Thanksgiving Road Trip - Part Two

I don't have any pictures of Monday, last week - I am certain that we walked Calvin in the morning, and then sent my cousin off to school, and wandered up a few blocks to the local health food store and the neighboring bookstore...ah, yes, then I called my cousin Christopher to see if we could hang out together and he made the brilliant suggestion that he take my children to see a movie! Without me.  So, imagine me, without my children and without my camera, wandering alone through downtown Ithaca. Sigh. It was a gift to have time alone.  And as if that wasn't enough, Christopher also made us dinner that night. He is an amazing guy and a Very Good Cousin.  So, on to Tuesday.

 There is a gorge and falls in the center of town, which we walked to with Calvin, the dog. Then home to breakfast with this moviestar...(the movie was in 3-D, hence the glasses. Her observation about wearing them about? They don't work 'cause the world isn't in 3-D. Hmmm...)

 My aunt and  uncle flew in on Tuesday, so here is a not very good photo of something I made for my aunt, that maybe only she (and I) can appreciate.  Yes, it is a pin, of a rough-skinned newt. Ahem. I never said I wasn't really really nerdy.  I was very pleased with it.

 Luckily for us, our family loves to hike, so off we went on another walk through the woods...

 We left everyone to rest for the afternoon and sought out a local nature center north of town. 

 Its big draw is a "treehouse" that is six stories high.  The girls had a ball...

 On our way home we pulled into the Ithaca Children's Garden, drawn by the variety of little houses, like this cob one...

 ...and a giant turtle made out of earth.

There seems to be so much to do in the area - I am hoping to go back with Dan sometime next summer.  Wednesday we got to ride the bus, much to Eliza's delight, up the hill to the Cornell campus to meet Jessica.  We could see the lake and more waterfalls as we mounted the hill.

 An earthen couch!

 Jessica had wanted to make sure she took us to the "Harry Potter Library" as she thinks of it.  It was grand, old, fancy...we loved it.

We walked to a bagel shop next to campus, and then wound our way down the hill and "home".