Day 297 - Skaneateles, NY

(Click any photo to enlarge.)

***Scroll down to see my offer for Red Cross donations.***

Skaneateles Waterfront

Church Steeple

The name of the New York lake town where I did my walk today is both difficult to spell and to pronounce.  It is Skaneateles, from the Iroquois for "Long Lake."  Tourist brochures encourage remembering the name by thinking of "Skinny Atlas."

This village, population 2,700, is on the shores of Skaneateles Lake.  It has public parks along portions of the lakefront, providing a swimming area and shaded lawns for sitting and reading on a summer day.  A gazebo looks over the waterfront, and a fishing pier leads out into the lake.

Mary, Norma, and Connie

Friends Norma, Mary, Connie, and I arrived around 9:30 in the morning, and first we drove all around the town and through the residential areas.  We parked in one of the public lots, then walked into the town to find the lake.  We first walked out onto the pier, amazed at how clear the water was in the lake.  We later learned that this lake provides drinking water for the surrounding area and for Syracuse.  We could see large carp swimming in the water below.  A young woman paddled by on a standup board, and once she was out into the calm water, she began various yoga poses on the board.

I take it back; this one was pretentious

The Reuel E. Smith house on West Lake

There were some amazing waterfront homes visible along the right hand shore of the lake, so we walked along West Lake Street, admiring the variety of homes and the beautiful lawns and gardens.  I think it was the most beautiful street I have ever been on.  Many of the homes were historic, and although they were obviously worth a lot of money, none were pretentious.  One of the homes, the yellow one pictured here, is available for $535,000.  As a matter of fact, while driving through town, we noticed a lot of homes for sale.  All seemed well-kept with lush landscaping.   Numerous homes and buildings in town are on the National Register.

I love this house!  It's for sale.

After our West Lake Street Walk, we sat in the courtyard of a small patisserie and had coffee and muffins.  Then we took off on a walk of the commercial district, going in and out of gift shops, art galleries, and antique stores.  In one of the shops, we bought a book of Finger Lakes photography by John McCarthy, who happened to be at the gallery while we were there.  He gladly signed our copies for us.

Sherwood Inn

We finished our walk with a great lunch at the historic Sherwood Inn.   From our lakeside table, we could see more yoga board paddlers out on the water practicing their downward dogs.  We could only admire their flexibility and balance.

Rhubarb and Pomodoro

I'm so glad we made the trip to this beautiful village today along the lakeshore.  It reminded me so much of a coastal Maine town.  It was the perfect way to spend a summer day.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Forward me by email any receipt for an online donation made to the Red Cross for disaster relief, and I will send you a 5x7 print of your choice from any of my daily photo walks or from my website.  Offer good until September 2, 2013.

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter: @camscamerashots
Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use whatever camera is easy and convenient for walking comfortably; always have a backup camera at the ready in case of mishaps (I use the Nikon Coolpix P7700)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so