New York - The Wrap Up

Well, it took me a little longer to get back with a post but here is the wrap up of our week (June 29th - July 6th) in New York.  This all now seems so very long ago!  It is hard to believe that we will be leaving Virginia and traveling back to Bangkok a week from tomorrow.  Where did the time (seven weeks) go?!?

One afternoon, my mom arranged a small barbecue with family friends that I babysat for many years ago.  It was a lot of fun because now those children are grown up and have children of their own.  While I felt a little old, it was good to see and catch up with them.   Another day, my aunt and uncle drove from New Jersey for a visit.  My uncle, dad and Kevin golfed in the morning and, after they all napped (because golfing is such a tiring sport), we had a nice lunch together.  We are planning to drive across the country next summer and my uncle had a lot of good ideas and suggestions of places for us to visit on our journey.

We also hiked through the Black Creek Forest Preserve in the Town of Esopus, about a 20 minute drive from my parents' home.  

The Black Creek Forest Preserve is a 130-acre woodland tract in the Town of Esopus, a small town on the Hudson River about 75 miles north of Manhattan. The Forest Preserve is a hemlock and hardwood forest and has three marked trails that traverse the land and pass along the banks of the Hudson River.  We combined all three trails (yellow, blue and red) for a three mile hike.  I had run 8 miles that morning and planned to take it slowly so, while Kevin and Caitlynne took right off on the trail, Christopher tagged along with me. 

Right at the beginning of the trail, there is a suspension bridge to cross over Black Creek.  

My son (who must always be in motion) tried to see how fast he could sprint across the bridge and back.

Black Creek.  Isn't it beautiful?

 

The first part of the hike was literally straight up the mountain.  The path was very uneven and we had to be careful and keep our eyes on the ground so we didn't trip over the many rocks and tree roots on the path.

We reached the top of the mountain and took a little rest on a big rock.

 

I spotted a blueberry bush near the trail.

We finally reached the Hudson River and enjoyed some beautiful views.  This photo is looking up and across the river to Rhinebeck.

 

 

We continued on our way and came across some wonderful stone walls that were in excellent condition.  

After we left the river, the rest of the hike was much easier as it was almost all downhill.  We were back at the suspension bridge in no time at all. 

 

 

One of our favorite traditions while in New York is to visit the hot dog truck at least once (or twice) for lunch.  We usually don't eat hot dogs but there is just something about the hot dogs that this man serves that makes eating those chemicals and preservatives worthwhile!     

 

On our last night in New York, we took my parents to dinner at The Egg's Nest, a very funky little bar and restaurant in High Falls.  

The Egg's Nest is truly an institution in High Falls/Ulster County and I can't remember a time when it wasn't open.  I used to go there with friends during the summers I was home from college or while visiting at other times.  Oh, the memories!  It is kind of neat to be going there now with my own family (although my behavior is MUCH better!). The food is quite good but the true draw of The Egg's Nest is its decor which has been called an "eclectic and colorful"  "funky collection of sixties hippy kitsch" and "looks like something Martha Stewart would do after ingesting a fist full of LSD." Apparently, the owner, Richard does all of the decorating & painting and redecorates quite frequently so as to keep it "interesting". I was a little uncomfortable walking around with my camera and taking photos of the decor while people were trying to enjoy their dinners but I think you can get an idea of what the interior is like from the few shots I did get.

The front entrance gives a little hint as to what the inside is like.

The front door.

On the ceiling. 

More stuff on the ceiling.

The painted wall going up the stairs.

Christopher taking a sip of his raspberry lemonade.

Very tart!

My dinner (Reuben sandwich).

 

After dinner (take a look at the painted table - it was beautiful!).

 

That wraps up our visit in New York!  We left New York very early Friday morning, July 6th to return to Virginia.  My brother, Jim, and his wife, Jan, always have a "not to be missed" 4th of July party (although this year it was going to be held on July 7th) and we wanted to get back in time to celebrate.

New York!

I am such a very bad blogger!  I just cannot seem to manage to carve out a block of time (while I am also in a location with a wi-fi connection) so I can blog while on vacation.

This post will cover our time in New York (June 29th - July 6th).  We left Virginia right on schedule (5:30 am) on Friday morning (June 29th).  We zipped up I-95 and wound around Philadelphia and through rural New Jersey to get on the New York State Thruway in North Western New Jersey.  We made one stop for gas (and to use the bathroom) and arrived at my parents' home in New Paltz just before 11:00 am.  Not a bad trip at all.

