Quick Lake George Trip

Clear blue skies and 50F in winter means a trip outside and a few weekends ago we made a spur of the moment trip up to Lake George. An hours drive up the Northway and pizza at a place on the lake was a good start to the day. Over lunch we were looking for hikes in the area and both found Shelving Rock Falls so decided to head there.

A frozen Lake George

The directions made it sound easy, and it wasn't as if we got lost but they failed to mention the road wasn't paved for most of it! Lots of potholes and muddy melting snow on a single lane road for 6+ miles meant a very dirty car!

The road to the trail head

We eventually made it to a little car park at the trail head and followed the snow packed trail along a stream and to the falls. I imagine it's more impressive in summer when you can walk down to the bottom but it was still snow covered and icy so we had to stay at the top. It was still nice to see the partially frozen falls though!

Under the ice on top of the stream we followed 

Trying to take an action shot of the falls

We continued on the trail which went down to the edge of the Lake, which was still frozen so we could walk out on the lake a little. It was so pretty seeing the frozen, snow covered lake and the bright blue skies.

A lonely looking Matt

After strolling around the lake and a little inlet with campsites (which I'm sure is packed in summer) we headed back up the trail and drove back down the trail back to Lake George village (with only a couple of stops for mushrooms).

Beaver action?

A quick trip to the outlets and back to Albany in time for dinner at Portofino's in Latham. We had a $15 off coupon from the Wine and Dine for the Arts that expired at the end of March so we gave it a shot. My pasta was very tasty but dinner was slightly marred by a group of men sitting near us being pompous and annoying. The man behind me spent the whole time with his chair pushed out so it was inches from mine. he didn't even move when I tried to get in or out of my seat. Not cool.


But a day spent in the fresh Adirondack air was totally worth it!

Spring?

So the Vernal Equinox is today and Spring has arrived. Allegedly. This is what I hoped to wake up to today...

But this is what I got...

Maybe that's a little extreme but it's fair to say I did not enjoy brushing snow and scraping ice off my car at 7.15 am. At least the sun is shining. For now.

** I did not take these pictures

Minnie Cat

We have a new member of our house - an 18 month old tortie called Minnie! Matt had wanted another cat for a while and I finally caved a few weeks ago.

Hello Minnie cat

 Yes, she came from a shelter and was called Jackie but due to her being so little the name Minnie came naturally. The paperwork said she had been given up when her owners moved but I don't believe that. the vet notes from the shelter showed she had tons of fleas and dermatitis from the fleas and she was really really skinny. I think she was probably abandoned when her owners moved and had to fend for herself for a while - we have a scavenger in our midst!

We tried to follow all the rules for introducing a new cat - keep the new cat isolated in a room, swap the cats so they can smell the other, let them see each other through a crack in the door, feed them on opposite sides of the doors, gradually let them spend more time together etc. It's now at the point where we leave them together during the day.

Not quite sure how to play together nicely on the new Kitty Tower

Chip was a bit confused at first, and Minnie kept chasing her but they seem to be getting used to each other. There's still some chasing and a few swats but I think they are buddies really. Chip was even grooming Minnie's head for a while the other night until Minnie woke up and realized! I think that's a good sign.

She's pretty crazy, she wants to get in and on everything and will eat anything. She ate a whole wax bean the other night and I'm sure it was even chewed. Straight down the hatch! Still struggling to teach her not to steal human food or Chip's food which isn't so easy.

Mmmm, I like stealing hot dog buns and eating them. Chip likes them too! Can you see the cool stripes at the end of my tail - I'm like a rattle cat

She's curled up at my feet right now - about the only time she keeps still is nap time. It's tough to get good pics!

I groom a lot but my poorly skin is getting much better!