This morning I left Philadelphia and drove north to Skaneateles (pronounced “skinny atlas”), the eastern gateway to the Finger Lake region.

I arrived at the Mirbeau Inn and Spa in the early afternoon, drawing the curtains back and taking in my view of the small pond, the bridge arching over the water.

I’m going to hold off on the photos – it was cloudy today and I’ll see if I can get some better ones tomorrow morning (after I spend some time in the Eculyptus steam room and the Aqua Terrace). I got one hell of a massage today with some rather decent pressure – I’ll write about it tomorrow.

I decided to take my old car on this adventure – a 1998 Toyota Camry – and I found a CD from high school or college in the glove box, one labeled only by the words “Sad Songs” written in permanent marker.

I laughed. Fitting, yeah? A man on his way to a spa resort by himself. Overcast skies. A few hundred miles, a half-functioning heater.

What the hell, pop it in.

REO Speedwagon’s Can’t Fight This Feeling was not one of the songs on there, yet was I ever glad to see the turnoff to Mirbeau Inn and Spa from Highway 20. The songs may not have meant as much to me as they once did, but it still made for a somber drive. I sang along with a few of them.

I’m currently writing from a seat beside the fireplace in my room, from a comfortable chair that also rocks. It’s not a recliner – it’s a true rocking chair, minus the back-breaking wood sometimes associated with the classic lounger. This place is awfully comfortable – it truly feels like an escape to me. I can’t remember, if ever, I’ve stayed in a hotel room that features a fireplace (every room at Mirbeau has one).

I drank some good wine today, both at Anyela’s Vineyard and the Sherwood Inn. I had a great meal at the latter – these stories all to come. I’ll be honest: This fire is doing its job. There was a bucket of ice in my room when I returned tonight, the turndown service also leaving two bars of chocolate. I’ve made a good drink out of the ice and the whiskey I bought, my feet now in the air on the opposite chair.

Tomorrow I will spend a little more time in the Aqua Terrace, then have lunch in Skaneateles. After, I’ll head into Syracuse for the last basketball game of the regular season and a night on the town.

For now, I’m going to bask in the afterglow of my earlier massage, my current full belly, and the fact that the front desk told me the beds are like the ones from the commercials, where you can put a glass on one side and jump on the other without incident.

There’s just something about an inadvertent challenge.