Early Fall Weekend

This weekend we enjoyed some perfect late summer/early fall activities with Jessica and Mike. We drove out to Hacklebarney cider mill for lunch and had a really nice time eating, talking and just hanging out looking at all the beautiful green scenery. We were all fans of the cider kraut they top their hot dogs with. They said it's a mixture of apples, sauerkraut, cider, brown sugar, caraway seeds, and possibly some other undisclosed ingredients. It appears to be made in a slow cooker. I found a very similar-looking recipe online and might have to try making it. Maybe for the Super Bowl?

After we were satisfied with all our sitting and talking, we decided to drive over to Alstede Farm, which was just a few minutes away, to pick some apples. It turned out to be a huge farm with lots of different fruits and veggies to pick and many animals to look at. It was really beautiful and green, with lots of leafy trees in the distance. We picked Fuji apples and corn, and just as we got on the tractor to go back to the farm store, there was a HUGE downpour complete with hail! It was actually really fun, and I think we would all have just sat back and enjoyed it if we weren't huddled over our cameras and phones trying to protect them. It reminded me of going swimming at Enders Falls on rainy days with my high school buddies. :) We all agreed it was a fabulous day in the country.

A few words

I've been quite lax about posting anything lately. We had a lovely holiday season and I am now trying to prepare for a host of upcoming events: the onset of honors band, preparations for my spring concert, and a series of rehearsals for the next Eastern Winds concert. This one will feature Phil Smith and Joe Alessi from the New York Philharmonic on a piece called Fandango. It's exciting to meet such wonderful musicians and I'm looking forward to the concert.
My 5k that was supposed to happen on New Year's day got moved to January 30th due to snow-covered trails, so that is swiftly approaching. At first I was annoyed by the last-minute change, but I ended up being knocked out by a 24 hour stomach virus on New Year's day, so it was all for the best! So far I've been able to run outside without any major difficulty, but today the temperature took a steep dive. If it remains like this I'll need to add a couple more layers between myself and this freezing air!
Today we enjoyed meeting Art and Jenn at their new apartment, having lunch at a Greek restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, and getting to know their new Dachsund, Schroeder. Tomorrow we are looking forward to a quiet day at home with Baxter, watching the Steelers/Jets game. On these cold and snowy days it feels good to be warm inside the house. :)

Fall Fun

The first month or so of fall has passed quickly. School is going very well. My group right now is my favorite bunch of kids in the 5 years I've been teaching. I am enjoying each rehearsal with them and they are truly a pleasure to be around. Warren has a great new job as well, and is sending out applications for young artist programs. We have spent some fun weekends recently, including a trip to the Big E with Patty and Steve, where we sampled fun foods and got to see lots of cute animals, another visit to Alba vineyard, where we had a wonderful leisurely picnic and bought wine for gifts and to take home with us, and a trip to Sugar Grove to celebrate Frank and Joan's 60th wedding anniversary. This weekend my parents are coming down and we're going to the Whitney art museum to see the work of an artist my dad is fond of, and on Sunday I have Melany's bridal shower to attend. Life has been very eventful. We are also busy working on our Halloween costumes for the annual party...McGonagall and Dumbledore. :) I've been feeling very appreciative of all the good things in our life right now, and have been enjoying a much less stressful school year than usual. Somehow, something has just clicked this year, between my conscious decision to approach certain things differently with teaching, my group of great students, and the fact that the program is becoming increasingly my own, with most of the students being children I've taught since they started band in 4th grade. It feels good to be calm and appreciative of the things around me.

Soaking Up the Last of Summer

On Friday I went to visit Jessica and Peter and we had a great summery day together. We made a giant fruit salad at their house and enjoyed lunch on their porch, and then headed over to Peddler's Village. I keep discovering places that I wish I had known about longer, and that's one of them! It was a really nice area to shop and walk around because all the stores are small and independent and there are nice flowers, goldfish ponds and other fun landscaping all around. Such an aesthetically pleasing place to do your shopping, and there are things for everyone on your list. It feels like a little Hogsmeade. :) I think I'll go back there for one or two of their fall festivals (like the apple festival and scarecrow festival!) and do my Christmas shopping there. I especially enjoyed the coffee and tea shop, where I got some awesome chocolate raspberry tea, the bookstore, and one of the shops filled with home decor and jewelry. It was a great day just to relax, window shop and get some gelato with great friends.

