"I’ve been up north too- on the east side of the state."

I like the NE Lower just as much, in it's own way. It is really,really touristy on this side. I can deal with it, but it feels like they overwhelm the place in the summer. Today was not like that,even though it was perfect weather. So a nice change..

"Four months from now we’ll be sitting in the living room, reading books and putting logs in the fireplace while watching the ice fishermen out on the lake........."

I luv winter, like Fall and Winter every bit as much as Summer.
Just hopin the weatherman is wrong about the Super El Nino affect they are calling for. I need snow, and lots of it, to truly enjoy Winter. Cold weather doesn't bother me, clearing snow and vehicles is no big deal, totally used to driving in it. Weather forecasting seems like guesswork, but they are not wrong about the massive body of very warm water sitting in the Pacific right now. So I'm hoping the jetstream doesn't get pushed up and bring that crappy warm, freezing-rain sleet instead of snow that the El Nino is famous for causing. Who knows what food and utility prices are going to be coming up, so in the big picture it might not be a bad thing for a warm winter. But it'll suck for all of the winter sport enthusiasts out there, and there are a lot of them up here.