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Road Trip

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Tracy and I arrived home from a five day road trip Wednesday night. Yesterday I took off with three friends to Auroa, New York for lunch at Pumpkin Hill and a trip to the MacKenzie Child shop. Today was equally busy:  my botanical drawing class, visiting a friend, and then grocery shopping. I managed to get one of the three photo prompts completed for Shimelle's class which I'll post as soon as I have them edited. I hope by the end of the weekend to be caught up with the class.

Our first stop was in Hyde Park, NY to visit my brother, his significant other, and my two nieces. We started out with a great Thai dinner, did some hiking (in incredible heat!), and celebrated the Fourth with a cookout. I didn't take many photos. Maybe it was the heat, but I did take a few on our hike through Poet's Walk near Red Hook. There are some great views of the Hudson River and the Kingston Bridge.

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My niece, Stephanie, Kevin, and Rocky

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From Hyde Park we drove to Woodstock, NY. I hadn't been there in over 30 years, but it hasn't changed a lot. We had a lot of fun browsing through the little shops, and had lunch at The Garden Cafe.

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After lunch we took off for Lenox, Massachusetts and the James Taylor and Carole King concert at Tanglewood. It was well into the 90's when we arrived at 2:30 and folks were already lining up for the show. The gates didn't open until 4:00 so we continued into town and found a great deli where we picked up sandwiches and a bottle of wine for our picnic on the lawn. We got back to the grounds around 3:30 and once the gates opened, found a decent spot in the shade without much difficulty. Although we were a long way from the stage, the video screens and fabulous sound system made it seem as if you were right up front. This was the third show of the weekend, all of them sold out at 18,000 folks per concert. It was a sea of people, but a very warm and friendly crowd. We had great conversations with "neighbors" both before the concert and during the intermission.

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The concert itself couldn't have been better. I saw both James Taylor and Carole King in concert when I was in college and they were just as great as ever. They've assembled a great band (Jame's original) as well as backup singers and they sang all the old favorites. The special treat was a guest appearance by YoYo Ma who came on twice after intermission to accompany them on Sweet Baby James and You've Got a Friend. What a fabulous surprise!

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On Saturday we drove to Vermont, had breakfast at Up For Breakfast, our favorite breakfast spot, and spent quite a while at Northshire Books. I picked up a copy of Allegra Goodman's new book, The Cookbook Collector, which I am thoroughly enjoying. Also added several more books to my Amazon Wish List. If only I could read as fast as I can find new books! Tracy and I laughed when we saw this sign in the sidewalk outside the book store. I'm not sure how we've missed it before.

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We had lunch in Middlebury, VT and were in Burlington by late afternoon. Our niece, Jasmine, had made reservations at the Blue Bird Cafe for dinner and it was fabulous. I failed to take any photos, however. The next morning we had reservations for breakfast at the Shelburne Inn at Shelburne Farms. What an amazing place! Here are a few of my favorite photos:

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The view from our table; because it was so hot, the view of the lake and hills beyond in New York were covered with haze.

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The view from the road.

Shelburne Farm is a working, sustainable agriculture, farm. They have a herd of Swiss Brown cows that they milk to create wonderful cheeses. They have daily tours, many children's activities, and opportunities to participate in the working of the farm.

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The barn and cheese making facility is almost as beautiful as the inn.

Unrelated to the farm, but also wonderful, is the Shelburne Museum. It was too hot to take in all it has to offer, but we spent quite some time at the Ansel Adams exhibit which was air-conditioned. This is the third Ansel Adam's exhibit we've seen in as many years. Each one has been wonderful with a different focus. I had never seen many of the photographs hung here. About a third came from the collection held at Mount Holyoke, a third from the Johnson Museum at Cornell (I had no idea they had a collection of Ansel Adam photographs), and a third from the private collections of the Wallace Stegner family. We did take some time to visit a small collection of Warren Kimble paintings and to tour the steamboat "Ticonderoga."

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The staircase in the Lighthouse where the Warren Kimble exhibit was hung.

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I always envision documenting these trips and posting day by day, but it never seems to happen. So thanks for hanging in there on this long post!

Happy Father’s Day

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This was my first attempt at making a clear card. Tracy liked it a lot, but it's not an easy card to photograph.

It's been quite a lovely day. Tracy and I started the day at the Brighton Farmer's Market. It's becoming a weekly habit, and we bring home the nicest organic fruits and vegetables. Today I bought a beautiful bouquet as well. We then picked up a student from the school where Tracy worked for 25+ years, her sister and mother and brought them to church. Our church hosts a tutoring program at the school and a group of sixth graders read a poem and talked about their plans for the future this morning during our Focus on Mission. Church was followed by an ice cream social which marks the end of our regular schedule for the year. During the summer we operate on a different time frame and without the weekly presence of our fabulous chancel choir.

Tracy spent the afternoon working on the boat and practicing some golf shots while I got in some crafting time. This evening Matt joined us and we drove to Canandaigua Lake for dinner at Steamboat Landing. We had reserved a table outside overlooking the lake. It was warm, breezy, and just right for a lakeside dinner. The food and service were excellent, and we had a great time.

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The north end of Canandaigua Lake.

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The patio at Steamboat Landing.

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The guys. Prime rib for Tracy and chicken wings for Matt. I had a wonderful seafood combination of crab cake, grilled scallops, and shrimp. I was surprised to see the sun flare when I uploaded the photo, but I kind of like it.

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Dad and his son.

I hope your day was equally pleasant!

Happy Anniversary

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Today is Sarah and Adam's fourth anniversary. It seems so hard to believe that their wedding was really four years ago. It was a beautiful day in every way. Here's one of my favorite "out-takes." The best part is four years later, they're still having just as much fun with one another!

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And here's the card I sent them. I hope they've received it before they see it here. It's also the first card for a challenge on the Papertrey Ink forum to use stamp sets you own, but have never inked up. This uses the 2009 Anniversary Set which arrived over a month ago!

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Cardstock: Ripe Avocado (PTI); patterned paper: Quite Contrary (MME); stamps: Round and Round (PTI); mat stack 1 die (PTI), ribbon from stash, rhinestones (Kaisercraft)

Adam is Thirty!

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Today is Adam's 30th birthday. Have a fabulous day!

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Here's the birthday card I sent him. It's a close copy of one I made for Matt's graduation last year and a lift from one I think I saw on Heather Nichol's blog.

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All the materials are from Papertrey Ink except the buttons which came from my stash.

California: Part 2

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We arrived home safe and sound last night. Since I am not a fan of flying I am always grateful for smooth flights which we had both ways this time. It was over 80° today, warmer than any of our days in California, but there is no green yet.

Sarah asked if she could have her birthday gift early this year. She and Adam rent a lovely little house in Livermore. They have a huge paved patio and a remodeled room in the garage, but very little actual yard. She really wanted her own garden. Since Tracy and Matt are both expert gardeners, it seemed like perfect timing. (I hope it's all doing well in August on her real birthday!) She found a lovely nursery nearby and picked out a combination of vegetables and flowers for her containers. She also found a great book called Grow Great Grub which I have ordered from Amazon. We're still waiting to hear, but are hoping to get a plot in our Community Garden this year.

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The Alden Nursery. The people here were very knowledgeable and helpful.

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Sadie was thrilled to be able to go on an outing!

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Just behind Sarah's house is a lovely path along a creek. Matt and I took Sadie for a walk one afternoon. The path is paved on one side of the creek, and appears to go for many miles.

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Sadie was a very happy lady.

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We spent a lot of time just hanging out, playing games, doing crosswords, and reading. It was so good to just be with family.

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Adam had just gotten this new game, Corn Hole. The guys really enjoyed it.

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We are all big fans of Sadie, but Matt is especially fond of her. She slept on the couch with him every night.

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 BananaGrams:  lots of fun, but it could be pretty frustrating as well.

In addition to his job as pastor for youth and young adults at a Methodist church, Adam also works as a social media person for the Wente Vineyards in Livermore. He twitters for them and keeps them active on the social media sites. Tracy and Matt were the lucky recipients of a round of golf at the Wente golf course. They had a beautiful day for it.

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We've only been to California in the summer before this trip. The hills are always golden by then. They are a beautiful green in the spring.

