Archive | The Pearl RSS feed for this section

Madeira Adventure

By on September 11, 2024 in The Pearl
“Happiness is planning a trip to somewhere new with someone you love.” –Unknown
It seems like our new adventures get further and further apart. I think we’ve gotten a bit lazy about planning new trips. We enjoy where we are in New York and Pennsylvania so much that it’s hard to actually make plans and experience new places…but here we go. To celebrate Stan’s upcoming big birthday we’re going to Madeira to experience new food, new culture and new sights. We’re excited to explore this amazing little island in the Atlantic Ocean. 

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Madeira Adventure

By on September 11, 2024 in The Pearl
“Happiness is planning a trip to somewhere new with someone you love.” –Unknown
It seems like our new adventures get further and further apart. I think we’ve gotten a bit lazy about planning new trips. We enjoy where we are in New York and Pennsylvania so much that it’s hard to actually make plans and experience new places…but here we go. To celebrate Stan’s upcoming big birthday we’re going to Madeira to experience new food, new culture and new sights. We’re excited to explore this amazing little island in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Madeira sits off the southwest coast of Portugal. Although Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago, it’s actually closer to Africa than Europe. Sitting 434 miles west of Morocco. The Madeira archipelago was discovered in 1419 and settled in 1420, when Portuguese sailors were blown off course by a storm and landed on an island they named Porto Santo (holy harbor). The larger island of Madeira, which means wood, was settled a bit later. 

Madeira’s volcanic origins and subtropical climate draw visitors to its unique landscapes, from the Laurisilva forests, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the network of levadas (irrigation channels) that provide stunning walking paths. The islands offer a blend of natural beauty, adventure and tranquility, making it a paradise for nature lovers, hikers and those seeking a serene getaway. We plan to fill our next ten days with all kinds of wonderful new sights and adventures.

Here are just a few of the sights we hope to see while we are in Madeira.
We have a lot of things on our wish list to see and do. We know we won’t have time to do them all. Madeira is only 35 miles long by 14 miles wide, so we should be able to see a lot. We plan to do a little hiking, a little exploring and a lot of relaxing. See our trip map at this link.
A short video showing just how beautiful Madeira is.

Sept. 2 – End of Summer

By on September 2, 2024 in The Pearl
“Autumn…the year’s last loveliest smile.” –William Cullen
Wow what has happened to summer…it’s hard to believe Labor Day is over and fall is on its way. As warm as this summer has been you can definitely feel that fall is in the air now. Soon boats will be leaving the marina, which seems a bit odd since our marina never filled up this summer. We kept thinking more boats would arrive but they never did.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Sept. 2 – End of Summer

By on September 2, 2024 in The Pearl
“Autumn…the year’s last loveliest smile.” –William Cullen
Wow what has happened to summer…it’s hard to believe Labor Day is over and fall is on its way. As warm as this summer has been you can definitely feel that fall is in the air now. Soon boats will be leaving the marina, which seems a bit odd since our marina never filled up this summer. We kept thinking more boats would arrive but they never did.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Aug. 14-18 Cayuga Lake Vacation

By on August 24, 2024 in The Pearl
“Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life, but it will surely add life to your years.” –Unknown
Summer is quickly coming to an end. We enjoyed another little vacation on Cayuga Lake with our family. This week the weather was amazing and we had lots of time to enjoy the lake. The house was only a few miles from the marine and Ithaca so we were able to do a few things we enjoy in town also. We were having so much fun…we didn’t get too many photos this time.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

Aug. 14-18 Cayuga Lake Vacation

By on August 24, 2024 in The Pearl

“Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life, but it will surely add life to your years.” -UnknownSummer is quickly coming to an end. We enjoyed another little vacation on Cayuga Lake with our family. This week the weather was amaz…

July 28 – Susquehanna Kayak Trip

By on August 1, 2024 in The Pearl
“My sons are the best gift I have ever received. They are the sunshine in my day, the joy in my soul, and the love of my life.” -Author Unknown
Last week was Kyle’s birthday we celebrated by spending the day kayaking the Susquehanna River. The outfitters we used were located in Danville. We drove over from Bloomsburg to Danville, left our vehicle and they brought us back to Fishing Creek in Bloomsburg where we started our trip. We couldn’t have asked for a better day…clear blue skies, very little wind and temperatures in the low 70s when we began. What a great day for this adventure.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

July 28 – Susquehanna Kayak Trip

By on July 31, 2024 in The Pearl
“My sons are the best gift I have ever received. They are the sunshine in my day, the joy in my soul, and the love of my life.” -Author Unknown
Last week was Kyle’s birthday we celebrated by spending the day kayaking the Susquehanna River. The outfitters we used were located in Danville. We drove over from Bloomsburg to Danville, left our vehicle and they brought us back to Fishing Creek in Bloomsburg where we started our trip. We couldn’t have asked for a better day…clear blue skies, very little wind and temperatures in the low 70s when we began. What a great day for this adventure.

Fishing Creek runs behind Kyle’s house and we like playing there on warm days. We started a bit downstream from there at the Rupert Covered Bridge. From the bridge the creek dumps into the Susquehanna River and flows west. We paddled over 10 miles today. Everyone did amazing. Graham had his own kayak and the girls were great paddlers in the duel kayaks with their parents. We stopped a few times to swim, relax and eat a few snacks.

Getting ready to start. 

What a beautiful spot to kayak.

The scenery changed quite a bit as we paddled towards Danville.

We stopped twice along the way to swim and relax.

The water felt a little chilly…but oh so nice.

A fun day on the water.

Danville, Pennsylvania 

The last little section to the pull out was one of the prettiest spots.

July 20-23 Cora’s Visit

By on July 24, 2024 in The Pearl

“Granddaughters are like flowers; you never get tired of watching them grow.” -Anonymous

It was finally Cora’s turn to come to the boat. We picked her up Saturday afternoon and brought her to the house. We had a fun evening and were ready early on Sunday to head to the lake. Cora mastered riding her bike without training wheels in June and last week she got a new bike. So this visit was all about riding her bike. We have amazing bike trials around our marina, it’s a great safe place to ride. In three days Cora rode just over 27 miles.

CONTINUE READING HERE…»

July 20-23 Cora’s Visit

By on July 24, 2024 in The Pearl

“Granddaughters are like flowers; you never get tired of watching them grow.” -Anonymous

It was finally Cora’s turn to come to the boat. We picked her up Saturday afternoon and brought her to the house. We had a fun evening and were ready early on Sunday to head to the lake. Cora mastered riding her bike without training wheels in June and last week she got a new bike. So this visit was all about riding her bike. We have amazing bike trials around our marina, it’s a great safe place to ride. In three days Cora rode just over 27 miles.

In between rides we painted rocks, made beaded bracelets, did a little shopping, visited a few waterfalls and played games. She also earned a little money by cleaning the boat. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful time. We truly love these visits.

This is the map of our last bike ride. It was 5.5 miles. Cora loves her bike.
Cora was watching the boats come and go on Sunday afternoon.
Cora loves to help out, she swept, dusted and even did the dishes.
We love to do crafts together.
One day we went to our favorite secret spot for lunch and a little fun in the water.
Looking down the creek from the waterfall.
Cora had fun catching the little fish in the creek.
And of course no summer vacation would be complete without ice cream.
We literally have 100s of waterfalls in our county…this is the most impressive, but Taughannock Falls didn’t have much water on this day.
This little falls is located on the Black Diamond Bike Trail.