August 2015
Places Visited
I visited Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, Pennsylvania, and got my first authentic National Pass Stamp. I went because I had not heard of it and wanted to see the mansion. The first weekend in August was the "Festival of Wood: A Celebration of Our Natural and cultural Heritage of Wood" at the Grey Towers so I thought it was the perfect time to go. I enjoyed the climb up the mountain to the crafts and then the mansion. I hope to go back on a non-festival day so that I can get a guided tour of the mansion. On the day I visited, there was a docent in every room and several docents outside to answer questions. Everyone was very nice and informative. The weather was perfect for a summer day. I enjoyed the visit to the Pinchot family mansion very much!
In fact, I enjoyed Grey Towers so much that I took my mother there during the following week. We enjoyed both enjoyed the tour of the mansion and the grounds surrounding it. On the way home we stopped at the Apple Valley Restaurant in Milford, New Jersey. We had a delicious meal there and talked with some friendly people
After a doctor's appointment, my mother and I ate at The Rustic Wheelhouse in Chester, New York. It is located in the original downtown area and we enjoyed looking at the historic downtown as well as eating great food at the restaurant.
My mother and I each had a hot fudge sundae at Trailside Treats in Goshen, New York. We enjoyed sitting outside under an umbrella while we ate them.
Derek and I took a weekend trip to upstate New York and Vermont. First, we stopped at Ausable Chasm in Keeseville, New York. It is an amazing place. We took a hike along the rim of the chasm, the Inner Sanctum Trail and the Rim Trail, enjoying the views. Their literature says that this is the oldest natural attraction in the United States. There were marvelous views from the many stone walkwasy bridges, stairs and viewing areas. Then I took a raft ride through the narrowest and deepest area of the river. The guide told us about how the chasm was formed and the geology of the area. I especially was surprised to the where two tectonic plates come together to form the chasm and the damage that was done in the chasm by Hurricane Irene.
We spent most of the day at Ausable Chasm, then drove to Colchester, Vermont. To get to Vermont, we took an auto ferry from New York across Lake Champlain to Burlington, Vermont. It was a great ride and we really enjoyed the trip across the lake, although we didn't see Champ who is supposed to live in Lake Champlain. We stayed that night at the Quality Inn in Colchester. We each had a delicious barbeque chicken sandwich at Junior's Pizza, right across the road from out hotel.
The next morning we drove to Shelburne, Vermont and went to a Farmer's Market. It was Shelburne Day so there were more merchants than usual at the market. We got there when the market opened so it was cool and not very crowded. We liked the quality and the variety of the items for sale. We even made a couple of purchases.
Next, we spent most of the day at the Shelburne Museum. It was wonderful! There were many different buildings and a variety of things to see that we had not known about. The day was lovely, if a little hot. I loved everything there, especially building with the circus figures that was huge and the Ticonderoga, a steamboat that was built in 1906.
On the way back to New York we drove through Vermont and stopped for a snack at the Ferrisburgh Bake Shop & Deli. The baked goods were especially fresh and delicious.
We also stopped for a quick look around Shaw's, a grocery store in Fair Haven, Vermont and Alpin Hous, a RV sales place in Wilton, New York.
Last, but certainly not least, we visited Rachel and Jon for Rachel's birthday! The fixed a delicious casserole using tomatoes and zucchini from their garden. We had a wonderful visit with them.
It was a great trip!
After a doctor's appointment Derek and I had dinner at Juicy Burgers & More II in Guilderland, NY. It is always good to be able to spend some time with Derek.
After getting our flu shots, my mother and I ate at Little Paris in Monroe, New York. Since it was a beautiful day we got to sit a table outside overlooking the lake.
My mother and I went to the Farmer's Market in Goshen, New York, and also looked around the town a little bit.
