I have to admit that I wasn't completely sold on the idea of blogging. I didn't really know why we would want everyone to know what we were doing all the time, and if we did, when would there be time to write about it?I guess I have come around. I have been in New York for almost a month now, and I have come to realize that I have been really bad at letting my friends and family know what we are up to and how we are doing. Therefore, I am going to make a conscious effort to contribute to this undertaking as often as possible.
After our scenic and erratic journey into the Adirondacks, I became quite excited about our time in New York. Sure, I have always loved visiting the city, and experiencing sights, sounds, and especially smells, that you can never quite experience with an upbringing in southern Minnesota, but this New York is different. As I have told those who I have talked to, there is truly two New York's.
The Adirondacks, brought me a strange but beautiful mixture of the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota combined with the mountains of north central Pennsylvania. The fall colors framing the peaks, valleys, and lakes in a distracting way to this driver. It was after this trip that I vowed; regardless of how long our stay in New York is, my ever exploring self will continue to exist.
The Adirondacks, brought me a strange but beautiful mixture of the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota combined with the mountains of north central Pennsylvania. The fall colors framing the peaks, valleys, and lakes in a distracting way to this driver. It was after this trip that I vowed; regardless of how long our stay in New York is, my ever exploring self will continue to exist.
The third weekend in October brings about a "special" excitement and a plethora of feelings in Jodie that are hard to explain to anybody who is not from the small burrough in the Pennsylvanian Appalachians known as Pine Grove. This, my friends, is the Halloween Parade. I however, was not so sure if I was going to participate in this annual pilgrimage. After all, this was always Jodie's thing, a time where she was among friends and family, and did not have to worry about my level of joy, sanity, or anything for that matter. That being said, I decided to see what this was all about. I needed to get out of our quaint town at the foot of the Catskill Mountains. I quickly learned just how much time is needed to immerse yourself fully in the Halloween experience in PG. There are craft fairs, Parades, family gatherings, unregulated class reunions, and stick less foods on a stick smorgasbords that must all be choreographed into less than 72 hours. I wasn't sure what to make of any of it, my head was on a swivel, and I was most certainly over stimulated. I do have to admit, from the 18 holes of golf on Saturday morning through the 18 floats of Shriner's on Saturday night, the trip was more than worth it. It is hard for this former Army Ranger, and oft emotionless guy to admit, but the two weeks at our new home with just the dog were starting to wear on my senses. A busy, but great weekend with family and friends was a great cure and I am thankful for that.
Throughout this New York, or should I say upstate New York experience I have had the long standing belief that we need to explore, socialize and stay active, at least until we get a true lay of the land, and an understanding of our surroundings and a group of people we truly enjoy. Last weekend we had a great mixture of all of that.
On Friday we headed out for dinner at a local diner. Jodie and I share the belief that whether life has you down, indecisive or just plain bored, the local diner can often be the cure. This particular place, which shall remain nameless, seemed harmless on the outside and even more so at first glance at the menu. This was hit home with the authority of Ryan Howard as soon as Jodie saw that they served "Disco Fries". I have no clue what this name means to this strange concoction of fried potatoes, sliced cheese and what appeared to be some sort of poultry based gravy but eating it must have conjured up images of polyester suits sliding across the dance floor to the likes of the Bee Gees to its creator. However, my food decision, which should have went against every culinary instinct I possess, was to order seafood at the diner. I regretted this decision immensely just 90 minutes later.
After the diner we headed out to meet our friends Ed and Julie at a brewpub in Albany aptly named the Albany Pump house. This former factory is still littered with the formally functional decor of its original occupants. There were heavy block and tackle sets hanging above dining tables, and the industrial feeling fit well with its current purpose of supplying great tasting micro brews to the Albany, NY masses.
After a couple of rounds at the brewpub we headed to a local Irish bar in the neighborhood before heading home. All in all it was a great time. This was the first time we had really headed out with friends since living in New York and it was well worth the wait.
The next morning, much to my dismay, we awoke to a steady rain on our townhouse windows. For the last few days, I had planned a Saturday trip into the Catskills to take in some of the scenic views I had read so much about. At one lookout point, it is said you can see five states. The rain however, had put an abrupt stop to my viewing plans. I was not however, going to let it stop us from going. Therefore, around lunchtime, we go in the Prius and headed up the mountain. Although the cloud cover took away the distant views, I can honestly say the Catskills were among the prettiest areas I have had the good fortune to see. We went through ski villages, trout streams and between tall peaks. The greatest part of the trip was the winding, slippery, and extremely narrow passage back down the mountain. I cannot wait to head back up and see it all again. I did manage to get a couple of great pictures out of the trip though.
Until next time....enjoy!
