Inventor's Notes

If you thought Lake Placid was only known for the Ironman Triathlon, there is a new game in town with the Rites of Spring Pentathlon. This five-leg event will start and finish at Whiteface Mountain on April 14th with teams competing on who can ski, run, paddle and bike the fastest.

One of my favorite places in the Adirondacks is The Old Mill Bed and Breakfast and Art Studio in Elizabethtown. I first saw The Mill about 16 years ago when I joined our regional bed and breakfast association and met Mill owners Bruce and Beki Pushee. I have been in love with their home (which is in the bed and breakfast) and the outbuilding Mill Art Studio ever since.

Getting my family outside is as simple as opening up the door. The leaves are still bright gold and red in parts of the Adirondacks. We only need to look up at the trees to relish the gorgeous autumn colors. It is foggy and a bit damp from a recent rain so we just pull off the side of Route 73 to enjoy and explore nature around us.

This is the time of year I spend many lunch hours walking the 2.7 mile route around Mirror Lake. Cooler temps and a less hectic schedule allow me this luxury as the busy season winds down. Since my walks are really geared toward taking off the handful of pounds I've put on since I started sitting at a desk Monday through Friday, I try to avert my eyes while passing by the numerous and tempting window displays in the eateries along the Main Street part of my route.

Apples are the perfect fruit in my opinion. I don't have to peel one. It easily slips into a lunchbox. It can survive being dug out of the bottom of our backpacks after one of our Adirondack hikes. My children have always been able eat one without any assistance.