Saturday night we stayed in a rest area near JAX airport in order to make my early morning flight to NYC. A beautiful half moon followed us around the grounds as we walked Little Lana, our Chihuahua, before catching a few hours sleep.
Sunday morning, Randy dropped me off for my 6AM flight to JFK…my window seat allowed me to view an amazing sunrise over mother earth as the plane followed the coastline up to NYC. My beautiful niece, Nicole, met me at the airport followed by a succession of subway rides to her turf in Brooklyn. Partly cloudy skies allowed some heat from the sun to warm our wait for brunch at the Buttermilk Channel. Yummy beef short rib hash melted in my mouth chased by a mimosa and dotted with fun conversation.
Back to her darling brownstone apartment shared with two other gals, I crawled into bed for a much needed nap. Later, we met my son, Jason and his lovely lady, Ruya for wine at their place in Williamsburg before enjoying a NYC night walk to Traif for dinner. We shared multiple interesting entrees with each other…loved it!
Monday morning, Jason dazzled me with his breakfast burritos and a fresh fruit salad. I also got to meet Josh, another roommate, who took me under his wing and bought me a fabulous cup of coffee at his favorite neighborhood haunt called Variety. I met some of Josh’s friends along the way…just adore the street energy in New York. By the time we got back to the apartment, Ruya was ready to roll and she and I headed out for some shopping in Soho. Later, Jason met up with us after his meeting and we had lunch together at Café Gitane. A perfectly wonderful little French bistro nestled in the city, wafting with wonderful cooking scents and crowded with beautiful people. Ruya had to go to work so Jason and I hiked over to Con Artist Art Gallery to pick up a painting he had done for his brother, Joe, and I’m taking it back home with me. Down a steep flight of stairs we ventured into the bowels of the city. There we talked art and gleaned some interesting “big work” techniques from the owner.
Come early evening the clouds opened up into a drizzle of drops on our way to Beauty and Essex, one of Jason’s employments. I was treated to an amazing $18 glass of Chardonnay and a tantalizing appetizer before heading out to meet Nicole. She had just gotten off work at 6PM so we headed to the “Jimmy” at the top of the St. James Hotel, another establishment that Jason tends bar at. There I was treated to a view of the city that was dizzying. Last stop Norwood, Ruya’s place of employment (many of the young people work the food/bar industry as a means of supplementing their career goals). I also got to see Teddy, a friend of Jason’s…lots of great memories together from years ago on my first visit to the city. He is now managing this establishment and took us on a tour of each floor. More great food and drink followed by a cab trip home to Jason’s and a late night piece of pizza.
Tuesday morning we all slept in and later met Nicole at a place called Jeffrey’s Grocery. This is a cute little establishment in the village where Josh works and he invited us to come for lunch. Oh my god, I had the most delicious Bloody Mary, beet salad, and roasted pork sandwich…so yummy. Next we window shopped and enjoyed a cup of java at Joe’s for a little pick me up. Then, Josh had suggested a walk on the skyline which is a revamped elevated railway turned garden that winds its way several miles thru the village. Local flora and city views made a great back drop for picture taking. At this point we have literally eaten our way through the city and decided it was time for another fabulous dining experience. At the Fig and Olive we sampled amazing cheeses, olives, and figs, among other delicacies. Finally, our last stop for the evening: The Comedy Cellar. We found ourselves packed in with lots of other city dwellers and tourists for an evening of laughter. And we were not disappointed…so fun. Parting ways with Nicole the three of us took a cab back to Brooklyn for a night cap of wine and pizza. I was exhausted after 3 days. What a great NYC fix.
The next morning, Jason and I hustled thru the subways to procure a train ticket at Grand Central Station for Poughkeepsie. I gave my son a big goodbye hug and plopped in a window seat to take in the view. The train chugged along the Hudson River winding its way up state. Randy and Lana met me at the station with a kiss and hug. Beautiful blue skies and fairly warm temperatures embraced me in the Hudson Valley. After picking up a few groceries we headed to Mills-Norrie State Park and I laid down for a much needed nap. Later that evening and before heading to bed, the moon shined down on our campfire, nestled in the chilly night air of the forest.
Thursday, October 6, we decided to check out some of the local sights that Hyde Park offers. We visited the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historical Site on a gloriously sunny day with just a hint of nip in the air. The tour of our 32nd president’s birth home proved to be nostalgic and also serves as the final resting place for FDR and his wife, Eleanor.
Located an hour away on the west side of the Hudson River, we later found our way to my brother, Joe’s home, in the Village of Rosendale. What an adorably, funky little house, right on Main St. surrounded by other interesting little shops and eateries. I took photos of the late afternoon sun shining on the garden out front of his home. Encased by a small picket fence, sunflowers, cosmos, and tomatoes leaned toward the final vestiges of warm autumn sun before the frost of winter touches them with icy fingers. My gorgeous niece and nephew, Ashley and Sam, joined us for dinner at the Red Brick Tavern just down the street as Joe’s treat. We ended our meal with a game of pool and I won only because Sam scratched, ouch
Friday afternoon we opted to take in some more local history at the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historical Site. I was immediately impressed with the old growth trees on the property reminding me of the giant sequoias and firs out west. Later, we learned some of these trees were the oldest of their kind in America. Like many Vanderbilt Mansions, this tour was worth its weight in Italian marble, sculpture, art and antiques. Opulent splendor graced many of the rooms so wonderfully preserved thru the ages. After the mansion tour I walked thru the magnificent gardens and especially enjoyed sampling the sweet fragrance of the “antique roses”. It was an era of tremendous wealth and extravagant lifestyle beyond most of our comprehensions. Afterwards, we kind of raced back to the camp site to gather supplies for a feast we were planning at Joe’s. Randy and I made a corned beef brisket and vegetables for a cozy dinner that night in Joe’s kitchen. Another beautiful niece of mine, Becca, popped in for a quick hug but was unable to stay for supper so just my nephew, Zane managed to join us as we devoured second helpings and fun conversation…a short but sweet visit…miss you already, Joe.
On Saturday, October 8 we left Mills/Norrie SP for destination Brattleboro, VT. As we headed over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, spanning the Hudson River, we enjoyed views of the Catskill Mountains while continuing our journey to Maine. We are rewarded along the way with glimpses of reds/oranges/yellows tempered by magnificent 73 degree weather. Lots of wonderful little roadside stands decorated with pumpkins and chrysanthemums popped up in view but too difficult to stop with the big rig we pull. The scent of fresh mown grass and fields of hay wafted thru the open truck window. We finally arrived at our destination when I discovered right next door an organic farm! OMG, I cannot imagine a more wonderful food shopping experience. I made a total of 3 trips to Walker Farm before leaving the next morning. Pumpkins, gourds, and mums of every imaginable color, size, and shape excited my senses. On past trips I have collected rocks and this trip it will be gourds! I bought some organic apple cider and enjoyed it with some Captain Morgan’s Rum back at camp. Organic carrots, apples, pears, spinach, sweet corn, beets, peppers, potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, to name a few of mother earth’s harvest I just had to sample. I bought organic eggs, Vermont cheddar cheese, and homemade muffins too. It’s the little things in life that excite me!
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