The day dawned though not in blue. This day’s vestment donned the skies in a vast, deep gray. The thermostat hovered, stubbornly complacent at freezing. A mist-filled breeze sent shivers. The stage was set. Was this a tacit cue to how this day might unfold?

Fortunately, weather notwithstanding, any day visiting Deer Haven Park is an adventure. The park’s unique encounters never cease to amaze even the most seasoned participants. Perhaps due to mankind’s ever-changing, ever-moving society, it goes without saying that an escape into nature exudes a much-welcome, peaceful ambiance.

This off-season, one-day-only event was held as the park lay in dormant sleep. As nature rests, most birds migrate, some mammals burrow, and others reserve energy at all costs. The result is little sound and unequivocal tranquility. Food for the soul.

Frayed, sepia-colored corn husks flittered on the breeze as the massive steel entrance gates awakened. A palpable shift in energy filled the bus as tourist excitement energized the air with invisible sparks.........

© Finger Lakes Times