Upon our arrival (and as per my request), my mom had ready all of the fixin's for us to make delicious sandwiches... roast beef, smoked turkey, roasted ham, American & Swiss cheeses as well as "fresh from the garden" lettuce, onions and tomatoes. The absolute BEST part of this  meal was the bread (white & rye bread and hard rolls) from Deising's Bakery that we used as the cornerstone of our sandwiches. I won't go into the history of Deising's Bakery (it is very interesting though and you can read about it here) but I will say that they make fabulous bread and baked goods and it is one thing (of many) that we look forward to having when we are at my parents'. Yes, I know I am only talking about sandwiches here and not some gourmet 5 star meal but we cannot get good (or even decent) deli sandwiches in Thailand - at least not that I have been able to find. For several weeks prior to our departure from Bangkok, I had been craving a roast beef sandwich like you wouldn't believe!  This sandwich totally hit the spot and I hope it will carry me over for the next year.  Quite frequently, I toy with the idea of becoming a vegetarian but after eating a sandwich like that one, I know that it just isn't possible.  Roast beef and bacon are my two carnivore "weaknesses" for sure.

The weather was perfect while we were visiting my parents' home.  When we first arrived in NY, the temps were in the mid-high 90's and everyone was complaining about the heat and humidity but it felt pretty normal to us, maybe even a little cool.  The heat wave broke on Sunday and then we enjoyed sunshine and temps in the high 80's for the rest of our visit.  The morning temps were in the high 60's and Kevin and I took advantage of the cool weather and had some fantastic runs during the week. It was so wonderful to run in temps that were not 80+degrees and 90%+ humidity!

The Walkill Valley Rail Trail is very close to my parents' home and that is our favorite spot to run when we visit them.  From the Walkill Valley Rail Trail Association website, I found this information about the trail...

"The Walkill Valley Rail Trail officially opened in October 1993 and was the seventeenth rail trail in New York State. The trail extends for 12.2 miles from the southern border of Gardiner to the Northern border of New Paltz. Along the way it passes through woods, open fields, and agricultural lands, and links the hamlet of Gardiner with downtown New Paltz. Trail users will discover a wide variety of birds and other wildlife and beautiful views of the Shawangunk Ridge and the Wallkill River. The trail surface is gravel and packed dirt."

And, a little history about the trail...
"In the late 19th century, the Wallkill Valley Railroad ferried fresh produce and vegetables from the farmlands of Ulster County to the streets of New York City. It also served as a commuter railroad for passengers traveling along the Hudson Valley. For more than a half century, the railroad supported business and tourism, provided jobs and created a critical economic link between upstate and downstate.  By 1933 only one passenger train ran daily each way, and four years later, all passenger service came to a halt. Over the next few decades, numerous stations along the Wallkill line closed. In 1977, the Wallkill Valley Railroad took its last freight run. 

The Wallkill Valley Railroad sat abandoned for several years. Then, in 1983, plans were launched for the railroad's transformation into a linear park. Rail trail supporters galvanized others in the push toward a trail that would accommodate hiking, biking, running, cross-country skiing and other forms of outdoor recreation.  The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail opened informally in April 1991, the 17th such trail created in New York State. Flanked by the majestic Shawangunk Mountains, the trail stretches along the Wallkill River through the Ulster County Village of New Paltz, from Rosendale to Gardiner. The trail is owned by the towns of Gardiner and New Paltz and the village of New Paltz.  In addition to providing a relaxing and peaceful spot for various outdoor activities, the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail also is the site of a number of special events that are open to the public each year."

The Rail Trail really is a beautiful place to run and/or walk - very quiet and peaceful. We always see a lot of deer and small wildlife in the woods.  One morning, we even saw two fawns that still had their spots.  This photo is from the Walkill Valley Rail Trail Association's website and shows the point at which we access the trail to begin our runs.  The bridge is across the Walkill River and is located off of Springtown Road in New Paltz.

Another photo from the Association's website showing the actual trail...

One evening, we went to a spot on the Esopus Creek (near Phoenicia) to fish with my dad.  The 65.4 mile long Esopus Creek drains the East-Central Catskill Mountains and is a tributary of the Hudson River.  It drains from its source at the Winnisook Lake, down and across Ulster County and into the Hudson River at Saugerties.  In Olive Bridge, just a few miles South of where we were fishing, the Esopus Creek flows into the Ashokan Reservoir which is one of several reservoirs in the Catskill Mountains that are part of New York City's water supply system.

The path leading to our fishing spot on the Esopus Creek.

This sign was posted near the path.

On the (very) off-chance that you might be wondering what Rock Snot is, I also took this photo...

Lovely!  And, before I had a chance to open my mouth and warn the others about the Rock Snot, guess who was in the water?!?

 

 

Christopher insisted on spending the first 30 minutes practicing his "Parkour" skills on the rocks and tree limbs scattered around and over the Creek. Parkouring was developed in France and is a non-competitive sport which focuses on efficient movement around obstacles. The main purpose of Parkouring is to teach participants how to move through their environments by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing, and leaping. Let me assure you, Christopher did all of the above and my heart was in my throat the entire time.  Finally, he picked up a fishing pole...

 

The fishermen.

  

 

And the fishergirl.

The fishergirl gave up after a while and began to read on her Kindle.  Gotta love technology!

While the Keating family did not catch any fish, my dad caught two.  Both were some kind of trout... brown, brook, rainbow ???  I forget the exact kind but they went into the freezer as soon as we returned home and they were cleaned. 

Some random photos of the Creek.  Although I had no idea what it looked like, I was on high alert for Rock Snot.

 

 

 

 

 

One night we had grilled shrimp and veggie kabobs for dinner.  So delicious!

I thought I would be able to include our entire New York trip in one post but I guess we were busier than I thought (or I just wrote a lot).  I would like to get something posted today so I will stop here and finish up with New York tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

Virginia - Round One

We were very lucky in that our flight last Monday from Seattle to Virginia was on-time and uneventful.  We left Michael and Sheena's home at about 5:45 am which seemed early for an 8:20 am domestic flight but I was glad we did as we later heard from Michael that there was an accident and an ensuing four mile back-up on the highway to the airport right after we passed through. 

In Virginia, we were able to get out of the airport, rent a car and drive to Clare's home without any delays in rush hour traffic. She had a delicious traditional Thanksgiving dinner (better late than never!) waiting for us when we arrived. Yum!  The weather was beautiful and we were able to sit out on her deck and enjoy the evening.

Since we were only going to be in Virginia for 3 days (before leaving for New York early Friday morning), we decided not to make plans with friends or have any other commitments so we wouldn't feel too rushed or busy.  We slept in, relaxed with Clare and enjoyed the cooler weather.  We also had a little retail therapy and we wandered around Target with stars in our eyes and our mouths' wide open!  Tuesday night, the sky was perfectly clear and we were able to watch the international space station move across the sky above Clare's home. To the naked eye, it wasn't all that big of a deal... just a bright light quickly moving across the sky but we can say we saw it.  I am sure a telescope would have enhanced our experience but that wasn't an option for us.

The weather was perfect for running and I was able to get in three great runs around Clare's neighborhood, including a great (and fast - for me) 7.5 mile run Thursday morning around the golf course. I love running in her neighborhood.  The runs were hilly but the cooler weather and less humid weather made me so happy!  If only Bangkok had a month or two with weather like that.  It would make all of the difference!

Wednesday evening, we went to Jim and Jan's for take-out dinner from our favorite Chinese restaurant, Shiang-Yu in the Franklin Farm Village Center.  It is kind of funny... whenever we have Chinese food - wherever we are in the world, (and I mean wherever - the U.S., Europe, Asia, Australia) -  one of us will ALWAYS comment, "This is good but it is not as good as Shiang-Yu".  Then, we spend the rest of the dinner discussing our favorite dishes from Shiang-Yu (beef and broccoli, General Tso's chicken, fried rice) and talk about when we might be so lucky to have it again.  So,  yes, Shiang-Yu is a family favorite, for sure!

Jim, Jan, Jan's two sisters, her niece and her niece's friend (got all that?!?) were leaving for New York on Friday to celebrate the girls' 16th birthdays. One of their more important "things to do" was to see Maroon 5 at the Today Show's Summer Friday concert series.  Thanks to a connection of Jan's, they were very successful in that regard, getting closer than front row...

(This photo of the very fine Adam Levine was shamelessly stolen from Jan's facebook page!).

Kevin worked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so he  stayed at a hotel in Reston that was very close to his office.  We saw him Wednesday night at Jim and Jan's and then the kids and I met him for dinner Thursday night and spent the night with him at the hotel so we would be ready for Friday's 5:30 am departure for New York.

Happy 4th of July Eve!