Tag Archives: new york

Back to the vacation review!

Saturday/Sunday

On Saturday, we were ALL sore, from walking ten plus blocks at least, around NYC.  So we slept in and decided to take it easy.  The main thing on the agenda was a trip to the Hudson Valley Sheep and Wool Co., in Red Hook.  Tina knows these folks very well, and we were able to have a tour of the mill!

We also made a stop at Verdigris Tea and Strongtree Coffee, both in Hudson.  I had to bring some coffee back for John, and this trip yielded a pound of ‘Midnight Mollie’.  How can you not love a coffee that says, ‘Not for the timid‘, on the label?

The first thing I noticed at the Hudson Valley Sheep and Wool Co., was the dog.  Oi – what a beautiful sheep dog.  Ranger is very friendly and came right over to greet us.

 

The tour of the mill was fascinating.  I always love to see the machinery and learn how things work.  The ladies who work there are very sweet, answering any and all questions that Tory and I had.

 

 

They were also having a sale in the shop, so I loaded up on roving!  I found some nice Shetland in red as well as some undyed Shetland and Merino for re-enactments.  I think, at this point, I’m set on my spinning needs for demos this year!

 

 

After the tour, we headed to Coxsackie for lunch.  The place that Tina wanted to take us was closed, so we found ourselves at The Cask and Rasher.  Wow.  Words escape me.  This place not only had some of the best food I have ever eaten, but the beer list was AMAZING!!!!  Microbrew on tap?  I’m in heaven!!!!  Seriously – if you ever find yourself in the Hudson/Albany area of New York state, GO HERE!  You won’t be disappointed.  I should also mention that their wings are to die for.  They do one called ‘The Satan Wing‘, made with Ghost Chilies.  Not for the faint of heart, let me assure you.

 

 

 

 

The rest of the day and evening was spent relaxing at Tina’s house.  Tory learned to spin!!!  I’m so happy for her, because I know how much she wanted to learn.

 

 

And this is where it all came crashing down.  My wheel finally broke me.  I knew that when I bought her used that she wasn’t the best wheel, but I was just learning and knew that I could get a better wheel when the time came.  Well, the time was now.  All of my jury-rigging finally stopped working.  I was spinning and plying on the same whirl – not good, trust me.  Tina commented that she couldn’t believe I could actually spin on that ‘Frankenwheel’.  So, after a minor meltdown, my Mom happened to call me and I told her of my distress.  Long story short … I now have a new wheel.  And my old wheel is being fixed, so Tory will have a wheel to spin on and perfect her new-found skill.  More to come this week about the new wheel!

Sunday was laid back.  We hung out around the house and knitted, watched movies, and ate homemade pizza.  Avigayil even stopped by to visit!  She is such a wonderful crafty lady and it was great to see her again!

 

Then came Monday, and sadly, we had to leave.  I really do mean sadly, because there folks are like family.  I only get to see them once a year and that isn’t nearly enough.  But life beckoned from below the Mason-Dixon line, and we had to get back to it!

There are more pictures in the album below, if you would like to see them!  Thank you again to Tina and Steve, for hosting us for the weekend.  We miss you already!!!

 

NY2011

Every year, as a gift to myself, I venture north to New York.  I have friends – that really are more like family – there and I only get to see them once a year.  Words can not express how much I miss them.  Every time I am with them, and every time I visit NY, I feel like I’m re-connected to a piece of myself that is never truly with me except when I’m there.  A piece of myself that I leave behind for them, until I get to see them again.

I knew that this would turn into one, largely insane blog post, so I’m breaking it down into installments.

Note – There are A LOT of photos from New York, some taken by me, and some by Tina.  I appreciate her having her camera and taking some great shots.

Thursday/Friday

This year my husband wasn’t able to go with me, but my friend, Tory, was!  She’s not just a fellow knitter and girlfriend to one of my oldest friends, she is an amazingly wonderful person.  She was such a great traveling companion and I know that everyone really liked meeting her.  Thursday evening we stayed with Meghan, catching up and having way too much fun.

 

 

Friday, we woke up way too early, but for a good reason.  We had to drive to Tarrytown, and catch the train to NEW YORK CITY!!!!!  This was going to be my first trip to the Big Apple and I was very excited!!!!  There was so much to see and so little time, so we made the two important stops first; Fluevog Shoes and Purl SoHo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I couldn’t see spending $400 on a pair of boots (well, actually I can, but I think my husband would have other ideas on the subject,) I did buy yarn.  How could I not purchase ‘souvenir’ yarn?  A skein of Madeline Tosh in sock weight (a pretty pink/purple) and two skiens of Spud & Chloe Thin in a great orange color.

