving so much easier.

We decided to drive up on Friday afternoon, getting to Skaneateles in time for dinner.  It's a pretty drive through rolling hills which are still farmed.  The parking lot was almost full but we found a spot near the back.   3/27 was the third Syracuse NCAA game so we knew folks would be in the Tavern early.   We planned to eat, then go upstairs, get into our jammies and watch in the comfort of our beautiful room.

This is our suite (from the outside).

One window to the right of the chimney and 1 window to the left plus the 3 around front.

Dinner was delightful on the Front Porch which has a great view of the lake right across the street, very similar to the one from our roon.  It was leisurely, delicious and low key.  Our wait staff told us that we could order up coffee and dessert right from our room later so we opted to have dessert at half time.  

By the time we finished eating the game was due to start.  Up in our room we put on the TV while putting our things away and got comfy. (Did you notice that WHITE bedspread? At home we would be nuts to have one as it would be covered in dog and cat hair in about a minute, but here, on our honeymoon it was another one of the treats.)  We tried the channel we were told it was on but that was very snowy and full of static.   No other channels would come in.  Finally we called down to the desk and they confirmed that the game was on channel 5.  uh oh.  A woman came up to see what she could do with the cable.  She fiddled for a while, doing most of what we had done, but also played with the cable out on the roof.  Actually that made it worse since when she left we could not see any of the game.

Jim was more into the game than I.  I really wanted to be in jammies knitting and listening more than watching.  Jim went down to the Tavern to join the crowd.  Alas Syracuse did not do very well but he stayed for the entire game.  Meanwhile another person came up to fiddle but got no further.  Oh well.   We are not TV watchers anyway.  When Jim ordered some iced teas to take up to our room and was asked which room, they said they were free since our TV did not work.

The next morning we delighted in not needing to get up to feed animals.  What a treat.  We love our guys but a day or so without responsibility is soooo refreshing.  Our room came with a nice breakfast buffet of bagels, scrambled eggs, ham, croissants, cereal, fruit, coffee, juice, etc.  Again we sat on the Porch only today it was sunny and relatively warm.  We watched joggers and walkers and families out for strolls.  Upon check out we were told they were taking 20% off our bill because of the TV.  We blinked and said thank you.  Now we have a new GC worth enough to come back for another delicious dinner.

Once we checked out we too went for a walk along the water's edge.  Skaneateles is about 55 miles northeast of Ithaca so their lake was still frozen on the northern end.

Skaneateles is really a summer resort area.  The Clintons have summered there and the Rockefellers had a house on the lake which is now Stella Maris, a retreat center.  It was quiet, sunny, and delightful to be walking around with no schedule, no laptop, no meetings.  We stopped for coffee and at a small place that makes its own donuts.  Then we drove down the west side of the lake for a while and then turned toward Moravia, Groton and Ithaca, getting home in the early afternoon.