Yesterday Carm and I went over to Abma's to get some eggs and produce and afterward she told me about a small grocery store called Market Basket that is close to Abma's. We decided to go and I'm so glad I know about it now! They had the best meats I think I've ever seen, a great cheese counter, and tons of things imported from Italy. Another place I'll have to visit a lot.

I am off to Connecticut for a few days to teach some sectionals, and then I'll have 3 days at home before summer ends. Looking forward to a beach day with Jess, Pete and Warren on the last day. Time flies when you're having fun!

Visiting Melissa

This past weekend, Warren and I made the trip down to Washington, D.C. to visit Melissa in her new apartment. She now lives in Dupont Circle, which is an even prettier, livelier and friendlier neighborhood than her prior residence. D.C. is so full of flowers, pretty architecture, fun fountains, cool restaurants and most importantly, lots of dogs. :)
We drove down early on Saturday morning and the first thing Melissa wanted to show us was a very lovely park up the street from her apartment building. It had a really cool tiered waterfall and lots of shady spots to sit in. In the fall or spring it would be a great place to read a book with a cup of tea. After taking some photos there we visited the neighborhood dog park to watch the doggies romp and to pet some of them. Their owners or dog sitters were very friendly and willing to chat and let their dogs socialize with new people. My favorites were a puppy Beagle mix, a pair of friendly Scotties and a dog that looked like a yellow Lab but with a longer, almost white coat. After making friends with the doggies, we stopped for lunch at Firehook Bakery in Dupont Circle, where we had yummy sandwiches, salads and a giant smoothie which we shared 3 ways. I forgot how delicious smoothies are- and it was a welcome treat on a very hot day.
We then took the Metro to the Mall and enjoyed walking around seeing some sights that I hadn't seen last time; the Vietnam and Korean war memorials in particular. I was a huge fan of the little fountains spaced along the Mall that you could cool your feet in. In my humble opinion, every city should have numerous foot fountains! Then we walked to the Tidal Basin where we rented a paddleboat and were able to get up pretty close to the Jefferson Memorial. After that we were ready to go take a cool shower and get ready for dinner. I had been greatly anticipating my return to Bangkok Joe's on the Georgetown waterfront! It was as tasty as expected and after dinner we walked along the water and enjoyed the sights. On the way home we stopped at Baked & Wired to pick up a few cupcakes for the next day. It's a new bakery in D.C. that is even more popular now than the bakery from the show DC Cupcakes...I forget what that one is called though. Anyway, I tried the Elvis cupcake- banana cake with peanut butter frosting and a drizzle of chocolate. Yum.
All told we walked 5 miles or more on Saturday and I was about ready to die! On Sunday morning I went for another short walk with Melissa before it was time to head out. We had a blast and can't wait to go back and see some of the Smithsonian museums. There's always something else to go back for!

Nature Therapy

My friend Carmelina and I decided to spend a day kayaking on the D&R Canal in Princeton last week. Warren and I went there last summer and I've been wanting to go back ever since. The water is almost glass-like and on either side of the canal there are big shady trees hanging over the water. Everything is so green and fresh and the only noises come from birds, bugs or other wildlife. We drifted down the river dragging our feet in the water, admiring the scenery and looking at all the little turtles sunning themselves. We got a decent workout on the way back since we were going against a small current. Along the way we suddenly saw a mother doe and her two baby deer right on the edge of the bank, and it seemed like time was suspended as they watched us and we watched them. It was such a cool moment of human-animal interaction. They decided we weren't anything dangerous- they were probably wondering what kind of strange floating animal we were- and grazed and bounded around for quite some time before disappearing into the forest. We had a picnic in a nearby field and before going home we stopped in Princeton for some frozen yogurt & fruit. It was such a serene and carefree day! We should all have more like that.

