Columbus Day Boxing - without the rain

Seems every Columbus Day weekend we get to go letterboxing it rains - usually torrents.  

But this year we were blessed with some of the most beautiful weather I can remember in a long time. 

 I used to participate in an apple fest with my handmade soap so I remember some weekends that were so rainy (thanks to a hurricane one year) that we were inches, many inches,

 deep in mud and we were under tents.

Our first stop - a small neglected cemetery on Bingley Road. 

 Standing like sentries at the entry were two very old trees with holes in them begging for a photo.  

First find

Can't go hiking with out checking out the insect life.  

This lady was a a good 1.5 inches.  

Check out her ovipositor, we would have captured her but
The Lacustrain already had one in his collection.

Sirex Woodwasp - Sirex noctilio

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The Sirex woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, a Eurasian native, was first discovered in New York in 2004, 

in the City of Fulton, Oswego County. This was the first North American discovery of this exotic, 

invasive pest that is one of the top 10 most serious forest insect pest invaders worldwide. 

This pest has caused extensive losses to (non-native) pine plantations across the

 Southern Hemisphere, in Australia, New Zealand, Chile and South Africa, and

 has no known, native natural controls.

Why we don't transport flora and fauna

Our next stop was the link trail also on Bingley Road. 

 If you ever get the chance to, these trails are a wonderful place to explore - full of history.

Not a very good photo but I think you get the idea - those are stalactites  

and they aren't underground or in a cave.

Seems I am always leading the pack.  Don't know if they are slow or I'm just in a hurry. 

One of the beautiful stone structures we found.  The trail crosses over the top of the bridge.

We ended up at a cemetery in Cazenovia.  I was surprised at how large it is. This was an 8 stamp series - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We only found 6 of the little men, as one, which was placed under a crypt, went missing soon after it was placed.  With all the dirt around the hole we are sure that Mr. Woodchuck wasted no time in transplanting that dwarf somewhere else. 

Some of the stone work we came upon as we walk around. 

Celtic Crosses on a Hill.

And off in a corner was this pond with a bridge going to an island 

- we thought just a bit odd  and out of place - 

but under the bridge was supposed to be Snow White .

The Lacustrian is quite persistent in his hunting.  

He was determined to find Miss White.  

I think she might have been hiding in the pond weeds.