Now, after we succeeded in seeing these two sites, we stopped to have a ‘dirty water dog’, aka, a hot dog from a street vendor.  While it wasn’t as good as I had hoped, it was still tasty!

 

 

After ‘lunch’ we roamed around, looking for the subway stop.  In our travels we happened into Babeland, an amazing adult toy store.  I know I got some wicked ideas to take home with me to Virginia, and I’ll leave it at that.  We then made our way to Times Square.  It was amazing.  Never have I been in a place so crowded, and felt that I could be so totally alone.  It really is a wonderous feeling to be in a crowd with soooo many people.  We visited Sephora, The Disney Store, and just wandered around a bit, trying to avoid all of the folks handing out fliers and trying to sell us things.  There was some kind of demo going on in the middle of it all, with what looked like a giant kite and a crowd of folks sitting, watching from bleachers.

Next, we went to a place that I just had to stop and see; Trinity Church.  I’m not overly religious, but I had to see this place.  There is just something that blows my mind about this ancient church in the middle of a place like New York City.

On the way, walking up Wall Street, we passed a few other familiar and interesting sites that were nice to see in person rather than just on the tele.

 

 

 

 

I’m a huge history buff, so seeing a place that was built in the late 1600′s that is still standing, was amazing to me.  One of the oldest places in the country, people still flock here every day to admire the architecture or to just reflect in silence and pray.  Alexander Hamilton is buried here, along with many other people.

So, with sore bodies and happy hearts, we made our way back to the subway, to catch a train from Grand Central back to Tarrytown and meet Amanda for dinner.

It was an amazing day, one that I will not soon forget!  And I took a ton of photos, so if you want to see some more, just check out the album below!

You can also check out Tina’s blog post about our weekend OVER HERE at her blog.

 

NYC 2011

 

Just one more day, or rather, an afternoon and evening, until Tory and I head up to NEW YORK!!!!!

For those of you don’t know my NY friends personally, I can’t begin to explain in full, just how wonderful and amazing that they are.  New York is the place where I changed into the person I am today.  It is where I learned to transition from a young, ignorant, self-indulgent 20-something girl, into the strong, independent, kind, and loving woman I am today.  Before my (few) years up North, I was very selfish.  I was lost in my own Universe, unable to truly see how I affected those around me.  I was drowning in my depression, seeing no way out.

Then I moved in with Rachael, and she taught me so much about myself.  She taught me how to love myself and how to love others.  She also taught me how to cook!  Now, we had a falling out, it is true, but I don’t regret the time that I spent with her.  We’re talking again, thanks to Facebook.

Then, enter Tina.  She has turned me into a knitter and a spinner, two skills that I value and hold close to my heart.  Becoming a knitter is when it all ‘clicked’ for me in my life.  It gave me something to focus on, something to create from nothing.  We are so alike, her and me, that sometimes it is scary (but in a good way!)  Moving back below the Mason-Dixon line was hard for me, having to leave the place where I finally figured out who I was and what I wanted in life.  It was where I ‘found’ myself, and where I found family that no one can ever replace.  But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have the wonderful husband that I have today, so move I did.

Tina not only spins and knits, she also dyes the most amazing sock and lace weight yarns, as well as rovings.  She’s open to custom orders too!  And, hey – look at that – she just had a shop update!!!!  Go buy some yarn, people!

 

 

 

So, once a year, for my birthday, I receive the best gift that I could ever ask for.  I get to see Tina, Steve, and many other wonderful folks that I love and miss.  I get to see Meghan, Amanda, and Corey … and with all good hope, the rest of the ‘The Un-Cool’ clan.  I get to see NYC for the first time, and I get to introduce Tory to some really great people.

So, I’m in a ‘New York State Of Mind’ right now, and I need to pack!  See ya’ll next week!

This weekend was one full of journeys, memories, and good wine.  John and I headed to Ithaca, New York on Friday for his Grammie’s memorial service.  While it was amazing to see everyone, I just wish it had been under better circumstances.

I hadn’t seen most of John’s family for almost two years, not since our wedding.  This time I was able to talk and get to know them better, without all that rush that came with our wedding (you know, darting from place to place, trying to get everything done.)  All of his aunts, uncles, and cousins are sweet people and I had a blast.

We opted to stay with John’s parents in their pop-up camper, to save a little money, and also to spend some time with them.  I felt like I was spoiled with a heated camper, running water, flush toilets, and hot showers!  I don’t get any of that when I do Civil War re-enactments!!

 

One particularly nice aspect of the weekend was the cool weather.  I was finally about to wear my hand-knit socks, hat, and scarf!!!  Although, I have to admit, I didn’t enjoy the 40 F temp when I woke up this morning, but coffee helps.  OY – I also want to mention that I love berets!  I feel like Patty Hurst on a bender.

We were camped at the Pine Creek Campground in Newfield.  It was a lovely site and if we get back up that way, I wouldn’t mind staying there again.

The memorial service on Saturday was beautiful.  Brian, John’s cousin who is a voice major at Indiana University, sang a few songs (and he has an amazing voice!), each of Grammie’s kids spoke about their memories, and the sermon was very touching.  One very interesting thing … John’s Uncle Pete read a letter that John’s Grampie had written to his family in 1946, when he first met Peggy.  It was moving; like he was speaking from the grave.  Afterwards there was a reception at Kendal, the retirement community where Peggy lived.  There were a lot of sweet people, all sharing wonderful memories. 

After a HUGE Italian meal at Joe’s in Ithaca, we headed back to the camp site for a good campfire and some beer.  I hadn’t had a chance to use the ‘night time’ setting on my camera, but I don’t think it was too terrible.

The drive back always feels longer than the one going up, but I guess that is because John and I both have to go back to work tomorrow.  But anytime we visit New York, we can’t head home without stopping to see Corey in Wilkes-Barre!  We miss him so very much, and even though we only stopped for lunch, it was still good to visit!

Tomorrow, we head back to the grind.  I won’t have any more ‘vacation’ time at least until February (I’m trying to save it up so I can take a solid two weeks off around my birthday.  I really want to get back up to see Tina and Steve.)  This month is packed full of Civil War re-enactments, Christmas knitting (I hope I can finish this month!), and prepping for NaNoWriMo!  Busy, yes … but worth every moment!

John and I took a short trip to a different part of New York, to see both friends and family.  His Grammie lives in Ithaca, and we hadn’t seen her since our wedding almost two years ago.  We stayed in Binghamton so that we could also visit with Marcus, Sharon, and their baby, Peyton.

On the way up we stopped to gorge ourselves on sushi and say hello to Corey, in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  We miss Corey so much and can’t head up that way without stopping in.

The weather was total crap; rainy and cold.  I had to pack winter clothes for this trip, in the middle of May.  But we were on holiday so we didn’t care what the weather was like! 

The next day we drove up to Ithaca, to visit with John’s Grammie, Peg.  She’s an awesome lady!  She lives at Kendal, a retirement community outside of Cornell University.  It is designed to cater to retired folks and meet all their needs.  They have cottages/apartments, an assisted living wing with private rooms, and a full nursing wing.  The grounds are beautifully landscaped and the building is full of windows and plants.  They have an auditorium, a gym and pool, three dining areas, a day care center for kids under five (too adorable!), and a craft room.  Ladies, when I am old and gray, I’m going here.  They had two wheels (Ashfords) and three floor looms.  Wow.  Just wow.

After Peg gave us the tour (while riding her electric scooter, and often keeping us running to catch up), we had lunch with her in one of the dining rooms.  She then showed us her room and her porch, as well as introduced us to some of her ‘neighbors’.

In addition to visiting with Grammie, we made a few other stops.  Knitting Etc was a fantastic yarn store!!!  They were so friendly and the selection was amazing.  I was impressed with the amount of weights and colors of yarn.  Having a hard time making a decision, I finally picked up three balls of  Rowan Scottish Tweed DK (in green, called ‘Apple’).  The dank weather had me thinking of heavy weight socks. 

We also stopped in to visit the Ithaca Beer Company and taste some of their seasonal beers.  And of course we brought home a six-pack!

On the way back to Binghamton we stopped in to the Marathon Alpaca Farm (John pointed out the sign on the way to Ithaca.)  Sadly, not only was it raining, but they were shearing all the alpacas that day (for the glimpse I got, about sixteen.)  So, maybe next time.  But I’ll keep it on the mental to-do list, and might order some fiber from them at some point.  They’ve won a lot of awards and the fleece I did feel in the gift shop was amazing!

That night we met up with Marcus and Sharon for dinner and beer.  I couldn’t believe how much little Peyton has grown in five months!!

Later we headed back to their house to catch up and chill.  Have you ever played a board game called ‘Apples to Apples’?  If not, you should try it.  It was hilarious and certainly made for a great evening full of silliness!

