This past weekend  my dear wife, Carrie, and I spent a couple nights close to two Great Lakes.  Lake Erie was…you could throw a rock in it…in Geneva By The Lake, Ohio.  That is the name of the place.  I found it via the internet.  In fact I found both of our lake locations via the internet.  Search engines can do some very good things.

Geneva By The Lake, Ohio is as throw back as I have ever seen in a place.  I consider myself relatively well traveled.  I have been so so fortunate to visit many places.  This was another gem of a spot that has a personality and charm so unto itself.  The people are nice.  They are friendly.  They are forward in a good way.  They were enjoying a warm day where many months of the year they are covered in snow.  No one we met was there to have a bad time.

We stopped along the way to take this one of Lake Ontario.

This is the office we checked into at GOTL.  There was a phone on the counter and the instruction was to call the number.  The proprietor lives across the street.

I have no doubt that this place was just as charming in 1936 as it is 2017.  Either way, it has been here a long time and I am thankful someone had the good sense to keep it around.

DWYER made this combo…all in one kitchen.  Stove. Oven. Cutting board.  Fridge.  Sink.  It is all here.  There was a couch sitting next to a tv.  You couldn’t sit on the couch and watch the tv, mind you.  There was enough room for me to unfold a bag chair and watch the tv for a short while.

This old relic was awesome.

The sign on this putt putt course said it was the oldest putt putt course to feature continuous play in the land.  It has not missed a season of golf in over 70 years.

When we left Lake Erie we went journey farther East.  We drove three country highways instead of taking the New York Thruway in toward Buffalo and around NE to Hilton, New York where we spent the next night, Saturday.   We enjoyed our drive as we drove through little towns, including Brocton, New York where we ate a fine late lunch.  I had a club sandwich and Carrie had a bbq chicken salad. This drive allowed us to look at the towns and wave at a few of their people.  We looked at their schools and we looked at their churches.  A trip to the Northeast will show you an appreciation for two things in these towns: flowers and the American Flag.  Their flowers are celebrated because these folks lived through the winter and I think flowers remind these folks of life.  The flag they appreciate because their heritage fought red coats to be able to fly it in the first place.

When we got to Hilton, New York we found a treasure and some very nice folks at Braddock Point Lighthouse.

A bed and breakfast at a lighthouse?  Yes, there is such a thing.  It is a functioning lighthouse recognized by the laws of the land.  It is also a B&B of remarkable quality, given its location, its history, but more importantly its owners Don and Nandy.

They spend the Summers in this great place and go back to Florida in the Winter.  From what I have heard about the snow in these parts, I do not blame them.  These were gracious hosts and I appreciate all of their efforts in making our stay a comfortable and memorable one.

When we drove up to the place we found this.

A little closer we found this:

On the other side of the lighthouse it looks like this:

It looks out on Lake Ontario.

This is a view from the top of the lighthouse.  It was a great experience to tour this and I thank Don for all of his knowledge and insight and his ability to tell a good story.

One wonderful thing about this place is that you get sunsets…and you get sunrises…

We were so blessed to have weather that allowed us to take in these sights.

We also were fortunate to meet a kind gentleman from Utica -way whom we found to have many shared interests with.  We talked travel, education, sports, and music.  It was great fun and he knew how to take pictures and where to shoot some great shots as well.

Our breakfast was served on a table and chairs that were actually a wedding Dowry from the old country.  The family needed to part with it and it found a great home. (Breakfast was great by the way.)

And I found another place to remember where I can speak the rights.

On a sad note…Carl did not make the trip.  Carrie thought I packed Carl….and I thought Carrie grabbed Carl.  Either way, Carl is back home and I hope he is not too put off.

Danny Johnson