I am going South for 6 weeks (live in upstate NY). I do not know if it is wise to turn off the water supply to my house or to just turn off valves to the washing machine and ice maker. I will be turning my (gas) hot water heater to the lowest setting. I am quite sure that no pipes will freeze as I leave my thermostats turned to 65. Can anyone help?

Turning off the water when you go on vacation is the cheapest insurance that you'll ever have. Shut the water off at the house shut off and open up a hot and cold faucet to bleed off the pressure. At 65 degrees your hone should be free from freezes. Have a great vacation. PS I live in Sarasota where it's always tee shirt weather, see you there! Tom