Books Read
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo
The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock
Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett
Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant
Writer's Toolbox: by Learn How to Write Letters, Fairy Tales, Scary Stories, Journals, Poems, Reports by Nancy Loewen
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki
Stripes of All Types by Susan Stockdale
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
I visited Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, Pennsylvania, and got my first authentic National Pass Stamp. I went because I had not heard of it and wanted to see the mansion. The first weekend in August was the "Festival of Wood: A Celebration of Our Natural and cultural Heritage of Wood" at the Grey Towers so I thought it was the perfect time to go. I enjoyed the climb up the mountain to the crafts and then the mansion. I hope to go back on a non-festival day so that I can get a guided tour of the mansion. On the day I visited, there was a docent in every room and several docents outside to answer questions. Everyone was very nice and informative. The weather was perfect for a summer day. I enjoyed the visit to the Pinchot family mansion very much!
In fact, I enjoyed Grey Towers so much that I took my mother there during the following week. We enjoyed both enjoyed the tour of the mansion and the grounds surrounding it. On the way home we stopped at the Apple Valley Restaurant in Milford, New Jersey. We had a delicious meal there and talked with some friendly people
After a doctor's appointment, my mother and I ate at The Rustic Wheelhouse in Chester, New York. It is located in the original downtown area and we enjoyed looking at the historic downtown as well as eating great food at the restaurant.
My mother and I each had a hot fudge sundae at Trailside Treats in Goshen, New York. We enjoyed sitting outside under an umbrella while we ate them.
Derek and I took a weekend trip to upstate New York and Vermont. First, we stopped at Ausable Chasm in Keeseville, New York. It is an amazing place. We took a hike along the rim of the chasm, the Inner Sanctum Trail and the Rim Trail, enjoying the views. Their literature says that this is the oldest natural attraction in the United States. There were marvelous views from the many stone walkwasy bridges, stairs and viewing areas. Then I took a raft ride through the narrowest and deepest area of the river. The guide told us about how the chasm was formed and the geology of the area. I especially was surprised to the where two tectonic plates come together to form the chasm and the damage that was done in the chasm by Hurricane Irene.
We spent most of the day at Ausable Chasm, then drove to Colchester, Vermont. To get to Vermont, we took an auto ferry from New York across Lake Champlain to Burlington, Vermont. It was a great ride and we really enjoyed the trip across the lake, although we didn't see Champ who is supposed to live in Lake Champlain. We stayed that night at the Quality Inn in Colchester. We each had a delicious barbeque chicken sandwich at Junior's Pizza, right across the road from out hotel.
The next morning we drove to Shelburne, Vermont and went to a Farmer's Market. It was Shelburne Day so there were more merchants than usual at the market. We got there when the market opened so it was cool and not very crowded. We liked the quality and the variety of the items for sale. We even made a couple of purchases.
Next, we spent most of the day at the Shelburne Museum. It was wonderful! There were many different buildings and a variety of things to see that we had not known about. The day was lovely, if a little hot. I loved everything there, especially building with the circus figures that was huge and the Ticonderoga, a steamboat that was built in 1906.
On the way back to New York we drove through Vermont and stopped for a snack at the Ferrisburgh Bake Shop & Deli. The baked goods were especially fresh and delicious.
We also stopped for a quick look around Shaw's, a grocery store in Fair Haven, Vermont and Alpin Hous, a RV sales place in Wilton, New York.
Last, but certainly not least, we visited Rachel and Jon for Rachel's birthday! The fixed a delicious casserole using tomatoes and zucchini from their garden. We had a wonderful visit with them.
It was a great trip!
After a doctor's appointment Derek and I had dinner at Juicy Burgers & More II in Guilderland, NY. It is always good to be able to spend some time with Derek.
After getting our flu shots, my mother and I ate at Little Paris in Monroe, New York. Since it was a beautiful day we got to sit a table outside overlooking the lake.
My mother and I went to the Farmer's Market in Goshen, New York, and also looked around the town a little bit.
Books Read
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo
The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock
Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett
Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant
Writer's Toolbox: by Learn How to Write Letters, Fairy Tales, Scary Stories, Journals, Poems, Reports by Nancy Loewen
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki
Stripes of All Types by Susan Stockdale
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson