Now for my “English as a Second Language ” readers the title must be quite a shock!  The Dutch settled in New York, maybe it is Dutch. Nope, it is Onondaga Native American meaning “long lake.”  ( skin-e-at-less)  It is  in the wonderful central part of the state where the five finger lakes are and  nestled around them , are the  New York vineyards,  which  it seems, are on every hill.  We spent the weekend for our son’s birthday. Chris moved there for a job while we were in India.  Now he is three hours from our home instead of  the 3000 when he was working in Phoenix.  It is wonderful to be able to celebrate birthdays and holidays together as a family.

Skaneateles is a village of 2,700 residents who live  in this famous “summer destination resort!” The lake is filled with clean, pure water which provides unfiltered drinking water for 250,000 people. After testing, this lake has the distinction of being declared the cleanest lake in the country.

There are lots of very large fish ready to be caught and eaten, and the guys tried but with no luck.  In the summer, there are many duck and geese vacationers , too, before they fly  south in the fall. The downtown is filled with shops and local restaurants. There is not a McDonald’s or Starbucks to be found. There are inns, and B&Bs, hotels and motels. Great restored buildings and houses line the streets and there are  trees  and flowers  everywhere you look.

But my favorite time in the whole weekend was time with my five perfect grandchildren.

Here the girls, Grace, Alice, and Violet, are posing in front of t heir  Duck Commander  “friends” at Bass Pro Shop!

If you don’t know that show, it is a riot! Check it out.

Henry and Parker were trying out the boats. . . . . on dry land. . . .

Here are my darlings enjoying a  seat  by the lake. Notice no one is playing with anything electronic?

It was a perfect weekend to LIVE, LAUGH,LOVE  in Skaneateles!