A Weird, Wet Summer in Sodus Point

For those of you who haven’t heard, the summer of 2017 will go down as one of the weirdest, wettest summers in Sodus Point’s recent history. The trouble started in April, and continued to plague the community for most of the summer. Residents and businesses along the shoreline were using sandbags and pumps to try and keep their homes and places of business dry. The last time flooding in this town shut down businesses was 1973, according to some news sources.

But Sodus Point is strong, and although some traditional yearly events had to be postponed (like the July 4 fireworks and Sunshine Parade, and the opening of the Sodus Point Beach), many local businesses remained open.

We took several drives up to the Point, and although Grieg Street was closed in whole or in part for much of the summer, parking was offered in the municipal parking lot, and businesses such as Captain Jack’s and the newly remodeled Marlin’s restaurant next door remained open for business. Other businesses struggled to remain open despite the water issues.

Driving down Wickham Blvd to the Coast Guard station and lighthouse revealed extremely high water, and some fairly spectacular wave action against the breakwater.

 

 

We were concerned about our friends the Karczewskis, who were returning to the area in May, but we needn’t have worried. The Carriage House Inn was high and dry all season, and open for guests.


One of the highlights of the summer at the Carriage House Inn was when it was chosen as the location for filming several segments for The Titanic Channel (http://www.titanicchannel.tv/), a subscription-based online channel “like Netflix for the Titanic enthusiast”. Maritime historian J. Kent Layton, co-author of “On a Sea of Glass” and author of a number of other historical works concerning the great ocean liners of the past, is a contributor for The Titanic Channel. Being familiar with the Carriage House Inn’s turn-of-the-century ambiance, he chose it as a fitting backdrop for filming four segments for the channel. Claudine & Jerry were gracious hosts for this event, and Claudine even produced some of her famous chocolate chip cookies for Kent, the visiting producer from Florida, and a local Rochester film crew!


All in all, even though it was a weird, wet summer in Sodus Point, the community pulled through to make the best of things, and our favorite Inn was cooking up something good nearly every morning all summer long!

A Breezy but Beautiful day at the Point

We made a brief stop at Sodus Point Park yesterday afternoon, and the view was spectacular! After the storms that went through the area the previous evening, the skies were an unbelievable blue, with fluffy white clouds, and a freshening breeze made the waves on the lake as ocean-like as I’ve seen in a long time. The maintenance crew was hard at work clearing the parking lot of the sand that had blown up during the storm. There were not too many brave souls out on the beach on this breezy day, but on days like this the Point has a beauty all its own.

 

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A Perfect Sodus Summer Afternoon

blog2As a new poster to the View From the Point blog, I should probably introduce myself. I live in the Finger Lakes region of New York, and for that reason I’m fortunate enough to be able to visit Sodus Point quite frequently on day trips, although on occasion some of our out-of-town visitors have been guests of the Carriage House Inn. Jerry and Claudine have given me permission to post on their blog occasionally from a visitor’s point of view.

As a habitué of the area, I have come to appreciate that every season in Sodus Point has its own charm and beauty. The crisp brightly-colored leaves crunching underfoot in the fall, the solidified frozen “waves” that stand like apparitions against the breakwater in the winter, and the tulips and lilacs that bloom in the spring are all beautiful in their own way. Yes, Sodus Point is a destination that should never be overlooked when visiting Lake Ontario, regardless of the season.

That being said, Sodus Point probably gets the most visitors during the summer months, when the outdoor water activities at the local parks and beaches can be enjoyed to the full. This past Sunday my family and I had the opportunity to visit the Point with friends from nearby Cortland. The weather forecast that morning didn’t look very promising – scattered thunderstorms all afternoon, just when we would be wanting to walk around the Point and see the sights. But knowing the capricious nature of Lake Ontario weather, we decided to go ahead with our plans in spite of the forecast.

We first had lunch at one of our favorite area restaurants, Skipper’s Landing, on Great Sodus Bay. We dodged raindrops on the drive up Lake Bluff Road, and while we ate our lunch it continued to look like there would be no walk around the Point that day. But we focused on enjoying our meal, and enjoy it we did! The soup & salad bar at Skipper’s was a hit, as usual. The Cheese Lasagna was delicious, as was the Fried Haddock dinner, and the portions were ample enough to bring home for dinner the next day! Our friends enjoyed their Shrimp Scampi pizzas, and we had several mouth-watering desserts – some eaten on the spot, and some taken “to go” – Hot Fudge Lava Cake, Bread Pudding, Lemon Berry Mascarpone Cake,
Key Lime Pie, Salted Caramel Vanilla Crunch Cake, and Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake. They were all delicious.

As we finished our leisurely meal with dessert and coffee, we noticed that the skies were clearing, So after lunch we headed up to the Point. Our first stop was at Sodus Point Beach Park, where we walked out the pier all the way to the outer lighthouse. There was a light breeze, but the sun was warm, and the skies were a hazy blue which only served to make the color of the water stand out that much more. (Photo courtesy our guests from Cortland.)sodus

From there we drove over to the Sodus Bay Lighthouse & Museum, which is just a stone’s throw from the Carriage House Inn. The grounds around the Lighthouse are always a favorite spot, and this visit was no exception. We took a leisurely stroll, enjoying the sights on the well manicured grounds, and headed down the back, past the pavilion where the free Sunday concerts are held (which will begin July 4 weekend), through the arbor, and down toward the rocky beach.

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As we approached we saw a family of geese on the lawn, close to the edge of the beach.

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We watched them for a while, and they started heading toward the water. We followed behind and found a nice log to sit on at the edge of the water, and watched the little family swimming along, following the shoreline east toward the sandy beach of the Park.blog-4We sat there for the longest time, just drinking in the beautiful weather and the quiet lapping of the water on the rocky beach. Too soon it was time to leave and head home, but we had enjoyed a perfect summer afternoon in Sodus Point.

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Jerry and Claudine warmly invite you to join them at the Carriage House Inn to enjoy the beauty of the area, and partake of the many activities offered, or just to sit and drink in the quiet beauty of their little corner of Sodus Point.