An apple a day

Today we returned to Beak and Skiff apple farm, this time not to sample wine or vodka (see Roam) but to pick apples. Although a bit on the warm side, it was a gorgeous day to be outside.

We picked Paula Red apples, which are tart and juicy apples, and totally new to me. They looked so pretty on the trees:


They were also quite pretty on Aidan's head:


Aidan measured up quite nicely:


We returned home with more apples, of course, than we intended to pick, but you know what they say about an apple (or two) a day!

Our new favorite place

Last Friday, we loaded up the car and drove to Lake Placid for a five day vacation in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. It is official: we are in serious love with the Adirondacks. It would take too long to describe everywhere we went and everything we did, so I will only touch on the highlights.

It is absolutely beautiful in the High Peaks area and the water in the lakes is incredibly clear. Here is James relaxing by the shore of Mirror Lake, which is the lake that the town of Lake Placid is located on:


This is the view across Mirror Lake from "downtown" Lake Placid:


We went to Whiteface Mountain, which is the fifth highest peak in New York. A road leads to near the top of the mountain, and then you walk the rest of the way or take an elevator. The view from the top is astounding; here is Lake Placid (the lake, not the town):


See how high up we were:


We went on an hour-long boat tour of Lake Placid and enjoyed seeing numerous gorgeous Adirondack camps located along the shore. The captain let Aidan steer the boat for a while:


James and Aidan went fishing in the pouring rain one afternoon and had a great time. Here is Aidan reeling in the first out of 25 fish that he caught:


If you ever find yourself lucky enough to be in Lake Placid, stop by Adirondack Yarns on Saranac Avenue - it is a lovely shop with very nice and helpful people.

We ate well while on holiday, but two places merit special mention. On Sunday night we went to R.F. McDougall's Pub, which is located downstairs from The Hungry Trout, in Wilmington. I ordered smoked trout with capers for an appetizer, thinking that James and I would share it. Aidan took one tentative bite then almost had to be restrained so that James and I could eat some, too! And although he was dubious about the capers, he did try them and liked them. At least I had the wasabi horseradish all to myself.

We were famished and muddy after hiking approximately four miles on Monday, so we went to Simply Gourmet for a late lunch. What an eclectic and delicious place! It was hard to decide among the 46 different sandwiches but we managed...and we managed to finish every last bite.

The town of Lake Placid boasts two microbreweries: Lake Placid Pub and Brewery, and the Great Adirondack Brewing Co. We often buy a six pack of Lake Placid Brewery beer at the grocery so it was fun to quaff a few at the source. The food was unremarkable but the 46'er Pale Ale was quite tasty. And even tastier was the Brewer's Choice at the Great Adirondack Brewing Co. We enjoyed a pint on our first afternoon in town, then returned on our last night for appetizers and more beer. Yum, yum, yum. The brewery does not bottle their beer for distribution so if we want to enjoy it again, it is back to Lake Placid.

We went, we saw, we hiked, we drank, we fell in love. Future trips are already being dreamed of, although we probably will not stay in pricey Lake Placid again. The Adirondacks are gorgeous and we look forward to exploring even more of the region.

P.S. This post is number 400 since I started blogging three years ago. Who knew I had so much to say?

Blokus

Do you play Blokus? Blokus is a strategy board game that uses Tetris-like pieces. (If you want to learn more about the game and its many variations, go to the Rules of the Game page on the official Blokus website.) We bought the original game a year or so ago after reading many excellent reviews on Amazon and other sites. There have been many exciting matches at our house, and Aidan or I actually manage to win once in a while!

I bought the Blokus To Go game at Target on Sunday for our upcoming trip to the Adirondacks and for other times when we travel. What a nifty little game! It is only for two players at a time, and Aidan and I have been playing several matches each day.

After we concluded regular play this afternoon (Mommy - 2 games, Aidan - 1 game), Aidan decided to use the game to make pictures. Here is one of his art pieces:

Roam

Since I found out that Kate Pierson of the B-52s has a motel in the Catskill Mountains of New York (Kate's Lazy Meadow, if you are curious), B-52 songs have been playing in my head. Yesterday's theme song was most definitely Roam as we wandered around and about the area.

We started out just a few blocks away on the banks of the Seneca River, where the canal schooner Lois McClure was paying a visit. We were able to board the boat, go below deck, and talk with the volunteers who were available to answer questions.

