A lake in October catches the eye and iPhone 6

/ October 14, 2015

That lake sure looks pretty, I thought. You must park and pull out the iPhone 6 to share this October sight with the world.

My trip some 35 miles southwest from Syracuse for my weekly WAER community blog column last week took me through Skaneateles, a quaint, pretty village of note. The folks that live their have a lake, deep and pure and the second easternmost of the 11 that are considered part of the Finger Lakes bundle. Syracuse pipes in drinking water from Skaneateles Lake. Pure.

Big and expensive houses ring it on the shores, built on precious land. In fact, my great friend Dave and his mother Jude have held on to a piece of shoreline property, without a house but in prime position for parties and relaxation. One July Fourth, as my dear wife Karen and I parked for their holiday bash in my Hyundai Elantra, I heard a voice calling out from a pretty yard. It sounded familiar, asking me if I liked my car. When the man popped out and approached, I recognized Billy Fucillo, owner of the Syracuse dealership where I’d bought that car, as well as a handful of other franchises. He’s a regular on his own TV commercials, known for his loud and proud pronunciation of his one-word description of the deals you can find at his joints. Huge. Yes, that house of his looked like plenty of folks besides me have taken him up on his offers.

That’s the neighborhood.

The public shoreline of the beautiful Skaneateles Lake.

The public shoreline of the beautiful Skaneateles Lake.

But officials also have a pretty stretch of land for a park right in the middle of the village. So I parked, fed the meter, and took in the aura.

A fountain sits near the walls of a tribute to all of the village's veterans.

A fountain sits near in the middle of tribute walls to the village’s veterans.

I paid my respects to the military people who’d served for our country, rubbing the walls of honor.

The circular memorial to Skaneateles' veterans touched me. And vice versa.

The circular memorial to Skaneateles’ veterans touched me. And vice versa.

It’s a seriously significant memorial.

Then I walked east, toward the pier that extends over the lake.

The day was cool, in the low 60s F. Nobody was launching boats.

The day was cool, in the low 60s F. Nobody was launching boats.

The walk out to the end was peaceful. Me, seagulls …

Angling for some solitude.

Angling for some solitude.

… and a lone fisherman at the very end of the pier. Asked if he’d caught anything, a head shake to the negative was his only reply.

I took the hint and asked nothing more.

A flock of seagulls.
Popular roof for resting.
The water lets you see the bottom.
The shore from the pier.
Making the most of the land.

Hover over any gallery photo for a description. Click on the bottom right photo in any gallery for an enlarged slide show.

Instead, I retreated a few steps and took photos. The birds were way more talkative than the fisherman, noting my presence.

Midweek, mid fall, looking grand.
Everybody’s welcome.
Bet it’s busy in the summer.
Ahhhhh.
Keeping order.
Boats for touring are taken in.
My part of the world.

Retreating to my car, I felt refreshed and recharged for the final half-hour drive home.

If you’ve fished from a pier, what did you go for, and what did you catch? How would you make your peace with the band of birds? Which is your favorite photo, and why?

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60 thoughts on “A lake in October catches the eye and iPhone 6”

  1. Hi Mark, that is a HUGE lake! We have lots of lakes here, one for each day of the year it is said, but only two of them are big like that. It is so beautiful there! Such a vast sheet of water, and THAT SKY! Did you really takes those pictures with your Iphone? Wonderful!

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  2. How I miss that gorgeous skyline and Skaneateles Lake. So, the first photo is my favorite because it reminds me of that view. My next favorite is the lone fisherman. Excellent photos, Mark.

    When we lived in Syracuse, Dave and I talked about buying property along that lake. But the only thing in our price range was a house that sat dangerously close to the lake. Plus half the property was at a 90 degree angle to the rest. A very steep staircase took you from the road to the cabin by the lake. Excellent view. No need to mow the non-existent grass. But, no thanks. 😉

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  4. You have not changed one bit! Still my famous and wonderful Mr. Mark! I have never heard of this Lake… I need to go there next time I am in the area! I have to go get ready for Garth Brooks in concert in Phoenix. I shall talk with you soon! HUGS TO YOU!!!

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  5. I really enjoyed your photos. The area is so picturesque. I would sit on the pier with my legs hanging down and scribble awhile. I don’t know how to fish. The one time I fished off a pier was in my 20’s with a boy friend. I wore my duck boots and slipped and fell in the water. It was in the 40’s , Lake Michigan in the late autumn. It was a very cold night, because he was not done fishing.

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  7. Oh that first photo of the pier! Amazing shot, Mark!
    I haven’t been fishing in a long time. I think the last time I fished from a pier, I was 23 or 24, longer if you mean ocean pier!

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  14. these are all amazingly beautiful, mark. i’ve fought with geese before, when picnic-ing near a lake, but only have fished once, from a boat in australia. didn’t deal with any birds that time –

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    • Fishing from a boat in Australia. Wow! I like the sound of that, Beth. Wait. I’d have to put on the patch to make sure I didn’t get seasick. Thanks for your kind words about the photos and my bird’s-eye vantage point. ❤

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  16. Really beautiful Mark! I’ll go for the photo of the loner fisherman as my fave. Well captured. I remember once when I was in day camp they took us fishing at Sheepshead Bay. I think we had to throw whatever we caught back in though. I remember having fun.

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  17. I love the one with the fisherman on the pier. Just the moment how you described it when you asked how it was going is captured here. M uses time fishing as a way of meditation, and I kind of see that here.

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  19. Hi Mark. I especially like the photo of the pier and the lake and clouds. Your area of the country is so beautiful. I must say it annoys me to no end that people build their houses around bodies of water and completely block it from anyone else’s view. And those huge houses squished together like that, it kind of takes away from the serenity of the lake. Kind of reminds me of Malibu, all those big houses so close to each other and no one (the people that aren’t super rich) can get to the beach.

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    • Well, the whole public park where I was taking the pictures is open and free, so I’m not going to complain about the houses. I guess my feeling is, it’s going to happen because of the way our society is set up, so I’m happy the planners made sure everybody gets some piece of the pie. Thanks, SD, for sharing your opinion. ❤

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  21. I like the long pier shot and the shot with the fisherman equally. Beautiful photography Mark. I dislike what the residents have done with the waterfront – so jammed as if each person was scrambling for their own piece and to heck with the rest of the folks. Sigh -humanity, what can you do?

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