A Quick Vacation Post

I'm writing from the Inn at Ellis River in Jackson, New Hampshire- we both agree that it's the nicest of the bed & breakfasts we've stayed at. We already know that we definitely want to return here in the future. All told, we've had quite the interesting vacation, full of surprises both good and bad! Luckily, the good outweighs the bad :)

On our first day, we headed up to Vermont to Little River State Park in Waterbury for a bit of camping. It was a beautiful campground, very secluded in the middle of the forest by a reservoir. There were some truly gorgeous views of mountains and lakes from different spots in the campground. We were excited to find that swimming was allowed in the lake, so we got to cool off after setting up our tent and gathering our firewood. It was such a neat feeling swimming there, all alone and surrounded by mountains. It was so silent. Really a place to get closer to nature. We spent the evening sitting by our campfire, which Warren did a great job tending to, and roasting far too many S'mores. Well, can you ever really have too many S'mores? You be the judge. The next morning, we drove into "town" for a suprisingly delicious breakfast at a small cafe and then went back to the campground to do their self-guided nature trail. Next, we packed up and departed for the Ben & Jerry's factory.

The factory was pretty neat, and we got to do a little tour of the facility, check out their "Flavor Graveyard" of retired flavors, take a few fun pictures and sample a bit of Cherry Garcia. :) It wasn't terribly large or so full of information that it knocked our socks off, so it's funny, because I chose the campground because of its proximity to B&J's, but the campground turned out to be the far more interesting of the two.

At some point that morning, we received a message from the Inn that they had been expecting us the day before!! Somehow I had our arrival date messed up in my mind and we were a day late getting to the inn- don't know how I managed that one, as I had everything down in my calendar for months! Guess I'm really on summer mode where you forget what day it is! Anyway, thank goodness the inn was SO hospitable and didn't charge us for that night, and even upgraded us to a nicer room for no extra charge. They are incredibly generous here. So after a quick lunch in Montpelier we were off to the White Mountains.

About halfway to the inn, we pulled away from a gas station and were shocked by a HORRIBLE shuddering/shaking/noisy something going on in the car. It was ok on the highway but barely driveable in the low gears! We were a little worried we'd be stranded in the middle of the mountains, which by the way were SPECTACULAR views going through Crawford Notch. We rolled into the inn by the grace of God and proceeded to call about a thousand area mechanics, who all seemed to be booked through next week. Luckily, the inn is SUCH an incredible place to be stranded, and we did reach a mechanic in the end. We had the car towed there the next morning by AAA, rented a car, and still got to do the activities we wanted. Our car needed a new drive shaft and should be ready today.

The inn is beautiful, as you'll see when I post pictures back home, and has so much to do on a relaxed day. A hot tub inside a lovely atrium overlooking the river, a game room and pub where we can play pool, checkers and chess or borrow a DVD to watch in our room, a pool and sauna, a little gazebo in the garden to sit in, and of course beautiful rooms. Their breakfast is AWESOME and so hearty as compared to some of the other inns we've stayed at, and coffee and tea are available round the clock, which is always something we look forward to. The innkeepers are so kind and even drove to pick us up from dinner one night when it started to rain heavily so we didn't have to walk home in it. Truly a great place where we'll return, and a great value as compared to the inn in Cape Cod (even though we loved that place too).

Yesterday we enjoyed the inn during the day and went on a moose tour at night. It was thrilling to see the moose (we saw about 10, 3 of which were really good long sightings), but it was way too long- about 3.5 hours, so on the way home we were both slap happy and exhausted and giggling like maniacs. Warren called it an anti-moose pill because by the time we got back we were so tired we didn't even want to see another moose!

Today we plan to visit some waterfalls in the area and maybe do a bit of shopping. Sometime tomorrow we'll leave. :( I do miss our furry friend Baxter, though, so it will be great to see him.

What a vacation!! ;)