Color Explosion

I'm back from my little getaway with gorgeous fall color to share. This was my fourth consecutive year visiting Ithaca, NY and I must say I'm in love with this town. I went with a friend this year. We ate, and laughed, and walked, and laughed some more. We visited the falls, and ate, and laughed. We went to the farmer's market and ate and walked. We strolled around downtown and ate and laughed. It was a good time. Did I mention that we ate? We had a fabulous lunch at the Moosewood Restaurant. I ordered a delicious salad that was loaded with all kinds of goodies and my friend had stuffed delicata squash. Of course we shared tastes and both dishes were super yummy.

We stayed in a cottage just a few blocks from downtown so most everything was within walking distance. The neighborhood streets were full of charming old homes and the sidewalks were loaded with crispy crunchy leaves.

We chose to visit Taughannock Falls State Park and to walk the upper and lower loops around the gorge and the falls.

It was a leisurely walk, about four and a half miles or so. Very peaceful and very beautiful :: well, except for the occasional gasps from my friend....she was afraid we'd cross paths with one of these:

We never did

(Image Found Here)

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The Ithaca Farmer's Market was spectacular. Everything sold there is produced within thirty miles. It was all beautifully displayed :: wine, cheese, pastries, handmade gifts, jewelry, yarn, produce and so much more. Of course we traveled home with much more than we came with.

The market sits along one of the fingers of Cayuga lake, sheltered from the weather by pavilions. This was a view from the pier:

It had been raining while we were shopping under the pavilions, but we hardly noticed. The sun came out as we headed to the car.

As I share these photos with you I find it hard to believe that we were surrounded by so much beauty. But it's true, and every moment was savored. It was a very good weekend indeed.