The Favorites

Wednesday night we went out to dinner at one of our favorite places in Saranac Lake, Casa Del Sol. (our other favorite is Eat 'N Meet which deserves its own story). We've been coming here for a decade (joe longer). It's one of the places that feels like home. The owners, Harry and Diane (yikes, I think it's Diane) are always there and seem to know everyone. The food is always good, with mixes of ambitious stuff and standards. Don't expect fancy new ideas or lots of changing menu items but it's always solid. The margaritas are stellar and the prices are great and the service is always lovely. I sometimes have the baked tortilla soup which is a twist on french onion soup. I also like chipotle shrimp, which is really simple, just shrimp in chipotle sauce with fresh tortillas. Joe always has chimichangas, and Clarke is all over the menu (which is quite extensive), depending on how STARVING he is. They accommodate Oscar's finicky tastes too. The decor is just great with open windows and great art. There is a patio with picnic tables for waiting and drinking margaritas (sometimes the wait can be extensive). The owners are Mexico enthusiasts, have travelled there often, and have brought back flavors and art...and the laid back attitude. It is one of those places where we go when we are all in a great mood. I'm kind of smiling just thinking about it, as we've had so many memories there over the years. (after we hiked Cascade and Porter, we showed up freezing, wet, dirty, starving and dehydrated. We chugged gallons of water and then gallons of margaritas and the boys had appetizers, entrees and then a few side dishes. Is it hyperbole to say that Casa saved our lives?!)

New Heights of Kitty Hunting

So we came upon Roxy today in her self-satisfied lounge position, which means she has been on the prowl. We started to look around for mice when we noticed she was laying right next to a snake! He got away but not without sustaining some damages.

Folie a Quatre- We found Split Rock Falls

So we picked Joe up from the train station and then broke the news that with just a slight detour we could find the fabled Split Rock Falls to which we had been searching. Joe was of course, up for it ( even though he was wearing black socks and khakis- city slicker!) , and we made our way to Route 9, toward 87, through New Russia. Our previous foibles were related to following intersection of 73 and 9N, not 73 and 9. We heard the rush of waters from the road and found them easily...and they were worth the wait!
It was not the warmest day and the water was f f f freezing but the swimming was incredible. I liked the multiple levels of swimming holes with each successive fall. The site hosted some tragedy through the years and was the only place we visited with a chain link fence. Just as we were leaving, a guy did a double summersault flip off the top of the falls into a narrow hole. It literally took my breath away. I am torn between the love of the local know-how and past-time to the realization that if he was off a few feet from his quest, we would have witnessed another tragedy. Nevertheless, for us city chickens,was a thrill just to splash around at the base of the falls and enjoy the pristine beauty.

Perhaps I have a disorder

After we finished the pump house, we were looking for a small adventure...and again we decided to go on a waterfall hunt. Yes, I have an obsessive, compulsive disorder regarding waterfalls and the saddest part is I have sucked the poor innocent children into my disorder. It's Folie A Trois. Armed with our trusty book, we decided to check out the falls of Wilmington, just NE (I think) of Lake Placid. First we stopped at Monument Falls, right at roadside 4.3 miles from 73/86 intersection on 86. These were nice, small, lovely for a few hours of wading. Sadly, we are becoming waterfalls snobs and moved on. We went further on 86 ( about .9 miles after High Falls Gorge) to the Wilmington Notch falls. Holy Cow. Scary. So Scary. No fences, warnings or anything and you are on cliffs looking down on a raging, huge, rocky waterfall. Really awesome. The most amazing we have seen. I kept screeching at the boys to stop throwing sticks and I kept hugging the nearby trees. The setting is weird. It is a public campsite, run by the state. You pay $1 and then basically head down this gulge- no real path. You just follow the sound of soul shaking crashing water. After that, we headed about 1.1 miles further on 86 to the Wilmington Flumes. You park in a designated area, just over a bridge on the left, cross over to the south side of the bridge and head down a path which takes you next to multiple falls and cascades. We continued further and landed at the Grand Central Station of swimming holes. About 30 people, swimming in an olympic sized swimming hole, at the base of a falls - very very deep. Of course, there was the requisite cliff and rock jumping which Oscar immediately jumped on (and Clarke joined later.) People were swimming under the falls and riding the current. Water was crystal clear and freezing cold. What a fantastic scene. We met folks from Montreal, Toronto, Virginia, Colorado...and Long Island of all godforsaken places. I practiced some french with the little Montreal kids who had the words for rabbit and frog mixed up. The thought of a large, green "rabbit", trapped under the rocks was almost too much for me to bear. Great day. We ended at tail o' the pup because we were too dirty and ugly for anyone else.

Side note, we have yet to pay for the commercial attraction of High Falls Gorge, though we have heard it is worth it. We thought perhaps when Joe's dad comes it would be nice, as it's not quite as rugged as the other hikes.

Little Pump House on the Prairie

The boys earned their keep this morning staining our pump house and our picnic table.

Why The Children are Well Behaved This Summer

So I've always believed that you have to run boys like dogs but today was a fascinating science experiment. We did NOTHING - almost nothing. We ran to the library, ran an errand at the printers, and then came home and lounged. The boys played video games, watched YouTube, played guitar, did some light reading, homework etc. We had a lazy dinner, I didn't make them help with dishes...and then we attempted to play Yahtzee. I never realized Yahtzee was a full contact sport. The boys were in perpetual motion during the game. They twirled the dice cup, rolled dice from their ears, did the "Yahtzee dance" and wrestled over the score. They dropped things all over the floor and ran around the table. They threw cookies at each other and made bizarre loud noises. Clarke screamed "Smack Daddy" whenever he rolled a good turn. In my finest parenting hour, i just yelled "STOP....MOVING" They are now in bed and sound like they have hours of energy left. Suffice to say, tomorrow we return to the rigors of mountain living. I have them slated to stain our Pimped Out Pump House, followed by an afternoon hike. I hope they are limping to their bedrooms with exhaustion tomorrow night.

Tip a Canoe

Quick note: Before Joe left today, we grabbed lunch at a restaurant in Keene, called Tip a Canoe. I think it's been recently re-opened. What a great place. Nothing fancy but everything was well thought out and prepared. Really nice service and good prices. I told Joe I had to remember to blog this because they seem like they are trying hard and it's not easy for new restaurants to make it around here. It's right on route 73.