A Reluctant Return to Our Regular Routine

                                

Hello friends! How was your summer? We hid in the mountains as much as possible and got lots of work done on the cabin there. It was very hard to pack up and come home to NJ but our youngest started back at school last week and so it was time. We chose to start the school year with a hybrid schedule which means he is in school 2-3 mornings a week as opposed to fully online learning. It was a hard choice for us, not so much for him. Like many high schoolers, he is very social and the need to have more time with his friends outweighed any other factor. With the infection rate still somewhat low in our area, we decided to give it a go - for now anyway. We will see how long any version of in-class school can last in our pandemic world. I am glad that he was at least able to start the year this way having met his teachers and learning first hand what their expectations are for the year. Our middle son is fully online for college this semester and that seems to be going well for him. He too would prefer to be in class, but his school chose to put all their effort into online learning and, so far, it seems like a good choice, especially at the college level. He's a strong student and I know he'll do well. His girlfriend went away to school and is currently in quarantine in a nearby hotel after being exposed to the virus by her roommate.  She's a very smart and responsible kid who worked so hard to get a scholarship to go to this school and it's heartbreaking to see her have to struggle because others didn't choose to follow the rules. This virus is so much about us all taking care of each other and it is disheartening just how many Americans have failed to learn that lesson.

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Fall in the Adirondacks 2019

I'm not really sure what it is I love most about fall. The colors? Definitely a big part of it. The smells? Nothing smells quite like the leaves on the ground during this season. But I think what intrigues me most about this season is the bittersweet change in the weather. The signal for a cozier time of year which is music to this homebody's ears.

These pictures were taken across the span of about 3 weeks from late September into mid-October. We follow the color as it changes first in the higher elevations and finally ends down by the lake. It was sad to leave this weekend because the next time we head up up there, the trees will be bare. I can't remember a prettier fall than we saw this year.

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Christmastime Fun in Snowy Vermont

I always wanted to visit Vermont during the holiday season and this year we finally made it happen. We've made a couple of trips to the Vermont Country Store, which although a major tourist destination, still manages to maintain its old time charm. But never at Christmas. We took a beautiful drive from our family's cabin in Upstate NY over the nearby Vermont border and the snowy trees were gorgeous. It was snowing on and off during our drive and felt like being in a real life snow globe.

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Autumn in Vermont 2017

Hello friends and Happy November. Today is the day that everything magically turns to Christmas in blogland. Ha! Not ready for that yet so I thought I would pop in to share some pictures of a recent quick trip we took to Vermont.  It has been an odd fall foliage wise, for sure. But the tradeoff has been some amazing warm temperatures throughout September and October so I am not complaining. On this trip, we visited southern Vermont, an area that is farther to reach from our cabin in the Adirondacks. Billy and I escaped for a couple of days with Dax. We had a blast.

Ever since I first saw a picture of Sleepy Hollow Farm in Woodstock on Pinterest a few years back, I knew I had to experience it for myself. It certainly did not disappoint. It's definitely the stuff Vermont dreams are made of. I read stories of traffic jams and rude people during peak fall season on the road above the farm on the internet. Fortunately, it was just us, as the foliage was past peak. Dax and I spent a few minutes dreaming about what it would be like to live in this setting.

Quite frankly, this area is a bit too upscale for our taste to live in but it was a lovely place to visit. We also came across a covered bridge in Weathersfield that made up for all of the lackluster leaf color.

We headed down to the river's edge and Dax was itching to take a swim.

We stopped for lunch in the village of Grafton.  This quintessential general store is oozing with charm and, more importantly, the people there were friendly and kind. That hasn't been the case in a couple of other general stores we have stopped in. Vermont isn't always so welcoming to us flatlanders, but Grafton made us feel right at home.

 This village had me at their library. Seriously, can you imagine this being your local library??

 I have always dreamed of visiting Vermont in the fall and we will definitely be back next year. Thanks for living up to all the hype, Vermont! We will see you soon.

