The Laura Hubbell House Bed and Breakfast

Beautiful Bald Eagle on Van Cleef Lake this morning.

Back garden visitors

This Day in History: I tell this story often here on my page and it never gets old. It was 74 years ago today, in 1946, when the classic holiday film, It’s A ...Wonderful Life, debuted in New York City at the Globe Theatrea few hours from the town (Seneca Falls) widely believed to be the setting for the movie. 131 minutes in length, the film was initially to be a January, 1947 release, but the studio insisted on a earlier debut to make it Academy Award eligible. The film, which opened to mixed reviews, garnered just one OscarTechnical Achievement Award, for their ability to create falling snow on a studio set (they filmed in Encino, California). The film reported a box office loss of more than half a million dollars, many critics felt Director Frank Capra’s best work was behind him. Jimmy Stewart’s first film since he returned from service in World War II underperformed greatlylittle did they realize what would follow. Fast forward many years later. A strange copyright clerical error occurred in 1974 allowing local TV stations to air the filmand the rest was history. Stations were always looking for programming during the Christmas season (filler for the air time) and It’s A Wonderful Life became exposed to the masses. It is now considered one of the all-time great films, a staple each holiday season. Capra’s connection to the Finger Lakes Region (he had relatives in Auburn, NY) and a hair cut he received in Seneca Falls in the 1940’s has fueled the theory Bedford Falls in the film is modeled after beautiful Seneca Falls. References in the film to nearby Rochester, Elmira and Buffalo further strengthen the argument. And of course the presence of the canal in the film, similar to the one in Seneca Falls, makes it obvious for many. Pictured here are various photos I’ve taken in Seneca Falls recently, as well as from archives. They include the It’s A Wonderful Life Museum, the Bailey Bridge, the old Seneca Knitting Mill (now the National Women’s hall of Fame) and, of course, a Finger Lakes Railway train passing through town. This place is a terrific locale to visit, yet another Finger Lakes Region treasure. Little did anyone realize that 74 years ago today, a film that opened to cool reception, would go down as one of the most admired in historyone that Jimmy Stewart said years later was the most enjoyable he ever made. See more

#morninghasbroken

It’s a Wonderful Life (just not this year): In a normal year, this would be a bustling week in Seneca Falls, NY in Seneca County. The annual It’s a Wonderful ...Life Festival was SUPPOSED to take place in this quaint town beginning Friday, December 11-13. These unprecedented times forced cancellation of the nostalgic event, instead organizers will focus on next yearthe 75th anniversary of the Christmas classic. Settled in 1790, it is Seneca Falls that is believed to be the inspiration for the fictional town of Bedford Falls in the 1946 classic. Filmmaker Frank Capra is said to have fallen in love with the area while visiting family nearby in Auburn. The Bailey Bridge is a popular landmark, eerily similar to the one George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) wanted to leap from in the movie. Each year except for this one, Seneca Falls celebrates the town’s connection to the iconic film in a big way. The local post office does a stamp cancellation, the It’s a Wonderful Life Museum has loads of events (this week you can partake virtually), there’s usually a huge 5k run (this, too, will happen virtually), lots of fun things to experience. Seneca Falls is also home to the 1848 Women's Rights Convention and home to the National Women's Hall of Fame, now located in the old Seneca Knitting Mills building along the canal. Seneca Falls is as Americana and nostalgic as it gets. Swung by there for a bit the other day. Something tells me next year’s festival will be bigger and better than ever. See more

I heard a bird sing in the dark of December. A magical thing. And sweet to remember. We are nearer to Spring than we were in September. I heard a bird sing in the dark of December. Oliver Herford

#autumnsky "Pleasures lie thickest where no pleasures seem: There's not a leaf that falls upon the ground But holds some joy of silence or of sound, Some spirits begotten of a summer dream." - Laman Blanchard

A pair of cardinals wait for a turn at the feeder.

Autumn Express: The Finger Lakes Railway freight train crawls through Seneca Falls, NY todayindeed It’s A Wonderful Life.

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall. F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby)