Summer 2014 - Part 1

Boating with the girls in Smoke Rise

On the lake with Karen & Tracey

Beautiful wedding in June in Lancaster, PA

Lisa & Karen, mother of the bride, with Don & I, Tracey, Lisa & I with photo bomber Paul,
at the magical barn, and our room at the Lancaster Arts Hotel

Hiking Gore Mountain & Dining at Lake George, NY

Jim & Angie Shand, a view of the lake from The Sagamore Resort

Singer Island visitors in February

Catching up on some of recent trips to FL. Don and I came down for two weeks at the end of Feb. We worked from the condo for part of the weeks and enjoyed a couple of long weekends. 

Carolyn and Jim were visiting her dad near Orlando and came down for a quick visit. Great to see them down here. This Carolyn was my roommate at Western and for a year afterwards ... and my Matron of Honour! She's now a Vice Principal at a Burlington school. Jim is a music prof at U of T.

The following weekend was a mini Nestle reunion - not the full gang - but a nice contingent! Craig and Linda were down the entire week, staying near Orlando, and Steve and Vera drove over from Fort Myers where they live for the season.

Both got the first-day tradition: Walk to the inlet, up the inlet to the walkway and over to the Sailfish Marina for breakfast. A route and destination that never fails to please! And it never gets old for us.

P.S. One more visitor in Feb:
A big fur ball who was good company until we started cleaning and preparing for our March rental.

And a photo of an interesting couple we spotted by the mall - couldn't resist:

Thanksgiving 2013 - One more photo

Love this photo of Don with the VT gang, taken during the annual tree trimming party.

Annette, Barbara, Don & Cathy

PSU Visit in Nov 2013

Still back blogged ...

We took advantage of our last time to see a PSU football game while we still have a child attending - Carolyn's senior fall semester. It is also the first year that PSU has a D1 NCAA hockey team playing in a new arena. So we had a PSU sports weekend with our Kinnelon friends who also have a child at PSU and who are also hockey fans (who we practically lived with for 4 years while our sons played on the same travel and high school team). Friday night was hockey night in State College (vs UMass-Lowell) and Saturday was football game day (vs Purdue).

Carolyn & Don at Pegula Ice Rink - this photo is from October 2013
Saw our first game here in November

Next day, off to the PSU football game with Marty & Jennie Huber - a beautiful mild November day

Dinner that night with Carolyn's roommate, Kim, who is bound for Rutgers Law School this fall

Ireland in Sep 2013: Cliffs of Moher & Galway

Ireland just kept getting more beautiful. The western coast is rugged and spectacular. After Dingle we drove north to the Cliffs of Moher. Again, we were lucky to have perfect weather and were able to enjoy our long walk along the cliffs.

This is truly an amazing coastline. The top photo is the first pano I've ever tried, looking north along the cliffs.
The photo on the left is looking south - we walked to the point where you can see a few people standing.
That part of the cliff is actually private property but they allow people to hop their little fence and continue along.

Later that day we arrived in Galway. It is a busy town - we thought it was busy due to the "Oysterfest" but that turned out to be a non-starter. We enjoyed a walk around town, along the river, across a few bridges, then over to a pub. All roads lead to the pub in Ireland.

Galway - Flags representing Galway families in Eyre Square,
street musicians, dinner in a pub, and the fun packed streets.

The following morning, we packed up our things and headed due east, back to Dublin. We spent the afternoon in a region just northeast of Dublin famous for the Battle of the Boyne, where we toured the Trim Castle and drove around the countryside.

By the time we arrived in Dublin, our car was a noisy wreck. It clunked and squeaked. We were so happy to return it, which we did after checking into our hotel and setting out on the wrong side of the road - seriously not fun. Safely back at the hotel we had a pleasant evening in the lounge with some girls sports team who obviously won their tournament and three lounge lizard singers.

It was bittersweet to be at the end - like any vacation. We will definitely be back, Ireland!

Ireland in Sep 2013: Dingle, Arthur's Day Sep 26

All across Ireland we saw banners and signs for Arthur's Day - a celebration of the man who founded Guinness in 1759. Apparently for the 250th anniversary, a Guinness marketing person came up with the brilliant idea to celebrate Arthur for a day. On that day, the festivities officially began at 1 minute to 6, which of course is 1759 on the 24 hour clock. It was so successful that first year, that it has become an annual event, with 2013 being the 4th Arthur's Day celebration. And we just happened to be in one of the best pubs in Ireland for the occasion - Dick Mack's in Dingle!

Dick Mack's - Once a Haberdashery and now a damn good pub!

We arrived at Dick Macs at about 1730 with enough time to get a few sips of Guinness into us after our adventurous day around the peninsula. At about 1755, a bus load of people descended upon the pub, got a Guinness and posed for the 1759 photo - another tradition - all the photos from pubs across Ireland are posted on some Guinness web page somewhere.

1759 - To Arthur!
The official photographer is on a ladder in the corner. Our yet-to-meet friend happened to catch us on the left side.

Then the music started up in the tent outside. We had met the band "Promise" inside and had a great time listening to them. They played a variety of good dance tunes. We took a few of our own photos but outside we met, Micki, a woman from California who had been taking photos all night and passed me her email address. She very kindly later emailed me a bunch of photos from that evening, so the photos I'm sharing here are hers.

Nancy & I and another woman, not our photographer friend, on stage singing something

With a very nice, friendly friend of the bands' - a nurse moving to Australia the next week

Mac, the nurse, me, Don

Nancy & Mac, Don & I
Others were dancing too - not just us fools!

It was so fun to have happened to be in Ireland for this revered event. To Arthur! Solange! (sp?)

Ireland in Sep 2013: Dingle

The highlight of our trip was Dingle - the town, the peninsula, the people, the scenery, the cows, the sheep, the views, the pubs - you name it, we loved it.

We stayed at an interesting B&B, Eileen Collins' B&B. It was well recommended and I'm sure that's because of Eileen - she was wonderful - and her place was right in town. It just had little oddities, which made for a colorful visit. We usually met out by the fish pond, pictured below. A rubber pond that didn't quite get buried deep enough that was visited by plastic and cement animals of all sorts and sizes. We loved it. From her place we could walk almost everywhere, which we did!

The first evening we walked around the harbor, found a fun spot for dinner, and watched a fishing ship unload by spewing fish and water into waiting trucks.

The next morning, after a private breakfast in the living room, we set off by car to tour the Dingle peninsula. First stop was a hike to the Eask Tower on top of the mountain across from the town of Dingle. We parked, and started up through fields of sheep and sheep dung. The views from the top were absolutely spectacular in every direction! 

After washing and scrubbing the bottoms of our boots at a nearby farmhouse, we hopped back in the car and continued the tour. We stopped at a beach, then a heritage center where we learned all about the Blasket Islands (very interesting), then continued our tour inland past rugged coastal mountains and many new-construction homes abandoned with the downturn in the Irish economy after the 'Celtic Tiger.'

As if that wasn't enough for a day, once we got back to the town of Dingle, Rick (as in Rick Steves) suggested a walk to the 'Castle' and lighthouse so off we went. It was a mostly flat walk across a grass path and muddy beach, where two people were exercising their horses in the shallow water (kinda cool to watch), and then past the castle to the lighthouse, which guides boats into the Dingle Bay. Again the views in every direction were beautiful. 

We had read about 'Fungi,' a dolphin who lives in the mouth of the bay and greets fishing boats as they leave and return each day. And just as we realized we had walked to the mouth, we realized the tour boats were going back and forth looking for Fungi. You can actually take Fungi Tours. We looked over and watched and lo and behold, we saw Fungi! Very exciting!

As we walked back to town along the path, we noticed the local cows had decided to rest on the path. Nancy thought they looked friendly enough to pet. Mostly they were disinterested in us. You can see that we had our sweaters and jackets off - it was actually quite warm in Ireland our entire trip. 

