'21/#24 A Little Light(house) Hunting

 Mary is feeling much better so we are back to doing what we do. That is exploring the area we call home for the season. Since we are near Buffalo NY we are also near two of the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. We have all seen the maps and learned the geography and heard the stories but until you see it in person you may not realize how big these lakes are. They are more like fresh water inland seas. Since they are all connected and lead to the St Lawrence River and out to the Atlantic it is a major shipping channel.With major shipping, great expanses of water, and weather that can make travel hazardous there was a need for safety along the shores which led to the construction of lighthouses. The Great lakes has over 200 active lighthouse and many more that are now defunct or nonexistant. 

This all leads me to Mary's fascination with lighthouses. There is a certain awe in their construction and their location in harms way of the weather. To many, including Mary, there is a certain romantic quality to them and respect for those who manned them in the days of lighthouse keepers. Therefore, whenever the opportunity arises we visit these sentinals of the shoreline. 

This week we took two days and went lighthouse hunting. Day one we drove along the shore of Lake Ontario and found Oak Orchard Lighthouse and Braddock Point Lighthouse. Driving through rural and rustic Northwest New York reminds us that there is more to New York than New York City.

At Oak Orchard Light we got a good taste of a beautiful summer day on the shore of Lake Ontario. Yep, we ran back to the truck to put on jackets. The sun was shining , the wind was blowing, and no matter what the locals said, it was cold!

Moving on down the Lake Ontario State Parkway we found Braddock Point Lighthouse. It has been turned into a bed and breakfast but was closed when we got there so we took our pictures where could. This is one of the prettier lighthouses we have seen as it was restored to be more than a functional navigation aid. Maybe we can get back when it is open. 

On the way home we stopped in a few stores in Rochester. We had a hankering for some treats and found a kosher market and an Italian bakery. Mmmmm!!  Mary has posted some of the pics on Facebook. 

I will continue later on since it is time for me to get ready for work. So until the next blog this is goodbye from our home in upstate New York because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary