Day 82, 83, 84 & 85 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

Today is Monday July 27th, there was some more haze in the air from the Canadian wildfires. In the past, the week after the Hemlock Fair included a bunch of catch-up, because for the last 7 days, everything was focused on the fair. This year, our plate was not as full and we did not need to rest up. However, we try to limit our trips to the store. So, we need to get a few groceries and my favorite store in NY is Tops Friendly Markets. The closest one to us is in Avon. For grocery shoppers up in the Northeast, Tops Friendly Markets remains one of the region's most dependable destinations. It's been in business for 60 years, and with over 150 locations in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. From the very beginning, Tops Friendly Markets' roots have been firmly planted in Upstate New York. It's only become easier over the years to shop under its red and white roof. Simply put, there's a lot to love about this supermarket chain. Shopping for hand-picked apples or fresh eggs feels like a pipe dream at your average grocery store, but not at Tops Friendly. The chain makes it a delicious reality, maintaining a fleet of 200+ farms, orchards, and small businesses to stock the shelves of stores every day. My favorite thing remains the deals... buy 2 and get 3 free. They are crazy and truly do save you money! 

Today is day 83 of our Two Lane Adventures, Tuesday July 28th and the rain has arrived and looks like it has settled in for a while. That makes it a perfect day to do laundry. We found a great facility in Geneseo. Colony Dry Cleaners and Laundromat in the Genesee Valley Shopping Center, near Wegmans. It is always clean and has a fair price for self-service laundry. $3.00 for a double load washer and twenty-five cents for 5 minutes of drying. 

A rainy day is also a perfect day for baking. I have been saving our "old" bananas in the freezer. It's a great day to get them thawed out and used! I used to make tons of mini-loafs of bread. But, I have switched to muffins. They bake quicker, the silicone pans are easy to get the muffins out of and it makes it easier for our "camp host" to take a few out of the freezer and enjoy them after we are gone.

Wednesday July 29th was a second day filled with rain. So, our "camp host" Jimmy, decided we needed to go to Tee & Gee for lunch. We have lived in this area for more than 35-years and we have never been to Tee & Gee Bar and Grill. It is a long-standing historical landmark located at the north end of Conesus Lake. 

At first glance Tee & Gee looks and feels like a typical dive bar with a mismatched roof line, low-lit interior with the requisite, quirky paraphernalia adorning the walls. 

That is until you view their menu: prime rib sandwich, Cajun grilled chicken sandwich, peanut butter bacon cheeseburger with spicy jelly  - say what???! Tee & Gee chef (and co-owner, since 2018) Jonah Sanguedolce took over the restaurant after many years at the Conesus Inn bringing with him those fine dining skills to create some of the best, elevated pub-food around. The Conesus Inn was one of the area’s best restaurants, famous for its prime rib, it closed in 2012.

 

Wednesday evening was a planned night out with the Penfield "girls" at Tom Wahls in Avon. For the last 5 or 6 years, while we are visiting NY, I have managed to get together with 4 or 5 girls that I graduated with. Some of us have been friends since grade school. Usually, we meet somewhere in Penfield, that gives me an opportunity to stop by the cemetery to see my folks graves. This year, we met in Avon. Which for me was very nice, because it saved me the 45-minute drive. Heidi and I have been friends since Indian Landing Elementary School. We met Karen in middle school, her mother Cindy has joined us a few times. Growing up, Cindy was our Girl Scout leader. Ann moved into the district in middle school and we met her there. We usually get to see Kim, but she opted for an anniversary dinner with her husband! It was a great evening reconnecting after 2-years, with lots of laughs!

It was an easy drive home for me and I got to enjoy a beautiful sunset!

Thursday July 30th, is is day 85 of our summer adventure and our grand-daughter, Natalee's, 18th birthday. Where does the time go? This is her high school graduation day, just a month ago!

Charlie and I enjoyed another breakfast with Jane Burnett, Deb & Dick Vallone. Dick & Deb are heading back to Florida soon. So, one last chance to spend sometime together!

Our evening was planned for beers & friends at Solitudes! We were supposed to go over at 5pm, but Charlie was thirsty by 3:30.... so when they opened at 4pm, we were there!

Solitudes is a craft brewery situated right near the north end of Conesus Lake. It has many nature-inspired beers, a tranquil semi-forested beer garden, and is the only brewery in Livingston County featuring rooftop seating with lake views. 

It was founded by Cal Hasler in late 2024. The inspiration came from a remote backcountry camping trip in Utah's Ashley National Forest near Chimney Rock, where Hasler reflected on the peace of nature and the desire to bring people together over great craft beer. The building was meticulously re-invented from a multi-use property that previously served as a gas station, butcher shop, and Pizza Hut Express, into the spacious indoor taproom with views of the brewing systems.

We were praying the rain and dreary day would break through, so we could enjoy the outdoor beer garden surrounded by woods. 

Our prayers were answered, it was a bit dreary when Charlie and I arrived, but as everyone started to show up, the clouds cleared and the sun came out!

It was nice that we had a big enough section of the beer garden for everyone to move around and visit with everyone there!

Royce is "hidden" by the sunlight! But, at least the sun came out!

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Day 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 and 81 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

This is the 3rd full week in July, that week is always when the Hemlock "Little World's" Fair is held. These upcoming days are going to be filled with helping our "camp host" Jimmy with what he needs.

On Monday July 20th, Charlie and I enjoyed breakfast at Leisure's, a local restaurant inside the Roadway Inn in Lakeville. When we spent the summers up here, it was the almost everyday spot for breakfast with a bunch of our friends from the fair! Ohhhh, the good ole days. Bud & Jim have passed, Jackie moved away, Fay has a tough time getting around, that just leaves Debbie, Charlie and I. Not much of a crowd anymore!

When we volunteered at the Hemlock Fair I had many different jobs, but my last position was the "ticket lady." I handled ordering the tickets, getting the tickets out to our community ticket sellers and filling fair board members requests for tickets. Each fair board member gets tickets and we are helping Jimmy get his out to his sponsors and volunteers.

Day 76 was Tuesday July 21st is day one of the fair. Before our day got busy, we enjoyed our morning coffee with the deer. 

Our daily delivery each day of the fair will be the cornhole boards that they raffle off before the grandstand event. We deliver them to the horseshoe beer stand. This set of cornhole boards was donated by a local gym, Rise and Grind. The boards are displayed all afternoon and they give-away tickets for the drawing. Our friends, Rick & Lynn Swift, run that beer stand.

We watched some of the Sire Stake Races. Sire Stakes races are highly prestigious horse racing series designed to encourage and reward the breeding of racing horses. Our events are funded heavily by local agricultural and breeding development funds, ensuring lucrative purses for eligible horses. Sire Stakes focus on Standardbred (harness) racing involving trotters and pacers pulling a driver in a sulky. Jimmy even gets a real bugler to start each race!

Charlie's sister-in-law, Joyce, came from a Sire Stakes racing family. Her Dad, Joe Robbins was a regular at these events. We say Joyce's sister Tammy, but she did not remember Charlie. Just before the final race, Charlie found Joyce's two sisters and was able to say hello. Their horse actually won the last race!

Wednesday July 22nd included for ticket deliveries and also the delivery of 250th cornhole boards to the fairgrounds. While we are there we occasionally see old friends! Sometime we eat and sometimes Charlie has a beer.

We enjoyed sitting outside our camper and watching more deer. Jimmy has about 8-acres of wooded land around his shop. Part of the land used to be a gravel pit. So, the wildlife is abundant!

The sunsets are always abundant here too.

Day 78 of our RV adventure was Thursday July 23rd. We delivered the cornhole boards and then we needed to run to Geneseo. The corn hole boards today were donated by a dedicated fair board member to highlight the work of the Teresa House. We also have a cooler full of goodies, donated by NAPA Livonia and the Gazinski family.

Charlie and I took tickets over to the Teresa House, so they could come to the fair to give the boards away tonight. Teresa House is a nonprofit, comfort care home located in Geneseo, NY. The facility is dedicated to providing compassionate end-of-life care. As the only facility of its kind in Livingston County, it serves a nine-county region, addressing the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of terminally ill residents and their families. Because the home is supported entirely by community donations and an extensive volunteer network, families never receive a bill for the care provided.

We made a trip back to the Fairgrounds, because tonight is the first of two nights of truck & tractor pulls. Out friends, Sheila & Randy, are big into these pulls. Sheila has set them up for years, when she was on the board. Randy does the announcing for the pulls. We wanted to opportunity to see them before the pulls started. Our two nights of pulls are operated by The New York Tractor Pullers Association (NYTPA.) They are New York State's premier sanctioning body for professional tractor and truck pulling. The classes that are pulling tonight are Super Farm, TWD Trucks, and 4.1 Limited Pro.

Friday July 24th, there are only two days left of the 2026 Hemlock "Little World's" Fair. Today's corn hole boards were donated by NAPA Auto Parts of Dansville and Mount Morris. A local family, the Rossboroughs, own both locations. We dropped them off and went to Livonia to do some errands for Jimmy.

We headed back over to the fairgrounds later in the afternoon, because I have to meet the gentleman that is singing the National anthem before the main event in the grandstand to get him into the fairgrounds. He is coming from Rochester, near where I grew up. That was just too far to drive to drop off tickets. Before I went to the gate to meet him, we enjoyed a late lunch at the fairgrounds. Charlie enjoyed a burger from Livonia Rotary stand and beer. I had a peanut butter cup milkshake from the Farm Bureau stand.

The Livonia Rotary Club operates under the core global Rotary mission to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders." Locally, the club channels this mission through the foundational motto of "Service Above Self," focusing heavily on hands-on community improvement, civic engagement, and local health support. They operate two food stands at the fair, which is a big fundraiser for them. Thank you Gina Horan Reflections for this photo!

It is the second night of the Hemlock Fair NYTPA Truck & Tractor pull. We have some great pullers coming in tonight. The classes running tonight are 4.1 tractors, modified tractors, 4x4 Trucks and Super stock tractors. We stayed for a while and ran into Mark & Lisa Walworth. Their son and our son, Chris, hung together in high school. It was great to catch up with them. They do winter, part of the time, in Venice Florida.

The last day of the fair is Saturday July 25th and it is always a big day! In past years they have always had two days of demo derbies. Tuesday and Saturday. But, this year, they are only having one on Saturday. It will be a big one! Jimmy has over 50 pre-registrations for derby cars. Jimmy accepts that he will get another 25 entries to come in today. 

We delivered the last boards today around noontime. These boards are my favorite. They were donated by Mill Creek Optical. It's a local optometry shop in Dansville. Jenni Leuzzi is a NYS licensed Optician with over 40 years of experience. Jenni started her optical shop in 1996 in her home so she could be available to her 4 kids while she raised them.  Her success was unexpected!  In 2016 Jenni and her husband John bought and refurbished a downtown Dansville 1860's building, finishing the shop with a funky vintage feel including lots of local antiques & memorabilia. She specializes in customer service!  From making repairs to in-home visits for the less mobile-she can accommodate. I love their logo, their are colorful cats. When Jenni founded the business, she balanced building the practice with keeping a busy household that included two cats, a dog, and three goats. Because the boutique specializes in fun, vibrant, and unique eyewear, a stylized, colorful pop-art cat wearing oversized glasses was chosen for the official "Colorful Cat" branding assets. The playful logo perfectly matches the shop's retro, antique-filled, and family-oriented atmosphere.

We came back to the RV for a while. We tried to go back over around 4pm, the demo starts at 4:30pm. We came the backroads from where we are staying. We hit the main road that takes you to the fairgrounds and the traffic backed up about a mile up route 15A towards Rochester. We decided to turn left and make a square and head back tot he RV, instead of turning left into the long line of traffic working their way into the fairgrounds! I will share a picture from earlier in the week, the parking crew, led my pastor Matt Finch, has done an exceptional job. I am sure that they are getting the cars in as quickly as possible! See the straight rows his team created! We have been in the fair for the super crowded Saturday nights in past years, no need to subject ourselves to that tonight, when we can relax at home!

Sunday July 26th is a big clean-up day at the fairgrounds. We were up enjoying coffee with EJ. EJ is as close to a son that Jimmy will ever have. EJ is always around working out in the gym he built in an old garage or helping Jimmy. At about 9:30am, Jimmy comes out, we all say "we did not hear you pull in." He said I just got up! That never happens! Jimmy slept in! Jimmy enjoyed some coffee and then headed over to get the equipment back to the farm that he borrowed from the fair.

We headed over to visit Tony, Donny & Donna. We saw this button buck chasing a young doe across the field. Margo and Natalee were out shopping for SUNY Brockport gear for Natalee. She is going to be a "golden eagle" in the fall! I was a "golden eagle" too. I graduated in 1987 with a BS in Technical Theatre and a minor in Military Science. Brockport operates as a comprehensive four-year college within the State University of New York (SUNY) system, offering affordable, high-quality education with a strong emphasis on hands-on learning, undergraduate research, and community involvement. It is a quintessential college town. The main 464-acre campus sits along the historic Erie Canal and it's a short walk to the Village of Brockport.

We enjoyed afternoon beers at No BS with Dawn & Dana. Charlie and I got there a bit before Dawn and Dana, because he was working on the flat tow system on his new tow car. Randy & Sheila could not make it, because he was announcing another tractor pull in Pulteney NY. On Facebook, I had seen the Strawberry Dragon fruit hard seltzer it was a brilliant pink! I had to try one. They were out the "We The People" light lager Charlie has been drinking, so he went for the Conesus Lake IPA. 

Charlie stayed with the IPA. I tried the other hard seltzer they have on tap, the Pina Colada hard seltzer. It was good, but I liked the Strawberry Dragon Fruit better.

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures.

Day 71, 72, 73 and 74 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

Thursday July 16th is day 71. We packed up and left Livonia for a weekend on the hill! We are meeting our FRamily at Ontario County Park at Gannett Hill. It is a great county park with a camping loop of about 30 sites. As one of the highest points in Ontario County, located in the beautiful, scenic Bristol Hills, Ontario County Park at Gannett Hill is the perfect landing spot for all things outdoors. The park includes 410 acres of woods and open lands, and 13 miles of hiking and biking trails including a portion of the Bristol Hills branch of the Finger Lakes Trail system. There is also an ADA-accessible fishing pond.

Naturally, we had to check out a local brewery, Engine 14. Engine 14 Brewery began operations in 2021, but its roots run deeper than that. The founder Greg Borden has lived in the Naples area his entire life, and has always had a passion for craft beer and home brewing. After retiring from the Rochester Fire Department in 2019, Greg set his sights on opening a brewery. The vision was to build a brewery that felt like an old firehouse. He found and purchased an old fire truck decommissioned back in the ‘60s that ran out of the same firehouse he worked at. 

Over the next two years, Greg and Kate poured thousands of hours into the idea. A fantastic location was found, equipment was acquired, and a plan was on fire. The first batch of beer, a pilsner dubbed “Golden Arm”, was brewed on November 11th, 2021. All three ladies enjoyed Rekindled, a Raspberry Wheat. Charlie had Rick Head, an American Pale Ale. You could see the haze in the air from the Canadian wildfires. 

We came back and had a great time around the fire. Yes, we had "special wood" to get those beautiful colors!

Today is day 72, Friday July 17th, the skies were blue and the views on my walk this morning were exceptional. At an elevation of 2,256 feet above sea level, we enjoy the expansive views to the East and view portions of Ontario County and the hills behind Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. 

The must see spot in the park includes a spectacular panorama, the locals call this vantage point "The Jump-Off" and you can see the amazing view of the Bristol Hills.

I met a local on my walk too! She was not bothered by me passing her at all.

It would not be a Friday morning camping, without some of Karen's Espresso Martini's ... cheers!

Charlie and I had tickets to see the Infamous Stringdusters at Concerts at Point of Bluff. Point of Bluff is a vineyard in Hammondsport, NY. Established in 2008, Point of the Bluff Vineyards offers award-winning wines in a beautiful setting overlooking Keuka Lake. Sometimes the best things in life are the result of all the right variables falling into place at the right time. Take Point of the Bluff Vineyards for example. What started out as a landscaping project on a steep slope overlooking Keuka Lake has turned into an award-winning winery.

The backstories for Point of the Bluff, which has been called an "accidental winery," and for winemaker Mike Countryman, who has been winning awards for his wines for over two decades, are interesting for a number of reasons including the fact that the owner of Point of the Bluff originally brought Mike in to help him make his vineyard more aesthetically pleasing. The rest, as they say, is history. Or, in this case, the present and the future! The vineyard has evolved beyond wine production into a regional cultural hub, winning awards for its outdoor live concert series hosted directly on the bluff. 

We planned on meeting a high school friend here, Nancy Paladino. We met her and Dave and spent so much time chatting, we never got food or wine before the first band was getting ready to start! 

Driftwood, a local band from the Binghamton area, was the opening act. They are an Americana/Folk-Rock band that was formed in 2005. The group consists of Dan Forsyth, Joe Kollar, Claire Byrne, Joey Arcuri and Sam Fishman. Their music has been described as "fusing traditional Americana and with contemporary influences. I would call them more rock than Americana. 

They played many original numbers. Each song was like a journal entry: cathartic to create, yes, but capable of unlocking new lessons—and when shared—forging new bonds. “We're communal, right? Humans need to be connected,” Joe says. “And we get to have this special thing.”

They were a bit loud for our tastes, but Sheryl's ear plug trick worked just fine! I always carry two sets in my purse now! 

During intermission we met up with Nancy and Dave again, because she found Kat or Kat found her. Kat is another Penfield High School Class of '83 graduate. She was there with her husband, Andy. We caught up for a few minutes and snapped a picture!

The Infamous Stringdusters were the reason we came to the concert. They play progressive bluegrass and jamgrass. Their sound blends traditional acoustic bluegrass with rock, country, jazz, and improvisational jam band sensibilities. They are famous for their high-energy, groove-friendly live shows and ability to cover artists ranging from Daft Punk to Phish. 

The band first emerged in 2006. Their first album, Fork in the Road, was released in 2007. The band has become known for a complex, distinctive, and groove-friendly sound along with a bluegrass theme. The five band members – Travis Book (bass), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Andy Hall (Dobro), and Chris Pandolfi (banjo). Fueled by friendship and a mastery of their instruments, the stage feels like it is alive! The synergy that’s developed over the last 16 years of playing sheds, clubs, and festival stages across the country is evident in every song!

One of the awesome things about listening to this band is that everybody is always working on their instrumental game. When they show up for a new tour or a new album, they all get a chance to dig even a little deeper -- and you can hear that part of it. Extended instrumental jamming during a show is not one of Charlie's favorite things, but these guys were just masters of it!

The banjo player played a polka. That was interesting! We got back to our campsite and the campfire was out and everyone was tucked into their campers. 

Day 73 was Saturday July 18th. It was an overcast and rainy day at Gannett Hill. 

So Sheila, Karen and I (with Charlie as our DD) took a trip into Naples to check out the Hometown Wine Company. owned by Brian and Sara. They met while working at a winery in Southern California. Brian was the Winemaker for the Winery and Sara was the Tasting Room Manager. During COVID, Brian and Sara were considered a part of the ‘Essential Workforce’. After having to let their teams go, management ran the front porch wine pickups and curbside deliveries.

The front porch was busy but they found time to talk about wine, food, travel, family, life and goals. One day there was an epiphany and a glass of wine after work seemed right. The Chardonnay must have been good that night because soon these two colleagues turned lovers, putting a dream into motion. 

Jumping ahead, their decision to leave the Southern California Winery and start consulting lead them all over the US helping everyone from winery owners to home winemakers with wine production, wine club, tasting room management and overall winery operations. As you may have guessed, it also led them to Upstate New York. Many of you probably already know, they fell in love with Naples, New York. They couldn’t help but to make this home and the dream of Hometown Wine Company’s Tasting Room a reality.

But, where are the Vineyards? They partner with farmers, family, friends and colleagues from coast to coast to source grapes. While Hometown Wine Company produces all of the wine, limited production is done at 203 N. Main Street in Naples. Hometown Wine Company focuses on specific appellations for high quality wines and hometown flavors.

The rain settled in for the afternoon and everyone stayed hunkered down in their campers. We were able to enjoy our group meal under Dawn & Dana's awning.

It did clear up enough to enjoy one last campfire for the weekend. Another excellent weekend of camping with friends in the books!

On Sunday July 19th, the skies were clear and we had a leisurely morning packing up the camper, watching other campers dump and returning to Livonia to help Jimmy. We went back to Livonia via Dansville to use our Open Roads to fill the RV with diesel.

In Naples, we passed the Naples Central School building. In 1880, a permanent building for the Naples Academy was constructed, serving grades K-12. In 1897, the facility was officially renamed Naples High School. In 1912, two large wings were added to the old Academy building, allowing all village students from grades 1 through 12 to learn under a single roof and closing down smaller common schoolhouses. That building is still used today for grades 7 - 12.

Two year ago, in July of 2024, a new public mural goes a long way in cementing Dansville's legacy as the community where Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. Artists Melissa Stratton Pandina and Gabriela Sepulveda painted the Clara Barton mural on the south-facing wall of 170 Main St. In the sprawling, colorful tableau, Barton shines light from a lantern alongside her quote, "It must never be forgotten that Dansville was the first child of the American Red Cross." Barton founded the first American Red Cross chapter in Dansville on May 21, 1881, also serving as its president. The Chapter 1 House is just steps away from the mural, on Ossian and Elizabeth streets.

Charlie's sister Molly was going to stop by, but that got changed until Monday. No one was going out, so Charlie and I enjoyed a late afternoon trip to No BS. It was a nice "date afternoon!"

He had the "We The People" American Light Lager and I had the Banana Kiwi American Ale. Sounds funky, but it truly is good and refreshing!

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!