Found: Summer Get Aways

This summer has been fairly quiet (which is o.k. with us :)  We have taken a few weekend/day getaways, in the past few months,  for a change of scenery and a chance for John to relax (this has been a busy year, with record breaking sales! Which is always good)

First up...Atlantic City, since there is only one photo, you can imagine how much we liked it.  It was fine, but not our thing.... so we came home early.

A discovery in our own backyard - Bethlehem, PA - about 1 1/2 hours from home.  A quaint old town with lots of history and yes, that  is a star of Bethlehem atop the mountain, that shines all year round. This is also when we visited the campus at Lehigh University, before I knew of the Judy's family connection.

  More recently was a weekend away to Charlottesville, VA, home to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, a site I've always wanted to see.  The home was fascinating and we stayed at a wonderful B&B, with absolutely beautiful rooms and grounds, making it hard to decide to stay and enjoy the accommodations or explore the area - we did both of course.

 Monticello......

Thomas Jefferson's actual "dry erase" notebook, he invented, out of ivory.

 The gardens were to die for....this doesn't even do it justice....

These were about 3' across in May!

A "gazebo" overlooking the Monticello farmland - Thomas actually stood in this spot - incredible.

Then for something you don't get to see everyday, a horse jumping competition was going on across the street from our B&B....they were gorgeous (the horses, of course), and very serious about their sport (the riders and the horses), we were in VA after all.

Our little resting spot on the lawn of the B&B.....

For this unique event, we only had to go over the county line to Lancaster, PA.  This was a reenactment of the encampment and battle of the revolutionary war.  It was staged on the grounds of the authentically preserved/restored 18th century home of Gen. Edward Hand (George Washington's Adjutant General) called Rock Ford Plantation.  The family actually hosted George and Martha Washington at the home on July 4, 1791 - we saw the room with the real furniture in which they hosted the Washington's  - again, pretty amazing stuff and right in our back yard!

The dress on the mannequin is Mrs. Hand's actual dress.

There were over 1000 reenactors from all over the country. It was pretty cute, sitting next to the children in the audience of one of the reenactors, and hearing one of them say, "I see Daddy, he's coming over the hill!" "Oh no, Daddy's been shot!" They actually have scripted who gets shot and when they "die on the field".  These guys take this all pretty seriously.

Most recently we went to see the tall ships in the Chesapeake Harbor (Baltimore).  There were about 20-30 ships of all kinds (military, historical) from all over the world; as part of the "Star Spangled Sailabration".  The event commemorated the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the bombardment of Ft. McHenry, when Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to spend at the harbor; we walked for miles and just enjoyed. 

That's been our summer so far, hopefully there will be a chapter 2 with more tales and adventures of the second half of the summer!

Found: A Time To Celebrate Friendships

2011 was a time to honor friendships and revel in making memories.  Early summer, I got to meet my flip-flop sisters in beautiful Lake Tahoe.  We had been planning a trip to Janice's home for a very long time and somehow the stars lined up and we all were able to get away together  and experience the majesty of the Lake Tahoe area (the pictures, for sure, do not do it justice).  Although, we didn't encounter any bears (other than several wooden versions - see photos), rumors were that one had been sighted around town; however, much to my chagrin (me being the only one, I have to note ;) we never did encounter that black bear. We did however have refreshing walks and talks each day followed by wonderful meals and lively discussions.  Judy, my patient and wonderful "bunkmate" for the weekend, and I even stayed up into the wee hours of the night talking; must have been all that fresh mountain air that allowed me to stay awake past 10pm ;)  Janice's warm and welcoming home provided the perfect back drop - and it even snowed one morning - so very unseasonable-like weather, but enjoyed just the same. Here's to long-time friends!

Daily walks from Janice's neighborhood.....

........

....to the Lake's shore.

A little breezy this day, but gorgeous views of the mountains in the background.

We encountered this artist and BEAR along our journey home.

Another day's sojourn.

I finally spotted that Black Bear!!  Come here little bear....

Into town for a little shopping

My Sisters.....

....love you all!

Next up -  my reunion in NYC with my best friend from first grade, Lisa Winkler (see earlier post for all the delightful details).

I realized afterward, I had only taken a precious few photos (very unusual for me), and most of those were poorly taken (not unusual for me) ....bad lighting, closed eyes (mine, of course) etc. etc. But, then I got to thinking that her and I had so much catching up to do - in less than 1 day - it's no wonder I didn't have time to take many photos.  Here's one that I had to digitally enhance since we were in a cozy, dark little bar - I think it turned out to look very "Parisian", but we are actually in the middle of Manhattan, somewhere off 5th Ave??  Didn't matter where we were at the time, this was the absolute highlight of my entire year!!! 

Lastly, this past December I reunited with my friends from High School, whom I hadn't seen in such a long time - shameful!  We got together at Sue's home in Rochester Hills, MI for a relaxing girls weekend of watching movies, drinking wine, shopping and baking!  Sounds like a dangerous combination :)   We actually made the most excellent apple pie in less time than it takes to make cookies. I think it was a blue ribbon winner!!  

 A night on the town that was sparkling for Christmas - magical!

The fresh ingredients and time-tested recipe...

The dough...handmade

Our official taste tester

How can you resist this face? 

All a girl needs - a good recipe, good friends to talk with in the kitchen - and that glass of wine.

It came out picture perfect.

Mmmmmm! It was Husband approved too!! A big thanks to Rob for being our hero and going out to pick up the ice cream to accompany the pie; after all what is pie without the a la mode!

It was a great 2011....

 thanks to each of my special friends!