Earlier this month the New York State Outdoor Writers Association held its annual conference in Webster, N.Y., just east of Rochester. Members were lodged at the Holiday Inn Express on Holt Road, just a short distance off NYS Route 104. While many of the seminars, meetings and meals were based at the Inn, there were numerous activities available for both writers and spouses within an hour or less drive from the hotel. Indeed, we found a whole new world just outside the city. Although we knew the area harbored great fishing, such unexpected activities as pheasant hunting, custom firearm restorations, and replicating were eye-openers.

VisitRochester had arranged for a meet-and-greet reception evening on Thursday, followed Friday with a variety of locations to visit and tour, and since western New York and the nearby Finger Lakes region are famous for producing fine wines, the tour and wine-tasting trip to Casa Larga gave our group the opportunity to learn how the various fruit types were chosen, and then a chance to sample the finished products.