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I still have photos to edit from the last few days of the trip. Today just flew by with unpacking, grocery shopping, organizing, and ironing. I really thought I'd get a chance to play with some new scrapbooking & stamping goodies I brought back with me. Maybe tomorrow.

California: Part 1

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It's hard to believe, but we've been in California for a week now. I've deliberately taken time off from browsing blogs and posting while we've been here. This is a recap of the first part of our trip (lots of photos). We left Rochester very early (a 6 am flight, meaning we were out of the house around 4:30). Luckily we had great flying weather. Our layover was at JFK and we had a great view of Manhattan as we left.

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Our flight arrived in San Francisco an hour EARLY! Tracy and Matt kindly waited for me as I ran into the Scrapbook Expo in Pleasanton to meet Howard and Laura of Scrap-Mart. They were just as wonderful in person as they are through the internet, and I got a short look at the fabulous booth they maintain at the scrapbook shows. I also got a demo of the new eclipse electric cutting machine from Sizzix that will soon be released. It's quite impressive!

We arrived at Sarah and Adam's around 3:00. Early the next morning we headed out for Disneyland, making a stop at the Getty Center on our way. The Getty Center is truly amazing, and we didn't begin to see all of the art and exhibits. The architecture and gardens alone are worth the trip, but we also enjoyed the photography exhibits and the small, but lovely, collection of Impressionist art.

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It was time for dinner by the time we finished at The Getty Center so we drove up to Malibu and found Dukes. We had an window table, a delightful waitress, and the food was great.

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We spent the next two days at Disneyland and California Adventure. All five of us had a great time, proving that you don't have to be a kid to enjoy Disney! I'm not a big fan of amusement-type rides, but the kids actually got me on Space Mountain which I have to say was my favorite ride of all. I did skip the big roller coasters, the very tall Ferris Wheel, and the Tower of Terror in California Adventure, though.

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The entrance to Disneyland. Everything about Disney is clean and well-maintained. The flower gardens everywhere were beautiful.

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 Believe it or not, this is NOT the Tower of Terror, but it sure would be for me! The rest of them thought it was just fine.

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There were plenty of rides that were not at all scary, but delightful even for adults.

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The family portrait in front of Cinderella's castle.

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aw no Disney characters. When we were at Disney World many years ago, Mickey, Minnie, and friends were everywhere. Finally on Tuesday, we got to see quite a few of them, but only Adam (who had to leave early to get home for a meeting) got his photo taken with one.

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Sarah, Tracy, Matt, and I stayed on in California Adventure until lunchtime. We had a lovely lunch in Disney Town, and then drove over to the coast. It probably wasn't our best idea as it added several hours to the trip home. We did have a great dinner in Morro Bay and were there for the sunset.

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And my two great kids. It's been so nice to have everyone together. They are great travelers, make us laugh a lot, and are truly flexible and easy-going. It's been a great trip so far. More to come . . .

Happy Birthday, Matt

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It's a rare three post day. Matt turned 27 today. We decided to eat at home instead of going out since he's taking the Graduate Record Exam tomorrow. We'll celebrate both tomorrow night at his favorite restaurant.

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The birthday cake never varies:  a cookie cake from Wegmans. This year I forgot to order one ahead (gasp!) so it has a bit more frosting than usual.

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And his gift:

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Cosmos Cricket "Boyfriend" had the perfect paper for a card:

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My Brother and Me

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In an earlier prompt, Shimelle mentioned blogging a story you want to use later on a scrapbook page. I have two pages in mind for these photos. One with the story in today's post and one with photos of my brother and me from our childhood.

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Both of these photos were taken on the new Hudson River Walkway Historic State Park in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Recently I went through all the photos I have from my childhood for Ali Edward’s Yesterday and Today class. I was saddened to find only one photograph of all four of us. It’s an old, old photo and not in very good shape. Since my mother took almost all of the photos, and hated to be in photos, there are very few of her, and none of just my mom and me that I can find. There are few more of my father and me, and lots of my brother and me, and a professional photo of my father, my brother and me taken after my mother died. But I also realized that there are none of my brother and me as adults. I have photos of his daughters, of him and my son, of him and his girlfriend, of him with his daughters, but none of just the two of us. So when we went to visit in October, I made sure to get a couple of photos. Now if he would just smile!