Tag Archives: Hiking

Summer Memories

Here in Rochester, NY we have to face the cold hard reality that summer is ending.  We knew it was coming, it does every year, all we can hope for now is a smooth and gradual transition into the inevitability that is winter in upstate New York.  As we say our last good-byes to summer though, it is nice to take a look back and enjoy the summer memories and prepare for new Fall adventures.

p.s. I cheated a little, not all these images are from this past summer, but they are all from A summer!

Hiking, High Tor

High Tor with Justin and McKenna, who have moved to browner pastures, AZ

High Tor lunch

Chimney Bluffs, calm day on Lake Ontario

Chimney Bluffs, Lake side

Hiking, Devils Bathtub, Mendon Ponds Park

Resting, Mendon Ponds Park

Ithaca is gorges, Robert Treman Park

Photography, Taughannock Falls

Waterfalls, Taughannock Falls

Extreme Hiking, Mt. Washington, NH

Reaching the summit, Mt. Washington, NH

Blueberry Picking with Taylor

Blueberry eating with Taylor

Family reunions

Reconnecting with cousins at family reunions

Swimming in the lake, Seneca Lake

Hot air balloon spotting, Canandaigua Lake

Family Vacations, Thunder Hole, Mount Desert Island, Maine

Hiking on family vacations, Mount Desert Island, Maine

Hiking on family vacations, Mount Desert Island, Maine

Campfires

and of course...

Fireworks!

Boom!

Share in the comments sections any special memories you may have of summertime fun or what you look forward to in fall and winter.

1 Comment

Filed under Family, Hiking, Outdoors

6323 South Old Bald Hill Road

6323 S. Old Bald Hill Rd.

I figure as long as I am sharing my life with interested readers, perhaps I can enlist a little help and get some opinions while I am at it.  So lets hear what you have to say about some houses we find interesting.

My wife and I have set up a fairly decent time line for purchasing a house, we have some financial goals to meet and are well on the correct path to meeting those goals.  That does not mean we aren’t looking though!  In fact, for about a year now we have been closely monitoring the real estate market, the past few months attending some open houses, and more recently even made some calls to some realtors to view some properties we were especially interested in (or just curious about.)

6323 South Old Bald Hill Road is one of the later.  We found this listing and my Architectural curiosity took over.  There was just no way I could allow this house to be sold without us taking at least a walk through it.  And I am so glad I made the call!

The first thing the realtor told me when I spoke with her on the phone was that we would need a 4-wheel drive vehicle to access the property…AWESOME! As we approached the driveway I discovered that to be quite true.  The property is land-locked on all sides with a dense woods and only accessible via a single long driveway that more closely resembles a dry stream bed.

Driveway

Once the journey to the clearing in the woods is completed the house becomes visible as a towering white mass within the predominantly green landscape.  As for a description, I will let the images speak for themselves. ..

The interior was exactly as I had hoped, and matched the exterior in style and atmosphere.  There were large rounded arch openings as separation elements within the open floor plan. Extensive mezzanines wrapping the entrance room, great cast iron chandlers that seemed to have spent the first part of its life in a medieval castle, and three full floors in the tower, currently being unused.  Unfortunately, I did not notice until too late that the batteries in my camera were dying, but you get the idea.

Great rounded archways, very dramatic!

Fantastic spiral staircase

The only access to the upper floors

Too big to move, the pool table comes with the house

Industrial-type kitchen, most appliances salvaged from restaurant

There were a series of balconies on various floors on the way up the tower as well, including a roof deck that provided a view above the trees down towards the lakes on both sides.

From the "3rd floor", not even to the top yet!

The red arrow points to the house

Property lines, note there is no connection to the actual road

Overall the house was fantastic, a bit large and above our budget for the amount of work that would be necessary to convert this gem into a comfortable year-round home.  But some day to be sure, a home like this could be a great project!  This was great trip and a good experience for us to remind us of all the great opportunities that are available out there while purchasing a home and to not settle to early.

And after the house visit we jumped over to nearby Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreational Area for some hiking with our pup, Regis.

If you feel so inclined, check out the full listing for 6323 South Old Bald Hill Road, Canadice, NY.

6 Comments

Filed under Hiking, Houses, Outdoors