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Summer Adventures

Hello! Our summer has been going great and I hope yours has too. So far, we have spent a couple of weeks in the mountains and plan to spend a few more before the summer ends. Today I thought I would share a few of the pictures I have taken so far this year. I have talked before (repeatedly) about my love of the loons and I was excited (and lucky) to get this shot on Schroon Lake one afternoon. The call of the loon is definitely one of my favorite sounds.

And here are two more of my favorites- Matthew and Dax at the lake.

There is a Hobie Cat Regatta on Schroon Lake each June and it is so pretty to see the colorful sails on the lake.

A stop at Split Rock Falls just off Rte. 9 in Elizabethtown, NY is always fun. This day was overcast so we were the only ones there. The sound is amazing and standing next to the edge always ignites my fear of heights, but in a good way. It can be a dangerous area for sure.

Billy and I enjoy taking rides in the Jeep after dinner to chase the sunset. Here are a couple of pictures I took along the way.

The Strand is the small movie theatre in the center of town that plays one movie all week at 8pm with a few special events throughout the summer. Just another thing that adds to the charm of Schroon Lake.

We also enjoyed a few more day trips to Vermont. We visited two covered bridges. The first is in Waitsfield and crosses the Mad River.

The second is the Halpin covered bridge near Middlebury.

I love seeing the Adirondacks from Vermont. I think they have the best view.

We enjoy exploring around the backroads of Vermont. You just never know what beautiful view is around the bend.

Family rides in the Jeep with the top and doors off adds to the adventure.

Our oldest boy will be going away to college this fall and oh, my heart!!

I am trying to remain positive but it is downright hard to see him go. I remind myself repeatedly that our job is both to provide roots AND wings. The wings part is just so dang difficult! We are all holding onto him a little tighter this summer.

We are home in NJ this week getting things done. Like college dorm shopping. And we also have our middle son taking driving lessons to get his permit. Time marches on. I hope you have enjoyed a peek of our summer adventures. I am just realizing that I never shared our summer family room so I will try to get that post done this week too. Happy Summer!

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Easter and Spring Break Recap

Hello and Happy Monday! It's been a whirlwind of events around here but I am not complaining. This past winter felt incredibly long and s-l-o-w to me so I am glad to be surrounded by the flurry of activity that spring has brought our way. We spent a few days in the mountains last week while the kids were off for spring break. There was still some snow around but it was melting fast. Temperatures reached into the 80s while we were there. It was a pleasant reminder that summer is just around the corner.

As you can imagine, all of that sunshine led to rapidly melting snow. It was the height of mud season. The picture below is at the entrance to our family's property. We had to park there, put on our mud boots and walk trudge to the house.

Our friends were all posting pictures on Instagram of fabulous beach vacations and here we were in the mud. I had to laugh at the difference. I took a picture of my feet submerged in the mud. See, I told you those Hunter boots weren't just blog props. They definitely get put to good use!

Here's a picture of Dax basking in the spring sunshine on the melting snow.

Anytime we can be all together is a good time to me. We visited a nearby waterfall which was rushing with spring overflow. The sound was magnificent.

Our youngest son is obsessed with skateboarding so we always work in a couple of visits to skateparks wherever we go. We headed to Burlington, VT on a gorgeous spring day. 

We strolled down Church St, had lunch and stopped in a couple of shops, including this book store.

We parked by the library so of course I had to take a picture of that.

The skate park is right on the Lake Champlain waterfront overlooking the Adirondack Mts. We spent a couple of hours watching him there and everyone seemed to be so happy that spring had finally arrived.

Then we came home and had to wash away all of that mud in time to attend a wedding. We don't get dressed up like this very often so I had to take a picture to document it.

Then it was time to get ready for Easter. Which meant obligatory bunny ears for the pups. They happily cooperated...for a treat! Well, as usual, Dax was a bit happier than Keeper.
We spent the day at my brother's house on the lake. The weather was warm, the food was delicious and we had a great time. As usual, I took no pictures. Except this one, which sums it all up perfectly :)

Now I am off to get some mulch and plants for our back patio. We have been working on refreshing this space for spring and I will be sharing that soon.  I hope you had a wonderful and blessed Easter.

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