And, this particular day was Sep 26 - aka Arthur's Day in 2013 - a massive party day in honor of Arthur Guinness who founded his brewery in Sep 1759. We couldn't have been in a better spot to partake in the celebrations!  Another post.

Ireland in Sep 2013: Kilkenny, Kinsale, Kenmare

Continuing our journey through Ireland ...

Kilkenny

Rock of Cashel 

Kinsale

Kenmare

Ireland in Sep 2013: Dublin

Don & I went to Ireland where we met Nancy and Mac in Dublin. Our day or two in Dublin were filled with tours, pubs and lots of walking. Since I'm playing catch up, I will relay the adventure in photos.

One of the most interesting places we went was Kilmainham Gaol, which is one of the first "modern" prisons. Not only was the history of jails interesting but the history of Ireland came alive, especially standing in the area where many leaders of the Irish Rebellions imprisoned and some executed.

 The Guinness Storehouse was a must-see. A bit too over done, we were lucky that it was not busy. We had fun learning how to pour the perfect Guinness - its a 2-step process, by the way - and enjoying our free pint in the Gravity Bar, with its 360 degree view of Dublin, was the highlight.

That night we went on a musical pub crawl that was so interesting. The instruments are unique to Ireland, as noted in the photo of young buskers around Molly McGee on Grafton St. and everyone partakes whether you're good or not. We were told that "if you can't sing, just sing louder."

Labo(u)r Day weekend in FL

We love going going to Florida. 

Our condo neighbors - always up for an evening together!

Typical late-afternoon summer sky.
The clouds roll in for a late storm - short-lived.

August visitors from the other London

Just had to document our visit from Arnie and Mary Lou a few weeks ago. To celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary they had booked a week at a seemingly cute, rustic resort in the Poconos that turned out to be more rustic than cute. After a few days of golf and plans to meet us for dinner, they ended up coming here early and spending a few nights. We loved having them.

To make them feel a little like they had extended their Pocono's holiday, we couldn't provide a heart-shaped bed but we did try for a little romantic ambiance! I'm sure Arnie read love poems to Mary Lou long into the eve.

We shared a lot of laughs and caught up on their lives and kids' lives over food and wine.

Mary Lou, Don & Arnie
They brought the food!

Happy 30th Anniversary!
We first met these two just weeks after their wedding at a baseball game.

We caught our dinner fresh at King's Grocery store.
I had a special request - no eyes.

Verizon Classic in 100 degree heat

Carolyn signed up for the Verizon Classic 5k corporate run in Morristown on Thursday night, along with Don and Tommy. Tommy couldn't make it so I tagged along. Since the weather was stinking hot on race day, the race was reduced to 2.2 miles and it was downgraded to no longer a race but a come-out-and-do-whatever. I walked it with my friend, Denise (Carolyn's internship manager), while Don, Carolyn and Denise's boyfriend, Jim, ran it. We were all sweating bullets before we even started and were soaked when we finished!

As part of the Verizon team we got running tees and swag bags with another t-shirt and a few other things. There were 5000 participants raising money for the Jersey Battered Women's Center. The route was through the streets of Morristown, which blocked off many homes. Many people came out of their homes to cheer on the racers and had their garden hoses set up to spray out onto the street over the runners. I have never participated in a run before and found it amazing how kind and supportive everyone was ... even to us walkers. It was a fun evening.

July Birthday Babies Beach Bash - again

Once again the July birthday babies and spouses met on the beach for our annual birthday celebration. We are reducing in numbers due to July babies moving away and so sadly, one who passed away last Oct. and another travelling.

It was my second and last year as co-chair - a very easy job requiring a few emails and getting down to the beach early on the day to reserve a couple of picnic tables - and as I arrived at the beach early Sunday to meet Susan, my co-chair, we noticed a unique phenomenon ...

... actually pretty funny. Looked like some late-night pranksters stacked all the beach chairs in one tall stack! This would usually be at least four shorter stacks.

July birthday babies: Nick, Susan, Me, Tracey, Bob, Susan, Dave, Eileen

Keeping to the shade on a very hot day! Marian, Dave, Tracey, Paul, Don

Great friends in a great community. So lucky.

Memorial Day weekend in FL

Don and I got down to Florida for a quick visit over Memorial Day weekend. We had tile laid throughout the condo while we were gone and we were anxious to see how it turned out. We also had some wall repair and painting done in the bedrooms. We arrived at the condo at 2 a.m., after a late flight, and as we opened the door, our fingers were crossed. Fortunately, it looked great. It is so hard to imagine what an entire room will look like from one square tile sample. Phew.

Living room with tile (before putting pillows, etc. back in place)

Master bedroom with newly painted walls & tile

After cleaning every single room, item, window, blind, etc., since everything was covered in tile dust, and installing a new vanity, sink and faucets, we made time every day to walk the beach and enjoy our favorite coffee/bagel store.

On our last night, Memorial Day, we joined a small group of owners at the pool where we shared appetizers, hamburgers and beverages. Always hard to say good-bye but nice to know we'll be back.

Cathy & Cathy at the pool! One of our favorite neighbors.

Victoria Day Weekend 2013

Don and I celebrated the Canadian long weekend with guests from the north, including Nancy & Mac from Toronto, Sue & Ron from Ottawa, and fellow NJ local Canadians Linda & Craig.

The weekend started with food and drink and lots of laughs.

Don & Nancy, Sens fan Ron modelling what not to wear in Ottawa, Craig & I, Sue & Nancy, Linda & Mac
looking at Nancy's creative book filled with photos from our Italy trip Sep 2012.

Staying with tradition, the weekend is never complete without a trip to the Outlet Mall, and once again, we made it worth our while! Between the four of us (Nancy, Sue, Ron & I) we did a lot of good damage in many stores. As you know, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. This grueling day was followed by a delicious dinner at The Smoke Rise Inn.

The next day was our NYC day. Unfortunately mother nature wasn't quite with the program dealing out a day of steady, but warm, rain. We traveled in by PATH train, being serenaded along the way by a group of talented men singing a few doo-wop classics. First on the itinerary was a visit to the 911 Memorial at the foot of the new Freedom Tower. A somber experience around an incredible memorial.

Ron, Sue, Nancy, Mac, Don

Beautiful and sad

This was followed by a walk to the Brooklyn Bridge entrance where we met Craig & Linda again, then trekked across the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River to Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) where we found a great restaurant for lunch and to drip partially dry in.

9 Old Fulton Restaurant, Dumbo in Brooklyn

Then back to Manhattan via the Manhattan bridge, learning the reason that no one talks about crossing the Manhattan bridge - the subway passes right beside the walkway rendering you deaf every 5 minutes or so as it passes. A walk through Chinatown, west on Houston and through Washington Square up to Union Square (again, while its pouring rain) earned us another break for refreshments. From there we hopped back on the path where this time we were entertained (?) by PDA activity.

Tired, wet, and, of course, thirsty, we arrived home where we enjoyed our final, fun night together.

If you are lucky enough to be at the beach ...

.... you are lucky enough.

On Peanut Island - 

An afternoon at Peanut Island with Sue, Angie, Jim & Don aboard Captain Joe's shuttle boat.
View of the Black Diamond (converted ferry boat into gambling ship) coming in from the ocean, with the
dredger still working away in the inlet. And a Gray Nickerbean Vine (name thanks to Sue's research).

Bryan came for a 5-day visit - 

Don & Bryan at the end of the Palm Beach bike trail and pier. I rode a bike while they bladed.
Don and Bryan at the Sailfish Marina - first-morning tradition!

Julie came for a 3-day visit - 

Julie & I on the WPB Clematis pier after shopping at the Farmer's Market,
and touring the Breakers.