Last year, Dave’s parents moved from Dave’s childhood home to a cozy lake house in the nearby village of Skaneateles. They had always loved Skaneateles Lake, but never anticipated finding a house there. Midway through 2020, though, they found a unicorn of a property that needed some work, but that had easy access to the water and was roomy enough for big family dinners and lake days. Needless to say, we’ve been thrilled to have such a beautiful place to steal away to! This was our second summer visiting, and thanks to most restrictions being lifted in New York just in time for our trip, we got to do a lot more this time around. I’d love to share a few photos, plus some newfound favorite spots that we already can’t wait to return to next year.

Before jumping in, I’ll give a big shoutout to Azelie for doing so well on her first plane trips (Charlie too, but he was a little less unpredictable)! I RAIDED the dollar store beforehand, and those goodies, combined with enough snacks to last a week, made for pretty successful flights, even when we were delayed a few hours coming home. The biggest hits: mini etch-a-sketch doodles (just don’t let young children play with them unattended, as with any magnetic toy), mini post-its, a giant roll of stickers, this pop-up thing, a new coloring book and crayons (pack crayons in a little box so kids can keep them from rolling away while also seeing all the colors), little containers to portion out snacks, and Squigz for the windows.

We spent ten days in New York this June, and since the trip marked Dave’s first vacation days since New Year’s, we were more than ready to relax and enjoy lots of family time. Any day we didn’t spend mostly on the water, we headed into town–although the most fun way to get there was by boat! We quickly became regulars at Skaneateles Bakery, where they have delicious iced coffee, amazing (big!) sandwiches, and lots of tasty treats. Dave and I did a mini day-date one afternoon and poked into a bunch of the shops and boutiques in the village, our favorites being Drooz and Company, Skaneateles 300 (okay, that one was just my favorite ;)), The Local Branch Co., and Rhubarb. Skaneateles Scoops is a must too–their chocolate raspberry truffle ice cream might have been my perfect flavor.

One of my favorite afternoons was when we met up with my sister-in-law and her three girls at Anyela’s Vineyards. Dave and I are admittedly picky about wine, but their rosé was delicious. We sat on the lawn behind the winery so the kids could run around, but the patio looked lovely. Another favorite spot with the kids was Austin Park–such great playgrounds!

Of course, the lake was the highlight of our trip. Charlie loves nothing more than swimming and being on the boat, so he was on cloud nine the whole time! Dave and his brothers share a love of water sports, and it’s always so much fun to envision Charlie trying his hand at them as he gets older. Azelie was a little unsure of the whole life jacket situation, but once she got used to it, she seemed to love being on the water as well. Dave has been borrowing one of his dad’s old film cameras for the past year or so, and I love the images he captured below!

After New York, we headed home for a week, and then got back on a plane headed the other direction–Austin! As soon as we get the film back, I’ll be sharing a recap of our time there too. Fair warning, don’t read that post hungry ;)