A visit to the lake house aka "the cottage"

So this will be my last post about my visit with family last weekend in upstate New York! On Saturday afternoon, we drove to a little town that borders Lake Ontario.

My sister's new home is near that red "A" on the map above.

My sister and her husband have owned a small cottage on the lake for a number of years, and this past winter, bought a bigger home about 15 properties down the road. They invited me and my parents for a late lunch (delicious grilled porkchops, two kinds of salads, and salt potatoes; I brought pie for dessert.) Cathy gave me the grand tour -- it's a lovely home, situated on a bay, about a 1/2 mile from the open lake. The house is a perfect spot for entertaining friends and family, and taking full advantage of swimming, boating, jet-skiing and other water-based activities. The former owners had fully landscaped the property. It was a drizzly afternoon and all of the mature plantings around the house looked lush and healthy. After enjoying our leisurely lunch, we walked down the road to the edge of Lake Ontario, which looked to me like an ocean, with wind-driven whitecaps atop aggressive waves. It was windy and dramatic, and Otis was pulling at his leash to get into the water.

The view from back porch of the house.

My sister Cathy and her husband Don.

Me and my sister. I won't tell you who's older.

Churning Lake Ontario.

So close yet so far.