Here is the Lois McClure, along with the tugboat C.L. Churchill, which assists the Lois McClure:



From B'ville we drove over to Cazenovia, a pretty village in neighboring Madison County. We had lunch at a deli, then wandered through the Saturday farmer's market. We bought tomatoes, corn, peaches, homemade cookies and some awesome cheese from Meadowood Farms. After sampling just about everything Meadowood had available to sample, we purchased their sheep's milk feta (which will be delicious on the tomatoes, drizzled with red wine vinegar and olive oil) and sheep's milk brebis with roasted red peppers. Yum doesn't even begin to describe how good their cheeses taste.

We then drove over to Chittenango Falls, which we last saw in the winter. Although not a particularly tall or large falls, it is still quite pretty:


I enjoyed dabbling my feet in the creek:


Our next stop was Beak & Skiff in Lafayette. Although the apple orchards aren't open for picking until next weekend, we consoled ourselves by visiting the winery and the distillery. We did not want to hurt the feelings of any of the shop employees, so we tasted several wines at the winery (purchased two) and then sampled and praised the apple vodka at the distillery (bought a bottle there, too). The gentleman at the distillery said no one would likely miss an apple or two, so James picked one for Aidan to enjoy:


As you can see, he enjoyed it immensely. The view there is spectacular and I look forward to returning when the leaves turn in autumn.

We drove on home and since I had put a meal in the slow cooker before we left, all we had to do was enjoy cocktails and prepare the corn. What a fun day of roaming!

Surfer dude

Mom surprised Aidan with an overnight stay at Wilderness at the Smokies waterpark resort. We arrived shortly before noon on Monday, because although check-in time is 4 pm, you can start using the water parks at noon on the day of your arrival. For the next five+ hours, Aidan and I played in the indoor waterdome.

Oh, my. From the people watching (as much as I could see without my glasses) to the various attractions, there was much to keep us busy. When we finally retired to the room to clean up for dinner, we were exhausted. Particularly me - keeping pace with an eight year old is no easy feat! I had been pommeled by the waves in the wave pool and had even ridden down the Trail Twister tube slides twice.

We played another hour the next morning (including a ride down Storm Chaser - eek! What was I thinking?) before cleaning up and checking out. Aidan had a marvelous time, particularly on the surf rider:

Fun at Grandma's house

As you can see from the following photos, Aidan is having a marvelous time visiting Grandma. Here they are, doing an activity book together:


And here is Aidan at one of his favorite places, the park in Fountain City (TN):

Okra Winfrey

Aidan and I flew down to Tennessee on Tuesday for a much overdue visit with my mother. Our trip was fairly uneventful, which is just about as good as it gets with air travel. The first leg of the trip was from Syracuse to Charlotte. I held up security at the Syracuse airport while they puzzled over the knitting needles in my tote bag. I had already verified that knitting needles are acceptable in carry-on baggage and, at James' suggestion, had printed the page. After checking the bag manually, they sent us on our way.

That flight had the honor of transporting the body of a US soldier killed in Afghanistan. The pilot requested that everyone remain seated upon arrival, so that the military escort could exit the airplane first. Everyone complied, except one knucklehead - a man approximately in the his mid-to-late 50s - who immediately popped out of his seat and started getting his luggage. Three or four people yelled “Sit down!” and repeated it several times before he sat down, muttering under his breath.

Aidan and I had a little over two hours in Charlotte before catching the quick flight over to Knoxville, so we ate a leisurely lunch. I just have to take a moment and talk about the restrooms in the Charlotte airport: they are the cleanest I have ever seen. Each bathroom is constantly maintained by an attendant and the ladies we met were friendly, helpful and kept their facility sparkling clean. I never thought that I would have occasion to tip a restroom attendant in an airport restroom, but I also never thought I would be so impressed with the cleanliness of an airport restroom!

We happily arrived in Knoxville and have been enjoying our visit, especially Aidan. He and Grandma are great friends, and enjoy "snuggling" in bed each morning. Snuggling can be anything from lying in bed talking to playing cards or reading books. They have had this ritual since he was very small and it is hard to say who enjoys it the most.

Mom prepared okra the first night we were here and Aidan was less than impressed with it although I enjoyed it tremendously. Last night we were eating leftovers from the first two nights and when I asked him if he wanted some chicken, he said “Yes, but I don’t want any of that okra winfrey.”