Peyton is so adorable.  He’s very easy-going and is smiling at everyone and everything.  I also just noticed the orb in the picture!  It could be a sign that John and I will have our own little one before too much longer.  Hanging out with this kid really made me want one of my own!

And I couldn’t leave without getting a picture of their Welsh Corgis!  Well, I tried to get photos of all three, but they were moving around so much, excited to see new people, that Coop was the only one who posed for the camera (and my guess it that was only because I was rubbing his belly.)

I know we wished that we could have stayed longer, but we needed to get home to our own fur babies.  They missed us, as was evident by BOTH of them laying on the counter in the kitchen while John made his starter wort for a new batch of beer.  While we are back at the homestead, we are still on vacation.  Neither of us have to return to work until Monday!  So, tomorrow I’m dying yarn with the Knit Night gals, and this weekend I plan on knitting and spinning, while John brews a new beer! 

Have a great weekend, folks!

Before I re-cap Saturday and Sunday, I want to share with you the yarn that Tina dyed just for me!  What a great birthday gift … two luscious skeins of sock yarn.  The color is called “Mean Girls” and is inspired by one of our favorite tv shows, True Blood. 

Saturday started off lazy, just sitting around and relaxing.  Steve made waffles and Tina bacon … yum!  Around lunch time, with the smell of beef stew filling the house, some old friends started to drop by!  And I just realized that I did not get a picture of Jess!  Shame on me.

 

 

 

 

Oy – how I miss these folks.  They are the reason I am always tempted to stay in New York and not come back home.  We laughed, joked, carried on.  There was much movie quoting (especially Jay and Silent Bob – thank Jess!)

Later that evening we descended on Kingston and The 99 restaurant for the first UnCool Con!  There is a group of folks that I know through Corey, all equally crazy, geeky, and chaotic!  Screaming out Star Trek and Mad Maxx references, dishing on hockey and baseball, not to mention the fair amount of knit speak!  Of all the wonderful swag I received for my birthday, this was the best of all.  To have all these folks in one place, at one time … amazing.  And Russell, Celia, and Amanda came all the way from Stanton Island just to see me for the first time!!!!

 

 

Can you see now why I hate to leave when I visit?  Seriously … these folks need to move closer!  At least Corey is only three hours away.  Everyone else is at least a six hour drive!  Leaving on Sunday was sad, as it always is, but I was glad that this year, I got exactly what I wanted for my birthday!  To spend time with my dearest and most loved of friends!

I’m back in Virginia; sad but true.  It is always hard for me to rip myself away from my friends in New York.  These people are amazing – the true salt of the earth.  So while I love to visit, it is always painful to leave them and go back to the ‘real world’.  But I also missed my fur babies, as well as my family and friends here, south of the Mason-Dixon line. 

 

Thursday was all about catching up and relaxing with Tina and Steve.  Their new house is fantastic!  I love the layout of the house and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous of their fireplace.  They are still unpacking and settling in, but it was wonderful for them to give us a place to sleep while we were visiting. 

 

On Friday we ventured out to Hudson and Chatham, two places that I frequented when I lived there.  There is a tea shop in Hudson that I’ve been dying to try.  Verdigris Tea is a full service tea shop, as well as a cafe.  I brought home a few samples ( a black tea with coconut being my favorite so far!)  

 

 

After tea, we drove down to the train station in Hudson to check out the new coffee place that is across the street, Strongtree Coffee.  It has been so hard for John to get decent coffee in town since the Daily Grind went out of business.  He found a great espresso blend and even got a free cup of coffee for buying a pound to take home!  Afterwards we drove to Chatham to visit on of my favorite yarn stores, The Warm Ewe.  

That evening we headed into Catskill for sushi at Oscar’s, and to meet up with more knitting friends, Tim and Harriet.  Tim has the same birthday as I do, just different years.  How cool is that?  I was so pleased that Tim liked the hat I knit for him! 

They gave me a sweet gift; two skeins of Melody sock yarn in a blue/teal shade.  I can’t wait to use it!  Sushi was great (as it always is at Oscar’s.)  After dinner we headed back to Tina’s, and while everyone stayed up to chat/knit, I headed to bed.  I was exhausted, but happy.

Okay … in a couple days I’ll have part two of the New York adventures, which include pictures of yarn, friends, and The Uncool Con of 2010!

Have a good weekend, kids.  In just a couple hours, John and I are loading up the car and heading to see friends in NY!  I’ll take lots of photos to share when I return from the best birthday weekend a gal could ask for!