While visiting Ithaca, NY, in late October, Joe and I also took a drive out to see Taughannock Falls, just north of Ithaca along Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in central New York. Part of Taughannock State Park, the falls have a drop of 215 feet (66 meters) — one of the highest east of the Rocky Mountains.

We walked the 3/4 mile lower trail from the parking lot off Route 89 to the Falls early in the morning. The trail was level, well marked and bordered by the high-walled gorge. The stream was just a trickle of water sliding over shale and limestone at the bottom of the gorge. The air was cool, the light quality beautiful, and the only sounds you could hear were a few bird calls.

Visiting Ithaca, NY

Joe and I spent a few days in Ithaca, NY last week. Although the fall color had passed its peak, there was still beautiful fall foliage to see. We also visited western Massachusettes and Albany, NY.

Excitement builds over Joe's new book

The word is getting out about Joe's upcoming new novel, The President's Henchman, due out in hardcover January 13, 2009. Already it's available for pre-order through amazon.com. You can read an excerpt on Joe's website.

Also on January 13, Joe will be the featured guest at the Springfield, Illinois Sangamo Club Literary Club. The featured book that day will be Gasoline, Texas. But we will probably have some copies of the just released novel, The President's Henchman, available as well. Check out some of the reviews for Gasoline, Texas on the amazon.com site.

Making popcorn

If you're feeling a little hungry, grab that pan and a bottle of popcorn, follow the video instructions and make yourself a big batch of popcorn. Enjoy!